What Meditation Really Is

I recently overheard a mom tell her son that bringing your finger and thumb together is meditation.  Apparently our school’s safe key program is trying to incorporate meditative aspects to calm the children.  I had neither the time nor energy to explain to her that that is actually a mudra and meditation is something else, but it, instead, spilled over into this blog post.

There are many misconceptions to what meditation is.  The biggest, in my opinion, and what kept me frustrated, is that meditation is stopping or quieting the thoughts in the mind. You sit, try to still these thoughts which doesn’t happen, and you walk away feeling failure.  Sound familiar?

Meditation is a one pointed focus on something.  Anything, really. It could be simply feeling and focusing on the expansion of your belly as you breathe. It could be putting on some Classical music, turning out the lights and getting lost in it. Ever been so engrossed in a project or craft that hours slip by before you realize it? Yep, that is a form of meditation, too. But let’s focus (ha – focus!) on seated meditation, or “sitting,” as it is often called.

We become confused at the idea of quieting the mind when really, we are aiming to notice the thoughts as they arise, then let them the pass on without attaching to them or getting caught up in our stories.  This isn’t easy, of course.  The mind is good at spinning stories and we get sucked right in.  Many minutes can pass before you realize you have jumped on the train of thought. The practice, then, is to notice you’ve boarded that train, and jump back off.

This is where the breath comes in and is the perfect tool in a meditation practice.  We notice those thoughts, let them go, and come back to the breath, feeling either the inhale/exhale or that expansion of the belly I mentioned earlier.  When we attach to thoughts again, we again let them go and come back to the breath.  Simple?  Yeah, right.  But so worthwhile.  Meditation is a key strategy for reducing stress, finding peace and ease, for coming home.

I encourage you to try this:

Find a time and place that you can sit and just be. Making a little area just for this purpose can help. Turn off the phones and distractions and just sit. (It is believed that seated is preferable to laying down for two reasons.  One, you can fall asleep and two, the alignment of the spine in the seated position acts as an energy conduit and assists in the process.) Begin following the breath. When you catch yourself thinking about something, set it free and come back to the breath.  If it sounds daunting, start with 5 minutes.  Personally, I have found that 5 minutes aren’t enough for me to be able to drop in so the shortest time I’ll sit is 10 minutes.  But see what works for you. Take the time aftward to notice how you feel. You may find that it changes the entire day for you. 

BTW, I have a great little meditation app on my phone that dings the nicest dings at the end of my time.  Please note that I put my phone in airplane mode so no one can bother me!

Good luck and I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!  OM and Shanti, Shanti 

Why Understanding The Difference Between Yoga and Yoga Therapy May Be Important

Last week I talked about the differences between yoga and yoga therapy.  This week I would like to discuss the reason, I believe, knowing the difference is important.

I hear more and more stories about what can happen when someone advised to try "yoga" ends up in the wrong class.  They heard somewhere that yoga is good for back pain, carpal tunnel, MS, depression, etc., so they go take a class.  On the less worry some end, the class was too hard and they decide they hate yoga, never to return. I am reminded of a lady that works at my son's school. She went to a class labeled "all levels" and it kicked her butt, big time. (Often in "all levels" classes - especially large ones - the class is catered to the more able students and newbies get lost in the mix and their needs not met.) She told me that she will never do yoga again.  This is very sad to me, as there are many styles, teachers and approaches and she would very likely find something she did like. Unfortunately it happens all the time.

On the more troubling end, someone with an above mentioned condition may have heard, even from their doctor, chiropractor or other health practitioner, that yoga would be good for them. If the person recommending that yoga doesn't know anything about it and suggests it in a general way, their patient could end up in the wrong class and leave feeling worse than before they went. Some examples would be someone with MS wandering into a class taught in a warm room, someone with carpal tunnel taking a class of mostly down dogs and plank poses (hard on the wrists), or a person suffering from depression hanging out in a yin style class. All of these classes are wonderful and offer amazing benefits to the right students at the right time, but they can discourage, worsen or even injure the wrong student at the wrong time.

Although the understanding of the different kinds of yoga may not be all there yet, the wonderful thing is that more and more people, including health care professionals, are understanding the positive healing benefits of yoga and yoga is being incorporated into more hospitals, organizations such as the MS Society, and even corporate wellness programs.

What to do? If you or a loved one has a medical condition, please seek out a teacher/class that is working with that condition or at least has knowledge of it.  If a group therapeutic class isn't available in your area, there may be a yoga therapist or someone who teaches privately that can work with you.

If you are a beginner, please start at the beginning, in a class that will teach you the ropes, keep you safe and help you to make yoga a continuing part of your life.

Research is the key.  Call studios, Google information and ask around.  Once you zero in on a teacher, ask about their training.  A yoga teacher should have at least 200 hours of  training and a yoga therapist should have at least 500 hours.  In both cases, they should have experience teaching what it is you are looking for.

Take heart! The right teacher and class for you is out there. :)

Yoga vs Yoga Therapy - How Do They Differ? Part 1

As yoga therapy is an emerging science, and since yoga itself is therapeutic, trying to figure out the difference can be confusing. My intention here is to clarify so you can decide which one may be right for you or a loved one.

In this 2 part post, Part One will discuss these differences and Part Two will discuss why the difference my be important.

Yoga is generally practiced in a group class format, and depending on where you take a class, could have anywhere from a couple of people to upwards of 40 or more students in that class.  The focus is usually on the physical postures, with some emphasis on breath.  Occasionally a class may begin or end with a seated meditation.  The therapeutic value of these classes is immeasurable - people slow down, and depending on the style, focus on their movement, breath, alignment or some combination therein.  They breathe, stretch, strengthen and feel better in their bodies, which has the added benefit of ease of mind and sense of peace.


Yoga Therapy is generally performed one-on-one or in small therapeutic group classes.  The focus of the session is to help the individual(s) with a specific physical issue or disease. The class(es) are specifically tailored to needs of the student and vary widely in the techniques used.  For example, someone with low back pain would be given very different tools than someone with Multiple Sclerosis. Although techniques used vary on a case-by-case basis, all sessions have an emphasis on body and breath awareness and relaxation and meditative techniques to bring the student in touch with their innate healing abilities and to promote stress reduction and relaxation.    

I have included a link to Dr. Timothy McCall's article on conditions benefited by yoga therapy:

http://drmccall.com/yoga/54condwithrefs.pdf

Coming Up: 

Part Two, Why Understanding The Difference Between Yoga and Yoga Therapy May Be Important

Reduced Stress is Best

Did you know that stress is a major cause of dis-ease in our world?  Stress is linked to anxiety and panic attacks, back pain, depression, colds and viruses, hypertension, insomnia, eating disorders, diabetes, heart problems and even cancer.  Even if stress isn't the cause of a person’s dis-ease, it is a troublesome and problem-contributing side effect.  Living with pain and/or chronic illness is very stressful and that stress gets in the way of healing.

The reason stress is such a problem is because when we are stressed, our bodies go into what’s known as the fight or flight response. This response creates elevated heart rate, a narrowing of vision, muscle tension, sweating, shallow upper chest breathing, and more sensitive hearing. It is important if we are being chased or need to fight our way out of something, but in our modern world, the scary things that chase us are usually money related issues, too much pressure at work,  balancing a family and a full time job, a chronic illness, pain in the body, etc.  These pressures are ongoing, so our stress response is ongoing.  This puts a terrible burden on our heart and all other systems of the body. The F&F response is meant to be short lived and once the threat is over, we are supposed to shift into the relaxation response.  

While most of us can’t just change our lives in a snap, there are things we can do to reduce stress.  An important tool for relieving stress is breathing.  When we are in the F&F response, as mentioned above, the breath becomes shallow.  By learning breathing techniques to lengthen and deepen the breath, we relax.

Mediation is another wonderful tool for stress reduction.  Taking time to sit quietly and tune out the outside world is not only relaxing, but offers incredible grounding and healing benefits. 

Some changes in daily habits can include limiting your caffeine intake, your exposure to upsetting or stressful media. Eliminating exposure to people and situations that cause stress is very helpful, too.  If you can’t get away from certain people like co-workers, you can try to change your perception of the situation, understanding that their behavior really has nothing to do with you.

Down Dog Diagnostics, LLC offers stress reduction programs as well as programs to assist individuals with any disharmony, discomfort or dis-ease they may be experiencing.  Schedule your free consultation today! 

Namaste

www.downdogdiagnostics.com