Relieving Stress at the Office

        These tips were sent to me by Susan Stewart, a yoga student of long-standing:

The following yoga tips can help you reenergize, refocus, and realign.

1. Better than caffeine? When you feel yourself dragging at the end of a long, hard day at work, it might seem intuitive to race to the closest coffee shop for a pick-me-up, but a short yoga stretch at your desk may do the trick. Try this energizing pose you can do at your desk. On an inhalation, lift your chest, making a high backbend. Stay here and draw three full, rich breaths into your body. As you exhale, release your hands, place them on your knees and round your spine. Tuck your pelvis and pull your navel away from your knees, coming into a seated Cat Pose. Let your head dangle to open the back of the neck. Repeat several times. (For more information see Office Yoga Tips.)
2. Take a deep breath. Your breath is a relaxation tool that never leaves you. You can access it at work, while you're running errands, or whenever you feel stressed. Why not try it now? Close your eyes and observe as you take 10 slow, deep breaths in and out through the nostrils. When you're done you'll feel calmer, more centered, and more focused. (For more information see Inhale, Exhale, Relax.)
3. Go for a mindful walk. When you think of meditation, you may think of something very serious and focused, but the practice of meditation includes a wide range of techniques you can practice anytime, including many that are appropriate for a mid-day yoga break at home or in the office. To do a walking meditation, simply keep your mind in the present as you take a mindful walk around the office or the block. The idea is not to walk to get somewhere, but simply to enjoy the walk. (For more information see Meditation in Motion.)
4. Pamper your peepers. If you work with computers, detailed documents, or small objects that strain your eyes, you may find that your vision starts to get fuzzy by the end of the day. Taking a break from the intense concentration of work—whatever work you do—is good for everyone. The yogic practice of withdrawing from the senses (Pratyahara) can be both spiritual and mental. When we close our eyes, we move into ourselves and away from the external world. This creates a deep sense of peace. On a physical level, closing our eyes can protect them, calm our bodies, lower our blood pressure, and make it possible for us to concentrate for longer periods of time. So take a yoga break at your desk, or wherever you are, during your work day. Close your door, close your eyes, and surrender to the moment. Your eyes—and your mind—will thank you. (For more information see Cyber Eyes.)

Oh, to be inspired....

One of my students sent this link to a YouTube video of Swan Lake,
athletically performed by a  Japanese troupe.  A must-see if you want to
get an idea of where practicing full arm balance might take you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2L4b3bCUBA

Enjoy!

What should I practice at home?

After our first class, some students asked me what poses I recommend for them to practice at home.  I am glad to offer some suggestions, as long as it is understood that the best way to approach yoga practice is to go to the mat and try to follow your own cues. It can be a wonderful way to confirm and integrate the knowledge you gained in class, and the very effort to remember the postures you just learned will be its own reward.


So, for the beginner, a couple of suggestions:


Establish a practice space at home.
Roll out your mat and claim it.
It is nice to have an empty wall nearby,
but not essential.


Practicing for 10-20 minutes several times
a week is preferable to one protracted hour-and-a-half
practice per week.


Poses from our first class:


Warm up on the floor with
Cat Pose  Viralasana


Child Pose  Balasana

Downward Facing Dog Pose

Urdvha Mukha Svanasana

Transition with
Surya Namaskar:
Flow sequence with
standing forward bend,
lunge, rocking back and forth.
Get the breath coordinated with the movements.


Downward Facing Dog Pose
Urdvha Mukha Svanasana
(Yes, practice it again!  You can't do too many!)


Standing poses:
Triangle Pose Uttitha Trikonasana


Extended Side Angle Stretch Parsvakonasa


Tree Pose  Vrksasana


Standing Forward Bend
Uttanasana


Backbend:
Bridge Pose  Setu Banda Sarvangasana


Reclined twist of any variety


Corpse Pose Savasana


If you simply Google the names of these poses,
appropriate visuals and videos will come up.


See you on the mat!

Breathe

I think it is appropriate to begin with the subject of
breathing, which is so fundamental to all practices of yoga.

The following is a good basic breathing technique for beginners:

BREATH IS THE KEY TO YOGA


says Swami Sarvaananda, who teaches at the Integral Yoga ashram in Buckingham, Virginia. Full, even breathing is especially valuable for people with limited mobility, who often have chronically shallow breathing because they sit so much and tend to slump. A technique called Deergha Swaasam (Three-Part Breath) can help. At first, practice it for just a minute, then gradually build to 5 minutes. 

• Relax and exhale completely, imagining that you're releasing all the tensions and impurities from your body. 
  

• Inhale deeply through the nose in three stages: First, fill the lower lungs so the belly swells like a balloon, then the middle lungs, and finally the upper lungs. 
  

• Exhale though the nose in reverse order, emptying the upper lungs first, then the middle lungs, and finally the lower lungs. 
  

Carol Krucoff, a yoga teacher and journalist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is coauthor, with her husband, Mitchell Krucoff, M.D., of Healing Moves: How to Cure, Relieve, and Prevent Common Ailments with Exercise (Writers' Collective, 2004), www.healingmoves.com.