Bee Breath (Bhramari)

photo by Suzanne D Williams on Unsplash

BEE BREATH (bhramari) 

by Richard Rosen

Bhramari is one of the eight traditional pranayamas (see Hatha Yoga Pradipika 3.68).\

Bhramari requires us to block our ear canals. The traditional way is to press one of your fingertips into each ear canal. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS. Try one of these two ways.

1) on each ear there’s a little fleshy projection just in front of the ear canal. It’s called the tragus (plural, tragi), which literally means “goat, the hairy part of the ear.” Tragus is the root of the word “tragedy,” so called because in Greece the genre developed from a ritual procession involving a goat as a prize for the composition of a song. With your thumbs, press the tragi over and close the openings to the ear canals. 

2) the best and easiest way I’ve found to do the blocking is to use foam ear plugs. 

Please perform this breath exercise sitting up, not lying down. 

1. If you’re using foam ear plugs, roll each one up and gently insert them into your ear canals. Then sit in any comfortable position. You might try Easy Pose (sukhasana), with the shins crossed in front of the pelvis. Be sure to sit on a thickly folded blanket or two. Hero Pose (virasana) is also acceptable. For this pose sit with knees fully flexed, shins on the floor and buttocks resting on the floor between the feet. If it isn’t possible to sit on the floor, either sit on a block between your feet (be sure the long axis of the block is across your sit bones not along them), or sit on your heels. This latter pose is called the Diamond or Thunderbolt (vajrasana). 

If you’re using your thumbs to block the ear canals, the Bihar School of Yoga recommends you  sit on a support with knees bent, feet on the floor in front of the pelvis. Then you can rest your elbows on your knees as you bring your hands to your ears.

2. Close your eyes and bring your breath into the foreground of your awareness. This beginning stage of the practice is ONLY for witnessing the breath and establishing your breathing identity for the day’s practice. DON’T try to “change” or “fix” any perceived problems, just observe and note.

3. After 2 or 3 minutes if you’re not using ear plugs, press the tragi over the ear canals. Then spend 30 seconds or so listening to your normal breath with blocked ears.

4. When you’re ready, inhale through your nose, and on your next exhale, slowly and steadily hum the breath out like a bee buzzing around a flower. Traditionally, we’re instructed to make the humming sound on both the inhale and exhale, but I find the inhale hard on the throat, so I limit the sound to the exhale only. 

By the way, the inhale hum is supposed to sound like a male bee, the exhale like a female bee.

5. Repeat 5 times or so, less or more as you like. Let the sound reverberate against the back of your skull, then watch it slowly travel down the spine to the tail bone. Ideally, the entire spine will vibrate with the sound. At the end of your rounds, sit and feel your entire body for a minute or two.

BENEFITS

According to the Bihar School of Yoga, bhramari relieves stress, quiets anger and anxiety, helps with insomnia, and reduces blood pressure. It’s also supposed improve your voice. 

Staff Spotlight: Nichol Chase

Often times our interactions with the yoga community are brief, even more with social distancing and yoga at home. Nest Staff Spotlight allows fellow teachers, staff members and our yogis the opportunity to delve into the life of a selected community member. We hope this gives everyone a chance to learn more about our teachers and staff.

For this month’s spotlight, we interviewed one of our newest teachers, Nichol Chase. Nichol did not always plan on teaching yoga… she also studied dance! She will enchant you with her voice during savasana. She incorporates vigorous flow with precise alignment. We are delighted to have Nichol on our team!

Tell us about yourself. Anything you want the Nest community to know.

I love practicing and teaching yoga. I love reading. I love music.

What would you like the community to know about your classes, teaching style or you?

My classes are challenging, energizing and fun. I always like to pair hard work with a playful spirit and a bit of humor. I love nerding out on the mechanics of yoga poses and anatomy, so you are likely to get some of that in my classes too. My classes reflect who I am as a person and as a practitioner -- I am fierce, and nerdy, and a big goofball.

What or who inspires you?

My teacher and mentor Noah Mazé inspires me to be a good human being, to do good in the world, to value learning and knowledge, and to strive for excellence. 

What are three things still left on your bucket list?

1. Learn how to play the guitar

2. Travel to India

3. Go on a long trip to Europe with my husband

Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What did you want to be when you grow up?

I wanted to be a dancer and a singer.

What are you currently reading, watching or listening to?

I am currently reading Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.

I am currently watching The Mandalorian -- I am a big Star Wars fan. :)

What do you love most about your hometown?

In my hometown my sisters and I had a lot of space to roam outside. During the summer and on weekends, we would spend our time hiking, building elaborate forts outside, going to visit our neighbor’s horses, etc. It made us all very creative and connected to nature.  

What obstacles has yoga helped you overcome? Has yoga created any obstacles?

Yoga has helped me to overcome anxiety and depression. The practices help to give me perspective and keep me grounded. 

What’s a typical day like for you?

Every day is a little different. I usually wake up early to meditate and practice yoga. I teach yoga classes most days and some private lessons. I always read a little every day -- I love learning. I sing every day. I am learning how to play the guitar, so I practice playing the guitar on most days. I go on walks outside a few times a week. 

What are you happiest doing when you’re not working?

I am happiest reading, listening to music, playing music on my guitar, or walking outside.

What is one thing you can’t resist? Why?

Ice cream! Because it’s so damn good. :)

Where is the best place you’ve traveled to and why?

Austria. I stayed in Graz, Austria for 6 weeks during college for a music program. I was enchanted by the culture, the architecture, the efficient public transportation system, and the gelato!

How do you unwind after a day of teaching? Or just a long day?

I hang out with my husband. We eat good food, listen to music, or read, or watch a good show. It doesn’t really matter what we do -- I just like hanging out with him. 

Have you had any fun misadventures?

When I was in middle school, I went on a ski trip with my family. I accidentally took the wrong turn on the ski slope and got separated from my family. I thought I was going on an intermediate run, but ended up on an advanced run. At first, I was scared, but I decided that the best thing I could do was stay calm and focus on getting down the mountain safe. I got down the mountain safe, and found someone who worked for the ski resort. I told them I got separated from my family, and they sprung to action. My parents were looking for me too, so it didn’t take long for them to radio back with the location of my parents. We rode on a snowmobile over to their location, and it was all over just like that. Looking back, this experience made me realize that I was strong and had a lot of inner resources to draw from.

Nichol teaches class with us every Monday via Zoom. Geek out on poses very Monday at 12:00 pm for Advanced Posture Lab! Follow Nichol on instagram @nicholchase

RICHARD ROSEN'S ASANA BREAKDOWN - HANUMANASANA

HANUMANASANA
(hah-new-mahn-AHS-anna)

Hanuman’s Pose. Literally hanuman means “having large jaws.” Hanuman is a well-known and venerated figure in Hindu mythology. He’s the semi-divine chief of an army of monkey warriors, allied with the hero Rama in India’s great epic, the Ramayana. He’s the son of the wind god, Vayu (or Pavana).

It was the greatest leap ever taken. The speed of Hanuman’s jump pulled blossoms and flowers into the air after him and they fell like little stars on the waving treetops. The animals on the beach had never seen such a thing; they cheered Hanuman, then the air burned from his passage, and red clouds flamed over the sky. (from the Ramayana, retold by William Buck). 

This pose then, in which the legs are split forward and back, mimics Hanuman’s famous leap from the southern tip of India to the island of Sri Lanka.  

Practice this pose on a bare floor (without a sticky mat) with folded blankets under the back knee and front heel. You might also have a block or bolster within reach. Be careful though, this isn’t a pose to warm up with. 

1. Kneel on the floor between the blankets. Step your right foot forward about a foot in front of your left knee, and turn the foot slightly out to the right. Then lift the sole away from the floor and rest the foot more on the outer heel. This will turn your right thigh outwardly. 

2. Exhale and lean your torso forward, pressing your fingertips to the floor. Slowly slide your left knee back, straightening the knee and descending the front thigh toward the floor. Stop moving the knee a little before you reach the limit of your stretch. 

3. Now begin to push the right heel away from your torso. Go slowly at first, gradually turning the leg inward as the knee straightens (but keep the outer hip releasing toward the floor). At some point you’ll be back on the back of the right heel. As the front leg straightens, resume pressing the left knee back, and carefully descend the front of the left leg and the back of the right leg (and the base of the pelvis) to the floor. Make sure the center of the right knee points directly up toward the ceiling. 

4. Also check to see that the back leg extends straight out of the hip (and isn’t angled out to the left side), and that the center of the back knee cap is pressing directly on the floor. Keep the forward leg active by extending through the back of the heel and lifting the ball of the foot toward the ceiling. Bring the hands into Anjali Mudra or stretch the arms straight up toward the ceiling. 

5. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to a minute. To come out press your hands to the floor, turn the front leg out slightly, and slowly return the front heel and the back knee to their starting positions. Then reverse the legs and repeat for the same length of time. 

- Benefits
Stretches the thighs, hamstrings, groins 

- Contraindications
Groin or hamstring injuries 

- Modifications & Props: Either because of tightness in the backs of the legs or front groins, many students just beginning to learn this pose are often unable to get the legs and pelvis down on the floor. While in the starting leg position then (as described in step 1 above), place a thick bolster below the pelvis (with its long axis perpendicular to your inner legs). As you straighten the legs, slowly release your pelvis down onto the bolster. If the bolster isn’t thick enough to comfortable support your pelvis, add a thickly folded blanket. 

- Preparatory Asanas
Baddha Konasana
Janu Sirsasana
Paschimottanasana
Prasarita Padottanasana
Supta Virasana
Supta Baddha Konasana
Supta Padangustasana 
Upavistha Konasana
Urdhva Prasarita Padasana
Uttanasana
Virasana 

- Beginners Tip: To increase the length of the torso and spine, press the back foot actively into the floor and, from this pressure, lift the shoulder blades firmly into your back. 

- Advanced Tip: The arms are raised overhead from the “trigger” of the lower back ribs. Take the back ribs away from the top of the pelvis, and use this lift to reach the arms closer to the ceiling. Lengthen along the backs of the arms, stretching your pinkies a little closer to the ceiling than the index fingers. Then pin the fingertips against the ceiling and release or “hang” the ribs from the arms. Yo-yo the ribs between the arms and the pelvis: relative to the pelvis, the ribs lift, boosting the arms closer to the ceiling; relative to the arms, the ribs drop toward the floor, increasing the stretch in the armpits. 

Useless Worrying

Photo by Benoit Gauzere on Unsplash

This lovely poem encourages us to go outside and sing. Don’t worry how it sounds. Don’t worry if the garden grows, if you might get rheumatism. Just go outside and sing!

Enjoy it…Mary Oliver’s lovely prose about the uselessness of worrying……

I Worried

by Mary Oliver

I worried a lot.

Will the garden grow, will the rivers

flow in the right direction, willl the earth turn

as it was taught , and if not, how shall

I correct it?

Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,

can I do better?

Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows

can do it and I am, well,

hopeless.

Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,

am i going to get rheumatism,

lockjaw, dementia?

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing,

And gave it up. And took my old body

and went out into the morning,

and sang.

Healthy Backs: Tips from Egoscue® ....and Life

by Johnny Pirruccello, Egoscue® Walnut Creek

Photo by Joyce McCown on Unsplash

Four out of five of us will get back pain. Naturally, I’m an overachiever and I already have had 4 episodes, three of them were trauma from sport “accidents” and the 4th occurred while sitting. Anyone who has experienced back pain like me, can relate that you will do just about anything to feel better. Meaning, bring on the rest, ice, NSAIDs, core exercises, massage, and even consider surgery, which is where your mind will go. But after all of my back recoveries, I have developed a brief back pain guide that has worked for me and several others. So read on and maybe you will find some helpful ideas

Healthy Mind = Healthy Back

Focus on solution orientated thoughts and questions about your back like ‘why your back is painful’ instead of ‘what is wrong with your back’. We all initially think the latter, but focusing on why your back hurts helps you find results. For example why would my back hurt after prolonged sitting? Are my hips too tight? And if so, why does that make my back hurt? This thought process helps you understand how to approach your back pain solutions.

Common Culprits: Shoulders and Hips

Lack of motion--and variety of motion-- creates muscle imbalances that cause back compression and spinal muscle overactivation or atrophy. Sometimes these muscle imbalances are in the spine itself, which means a typical core exercise routine from google is the remedy, but if your back pain persists, then try exploring potential muscle imbalances of your shoulders and hips. You can quickly assess these regions by doing two tests. Reach arms overhead, was it easy or was it tight? Balance on one leg, was it comfortable or shaky? If your shoulders are tight and it’s hard to balance one leg, either of those regions are where you should start your rehab.

Test-Retest

Once you know where your muscle imbalance is, it’s time to learn the Test-Retest principle. It’s very simple. Self assess your back pain and do an exercise you think will help why your back hurts and then self assess again. If it feels better, it’s a keeper and it’s an exercise you will add to your repertoire. Keep doing the Test-Retest until you’ve discovered at least 3 exercises that help your back feel better.

Daily practice

Do your Test-Retest routine every morning. Feel free to evolve this routine with different exercises; it keeps you engaged especially if your back doesn’t hurt anymore. Also do a 20 minute walk as part of your daily practice. Longer walks restore proper hip alignment, which helps sore and tight backs.

Join Johnny for Egoscue Posture Conditioning classes at Nest:

Tuesdays & Thursdays; 4:30pm - 5:30pm.