Intro to Pranayama: breathing techniques

Pranayama is a breathing technique that has many benefits. The many benefits include, stress management, meditation, physical and mental energy and circulation through the body. There are plenty of reasons why one should do pranayama, even if they don’t practice yoga, but I feel the one reason you should at least try this breathing technique is to understand the change society has on the way you breathe. I know it sounds odd, but truly, we live in a world of flat stomachs and what are known as “chest breathers.” The appeal of a flat stomach in today’s society has conditioned us to breathe differently. We are bombarded with the idea that a flat stomach is good looking which has taught many of us (including myself) to hold in our stomachs, even if it is unknowingly. Take a mental note of how your body is right now. Are you holding in your stomach? Breathes more short and fast? Do you feel your chest puff up when you breathe or do you feel your stomach completely expand? These are great questions to find out what kind of breather you are. Majority of us breathe through the top part of our chest. To tell the difference from natural breath and chest breathing, take note of how a baby breathes. You will notice how their entire tummy expands as they inhale. They are taking in a full, deep breathe that truly expands the diaphragm. Pranayama can help you practice this way of breathing.

Ganesha Yoga an Adventures: Real Yoga, for Real People

Ganesha Yoga and Adventures celebrated its grand opening two weeks ago on October 6th and since then they have hit the ground running. What makes this place so special is the message Mindy and Jane transcend through their studio. Ganesha yoga and adventures is truly a judgment free zone. From the instructors, all the way down to the décor, this place feels like home. The bright colored walls smile back at you upon entry. All throughout the studio there is a happy energy that exuberates from each corner.  For anyone looking to practice without intimidation, Ganesha provides just that. Upon my visit to the grand opening I uncovered more than just the beautifully decorated rooms, I made connections. I would say the grand opening was just the start of Ganesha success. Many people came to support and discover the studio. Mini classes were held for people to get involved right away. The amount of participants and smiles in the classes defined why Ganesha was a place to feel comfortable in your own skin. More importantly, the instructors are amazing individuals. I was able to have many conversations with a lot of the teachers at Ganesha. Each instructor I spoke with had a very unique story. The amount of insight they have for yoga and fitness is extraordinary. Mindy and Jane did a spectacular job with brining people who shared the same values as Ganesha. I asked Mindy during the grand opening how she found so many awesome instructors, and she explained she felt “They found us.” The intimidation factor of fitness and yoga can be thrown out when you step into Ganesha. They provide a huge variety of classes for literally EVERYONE. When I say everyone, I mean it. Not only is each instructor unique, so are the classes. Men, there IS a place for you at Ganesha. They offer stiff guy yoga specifically geared towards men and there are some wonderful down to earth male instructors that teach other classes as well. Ganesha Yoga and Adventures, offer yoga for adolescents, absolute beginners of any age, mommy and baby, teenagers, advanced yoga and even non yoga related fitness such as, Bollywood, zumba and other dance/fitness classes for anyone in-between!

Yin Yoga Workshop

In the beginning of my journey to find insight into the Chicago yoga scene, I met a very special instructor named Tania Hughes. Since attending Tania’s class, we have collaborated in order to promote her yoga workshops. With the help of my boyfriend, we put together a flyer. I also helped her put together a Facebook page. I also would like to encourage all of my readers to like her page on Facebook and attend her upcoming workshops. This month “Find your inner alchemy” with Tania Hughes’ Yin Yoga Workshop. It will be located at Urban Lotus Yoga 1:30pm-3:330pm on October 21st 2012. Many of you might wonder, what is yin yoga? Yin yoga includes more passive poses that target connective tissues, bones and ligaments. It opens up passages in the body that tend to be worn down by daily postures and motions such as sitting in a desk for work. Yin yoga is different from something like vinyasa where there is a constant flow of poses. In order for the body to benefit more through yin poses, each poses is held for a longer period of time. Here is a video that provides a more in depth explanation of what yin yoga is.

 

Journey to Moksha

Upon my journey to find yoga in Chicago, I uncovered what is known as the largest yoga center in the Midwest, Moksha Yoga Center. Moksha has three locations and over forty different instructors. The endless amounts of classes they provide are what persuaded me to come in. I enjoy  that they have a wide array of classes with varied times for each day of the week. I found a time and day that fit my schedule and I was off to continue my journey. I attended the Wednesday night 8:00pm-9:30pm vinyasa basics class at the River West location. For those of you unsure about what a vinyasa class is like, it is a flow of poses with a combination of breath work and meditation. This class is usually taught by Camela Christopher, but the night I attended there was a substitute. This substitute presented something to me that, as a young yogini,  had never come across in my practice. The sub for the night was a wonderful woman named Jerry. What made this class so unique was the fact that Jerry is a deaf instructor. Some might have found it difficult to understand her at first, but I was excited to take on the challenge. Her class was refreshing. I could tell this instructor was VERY in tune with her body and she was very helpful in demonstrating how to  transition into each pose with the correct posture. I liked her class for another reason, I learned some new poses. In the beginning she had us try a forward fold with a blanket rolled and placed in the hip crease where the lower abdomen and hips meet.  I enjoyed that as well as some other new poses that I couldn’t describe in words, but where great hip and chest openers.

Seated Spinal Twist

The video above gives a great step by step instruction on how to bend into a seated spinal twist. A twist provides relief in the spine that a regular backrub might not accomplish. Spine-health.com has an article all about the health benefits of yoga for the spine. Author Karen P. Barr, MD, states that “studies have shown that those who practice yoga for as little as twice a week for 8 weeks make significant gains in strength, flexibility, and endurance, which is a basic goal of most rehabilitation programs for back pain or neck pain.”(2003) You can check out the rest of the article here : Yoga for Back Problems