Today is another precious day on earth

Read on the night of December 2, 2010

“Today is another precious day on earth. We shall live it with joy. We accept this gift with gratitude and joy. We realize that we have no time to waste on living in the past. So we go within, and seeing with eyes of love, we seek out all the dark corners where pain and fear dwell. We no longer choose to put up with these old handicaps. We move into our heart space, and we bring the abundant light of love we carry within us. We allow this love, which sees without judgment or expectation, to flood our body, our mind, our consciousness. This light of love shines on and dissolves all that is unlike itself. We are willing to release all old garbage. It has no life of its own; it has no truth in it. It is only an old memory that no longer exists, disappearing from our lives. We are one with the power that created us!”—Louise L. Hay

Top 5 Yoga Poses for Quick Post-run Recovery

Post-run yoga is essential to preparing your body for your next run. By taking the time to stretch after the run you just completed, you’ll speed up your recovery time and more importantly, stay injury-free. For more specifics on how yoga helps keep a runner healthy and strong please see my previous post: Yoga for Runners.

The following poses are very practical because they can be done wherever you finish your run. Whether you’re at a trail or a street corner you’ll find these helpful. It’s very important to stay in a pose for at least 10 long breaths, approximately 30 seconds. That allows your muscles to release tension. Remember to take each pose on both sides of your body.

Modified Tree

Modified Tree is a very effective way to stretch your IT Band and build core strength at the same time.

1. Bend left knee and cross right leg over left
2. Make sure ankle dangles past bent knee
3. Point right toes towards right knee
4. Press palms at chest center level with elbows wide for balance
5. Bring belly to spine
6. To deepen stretch, slowly sit hips back and let upper body move forward with straight spine

Crescent Lunge

Crescent Lunge is a fantastic front hip opener and hamstring stretch.

1. Bend right knee over ankle and step left leg back
2. Palms can press together
3. Left ball of foot presses down and heel is lifted
4. Engage left thigh while keeping a slight bend in knee to avoid locking it.
5. To adapt, bend knee and rest it on the ground

Twisting Crescent Lunge

Twisting Crescent Lunge deepens the opening you get in Crescent Lunge by incorporating your gluteus and back muscles.

1. From Crescent Lunge, take a deep inhale as you lengthen spine towards the sky
2. As you exhale twist left elbow to right knee
3. Gently bring thumbs towards center of chest
4. Keep back leg engaged and press left hip towards back heal
5. You can always bring right knee to the ground

Pyramid

Pyramid is ideal for hips, glutes, hamstrings and calves.

1. From Crescent Lunge, step back foot about half-way up and set back heel flat on ground
2. Grab elbow behind you back
3. Inhale and lengthen spine upward
4. As you exhale, keeping belly to spine, bend at your hip
5. Chest goes over front thigh and set gaze to back foot
6. Feel free to take a bend in front knee to adapt

Triangle

Triangle stretches sides of hips and legs, groin and upper body.

1. From Pyramid press right hand onto shin and press upper body away from ground
2. Plant feet firmly on ground and slightly tuck tailbone
3. Press belly to spine while you slightly lean your chest backward
4. Keep front thigh engaged and allow back inner thigh to spin upward

Enjoy!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Yoga for Runners

Running is so much fun! Running with tight muscles and misaligned body parts is not. Many of us runners focus so much on the joy of the run that we might be tempted to skip the steps that maintain our flexibility. Lack of flexibility in hip flexors and hamstrings for example, limit their range of motion. When our body senses this lack it starts to demand it from other joints. Joints that are usually not meant to produce that motion (achy knees and tendons anyone?). I have suffered from my own share of aches and pains. I decided to throw away the outdated “no pain, no gain” mentality and switched to the “suffering is optional” school of thought. I decided to merge yoga and running to keep my body in optimum condition.

Yoga improves balance and strength. Best of all it increases flexibility. Flexible muscles are stronger than tight tense muscles. Thus, minimizing your risk of injury. As an added benefit, yoga increases your mental focus.

Warrior II helps return flexibility to your hips region, legs and ankles.

Let’s say you’re in a challenging pose, rather than shying away from it you pay attention to your breath and deepen it and suddenly the situation is manageable. The same skill can be applied to a challenging moment in a run. Rather than panic you bring your attention back to you breath and tap into deeper strength.

From my experience, gentle yoga stretches enhance your body’s recovery after a long intense run. On a day when you are resting from running, a power yoga class is a great opportunity to strengthen parts of your body that are usually not exercised during your runs.

Future posts will include routines useful for days you rest, pre and post-runs.

A Spring Poem

Spring

longer days

warmer weather

flowers blooming

pollen    runny noses   congestion

This Spring my body has been more sensitive to allergens than in past years. I’ve had to find an alternative to whole fresh milk for my morning smoothies. Mother Nature in all it’s bounty provides us with Coconut Milk. I find it has a similar creamy and wholesome texture of whole milk.

I  like the following combination:

• 1/2-3/4 cup of Coconut Milk
• 1 cup of Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup Almond Meal (ground almonds)
• 1/8-1/4 tsp of Raw Honey (if needed)
• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
• Optional: 1 tsp. of maca powder (maca is an Andean root with strength-enhancing properties)

With my handy hand blender I mix all the ingredients directly into my portable smoothie cup and enjoy. If your smoothie turns out thick you can add water to thin it out.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Take your time to enjoy. Don’t chug it down.

If you’re using frozen berries it’s a good idea to add about 1/4 cup of hot water so that your smoothie is not too cold.

Need to put a Spring back in your step?

Ayurveda explains that if Spring were a person she would be a Kapha type; predominantly cool and wet.

Let’s quickly review the main characteristics of Kapha:

• cold , wet, heavy, dull, sticky, soft firm and solid
• elements: earth and water
• sites in the body: chest, throat, head, pancreas, sides, stomach, lymph, fat, nose and head.

In Spring it’s advisable to take more foods that are the opposite of Kapha. Those foods are characterised as being: light, dry and warm with bitter, astringent and pungent tastes. Mother Nature in all her wisdom provides us with Kapha-pacifying foods during this time of the year. One of the foods that are in season in spring are…

Green Leafy Vegetables

Kale, Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, and Dandelion Greens. Adding these to your diet in abundance will give you the detox one needs in spring. A much better alternative to taking those health food store detox pills and having to stay near a toilet for the next three days.

So, how do you eat them?

One simple and tasty way that I make them is to sautée them. I use a base of olive or coconut oil with ginger, cumin seeds and dash of cayenne pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes in medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot I add the finely chopped green leafy vegetables of my choice. I sautée them for five minutes and then add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of either stock or water, depending on what I want to combine them with. I let them cook for another 5 minutes and then enjoy. The cayenne or red pepper also contribute to pacifying Kapha.

What else is in season?

Strawberries, Sugar Snap Peas, Asparagus, Carrots, Cherries, Onions, Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Blueberries.

For a quick introduction to Ayurveda please see my previous post on the subject here.

Ayurveda

One of the healing modalities that fascinates me is Ayurveda. Ayurveda is the ancient Indian healing system that is believed to date back to more than 5,000 years. Ayurveda is the Sanskrit word for Science of Life.

Ayur (life or longevity) + Veda (knowledge or science)=Ayurveda

One of the main aims in Ayurveda is to return us to a healthy integration of body, mind and spirit. Physical and mental health are seen as the foundation for a creative and spiritual life. This healing system teaches us how to use the principles of nature in practical ways to promote total well-being in a person; physically, emotionally and spiritually.

In Ayurveda, it is explained, that there are three bio-energetic principles or three doshas: Vata , Pitta and Kapha. They are responsible for both our psychological and physiological  functions. In other words, they are responsible for maintaining health or the causes of disease when they  go out of balance Vikruti.

Each person is unique

One of the coolest things about Ayurveda is that it recognises every person’s bio-individuality. We are all born with a constitutional type that is a unique combination of Vata , Pitta and Kapha known as Prakruti. This means that not one diet fits all. Diet and lifestyle are tailored to each person’s individual needs. As such, a visit with an Ayurvedic doctor requires an average consultation of an hour.

Vata

A person with a Vata constitution tends to be short or tall and has a light/lean body mass. Their minds are quick and creative and often with a good imagination and artistic. Vatas are enthusiastic about life, generous in attitude and love freedom. They tend to get bored easily with routine and prefer variety and change in life. When it comes to appetite, it is often unpredictable due to a variable digestive power. They can easily lose weight and have trouble gaining weight. Vatas seek other quick minded, creative types as friends. Learning things quickly is a Vata characteristic as is forgetting things quickly. Similarly they generate many new ideas but may have trouble  putting them into action or seeing them to completion. Stimulation is a Vata favorite and they tend to have an overly stimulating schedule. Because of this, a stable routine is an important lifestyle tool for a person of this constitution. Stress affects us all differently. A Vata person will notice that they are more susceptible to feelings of anxiety, fear and nervousness. That is why activities that emphasize calm, groundedness and nourishment and important in a Vata types life.

Pitta

A Pitta type tends to have medium build and height, that is more muscular than a Vata type. A sharp, focused and analytical mind is common. They have highly driven personalities with a tendency towards becoming workaholics and perfectionists. In general they have a motivated, purposeful and goal seeking nature. Their digestive power is strong and they tend to have less digestive problems than the other body types. Pittas have a tendency toward angry emotions or to be impatient, especially when things don’t go as planned. As a result, lifestyle recommendations for Pitta types are to take time out to do things just for fun, non-competitive activities that are relaxing in nature.

Kapha

A Kapha type tends to have a heavier well-developed body with a tendency to put on weight and a hard time losing weight. Their digestion is usually slow. They have great physical stamina and can be strong and athletic. On the emotional side, they are often compassionate, highly affectionate, calm and contented. Typically they are slow to anger and avoid confrontation whenever possible. It may take them some time to learn a concept but once they’ve learned something, they never forget it. They may appear complacent and uninterested in seeking new and emotional stimulation. That is why it is recommended they engage in fresh mental stimulation and physical exercise

Why is it important to you know your body type?

By knowing our body type we are better able to maintain health. It allows us to live in harmony with our individual constitution, our environment and the seasons. Psychological and physiological imbalances (diseases) result when one or more of the doshas accumulate in our body in excess. Usually the predominant dosha. Wrong eating habits, overworking, always being on the go and even behavioural patterns can cause the doshas to go out of balance.