Yoga and Pilates NEWSLETTER

Term four 2006

            

              Twists for yoga in Spring,

              Janet and Wendy demonstrate.

 

Karyn, Marian, and I had an informative and interesting tour of Bear Cottage on 15/11/06, we feel pleased that it is our nominated fundraiser this year.  Please come and enjoy a class of yoga or Pilates with our talented musicians, the setting sun and champagne or chai. 

 Text Box: Pilates with the flute and champagne supper Monday 18th December 7pm Yoga with the Japanese flute and chai Monday 20th December 7pm $20.00 by 30th November or $25.00 on night bring a plate to share and your own eating and drinking utensils.

 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next year  I will be teaching a new Heartmoves class, which is low impact exercise for people with health problems, or older people who need to move and do weight bearing and cardiac exercise.  If you know anyone who could benefit from this please let me know.

 

Pilates

 

This term we have focussed on concentration and precision in our Pilates lessons.  We have found that even doing basic moves can be very strong as long as we are bringing our full mind and attention to the moves as well as maintaining the correct alignment and contraction of our core stabilising muscles.

 

This term I have been particular about neck positions.  Weaker upper body is evident when we are on all fours and the neck begins to drop.  I have been using the imagery of the mother cat pulling up her kitten by the scruff of the neck to remind you to maintain that neck position.

 

This has also led to us doing one armed push ups, again with full focus and concentration, to really use the deep neck and shoulder blade stabilising muscles correctly.  The stabilisers of the neck are the deep neck flexors and extensors and the shoulder blade or scapula as it is correctly called, are the rhomboids, the serratus anterior and the pec minor as well as lower and middle traps.

 

These muscles need to work together to maintain a good neck and shoulder position and so enable the shoulder to move correctly.  As we know this can be very difficult at times.

 

Part of the precision in Pilates is ensuring the muscles fire in the correct order and to your credit most people have been able to enable the glut max to fire first in our leg lifts on our tummies.  Well done everyone.

 

At the end of the term we will be challenging our bodies further by adding the stretchy straps to our exercise regime.  Remember the slower we move the more chance we have of using the deep core muscles.

 

As a result of the course I did over the last holidays we now know that it is a good idea to maximally contract the whole pelvic floor about 30 times a day, and the front pelvic floor about 30 times quickly.  Hopefully your practice of these contractions is producing marked results.

 

I was recently told by a nurse friend that patients with bowel cancer are being told to do Pilates to help this area, she was also told there is some research somewhere saying that the contraction of the pelvic floor and deep abs (Transverse Abdominis) may be helpful in preventing bowel cancer.  As of time of printing this I have been unable to locate this research but I will keep trying and let you know next year.

 

Although the people who attended the ball class have enjoyed it, the low numbers seem to indicate there is no longer a desire for this class amongst current students, so that class slot will return to a general class next year.

 

We are all looking forward to our Pilates with the flute on Monday 18th December, remember to bring your own cup or glass for champagne, your own plate and utensils and a plate of food to share.  It is so great that Dianne, who does Pilates on a Wednesday, and plays for the Sydney Ballet and Opera will be playing for us.

 

Yoga

 

Moving postures with lots of sidebends and twists are they style of yoga we practise in Spring.  Spring is about the return of energy and getting our bodies begin to move again just like the plants and vines we see twirling and growing around us.

 

We have felt the connection between using the eyes in our rotation to help us twist further.  We have also added rotation and sidebends in our Salutes to the Sun, remember Salutes are a wonderful way to start the day and create energy and enthusiasm as well as positivity for the day ahead.

 

The meridians that we work in our side bends and twists are the Liver and Gallbladder, and using these meridians help us to get rid of crankiness, frustration, even anger.  These postures also help with digestion and soften the area behind the eyes.

 

We have done sitting, lying and standing twists, and each works the body slightly differently.  In rotation and side bending we contract the small intersegmental muscles of the spine and so bring circulation to the spine, which helps us maintain a healthy and strong back.

 

At the beginning of the term I took each class through the basics of using our stabilising muscles and bringing good posture to yoga.  It is important to use these principles in any exercise regime that you do.

 

At the end of last term, the class run by DARTS (Disabled Alternative Road Transport Scheme) went on our annual pilgrimage to the Mangrove Mountain Ashram run by the Satyananda Yoga Foundation.  This year we were photographed while doing yoga, so maybe we’ll appear in their next magazine.  We also did a kirtan and a yoga nidra before enjoying lunch under the trees and looking at the wonderful escarpment.  Once again, the head of the ashram spoke to us about yoga and the development of the ashram.  I encourage anyone who is interested to do a course at the ashram and experience life there.

 

This term our meditation and relaxation have focussed on sound, suara yoga.  For some of us this is easy for some of us it is difficult.  We have tried to focus on different sounds without losing our attention to that sound, we have also used sound as a way to take us on a relaxed journey.  At the end of the term we will be using chants in a call and response way, again to focus our mind.  We have been lucky in the DARTS class to have two volunteer helpers from India who chant and then we follow them, this has been a wonderful opportunity for us to develop our chanting skills.

 

We have once again been doing the Pranayama practice (using breath to still the mind) of Nadi Shodan (alternative nostril breathing) to bring harmony to the mind and nervous system, and later in the term we shall be doing the humming bee practice, which also stills and focuses the mind.  Along with balances these practices are good for centering and calming our nervous systems.

 

We are looking forward to our Yoga with the Japanese flute night on Wed 20th December, please remember to bring your own mug, plate and a plate of food to share for a wonderful night while the sunsets and the cicadas drum and the Japanese flautist plays.

 

Have a lovely break everyone, I have decided to concentrate on my own Yogic practices to create energy for my teaching in 2007 so unfortunately there will be no summer program this year.  Yoga teaches us to self regulate, so it will be a time for me to practice what I think is so important for us all.

 

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year  and thankyou for your loyalty and warmth, I am blessed to have you all in my life.  I look forward to seeing you next year.   Annette