yoga

Yoga In Mexico with Robert Fox

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By Robert Fox

Tai Chi & Qi Gong Instructor

  According to Wikipedia, “Yoga is a physicalmental, and spiritual practice or discipline that denotes a variety of schools, practices and goals in HinduismBuddhism (including Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism) and Jainism, the best-known being Hatha yoga and Raja yoga.”  It dates back to the 6th century BC.  It wasn’t until 1980 that yoga became an accepted form of exercise in the western world.  My wife and I live in Cambridge Ontario, and we have been life long YMCA members.  All kinds of fitness is an important part of our lives.  We became certified fitness instructors years ago, and today I still teach aerobics and weight resistant classes at the Cambridge Ontario YMCA.

For the past 5 years, we have lived in Bucerias Mexico for February and March.  This year, I decided to offer a yoga class in the Ana Ruth’s hotel, where we live on the roof outdoors.  Bucerias is on the Pacific Ocean just a few miles north of Puerto Vallarta.  The environment here is perfect for yoga.  It seems like there is a yoga class being offer on every street corner.  Are these classes being taught by certified yoga instructors?  I doubt it.  Am I a certified yoga instructor?  No.  So I advertise my class as “Robert’s mobility class”.  Since I have had tons of experiences and courses in Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Creative Movement, Yoga, and since I am a qualified certified fitness instructor, I believe I can offer the participants some helpful exercises.  To make the classes even more appealing, they are free.

Back in Canada, I attend at least one yoga class per week and I have also researched yoga extensively on the internet.  When I am teaching my weight resistant class back home, I incorporate yoga moves into the hour, and those exercises are appreciated by all.  My wife and I have taken two separate courses from a certified Tai Chi instructor in Ontario.  We are pretty good at doing the 108 peaceful Chinese moves.  I have also been exposed to many Qi Gong classes, and at one time when you didn’t have to be certified in it, I taught it at the Chaplin Family YMCA in Cambridge.

I retired from teaching with the Waterloo Region District School Board 15 years ago.  I taught for 33 years at the elementary level.  I have a specialist certificate in Drama Education, and have taught many courses in movement.  I still use those strategies in my weight resistant classes at the YMCA.

My Friday morning at 10 a.m. class here in Mexico consists of a little Tai Chi, a little Qi Gong, a little yoga, and a lot of Drama.  It lasts one hour and we always begin with a warmup and end with a cool down.  Of course we stretch a lot and hold poses too.  In drama class, back in the classroom, we use to call those poses, tableau.  The slow movements were called articulations.  Here is a list of what we did today, Friday 13th in Mexico …

  • warm up – a) brain gym  b) the Owl

  • The Golden 8 Energy Balancing Exercises

  • The Big 5 – lunge/squat/bridge/pushup/press

  • Tapping for stress reduction

  • Memory Hangers

Please contact me for more information at … theoldfoxx@rogers.com

Check out our daily blog of life here in Mexico at … buceriasmexico2015.blogspot.com

Sincerely,

Robert Fox

The Four Insights Book Review

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The Four Insights, Wisdom, Power, and Grace of the Earth Keepers is a book that cannot be truly appreciated by reading and thereby expecting to receive its gifts through the words.  The Four Insights must be experienced through the practice of its exercises in order to receive its gifts and insights.  Alberto takes you on a journey through the depths of your body, mind, and spirit accompanied by the archetypes of the Serpent (Body), Jaguar (Mind), and Condor (Spirit).

I found the book to be a very addictive read.  I was eager to push ahead and consume more of the information before fully immersing myself in his prescribed exercises.  I have returned to The Four Insights time and time again to practice the exercises.  Each time, I gain new “insights” into the stories that I have created about myself and my life.  The Four Insights is a place to find perspective, to become grounded, and to ignite your passion to discover the Healer within you.

Breathing And Pregnancy

Denise Davis-Gains

Denise Davis-Gains

Many years ago, during my first pregnancy, I remember being a little arrogant and
wondering what I would learn in a prenatal class at the hospital. This was before I
became a yoga teacher. During that first session the instructor talked about breathing
and exercise, she talked about a lot of things, but breathing seemed to me to be the most
unusual thing to discuss in a prenatal class. Wouldn’t I just breathe normally? Why
would I need to breath in any special way to get through labor and delivery? She talked
about different breathing techniques and I felt rather silly blowing air out of my pursed
lips and preceded to file this class under “LATER” OR “WHATEVER” as my 13 year
old daughter would now say.

That first labor was 24 hours long with 5 hours of pushing and eventually forceps
intervention to help get my very large child out of my apparently somewhat narrow
pelvis. I held my breath and did not have a coach to remind me to breathe and I am sure
now that this slowed down the process much more than was necessary. While I managed
to deliver vaginally, it was an experience that could have been eased by some gentle
coaching with breath and sound.

In the year after the birth of my first child I decided to become a yoga teacher and took
him with me to nurse as I worked through basic yoga teacher training. I learned about
holding the breath and how as I held my breath pain would increase and how when I
released the breath, I could release pain in my body.

Practicing simple breath awareness during pregnancy can help during the labor and
delivery process at the end of the pregnancy and it can also help to make sure that
mom and baby are getting optimal amounts of oxygen during the gestation period.

Remembering that there is a miracle happening in the body. Through the coming
together of a few cells a child is forming. To maximize the growth potential of that child
we want to get as much oxygen as possible as that is one of the foundational building
blocks of a human being.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BREATHING AND PREGNANCY

During my second pregnancy, the midwife nurse exclaimed repeatedly that, “we should
be making a video of your breathing techniques.” I discovered how using breath
awareness alone could help with labor and delivery. It was amazing how just letting
the breath out during the contractions could allow the contraction and gravity to do its
job. I noticed if I held my breath that the contraction was not as productive. Experiment
with this concept by pinching your hand hard and firm, hold the breath, and notice what
happens. Do the same thing and let the breath out long and slow. Notice the difference.
Try it again and let out a long, deep guttural “ahhhh” sound and see how it feels. This is
the foundation of basic benefits of breath awareness and pregnancy.

BENEFITS OF BREATH WORK – PRANAYAMA AND PREGNANCY

• Decrease in resting heart rate

• Decrease in blood pressure

• Decrease in respiratory rate

• Increased efficiency of cardiovascular & respiratory functions

• Normalized gastrointestinal & hormonal functions

• Increase in endurance and energy level

• Breathing exercises improve sleep and normalize weight

• Increased bodily awareness

• Improved mood and well-being

• Improved sense of self-acceptance

• Increased self-actualization

• Can reduce anxiety, depression and feelings of anger and hostility

• Increased attention span, concentration, memory and learning

The biochemical profile improves, indicating an anti-stress and antioxidant effect. Some changes include a decrease in blood glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, and stress-
hormones.  These are some of the basic benefits of practicing yoga breathing during and after pregnancy.

Some exercises that might help to achieve these benefits include the complete yoga breath, watching the gap and alternate nostril breathing.

THE COMPLETE YOGA BREATH:

• Sit quietly

• Become aware of the natural rhythm of your breath

• Imagine inhaling from the bottom up, like filling up a pitcher of water.

• Inhale into the belly

• Feel the chest expand

• Fill up right up to the collar, the back of the throat and the nose

• Exhale from the top down

• Collar, chest, abdomen

• Allow the attention to follow the breath all the way in and all the way out.

• Notice if the attention wanders and without judgment or criticism bring the attention back to the breath when you are ready.

• Start with about 1-3 minutes and practice longer as your ability to pay attention increases to about 10-12 minutes

Watching the Gap:

• Repeat this same process as above

• When you have established a regular complete breath rhythm bring the attention to the space between the exhalation and the next arising inhalation

• Notice where the attention goes in that space

• Allow the gap to become wider & deeper without restraining the breath in any way

• Stay with this exercise for 1-3 minutes and build up to 10-12 minutes

We breathe predominantly through one nostril for 60-90 minutes and then the sinus
rhythm changes and we breath from the other nostril for 60-90 minutes, alternating
throughout the day. Take a minute and notice which nostril is dominant right now.
Many things can interfere with the sinus rhythm; allergies; environmental factors; colds;
viruses; pregnancy, and other conditions. One way to re-establish a regular rhythm is to
practice alternate nostril breathing.

Alternate Nostril Breathing:

• Start with the complete breath as above, establish a comfortable rhythm, about 1-2 minutes

• Prepare the right hand by folding the first two fingers into the palm of the hand

• Use the right thumb to open and close the right nostril (just gently lay it on the nose to close the nostril, no pressure necessary)

• Use the right ring finger to open and close the left nostril

• Inhale completely through both nostrils

• Exhale completely through both nostrils

• Close the right nostril

• Inhale through the left (short quick powerful inhalations)

• Close the left

• Exhale through the right (long slow drawn out exhalations)

• Inhale through the right

• Close the right and

• Exhale through the left

• Repeat for 3-10 minutes

It is a good idea to check with your primary health care provider before beginning any
new exercises or practices during pregnancy. It is a good idea to work with a teacher to
ensure that you are getting maximum benefit from these ancient practices.

Focusing on the act of breathing clears the mind of all daily distractions and clears our
energy enabling us to better connect with the Spirit within. ~Author Unknown