In this season for celebration there are often times when the digestion system becomes a bit, shall we say, overtaxed.   Rich foods and larger quantities add up to unhappy tummies.  Relief is at foot in the form of a simple yoga pose, Rock Pose of Vajrsasana, that can be used to aid digestion in a healthy, natural way.

This posture gets its name because it is said to give you the ability to digest rocks - not that I recommend you testing out the name to that degree!   However, it's beneficial effects on the digestive system are quite valuable as well as it's ability to make you solid and balanced as a rock.

To come into Rock Pose, begin by kneeling on both knees with the top of the feet on the ground.  Then sit back on the heels.  If you are uncomfortable in this position, you can place a small pillow between your heels and your buttocks.  Keep the spine straight by placing the heels on the sitting bones, lifting the chest and sternum slightly upward, and gently stretch the back of the neck straight by pulling the chin toward the back of the neck.  The head stays level and centered and the muscles of the neck and throat remain loose.  The legs can be apart or together, but try to fit the heels right into the little notch at the top end of your femur, just under your buttocks where the sitting bones are and where there is an acupressure point which invokes a sense of calm and stimulates digestion.

In this position, breathe deeply through the nose, consciously moving the breath into the digestive areas.  Just three minutes a day is a wonderful gift to your digestive system.

© 2009 Jamie Durner. All Rights Reserved.

 WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Jamie Durner, BodyMind Coach™, holds multiple certifications across the health and wellness disciplines including Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, Registered Kundalini Yoga Teacher, and Credentialed Life Coach. She is the creator of the “Total Self Mastery” self care program and publishes “Healing and Harmony” monthly Ezine and blog with easy-to-use, FREE tips to move beyond chronic imbalance and into healing and harmony (sign up at www.jamiedurner.com).  She is a nationally published author in the book “Yoga in America”, HealthWise Magazine, Ezine Articles, and HealthyWomanGuide.com.  She is also the yoga expert and instructor for Your Health Professional online professional exercise program.

Although we haven't officially entered winter by date, for those of us in WI and many other parts of the country, winter weather has arrived and with it comes the possibility of the winter body blues.   The winter body blues are those special aches and pains, spasms and pulled muscles that sometimes accompany the winter chore of snow and ice removal and even driving in slippery conditions.  Some of you may avoid the bulk of this because you have a snow removal service.  But for those of you doing your own winter chore work, whether occasionally or consistently, try out these tips to beat the winter body blues.

1.  Work Smart: when you can't avoid the activity, you need to think about how you can do the activity with the least amount of impact to your body.  For shoveling this means good body mechanics, remembering to bend your knees and lift with your legs and to rotate which side of the body you are throwing the snow so you spread the impact better between your two sides.  Use a more ergonomic shovel or do the light stuff with a broom which uses a different motion.

2.  Pace Yourself:  the line from being sore to becoming injured often gets crossed by trying to do too much at one time.  I understand that you want or need to get the job done quickly, but even so, taking a few breaks to do a couple stretches and get some water can make a difference and still keep you on your time schedule.  Going a bit more slowly to take the time to use the right body mechanics will pay off.

3.  Share The Burden:  recruit everyone in the family to do part of the job.  Many hands might the work light…and will help your back and shoulders!  Even little ones can do some parts of the job like a front stoop or a small patch of the work.

4.  Consider Hiring Help For Certain Conditions:  the really wet snows make the heaviest burdens and even small clearings can strain the body.  These might be the snows for which you hire the plow or a neighborhood child.

5.  Stretch: using your muscles creates tension, especially when done for longs periods in a repetitive fashion.  An important part of preventing the tension from building up into a crisis point is to reduce the tension and return the muscles back to their normal resting length, rather than having the muscles held in shortened, tight state.  Full body stretching provided by yoga can be nice but if you're short on time, pick stretches that address the specific areas that are impacted by the work.  If you don't know what to do, work with a massage therapist, a physical therapist, an exercise physiologist, or a yoga teacher to find what would serve you.

6.  Follow Up With An Epsom Salt Bath: after you've done your work and tried to minimize the impact, you now need to address the tension that did develop.  A hot bath with Epsom Salts to draw out the toxins can take the edge off the soreness.  Note that if you are doing this in the day and you need to do other work, follow the hot bath by a cool or cold shower rinse so your energy rebounds.

7.  Use Arnica: homeopathic arnica or arnica creams further supports the body's aches and pains.  The difference between homeopathic arnica versus the cream is that one is for a systemic effect, all over aches and pains, versus area specific body areas.  Usually with winter chores it will be a whole body effect so the homeopathic pellets taken 3 x day for 1-2 days will work well.

8.  Stay Hydrated: being out in the cold, you may not realize how much energy you are putting out and how much water you are losing through sweating.  Muscles tighten when dehydrated.  The general rule of thumb is to drink at least 4 ounces of water every sixty minutes depending on how hard you are working.  At the least, make sure you drink a big glass once you're done.

9.  Get Professional Help When Needed: if you done all of the above and still feel on the edge physically, this is the time to get professional intervention.  Get the chiropractic adjustment, the deep tissue or hot stone massage, the acupuncture treatment - whatever techniques fit your needs and philosophy.

10.  Rest: last but not least, make sure to get some down time.  Whether that means going to bed early, taking an afternoon cat nap, or just getting your feet up while reading a book, rest is a key component to renewal.

© 2009 Jamie Durner. All Rights Reserved.

 

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Jamie Durner, BodyMind Coach™, holds multiple certifications across the health and wellness disciplines including Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, Registered Kundalini Yoga Teacher, and Credentialed Life Coach. She is the creator of the “Total Self Mastery” self care program and publishes “Healing and Harmony” monthly Ezine and blog with easy-to-use, FREE tips to move beyond chronic imbalance and into healing and harmony (sign up at www.jamiedurner.com).  She is a nationally published author in the book “Yoga in America”, HealthWise Magazine, Ezine Articles, and HealthyWomanGuide.com.  She is also the yoga expert and instructor for Your Health Professional online professional exercise program.

 

 

I was reminded this week how much small changes can create big results, especially when it comes to body mechanics. 

It all started with a new bike ride purchased to hold all 4 bikes including my husband's non-traditional shaped recumbant bike.  I was thrilled!  Finally we could once again go on family rides…and off we went.  Long story short is that to get my bike on the rack, the seat had to be lowered.  Doesn't sound problematic at first glance but here comes the issue - it took me two weeks of trial and error and even a visit to the bike shop for professional fitting to get my seat back into it's proper place. 

I know, you're thinking, "how hard can it be to get a bike seat into position?"  Well, let me tell you, when you ride a bike for 20+ miles several times a week, the position of the seat, and therefore the position of your legs and which muscles you are using, makes a HUGE difference.  Since I bike with the shoes that clip into the pedal, which do help keep the body in good position and uses less effort, where the seat goes affects the angle of my legs into the clips and thus affects how the different leg muscles are being used. More on Small Changes Can Create Big Results

Competition, whether in an actual event or just how you hold the space inside yourself in relation to others, could be pushing you beyond your best with unhealthy results.  I talk about "your best" as the point in each moment that fully represent you true capacity whether it be mental, emotional or physical.  Your best is not the ideal nor is it less than what you are capable of.  And it changes in every moment.

While a certain does of the competitive mindset might serve to motivate and inspire you in your personal goals, it can also create expectations and actions that don't fit with your true values or where you are in any given moment.  By definition, competition involves at least two parties and has an outcome where one is perceived as the winner and the others losers.  To me there is also an energy of external expectations which can create a space which causes you to stop listening to your own inner wisdom and what you need, and move into the place of what you think you SHOULD be doing. More on Is Competition Pushing You Beyond Your Best?

Many of us find ourselves with house projects that turn into playing weekend warrior to get it all done. Try these 10 tips and points of caution to watch out for as you go about your projects. They can make all the difference for your body and mind come Monday morning.

My husband and I started our own house project this past weekend…refinishing the back deck. It had been a couple years since we did this last and I had forgotten just how much time and work is involved. However, after just one day of moving, sweeping, and sanding, my aching muscles quickly reminded me that I needed to exercise some smart thinking and self care to come through this without feeling utterly exhausted and sustaining a muscle spasm. I hope this tips will help you stay in better balance and health in whatever your latest house project is.

1. Evaluate Whether You Want To Do The Job Yourself: more than money is to be considered when looking at whether to hire out for a job or DIY. Yes, finances do play a role as to what and how much you hire out, but also consider the emotional, physical, and mental toll on you and your family as well as what you would like to be doing instead. If you work 60 hours a week and dislike house projects, the cost to yourself of trying to DIY could be high due to your mental attitude. If you don't want to do it, this energy will come through and very often all sorts of things start to go wrong with the project. If you and your space don't do projects well together based on different styles, attempting one could add relationship tension. Look at the whole picture when examining costs so you don't end getting "spent" in more ways than just your pocket book. More on 10 Tips Every Weekend House Warrior Needs To Know