Thanksgiving Special: The Family Friendly Practice
All this week, in celebration of the Thanksgiving Day holiday that we’re having here in the U.S., I thought I would do a special series to help you cope with the trials and tribulations of guests, entertaining and too much time off.
The aim of this practice today is to find you some peace of mind in the face of stressful interpersonal relationships. You could practice this in anticipation of the arrival of company, after company has left, or even in the midst of the holiday if you can get away.
The thought behind the sequence is to give you a gentle warm-up, followed by some relatively quick pose progressions that you don’t have to think about too much, culminating with Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose), a balancing pose that will require a certain amount of presence of mind to do well. All of this will get the blood moving and hopefully facilitate unblocking any emotional holding. The inversions will then help to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing the effects of stress and bringing you to a more serene state, which can then be consolidated by the restorative poses at the end of the practice. Keep this in mind if you find you need to edit the practice to fit within your capabilities and the time available to you. (more…)
Intermediate Practice: Freeing The Back for Breath
Serratus Posterior Superior and Serratus Posterior Inferior are two accessory breathing muscles. This means that they expand and contract as you breathe, but are not the primary muscles of breathing: the diaphragm and intercostals. Ideally, accessory muscles only help to drive the breath under extraordinary circumstances, but most of us over-work as we breathe in one way or another. In this practice we will attempt to contact and release these two muscles of the back body.
With the inhalations, the muscle fibers of Serratus Posterior Superior shorten and with the exhalations they lengthen. The reverse is the case with Serratus Posterior Inferior , which lengthen with the inhalations and shorten with the exhalations. In this practice we will attempt to keep them soft and wide throughout the entire cycle of breath. These are very deep muscles and potentially challenging to contact. To simplify the process we will aim to soften and widen the entire band across the back in which each reside. This will have the added benefit of releasing anything else in that area that my be gripping:
Restorative Practice: Releasing the Organs 4
In our previous restorative practices in this series we have been releasing different sets of organs: the lungs and the heart; the stomach, liver and intestines; the kidneys and the bladder. In this practice, we will support the adrenal glands and support the functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system.
- Give the full weight of the head to whatever prop is supporting it. Soften the neck and the throat. Soften and widen the upper back, between the shoulder blades.
- Soften the abdomen and the buttocks. Create space and freedom inside the pelvis, especially around the inner face of the sacrum.
- Create Space around the kidneys and the adrenal glands, inside and below the floating ribs. Allow that space to envelope and support the organs.
- Allow the exhalations to be soft and easy. Take care to allow the abdomen, ribs and diaphragm to be completely relaxed at the end of each exhalation and for the inhalations to roll in easily, without being forced.
- In the final poses of the sequence, allow the exhalations to get slightly longer than the inhalations, but again, without forcing. (more…)
Basic Practice: Strengthening the Trunk to Support the Arms
In this practice, we are going to focus on supporting the arms from the strength around the rib cage. Consider the following points as you go through the sequence:
- Keep the upper back and the chest equally wide, softening the chest muscles and the muscles between the shoulder blades.
- Widen the collarbones and release the shoulder blades down the back.
- Allow the ribs to soften and swing down from head to hips as you exhale. Allow them to expand and roll up from hips to head as the breath rolls back in. Allow the ribs and shoulders to be independent, though connected. Keep the breath soft and free.
- Expand the ribs in the sides and the back to support the arms. (more…)
Basic Practice: Stabilizing with the Inner Thighs, Widening the Back
In each of these poses, take care not grip the hips, buttocks and back. Find support from the strength of the inner thighs—the adductor muscles—even from the leg that is in the air in balance poses. Widen evenly across the upper back and chest, without pinching the shoulder blades together on the one hand, or slumping on the other. In every poses, allow the breath to be soft and free.
The Sequence:
Restorative Practice: Releasing the Organs 3
In our third practice focused on supporting the organs, we will turn our attention to the heart and lungs.
- Allow the abdomen to soften and open, releasing away from the chest.
- Allow the chest and front ribs to soften and widen.
- Follow each exhalation al the way to the very end.
- Allow the ribs to soften and drape down the length of the body every time you exhale.
- Allow the lungs to gently deflate inside the rib cage with the exhalations.
- Allow the heart to settle back towards the spine as you exhale. As the breath rolls back in, allow the lungs to fill and gently wrap around the heart, gently cradling and supporting it.
Restorative Practice: Releasing the Organs 2
This week our focus is on creating softness and space around the kidneys and bladder.
The Sequence:
- Take a few moments to gather the mind and body up into the present moment, letting go of the day that’s been and releasing any anticipation or apprehension over the time to come.
- Become aware of the movement in the torso as you breath. With the exhalations it empties, narrowing and lengthening. With the inhalation it fills, widening and deepening. Become aware of the inner volume of the body, the chest and abdominal cavities, and the way it changes as you breathe.
- Become aware of the movement of the abdomen and the lower back. With the inhalation, the diaphragm moves down and the abdomen and lower back expand. With the exhalation, the diaphragm moves up and the abdomen and lower back narrow. Observe the contents of the abdominal cavity and the way they move and are reshaped with the breath.
Restorative Practice: Releasing the Organs 1
For our next restorative theme, we are going to be working with releasing the organs. In this practice, our focus will be on the stomach, the liver and the intestines.
The Sequence:
- Take a few moments to gather the mind and body up into the present moment, letting go of the day that’s been and releasing any anticipation or apprehension over the time to come.
- Become aware of the movement in the torso as you breath. With the exhalations it empties, narrowing and lengthening. With the inhalation it fills, widening and deepening. Become aware of the inner volume of the body, the chest and abdominal cavities, and the way it changes as you breathe.
- Become aware of the movement of the abdomen and the lower back. With the inhalation, the diaphragm moves down and the abdomen and lower back expand. With the exhalation, the diaphragm moves up and the abdomen and lower back narrow. Observe the contents of the abdominal cavity and the way they move and are reshaped with the breath.
Restorative: Movement of the Breath 4
In this practice we will begin by observing the movement of the breath in the torso. From there we will delve deeper to observe the movement of the organs, particularly the lungs, the heart, the stomach and liver, the kidneys and the intestines.The Sequence:
- Take a few moments to gather the mind and body up into the present moment, letting go of the day that’s been and releasing any anticipation or apprehension over the day to come.
- Become aware of the movement of the ribcage as you exhale, following each breath to the very end, allowing it to be soft and free: the ribs soften and drape down the length of the body. Allow the lower back the abdomen to remain soft and wide as the sides of the waist gently narrow. Watch to see if you are reaching for the next breath, even at the most subtle level, and let that go if you are.
Restorative Practice: Movement of the Breath 3
In this restorative practice, we continue our exploration of the movement of the breath in the torso by observing the diaphragm itself. In particular, we are going to observe the exhalation, when the diaphragm releases and is drawn deeper into the rib cage by the deflating of the lungs. This particular emphasis will help the entire body to soften, surrendering to gravity.
© 2010 Witold Fitz-Simon.
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