Yoga, Multitasking, Holidays, and the American Way - Dr. Lynn Hughes

While Living Yoga Radio takes a break from on-air content, we have invited some guest bloggers to share their thoughts through the LYR blog.  Every week through the end of 2010, we will feature a past show with a brand new blog entry.  Listen to your old favorites or discover some shows you might have missed.  

This week, we are featuring Dr. Lynn Hughes, psychiatrist and yoga teacher.  Stay tuned for more exciting content!

Listen to Lynn's Living Yoga Radio interview here: 

Living Yoga Radio - Interview with Lynn Hughes

Click to listen now, right click and choose "Save As" to download!

Paying Attention... In Many Different Ways

Believe it or not it, looks like our video game savy younger generations are actually learning how to spread their attention and monitor across a broader range than their elders.  The older studies suggested that people only think they multitask but actually switch back and forth from one task to another.  More recently, there has been some evidence that people who train on video games show improvement in their ability to pay attention in a way that lends itself to what we call multitasking.

But what kind of attention is it? The problem is that we do not commonly teach people to be aware of how they pay attention. 

Does it make sense that there are different kinds of attention?  A surgeon or artist might focus narrow and deep screening out distractions.  A teacher monitoring a busy lunch room keeps attention open and flexible scanning for anything that doesn't look, sound, or feel right, if their focus gets too narrow they might miss something.  A parent might switch rapidly from a relaxed broad way of paying attention at their child's game to narrow and intense focus if their child is hurt. 

As you can imagine, the narrower focus is associated with alerting and orienting responses which call on the sympathetic nervous system.  It works in reverse as well. If you are stressed and anxious, your attention will often get stuck on one thing whether it is a worry, an event, a person, or a body sensation.  This is why very anxious drivers are often not good drivers as they are rigidly focused where they think problems will come from and not receptive to what is happening around them in a broader awareness that allows for a flexible response. 

Think about how our emphasis on go-go-go, caffeine fueled, competitive, striving might favor narrow but shallow focus as people switch from one thing to another and back.  This kind of multitasking may not be healthy for many people, as it keeps them in a chronic, stressed out, sympathetic nervous system predominant mode.  It is not that one kind of attention is necessarily better than the other. Healthy, resilient living comes from being able to flexibly match our attention styles to the tasks at hand and to let go of narrow/intense focus when it is not needed, allowing the parasympathetic nervous system to take on a stronger relative position with the sympathetic nervous system.  This allows us to rest and restore.

Yoga's Holiday Gift to You

In our yoga practice, our teacher helps us to focus in on small areas (body, breath, emotion, sound, feeling, thought), observe deeply, and to let go of a specific focus and be aware of our whole body and breath, the room, our classmates, the studio, or nothing at all. In this lovely dance of attention and awareness we are working our brains and minds as much as our bodies.  We are practicing the flexibility we need to meet and be transformed by life's challenges.

When we practice asana, pranayama, and meditation, we train the mind to be aware of where our attention is.  When attention wanders, we practice to bring it back into focus.  As a famous scientist once said, "Neurons that fire together, wire together."  We notice we have wandered away to our shopping list, our job, our fears, our fantasies, a pain in the knee, and we gently and compassionately gather our attention and bring it back, without judgement.  If we judge, we notice that without judgement.  And we do it again and again.  

Of course we wander!  The brain is built to do that.  We learn to observe, accept, touch and come back.  With practice, the time we spend lost in our stories shortens and we SEE the stories themselves as stories.  This is mindfulness that pays attention to our awareness itself.  We are aware of thoughts, emotions, and body sensations--but not lost in them.  This is the gift of yoga practice!  It is living the journey and not waiting to live until you arrive somewhere in the future or "get over the past".

Soothe Your Mind During the Holidays

Practicing mindfulness builds the skills to observe whether multitasking during a busy holiday season is locking you into "narrow but shallow" attention and keeping you on autopilot.  When do you take breaks and relax your grip on the "steering wheel?"  Practice consciously shifting out of "tasking" and let the tight whirlwind dissipate.  Take a moment out of your day and simply relax.  Unhook your shoulders from your ears, relax your jaw, feel your feet on the floor and your bottom in your seat.  Breathe.  

When you need to gear up, do it consciously.  Think about what kind of attention needs to be called on.  Is this the right time?  Are you rested enough?  Do you need help?  Is this a holiday tradition you believe in, that has integrity?  What is the story you tell yourself about your to do items and the relationship issues that come up around the holidays?  What would happen if you dropped a "tradition" that does not serve your beliefs about the meaning of this time of year?  What would it be like to consciously choose a new tradition that has more integrity, richness, and depth?  What if it is just fun?  If it doesn't work out, you can change it next year. 

Let this be your practice "off the mat" this holiday season.  Being mindful and consciously aware helps us to see and act from a place of clarity. This is what the yogis call discernment. You may do something because of its meaning to an important other. Making this a conscious decision helps you to practice dropping the resentment and soften the heart to be present for what you CHOSE to do. 

Awareness Meditation

Sit or lie in a comfortable position that supports you and does not cause distracting tension or pain.  Become aware of your breath.  What comes most naturally?  Stay there for several breaths. 

Now keep some focus on your breath, but imagine adding more elements in your awareness.  If you are aware of your belly moving, keep your central focus there but grow your attention to include your chest.  Now add your thighs, your throat, your nostrils, your face.  Continue until your awareness spreads to your whole body.

Remember, this is practice, not a test!  If your focus completely shifts to one part of the body, go back to the belly and build the awareness scope again.  Proceed gently and without judgment. 

If you can, push it out to include space around you. Can you stay centered in your belly and imagine your breath exchanging with the entire room?  If you want, keep going!  

When you are ready, return to the belly.  Focus deeply and minutely on just your belly, returning to that central focus whenever you are drawn away.  

Living Your Yoga Off the Mat - Ideas for Practice

• Facing a long drive this season?  As a passenger in the car, look straight down the road.  Without losing that focus, grow your awareness from there.  Stay soft with this.  Can you feel intensity forward but more of the open scanning focus around you?  What do you pick up that you have never noticed before?  Close your eyes, breathe, and repeat the exercise.  Soften your eyes. Then narrow and intensify the focus.  How do your eyes and face feel different? Does it affect other parts of your body?  What does it feel like if you imagine sight coming to you, not "pulling it in" with your eyes?

• Do you like to read?  This is a practice adapted from  Les Fehmi in his book about Open Focus Attention.  Relax with a book.  Start reading.  Notice how you read naturally.  Now keep reading, but become aware of the spaces between the words.  How about the spaces between the letters, lines, around the margins of the page?

• Are you a music lover?  Another wonderful practice is to listen to music from a relaxed position. Bring your focus to the silence between notes, phrases, movements.  Several composers have talked about the real power in music is the silence, the space between notes.  Then try to just listen to the notes.  Can you hold an awareness of both?

Have a Holiday that you choose to be fully present and accounted for.  Namaste.

Yoga and Undulation - by guest blogger Anita Boser, LMP, CHP

While Living Yoga Radio takes a break from on-air content, we have invited some guest bloggers to share their thoughts through the LYR blog.  Every week through the end of 2010, we will feature a past show with a brand new blog entry.  Listen to your old favorites or discover some shows you might have missed.  

This week, we are featuring Anita Boser, author of Relieve Stiffness and Feel Young Again with Undulation.  Stay tuned for more exciting content!

Listen to Anita's Living Yoga Radio interview here: 

Living Yoga Radio - Interview with Anita Boser

Click to listen now, right click and choose "Save As" to download!

Pantajuli’s Yoga Sutra I.50 

Samskara sktksaaranat purva jati jnanam

“When experiencing this absolute true knowledge, all previous samskaras (impressions) are left behind and new ones are prevented from sprouting.”

Translation by Nischala Devi in The Secret Power of Yoga

Work. Eat. Sleep. 

Eat. Work. Eat. Sleep. 

Practice. Work. Eat. Sleep.

Unconscious (i.e., “normal) living creates deep grooves of conditioning and habits in the layers of our being, called samskara. The practice of yoga brings light to our conditioning and makes it possible to transform these grooves, but that doesn’t stop samskara from creeping into yoga practice. Tools to create awareness and stay present are needed for every aspect of life—even on the mat or cushion.

Patterning, and therefore limitation, is built into the human way of learning. It’s natural for the nervous and musculoskeletal systems to lay down a track of movement that eventually becomes a rut. For example, getting out the of the car entails lifting an arm, twisting the body, putting a foot on the ground, then contracting muscles to stand. Nine times out of ten, the body follows the exact same sequence to get out of the car (or off the bike or up from a chair). The same is true for a forward bend. One part of the body initiates the movement—out of habit—and sets up a predetermined sequence of follow through.

That’s one reason why a yoga teacher is so valuable. S/he gives valuable cues, brings awareness to tendencies we don’t notice, and strengthens attention and relationship with the current environment.  In addition, attending classes and workshops provides variety in practice and that lays down new tracks of conditioning. 

Unconscious movement requires samskara and creates even deeper ruts of habit. How can we make every forward bend, warrior pose, headstand, and meditation a conscious, fresh experience? 

The first step is awareness. Become fully present, with the pose and yourself, and notice flow or lack of movement without the desire to change anything. The organic nature of your body will respond to your awareness with subtle transformations. Stay present and you will automatically create new tracks of being.

The second step is breath, which creates opening from the inside. However, breath is powerfully affected by samskara, as the diaphragm holds the pattern of our life experiences and beliefs. Pranayama, with or without asana, can resolve long-held breathing imbalances and establish large-scale transformation. 

An innovative technique you can use to stay present in your practice is undulation. Undulation is an unstructured, body-directed, fluid movement. Undulation is the exact opposite of the effortful, rigid, and mind-centered movement that dominates our lives and occasionally our practice. Here’s a sample:

• From a seated position, sway from side to side. As much as you can, let the movement flow all the way up and down your spine from the tailbone to the base of your skull and back.
• Notice what parts of your body naturally respond to this movement.
• Notice where the movement is stuck or absent.
• Come back to upright and begin again, but this time initiate from one of the stuck places so that it leads and the rest of the spine follows. The movement will be different: small or uncoordinated maybe.  That’s OK. Just follow what happens.
• Try again from another stuck place.
• Now from the beginning sway from side to side. Notice how gentle movement has lubricated your spine, improved the flow, and naturally changed your habit of side bending.  

More challenging undulations can help you discover and change conditioning of the deep spine and viscera. Whether simple or complex, undulations focus on the present to create organic, fluid motion that dissolves the ruts of conditioning and transforms samskara without creating resistance. 

If you are in an asana and find yourself responding in a habitual way, introduce a simple, small undulation—a flow through your body from foot to hand or tail to head—and notice how it helps you make the small adjustment that leads from resistance to acceptance to transformation.    

Working with our fluid, organic nature is a big step toward truth (Sanskrit: sat) and connection to the rest of the universe as it is. The more organic we become, they less likely we are to fall into the ruts of mechanical, unconscious movement.

If you want to learn more about fluid movements to nourish your spine, visit www.undulationexercise.com, which includes audio and video samples. 

Written by Anita Boser, LMP, CHP, author of Relieve Stiffness and Feel Young Again with Undulation (print) and Undulation Exercises (audio). She is currently in Viniyoga teacher training.

Q&A with Julie Deife

As a continuation of our conversation on air the other day, Julie Deife and I pursued further discourse on her work as editor of Yoga Therapy today and her view on the growing professional edges of Yoga Therapy and the standards process.  We both welcome your input and reflections!

R: What’s it like to be editor of Yoga Therapy Today?

J: It’s different from anything I’ve done before in that Yoga Therapy Today is a membership publication. Submissions come from the membership so it is reliant on member interest in supporting their publication. Selected submissions from members, then, really contribute to shaping views about the field so it’s a wonderful opportunity for members. Of course, not all submissions are published and every so often an article will be published that is not written by a member. It’s interesting to me and hopefully to others to learn from one another. The downside is that only a small percentage of the members submit articles so I hope this communication we’re having here will help deliver the message that I’d like to hear from many, many more members. One area, in particular, that I’m focused on is Yoga therapy training. I’d like to see a graduate of every single Yoga therapy training program— especially if the school is a “member school” of IAYT— submit an article about the training they’ve undergone. Each school seems to have a unique approach and subject matter varies widely, so it would be helpful to know what it is that Yoga therapists are learning in these programs that allows them to have a designation of Yoga therapist. I think that is important information for the standards process as well as general information for what a Yoga therapist is.

R:  Where do you see Yoga therapy making strides? What are the edges?
J: Research is the obvious place where great strides are being made and that is good in light of the fact that it is central to the mission of IAYT. It is science, and science doesn’t create anything new, rather measures and forms conclusions – which may then, of course, change based on new research later. But if it is applied, then we have real progress. But a huge area – and one which I certainly don’t get enough articles discussing but I know is important – is what Yoga therapists are actually doing out there – other than the researchers. You know, we keep saying that YT treats the person not the disease, but in reality people want to know if and how a YT  can affect the course of a person’s cancer, or arthritis, or asthma or any number of psychological conditions too. These are the queries I get from people who randomly email me. The public is very disease focused (and that’s what gets funded) and growth for the field means that we have to meet them at least half way. If a goal of YT is integration with other healthcare modalities – and I can’t say if that is a goal, but it is happening in many settings – then we have to understand that this bonding is around a particular area like cancer treatment. To have a Yoga therapist as part of a team in these cases suggests that the common denominator is the disease and we have to recognize that evidence-based medicine is what “the medical community” is looking at. 

I have problems with that, however.  Let’s take for example, mantra, which is a profound tool for healing. Do we know if and when Mantra Yoga works?  I would say that we do because we have our own Yoga literature that clearly shows this is one of the most valuable tools of the Yogi. It’s difficult to research mantra however plus not that many Yoga therapists have a deep understanding of mantra and probably have not used mantra a lot in their personal practices which is critical to being able to use it competently with others. So partly because of some of the strides Yoga therapy has made, certain critical areas of the practice cannot, will not, and should not be used.

    I would conclude that the edge for a Yoga therapist is really within knowing and understanding all aspects of Yoga very, very well. And, the edge for the profession is in an area that has virtually been untouched on a large scale, but needs to be, and that is in prevention. This is where Ayurveda could have enormous impact too. As far as a population segment goes, I think the edge is in working with kids, really having an effect on the youth.

R: How might adoption of standards affect the future of YT?

J: In addition to what was already said, it is possible that having standards could facilitate inclusion of YT into integrative medicine models. Some people would be interested in that in terms of their professional track. Lots of integrative medicine centers are popping up and the door is open even though I wouldn’t see how this would actually change what anyone is already doing. Standards could affect the way corporate wellness programs look at yoga, insurance companies, etc.  Adoption of standards might also really move us away from the spiritual core of yoga deeper into only the proven health benefits aspect, however, which would be sad.

R:  Thank you Julie for sharing your thoughts with us – and thanks for your heartfelt contribution to the field of yoga therapy with your work behind the scenes.  Okay Yoga Therapy Community – Julie wants to hear from you! Send in those submissions!!!  

Listen to this interview here: 

August 20th - Julie Deife

Click to listen now, right click and choose "Save As" to download!

Vote for Street Yoga in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Grant Competition!

You may remember the May 28th interview with Street Yoga (if you missed it, click the link to listen!). Exciting news!  They are in the running for a $25,000 grant. People can vote EVERY DAY during the month of August. The top 10 organizations with the most votes will win a $25,000 grant.  Help support this wonderful cause with just a click of your mouse (or cell phone buttons).

How to vote:

-Go to http://www.refresheverything.com/
-Click on "Browse Ideas and Vote"
-Register as a voter by clicking on "Join Refresh Everything" (in tiny print at the bottom of the page); fill in and submit
-Click on "Sign In" (in tiny print at the bottom of the page)
To vote for Street Yoga go to www.refresheverything.com/streetyoga.
You can also Text 101226 to Pepsi (73774)

"All Dharmas Agree at One Point..."

As always, I love talking with Gary and hearing him discuss the relevance of the work
we’re doing in the field of yoga and yoga therapy, stressing the value of teaching
from an authentic tradition. I too hold a sense of reverence for the sacredness of the
traditional teachings as they’ve been handed down and recognize the timeless value
of them – applicable to human suffering anywhere (and everywhere) on the planet.

The more I study and read from other spiritual traditions – particularly, but not
exclusively Judaism, the more I feel “at home” – validated in sharing the teachings
(not just the practices) with the general population. Cultivating qualities such as
compassion, truthfulness, integrity, moderation, and gratitude… the yamas…are not
unique to yoga. They are an integral part of all spiritual traditions and the only way
to steer our world back to sanity and heal the great dukha that pervades our planet.

I’ve recently been introduced to the Jewish practice of Mussar – which is an active daily
practice involving study, chanting, meditation and action (sounds like kriya yoga to
me!!), in order to develop our character in the direction of wholeness – or “Holiness”.
Mussar entails taking one character trait – like generosity or aggression – each week
and observing where we fit on the bell curve; (e.g.: too giving vs. too miserly; too quick
too blow vs. too passive), and then developing daily practices to bring that trait into
balance. Unlike the yoga teachings, there’s not a pervasive blanket statement about
all people becoming more generous. Rather, the focus is on bringing ourselves into
balance. There’s a recognition that we have tendencies (samskaras) that need to be
brought into balance so we can live with more equanimity – (in a state of Samadhi, say).

Ultimately, Mussar takes us closer to the heart of all spiritual teachings: Developing
shraddha – faith, confidence in God, Spirit, Universal Consciousness. In Hebrew the
term that most resembles shraddha is bitachon – and my Mussar teacher describes this
as “leaning into that which supports us”. Sounds like the essence of Isvara Pranidhana
to me. There’s something so healing for my soul in the recognition of similarities. We
spend so much time emphasizing the differences. As another of the teachers that has
greatly informed my practice and understanding, Ani Pema Chodron says, quoting from
the Buddhist’s texts, “All Dharmas agree at one point.”

In a few weeks I’ll be exploring this very topic with Swami Veda Bharati. Focusing
on the place of ‘peaceful convergence’ among the many distinct religious and spiritual
traditions, based on his new book, “What is Right in the World: The Human Urge for
Peace" (not found online at this time).  I highly recommend the book and encourage you to listen in on Sept. 3 to the interview. For those of you interested in exploring the teachings of Mussar, check out:
Everyday Holiness, by Alan Morinis.

Listen to this interview here: 

August 6th - Gary Kraftsow

Click to listen now, right click and choose "Save As" to download!

Finding Balance through Pratypaksha Bhavana - Thoughts from my Interview with Anita

I just re-listened to my interview with Anita Boser last night and once again was reminded of the importance of keeping yoga practice fresh.  I had the good fortune of having on hand an article that Anita had given me some time ago specifically on how both “power and pain” in the body centers around the functioning of the connective tissue.  There were some exercises suggested in the article that got me thinking in new ways – and I’ve learned that thinking in new ways only transforms if one puts those thoughts into action.  So, I got out my mat and began to work with the new material. It involved working with weights and using some other props to activate the core muscles.  I utilize light weights regularly in my practice to maintain strength and to keep reminding me of my habitual tendency to ‘fall into’ my right arch, hip and sacrum.  However, the exercises suggested in the article were quite novel to my body and the results nearly miraculous.  I found first off working this way to be quite challenging, and I had a difficult time maintaining balance.  I know from experience that’s a great sign that I’m not in a habitual pattern, so I was encouraged.  As I worked, I quickly felt fatigue in the areas on my right side that I have trouble getting to fire at all.  I took the lessons learned from these few ‘fascial exericises’ into my standard yoga poses, and I felt well – different.  I was standing fully on my right leg, instead of shifting over to my left.  I could feel my right glute medius firing fully and the weight evenly distributed across the arch of my foot, not because I willed it so, but because I was standing in balance: True samasthiti; an elusive experience I am forever chasing after. 

As I have been moving through my day I notice that I am still holding strong on the right side – effortlessly.  How fun!  New practice! New ideas! My mind is brimming over with novelty.  I’m reminded again of the sutras call to pratypaksha bhavana – to change our perspective in order to get ourselves unstuck.  As we bring new perspectives to the body, the mind also grows more supple. That’s the magic and wisdom of yoga.  Hooray – and thank you Anita!!!!  

If you haven’t listened to Anita’s interview on the how fascia affects our yoga practice, you must!  Your body will thank you!! 

Listen to this interview here: July 23 - Anita Boser

Click to listen now, right click and choose "Save As" to download!

Thoughts from Robin

It was such a pleasure to interview Carol Krucoff about her new book, Healing Neck and shoulder Pain with Yoga.  I’ve heard from many of you that the show inspired you to buy the book and begin to take your yoga practice more seriously as a method for healing.  That’s exactly what I had hoped Living Yoga Radio would do – support you in going deeper with your practice and expanding your yoga resources!  

In this vein I’d like to highlight an upcoming event: Samaraya Center’s sal-u-thon, a fund and awareness raising event on Saturday, July 24, 11-2 in Cal Anderson Park.  If you can join in, please do – if you’d like to support the great work that Samarya Center is doing, your donation would be most appreciated.

The Samarya Center is a 501(c)(3)organization dedicated to providing yoga and yoga therapy to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Located in Seattle's central district, we offer a variety of low cost yoga classes to our immediate community as well as to the greater community through our workshops, trainings and on-going yoga classes. As Seattle's non-profit yoga resource, with a large and active volunteer base, we have the ability to offer many free programs to marginalized and under served populations.  In addition to our many on-going community programs, including our ground breaking Bedside Yoga program for people who are seriously ill and dying, we have recently pioneered two new, innovative programs - one at Pike Medical Clinic, offering yoga for free to people with chronic pain, many of whom are homeless and/or drug addicted, and another is offered here, a free yoga class (with childcare) taught in Spanish for low income moms from the Latino community.  

Please come out to learn more about The Samarya Center, celebrate the radiance of you, the sun and community, and help us to reach our $10,000 goal to continue to provide and to grow our unique and desperately needed community programs. All the information you need can be found at: www.saluthon.org.  Register today, or send in your tax deductible donation of any amount!

On July 23 – I’m interviewing Anita Boser – the Queen of Undulation.  Listen in and learn how your asana practice may in fact be locking you into your body rather than freeing you up!!!  Don’t miss this most educational discussion! 

Blessings to you all – May your practice continue to evolve! 

Robin

Listen to this interview here: July 6 - Carol Krucoff

Click to listen now, right click and choose "Save As" to download!