Experiential Exercise #14

Feel Your Life Force

(Adapted from Erich Schiffman, yoga master & author of Yoga, Moving Into Stillness)

From a standing position with your feet hip-distance apart, spread the fingers on one hand as widely as possible. Bend your elbow & raise up your hand, gazing at your palm retaining the spread of your fingers.

Close your eyes & visualize a sun radiating its energy in the palm of your hand. Visualize each finger as a ray of light & make the sun powerful, sending its energy from the center out to each finger tip.

Now sense your hand in its entirety without thinking. Just feel the energy that is your hand. You now are not actually feeling the "hand" instead, you are feeling the energy of the vibrational elements that make up your hand. The word hand becomes a concept, & feeling the energy that makes up your hand connects you to the vibration of our cells & of our life force.

Now visualize the sun in the centre of your body. Stand & press your feet into the floor as you feel your trunk elongating. Visualize your entire body radiating with light & vibrations from the centre.

Practice sensing the flow of mana, or prana, in your body ever day, whenever your can.

Taken from "YogAlign - Pain-Free Yoga From Your Inner Core" by Michaelle Edwards

World-renowned nature photographer Dr Kim Westerskov delivers an illustrated conversation on the power of photography.

Thursday 9th October 2014 at 5.30pm

BAYCOURT

38 Durham Street, Tauranga, 3110

+64 (07) 577 7189
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Gold coin entry.  Suitable of all ages.

Bookings essential

Great article in the Viva Magazine with the New Zealand Herald today with Michaelle Edwards & YogAlign in Kauai.

"She's revolutionising the yoga world."  

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/viva-magazine/news/article.cfm?c_id=533&objectid=11325741

Thanks Michaelle for your tenacity, passion and handwork!

Garden Trail | Sculpture Symposium | Lakes Expo Pavilion

Featuring speakers, workshops, exhibitions & events galore!

Katikati, Tauranga, Mount Maunganui & Te Puke

17-23 November 2014

Tickets Available Now - www.ticketek.co.nz or 0800 842 538

www.nzgardenandartfest.co.nz

Fresh back from a YogAlign weekend at the blissful Mana Retreat Centre, I would recommend to anybody looking for a little rest, relaxation and nurturing.

Check out their calendar online for up-coming workshops, conferences and personal retreats www.manaretreat.com

Mana is a stunning property in the beautiful Coromandel with wonderful staff and loads of yummy food!

Create some space for You

www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14150/how-to-meditate-in-a-minute-video-tutorial.html

[caption id="attachment_718" align="alignleft" width="300"] Create some space for You[/caption]

"Surrender is a most beautiful word. It is powerful & nurturing, healing us as it provides both strength & compassion.

As we understand the essence & meaning of the word surrender through our hearts, we begin to transform. As we transform internally the external world changes. "As within, so without."

How to surrender is many faceted. The word itself has two parts. First we begin to release what is held by the mind, body & spirit. The release can be facilitated through focus & breath awareness. Along with this focus, the breath is brought to the forefront, using the breath as the guide in scanning the physical sensations, mental thoughts, & emotional feelings.

With the release, an acceptance of "what is" happening is important. When we release & accept & embrace life in any moment, we are surrendering. It leaves us open to the moment, to being completely present. With continuous practice of surrendering we build the ability to heal. As we heal, the space that opens up is filled with joy.

Surrender, heal, and be in joy."

Irum Naqvi

YogAlign Rest Pose & Face Massage 

Also known as Shavasana or Corpse Pose. Here, you relax & let go of the effort to move your body & focus instead on just being & feeling. We add a self-massage of the face to the Rest Pose in the YogAlign practice.

Here you can become a human being & not a "human doing". It is very important to give your body a chance to unwind & also to learn to calm the mind when your body is still. By being witness to your body in its entirety, the movement of breath & the sounds occurring, you can shift to your higher awareness & connection to source, where you can experience a sense of inner peace.

Lie on your back with a bolster or blanket under your knees to support the natural curves of your spine. Begin to massage your face, starting with your scalp muscles.  Stay present with your natural breathing process.  Move on to your ears, jawline, sinus points, temples & forehead. Finishing with your arms out to your sides on the floor, with your palms facing up. Slide your shoulder blades down your back so that your shoulders are level as you rest. Check that your chin is not lifted.

As you lie on the floor, feel as though your skin is softening. Allow the boundaries of your body to disappear as though you are turning into a liquid pool of energy. Let the breath just happen, as you simply observe your body in its entirety. Keep observing your breathing process. Feel your entire body & be aware of any sounds or sensations outside your body. Witness whatever is happening in the present without labeling or judging, whatever it is.

Feel the connections to the forces of life & cultivate a sense of gratitude for the wonderful gift that is your life. Life flows like a river & we are all part of the flow. Continue to focus on the experience of feeling & being.

Stay in the Rest Pose for 10-20 minutes & soak up the deep inner peace that comes to you when you reside in the present moment.

Namaste & Aloha.

Michaelle Edwards

YogAlign -  Pain-Free Yoga from your Inner Core

7 Exercises Fitness Experts Wish You Would Stop Doing

The Huffington Post | By Sarah Klein
Email
Posted: 08/04/2014 8:27 am EDT

The gym can be an intimidating place for the inexperienced. But in some cases, it's the overly confident gym-goer to be wary of. Fitness fanatics don't always take the time to reevaluate their routine, learn new techniques or prioritize health and safety.

Try as they might to set the record straight, fitness experts can't be everywhere at all times, dispelling efficacy myths or correcting form. That's why we decided to ask them to share the fitness pet peeves they're tired of seeing. Here, seven exercises they wish you'd stop doing:

1
Crunches
Antonio_Diaz via Getty Images
"Here's why crunches don't really work that well and are actually dangerous: Imagine your spine is a credit card. In the same way that repeatedly flexing and extending a credit card will eventually lead to wearing out of the card, repeatedly performing the crunching motion can put a lifetime of damaging strain on your back.

You've probably been taught that if you're going to pick a heavy object off the ground and you don't want to hurt your spine, you should bend at the knees and not at the back. But anytime you do a crunch or a sit-up, you're bending at the back -- over and over and over again!"

--Ben Greenfield, certified strength and conditioning coach and sports nutritionist, and HuffPost blogger
2
The Seated Hip Abductor/Adductor Machine
Getty Images
"It's not super-effective to just target those smaller muscle groups and, quite frankly, most people I see on that machine are talking with a friend or reading a book... not really paying attention.

A better option: Get more bang for your buck and do lunges -- walking lunges, cross-behind lunges, step-ups -- you will engage and use your inner and outer thighs, while also training your whole leg and functional movement."

--Chris Freytag, national fitness expert, author and HuffPost blogger
3
Behind-The-Head Lat Pulldown
Karl Weatherly via Getty Images
"The move I think is not beneficial and possibly harmful is the behind-the-neck lat pulldown done on gym equipment.

It requires you to have very flexible shoulders, and if you don't, you can impinge your shoulder and suffer great pain in your rotator cuff. Most trainers now recommend pulling the bar down in front of the shoulders, which still has you using your lats but in a safer way."

--Ramona Braganza, celebrity trainer and founder of 321 Fitness
4
American Kettlebell Swings (If You're Not Ready For Them)
Brian Steele via Getty Images
"I am always hesitant of the American kettlebell swing. This can be a great move, but only if done properly. The traditional kettlebell swing is the Russian kettlebell swing, where the athlete moves a kettlebell from just below the groin up to around a 90-degree angle to the torso. This movement is a power-producing, dynamic movement that is beneficial to the stay-at-home mom or the elite athlete. All of the power is generated from the hips and this exercise utilizes almost every muscle in the entire body.

The American kettlebell swing has the same start point as the Russian kettlebell swing, but it ends with the kettlebell overhead. When a kettlebell is in the overhead position, I see lots of people who overextend their backs to compensate for the weight. This is also seen when someone is fatiguing. This can be fixed by mobilizing the shoulder girdle and the thoracic spine, as well as by scaling the movement to a lighter weight or less repetitions.

You should only complete American kettlebell swings if you have proper core stabilization at the top of the lift, as well as solid shoulder mobility. If done improperly, this can lead to back and shoulder injuries."

--Collette Stohler, author of The Intuitive Athlete, and HuffPost blogger
5
Curls In The Squat Rack
Predrag Vuckovic via Getty Images
"People need to understand that it is not alright to curl in the squat rack. This is the greatest gym etiquette offense of all and a recurring joke/point of rage amongst experienced gym-goers. You can literally curl anywhere. The weight for curls is relatively light. You could put the weight on the ground and easily pick it up. If you're squatting, you need the rack. You have to put the weight up high so you can comfortably take it out to start your set. The weight compared to most other exercises is much higher, and you need to have the safety/spot bars available in case something goes wrong during the exercise.

If you're curling in the squat rack, you should probably stop because you just might be aggravating the exact person you don't want to get upset, which just might make the squat rack curl the most unsafe exercise to perform of all."

--Pat Davidson, Ph.D., director of training methodology at Peak Performance in New York City
6
The Leg Extension Machine
Wavebreakmedia Ltd via Getty Images
"I'm a firm believer in challenging the body with free weight and bodyweight-based exercises, as opposed to using standardized machines. Machines are not as 'one size fits all' as they seem, so more often than not, you aren't able to perform the given exercise from a natural position. When it comes to the leg extension machine specifically, it relies on a non-functional movement (we don't replicate that motion in our daily lives). It also places more stress than necessary on the back of the kneecap, which can cause problems not only for those with existing knee pain, but also others who are predisposed to such issues. There are so many more dynamic ways to work the quads (the only muscle the leg extension machine works) that activate other muscles in the legs and core, as well as create a better sense of body awareness when learning proper form!"

--Alena Hall, HuffPost Third Metric Fellow and certified personal trainer
7
The Smith Machine
Getty Images
"The Smith machine does all of the balancing and stabilizing for you. Due to the single plane, unnatural and fixed motion, using the Smith machine does not allow you to recruit the smaller, surrounding, stabilizing muscles. This takes away the functionality of the exercises and you isolate large muscle groups. Go from squatting with a Smith machine to the motion in a real-life situation -- like lifting a heavy object off of the floor -- and you have the potential to seriously injure yourself.

[The] smooth balance and fixed motion can also make you believe you can lift more weight than you should be. Continue to use the Smith machine and you will get very strong in exactly one plane of motion, which would be great if there was only one plane of motion. Over time you can develop over-use injuries depending on which exercises you are doing with the Smith machine.

The takeaway: Learn proper form with free weights. Strive to be as symmetrical as possible to avoid injuries and build up to heavier weights safely and with the appropriate amount of time."

--Alison Peters, NYU Langone Medical Center exercise physiologist

August Is Move It Month!  An Initiative of Sports Bay of Plenty

Beginner Activities for All!  

Including Zumba, Heart Health, Pilates, Step Class, Kung fu, Balance Class, Tai Chi, Boot Camp, Capoeira, Box Fit.

Check out the full calendar for more details:  www.sportbop.co.nz/playinthebay

Contact your local Sport BOP office for more information - Tauranga 07 578 0016

Since breathing can be a conscious movement as well as an unconscious one, we can use conscious breathing as a powerful tool to create a new way of being.

The primary focus of YogAlign is to use conscious breathing to "breathe your way" into natural, neutral alignment.  

Michaelle Edwards, YogAlign