philosophies interpreted...

The Five Points of Yoga by Swami Vishnu-devananda-Sivananda’s devotee who brought this branch of yoga to the United States

Proper Diet: to provide the body with the correct fuel. In India this is a vegetarian diet. I urge people to find what works for them individually. Obtain this diet information through mindfulness or elimination or through allergy testing.

Proper Exercise: Asana Practice and other exercise within reason to keep your body active, strong and flexible. The asana practice helps keep your core strong, and maintains your bodies ability to balance as well as gets your circulation and breath moving.

Proper Relaxation: Savasana, counteracts daily stress. Relaxation practiced(in and out of postures)to get the most out of the asana practice. Savasana at the end of a yoga or exercise session releases lactic acid from the muscles to prevent soreness and helps to receive the most benefit from the postures.

Proper Breathing: Pranayama, brings life force(as well as relaxation) to the asana practice, as well as keeps you connected to your solar plexus or your own source of energy.

Proper Meditation: Practiced on its own or through out the asana practice as mindfulness, informs the entire practice; mindfulness in our practice and daily lives allows us to remain in the moment with our activities to prevent injury and gain the most insight and enjoyment. "Positive thinking and Meditation puts you in control." Swami Vishnu-devananda

Unlocking the Shoulder Blades

For shoulder health(to prevent rotator cuff injury and frozen shoulder) as well as part of a routine to strengthen the upper back, remember to keep you shoulder blades moving...

Stand in Tadasana with arms hanging down by your sides.

Begin to squeeze the shoulder blades together as in the picture on the right above.

Then rotate your arms so your thumbs go out and back. You should be able to squeeze your shoulder blades together more in this position.

Release the squeeze of the shoulder blades and begin to slide them apart.

Then rotate your arms so the thumbs to back out, then forward and then toward your hips and even backwards in the opposite position as before. You should be able to get your shoulder blades to move further apart in this position.

Practice this until you can get your shoulder blades to move together and apart. Focus on using the muscles between under and over the shoulder blades. Don't do this from your neck chest or arms. Once you have your shoulder blades moving focus on getting them to glide smoothly together and apart with your breath. Inhale in one direction and exhale in the other.

Next see if you can get your shoulder blades to pull down your back allowing your sternum to lift from this action. Lengthen the back of your neck as you do this with your breath 3 to 5 times.

important exercise for your neck...

Chin Drawer:

Widen your shoulders and pull your shoulder blades down your back lifting your sternum. Align yourself for Tadasana. Pretend your chin is a drawer(do not lift and tuck, but move forward and back parallel to the floor.)

Bring your chin back until your ears line up over your shoulders(as in the first drawing above) and hold for a deep breath. Repeat daily or even several times through out the day while standing in Tadasana-Mountain Pose.

Do this exercise alone or with some of the exercises posted here. It is good for your neck and brings relief from conditions like stiffness, stenosis, and arthritis in your neck. Strengthening the upper back can help with and prevent problems with the neck. Stay tuned for more on that subject!

Start from the feet and move up...

Pada Bandha

Stand in Tadasana(Mountain Pose) and look down at your feet.
Bring them under you the width of your sit bones(not the outside of your hips) just about a fist width apart and make them parallel to each other. (If you bend your knees and they do not go straight forward, but instead knock against each other or move away from each other, then adjust your feet so the knees can go straight forward.)
Bring your weight evenly into the ball and heel of both feet, the inner and outer edge of each foot, and into both feet evenly.
Then lift your toes and reach them away from each other. This action should engage the muscles in the arch of the foot which is Pada Bandha. Make sure you are still grounded into all four corners of your feet keeping the weight stabilized as above.

Sit Bones

Reach your toes forward and place them down on the floor or mat. Be careful not to grip with the feet, but just lengthen and lift. The engagement in the foot should not create a cramp. Your feet should still feel supple.
Feel how aligning the feet in this way engages your leg muscles and puts the rest of your body into alignment. Do not lock the knees and if you find tension anywhere in your body try to release it.

Practice this alone on your mat, in line at the supermarket, or brushing your teeth. Allow it to become a part of the way you stand in daily life. On your mat practice this with the breathing exercise for Mula and Uddiyana bandhas in the last post.

Bandhas!

"In Sanskrit mula means root, and thus Mula Bandha is the root lock. To find it, sit, stand, or even be in an asana, and if you are a man, contract the area between the anus and the testes. If you are a woman, contract the muscles at the bottom of the pelvic floor, behind the cervix." Jun 14, 2011 from this link

Mula Bhanda lift up on the pelvic floor           Image reference

To help you visualize where to Lift/Engage(I prefer to use the word lift rather than lock) for Mula Bhanda, superimpose the two above images on top of each other in your mind. To try an exercise take a nice deep breath in and engage and lift on the exhalation. Do about 5-10 of these breaths. Try this for several sessions until you feel comfortable with it. Remember, this is yoga so you are effectively engaging in a home practice when you try this exercise. 

Uddiyana Bhanda lift in and up around the naval area       image reference

If you feel like you can easily do the breath with mula bhanda you can move up to also engaging and lifting Uddiyana Bhanda on the exhalation, but release and make room for the breath as you inhale again. Continue to breath like this until it comes naturally enough to breath in this way as you do practice yoga postures add flow. Here is a link, but I still recommend doing engaging and lifting rather than locking at this stage.

The concept I am trying to get across is described here in Bo Forbes' Newsletter. Scroll down to The Asana Lab: The Breath and Bhanda Vinyasa.