Salute To The Sun For Stiff Bodies

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Author: Charley Hickey is a practicing yoga therapist and senior yoga teacher who runs group and private yoga classes in Applecross & Fremantle, Perth.  She also runs specialised yoga workshops for yoga students & yoga teachers.

We’ve been practicing salute to the sun or surya namaskar in class this week.  It’s a great sequence but can be tough for beginners, injured or ageing bodies, even the modified versions!  So don’t feel bad it challenged you  or you couldn’t get through it.  Although many classical styles of yoga teach it as a warm-up, I personally feel that it is something that needs to be warmed into which is what we usually do before attempting it in a group class.  Once you are familiar with it, it becomes easier (I promise!).  Some people are able to jump straight into the sequence without any problems and I’m not saying it’s wrong to do that, just not appropriate for everyone and not how I personally like to teach it.  Perhaps it is because I have such a passion for teaching yoga to bodies that are a bit more on the creaky side :)  You can read more below about the sequence and practicing it or here is a printable copy Salute to the Sun Handout if you prefer.

Salute to the Sun – Surya Namaskar

Whether you regularly practice yoga or not, you can enjoy the health benefits of Surya Namaskar – salute to the sun. Performed correctly, it is a completely safe set of yoga poses that will not cause strain or injury (ask your teacher for help beforehand if unsure).

You will experience health benefits by practicing just once daily, but you can also practice the series of poses as often as you like whenever you have time, make it realistic and perhaps start with one round and gradually build up to several once you feel comfortable to do so.  One round is once on each side, so remember to swap legs.

When practiced in the morning, Surya Namaskar relieves stiffness, energizes the body and refreshes the mind. During the day, it is rejuvenating, and at night, Surya Namaskar can help you relax and get a good night’s sleep.

There are numerous variations of the sequence from different yoga traditions and for differing abilities. The sequence below is a slightly modified version which should be suitable for most abilities including beginners.  If you have any concerns about your ability or if you’d like a modified version that is easier or more challenging, ask your instructor for guidance.

Benefits

  • Provides all of the key health benefits of yoga in a very succinct package
  • Workout for the muscles
  • Benefits the joints, ligaments & skeletal system
  • Improves posture, flexibility & balance
  • Stimulates & conditions bodily systems including digestive, nervous, lymphatic and respiratory systems.
  • Benefits endocrine system including thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary, adrenal & reproductive glands
  • Relaxing and rejuvenating for mind and body
  • Aids concentration and focus
  • Excellent for managing stress and alleviating depression

The Sequence

salute to sun

In brackets is a suggested breathing sequence if you wish to follow it but as long as you are breathing mindfully that is the main thing. Following the picture, start at the top of the circle.

 

  1. Tadasana/mountain pose. Begin by standing comfortably in a grounded position with the knees unlocked.
  2. Prayer pose (Namaste) – breathe mindfully for a few breaths until you feel ready to continue
  3. Reach the arms up toward the ceiling (IN)
  4. Forward bend from the hips, drop the head down toward the knees and hands towards or touching the floor. Keep knees bent if needed, no need to push here. (OUT)
  5. Low lunge right foot back with back knee down and hands toward or on the floor. (IN)
  6. All fours position briefly then lower hips toward floor elbows pointing backward (OUT)
  7. Low Cobra – pushing through the hands to lift the head and chest (IN)
  8. Downward Facing Dog – push through the hands, lift buttocks toward ceiling and allow heels to drop down towards the floor (OUT)
  9. Low lunge (as #5) right foot forward with back knee down and hands toward or on the floor. (IN)
  10. Forward bend (as #4) from the hips, drop the head down toward the knees and hands towards or touching the floor. (OUT)
  11. Roll back up to standing Reach the arms up (as #3) toward the ceiling (IN)
  12. Tadasana/mountain pose (as #1)

References

http://hubpages.com/health/benefits-of-surya-namaskar

Walking The Tightrope Of Life

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Charley Hickey Charleyoga BLOG

Author: Charley Hickey is a practicing yoga therapist and senior yoga teacher who runs group and private yoga classes in Applecross & Fremantle, Perth.  She also runs specialised yoga workshops for yoga students & yoga teachers.

“It’s all about balance..” How often have we heard this little seed of wisdom, either coming from our own mouths when giving others advice (guilty!) or when others are giving us advice? If like me, you sometimes have an urge to punch these people in the face (he he, just joking!), then perhaps this explanation may help you to reconcile the concept of “balance” in your own mind.

I once had a teacher that explained to me that balance can be defined by thinking about a tightrope walker. By all appearances, they are “balanced” on the tightrope. However, there are so many shifts constantly occurring in their body and minds that allow them to stay balanced, it doesn’t just happen and then that is it and you can say “phew, I’m balanced now, thank goodness for that!”. It’s always a constant series of small adjustments, a work in progress that keeps the tightrope walker on the rope. Even though to a casual observer they may be making it look easy, it’s taken practice to get here and then continued practice to maintain. This is a handy thing to remember when you look at that person you know that seems to have it all worked out, chances are it is exactly the same for them too!

When we apply these concepts to everyday life and to our yoga practice, Yoga Sutra 2.46 describes this balance as “sthira-sukham asanam”. This could be translated as “posture should be stable (sthira) and comfortable (sukha)” It is often put into practice by “resolutely abiding in a good space”. I like that as you can apply it in any situation but I also love how you can work with these opposite forces in class, either in a subtle way or if you prefer, an extreme way.

For example, you might think that in Shavasana (corpse pose) that Sukha (comfort, joy, gentleness) would be easy to find and Sthira (strength, resoluteness, stability) would be more elusive. However, what if you were uncomfortable lying down or had an area of pain that wouldn’t go away? The sukha here might not be the position of your body and the pose itself, it might be your breath, or finding easefulness in a part of your body that you wouldn’t usually notice, like your facial muscles for example, could you find ease here? Equally, you may need to find Sthira in your mind to resolutely stay here in the pose, especially if your mind was busy with thoughts or wanting to come out of the pose and move instead! It’s such a lovely thing to explore in class, without judgement or intent of changing but with a sense of curiousness and openness to watch what is happening in your own body. This subtle balance, this constant adjusting, you are never done, balance is truly a work in progress……………..

So, next time someone says “it’s all about balance” you can say “Yeh, I know, I’m TOTALLY in balance, even right now!”

Charley Hickey

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How To Cheat A Yogic Psych Test

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Charley Yoga Fremantle

Author: Charley Hickey is a practicing yoga therapist and senior yoga teacher who runs group and private yoga classes in Applecross & Fremantle, Perth.  She also runs specialised yoga workshops for yoga students & yoga teachers.

Some of you may have heard of an exercise called the three blessings or a gratitude exercise. From what I understand, it’s a commonly used tool in positive psychology where you ask a person to think of three things that they are grateful for in their day that has been. I thought this was a great thing to introduce to my kids to so every night before bed so I ask my young son to recount to me three things in his day that he is grateful for. Being such a smarty pants (not sure where he gets that from?) he’s come up with a handy little cheat that works every single time. His third item is always “right now” at which point he gives me a hug and kiss. The reason it’s so smart is that as well as knowing I’m a sucker for his kisses & cuddles which he adds in as the kicker, he knows that “right now” is where true happiness is. This is because we’ve discussed it many times, however, I totally get that he is only saying it to please me as he knows it is what I want to hear. I’m not saying he is enlightened and ahead of his time by any means, just cheeky! We’ll keep doing it though in the hope that these concepts might be carried into his adulthood and seep into his much more “serious” adult life.

The gratitude exercise is a challenging one to begin with, especially when you’ve had a “bad” day but like any other practice, it gets easier with time.  These days, I find because we practice this so often, we are able to see the things we are grateful for much more easily as we are regularly mindful of what it is in life that we are truly grateful for. Sometimes we have four or five things each and find it hard to pick out only three! This is a good example of “Tapas” in yoga which means discipline or regular practice. This regular practice means that gratitude becomes easier and more natural over time.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a believer in turning everything into a positive, this is both unreasonable and unattainable. We talk about the bad stuff too but this little exercise stops us from becoming overwhelmed by the bad stuff. This is a good example of “Santosha” or contentment – being able to find contentment amongst the full spectrum of emotion that we go through in our daily lives. The good, the bad and the times where we are tempted to simply write-off the day completely and start again tomorrow thus ignoring our innate ability to be content in the moment if we simply allow it.

Yoga Sutra 1.1 tells us “Atha yoga anushasanam” which can be taken to mean “Now begins the practice of yoga” – Now meaning right now, here, in the present moment – see, I told you my son was a smarty pants cheater!

Can you bring to mind three things in your day that you are grateful for? How about on a “bad” day? I’d love for you to give it a try :)

Charley Hickey

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Facebook Just Undid My Life’s Work…..

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I may be taking a risk here, questioning Facebook through a Facebook post but hey, that’s what Facebook is all about right?  I’m questioning, not insulting, just to be clear!

Charleyoga uses Facebook to keep in touch with you all, our interested followers.  It’s an amazing platform which we love using and intend to for many more years to come.  We do however also run a yoga school.  This of course is our core work which we try our best to be absolutely amazing at to keep our loyal followers happy.  I was really disheartened this week to find that my Facebook page has been labelled with a status/rating for how quickly we respond to messages that come through our Facebook page.  We are not displaying a high rating for this because guess what – our response time is 11 mins (averaged out to one hour) which is apparently TOO SLOW! Too slow?  They clearly haven’t read our blog about how “Slow Is The New Fast”, since this is the heart of our teachings.  We love helping people to slow down a little every now and again.

Speed alone is an awful way to measure the responsiveness of a business, it’s so much more than simply replying at super speed.  If we have to do it within 5 minutes at any time of the day or night then I’m proud to say that we don’t have a good rating for replying to messages!

So, although it may sometimes take us a whole hour to reply (yes a FULL hour!) this is because we may be resting between teaching classes, helping someone else, perhaps even sleeping.  What I can guarantee you though is the response you will get from us will be 100% personal, authentic, measured and will address each of your questions with the thought and care that we think you deserve.  That is why we have loyal customers, not because we respond in less than 5 minutes to a message.

I’d love for you to put a comment on the Facebook post that you followed to get to this link if you agree with some of what we are saying and guess what, we will even respond to it but maybe give us a few hours :)

Actually, I’d also like to thank Facebook as I wasn’t sure what to write in my BLOG this week but this really gave me something to think about!

Charley Hickey

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama – Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique

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Alternate Nostril Breathing Instructions

Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique  ~ Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

(nadi = subtle energy channel; shodhana = cleaning, purification; pranayama = breathing technique)

Nadi Shodana is an easy and safe breathing technique with some promising therapeutic applications

BENEFITS INCLUDE:

*Balances L/R brain hemispheres

*Clears mind, improves focus

*Slows breathing rate

*Calms the central nervous system

HOW?

This technique has featured in a few studies with various findings:

*There is evidence to support its use to decrease heart rate and breathing rhythm and therefore cause parasympathetic nervous system dominance which creates a feeling of calm (Jovanow, E. 2005).

*It featured in another study which showed that participants had an increase in plasma melatonin levels after 3 months of yoga practice (Harinath, 2004). (melatonin is your naturally produced “sleep drug”)

*It was part of another study that showed improved stress and self-confidence scores in insomnia sufferers without any side effects (Sobana, 2013)

*Enhances respiratory function in school students (Sivapriya, 2010)

TO PRACTICE:

Sit comfortably or lie down if that’s easier. Place the tip of the index finger and middle finger of the right hand in between the eyebrows, the ring finger and little finger on the left nostril, and the thumb on the right nostril.   Close off the right nostril gently and breathe in through the left nostril, then breathe back out the right, back in the right and then out the left. Out and in on one side, out and in on other side – follow this lovely pic if unsure & try to keep the breath really natural, no need to force it or lengthen/deepen it in any way. Continue for a few breaths or a few minutes, whatever you are comfortable with, finish with a breath out through the right nostril and pause to notice how you feel.

References

  • Jovanow, E (2005). On Spectral Analysis of Heart Rate Variability during Very Slow Yogic Breathing. Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society conference publications.
  • Sobana, R. (2013). The Effect of Yoga Therapy on Selected Psychological Variables Among Male Patients with Insomnia. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 7 (1), 55-57.
  • Harinath, K (2004). Effect of Hath Yoga and Omkar Meditation on Cardiorespiratory Performance, Psychological Profile and Melatonin Secretion. 10 (2), 261-268.
  • Shivapriya, D.V., Suba Malani, S. Thirumeni, S. (2010). Effect of Nadi Shodana Pranayama on Respiratory Parameters in School Students. Recent Research in Science and Technology, 2 (11), 32 – 39.

To All My Clients ~ “I Don’t Want to See You Anymore!”

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private yoga therapy classes fremantle

Truly, I mean it, this is the ultimate goal of a practicing yoga therapist.  I really don’t want to see you anymore because that means that I have done my job and you are doing yours :)

If you are are unsure what yoga therapy is, here is a good definition – Yoga Therapy empowers and supports individuals to manage their own health and well-being using the principles of Yoga and applying a range of Yoga practices developed within a professional therapeutic relationship. (Australasian Association of Yoga Therapists www.yogatherapy.org.au)

Note “manage their own health and well-being” When a yoga  therapist works one on one with a client, the aim is that you actually write your own “prescription” that fits with your own life, your way for your own unique goals.  A yoga therapist guides you in this process but is hardly ever “telling you what to do”.  This is what makes yoga therapy so damned effective, that’s why it feels so manageable and easy to integrate your practice into your day.  A good yoga therapist will listen to what will work for you and never try to force their own way of doing things onto you.

We are here to connect with you regularly whilst you are integrating your practice into your routine, which can be a bumpy road at first but then, we are happiest when you are off on your own doing your own practice.   We’re keen to help you if you lose control of the reins every now and again or would like your practice updated but for the most part we don’t want to see you anymore!

Ok, so I’ve never met a millionaire yoga therapist but honestly, when I bump into a client months later and they say “when I was doing my practice the other day…” – that is worth more to me than any amount of money ever could.  I think “Wow, someone actually read that and still benefits from that crumpled up piece of scribbled hand written notes with the badly drawn stick figures on it from ages ago!”

By the way, I really didn’t mean it, I do love seeing you all but it made you learn a bit more about yoga therapy if you didn’t before so my work here is done, thanks for reading!

Charley Hickey

Read more about our private Yoga Therapy classes in Fremantle.

What “Letting Go” Really Feels Like

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Yoga Near Fremantle "Letting Go"

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I think we all know someone who gives the well-meaning advice of “Just let go…”.  I should know as I am one of those people and chances are if you are reading this, you’ve heard me say it during a yoga class! It’s easy advice to give but much harder in practice.

The picture above is an accurate representation of what “Letting Go” really feels like sometimes. Often there are no hearts & flowers, sailing off into the sunset, epiphanies, blue skies & rainbows. There is not always immediate relief or the anticipated sensation of a weight suddenly lifted from our shoulders. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still practice letting go, it just means that we must accept the challenge in its entirety. It won’t always be pretty!

What I’ve realised through my own ongoing practice and guiding others through theirs is that letting go is a process. A process that takes time, practice, patience and perseverance. Something that at times you think you have mastered and then realise quickly when the next time comes around that you are back to the pulling your hair out stage again!

For example, just recently I’ve been quite unwell with a virus that started during my holidays. I realised I wasn’t going to be able to go back to work as planned. In the past, I’ve struggled with letting go of my work responsibilities, partly because I enjoy it so much and love to be around the students that come to our classes. This time I again went through this struggling phase but realised much more quickly that I had to let go of it. Sure enough a bunch of relief yoga teachers came to the rescue, work was put on hold for a couple of weeks and nothing bad happened. That’s not to say I didn’t still have a few “hair tearing out” moments but they passed and I’ve been able to take my time to recover as I probably should have other times.

Just like most things in life, letting go is a process; an ever repeating one. It’s most certainly worth the effort just not always as easy as it first sounds :)

Charley Hickey

For gentle therapeutic yoga near Fremantle where you can practice the art of letting go, see our timetable here

Doing Yoga Vs Striking A Pose

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Doing Yoga...

I’d just like to make it clear that yes, I have put the pictures and the captions the right way around. The picture on the left is of me doing my yoga practice and the picture on the right is me posing for a photo and not doing yoga. To explain, I get annoyed (yes sometimes things do annoy me!) every time I see a photo of someone striking an impressive looking yoga pose ~ perfect body, no sweat dripping into their eye, no wobbles, perfectly coiffed hair, etc etc. There is nothing wrong with this in itself but please keep in mind, this is NOT yoga! It is someone posing for a photo (often a model!) just like I am in the right hand picture!

If you are interested, in the first picture, my husband is the photographer. We had a last minute opportunity to head out to dinner in Fremantle due to an offer from my sister to have our youngest son sleep at her house. I was so stoked, as much as I love my kids, my husband and I hadn’t had any alone time for ages! As you can see from my smile, I was just so happy, grateful & enjoying life as it was unfolding in that moment – this is yoga.

In the second picture, I was driving the Gibb River Road with my family. From memory, on that day it had been a very long day in the car and things had gotten heated a few times! We stopped at this lovely spot and I took advantage of the view and conveniently placed rock table to strike a pose so I would have a photo to post on Facebook later. Although it looks picture perfect, I wasn’t really in the moment at all and simply striking a pose! Can you see the difference now?

Lovely yoga pictures are just that, lovely pictures. A picture never tells the whole story, it captures a moment and our mind fills in the rest of the story. It concerns me that beginners to yoga might think they have to be like this in order to come to a yoga class.  If you want to get the whole story, come to class, laugh when you wobble, wipe the sweat from your eye if you’re having a hot flush and revel in the variety of students in the room, all there for a common purpose – The True Practice of Yoga :)

Charley Hickey

 

View our timetable here for beginners yoga Fremantle, Applecross & Winthrop ~ all levels & body types welcome.

Leave Your Hats At The Door

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Leave your hats at the door…..

It’s school holidays so I was playing lego with my six year old. I decided I may as well embrace it fully so built this. It’s a yoga class of course just in case you didn’t pick up on that through my somewhat rudimentary building skills! There’s a bit of a double entendre to the “Leave Hats Here” sign which I pondered as I was constructing this. Once we enter the yoga space, wouldn’t it be great if we could remove all of our metaphorical “hats” as easily as taking off an actual hat and placing it on a rack for a while? I guess that over time, yoga practice helps us to do this more easily. At the end of the day, when we are on our mats in class, there is also a part us that is the “same” as the next person – much easier for the lego dudes to see that as they are quite literally all the same!

I also purposely made the yoga teacher the red caped, masked villain – once she has derobed, she’s a fairly standard sort of looking chick really. Another important thing to remember in class, the teacher is just an ordinary person and yogi too, a student first and teacher second, there to simply guide the students through their highly individual personal practice ~ wow, who would have thought building lego could be so deep and meaningful! See you in a few weeks in class, bookings are already open ~ x Charley