For most of us, the post- holiday sugar and alcohol funk puts “cleansing” on our radar, so this is a great time to incorporate twists into your yoga practice. When you twist, the organs become compressed, which then pushes out blood filled with toxins. Twisting also stimulates circulation and improves digestion, stretches and strengthens the spine, and helps maintain flexibility in the vertebral discs and ligaments.

Make sure before you move into any twisting posture that you extend the spine by lengthening through the crown of the head as much as you can- the effort is on the inhale to elongate, and on the exhale relax deeper into the pose without contracting your abdominal muscles; twisting first from the lower lumbar spine then making your way up to the cervical spine breath by breath.

I hope you enjoy this video I made for you with three poses from my Xen Strength Yoga program. I use weights here, but if you are new to my style, or new to yoga in general, then feel free to try them without the weights.You can find more videos like, and my new Xen Strength Yoga DVD on my website: www.xenstrength.com.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Are we intelligent enough to handle our Smartphones? Keeping up with all the latest technology may have a downside. Besides for missing out on what is actually happening around us in real time, how does the repetitive use of these devices affect our bodies?

There are various ways in which we can injure ourselves due to our Smartphones, almost all due to repetitive use.  These injuries are commonly known as “blackberry thumb”.

Some of the more common injuries that are associated with blackberry thumb are; Neck pain, hand pain, shoulder, pain, forearm pain, and thumb pain, golfers and tennis elbow.

These injuries can occur as a direct result of repetitive stress due to overuse on the muscles of the upper extremities while using hand held devices.

What is repetitive stress? As the name implies, they are repetitive patterns that creates small stresses to specific areas of the body, which over time will accumulate, and causing injury.

Relating Repetitive Stress to “Blackberry Thumb”

Think about how many times you press your thumb against the phone’s keyboard.

A simple text message, for example “I am running a bit late” is 23 presses.  Multiply that by 100 texts a day, 2300, by 7 days a week, 16,100, by 52 weeks would be about 837,200 presses a years. That is a lot of work for your arms, wrists, and fingers.

Your thumbs, fingers and the muscles that allow them to move, can develop adhesions due to the repetitive stress and can cause cramping, fatiguing, throbbing or general pain of the thumb, fingers, wrists, and/or forearm.

Now that we are more aware of the repetitive stress and its effects how can we prevent injury? These are a few tips to help reduce the risk of blackberry thumb:

- Stretch the arms, forearms and hands out sporadically through out the day to keep the muscles loose.

- Keep device at eye level vs. looking down, to help keep the neck from straining.

- Strengthening of the muscles in the hands i.e. squeezing a tennis ball, thera-puddy, or and iso-flex ball.

- Be a bit more mindful of how often you use your Smartphone and try to use it a bit less.

- Make more actual phone calls.

- Using an earphone vs. a Bluetooth will allow you speak hands free without radiation and neck strain that holding the phone up to your ear can cause.

- If you are using your Smartphone as part of your job and cannot decrease the usage you may want to get Soft tissue treatment, such as Active Release Technique, every few weeks to help reduce adhesions that develop though out the week.

In addition to preventive care, someone who has already started to develop symptoms will also want to include the following:

- Icing the muscles of the hands and forearms.

- Rubbing the hands and forearms with a natural over the counter topical creams/gels. Two brands that I commonly recommend are Traumeel by Heel, Arnicare by Boiron

- Stretches you can get from a trained health care provider.

- Always Seek attention from a healthcare provider to insure that what you are suffering from is diagnosed properly.

In my practice, an affective treatment I use is Active Release Technique. ART or Active Release Technique, a patented state of the art soft tissue system/movement based technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.  ART can be effective in releasing adhesions, tightness, and scar tissue in the body, quickly and permanently.

If you’re into living a healthy lifestyle, chances are you’ve probably heard some buzz about interval training. Does it warrant the hype? I’d say absolutely yes – and the time to start is now! Though the technique has been around for years, ‘til recently it was primarily used by elite athletes to help them increase fitness, while at the same time reduce overtraining and injury. As the practice has evolved, exercise physiologists have come to the conclusion that one doesn’t have to be a competitive athlete to reap the benefits of interval training – just about anyone can – which is great news for those of us who are short on time. So, if you’re interested in more fitness in less time, read on…

What is interval training?
It’s a way to more efficiently increase fitness by alternating short bursts of exercise with slower, recovery segments, versus spending hours plodding along on a treadmill or bike.

What’s in it for me?
The benefits are pretty impressive, starting with more increased aerobic and anaerobic fitness, faster fat loss, shorter workouts, fewer overuse injuries and a lot less boredom. Sounds good, eh?

Let’s go!
Whether you’re a regular exerciser or relative newbie, check with your doctor first to make sure you are a good candidate for interval training. Most people are, but those with heart or blood pressure concerns should discuss the approach with their physician. Once you’ve got doc’s OK, you’re ready to begin interval training, which though it may sound fancy, is surprisingly simple. In a nutshell, you alternate moderate exercise with short bursts of intense exercise.

Whoa, Nelly!
As you’re starting out, keep in mind that as with most things, one size doesn’t fit all, so if you need to lengthen the slower segments and tailor the high intensity bursts to adapt to your current level of fitness, by all means do so. Over time as you improve, you can ramp up the intensity and adjust the intervals to match your improving fitness level.

Time to Train
To get started, try this easy-to-follow routine, which will (in addition to the fitness benefits) help get you in and out of the gym in less than an hour – including post the workout shower!

– WARM UP: Start with 5 minutes at your usual slow-to-to moderate pace on the treadmill, elliptical machine, outdoor track, bike or in the pool, to give your muscles a chance to warm-up.

– WORKOUT:
– Slowly raise the intensity/your speed to a moderately fast pace and stay at that pace for about 1 minute.
– Take your pace back down to a more comfortable level and maintain it for 2 minutes.
– Next head back up to your moderately fast pace and hold it for 1 minute.
– Drop back down to your comfortable pace and stay there for 3-to-5 minutes.
– And repeat! If you’re just starting out, try doing the interval combo 1-3 times per workout
– If you’re already in good shape, you can add more reps, or shorten the recovery segments to increase the intensity of your faster intervals.

–COOL DOWN: Finish with a 5-minute cool down, hit the shower and go back to your busy day!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kristi Anderson, Corrective Exercise Specialist par excellence, demonstrates some anti-desk foam roller exercises. This is a great way to open your chest up if you’re hunched at a desk all day.

An uplifting profile of Garth McLean and his unconventional battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Garth is a practitioner and a teacher of Iyengar Yoga. Through the results of his practice, Garth has enlightened members of the medical community who attest to his able management of the disease. The title “Courage and Caution” refers to the advice Yogacharya BKS Iyengar offered Garth upon learning of the challenges he faces with MS.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As my friends and patients know, I am a world music freak and I have been making mixed world music cd’s of my favorite tracks for the last 15 or so years.  They are continually playing at home and in my office. Recently I have been asked a number of times to put together a mix of world beats with relaxing rhythms, so here it is. I call it my yoga mix because I often do yoga at home to a mix of many of these tracks.

Here are the tracks with iTunes links followed by Spotify links:

1) Om Numah Shivaya By Apache Indian

2) Elhem-1 Original by Diaspora featuring Amina Annabi

3) Maya By Susheela Raman

4) Kala Infinite By Bill Laswell

5) Guramayle By Gigi

6) The Long Road By Eddie Vedder With Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

7) The Way You Dream By Michael Stipe

8) Falling By Nitin Sawhney

9) Weyu Lárigi Weyu (Day by Day) By Andy Palacio

10) Sabu Yerkoy By Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté

11) Bamako By Toumani Diabaté

12) Boubacar By Bill Frisell

13) Savane By Ali Farka Touré

14) Haayo By Bill Laswell

15) Tara Mantra By Gabrielle Roth & The Mirrors

Kristi Anderson, Corrective Exercise Specialist par excellence, demonstrates a new foam roller exercise she has come up with, which she has found incredibly helpful for women.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As we all know, daily exercise is absolutely critical to maintaining health — no big news here. And for those of you who are doing the daily routine, keep up the good work! Recently though, several studies have come to the disturbing conclusion that daily exercise may not be enough to combat the effects of prolonged bouts of sitting. It appears that all the sitting most of us now do (let’s hear it for the digital age) is putting us directly on the path to increased risks for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and even early death — which is very bad news for millions of office workers. So how can we transform our sedentary jobs into more active, health-promoting ones, right now? Here are a few simple steps to take  and implement at the office today — to help save your health:

Rethink your day.
Look at every activity you do at the office and figure out how to do it with more physical involvement, no matter how minor the activity might be. Every added motion will contribute to better health overall, so start your day off on the right foot — park your car at the far end of the lot and climb the stairs to your office instead of taking the elevator.

Overhaul your work habits.
Walk to the copy machine instead of having the intern do it. Pick up your mail from the mailroom instead of waiting for it to come to you. Walk to the department head’s office to discuss an idea instead of emailing. Whatever the reason, just get up from your chair every 30 minutes to promote blood flow.

Alarm yourself.
Can’t remember to get up and move around at regular intervals? Then put your cell phone on vibrate and set reminder alarms so you know that when the phone starts wiggling on your desk, it’s time for a quick stroll to the water cooler.

Inconvenience yourself.
Ordering lunch from the corner deli? Not so fast. Put the phone down, push yourself away from the desk, step outside and go get lunch yourself — on foot.

Hydrate with a purpose.
An unusual idea one of my patients uses to keep herself from sitting too long: she drinks a lot of water. The result, she makes frequent trips to the ladies room, always opting for the one that’s the furthest away from her desk, enabling her to sneak in a little exercise without leaving the office.

Get up, stand up.
Get a headset and stand up or walk around your office during conference calls, assuming you’re not on a live video feed! Behind closed doors, another one of my patients does squats and lunges during long calls to help him stay alert and fit.

Work while you work it.
Keep light weights or a dumbbell or two in your desk drawer so you can pump a little iron while checking emails and web surfing. If you have a very progressive company, you might be able to convince them to install a few treadmill workstations, also known as “stand-up desks,” so that employees can walk while working on their computers.

And one last piece of advice? ……Just keep moving!

Massage is important for many powerful reasons, including detoxification and stress relief. But, when people ask me why to get massage or why it’s important the answer that resonates with most “type A” New Yorker’s is that it helps you get into good shape faster with less stiffness and soreness, allowing you to push your body harder. Perhaps most important is that massage helps prevent the injuries that will set you back.

We all know the enormous benefits of exercise and moving the body. Anyone who routinely pushes their physical limits through any movement, sports, strength training and aerobics can benefit from a massage. Whether you are a weekend warrior that fits in workouts between work and family or a serious athlete, massage in an important part of any sports regimen. Sports medicine clinics and both professional and college athletic teams use massage to heal and prevent the wear-and-tear and minor injuries that naturally occur with strenuous movement. The added physiological and psychological benefits of massage also
add to the reasons to do it.

Heavily exercised muscles may also lose their capacity to relax, causing chronically tight (hypertonic) muscles, and loss of flexibility. Lack of flexibility is often linked to muscle soreness, and predisposes you to injuries, especially muscle pulls and tears. Blood flow through tight muscles is poor (ischemia), which also causes pain. Some benefits of massage for exercise and injury prevention:

1. Reduced chance of injury by improving range of motion and muscle flexibility.
2. Performance enhancing results with improved power and performance.
3. Shortened recovery time between workouts.
4. Maximizes the supply of nutrients and oxygen through increased blood flow and the elimination of lactic acid in the muscle (a by-products of exercise).

Massage helps the body recover from the stresses of strenuous exercise, and facilitates the rebuilding phase of conditioning. The physiological benefits of massage include improved blood and lymph circulation and muscle and general relaxation. These, in turn, lead to removal of waste products and better cell nutrition, normalization and greater elasticity of tissues, deactivation of trigger points, and faster healing of injuries. It all adds up to relief from soreness and stiffness, better flexibility, and less potential for future injury.

With regular massage for maintenance the therapist can zero in on particular muscle groups and work specific tissues, they can help maintain or improve range of motion and muscle flexibility. The overall objective of a maintenance program is to help you reach optimal performance through injury-free training. Regular massage also gives a therapist a chance to find your unique trouble spots, perhaps from past injuries. They can pay special attention to these areas, monitor them for developing problems, and help keep them in good condition. An experienced massage therapist can also compliment treatment received from other health care professionals for various injuries. Massage for injuries can speed healing and reduce discomfort during the rehabilitation process. Deep tissue and trigger point massage breaks up the tissues in the muscle to speed recovery.

So to sum it up, make massage part of your wellness and fitness routine. You’ll get all the benefits of relaxation and if you’re that more intense personality, remember, you can push yourself a little harder with less injuries and get in shape a little faster.

Nancy Shaw
In Touch Bodywork
133 East 58th Street
15th floor
New York, NY 10022
(212) 751-8300
nancy@intouchbodyworknyc.com

Each of us is a moving center, a space of divine mystery. And though we spend most of our time on the surface in the daily details of ordinary existence, most us hunger to connect to this space within, to break through to bliss, to be swept away into something bigger than us.

As a young dancer, I made the transition from the world of steps and structures to the world of transformation and trance by exposure to live drumming. The beats, the patterns, the rhythms kept calling me deeper and deeper into my dance.

Being young, wild and free, it didn’t dawn on me that in order to go into deep ecstatic places, I would have to be willing to transform absolutely everything that got in my way. That included every form of inertia: the physical inertia of tight and stressed muscles; the emotional baggage of depressed, repressed feelings; the mental baggage of dogmas, attitudes and philosophies. In other words, I’d have to let it all go — everything.

At the time, I was teaching movement to tens of thousands of people and, in them, I began to witness my own body/spirit split. Between the head and feet of any given person is a billion miles of unexplored wilderness. I yearned to know what was going on in that wilderness, not only in me, but in everyone else as well.

And so, movement became both my medicine and my meditation. Having found and healed myself in its wild embrace, I became a mapmaker for others to follow, but not in my footsteps, in their own. Many of us are looking for a beat, something solid and rooted where we can take refuge and begin to explore the fluidity of being alive, to investigate why we often feel stuck, numb, spaced-out, tense, inert, and unable to stand up or sit down or unscramble the screens that reflect our collective insanity.

The question I ask myself and everyone else is, “Do you have the discipline to be a free spirit?” Can we be free of all that binds and bends us into a shape of consciousness that has nothing to do with who we are from moment to moment, from breath to breath?

Dance is the fastest, most direct route to the truth — not some big truth that belongs to everybody, but the get down and personal kind, the what’s-happening-in-me-right-now kind of truth. We dance to reclaim our brilliant ability to disappear in something bigger, something safe, a space without a critic or a judge or an analyst.

We dance to fall in love with the spirit in all things, to wipe out memory or transform it into moves that nobody else can make because they didn’t live it. We dance to hook up to the true genius lurking behind all the bullshit — to seek refuge in our originality and our power to reinvent ourselves; to shed the past, forget the future and fall into the moment feet first. Remember being fifteen, possessed by the beat, by the thrill of music pumping loud enough to drown out everything you’d ever known?

The beat is a lover that never disappoints and, like all lovers, it demands 100% surrender. It has the power to seduce moves we couldn’t dream. It grabs us by the belly, turns us inside out and leaves us abruptly begging for more. We love beats that move faster than we can think, beats that drive us ever deeper inside, that rock our worlds, break down walls and make us sweat our prayers. Prayer is moving. Prayer is offering our bones back to the dance. Prayer is letting go of everything that impedes our inner silence. God is the dance and the dance is the way to freedom and freedom is our holy work.

We dance to survive, and the beat offers a yellow brick road to make it through the chaos that is the tempo of our times. We dance to shed skins, tear off masks, crack molds, and experience the breakdown — the shattering of borders between body, heart and mind, between genders and generations, between nations and nomads. We are the transitional generation.

This is our dance.