A fine line
The Southampton retreat was lit.
There’s a fine line between a splurge and an investment. Investing in your wellbeing remains our primary concern. If your FOMO on another retreat this summer is kicking in, we accounted for that by curating Summer of Sovereignty Two in Northport on Saturday, August 14th. Not a splurge, but an investment in savoring a season meant for charging our batteries with all good things. In this case, that's the Yoga of Krishnamacharya, community, fresh air, sand, salt water and and organic, whole food, plant-based nourishment.
In advance of August's Yoga for Osteoporosis Yoga Therapy Course, let’s highlight another fine line, the one that separates strength from strain. When students come into a Yoga for Osteoporosis class, they may be surprised. When students come in for any class with us, at first, they are surprised, so this is no longer a surprise for me, just for them.
Strain is a word that has five letters, but in Yoga, it’s a four-lettered word. A premise of Yoga Therapy is that the body follows the path of least resistance. Accumulated strain will simply keep accumulating until something hurts, fractures, pulls, gives way. If we keep using the same, unconscious movement patterns, we will keep accumulating strain in a body that’s been around for awhile and not getting and younger or stronger without putting in the work.
For the purpose of improving bone mass, we need to apply force in the form of weight bearing movements into a Yoga routine. That which differentiates exercise from Yoga is endless; however at its core, there is a steadiness and sensitivity we hone in our breathing. Breathing techniques that focus on the chest and abdomen exist at the center of Yogic concentration during asana practice. They streamline the mind to use the innermost musculature, close to the spine, that holds our bones in place, and often, in a deviated place that accumulates strain in our daily lives at practice.
When we approach as such, we gain options in our movement. Bones remodel. We create optimal conditions to improve bone density via Yoga’s strength-building āsana-s. For example, let’s say I am hypermobile in my left hip. I may develop osteopenia or osteoporosis in the hip and femur due to not bearing weight in a stabilized manner, with the joints well in place. A deep, bone-strengthening practice is only possible when we reign in the overdone movements so we can be well aligned and prior to adding physical load. It’s possible to be too flexible, and from a bone density standpoint, we do not want that, neither to be too tight. Most asana-s, as well as the moving in and out, will serve a dual purpose of loosening the physical knots while also being strength-building if we do them breath centered.
Through a well-conceived practice that considers where your bone density may be diminishing, intelligent use of breathing and particular variations, you set yourself up for success. As the breathing moves more slowly, we are literally in every position for a longer duration. This “slow motion” effect ensures we aren’t breezing by our misalignments and stiffness; instead, working through it. As we discover how and where our pranic life force flows and doesn’t, this deep, calm-focused approach replaces strain with strength, fast with slow, ambition with intention. And as the breath stays smooth, we’re honing a calmer mind and cognitive boost as well.