Top 5 Poses for a Strong Core

By now the news has spread: a strong core is in. The ancient sages have known this for centuries; it just took us a while to catch on. Here are the top five yoga poses that can strengthen your core, help you improve your posture, avoid back pain, and enhance your yoga practice......Read More

To learn more about me check out www.stayactive.ca

Inspired: The connection between our shoulder girdle and our rib cage, my weekend with Susi Aldous

Last weekend I was lucky enough to study again with my therapeutic yoga teacher, Susi Hately Aldous. Every time I study with her I learn something new about my own practice.

Shocking
This time I made a shocking discovery: I have very limited movement in my shoulder joint. I am referring to the motion of my humerus (arm bone) in the shoulder socket (glenoid). I discovered that as I moved my arms overhead in forward flexion, I could not get above shoulder height without hinging in my lower thoracic spine (mid back) and jutting my rib cage out. This is a classic example of our bodies adapting to enable motion. When we are limited in motion at one joint, the motion will get transferred to the joint above or below. Or if we cannot create the true motion (arm bone flexing in shoudler socket for example) we find a way to mimic the motion (creating extension in my spine).

The Relationships within our own bodies
The shoulder girdle (humerus, clavicle, scapula) has an intimate connection with our rib cage. The scapula glides on the ribcage moving in protraction (wrapping around the ribs), retraction (shoulder blades squeezing together), elevation (moving upwards) and depression (moving downwards). The rib cage, in turn, has an intimate relationship with the spine. The ribs attatch at the transverse process of each vertebrae (the wings of the vertebrae) to wrap around and either connect with the sternum, or with the rib above. If there is a restriction in the spine (ex. stiffness, lack of motion) then this will affect the ribs, which can change the relationship to the shoulder.

Try This: Susi has a great exercise to bring awareness to the relationship between the shoulders, ribs, and spine. Roll up your yoga mat and place it so that when you lie back on it, the bottom is just below your shouler blades and your head is supported. Lie with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Raise your arms to shoulder height so that your fingers are pointing up towards the ceiling, bringing thumbs to touch. Slowly, without hiking your ribs, without pinchy, or funky motions, begin to lower your arms overhead - stopping if you do feel a pinch, or strange motion. Slowly go back to the start and repeat. Only go as far as your ears. Repeat for 2 minutes or so. Then remove your mat and lie flat on your back. Notice what you're noticing.

To learn more about Dr. Robin and Yoga Therapy in Vancouver visit stayactive.ca

Keeping the Ouch out of your Om: The top 5 Yoga injuries

Check out my February article for Joyyoga.ca

The yoga community has many things in common – a respect for the earth and those around us, an appreciation for inner calm and a quiet spirit, a love of clothing that enables us to stand on our heads without restraint. Then there are the less glamorous things we share – our injuries. Here are the top 3 yoga injuries, and how to avoid sharing them.

Yogi Butt – Although this might sound appealing initially (picture Madonna in your favorite skinny jeans), this is an injury that is best to be avoided. Yogi Butt is actually small tears of the hamstring that attaches at the sitting bone. With overstretching in forward bends, little tears can develop and start to cause a nagging pain in the butt – literally and figuratively.

Try This: To avoid this injury, before moving into forward bends, gently draw your lower belly in and up to stabilize your core and tilt your pelvis downwards at the sitting bones. Always keep a micro bend in your knees to take strain off the hamstrings, and to support the knee joint.

Yogi Shoulder – The local swim clubs might argue they claimed this one first - a.k.a. Swimmers Shoulder or Shoulder Impingement – but yogis too can experience this shoulder problem. Aching or sometimes sharp pain can result when we close down the space at the front of our shoulder. Often this injury shows itself in a Vinyasa style practice, with lots of chaturanga/push up poses. You can avoid it by visually creating space at the front of the shoulder.

Try This: Practice by standing with the elbows bent by your side, wrists flexed like you are in a push up. Round your shoulders forward and see how the space between your arm bone and your collar bone closes. Now open your shoulders so that the shoulder blades slide down the back, the tops of the arm bones move up and back and you can see more space at the front of your shoulder. Notice what you had to do in your body to create this space. Now take it to your mat!

Yogi Knee – This injury is a simple one to avoid if you understand how the knee works. Basically your knee moves like a door – hinging open and closed. Try to force your door to twist and you break it off its hinges. Try to force your knee to twist and ‘ouch’! Remember the classic song, “The shin bone’s connected to the - thigh bone…”? If our hips are tight, the motion gets transferred to the next available joint – the knee.

Try This: Move with awareness and respect into your hip openers, avoid any strange sensations at the knee (Would you open your front door to a stranger?), and use your other connection -your ankle- to keep your knee alignment by flexing the foot and toes up.

Dr. Robin Armstrong is a Chiropractor and Yoga Instructor in Vancouver, BC. Learn more at www.stayactive.ca.