How are you Hanging out There?
Hi all, I sometimes get comments from clients that they are too busy to work out, do yoga or do their homework that I give them. You know the adage: "if you don't have time to meditate for 15 minutes, then you need an hour"? Yeah, me too. There are many reasons for being so busy, time, energy, willpower, something more fun came along....Life happens. But truly, we all know the importance of movement as medicine.
I have a hard time getting motivated too. So this is my latest ploy to trick myself. Props strewn about the house where I have to run through them to get to the bathroom or tea kettle. There is no avoiding them. When it is in your face, you can't ignore it. Here is a window to my world of self improvement, cardiac health and stability work. Perhaps it will give you ideas. Also, Please be mindful of your joints, we don't want any localized pain; no pain is a good day. We don't push through pain. Pain is our bodies telling us something; listen to the wisdom within. :)
Props to you!
This is my favourite way to relieve pressure in my lower back. Just hinge at you hips and let the legs hang; the bed might be better for this as it is higher, or the back of the couch so long as the couch is not tippy. I put my head towards the cushions to avoid tipping and there is usually something to read close by (another thing strewn about the place).
This is a great hip flexor stretch and just general relief on your hip and lower back areas. The bed is another great stretch spot so the your leg can hang lower; just don't fall out.
To open up the upper back and chest and improving forward head posture, start by letting your head hang over ever so slightly, until you get used to being upside down. Then you can increase how much of your head hangs over; maybe going all the way to the bottom of your scapula. Eventually you will have straight legs too.
After being upside down, I love to put my legs up the wall, or one leg up the wall and one leg straight (you need a corner for this). This position is almost as good. With a cushion under your sacrum relieves lower back pain as well. Incidentally this is a great pose when you are travelling. Legs up the wall for 15 minutes is great to reduce blood pressure, regulate your autonomic nervous system (it will help you get relaxed faster), it helps with jet lag, varicose veins, and time changes too. Plus, it feels so good and relaxing.
Then there is foam rolling, I have a few of these, plus tennis balls rolling around. This is my not happy place, especially for outer glutes. Yet, still worthy of attention, after all, they are talking to me.
When Carlo and I travel, we are grateful for a picnic table to do this variation of blaster pose. This is a great stretch for the quads and hamstrings; best done at the end of the day. There are a couple of other picnic table poses that we do like, modified pigeon and modified runners lunge, they feel great after sitting all day, smashing your hamstrings for hours.
This psoas release tool is a special kind of torture that can get into the tough to find psoas muscle (because it is so deep). The trick is to relax and maybe do one side at a time....and breathe. It is effective but Yowza!
And that is just the couch! I do hang out here pretty often and have my hand weights nearby in case the urge strikes. Next, for those of us that have that exercise ball just floating around and feeling useless; we should use it. They are perfect for ab work and stabilization while being protective of the lower back (if done correctly, and you are ready for it).
Leg Lifts 3 sets of 20.
Cobra or sphynx? Slow and stead. Go just as high as your lower back is comfortable but working. You should never work so hard here that you can't talk properly (i.e. you are straining) or hold your breath or make ugly faces, nobody likes that, don't do it. Stay in the safe zone.
Chest opening book read anyone? Just like on the couch, go slowly and progressively increase your time. It is easy for some to get vertigo here so don't push past your limits but do try.
Lower back release and book reading. It is a good book! And look at the Trapeze in the background, it is literally in my way so yes, I do use it. Sometimes out of guilt but heck, I used it and right now, that is more important
Pass the ball back and forth to yourself. A strong core means a protected back. We all need that strong muscle corset of protection. Note: your lower back should stay glued to the floor the whole time. If your back lifts when you touch your feet to the ground, then do less. Bend your knees more or don't go as far down. Stay in a range of motion where your back stays on the ground like a fresh plunger pushed in to the floor and making a perfect seal that you can't lift it off. Make your back be the plunger. Stick it!
Crunch time. Let's not forget the side abs. We want 360 degree support.
Every therapist, for every patient that I know, gives this therapy band exercise. Just do them!
Or this...
Adductor work or the next one: abductor work, depending on your issues
Let's not forget upper body and more core stability.
Your desk job.
Chest opener. Take a 5 minute break from sitting at your desk and do this. Give your eyes, back and mind a rest. And breathe, nice and slow, being mindful to expand your belly.
Working on your pushup with less weight is a nice way to concentrate on using your deltoids to help, figuring our what your shoulder heads are doing (not tipping forward), and using your abs to flatten out your back. Clearly I was not concentrating on that posterior pelvic tilt / ab work. Time to go back to the desk and work it some more.
Using the stairs for more than their intended purpose.
This is a nice release for the shoulders and lower back. It just feels good.
Stretching out the psoas and iliacus muscles. Also feels good on the back. Can you sense a theme here? Me too, I never put it together until now
Supported chest opener. Using a simple belt that you can cinch down and wrap that around your bra line (lower scapulas) and the stairs rungs to be supported. Now, you can concentrate on only working the upper back. Let your head fall back as far as it is comfortable to do so. And breathe nice and slow. Can you hold this for 30 seconds? A minute?
Trapeze work. I have had this for about 12 years now and still, my favourite thing to do is to hang upside down. It feels incredible once you get used to the change in pressure; your body will regulate if given time.
Of course there is more fun to have...
Assisted hand stand push up feels safe here.
Or just push ups.
A nice back stretch
And of course, dancer. So great full for the assist.
I also do squats and split squats on the way to the kitchen, picking up invisible items. I also do leg lifts all the way up the stairs. There are only 13 stairs but at least 60 leg lifts. Okay, that sounds like alot but I do 3 sets of 10 on either leg. Nice and slow and controlled, making sure to fully touch the stair behind me to burn the front quad more. Be mindful of your knee position and direction, we don't want to do alot of repetitions in a poor position. Your knee should never pass your toes here either. Just look down every once in a while and verify.
Always remember, Yan before Yin; Strength before Stretch; Work before rest. What I mean is do your workouts first and save the stretching for the end of the day. Especially if you are going to do mobility training with deep, passive long holds. If you only have time during the day to stretch, then wait 2-3 hours after stretching before a workouts, HIIT, WOD, run, Jujitsu, cycle or whatever you do for fun and cardio. Injury prevention is important, just like getting your mobility back is important. Be the Smart Yogi:)
So check out your furniture and see how you can use them as props. Don't put your props away, put them in the way and get to hanging off of the furniture. Be curious. Be adventurous. Work yourself fatigued but not so tired that you will make a sloppy next rep. Stop two reps short of poor form. Have body awareness and connectivity. Strength will come with the right load.
I would love to see what you come up with! And next time someone asks what you are doing this weekend, you can say: "Just Hangin" and give the expression a whole new meaning!
With gratitude and grace,
Michelle
Disclaimer: The information above is never intended to substitute as medical advice. Nor is this information USDA approved. If you need medical advice or medical care then go see a medical professional or a functional medicine doctor. I am a yoga instructor with a passion to learn. I like to share my findings. If this helps you jump start your rabbit hole search then I am glad to help. If you have any comments or input regarding this newsletter or questions regarding yoga or if you would like a personal yogic workout routine then email me.I change bodies, one pose at a time. I am also happy to help. Did I mention that? GratitudeYogawithMichelle@gmail.com