 According to a study published in 2013 by the Mayo Clinic, back pain is the third most common cause of doctor visits in the United States. And according to American Family Physician, only 25 to 30% of people seek treatment for their back pain. So if you’re experiencing back pain, you’re not alone.
Many back pain sufferers struggle with what’s causing their back pain, not realizing the 8 or more hours they spend sitting could be the main culprit. The most common cause of lower back pain is postural stress. For this reason, lower back pain is frequently brought on by sitting too long, prolonged bending, heavy lifting, or even standing or laying down, all for a long time in a poor, rounded back position. According to Cornell University Department of Ergonomics, up to 90% more pressure is put on your back when you sit vs. when you stand. There are several reasons why, the first being that if you’re like most Americans, you habitually sit in ways that cause tension and imbalance in your back and neck. This applies to sitting at work, in the car, and at home. Common Posture Mistakes That Lead to Back Problems 1. You’re looking down at your screen, phone, or desk, and your head tips forward. As your head weighs on average 10 lbs, any slight angle forward puts a strain on the muscles of your neck and upper back. The further forward that you lean your head forward, as well as how long you keep that straining posture, determines how much extra work your neck and upper back need to do. 2. Your shoulders are rolled forward. Some of the most common causes are a lack of lumbar support from a chair that’s too soft or one that doesn’t encourage good posture, a muscular imbalance where your pectoral muscles (chest) are stronger than your back muscles (common in men who like to work out their beach muscles more than their back), or habit. If you’re wondering if you’re guilty of this, stand with your feet shoulder width apart and let your arms hang down at your sides. If your thumb points forward, you’re probably balanced. If your palms are pointing behind you, you probably have an imbalance. 3. You’re leaning forward from your lower back. This posture puts even more pressure on the vertebrae of your lower spine (lumbar area), as it compresses your disks. 4. Your elbows are too far away from your body. The rule in lifting anything is that the more the object weighs, and the further your elbows are away from your torso, the more strain you put on your shoulders and upper back. Reaching your arms forward to type or write might not seem like much, but doing it 8 hours or more per day will take it’s toll. 5. You hold your phone to your ear. Many people multitask and talk on the phone while their hands are doing other things. Doing this for a few seconds isn’t going to cause an imbalance in your body, but anything more that that will cause tension on one side of your neck and upper back. 6. You sit for too long. Dr. Joan Vernikos, former director of NASA’s Life Sciences Division and author of the Sitting Kills, Moving Heals, explains“We weren’t designed to sit. The body is a perpetual motion machine.” When you’re sedentary, your muscles get less oxygen and nutrients from your blood. The rule of thumb is to frequent changing of postural positions and take movement micro-breaks for every 30 minutes of sitting throughout the work day. A helpful strategy is to drink lots of water: it keep you hydrated, which is healthy, and it forces you to get up and move in order to use the bathroom! Reproduced with permission from Start Standing. Read more here..
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 One thing that yoga teaches us is that 'change' is inevitable. Some amazing things have happened over the last few days and it reminds me....We should welcome change with open arms and an open heart. Whatever crosses our path, we should view it with equanimity. That does not mean Indifference, nor does it promote a fatalistic attitude, but it does, I believe, help us understand through experience 'santosha'. Santosha is the observance of contentment; one of the 'niyamas' which are part of the eightfold path of yoga. Contentment is the secret of life - enjoying the passing of time - enjoying the change that comes not only from year to year but from moment to moment. Most of the time we want 'it' to be different right!? Most of the time, given the opportunity, we would rewind that sentence, that day, that week and 'do more' or 'do it better' or make that perfect comment or comeback. Oh for a 'groundhog day' sometimes (the thought of Bill Murray always makes me smile!). But here's the beauty of santosha - that whatever it is and however it is, we 'can' choose to be content. Happiness comes only from within. How beautiful is that!  Stress is the modern day silent killer! A regular meditation reverses the fight-or-flight (stress) reaction, helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and reduces the heart rate and the oxygen requirement of the body by 10-20% in the first 3 minutes!! (this is the effect produced by medication to lower high blood pressure without the side effects!!). Stress affects each of our body systems (Nervous, Digestive, Reproductive, etc.) and the connection between the mind and body, via the field of science known as Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). The body eventually suffers serious illness after relentless exposure to stress.
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  | 1. Squat down from Tadasana with your inner feet a few inches apart. Take a forward fold and place hands on the ground in front of your feet. Come to the tip of your toes and open the knees apart wider than your hips, forming a diamond shape. Lean forward and lean the shins against the upper arms. 2. Snuggle the inner thighs along the torso, knees into armpits. Still on tiptoes and begin to pour your weight forward onto the backs of your arms. Consciously contract the front torso, round the back. 3. Continue to transfer the weight forward, beginning to explore squeezing the heels and maybe one at a time, maybe both - up towards the glutes. Cue self: heels towards tailbone. Even as you pour your weight forward and lower the head, keep the gaze up to help w/ balance. 4. Once comfortable, begin to straighten out arms. And enjoy your flight! This is your adventure! Choose to SOAR! |
Behind every yoga posture (asana), a story can be found! Behind the iconic Warrior sequence, there is a colorful story of passions. This particular story is a love story, a tragedy, a drama and a cautionary tale with elements of attachment, shame, violence, sadness, compassion and renunciation.
Are you ready for this tale!? Read On. . .
Once upon a long time ago, lived a great king - Daksha, a nobly born son of Brahma. Daksha was very rich and powerful, blessed with 100 beautiful daughters, and he served as the high priest to the ASURAS (Gods). Out of his 100 beautiful daughters, his favorite was the youngest- Sati, who happened to be an incarnation of Parvati. As one would suppose, an incarnation of Parvati would be drawn to Shiva, and so it was Sati was helplessly in love with Shiva, and was determined to marry him. Daksha disliked Shiva intensely, and was determined that this unorthodox yogi, god of death, destruction and transformation, who hung around graveyards smoking bhang, and keeping company with goblins, ghouls and other unmentionables, wearing tattered skins and nappy dreadlocks - would never wed his daughter. Love won out however, and Lord Shiva and Sati wed and lived happily in the pleasure city Shiva created for them on Mt. Kailash.
Shortly after Sati had left home to her new domicile, Daksha, being the high priest to the gods organized a HUGE yagna or ritual sacrifice. Ritual celebrations in themselves are not a bad thing, but this one was for the wrong reasons. Rather than devotion , the purpose of this yagna was to show off his wealth, his social standings and to intentionally avoid Shiva and Sati. Daksha invited anyone who was anyone back in Long Ago BC: all the Gods and demi gods, nymphs, air spirits, celestial beings, nature elementals, wealthy kings, shamans, priests, etc. Think Kardashian wedding of long ago B.C. Everyone that is except for Shiva and Sati. Shiva could have cared less. Life up on Mt. Kailash was sweet and he told Sati to leave well enough alone. Sati was heartbroken at not being invited, and insisted upon crashing this party. So, despite Shiva's admonitions Sati ignored social etiquette and her husband's wishes and went without Shiva to the ceremony. Upon seeing her at the yagna, rather than embrace her, Daksha belittled, embarrassed and ridiculed her in front of the guests. All the guests present laughed. Humiliated, Sati was unable to bear further insult, decided that she wanted nothing more to do with her father, including the body he had given her. She fell into a mystic trance and began to increase her inner fire through yogic exercises until she burst into flames and perished.
When news of Sati's death reached Shiva, he was shocked, sadden- and enraged. The Lord of Destruction fell into blackness. He tore his clothes, ripped out his hair and shrieked in fury. He picked up the dreads he had torn out, and from these he fashioned the fiercest warrior to carry out his revenge, Vira (hero) Bhadra (friend) - and gave him the task of retribution for his lost Sati. He sent him to the yagna to kill Daksha and the guests who had humiliated his love.
Are you ready for this tale!? Read On. . .
Once upon a long time ago, lived a great king - Daksha, a nobly born son of Brahma. Daksha was very rich and powerful, blessed with 100 beautiful daughters, and he served as the high priest to the ASURAS (Gods). Out of his 100 beautiful daughters, his favorite was the youngest- Sati, who happened to be an incarnation of Parvati. As one would suppose, an incarnation of Parvati would be drawn to Shiva, and so it was Sati was helplessly in love with Shiva, and was determined to marry him. Daksha disliked Shiva intensely, and was determined that this unorthodox yogi, god of death, destruction and transformation, who hung around graveyards smoking bhang, and keeping company with goblins, ghouls and other unmentionables, wearing tattered skins and nappy dreadlocks - would never wed his daughter. Love won out however, and Lord Shiva and Sati wed and lived happily in the pleasure city Shiva created for them on Mt. Kailash.
Shortly after Sati had left home to her new domicile, Daksha, being the high priest to the gods organized a HUGE yagna or ritual sacrifice. Ritual celebrations in themselves are not a bad thing, but this one was for the wrong reasons. Rather than devotion , the purpose of this yagna was to show off his wealth, his social standings and to intentionally avoid Shiva and Sati. Daksha invited anyone who was anyone back in Long Ago BC: all the Gods and demi gods, nymphs, air spirits, celestial beings, nature elementals, wealthy kings, shamans, priests, etc. Think Kardashian wedding of long ago B.C. Everyone that is except for Shiva and Sati. Shiva could have cared less. Life up on Mt. Kailash was sweet and he told Sati to leave well enough alone. Sati was heartbroken at not being invited, and insisted upon crashing this party. So, despite Shiva's admonitions Sati ignored social etiquette and her husband's wishes and went without Shiva to the ceremony. Upon seeing her at the yagna, rather than embrace her, Daksha belittled, embarrassed and ridiculed her in front of the guests. All the guests present laughed. Humiliated, Sati was unable to bear further insult, decided that she wanted nothing more to do with her father, including the body he had given her. She fell into a mystic trance and began to increase her inner fire through yogic exercises until she burst into flames and perished.
When news of Sati's death reached Shiva, he was shocked, sadden- and enraged. The Lord of Destruction fell into blackness. He tore his clothes, ripped out his hair and shrieked in fury. He picked up the dreads he had torn out, and from these he fashioned the fiercest warrior to carry out his revenge, Vira (hero) Bhadra (friend) - and gave him the task of retribution for his lost Sati. He sent him to the yagna to kill Daksha and the guests who had humiliated his love.
Shiva arrives at Daksha's palace to see the damage that Virabhadra has ravaged. His anger is gone, but now he is full of profound sorrow for himself, for Sati, for Daksha. Sorrow turns to compassion as he sees the bloody aftermath of his rage. He finds Daksha's headless body and he brings him back to life, giving him a goats head in place of the one lost. Daksha, overwhelmed by this generous action, bows in awe and humility to Shiva Shankar (Benevolent one). All follow his suite and honor Shiva. Sati, however is still dead. Shiva gathers up the body of his bride, and wanders the earth crazed w/ grief knowing that somewhere somehow, they will be together again.
Moral of the story
The higher self (Shiva) slays the prideful ego (Daksha) for the sake of the heart (Sati). Through infinite compassion, the higher self forgives the ego. The essential nature of the heart is the power of love, which will be brought back to life again in another form. . .but that is another story.
Moral of the story
The higher self (Shiva) slays the prideful ego (Daksha) for the sake of the heart (Sati). Through infinite compassion, the higher self forgives the ego. The essential nature of the heart is the power of love, which will be brought back to life again in another form. . .but that is another story.
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