The Psoas: Muscle of The Soul | body divine yoga I was delighted when I first came across Liz Koch’s amazing work because it confirmed much of what I’d been intuiting on my own. I had begun to open and close my yoga practise with hip opening poses with the specific intention of releasing tension in my psoas and hip flexors. I’d breathe and imagine tension flowing out of constricted muscles to be released as energy into the torso. It worked, I’d feel my body soften yet somehow grow stronger. Reading Liz Koch I instantly realized what I was doing – by learning to relax my psoas I was literally energizing my deepest core by reconnecting with the powerful energy of the earth. According to Koch, the psoas is far more than a core stabilizing muscle; it is an organ of perception composed of bio-intelligent tissue and “literally embodies our deepest urge for survival, and more profoundly, our elemental desire to flourish.” Well, I just had to learn more. The Psoas is the only ‘muscle’ to connect the spine to the legs. (P.
Restorative Yoga Poses for Adrenal Fatigue + Chronic Stress What poses would you recommend to treat adrenal exhaustion? —Loretta Stevens Roger Cole’s reply: By “adrenal exhaustion” I presume you mean the fatigue that comes from being under chronic stress without sufficient recovery. Yoga practice is great for providing recovery and can also help you deal with stressful circumstances without having such a strong negative reaction. The adrenal gland has two parts. The adrenal hormones are catabolic, which means they foster biological processes that burn energy and break down cellular structures. To recover from this exhaustion, you need to do things that turn off the adrenal hormones and promote secretion of anabolic hormones, such as growth hormone. Also see Change Your Stress Response To help turn off the adrenal glands and calm the mind, practice restorative yoga postures daily in a warm, dark, quiet environment. Supported Sukhasana (Easy Pose) forward bend, with forehead and arms resting on a padded chair seat.
What Is Kemetic Yoga? The above depiction shows the Divinities Heru and Djhuty binding the Sema symbol while the Pharoah sits atop. The one on the left holds the symbol with a papyrus plant (lower self) and the one on the right binds with a lotus flower (higher self). This means that the duality of spirit and matter, temporal and transcendent becomes unified in such a way that one's temporal nature dissolves into the transcendent reality; one's higher nature. Many people ask, is yoga a religion? The answer is no, yoga is not a religion in the common sense of the phrase. Yoga is a system of disciplines by which one can achieve the highest state of consciousness. The Gods and Goddesses are the primary focus in the practice of Kemetic Yoga. The early sages knew that the untrained mind is very fickle and actually needs an anchor to stabilize it through the yogic process. Based upon this very brief introduction, the proper name for the Kemetic teachings of yoga would be KEMET SMAI TAWI. Peace and Blessings,
How to Release the Stress stored in our Bodies Do you spend much time sitting in front of a computer, on a plane, in a car? If so your hips may be locked up which effects your ability to dance, but worse than that it may be causing you undue stress and fear. The Psoas Muscle, is a long muscle located on the side of the lumbar region of the vertebral column and brim of the pelvis, that is also known as the “muscle of the soul”. It is one of the largest muscles in the body and it is a place where we often store stress or trauma that can literally influence our mood and our outlook on life. We recently explored in depth just how much fear can inhibit our ability to think clearly thus creating an unhealthy perspective that can harm us and those around us. In humans, the extremes of the two polarities might appropriately be described as LOVE (+) and FEAR (- ). If you spend long hours sitting, your hips may be locked up, causing you undue stress and fear How built up stress makes us easy to manipulate The effects of stress on the body
Kemetic Yoga | The Seven Minds What is Kemetic Yoga? By Sehu Khepera Ankh Yoga was practiced in Ancient Egypt, North East Africa, for a very long time. Research has indicated that the philosophy of personality integration, or yoga, was practiced in Egypt for about 10,000 years which is a great expanse of time. The teaching of yoga that was espoused in the country of Egypt was derived from the meditations and insights by the early sage priests and priestesses. Egypt is not the original term for the country. So if yoga was practiced in Kemet for such a long period of time, then the question beckons, what is yoga? However, there is universal consciousness that is beyond the scope of the normal realm of consciousness, or individual reality of people. Yoga is the practice of binding individual consciousness with universal consciousness. Notice the similarity between union and yoke. The above depiction shows the Nile Divinity, Hapi, in dual form, binding the Sema symbol. Many people ask, is yoga a religion? Like this:
6 Ways to Instantly Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve to Relieve Inflammation, Depression, Migraines And More This post first appeared on Darou Wellness. Go check out their amazingly informative blog about all things health related with advice from some of the leading Naturopathic Doctors in North America. I read an article yesterday that has me extremely excited about the implications. What is the vagus nerve? First of all, the vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body which originates in the brain as cranial nerve ten, travels down the from go the neck and then passes around the digestive system, liver, spleen, pancreas, heart and lungs. Vagal tone The tone of the vagus nerve is key to activating the parasympathetic nervous system. What is high vagal tone associated with? High vagal tone improves the function of many body systems, causing better blood sugar regulation, reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, improved digestion via better production of stomach basic and digestive enzymes, and reduced migraines. What is low vagal tone associated with? References:
Go Physically Deeper in Yoga Poses If you're looking to go deeper in your physical asana practice, learning a bit about your body's mechanics is a great way to start. Try using the following in your next practice session and see for yourself it allows you to open up a little more and allow you to move a little deeper in your pose. There are a variety of spinal cord reflex arcs that regulate tension and muscle length during your pose. These arcs automatically occur during movement of the body on varying degrees as a protective mechanism to ensure that the muscle does not get hurt. The reflex arcs are similar to the one that I’m sure you have seen or experienced when a physician taps the front of your knee with a rubber mallet -- your lower leg moves forward, without you doing anything -- that is a spinal cord reflex. Ballistic Stretching On the other hand, passive stretching would be using one’s own body weight, gravity or props to create a stretch. Active Static Stretching Let’s use Janu Sirsasana as an example.
Yoga Anatomy: What Every Teacher (and Practitioner) Should Know About Fascia Although our fascia (a vast network of fibrous connective tissue within the body, pronounced “FAH-sha”) has been with us all along, it's only recently being appreciated for the invaluable role that it plays in the body's health and functioning. Much has been written and taught about the more familiar structures of the body—our bones, muscles, organs, blood vessels, and nerves—and for years of anatomical study, fascia was disregarded as nothing more than an inert “space-filler” inside of us. In fact, the field of fascia research is so new that there is an incredible amount that we still don’t know about this mysterious tissue. For years of anatomical study, fascia was disregarded as nothing more than an inert “space-filler” inside of us. Fascia: It's Everywhere Inside of You Instead of thinking of fascia as an inanimate space-filler, we now know that this fascinating system is a 3D web of connectivity that surrounds and interpenetrates all of our various “parts." Variation is Key
Techniques To Fight Fatigue The following exercises are from the book Physical Wisdom. Each one is an individual technique that may be practiced on its own, and not intended to be a yoga set. 1. Sit on your heels with your arms stretched out to the sides at a 60° angle. To finish: Inhale and hold your breath for 10 seconds while you continue to pump your navel and stretch your arms out from your shoulders as far as possible. “Do Singh Praan Mudra every day to build stamina and help you when you are tired and not at your best. 2. 3. The book Physical Wisdom shares many yoga kriyas and meditations to heal the body, balance the chakras, increase the immune system, and allow you to find peace in your body and your life. If you enjoyed this blog post, you might also enjoy the following: Relieve Stress & Balance The Nervous System With The Pittra Kriya Kriya For Refining Your Sexuality & Spirituality Kriya For Strengthening The Aura Are you signed up to receive weekly emails from Spirit Voyage?
35 Yoga Books to Read This Summer The weather is getting warmer and we're beginning to break out our sunscreen, bathing suits, and of course, poolside reading material. As yogis, we're always looking to find books that can change our practices and lives, so we surveyed our community to discover their favorites. Below you'll find a handful of classic yoga books, in no particular order, as well as new yoga books that are already impacting our lives. *Book descriptions pulled primarily from Amazon. 35 Yoga Books to Read This Summer 1. The "first lady of yoga" shares her journey from darkness to light and transform through yoga in this authentic, inspiring autobiography. 2. This ancient, most-translated Indian text is a compilation 196 Indian Sutras and they are a must-read for any yoga practitioner. 3. Through incorporating exercises, breathing techniques, meditation, and many other tools, this guide provides effective methods for repairing areas of imbalance and identifying your needs. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.