Key Poses for a Strong and Healthy Back
SATYANANDA YOGA® Supports Addiction recovery
Swami Atmarupa Hits the Road with SATYANANDA YOGA®
Atma Center Passes Torch to Yoga Academy of North America
Teacher Feature: Courtney Miller
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THE YOGA CONNECTION
Yoga Solutions for Healthier Living
Key Poses for a Strong and Healthy Back
By Mantram (Mary Baird)
“Oh, my aching back!” is a familiar lament among members of our species. Swami Atmarupa’s February workshop, Yoga Therapy for the Low Back, provided many useful hints and practices for taking care of injured or chronically aching backs. As she reminded us, not all back pain results from the same pathology. There are even wide variations in symptoms among people with the same diagnosis – for example, “slipped disc.” Regardless of diagnosis, it’s important to work all of the muscle groups that support the spine, but what is appropriate for each individual varies.
The key to healing and preventing back problems is to practice regularly and choose asanas that
- Extend the spine to create length
- Create flexibility in the spine
- Strengthen abdominal muscles to support the back
- Contract and strengthen back muscles
Tight hamstrings also need to be addressed, since they often create problems, pulling the pelvis or low back out of healthy alignment when bending forward.
The practices introduced at the workshop were non-strenuous Foundation level poses which can be practiced by anyone. Practiced with awareness and the appropriate use of props, the poses can be modified according to individual needs. The following examples from each category are poses familiar to most Atma Center students. Honoring limitations as needed, each asana can be repeated up to 10 times. Please note the special instructions.
Extend the spine
- Tadasana (palm tree pose) pictured to the right – with special attention to keeping elbows bent if necessary, so that the arms stretch straight up and not forward
- Marjariasana (cat pose) – actively contract the abdominal muscles while exhaling without rounding up too much
Create spinal flexibility
- Tiryaka Tadasana (swaying palm tree) – practice against the wall to provide support and help maintain good back and shoulder alignment
- Kati Chakrasana (waist rotating pose) – feet pointing forward or slightly pigeon toed and keep chest lifted
Strengthen the core (abdominal) muscles
- Padotthanasana (leg raises) – one at a time, keeping lifted leg straight and holding for a count of 3
- Naukasana (boat pose) – lifting only a few inches, keeping lower back up to waistline on the floor
Contract and strengthen back muscles
- Bhujangasana (cobra) – use back and not the belly to lift up; then lift hands off floor and hold briefly before exhaling down
- Ardha Shalabhasana (half locust) – arms tucked under body or on hands and knees, lift leg without lifting or tilting pelvis
Mood Management with Yoga
By Sannyasi Atmadarshan
You know that yoga can be good for stretching and strengthening the body – but did you realize how effective yoga can be for managing the mind?
Students often notice that breathing practices (pranayama) and meditation help relieve feelings of anxiety and stress, but overlook how other techniques affect mood and mental energy.
Take, for example, the chanting of 3 OMs which start and end most classes at Atma Center. A centuries-old, concise book called the Mandukya Upanishad postulates 4 different states of consciousness and tells how OM can be used to access them. The initial sound of OM is back in the open throat, while the final sound is at the closed lips. Think of when you make an “O” sound – when you’ve come to a sudden realization, when you’re surprised or when you’re adding energy or emphasis (“Oh, Atmadarshan, I can’t believe you stole my pie!”).
Thus, “O” is associated with alert states. If you are sitting down to chant OM and are feeling sleepy, depressed, or down you can make the “O” sound longer to lift your mental energy. “Mmmm” is a sound uttered when you contemplate something (“hmmm”), when someone asks you a question and you are too tired to answer with a word, or when you are satisfied (“mmm, that was a tasty pie”). If you are feeling anxious, fidgety or over-stimulated, you can make the “mmm” sound of “OM” longer to feel calmer and more introverted.
It is important when planning a home practice or modifying practices in class to take into account how your choices will support your mental state as well as your physical one. Different postures, types of movement, even mudras (gestures) affect the mind in diverse ways. You can learn more about yoga and mood in any Foundation C class in March and April, or through books such as Practical Yoga Psychology (by Rishi Vivekananda) and Yoga for Depression (by Amy Weintraub).
SATYANANDA YOGA® Supports Addiction Recovery
By Mantram (Mary Baird)
When an individual is in a state of tension, he needs cigarettes, alcohol, and such things, but if he has no tension he has no need for them. . . . By practicing hatha yoga, one can purify the body and rectify all the imbalances. Then, in the course of time, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes will no longer be necessary.
S. Satyananda YOGA May 2008
Addicts need yoga to strengthen the willpower, fill a perceived vacuum (with social support), develop an aim in life and direct the desire to experiment with something “new” towards healthy pursuits like yoga.
S. Niranjananda YOGA May 2008
If you are like me, you have experienced the insidious nature of addiction and its impact on a friend, family member, co-worker, or perhaps even yourself. My own long (past) history with nicotine addiction and a continuing unhealthy attachment to “comfort foods” (sugar and chocolate) provide a frame of reference for understanding the struggles of others and how the practices of yoga provide tools to speed recovery. Uncovering and releasing the tensions and traumas underlying the need for comfort or “numbness” is, in many ways, a lifetime process. But the social support of programs like AA and healthier pursuits like yoga certainly help!
From the asana stretches and movements that release muscular and mental tension to breathing techniques that balance and calm the nervous system, SATYANANDA YOGA® provides the ideal support system for anyone who is recovering from addiction. Unique to Satyananda Yoga NidraTM, the Sankalpa (personal resolve), is ideal for strengthening the will and the ability to change from the subconscious level.
Refraining from addictive behavior often requires the social support of an Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step group. Living a day at a time, developing self-awareness on many levels, and taking responsibility for one’s life are some of the principles. The AA program also stresses the importance of learning to surrender and let go.
Yoga practices support and reinforce these recovery principles. Letting go, releasing tension on all levels, as well as training the mind to focus internally and stay in the present moment are all aspects of Satyananda style instruction that fit well with learning to live one day, one hour, one minute at a time.
In addition to Satyananda Yoga Nidra, the following practices can be used as excellent recovery tools:
Asana. The Pawanmuktasana series of poses (PMA 1, 2, 3) direct the awareness away from externa
l stressors to focus on the body’s movements, sensations and the breath. They also boost the immune system and release toxins and energy blocks from key areas of the body. Other key poses may be selected to support and speed addiction recovery. For example:
- Marjariasana (cat pose) speeds the purification process.
- Shashankasana (hare pose) helps regulate the adrenal glands, calms the mind, and balances excessive stress response.
- Kati Chakrasana (waist rotating pose) stimulates and nourishes the liver and other organs damaged by substance abuse.
- Akarna Dhanurasana (bow and arrow pose) relieves deep neck and shoulder tension, opens the heart space, and develops powers of concentration.
Pranayama practices can empower students to gain control over their mental and emotional states. Here are some key practices:
- Natural breath awareness and abdominal breathing release tension, steady the nerves, and can replace instinctive harmful or self-destructive reactions in stressful situations.
- Bhramari (humming bee breath) and Ujjayi (Psychic breath) are useful for their healing, calming, and restorative effects – including relief of insomnia, a frequent complaint in the early stages of recovery.
- Sheetali and Sheetkari (hissing breath techniques) have a cooling effect and can be used to reduce hunger, thirst, and cravings of all kinds.
Meditation practices can be quite a challenge for someone “letting go” of a strong addiction. Learning to be still, relaxed, and comfortable in one’s physical body will help recovering students begin the process of mental purification by allowing deep-seated tensions to surface, be “witnessed,” and then released.
Swami Atmarupa Hits the Road with SATYANANDA YOGA®
Our very own Swami Atmarupa Saraswati will be traveling to the Hudson Valley in New York bringing the Satyananda Yoga tradition to The Omega Institute. The Omega Institute is a center of learning and community dedicated to “innovative educational experiences that awaken the best in the human spirit.” They offer over 350 workshops, retreats, and conferences each year.
Swami Atmarupa is offering a weekend retreat, June 4-6, on “Managing the Mind, Emotions & Life’s Challenges.” She will incorporate techniques from the Satyananda toolbox to help students discover their own untapped resources of wisdom and inner strength. Participants will learn to recognize their patterns of resistance and how to create energy and strength for real life changes. This experiential retreat will showcase the holistic and comprehensive nature of Satyananda Yoga. By opening the Atma Center here in 1997, Swami Atmarupa made this style of yoga available to Cleveland area practitioners and within a few years expanded to include students from around the world attending Yogic Studies and Teacher Training courses.
Omega Institute broadly publicizes its full roster of annual events, providing exposure that builds the national reputation of presenters and progressive alternative methodologies. We are proud that Atma Center’s Director and “most masterful teacher” answered this call. Opportunities like this will contribute greatly towards creating a “face” for Satyananda Yoga and its rightful place as one of the richest tradition-based styles of yoga taught and practiced in North America.
Note: Atmarupa will be presenting the same retreat here Memorial Day weekend.
Friday evening, May 28
until early Sunday afternoon, May 30
Omega Institute website: www.eOmega.org
Atma Center Passes the Torch to Yoga Academy of North America
The Atma Center no longer offers Yogic Studies or Teacher Training. But don’t worry - the Yoga Academy of North America (YANA) is taking over these programs. YANA is a tax exempt nonprofit subsidiary of North American Gurukul, the organization responsible for the growth of the unique tradition of SATYANANDA YOGA® on this continent. YANA is one of only four Satyananda Yoga Academies in the world.
Why? Atma Center is a Cleveland Heights yoga studio catering to our wonderful local students with regular weekly classes and workshops. Shifting the in-depth courses to YANA allows Atma Center to focus more fully on that mission while YANA handles the longer programs involving students from all over the world. YANA’s nonprofit status opens up grant possibilities and encourages private donations. YANA hopes to set up scholarships, including one in honor of Carol Ann Hensley, a Satyananda Yoga and Atma Center instructor who passed away last year.
Who are these YANA people, anyway? They include familiar faces – Atmarupa is the Education Director and Atmadarshan is the Executive Course Coordinator. Atma Center student and Satyananda Yoga teacher Diane Swander is another key staff member setting up part of the infrastructure necessary to grow YANA. And, as before, many Atma Center instructors will continue to teach in YANA’s programs.
Why should I care? This is another step in increasing the international reputation of Cleveland as a hub of high-quality yoga instruction. Our Yogic Studies and Teacher Training programs here have attracted students from across the U.S., Europe, Colombia, and even India itself! Setting up an official Yoga Academy – and did I mention it’s one of only four official Satyananda Yoga Academies in the world? – should enhance the ability to draw dedicated students from varied locales. We’ve already had potential applicants from Bulgaria and Hungary inquire about 2010’s Teacher Training 1!
What exactly will YANA provide? YANA will provide two levels of Yogic Studies and Teacher Training. The first level is registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 200 hour level and the second is registered at 500 hours, which is currently their highest level. YANA will also run weekend programs for those looking for an introduction to yogic lifestyle and fun fund-raisers to heighten awareness of Satyananda Yoga.
You can learn more about YANA by visiting its new (and always in-progress) web site at yogaacademyna.org.
Yoga Academy of North America teacher training 2009
Teacher Feature: Courtney Miller
One of our newest teachers on the schedule hails not from Ohio but from Charlottesville, Virginia. Courtney Miller (pictured above, back row, second from left) attended the 2009 Teacher Training 1 program here. She returned to Virginia to instruct her first beginner-level class, then returned to Cleveland last fall to student teach the Wednesday evening Foundation B. After completing Teacher Training 1 and traveling to India, Courtney decided to return to the Atma Center at the start of 2010 as a full-fledged instructor. She currently leads four regular weekly classes and the monthly kirtans.
Courtney has a background in dance and music along with an interest in bringing yoga to younger people. She combines all these elements in Thursday’s Hip-Pop Yoga for Teens, which features modern popular music, yoga nidra and bowls of freshly-made popcorn. It’s tough to tell which part of the class the teens enjoy most!
Courtney has been practicing Satyananda Yoga for nearly 5 years and has spent time in different ashrams all over the world, including Anahata Yoga Retreat in New Zealand. She will be teaching at Atma Center at least through the end of April. Welcome, Courtney!
This newsletter is provided to you by the Atma Center, 2319 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. [216-371-9760 www.atmacenter.com] The Atma Center is one of three places authorized worldwide to offer advanced training in Satyananda Yoga through Yogic Studies and Teacher Training courses.