The Healing Power of Yoga

Those who have tried yoga can attest to its power to restore our sense of well-being on many levels. What if we are faced with a life-threatening illness, a troublesome injury that won’t heal, or a condition that distracts us from that natural connection to well-being? How do we find our way back to health and can yoga assist us in that journey? Most styles of yoga emphasize the conscious use of the breath which takes us into an intimate experience of ourselves. Many share that yoga has helped them transform their perceived reality whether it be reliving the trauma of an injury or imagining the worst when faced with a life-threatening illness. We begin to understand that our attitude is as important, perhaps more, as any medicine that we take.

So, how do we begin a yoga practice? How do we find the practice and teacher that fits our needs and what are our needs? Am I a type A personality, always pushing the limits? Do I need to take a risk and try something new? Maybe what I need is nurturing and what is that for me? Do I need to focus just on me or do I need to feel part of a group? When and where will I practice: at home, at a studio class, or on my break at work?

Deborah Jordan, studio director of Down Doggie Yoga Studio, has had many extraordinary experiences of sharing the healing journey with those just like herself through her work as a personal yoga trainer. She shared with us some of how she works with students.

Why do people seek out private lessons over classes?
For those in good general health, I find they seek out privates out of shyness to come into a class without some basics. Some seek privates because classes don’t fit their schedule or they work at home and find it easier to fit yoga in if I come to them. Others come to the studio because they want to deepen their practice by having me to check their form or learn new poses by having me design a sequence tailored to their goals.

The most predominant reason I get though is that the person is experiencing a health crisis and has special needs: illness, physical injury or imbalance, emotional trauma, mental stress that are better served by one-on-one attention. With all the classic yoga postures plus the endless variations and modifications there is said to be 800,000 yoga postures. This is so because the classic postures often need to be modified to observe contraindications or precautions for individual body types, the person’s state of health, and the degree of flexibility & strength a student has. It is very important to work in a way that is appropriate for where they are not forcing but “allowing” the breathing to relax the body and mind into a more open state of well-being. For these people I also design a practice which they continue in between our lessons.

What kind of illnesses or conditions have your students been faced with?
A big one is high blood pressure, insomnia, migraines, physical injury, auto-immune disorders such as chronic fatigue, irritable bowel, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, asthma, sciatica, arthritis, anxiety & headache. Other conditions that are not illnesses but temporary body experiences that are helped by the benefits of yoga are: pre-menstrual symptoms, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and menopause.

How do you find your students?
I receive referrals from local acupuncturists, Doctors of Oriental Medicine, chiropractors, physical therapists, and former students. I customize practices with respect to advise from the student’s doctors/therapists. I have worked with people ages 15-86 years.

What styles do you use for private lessons?
Privates are all about the student and their needs so often times I blend approaches.  My teaching practice is informed by the approaches of Ashtanga, Iyengar, Yin, Restorative, Viniyoga therapeutics, Prenatal, Postpartum, my experience with three forms of meditation, my Touch for Health and Reiki training, and my own healing of trauma.

What do you enjoy about teaching privates?
I enjoy the rapid rate at which private students experience the benefits. I’ve had students able to decrease or eliminate the need for medication. Others come to terms with past trauma and are able to grow beyond it.  All of a sudden I hear them become clear on how they feel, what is needed, what thoughts or beliefs are not in alignment with their well-being. They begin to love and appreciate themselves, others and the world. Life becomes sweeter and gratitude becomes their attitude when faced with challenges. For me it is always amazing and miraculous, I never know what to expect. I know that I am just a guide, a support to help the student reconnect with their spirit on the one hand and the body’s natural intelligence for self-healing on the other.

Deborah Jordan, Down Doggie Yoga Studio
530-913-5899
bodhibabyyoga@msn.com

Katie Carter, teaches Restorative Yoga & Deep Stretching Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 3:30 – 5pm at Wild Mountain Yoga Center. www.wildmtyoga.com

Katie, What is the healing power of restorative yoga?

“If I’m tired and I need to go somewhere or do one more activity, I put my legs up the wall for 5 minutes and feel rested, energized, and so much better than before!” 
- Diane, restorative yoga student 

Diane has discovered the benefits of a restorative yoga pose with the fancy name  “Legs up the wall”.  This gentle inverted posture, shown in the picture, is also known to help circulate blood and hormones, alleviate nervous exhaustion, help relieve headaches, and prevent varicose veins. 

Restorative yoga is a series of long held, passive postures supported by various combinations of pillows, blankets, blocks, and bolsters.   A well-designed sequence can stretch and move the spine in all directions; back bending, forward bending, side bending, and twisting the spinal column left and right, as well as inverting the body to reverse the effects of gravity.

I believe the secret to these soothing and well-supported postures is an opportunity to linger quietly for a few moments and savor the simple sweetness of life.   An intention to rest and surrender, combined with gentle opening and movement of the spine, can assist our body’s ability to heal itself internally and find our natural equilibrium.  This natural, internal process is frequently overwhelmed by our busy stressful lives.

Restorative postures are held for several minutes and during this time we start to pay attention to messages from our bodies and our breath.  The various postures help redistribute energy and we naturally start to feel more “at home” and content in our bodies as they become less energetically congested.

Our minds, which are intimately connected to our breath and body, start to quiet down and come into the present moment.   A yogic thought:  “ OK, let’s work with the body and the breath, and the mind will naturally come home.”   Yoga is a path of surrender.  Not a path of “doing” and acquiring.   Yoga is a practice to still our fidgeting bodies, calm our rambling minds, allowing us to see clearly the peace that resides within.

After putting her legs up the wall, Diane may even encounter an inner wisdom whispering that she has already done enough activities today and what she really needs to “do” is Stay Home and REST!   

 Legs up the wall is an easy posture for your home practice rewarding you with amazing benefits.…  If you don’t have a bolster to lift your hips up, just lie flat on the floor next to a wall and swing your legs up the wall, close your eyes, and remain for 5 - 10 minutes. 

Helen Neff from Bikram Yoga answered these questions:

1.  What type of yoga does your center offer? 

Bikram Yoga Grass Valley/Nevada City offers 24 Bikram Yoga classes a week.  Bikram Yoga, is a complete and challenging total-body workout aimed at balancing and strengthening every system in the body.  The Bikram Yoga series consists of twenty-six postures and two breathing exercises practiced in a specific order, over a ninety-minute period, in a heated room. The heat is used to warm the muscles for greater flexibility, helping to achieve a deeper stretch.  The heat also flushes toxins from the body, improves the efficiency of the immune system, and creates a cardiovascular workout.  Beginners are welcome at all classes but we also have introductory classes on Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am and Saturday at 12 noon.

2.  What types of yoga are effective for recovering from illness or injuries?

Bikram Yoga is very effective for recovery and healing.  The series was developed by Bikram Choudhury and Bishnu Ghosh, his guru in India, to restore Bikram’s health after a crippling accident.  Bikram went from not being able to walk to perfect health without resorting to surgery.  In a United Nations sponsored research project at Tokyo University, Bikram helped doctors prove that yoga regenerates tissues and cures chronic ailments.  Even though Bikram Choudhury developed the Bikram Yoga series to rehabilitate his knee, he found that it also helped people with other joint problems, back issues, digestion problems, etc.

The series consists of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises done in a specific order to work the entire body.  Each posture prepares the body for the next one and by the end of the series, every system in the body has been worked ensuring healthy and balanced functioning of the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, digestive, elimination, respiratory, endocrine, and mental systems of the body.  The series helps the body recover from illness and heal injuries.  Equally important, the risk of future illness or injury is diminished with a regular practice.  The Bikram Yoga series also promotes weight loss (which leads to better health) and limits the effects of aging.  Students with a regular practice look and feel far younger than their actual age.

3.  What have some of your students said is the healing component of yoga?

Students at Bikram Yoga have discovered benefits in both mind and body with a regular yoga practice.  Many have reduced chronic pain, gained flexibility, lost weight, reduced dependence on medication (for heart problems, blood pressure, cholesterol, asthma, depression, etc.)  Some brief testimonials from my students are listed below.  I’m sure any of these students would be willing to talk to you further.  If you want to include last names, just let me know.

“I’m fifty-nine…it’s great for my spine!”
                        Susie W.  Massage Therapist and Bikram Yogini

“Hey golfers – great for your shoulder turn; great for your swing!”
                        Jon B., Real Estate Executive and Bikram Yogi

“Lost 52 lbs. in one year!  Thank you Bikram Yoga!”
                        Raven S., Hair Stylist and Bikram Yogini

“How about 21 lbs. lost in 3 weeks?  What a work-out!”
                        Ralf S., Educator and Bikram Yogi

Helen Neff, Bikram Yoga Grass Valley/Nevada City
530-273-2030
www.bikramyogagvnc.com

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