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Depending on where you live, it can get pretty toasty in the summer. Yoga and Ayurveda offer some great breathing techniques to help keep you cool in the heat of summer. In addition to bringing temperature down, these practices typically work on stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system to create an overall sense of calm.

What is Pranayama?

The word “pranayama” can be broken up into two root words. The first root word, prana, is our life force, our energy. The second root word, ayama, is to stretch or extend. Sometimes, the second root word is translated as yama, which is restraint or bridle. With these root words in mind, we can say pranayama means something like intentional movement of prana (energy).

Pranayama practices always follow a pattern and encompass three aspects; inhalation, retention, exhalation over a specific period of time. It is important for those with high blood pressure, glaucoma, hypertension, or are pregnant to not perform the breath retention part of the practice.

Why Would We Want to Intentionally Move Prana?

When we move our prana through pranayama practices, it helps us become more in touch with our inner nature and the more subtle aspects of our Self. Pranayama works with removing energetic and emotional blocks to help create a more connected feeling. Pranayama also helps strengthen and mobilize the muscles that support the lungs such as the diaphragm, internal and external intercostals, the internal and external obliques, etc. This is important to support overall lung function, build or maintain lung capacity, and increase or maintain blood oxygen levels which is important for brain function.

Nadis (Energy Channels)

Nadis are energy channels that allow for the flow of prana through the body. Most yoga practices recognize three main nadis; ida, pingala, and sushumna. Ida and pingala are most effected from pranayama practices. Ida represents the left side of the body, moon energy, feminine energy, and cool. Pingala represents the right side of the body, solar energy, masculine energy, and heat. With pranayama, it is possible to work with one specific energy channel to elicit those qualities.

Pranayama in the Summer to Keep Cool

Pranayama techniques are used to evoke many different mental and physical attributes. One way pranayama can be used is to effect body temperature. As temperatures begin to heat  up for summer, here are a few pranayama techniques to help cool things off.

These breathing practices slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure. If you have unregulated low blood pressure, feel light headed, or have any other adverse effects, stop immediately and recover safely.

Shitali (Cooling) and Sheetkari (Hissing) Pranayama

Shitali and sheetkari are two different techniques, but are done in a similar way.

Cautions: Because the mouth does not have an air filtration system like the nose, it is best to practice these pranayamas where air is not polluted. Do not practice these breathing techniques if you have a lung or breathing disorder like asthma, COPD, bronchitis, etc, as well as any heart condition like low blood pressure. Reminder that pregnant women, those with high blood pressure, hypertension, glaucoma, or similar conditions, should not practice the breath retention.

How To

In both techniques, find a comfortable seated position and sit tall with length in your spine. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears, and place your hands in a comfortable position that allows your chest to stay open. Allow your eyes to close or gently gaze down the tip of your nose. Both techniques use an inhale through the mouth and an exhale through the nose.

For shitali, stick out your tongue and roll it into a tube shape. If this isn’t possible, you can tuck your tongue behind the bottom front teeth. With your tongue out, inhale through your mouth. Close your mouth, hold the breath in for one or two seconds (working up to longer periods without strain), and exhale through the nostrils. Repeat this for five to ten minutes.

For sheetkari, bring the top and bottom front teeth to touch and inhale through your teeth with open lips to make a hissing sound. Close your mouth, hold the breath in for one or two seconds (working up to longer periods without strain), and exhale through the nostrils. Repeat this for five to ten minutes.

When finished with the practice, sit quietly and breathe normally for 3-5 minutes before fully moving out of the practice.

Chandra Bhedena Pranayama

Chandra means “moon,” and bhedena is “to pass through,” meaning to pass through the moon channel. Chandra bhedena is done by moving prana through the left nadi, ida, to awaken the cooler energy of the moon. Although ida nadi flows along the left side of the body, it ends in the right hemisphere of the brain. Because of this, chandra bhedena is said to help support right side brain functions such as attention, memory, reasoning, and problem solving. Additionally, it brings on the cooler energy of the moon to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and may lower body temperature.

Cautions: Those with unregulated low blood pressure should use caution when practicing this pranayama. Chandra bhedena should not be practiced if you have a cold, epilepsy, or any form of heart disease. Reminder that pregnant women, those with high blood pressure, hypertension, glaucoma, or similar conditions, should not practice the breath retention.

How To

Sit comfortably with your spine long. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears. Allow your eyes to close or gently gaze down the tip of your nose. Bring your right hand into Vishnu mudra (extend the thumb, tuck the middle and forefinger into the palm, bring fourth and little finger together and extend out.)  Hover your right hand, palm facing you, in front of your face, and place your left hand in a comfortable position that keeps your chest open. Alternatively, you may place the fore and middle fingers of the right hand together on your brow.

Before beginning, a specific pattern for the breath should be chosen. This is typically 1:4:2 (inhale: hold: exhale.) If you inhale for 2 seconds, hold the breath in for 8 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds. The breath retention should not be strenuous in any way, so it is possible to shorten or eliminate it. The more important factors are there is a specific pattern you follow and the exhale is longer than the inhale. Beginners should start with 1:1:1.

Gently close off the right nostril with your thumb and take an inhale through your left nostril. Gently close off your left nostril with your fourth and pinky fingers and hold the breath. Keep the left nostril closed, and release your thumb from your right nostril to exhale. Repeat the process by starting with closing the right nostril and opening the left nostril. Repeat this pattern for 5-60 minutes.

When finished with the practice, sit quietly and breathe normally for 3-5 minutes before fully moving out of the practice.

When to Practice

Generally, it is best to practice pranayama in the morning on an empty stomach. This becomes part of a morning routine which may encompass meditation, yoga, etc. The above listed techniques may be used any time you feel a need to relax or are feeling exceptionally warm, need to focus, or slow your roll.

As we move into the colder months of the year when schedules can get busy with the holidays and wrapping things up for the year, it’s important to take time for oneself and for self-care. One easy thing to incorporate to a daily or weekly routine are some twists. Twists have many benefits not just in yoga, but in every day life.

In Ayurveda, winter is the vata time of year when it is cold, windy, and dry. Our digestive fire is working hard to keep our body warm as well as at its strongest to aid in digestion of fats and proteins. With our digestive fire working so hard, it can lead to irregular digestion. Our body begins to feel the effects with chapped skin and lips, dry and cracking joints, etc. Gentle twists are one great way to help keep the digestive fire kindled to help aid digestion and keep the synovial fluid flowing to the joints, especially those of the spine, without over working seasonally tensile muscles.

Spring is the kapha time of year when things are still cool but are beginning to melt creating damp and sticky conditions. Our digestive fire will begin to slow down and our body will begin to become more lubricated, but have sluggish digestion. Moving into deeper twists in the spring time utilizes the lubrication of the joints to really pump the digestive organs to keep things moving while allowing access to the warmer and more sturdy muscles.

Although the benefits of twisting the body are numerous and useful all times of year, this article will focus how twists benefit us in the colder months of the year with digestion and joint health.

Here are some of the benefits you might experience this winter by adding more gentle twists into your day.

1. Aids Digestion
   When the torso twists, the abdominal and digestive organs are compressed. This causes a lack of circulation to the affected organs and when released allows fresh blood flow rich with oxygen and nutrients to flush the organs. This increase in blood flow aids in optimal organ function which may lead to increased absorption of nutrients from food and their distribution throughout the body.
2. Eases Constipation
   When the air around us is dry, our body becomes dry. This isn’t just the external part of our body in the skin, or the noticeable parts like the joints, but also our bowels. Dry bowels can lead to constipation and twists, as mentioned above, bring nutrients and blood flow into the digestive organs.
3. Increases Circulation
   As mentioned above, twists increase the blood flow through the body through contraction and release of the muscles and organs. In addition, as mentioned below, twists help maintain a healthy spine, which maintains healthy posture, which allows the chest and rib cage to expand and contract fully using optimal lung capacity. When we can breathe fully and with ease, our circulation is greatly improved by releasing more CO2 and taking in more O2.
4. Boosts Immunity
   More research has shown that most of our immunity comes from a healthy digestive system. Because twists support our body’s ability to digest and assimilate our foods, and help increase overall circulation, our body’s response to colds and other winter ailments is bolstered. Also, because our circulation is improved, the lymph system is able to flow more easily with fewer blockages and can drain more easily when necessary.
5. Soothes Stress and Anxiety
   Because twists help open the chest, rib cage, and shoulder girdle, they can help reduce effects of stress and anxiety by allowing for better circulation, release of the muscles where most people hold tension in their body, and can help calm the mind by gently stimulating the vagus nerve to calm the body and mind.
6. Supports Spinal Health
   Many people sit for most of their day. When our body isn’t moved in it’s full range of motion regularly, the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia all begin to shorten. When they shorten, they limit our range of motion and this can cause stiffness in the joints and muscles and can lead to pain when trying to accomplish regular tasks that require more mobility. When our spine is healthy, it is possible to greatly reduce back pain and the risk of a back injury. This is extra important in the colder months since we tend to be a little more dry, so we can keep the joints of the spine lubricated and healthy.
7. Energy Boost
   As mentioned above, twists align our spine and shoulder girdle toward proper alignment. With the spine aligned, circulation flowing with ease, energy, or prana in yoga, can move more freely through the body. You can just feel the difference when you are slouching forward and when you sit upright. In the winter when the days are shorter and darker, we can really benefit from a little extra energy boost.

Even if you’ve been to only one yoga class in your life, you know most classes spend a great deal of time weight bearing on the wrists in poses like downward facing dog, table top, chaturanga, etc. For most of us, we spend the majority of our time using our hands to type on a keyboard and move our thumbs around a tiny mobile screen. The combination of these two things can lead to wrist strain/pain if there isn’t care taken to strengthen and mobilize the wrists from all the typing to make them able to bear body weight.

Anatomy Lesson

Long story short, our wrists are made up of eight bones; the two rows of  six small bones called carpals, and the two forearm (anatomically arm) bones radius and ulna. I like to remember radius is the forearm bone on the thumb side by sticking my thumb in the air for “rad.” I know, totally nerdy, but it helps. The wrist is a synovial joint that moves in a way to make our wrist appear to have 360° movement. This movement is actually made by the forearm bones rotating over each other to move the wrist around.

Try this: Make a fist with one hand and roll the hand around and around. Now, hold the forearm with the opposite hand without letting the forearm bones rotate as you move the fist around and around. It doesn’t go 360° anymore!

The muscles that move the wrist are in the forearm. That’s right, not in the hand. Even much of movement of the fingers is done from muscles in the forearms.

Try this: Hold one hand out with the palm facing up and the fingers relaxed. Grasp the largest part of the forearm near the elbow with the thumb on the side with the pit pf the elbow and thins on the side of the elbow. Press your thumb firmly into your forearm and notice how the palm moves slightly closer to the body and the fingers gently curl. I know, weird.

This all means the forearms are one of the biggest keys to wrist health.

Strength and Weakness

Most people have tight muscles on their upper forearm and weak muscles on the under part of the forearm. This comes from doing activities that flex the wrist back (anatomically it is wrist extension for the nerdy types) so the back of the hand moves toward the forearm and is held in that position like using a computer mouse, typing, texting, driving, downward dog, etc. (Anatomically, flexing the wrist means the palm of the hand moves toward the lower part of the forearm.)

The small carpal bones take most of the weight when we are weight bearing on the wrists. They are six tiny little bones not meant to bear the body’s weight. This means strengthening the muscles on both sides of the forearm and stretching the muscles on the top of the forearm will do a great deal to support the wrists.

What You Can Do

• Adjust your yoga poses for your wrists.
  Allow your hands to turn out slightly in downward dog, plank, etc so the first finger is pointing front instead of the middle finger.
  Place the hands forward of the shoulders in poses like table top, side plank, gate pose.
  Use a wedge or rolled up towel under the hands in any weight bearing position including poses like wheel.
• Release tension in the arms.
  Whenever you can, let the top of the forearms release a little tension. You can do this in yoga poses where the arms are extended like in warrior 2, triangle, etc by allowing the hands and fingers to be soft. No “Jazz Hands” in your class! It is possible to keep the arms engaged without adding extra tension.
• Strengthen the muscles on the under part of the forearm.
  The under part of the forearm is strengthen from pushing activities. When bearing weight on the wrists, use your muscles as if you were literally trying to push the floor away. ( I know you’ve heard a yoga teacher somewhere say that to you. This is why.)
• Use your fingers!
  When in poses where there is weight on the wrists like plank and downward dog, press the fingertips into the mat to engage the muscles in the forearm. It may even help to literally claw the mat so the third knuckle (the one closest to your fingertip) of each finger lifts slightly away from the mat.
• Keep the weight toward the thumb part of the hand.
  The radius is the larger and stronger of the two forearm bones. When you keep the weight on the part of the hand with the thumb and forearm finger, it transfers much of the effort into the upper arm none for additional support. The weight is even further distributed to the core through the upper arm and shoulder, so abdominal and back strengthening exercises will also do wonders for your wrists. If the weight shifts toward the pinky, the weight is mostly in the ulna and access to the upper arm for support is lost dumping the weight into the little carpals.

Stretches and Strengtheners

1. Extend one arm out with the fingers down and the palm facing away from the body. Use the opposite hand to draw the fingertips back toward the body trying to include the thumb as well. Hold for 30 seconds and switch sides. You can do this one finger at a time while keeping the others fingers reaching toward the floor holding each finger for about 10 seconds.
2. Reach one arm forward with the palm of the hand facing down. With the opposite hand, press into the back of the hand and draw the palm down and toward the body keeping the fingers straight and without bending the elbow. Press the extended arm forward into the opposite palm to stretch the top of the forearm. Hold for 30 seconds and do the opposite side.
3. Extend the arms away from the body with the palms facing up. Without moving the wrist, draw the thumbs to the palms, wrap the first fingers around followed by the other fingers trying to individuate the movement until you have fists. Without bending the elbows, slowly curl the the fists toward the body without letting the arms rotate in. Slowly reverse the movement. Repeat 3-5 times.
4. With the thumbs tucked under the fingers in fists, reach the arms forward with the thumb part of the hand facing up. Keep the arms straight and curl the thumbs away from the body and down and the pinkies move closer. Hold for 10-30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times.

Most of us come to yoga to stretch, strengthen, and otherwise move our body for any number of reasons like stress reduction, reduce tightness in muscles or joints, or even to establish a greater connection with ourselves. So when we’re asked to prop ourselves up and stay there for 10 minutes, it’s no wonder our mind goes crazy telling us we aren’t accomplishing anything by just laying here.

Well, I’m here to tell you that is poppycock! Including restorative yoga into your regular fitness routine whether it be running, cycling, swimming, weight lifting, yoga, or whatever is a tremendous way to rejuvenate the body, reduce stress, and dive deeper into the practice of yoga. By incorporating at least one restorative yoga posture into your daily routine, it may help you find those benefits your searching for without draining your energy.

What Restorative Yoga Is

As an asana practice, restorative yoga is a sequence of postures where the body is propped up with pillows, blankets, any number of props and held for 30 seconds to 30 minutes to allow the body to  release tension, increase parasympathetic nervous system function, and reduce stress while subtly stretching the body and moving the joints. A practice may last 5 minutes for as long as you like but typically no more than 2 hours. In a studio, a typical restorative yoga class is anywhere between 45 to 75 minutes and is sometimes combined with other styles of yoga into one class such as yin and restorative or flow and restorative.

Physiologically and psychologically, restorative yoga turns on the rest and digest system of the parasympathetic nervous system. By allowing the body to feel fully supported in a passive stretch, the sympathetic nervous system of fight or flight is welcomed to step aside which allows the functions of the parasympathetic nervous system to rejuvenate tissues in the body. It is also possible it helps to reduce cortisol levels which, when consistently elevated, have a negative impact on the adrenal glands, cause weight gain, reduce sleep function, reduce energy, and other harmful impacts.

The Difference Between Restorative Yoga and Yin Yoga

Although yin yoga and restorative yoga are both slow, long-holding, floor practices with the similar goal of accessing the depths of the mind in deep reflection, their effects on the physical body as well as the types of movements they both offer the body are quite different.

In yin yoga there are some backbends and twists, however, there is an emphasis on forward folding and each pose is held for a maximum of 5 minutes, typically, and will have 5 to 20 postures in a class. Yin yoga is not about creating muscular flexibility, rather more on creating range of motion for the joints by “stretching” the deeper tissues of the body like the fascia, ligaments, and tendons by putting “stress” on the physical structure of the body. Props are not generally used, however, some practitioners choose to use them to support their body. Yin is truly about learning to be comfortable in an uncomfortable situation by training the mind to focus on a specific element rather than the discomfort. Pain is never encouraged and should always be avoided. This is not an article on safety or anatomy, so we aren’t getting into that here. 🙂

Restorative yoga is focused more on reducing tension in the body by allowing the physical structure to feel fully supported and safe so any holding of strain in muscles, the mind, and/or emotions will begin to release and let go, and to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) response of relaxation. All poses are used in conjunction with props to support the limbs, joints, and spine so there doesn’t have to be any muscular effort to hold the pose shape. The use of props is also used therapeutically to help the body feel grounded, to reduce sympathetic nervous system (SNS) response, and align the head with the rest of the spine. Poses are held for long periods of time, 5 to 30 minutes, to give the body adequate time to settle and relax into the shape. This lack of movement also allows the PNS to kick on and the SNS to turn off by not having to move the body very often.

Why Do Restorative Yoga

Restorative yoga has many benefits including:

• Soothes the nervous system
• Facilitates mindfulness
• Fosters greater body awareness
• Removes the competitive aspects of asana of achieving
• Encourages greater self-awareness
• Reduces effects of chronic stress
• May boost immunity through greater lymph function
• Can improve sleep
• Enhances flexibility without strain or injury
• Opens up the world of meditation

Although restorative yoga heavily relies on the use of props, you do not have to have a bunch of fancy yoga props to do restorative yoga poses. Additionally, you do not have to do an hour long restorative practice to reap the benefits. It is possible to do one pose and relax fully into it with intention to feel rejuvenated and refreshed.

How Long To Practice

Ideally a restorative yoga practice is at least 20 minutes. The reason for this is because most people need 15 minutes for their parasympathetic nervous system to kick in and take over from the sympathetic nervous system. Over time, when a person becomes a regular practitioner, the body’s response to rest turns on much more quickly which would allow the practitioner to practice for a shorter time and gain the same benefit.

There is no expected amount of time to practice, so it can be five minutes, or two hours, or however long the practitioner has time for.

How Many Poses in a Session

Depending on the length of time you desire to practice, you can do one or as many poses as you choose. The fewer poses you do, the less disturbance there will be for the body and mind, but in the beginning it may be desired to hold poses for 3-5 minutes until the mind is taught to settle more easily. There is not set standard here, so feel it out and do what feels natural. It may also be desired to hold a two-sided posture a little longer on one side than the other as well.

You know the place at the beginning of class when the teacher asks for any requests? I would say one of the most common, if not THE most common, request is “hips.” Now, I think this is generally meant to be a request to stretch out tight hips from standing or sitting all day while working. When we think of “hips” we tend to generalize it to one muscle. Our hips are each a joint made up of two bones coming together surrounded by at least 17 muscles and tendons, 5 ligaments, and a myriad of blood vessels and nerves, including the sciatic nerve,  in each hip. Eeghad! There is so much going on in one spot.

Most of the muscles that make up the hip joint connect the pelvis to the thigh bone (femur) in some way. So we can intuit hip also includes the upper leg. What, I think, many of us don’t intuit or forget is that some of the hip muscles also connect up into our spine. This is important to understand because tight or weak hip muscles can lead to back pain and tension as well as the knee. The 17 hip joint muscles are typically divided into four groups: gluteal, lateral rotator, adductor, and iliopsoas.

Tight Hips

Some may refer to themselves as having tight hips. This could be related to many things including shorter hip muscles, weakness in some key hip muscles, and even tightness in muscles not designated as part of the hip. What? That’s right. Because our hip is a joint at our pelvis, many hip movements are also regulated by the ability of the thigh muscles and the lower torso muscles including in the back. Because all parts of our body are interconnected, when one group of muscles is struggling, another group will either take over to compensate, or struggle in conjunction. Here’s one way to experiment with this idea.

Stand with your feet hip-width and your hands on your hips. Balance on one leg and bend the other knee to 90°, use a wall to help if desired. Bend your knee as much as you can to squeeze the foot toward the buttock and keep the thigh parallel to he floor. Make sure your hips are level with each other and squared forward, and your abdominal muscles are engaged with a neutral pelvis. Keep your foot squeezing toward you buttock and begin to lower your knee without rotating it in or out. As the knee gets closer to the ground, resist the urge to arch your lower back. Once the knee begins to move behind the torso, resist letting the foot stop squeezing in. Ok, you probably have a huge hamstring cramp after that, sorry. 🙂

Hopefully you can now see how the muscles and movement of the hip are also affected by the muscles of the rest of the leg and lower torso. Once the leg got closer to the floor, the lower back likely wanted to arch. Once the leg moved behind the body, the lower back kept wanting to arch and the knee wanted to straighten. This was a test of what are called the hip flexors and extenders, sheds light on where compensation for tight quadriceps and/or weak hamstrings occurs in the low back.

What Does Tight Hips Mean?

This depends on the person and their bone structure. Everyone has differently shaped thigh and pelvis bones and where and how the thigh bone articulates (connects) to the pelvis is also different. Some people have a shallow hip joint meaning the thigh bone is more toward the front (anterior) which may allow them easier access to forward folds and may cause things like hip dysplasia because the labrum (fibrocartilage keeping the thigh bone in place) can’t fully cover the top of the thigh bone (femoral head). Or someone may have a deep hip joint meaning the thigh bone is more toward the back (posterior) which may allow them to bring the leg further behind the body and can lead to hip impingement as the femoral neck bumps up against the pelvis when the hip is flexed. Then there are the middle of the hip people, who should be wary of overdoing any particular movements.

As you can see, where your thigh bone is in relation to your pelvis can also play a role in hip tightness. This is not something we can change, this is how we are born and best to know our own limits so we don’t hurt ourselves. We can also embrace our hip structure to allow us to be awesome at running, super strong in squats, or make beautiful backbends.

It’s not all about the bones, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments also play key roles in hip mobility. It is also possible some of the tendons or ligaments have been shorted, and/or the muscles may be shortened. If it is the ligaments, there’s not much we can do about that. If it is the muscles, stretching the muscles around the hip joint can help.

The most common tightness people feel is in the hip flexors in the front of the hip and in the deeper hip muscles under the gluteals, typically the piriformis. When the hip flexors get tight, they pull the pelvis forward making a deeper arch in the low back which may also cause tension in the low back. Generally a deep externally rotated hip stretch feels awesome for these muscles.

Hip Weakness

It is difficult to tell if “tight” hips are from weakness or from inflexibility. As I mentioned, the hip flexors are the most common place where people feel tight. This can also be due to weakness and they may not be strong enough to support your activities leading them to feel sore or tight. If you haven’t run before and you go for a 5 mile run, your hip flexors are going to give it to you after because they are not strong enough yet to meet the demands of running 5 miles. In this case, strength building is important.

Similarly the internal adductor muscles that squeeze the legs toward each other, the extensor muscles that move the leg behind the torso, and the gluteal muscles also tend to weaken from sitting. These muscles are key for most of our movement, especially for those who perform athletics like walking, running, swimming, etc.

Now What

If you’re the one who asks for hips a lot in a yoga class, consider if the muscles are in need of strength building to meet the demands of sitting and/or exercise, become more aware of your range of motion to familiarize yourself with your bone structure, and get those deep stretches in that make you melt just a little bit more.