Those yoga practitioners with tense hamstrings are the ones most likely to tense up in poses meant to release the hams and they then lose the benefit of the pose. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) is a pose where to experience a relaxing stretch in your back, neck and legs, you must release the hamstrings.
Uttanasana is often used as a relaxing break after standing poses or as a rest during an intense vinyasa sequence. When performing the Standing Forward Bend, it is best to stretch the hamstrings on the back of your thighs and contract the quadriceps on the front of your thighs. In Uttanasana, positioning is important to allow the hamstrings to lengthen and relax into the stretch as opposed to holding on tightly and contracting.
To appreciate how your hamstrings work in Uttanasana, it is important to understand the three distinct forms of muscle contraction. In an isometric contraction, the muscle does not change length; a concentric contraction makes the muscle shorter; and an eccentric contraction lengthens the muscle.
If you start in Uttanasana with your knees straight and your pelvis tilted forward so that your head and spine are moving towards the floor, as you come up out of the pose, the hamstrings contract and pull down the sitting bones. The pelvis will then move upright and the upper body aligns with the legs. The hamstrings have performed a concentric, or shortening, contraction.
However, when standing and tilting the pelvis forward the hamstrings perform a lengthening, or eccentric contraction. If you stop halfway, the hamstrings will perform an isometric contraction. They are still working hard, but are neither shortening nor lengthening. Here is the problem for students with tight hamstrings: they cannot reach their fingers to the floor so when they bend over they end up sort of “stuck” halfway - and in an isometric contraction.
It is not recommended that Uttanasana be practiced with the fingers dangling towards the ground. This puts undue pressure on the muscles as well as the lower back. The hamstrings will not benefit and become more flexible, but remain rigid.
A simple solution is to put a yoga block or a folded blanket under your hands to support the weight of your body through your arms. The hamstrings will then no longer be required to support the torso and can lengthen and relax.
For proper alignment in this pose, ensure that the hips are over your ankles, not behind them. The knees should be straight. To offset the tendency to bend the knees, the quadriceps should be contracted. Since they are “antagonistic” muscle groups, the hamstrings will automatically relax when you flex your quads. This will allow for a fuller stretch of the hamstrings.
The Standing Forward Bend is also excellent work for the erector spinae, the group of small muscles that run up and down the spine. Just as with the hamstrings, the erector spinae will only benefit from this pose if the weight of the upper body is supported by placing the hands on the floor or a prop.
Remember to keep the quads working. With time and practice, the hamstrings will lengthen and release, allowing further release in the lower back and pelvic region.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Yoga
Showing posts with label spine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spine. Show all posts
March 4, 2009
March 1, 2009
Yoga Teacher Tips: More Common Yoga Student Corrections
Always remember that it is better to be accused of being too cautious, than it is to be accused of negligence within a court of law. The Yoga teacher who is too safe can always find another teaching assignment. Below are some common problems that Yoga teachers should address for the safety of their students.
Spinal Rock: The eyes should focus on your heels, or navel, if possible. This causes the whole spine to round off and ?roll like a ball,? as opposed to ?crashing? off the floor. Rolling back should only go to the shoulders. Some Yoga students will be injured if they are not cautioned about rolling back on their necks.
During your Sun Salutation, or Vinyasa Sequence, where you perform a Monkey posture, which is also known as, ?Flat Back,? the body should take the shape of an inverted ?L.? The best way to master this posture is to draw, and elongate your spine, in a straight line, parallel to the floor. A mirror, or knowledgeable Yoga teacher, would be a big help for developing alignment.
You should caution your students about the jump backs on Sun Salutations, or Vinyasa Sequences. Anyone with a back condition can make it worse with the jump back or the jump forward; the reason being that when your feet land on the floor, the shock of the movement goes into the lower spine.
A similar movement we know as the ?squat thrust? was contra-indicated by the American Orthopedic Association, a few years ago. This movement is the same as the squat thrusts. Many Yoga teachers are very familiar with this movement from Ashtanga and Vinyasa styles, however, beware that each student is put at risk ? no matter how good their back feels today.
In Warrior I, please make sure that your Yoga student?s back foot is turned in 45 degrees. When the hip rotates forward, in the direction of the forward foot, this puts torque on the back knee. If a student has the back foot out at 90 degrees, this is a great deal of torque, and can cause premature wear within the soft tissue of the knee. It does not matter if this posture has been done this way for 5,000 years - when it can cause injury to a single student.
Upward Dog ? Watch for locking elbows ? if so, please allow for a slight crack in the student?s elbow joint, as the lockout will cause premature wear to his or her elbow joint.
Downward Dog ? Sometimes there is a slight amount of bouncing going on in this posture. You want to make sure that your Yoga students slowly drop into position, without any bouncing. The reason is that bouncing is a ?ballistic stretch? and can cause micro tears in the muscle tissue, which will result in less protection of the nearby joint.
Cobbler Pose ? The same bouncing ballistic stretch that can cause micro tears in the muscle tissue occurs when the knees bounce up and down. If you have a Yoga student who does this - stop him or her immediately.
Lastly, challenge your students to be the best they can be, but never put a single Yoga student in harm?s way. A Yoga teacher is primarily supposed to guide his or her students toward consistent healthy living.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: “Yoga in Practice,” and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Spinal Rock: The eyes should focus on your heels, or navel, if possible. This causes the whole spine to round off and ?roll like a ball,? as opposed to ?crashing? off the floor. Rolling back should only go to the shoulders. Some Yoga students will be injured if they are not cautioned about rolling back on their necks.
During your Sun Salutation, or Vinyasa Sequence, where you perform a Monkey posture, which is also known as, ?Flat Back,? the body should take the shape of an inverted ?L.? The best way to master this posture is to draw, and elongate your spine, in a straight line, parallel to the floor. A mirror, or knowledgeable Yoga teacher, would be a big help for developing alignment.
You should caution your students about the jump backs on Sun Salutations, or Vinyasa Sequences. Anyone with a back condition can make it worse with the jump back or the jump forward; the reason being that when your feet land on the floor, the shock of the movement goes into the lower spine.
A similar movement we know as the ?squat thrust? was contra-indicated by the American Orthopedic Association, a few years ago. This movement is the same as the squat thrusts. Many Yoga teachers are very familiar with this movement from Ashtanga and Vinyasa styles, however, beware that each student is put at risk ? no matter how good their back feels today.
In Warrior I, please make sure that your Yoga student?s back foot is turned in 45 degrees. When the hip rotates forward, in the direction of the forward foot, this puts torque on the back knee. If a student has the back foot out at 90 degrees, this is a great deal of torque, and can cause premature wear within the soft tissue of the knee. It does not matter if this posture has been done this way for 5,000 years - when it can cause injury to a single student.
Upward Dog ? Watch for locking elbows ? if so, please allow for a slight crack in the student?s elbow joint, as the lockout will cause premature wear to his or her elbow joint.
Downward Dog ? Sometimes there is a slight amount of bouncing going on in this posture. You want to make sure that your Yoga students slowly drop into position, without any bouncing. The reason is that bouncing is a ?ballistic stretch? and can cause micro tears in the muscle tissue, which will result in less protection of the nearby joint.
Cobbler Pose ? The same bouncing ballistic stretch that can cause micro tears in the muscle tissue occurs when the knees bounce up and down. If you have a Yoga student who does this - stop him or her immediately.
Lastly, challenge your students to be the best they can be, but never put a single Yoga student in harm?s way. A Yoga teacher is primarily supposed to guide his or her students toward consistent healthy living.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: “Yoga in Practice,” and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
February 23, 2009
Yoga for Great Tennis
You are on a tennis court and everything is looking good: your backhand is as strong as ever and your serve is impeccable. Point after point, you are winning the match. Inspired, you come back to the same court the next day and unfortunately, are faced with a different scenario: nothing works, every ball goes out and the more points you are losing, the more irritable you become. Sadly, this scenario is too familiar to most tennis players. If you are not a pro, you are likely to experience some degree of unsteadiness in your tennis game.
Yogic practices can tremendously help in making your tennis game steadier and stronger.
Meditating for just ten minutes a day can greatly improve your concentration during a stressful match and dristi (single-pointed gaze) would prevent your tennis instructor from screaming: ?Watch the ball!? For seventeenth time during a half-hour practice. Pranayama (breathing practices) increase the lung capacity, so you don?t run out of breath while your tennis partner is busy running you from one corner of the court to the other. Regular asana practice would make you more flexible, therefore increasing your reach on the court. Sun Salutations make the spine suppler, so if used as a pre-game stretch, they can greatly reduce the risk of injury.
While most yoga poses can be used as an aid for a tennis game enhancement, some poses are still better than others, as they target tennis-specific injuries and problem areas. These poses can be done both on and off the court and of course, if you?d like to see quick improvement, you should try to practice regularly.
Before starting your yoga practice, take a moment to center your breathing. Inhale and exhale deeply and fully through the nose (ujjayi breath.) Try to remember to go back to this type of breathing in between difficult points during your next match. You will notice the soothing and the centering effect of ujjayi when you are stressing out about a tie-break or about losing a game.
Inhale and lift your arms in prayer pose up to the sky. Exhale and fold forward, placing your palms on the floor, with fingertips in line with the toes. Then, straighten your legs, if you can. Inhale and look up. The spine is straight. Exhale and jump or step back into chaturanga, bending your elbows straight back. Look in front of you, not down. The elbows have to be very close the body, don?t let your tailbone stick out in the air. Keep the space between the shoulder blades broad. Hold the pose for five breaths. This pose strengthens the arms and the wrists, so you?d never have to use one of these annoying wrist machines again, because practicing chaturanga should eventually give you a better control of the racquet.
Inhale and move forward, lifting to upward-facing dog.
Your thighs should be a few inches off the floor. Gaze at the tip of your nose. Make sure that the inner elbow creases face forward, thus opening the shoulders. Hold for five breaths.
Up-dog is great for tennis elbow treatment and prevention. Because the pose opens up the shoulders, there is less pressure on the elbow joint. The pose also strengthens the spine, the arms and the wrists. It can improve your serve.
Exhale and make your way into a downward ?facing dog, pushing back, straightening the legs and trying to place the soles of the feet on the floor. Gaze at your navel. Spread your fingers wide and make sure the inner elbow creases are still rotated forward, while the middle fingers are parallel and pointed straight forward. This way you are preventing the tennis elbow through stretching the shoulder joint. Activate your quadriceps and hold the pose for five breaths.
Downward facing dog is one of the best pre-game stretches. It stretches the spine, the sides of the torso, the shoulders, the arms, the neck and the backs of the legs. If you practice downward-facing dog regularly, you should have a better reach on the court and you may feel lighter while running to the net. Your ground strokes can improve tremendously from all of this stretching. If you love this pose, you are unlikely to develop post-game cramping of the legs, because of the regular hamstring stretch. The serve should become very powerful from the shoulder opening.
From a standing pose, inhale and lift your right knee into the chest. Exhale and open your right knee to the right, placing the right sole of the foot into the inner side of the left thigh. Imagine energy, lifting through your left leg. Lift your pelvic floor in and up. Keep your torso straight and on the inhalation, lift your arms in prayer up above your head, with forearms being behind the ears to tree pose, vrksasana.
Keep your gaze steady at an unmoving point in front of you. Hold for ten breaths and repeat on the other side.
Tree pose is excellent for balance and coordination, necessary for tennis. It also strengthens the back and the torso muscles for a great serve and works on the leg muscles for ground strokes and volleys.
Yoga practice can make your tennis game steadier, through improving your strokes and helping your injuries. Most importantly, yoga can steady your mind, so you are able to get ?into the zone,? necessary for winning.
Anastasia Dorohova of Steady Bliss Yoga, is a certified yoga teacher, registered with the Yoga Alliance. Being a very experienced tennis player, she developed Yoga for Great Tennis program and is teaching ?yoga for tennis? workshops at various clubs and tennis camps. Anastasia produced and starred in two DVDS: Yoga for Great Tennis and Yoga for Tennis Elbow and Bad Knees. To purchase the DVDs and for workshop information, log onto http://www.steadybliss.com
Yogic practices can tremendously help in making your tennis game steadier and stronger.
Meditating for just ten minutes a day can greatly improve your concentration during a stressful match and dristi (single-pointed gaze) would prevent your tennis instructor from screaming: ?Watch the ball!? For seventeenth time during a half-hour practice. Pranayama (breathing practices) increase the lung capacity, so you don?t run out of breath while your tennis partner is busy running you from one corner of the court to the other. Regular asana practice would make you more flexible, therefore increasing your reach on the court. Sun Salutations make the spine suppler, so if used as a pre-game stretch, they can greatly reduce the risk of injury.
While most yoga poses can be used as an aid for a tennis game enhancement, some poses are still better than others, as they target tennis-specific injuries and problem areas. These poses can be done both on and off the court and of course, if you?d like to see quick improvement, you should try to practice regularly.
Before starting your yoga practice, take a moment to center your breathing. Inhale and exhale deeply and fully through the nose (ujjayi breath.) Try to remember to go back to this type of breathing in between difficult points during your next match. You will notice the soothing and the centering effect of ujjayi when you are stressing out about a tie-break or about losing a game.
Inhale and lift your arms in prayer pose up to the sky. Exhale and fold forward, placing your palms on the floor, with fingertips in line with the toes. Then, straighten your legs, if you can. Inhale and look up. The spine is straight. Exhale and jump or step back into chaturanga, bending your elbows straight back. Look in front of you, not down. The elbows have to be very close the body, don?t let your tailbone stick out in the air. Keep the space between the shoulder blades broad. Hold the pose for five breaths. This pose strengthens the arms and the wrists, so you?d never have to use one of these annoying wrist machines again, because practicing chaturanga should eventually give you a better control of the racquet.
Inhale and move forward, lifting to upward-facing dog.
Your thighs should be a few inches off the floor. Gaze at the tip of your nose. Make sure that the inner elbow creases face forward, thus opening the shoulders. Hold for five breaths.
Up-dog is great for tennis elbow treatment and prevention. Because the pose opens up the shoulders, there is less pressure on the elbow joint. The pose also strengthens the spine, the arms and the wrists. It can improve your serve.
Exhale and make your way into a downward ?facing dog, pushing back, straightening the legs and trying to place the soles of the feet on the floor. Gaze at your navel. Spread your fingers wide and make sure the inner elbow creases are still rotated forward, while the middle fingers are parallel and pointed straight forward. This way you are preventing the tennis elbow through stretching the shoulder joint. Activate your quadriceps and hold the pose for five breaths.
Downward facing dog is one of the best pre-game stretches. It stretches the spine, the sides of the torso, the shoulders, the arms, the neck and the backs of the legs. If you practice downward-facing dog regularly, you should have a better reach on the court and you may feel lighter while running to the net. Your ground strokes can improve tremendously from all of this stretching. If you love this pose, you are unlikely to develop post-game cramping of the legs, because of the regular hamstring stretch. The serve should become very powerful from the shoulder opening.
From a standing pose, inhale and lift your right knee into the chest. Exhale and open your right knee to the right, placing the right sole of the foot into the inner side of the left thigh. Imagine energy, lifting through your left leg. Lift your pelvic floor in and up. Keep your torso straight and on the inhalation, lift your arms in prayer up above your head, with forearms being behind the ears to tree pose, vrksasana.
Keep your gaze steady at an unmoving point in front of you. Hold for ten breaths and repeat on the other side.
Tree pose is excellent for balance and coordination, necessary for tennis. It also strengthens the back and the torso muscles for a great serve and works on the leg muscles for ground strokes and volleys.
Yoga practice can make your tennis game steadier, through improving your strokes and helping your injuries. Most importantly, yoga can steady your mind, so you are able to get ?into the zone,? necessary for winning.
Anastasia Dorohova of Steady Bliss Yoga, is a certified yoga teacher, registered with the Yoga Alliance. Being a very experienced tennis player, she developed Yoga for Great Tennis program and is teaching ?yoga for tennis? workshops at various clubs and tennis camps. Anastasia produced and starred in two DVDS: Yoga for Great Tennis and Yoga for Tennis Elbow and Bad Knees. To purchase the DVDs and for workshop information, log onto http://www.steadybliss.com
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