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yoga awareness month

September is national yoga awareness month! 

Check out my article titled 
"Yoga will kick your asana" 
in this month's issue of The Current on page 82; on newsstands around Tulsa now! 

(copy & paste or click the pdf link below; page 82 or read below)

http://currentland.com/Portals/0/Archives/PDF/The%20OK%20Current%20-%20September%202011.pdf

"Yoga will kick your asana" 

I heart yoga, so when asked to write an article about yoga, I thought, you bet your down dog I will. There are so many new developments in the practice of yoga that it’s hard to keep them straight.  In this article, I attempt to break it down for you.  Although I consider myself to be a novice yogini, I am a seeker and a student of yoga.  I first tried yoga approximately 10 years ago while attending college. I remember feeling calm & relaxed after the experience but did not consider it a true “workout” because I was a collegiate student-athlete and had done my fair share of 6 am conditioning workouts. Geez, was I ever wrong!  The next day, I had muscle soreness that was legendary.  Ever since, I have tried several different types of yoga and became certified as an instructor last year.  I guess you could say it was a challenge that was on my bucket list.  Teaching a yoga class and being responsible for someone’s personal yoga experience was a challenge from which I learned a great deal. Because I am a practitioner of yoga, I feel that it is important to be enlightened on its roots.

Researchers have traced yoga’s origins back 5,000 years ago in India and some think yoga may be up to 10,000 years old.  There are several different types of yogas, one of which is called classical yoga, or Raja yoga. It is defined by Patanjali’s yoga sutras written sometime in the second century. This text defines the “eight limbed path”, which consists of the steps and stages leading to enlightenment, or Samadhi. Patanjali is considered by many to be the father of yoga and his yoga sutras still influence most modern styles of yoga. Centuries after Patanjali, yoga masters created a type of yoga to rejuvenate the body and prolong life; they believed that the physical body was the way to enlightenment.  This practice lead to what we know as “hatha yoga” or for short, yoga.

In order to understand yoga, one must first understand some of the lingo.  The word yoga is a term derived from the Sanskrit word "yug" meaning to join together, to yoke or to unite. It is a set of various techniques to unite the mind, body and spirit within the individual and to unite the individual with the Divine, the infinite or the universe. A yogi is a male student of yoga, while a yogini is a female student of yoga.  Namaste is the traditional expression of greeting and farewell practiced among yogis and performed with the hands placed in prayer position at the heart center. It is usually accompanied with a bowing of the head and body. It means, "The Divine in me salutes the Divine in you."

Hatha yoga, known simply as yoga to us, is the most common yoga practiced in the U.S. It combines 3 elements: physical postures called asanas; pranayama, or controlled breathing; and relaxation or meditation. Bikram yoga, or hot yoga, is a style or school of hatha yoga that emphasizes a high-energy workout and sweating which focuses on cleansing the body from the inside out.  Ashtanga yoga is a subdivision of hatha yoga that includes an intense physically challenging workout, also referred to as "power yoga". It places equal emphasis on strength, flexibility and stamina while it synchronizes movements with breath in a continual flow of action to create heat, which produces a cleansing or detoxifying effect of the body.  Kundalini yoga is also a style of hatha yoga. It is a path centered on awakening and employing kundalini energy stored at the base of the spine. It uses the breath, postures, chanting and meditation to stimulate and move this energy up the spine.  Vinyasa is a steady flow of connected yoga asanas linked with breath in a continuous movement. It is a particularly dynamic form of yoga. The Sun Salutation is one example of a vinyasa yoga routine.

Because I am a registered nurse and recommend health regimens to patients, the research-based health benefits of yoga are mucho important to my practice.  The scientific study of yoga states that the mental & physical aspects of health are closely intertwined.  According to research, yoga reduces depression, stress & anxiety by lowering heart rate, respiratory rate & blood pressure.  Because yoga helps regulate stress, it also regulates pain responses by increasing pain tolerance.  Studies also show an improvement in energy, headaches, back pain, fatigue, sleep quality & well being.  An added bonus, yoga can improve your sex life by increasing blood flow to your nether regions (wink, wink).  Most importantly, yoga has gained increased popularity in our culture because evidenced-based medicine has proven it to be a low-risk, high yield way to improve overall health. 

In addition to its health benefits, yoga has gained increased popularity due to its influence on Hollywood, which began in 1947 when a yogini named Indra Devi opened her yoga studio.  Since then, it has exploded amongst celebrities including Lady Gaga, Russell Simmons, Jennifer Aniston, Sting, K$sha & Jon Bon Jovi to name a few.  Many athletes have turned to yoga to improve flexibility in other sports & disciplines.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar states that yoga helped him learn to control his breath, gain flexibility & prevent injury. 

Now that you are well versed in yoga’s origins, lingo, health benefits, & popularity, get out there and work your asana off.  

lemonista: week 1

LuLuLemon Manifesto!

This week was my very first week as a lululemon girl.  I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of this wonderful company & culture.  Here are some of the classes I got to sample in Tulsa this week.  I definitely held true to the company's manifesto of "sweat once a day!"

Monday:

• crossfit @ YWCA midtown 12:00pm w/Christina

description: running, push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, spinning- all rolled into one intense workout!

• bikram yoga @ yoga quest 5:30pm

description: 90 minutes of yoga poses in a room heated to 105 degrees.  It was intensively sweaty, yet rejuvenating.  You must try.


Tuesday:

• yoga on the deck @ blue rose cafe on riverside 8:00am

description: this was such a treat after our intense workouts on monday.  A morning yoga class on the lower deck at the blue rose cafe overlooking the peaceful arkansas river.  We practiced our asanas while looking out over the water watching the ducks take their morning bath.


Wednesday: 

• soft yoga @ inner peace yoga 5:45pm w/Meghan

description: Because I was still sore from monday's classes, this was just what I needed to work out the stiffness & soreness in my muscles. 


Thursday: 

• barre @ total pilates 6:00am w/Karen

description: Although I never get up before dawn, this was well worth it.  This class targets & tones all those areas you want to lift: hips, thighs, & glutes while bringing out your inner ballerina!


Friday: 

• power pop yoga @ YWCA midtown 4:15pm w/Emily

description: This class is like yoga boot camp- focuses on cardio & strength poses set to really great music!


Saturday:

• rooftop yoga @ ascent on cherry street 9:00 w/Jennifer

description: This yoga class is on the rooftop of ascent outdoor apparel and the new lululemon showroom tulsa.  It is offered on saturday am, so you can stop by the cherry street farmers market afterwards.  I can't wait to try this class tomorrow! 

What are some of your favorite tulsa fitness classes?