Guilty Pleasures & Self-bodywork

I’ve been treating myself to a new evening ritual. It starts with my latest guilty pleasure – my pandora Christmas jazz station. I know I know — super cheesy. I won’t make any excuses.

What’s next in the ritual is self-bodywork with my Yoga Tune Up® balls. If you haven’t tried bodywork with balls, I highly recommend it. Self-bodywork offers a method to unload the muscles and nervous system. This counteracts the loading that daily activity and holiday buzz create. I love the Yoga Tune Up® balls that I received as a gift, but any kind will work. You can purchase lacrosse balls at your local sporting goods store for under $2 a pop. Once you have your toys, pick an area of your body and get rolling!

I can only describe self-massage with therapy balls in one way: It hurts so good. Play around to find those sweet spots that crave attention. Focus on breathing to facilitate a sweet release. You can view instructional videos from the link below to learn exercises that target specific muscle groups.

YOGA THERAPY BALL EXERCISES 
by Yoga Tune Up® – Yoga Therapy

No guilt about what’s burning below! This candle is calorie-free but and oh so sweet. The aroma of gingerbread fills my home and heart with delight.

Whatever your guilty pleasure, let love be your holiday treat of choice this season. Read Holiday Guide to Balance for strategies to nourish yourself from the inside out all season long.

Guide to Holiday Balance

xoxo, Rita

Reflection, Change, and Growth: The Benefits of Yoga in Recent Media.

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I value the criticism of modern yoga. It is important for students and teachers to be aware of the harms associated with practice. Not all the points in the recent media discussions of yoga resonate with me, mostly because there are just so many facets of yoga. While scientific yoga research is expanding in the recent years, science is unable to answer all of the questions that yoga presents. The article describing yoga risks that blew up controversy in the yoga world, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body (NYT), created an equal and opposite response from the yoga community: Complete and Exhaustive Guide: Yoga Community Responds to NYT ‘How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body’ (YogaDork).

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A more balanced point of view is offered in The Risks and Rewards Of Practicing Yoga (NPR), a review and discussion of scientific research by William J. Broad, the author of The Science of Yoga. As an athlete, perspective physical therapy student, and yoga teacher (who is both young and fairly new to yoga teaching!), I am bothered by the over-generalizations of teachers in this podcast. I know that it is my upmost priority to be aware of student form and injury prevention and inspire patience over ego for all of my students. It is my hope that all this media attention will only sharpen the focus of teachers and practitioners to sense the urgency of safety in yoga. Knowledge is power. The knowledge lies in body learning while power comes in time as yoga becomes therapy for the physical body, the mind, and the spirit.

There is so much value in subjectively looking at both negative and positive aspects of yoga. This reflection and even criticism is what allows for the continued refinement of modern yoga. Reflection, change, and growth… all good things!

• Read or Listen to the Podcast from NPR: The Risks and Rewards Of Practicing Yoga 2/7/2012
• New York Times Article: How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body 1/5/2012
• YogaDork: Complete and Exhaustive Guide: Yoga Community Responds to NYT ‘How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body’  1/13/2012

Wishing you safety, reflection, change, and growth in your practice! -Rita