Later, Mysore: The Top 8 Things I’ll Miss…

By: Merrin Muxlow

Lists and note taking are awesome.  Without the ability to write things down, I would go to the market and buy just a bag full of apples every time.

Or some of this stuff. Yay, unknown groceries!

 

So on our last day in Mysore, here’s a list of the 8 best things about it.

 

8. The Food.  Everyone that’s never been to India likes to talk about how sick you might get while visiting.  I’m sure these people have never eaten at the likes of awesome Santosha Cafe:

This is my view while writing right now…

Or had super-fresh salad from the Western Ghats:

Lettuce growing in the garden at Mojo Plantation.

Indian food is not spicy bacterial mush.  There’s amazing stuff here.

7. The Animals.  Street dogs?  They are plentiful and amazingly sweet.  There are also street horses.  And goat herding on major roadways:

And of course, the street cows. I’ll really miss them all.

6. The Outfits.  Western dress in Mysore has been variously described as “pre-teen pajama pants” and “lesbian suburban mom.”

Dressing up for Easter!

Whichever style you choose, it’s not going to be flattering.  But that’s kind of the idea- showing shoulder here is really risqué, to say nothing of those see-through LuluLemon pants.  Between the dress code, the heat, and everyday sweaty practice, your vanity is so forcefully heaved out the window that even the most meticulous Southern California surgery still leaves certain bones a tiny bit crooked when you look really close.  For most of us, this is a very good thing.

5. The Conversations.  Every conversation here begins with one phrase:

“How was your practice?”

People really want an actual detailed answer, complete with reasons “the practice” was exceptional (“got a great adjustment”) or half-power (“ate proper dinner last night at 6pm”). Yoga people are pretty open about their bodies in general, so a town full of them is bound to have regular discussions on digestive issues, feminine problems, and other things that we don’t usually talk about.  While it’s probably not normal to have an in-depth brunchtime conversation about Ladies Holiday with a tableful of mixed company you’ve only just met, there’s an odd bonding that occurs when everyone freely opines upon such intimate subjects.  If there’s a word for missing something that is often unpleasant but strangely liberating, I would love to know and use it here.

4. The Parties.  There’s virtually no booze in India.  Even at fancy hotels, the specialty drinks taste like Zima.  So you’ve got to get creative.

There’s always kirtan!

There’s always interesting conversation that’s not about your practice or your body.  Ask someone where they’re from: there’s a high likelihood that they’ll pause, either trying to remember or figuring out the easiest way to say something like “nowhere…and also, everywhere.”  Los vagabondos tell the best stories.  There’s lots of that traveler speak around town: English vocabulary with other-language syntax, using the fewest words and most movement possible for maximum cross-cultural understanding.  I love that language, and hearing it almost every day is something to notice and relish.

3. The Day Trips.  The pictures sort of speak for themselves.  There are weird Ashrams:

From the Sri Sri Bham Bham Ashram.

Cool temples:

At Namdroling Golden Temple.

And even fully-contained sustainable farms close by:

Ducks at Mojo Plantation.

2. The Yoga. Obviously, right?  Mysore is an industry town in the same vein as Los Angeles: instead of hearing people talk about production schedules and casting over lunch, it’s about breathing exercises and Sanskrit translation.  Gokalum is the very rapidly gentrifying epicenter for those that practice with the Jois family.  Laxmipuram, home of the old Jois school and many other houses of study, is where all the neo-hipsters have fled to (think Williamsburg, five years ago).
People come here from all over the world because the best teachers teach and study here.  It’s frequently overheard among yogis: “I’ve just gotta get back to Mysore.”  It’s a cycle: Come practice here, meet other teachers, go home and teach to make money to come back.  The time between October and March is even called “The Season.”  Which brings me to the #1 best thing about being in Mysore…

1. The Lifestyle.  Imagine a town where everything was made by the best really-real-hippie people you’ve ever met: people who will only shower once a week-with gray water- because there’s a drought.  Who can tell you the names of every plant species on their mountain, want to barter for everything, and have put thousands of hours into sourcing the best free-trade organic cotton for their clothing line.  You get the feeling that lots of the people here (the yoga people and the locals) just practice hard, don’t brag about it, and quietly try to be the best version of themselves possible.    It makes you realize how much yoga actually IS making the world a better place. 
So see you later, YogaTown.  For those of you who are still sad to leave, imagine Mysore is calling this after you as it waves farewell:

 

“Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.”

― Dr. Seuss

 

 

Merrin Muxlow is the author of the fabulous yoga blog Yoga for Unicorns. Merrin began a consistent Yoga practice in 2005 and she has been teaching Yoga since 2008. Since that time she has trained in several different styles (Vinyasa Flow, Hatha, and Hot Yoga), taken seminars and workshops around the world, and has learned to smile and breathe through challenging poses she once only dreamed of attempting. She is currently studying yoga in India and we look forward to her return.



Yoga and it’s Detoxing Potential

By: Jeanne Cummings
www.jeannecummings.com

Why do we keep coming back for more Yoga?  To look good?  To feel good?  Yoga tones our bodies, builds our frame, lengthens our muscles, and keeps the waistline slim.  It helps us find peace and calmness, which radiates out from the skin, the eyes, and the qualities we embody.  The oxygen we deeply breathe in nourishes our entire being.   For some of us, it's the pure physical challenge that keeps us coming back for more.   For others it's an artistic expression.  For many, it's time dedicated to connect to the light within, otherwise known as a force greater than our selves.  Perhaps it’s all three.  Or maybe your Doctor prescribed it to you.  Whichever the reason, when we are practicing on our mats we are cleansing the body as we twist, sweat, open, stretch and exhale the toxins away.   Oh, but are we? 



Yoga = Detox.  Plain and simple; a balanced yoga practice is one that is meditative and without distractions, in other words, moving into each pose with deep involvement.  And by balance, it is about a practice that incorporates a mix of it all: Vinyasa’s, twists, backbends, forward folds, side bends, arm balances, inversions, and pranayama.   Move through a balanced practice, with no food in the stomach, and afterward you’ll feel clean.  (On the inside that is.  A shower will finish the work off!)  But for some of us we avoid doing inversions and we’re not sure how we can twist any deeper, so a balanced practice is not taking place.  For others, we have a balanced practice and we still have plenty of room to realize it’s full detox potential.

Certain poses do more of the detoxing work than others, and in particular twisting, inversions and pranayama.  Five questions arrive here: 1) Do you know how to properly twist?  2) Are you using the opportunities to put your feet over your head?   3) Have you reached the point of “floating” your legs up for a safer practice?  4) Have you mastered floating your legs up and then incorporating backbends, twists, and arm variations?  5) Can you bend into full lotus in any inversion?  Traditional texts say that Padmasana destroys all diseases.  Feeling sluggish by chance?  Deep twisting poses and inversions helps to stimulate digestion.

We go to a yoga class and we look around when we’re supposed to be minding our own practice (wink).  Why do we look around?  One reason is because we want to “see” how others are getting into the pose and how to do it.  Another reason is we want to find out if we are alone – we want to “see” how many others are inverting and how many are not.   With focused workshops under your belt, you can be in a class and safely “listen and do” (or try) the pose without losing focus on your own journey.  Safely?  Yes… another advantage of workshops is to learn from an experienced teacher how to safely twist, invert, arm balance, backbend and move… how to safely detox the body.   Experienced teachers have already tested injuries out for you (another wink here) and through experience can help guide you to better take care of your spine and tender joints, an intersection where accidents and injuries can happen.

 And did you realize that us teachers started out just like you?  Well of course we did!  It is easy to remember when we could barely reach our own toes, an awakening within itself.   I’ll admit I was scared to death of doing a headstand!  A couple workshops got me comfortable to confidently invert without a wall being behind me.  A couple of workshops more and with patience in my corner, I’m balancing on my head with only two fingertips touching the ground and legs in full lotus.  

The answer to going deeper in one’s practice and learning how to cleanse the system in each and every class is signing up for more. Yes... Precisely that.

 Now this may sound like a sales pitch, and actually this article has been written to "guide" students of yoga to the up coming Spring Detox Yoga workshop to be held on April 20th, 2013.   Please know smoke is not being blown up your perineum.  It's the truth!  If you want to go deeper, you’ve got to commit.  You’ve got to sign up.  You’ve got to go for it. 

You’ll be glad you did!



Jeanne finished her 200 hour Yoga certification with an emphasis on Yoga philosophy, alignment, adjustment techniques, breath work, meditation, Sanskrit, anatomy, flow and sequencing. With the encouragement of her teacher Carolina, Jeanne has been fortunate to practice and study with some of the best-known teachers on both coastlines as well as in Texas. Jeanne has passionately studied and experimented with diet and body mechanics on her own since 1992. Expect to go deeper within your own body when in her class.

The Town that Yoga Built

By: Merrin Muxlow

Merrin Muxlow is traveling India for the next few months and will be providing us with a glimpse  of her experiences on her blog Yoga for Unicorns. One of her first posts highlights the city she is staying in, and what goes on during her typical day there.

Hello, Mysore.  It’s so nice to be back.

This is my Facebook cover now. Yeah, I am one of those people.

We’re staying in an area called Gokalum, which feels like a rapidly gentrifying “ethnic” neighborhood.  Except instead of hipsters moving in, it’s yoga people.

Spotted on a tree on the “main road.”

Yep, yoga people.  You know the kind of person who you can tell grew up in Illinois or Wisconsin as Heather or Andy, but earnestly introduces themselves as Laxmi or Hanuman?  Who wears mala beads everywhere and drops random Sanskrit into conversations?  That person might be the mayor of Gokalum.

“This book totally reminds me of a line from that amazing Kirtan last night…”

Since Gokalum is jam packed with us (the yoga people), every daily activity revolves around “the practice.”  You eat dinner at 4pm and go to bed at 8 because you need to be mat-ready at 5:30 the next morning, and then attack a plate of something-on-toast at Vivian’s or Santosha at brunchtime because all you’ve consumed in the past 14 hours is a raw coconut.

Raw Coconut from this guy: a must after practice.

Then you take rest for the remainder of the day, because, you know, you have to practice tomorrow.

“The Practice” is, of course, the same Ashtanga poses you ostensibly do back at home five or six days a week.  Here, though, it takes on an almost holy significance, because it is the only thing you have to do all day long. Regular tasks, like re-upping your cell phone minutes or calling your mom, take about twenty times longer to complete than they should.  Sometimes days pass telling yourself that it’s okay that you “just didn’t get around to it.”

In fact, we have a term for it: One Task Per Day.  Partly because it’s India and administrative things work differently here, but mostly because the days are just so lush and languid when there’s nothing to do but go to yoga.  It’s exactly like Betty Friedan said about housework in The Feminine Mystique: tasks expand to the amount of time you have to do them.  If you’re all done with your (compulsory) day by 7:45 in the morning, it’s entirely reasonable for breakfast to take four hours.  It’s okay that they have to call your dad or your husband (to verify that neither are Pakistani) to get a working cell phone.*  You’ve got all the time in the world.

Since the yogis have descended upon Gokalum in recent years, the whole town has gotten in on the game.

You can find vegan, “organic”, raw snacks everywhere.  Every store sells this book about Moola Bandha.  Weird signs like this are everywhere:

Not really sure what to make of this one…

There’s an Osho Meditation center across the street from our house.  And did I already mention those coconuts?

People have been known to have up to 11 a day.

It’s like yogi heaven.

More on Gokalum later, but this about sums it up:

These stickers are everywhere, especially at the epicenter of YogaTown, right outside the AYRI main shala.

*Yep, this really happens.

Bending over Backwards: Stay Safe in Your Yoga Practice

By: Rachel Krentzman, PT, E-RYT

Backbends are an integral part of any Yoga practice.  The intention for backbends is to open the chest and rib cage in preparation for pranayama (breathwork).  For some, backbends are exhilarating and freeing while for others, they can be somewhat daunting and anxiety-producing.  For the first few years of my Yoga practice, I would experience back pain in most back bending postures and assumed that it was a ‘normal sensation’.  The truth is, if done correctly, backbends should be challenging but comfortable.  If you are not experiencing freedom in our backbends, it is a sign that you may be compressing our lumbar spine instead of increasing our range of motion.

Is it safe for my spine?

When done correctly, back bends help increase extension of the spine, a normal movement that is available to us based on the anatomical structure of the lumbar vertebrae.  There are approximately 55 degrees of extension available in the lumbar spine in most humans.  As we move up the spine, extension is more limited due to the shape of the thoracic vertebrae.  In optimal alignment, the lumbar spine should rest in a slight arch (lumbar lordosis), to properly carry the body weight and prevent low back issues.  When we lose the normal curve due to poor posture or frequent forward bending, there is an increased risk of low back pain, disc injuries and muscle spasm.

With all this in mind, it is important to increase the extension in our spine in order to maintain back health and mobility  and combat the constant effects of gravity that pull us forward.  In addition, back bends help increase lung capacity, prevent arthritis, alleviate depression, build stamina and energy as well as improve circulation, digestion and immune function. Backbends are said to help us move from the past into the present, and to help us open our hearts and let go of fear.

Backbends are safe for most individuals (contraindicated for those with spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis) as long as the body is warmed up appropriately and there is close attention paid to proper alignment and actions in each pose.  The beauty of Yoga is that detailed instructions can be given to help one attain ideal alignment so a greater sense of opening is experienced.  When we have pain in backbends, it is because something is breaking down in our execution of the pose.  Discomfort is an opportunity for us to practice more awareness and find a new, pain free way to work in the posture.

Common limitations

Individuals who have difficulty in backbends can be categorized into two main groups: those with tight muscles and ligaments and those who are naturally loose and highly flexible.  In every body, there is a dance between the qualities of stability and flexibility in the musculoskeletal system.  There is a myth that being more flexible is a sign of better physical health, however, the more flexible a person is, the more prone their ligaments are to injury in Yoga because they lack stability.  Conversely, those who are stiff are less likely to suffer an injury due to overstretching however, these individuals need to increase their flexibility so the pelvis and spine can move freely and avoid compression during activities of daily living.

Common restrictions for tight individuals include decreased range of motion in the chest, shoulders and hips (primarily in the hip flexors and external rotators).  These areas become restricted from prolonged sitting at a desk, driving, frequent forward bending and lifting and can even occur from overtraining the anterior chest musculature.  Runners, cyclists and avid athletes are prone to tightness in the hip flexors and external rotators as well.  These individuals need to focus on increasing flexibility in the chest and hips to prepare for backbends.

Hyper flexible people experience different difficulties in back bending postures. They often have tight hip flexors but compensate with overextension in the low back.  Core strength is usually lacking in these individuals, so they tend to ‘hinge’ at one segment in their spine over and over again instead of dividing the extension throughout the length of the spine.  In this case, the hyper mobile segment becomes more mobile while the tighter segments in the spine stay tight.  Years of ‘dumping’ into the low back without awareness can lead to injury as the segment bears all the work.  These individuals need to focus on stability and strength in their backbends, which may mean backing off a little to maintain the integrity of the pose and length throughout the entire spine.

How to practice correctly

Here are some important tips to help you achieve success in your back bending poses:

• Warm up! In order to be ready for back bends, you must practice poses that open the chest, hip flexors, quadriceps and external rotators of the hip. It is also important to practice a couple of poses that encourage strength in the arms and legs to prepare for certain backbends.
• Keep the front body long. “Back bends should really be called front body lengtheners,” says Jo Zukovich, a well known Iyengar Yoga teacher from San Diego.  While we are extending our lumbar spine, it is important to maintain length at the same time so there is more space and equal movement between each spinal segment.  The common mistake that leads to pain and injury is collapsing in the spine at one segment while in the backbend.
• Internally rotate your hips. Internal rotation in the hips is essential in all backbends to avoid compression in the spine.  If we allow our hips to externally rotate (which will cause the knees to splay out), our stronger muscles, namely the gluteus maximus and external hip rotators, will contract.  By internally rotating the thighs, we turn off those stronger hip muscles and activate the deeper gluteal muscles which help to create more space.
• Avoid gripping! The tendency in backbends is to contract the buttocks strongly which creates more compression and less freedom in the spine.  In addition, ‘tucking of the tailbone’ creates shortening instead of increased length in the spine.  Instead, think about lifting the lower belly to help the tailbone descend. This creates length while maintaining the integrity of the spine and core strength in back bends.
• Don’t fight the backbend, GO FOR IT. Most people try to resist the back bend while they are doing it. It is safest to work on helping your lumbar spine move into extension at every level.  Focus on moving the spine into the body as if it were sinking into quicksand in order to safely increase extension in the lumbar spine.

Instructions for common backbends (hold each pose for 5-6 breaths):

1. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose): Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet in line with the hips.  Make sure the toes point straight ahead and that the knees are directly above the ankles when you lift your buttocks.  Press all four corners of the feet firmly into the ground and lift the outer hips up. Internally rotate the thighs so that the knees stay in line with the hips.  Roll the shoulders under and clasp the hands or hold a strap.  Press the outer shoulders and forearms into the ground to open the chest. Press the feet into the ground to lift the hips up. Relax the buttock muscles and use the thigh muscles (quads) to lift more.

2. Bhujangasana – ( Cobra Pose): Lie on your belly with the feet in line with the hips.(The classical version of this pose has the feet together, however taking the feet apart provides more space for the sacroiliac joint and is easier on the low back).  Place the hands directly under the armpits and keep the elbows close to your waist.  Press all 5 toes firmly into the ground, especially the pinky toe, which will help you maintain internal rotation in the thighs.  Inhaling, pull the floor towards you with your palms and extend the spine as you lift up.  Keep the shoulders away from the ears and squeeze the elbows into the waist tightly.  Focus on lengthening the spine as you come up and absorbing the vertebrae into the body one level at a time.

Modifications:

• Only come up a few inches off the ground.
• Keep the forehead on the ground and practice the actions of the pose in a neutral position.

3.  Ustrasana – (Camel Pose) Start in a kneeling position with the feet hips distance wide.  Press all five toes equally into the ground and take the inner thighs back (internal rotation).  Place your hands on your sacrum and pull the sacrum down as you roll your shoulders back and lift the sternum.  Keep the thighs active and in line with the hips throughout the entire pose.  Lift your lower belly to protect the spine and slowly arch backwards, maintaining length in the lumbar spine as you extend.  Keep length in the front body.  Reach back for the heels.  Lift the chest away from the sacrum and let the neck extend back maintaining as much length in the cervical spine as possible.

Modifications:

• If you have a neck injury, keep the chin tucked in towards the chest
• Practice with your hands on blocks or on your sacrum instead of reaching for the heels.

4. Danurasana –  (Bow pose) –  This back bend is the safest because you are using the back muscles as you lift up against gravity.  Lie on your belly and reach for the ankles with your hands.  Roll the shoulders back and press the legs into the hands as you lift your legs and chest off the ground.  Keep your knees in line with your hips as you continue to lift up.

5.  Urdvah Danurasana – (Wheel Pose). This is an intermediate back bend and is best performed under the observation of an instructor.  Lie on your back with your feet in line with the hips. Make sure the feet are pointing straight ahead to prevent the knees from splaying out to the sides.  Press the hands and feet into the ground to lift your body off the ground into a back bend.  Spread the shoulder blades wide on your back as you move the sternum away from the hips. Roll the inner thighs down towards the floor as you move your hips away from your head, maintaining length in the lumbar spine. Lift the lower belly for the duration of the pose.

Modifications:

• To decrease the arch in the lower back you can place your feet on a chair or your hands on blocks in this pose.
• Place a belt around the center of your thighs and press out into the strap to help relieve low back discomfort.

Every pose in Yoga leaves us with a certain residue.  When practiced with safety and mindfulness, your experience after backbends should be one of exhilaration, clarity and serenity.

Rachel Krentzman, RPT, E-RYT, CPI is the founder and director of Embody Yoga and Physical Therapy Centers. Her classes are fun and inspiring and she encourages each individual to discover the best way for them to open up and transform both the body and the mind using mindful movement, breath and awareness.

You can join Rachel at Prana every Wednesday at 10am for her Happy Back/Yoga Wall class.