9 more reasons to do yoga

Here is a list of potential tension headache triggers:

1. Stress
2. Depression or anxiety
3. Lack of sleep or changes in sleep routine
4. Poor posture
5. Working in awkward positions or holding one position for a long time
6. Lack of physical activity
7. Occasionally, hormonal changes related to menstruation, pregnancy, menopause or hormone use
8. Medications used for other conditions, such as depression or high blood pressure
9. Overuse of headache medication
10. Skipping meals

Source: Mayo Clinic

Yoga may alleviate triggers 1-9. Sorry, you alone are responsible for number 10, but a regular practice could cause you to crave healthier food.

Come join me on the mat and let's stop those headaches before they start.

Namaste!

Fifth and Sixth Limbs of Yoga

Pratyahara, the fifth limb of yoga, is withdrawal and emancipation of the mind from the domination of the senses and sensual objects

My teacher describes pratyahara like this: Imagine you are reading and the phone rings. Practicing pratyahara you would acknowledge that the phone is ringing but you would not be distracted by it.


The sixth limb of yoga is Dharana meaning concentration or complete attention

Now that we are free from external distractions (pratyahara) we learn to concentrate on a single object, idea, or sound.

The Fourth Limb of Yoga

Pranayama is the fourth limb of yoga.  Prana is vital energy.  Ayama is expansion or extension.  Pranayama then is the expansion of the vital energy or life force through restraint of the breath.  It is to yoga what the heart is to the human body.  It is the bridge between the physical  and the spiritual selves.

I'll admit, I'm relatively new to Pranayama.  For the last 4 years, I've only practiced it with my teacher's guidance.  Now that I've committed (at least to myself) to take my first assessment next fall, I'll be diving deeper in to this detailed practice and will share more as I learn it.