March

Dynamic Yoga Newsletter 2014

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Greetings yogis!

How was your winter? I hope it was a time of rest, reflection and stillness, in keeping with the element of earth which rules this dark, cold and quiet season.

The researchers also found the more yoga the women practiced, the better the results. Although many studies have shown that yoga can benefit cancer patients, this is the largest known trial of yoga in cancer survivors using biological measures.

"e#isit yo$r %ractice & Dog

e!ve reached a significant point in the year " a time of transition. As we move out of winter, we In a time of transition, #arth postures can smell the arrival of spring on warmer bree$es and damp earth. offer us enormous stability, and an opportunity to simply %be!. &ractice

'og, a classic #arth posture, to Transitions can be challenging if we are focused too root your connection to the intently on our end goal. This is often true of the %present! as we move from winter to transition from winter to spring, which spring( is a time of moving from stillness and introspection to becoming active and working towards new priorities. Inhale as you come up onto your hands and knees, with your knees hip width apart and the hands shoulder width apart, your fingers spread wide and pressing firmly into the floor.

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Acknowledging and working through the natural patterns of transition that emerge in our lives " whether seasonal, psychological or physical " are an important part of yogic practice. +o, if you feel mi,ed emotions about change in your life, don!t try to ignore your feelings or push them to one side

)oga benefits

cancer patients
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*evisit your autumn practice 'og

As you e,hale, turn your toes under. .ow push the floor away from your hands, positioning your body like an inverted 0, achieving a straight line from your hands to your shoulders to the hips. Take care though not to press the heels to the floor to protect the hamstrings and Achilles tendons from over"stretching.

)oga in/uries and how to prevent them

whilst you busy yourself with other things. Instead, acknowledge them, and have the courage to really e,perience how you are feeling. 1eing %present! in this way may +ometimes be painful, but it also
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alking meditation

)ou can introduce a variation to dog brings depth, richness and which changes its element and turns it into a very wisdom to our lives. challenging Air posture, which is great for concentration. In alternating between the two you can This year, be your own witness to the subtle transitions also practice being %present! during change( taking place around you. )ou are part of everything 2 3rom 'og, step both feet together so your big toes are touching. 4eeping the left heel on the mat, inhale and raise your right leg in the air.

Johnny Fincham, 'ynamic )oga course leader

Yoga benefits cancer %atients

A new 5+ study are reported in the 6ournal of 7linical 8ncology finds that yoga can benefit breast cancer survivors by reducing fatigue and inflammation. At the end of 9: weeks of yoga classes, a group of women who had completed breast cancer treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy, showed an average reduction in fatigue of ;<= and up to :>= reduction in inflammation, compared with a similar group that had not received yoga instruction. #,hale to bend the knee and inhale as you lift your right arm up and hold on to the top of your right foot, balancing the weight of the body between your left hand and left foot.

#,hale to actively arch the spine and kick your right foot away from you to further open your chest and shoulders. Hold here for five breaths, trying to keep the pose steady and strong. *elease and repeat with the left knee bent.

Dynamic Yoga Newsletter

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'ommon yoga in($ries and how to %re#ent them

)oga has a very low in/ury rate, but with the e,citement of spring in the air it!s easy to over"do it. Here?s how to have a safe practice( )#oid ego & 'on!t look around the room to see how you!re performing a pose compared to others. If you push your body into a new pose and it hurts, stop. 1e sure you know the postures well, if you?re not sure about a pose, always ask the teacher. *rist strain & &ostures which place a lot of weight on the wrists - such as bird or side dog " can cause strain if you do too much too quickly. To protect the wrists, always bear weight across the whole palm. @ake sure your fingers are evenly spread and that both your inde, finger and the heel of your hand are pushing into the mat. +ower back %roblems " 3orward bends can lead to bulging disks and other low back in/uries if done incorrectly. The problem starts when yogis keep their legs straight and round their backs going into a pose instead of bending at the hip. Instead, keep a micro"bend in your knees, aim for a straight back, don?t fold too deeply and engage your abs to keep your core stabili$ed. ,amstring %$lls " If you push suddenly and deeply into a forward bend, you can pull your hamstring muscles. @ove slowly into forward bends, using the breath to gently deepen the posture. -nee %ain 3le,ibility in many postures depends on a fle,ible hip /oint, which is a ball and socket /oint designed for rotation. )ogis sometimes forget this though and to try to achieve rotation via the knee, which can quickly lead to in/ury. 3or those regularly bothered by knee pain, avoid sitting in cross"legged position for long periods unless the hips are already very fle,ible. Any time the knee is bent in a standing pose Asuch as warriors I and IIB, look to see that there!s a vertical line from the bent knee to the heel. This ensures that the body is bearing weight properly. Neck in($ries - .eck in/uries are probably the scariest - and they do take time to heal. 1e careful in headstand,

plough and shoulder stand not to put too much weight on your neck. Also, in poses like camel and upward dog, you can fling your neck too far back without support. hen putting pressure on your neck in an inversion, try to better distribute your weight, putting more of it on your arms. Always prioriti$e neck safety over goals such as putting your feet to the floor in plough.

*alking Meditation

If you haven?t had time to pause and take stock this winter, do so now, with this simple walking meditation. &ut aside :> minutes or so to take a walk outside. It doesn!t matter whether it!s a quiet country footpath or a busy urban area. As you walk along, listen to the sounds around you. How many sounds can you hear at once? )our mind may drift, but every time it does draw your attention again to the sounds around you, and simplyC listen. This e,ercise is mindfulness in practice. It brings alertness as well as rela,ation. .

Dealing with change & yoga .$ote

D)our life is a sacred /ourney. It is about change, growth, discovery, transformation, e,panding your vision of what is possible, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. )ou are on the path. And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing, of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love.E F 7aroline Adams.

ant to find out more about 'ynamic )oga, including detailed descriptions of all the postures? The 'ynamic )oga orkbook costs G;.>> and can be obtained from your class teacher. )ou can also order .one of our fabulous 'ynamic )oga t"shirts. +peak to your yoga teacher - all colours and si$es catered for.

/or information abo$t Dynamic Yoga class times or one-to-one t$ition contact yo$r class teacher or #isit0 www.dynamic-yoga.com

'heck o$t o$r new /acebook %age0 www.facebook.com/ DynamicYogaNorfolk

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