Tuesday, March 31, 2020

On Gratitude During Uncertain Times: Six Offerings

Wood Gatherers in the Snow by Vincent van Gogh
by Kathleen Kraft

How do we take time out to feel grateful amidst the global tumult resulting from COVID-19? It has touched every aspect of our lives. We are in a state of collective shock; it’s hard not to be consumed by what is or is not going to happen in the near or distant future.

But, if we can stop and pause every day, there are still many, many things to be grateful for, and feeling grateful is a great balm for the mind. A bleak outlook can be mollified by the contentment—albeit sometimes fleeting—that gratitude brings.

Here are six short practices that I’ve found helpful in staying centered and grateful at this difficult moment in time:

1. Breath Practice. While lying down or seated I put my hands on my belly and close my eyes. On my inhale I say to myself, “I am grateful for my in-breath.” On my exhale I say to myself, “I am grateful for my out-breath.” I repeat this 4-6 times. Then, with my hands still on my belly, I observe the rise and fall of my breath until I feel ready to transition back into my day.

2. Gratitude Object. I have a little Native American rattle that is used for gratitude practice, but any small object that you care about is a good substitute. You might consider something that makes noise, like a small bell or a beaded necklace, as the sound the object makes can deepen your experience of your expression.

Find a comfortable seat. Take the object and place it in your palm, and then cover it with your other hand. Close your eyes and just hold the object, noticing the feel of it in your hands. Next, think of one thing you’re grateful for as you turn the object around in your hands. Then, think of one person you are grateful for as you turn it. If you like, you can alternate back and forth between the thing and the person as you turn the object. Then sit back, place the object in your lap and spend a few minutes being with your breath.

3. Bedtime Practice. Place your gratitude object on your bedside table. Look at it before you go to sleep and when you wake up.

4. Mantras. In Sanskrit, dhanya vad means I am grateful. While doing a mundane task, say doing the dishes or vacuuming, say to yourself “I am grateful for this simple activity.” Sometimes I chant om during house work to experience our connection to each other and the grounding effect om offers. You might also sing a song of gratitude or praise.

5. If You’re Unwell. If you are sick or have physical pain, lie down and place your hands on your belly or alongside your body, and bring your awareness to one place in your body where you are experiencing less pain or no pain. Breathe naturally and express either silently or out loud your gratitude for this place in your body that is free of pain. Be with this experience as long as you like.

6. Gratitude Toward Others. Tell someone in your life that you are grateful for them. Be specific and tell them what you love about them.

In closing, I offer you this gratitude poem from the 8th century:

My daily affairs are quite ordinary;
but I'm in total harmony with them.
I don't hold onto anything, don't reject anything;
nowhere an obstacle or conflict.
Who cares about wealth and honor?
Even the poorest thing shines.
My miraculous power and spiritual activity;
drawing water and carrying wood.

—Layman P'ang


Kathleen Kraft is a yoga teacher, writer, poet, and freelance editor. Her chapbook of poems Fairview Road was published by Finishing Line Press, and her work has appeared in many journals, including Five Points, Sugar House Review, Gargoyle, and The Satirist. She works at Yoga International; you can find her articles here. And you can find more information about her at kathleenyoga.com.

This post was edited by Nina Zolotow, Editor in Chief of the Accessible Yoga blog and co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being.

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Monday, March 30, 2020

Appreciation

Morning by Edvard Munch
by Jivana Heyman

As I woke up this morning and regained consciousness from the blissful ignorance of sleep, I noticed myself going through a rapid series of extreme thoughts and emotions. My first thought was about the pandemic: a thought that felt more like a punch in the gut. Fear of the unknown and of untold suffering for people all over the world, as well for me and those I hold dear. The feeling came so fast, filling me with a sense of dread, worry, and fear.

Then, in the next moment, a very different thought came. As I lay in bed, I noticed how comfortable and warm I was. I was overcome by a feeling of coziness and comfort. I was filled with a sense of appreciation that flooded my body. I felt so lucky to have this warm bed, a safe place to sleep, and a roof over my head. A small smile came over my face.

That was all in the first minute of being awake! It’s no wonder I’ve been so tired the last few weeks. This emotional journey has been exhausting, and I’m still mostly affected at a distance. I can only imagine the physical suffering of those who are ill, and the pain of their family and friends. I think of the bravery of frontline healthcare workers, and of the physical and emotional stress they’re experiencing.

But then I returned to the feeling of my warm bed. And I remembered a powerful meditation I once read by Thich Nhat Hanh, which he called, “The Un-Headache Meditation.” In this meditation, he asks us to pause and recognize those moments when we are not in pain and not suffering, the times we don’t have a headache.

He asks us to appreciate those moments of feeling okay. What a gift to stop and appreciate the things that I used to take for granted: going out for dinner, giving hugs, and teaching yoga in person. Also, an opportunity to appreciate the things I still have: my warm bed, homemade granola, and lots of buds on the plants in my garden getting ready to bloom.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s personal example of practicing peace in the face of the Vietnam War can be a guide for us all in this challenging moment. He experienced the pain and suffering of his country and used those experiences to share a message of internal and external peace. He taught us how to find peace in ourselves, even when the world was painful and challenging. He said, “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

In the face of darkness and fear, it feels like bravery to smile, especially if it allows me to smile at my husband or someone on the street as I try to avoid them. It’s not spiritual bypassing to try to focus on the little things that bring me joy or peace. Meditation feels especially hard for me right now. It feels like wallowing in the worry, but I know meditation is creating space for other thoughts to come. Space to acknowledge those moments when I don’t have a headache or when I don’t have fear, and then I can choose to smile.

Lifting myself up in this way is a big part of my practice. Living in quarantine with my family, I can feel those moments when my frustration and my impatience arises, and how I tend to take my feelings out on the people around me. Yoga practices give me a space to process my feelings. That is an essential service to myself and those around me, and it allows me to be of service in other ways—mostly because I’m not giving someone else a headache! When there is spaciousness, when I can bring my mind back to the safety of a warm bed, then I can offer support to my family, friends, students, and community. When I allow myself to smile, I can share the peace and also the pain of this journey. The smile becomes a gateway to sharing myself with the world.


This post was edited by Nina Zolotow, Editor in Chief of the Accessible Yoga blog and co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being.

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Friday, March 27, 2020

Don't Panic: Thinking Clearly in Times of Difficulty

Calm Sea by Gustave Courbet
by Nina Zolotow

By now most of us are well aware of all the effects that stress can have on our bodies. For example, here are just some of the health problems that chronic stress can cause: heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), insomnia and/or fatigue, digestive disorders, headaches, chronic anxiety or depression, and weakened immune system.

But what about the effect that stress has on our minds?

Perhaps you’ve noticed that when you’re particularly stressed out, your mind races. That’s because your stress response prompts you to rapidly assess your current situation, considering possible outcomes and solutions. Then, when you’re more relaxed and feeling safe, your thoughts slow down, so your mind is quieter. But what’s even more important than the effects of stress on the speed of your thoughts is that stress affects the types of thoughts that you are having and the actions that you are considering. This is called your thought-behavior repertoire.

I learned from psychologist Dan Libby, who is the founder of Veterans Yoga, that when we’re in stress mode (flight or fight state) our thought-behavior repertoire narrows, becoming limited to fight or flight strategies, including defend, avoid, retaliate, and escape.

On the other hand, when we are calmer, our thought-behavior repertoire expands to include a much wider range of possibilities than just fight of flight strategies, including more compassionate and altruistic alternatives like “How can I help?” and “What can I do to live in line with my values and goals?

Here is how Dan Libby described it:

"The basic gist is that regulating our autonomic nervous system, which really means activating the more newly evolved part of the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve, allows for an expansion of your thought-behavior repertoire. Instead of having a limited, narrow, tunnel-vision, like we do when our sympathetic nervous system is dominant, we have more cognitive and behavioral options available to navigate our world."

In the presentation of Dan's where I learned about stress and its effects our thought-behavior repertoire, he was talking about veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). But even someone who isn’t a war veteran can relate to problems that are created by high-stress thinking because we’ve all been in high-stress situations and we know how stress can make us do things in the moment that we’re not so happy about later. 

In some cases, high-stress thinking is appropriate. For example, for a soldier, a very high level of stress response is appropriate in an actual battle because a soldier needs to be narrowly focused on defending, avoiding, retaliating, and escaping. But that same level is not appropriate while you’re stuck in a traffic jam, working at the office, taking care of young children, or trying to figure out how to “shelter in place” during a pandemic. At times like these, we want to be able to consider alternatives other than defend, avoid, retaliate, and escape. In his post Teaching Yoga During a Pandemic, Jivana said about the novel coronavirus pandemic:

“The challenge here is to think of others and not just our own needs, which is the definition of karma yoga. We can consider our reaction to this challenging moment as an opportunity to practice yoga in action: to act with the benefit of others in mind.”

Obviously, this applies not only to the pandemic but also to all our actions in the everyday world. That’s why using yoga to reduce your stress levels is so valuable for helping you think more clearly during times of difficulty. When you practice yoga stress management techniques, you are, as Dan Libby described it, “activating the more newly evolved part of the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve” and in this more optimum state, you have “more cognitive and behavioral options available to navigate our world.” In other words, your thoughts and behavior possibilities expand to allow you to consider altruistic actions and how you can live in line with your basic values and goals.

In my recent post Stress Management for When You’re Stressed, I listed six different yoga tools you can use to reduce your stress. All of these techniques work in different ways to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest side of your nervous system) via the vagus nerve. So to practice yoga for thinking clearly, you can use any of those tools that you personally find the most effective or that you simply like the best.

In an emergency, if you notice your thoughts are racing and are focused only on flight or fight strategies, I suggest you try practicing simple breath awareness because that’s easy to do anywhere and everywhere, even standing up in a public place. All you have to do is observe your breath without changing it. And even a few minutes of practice can help center you or head off a spike in your stress levels. (See A Balm for the Soul: Practicing Simple Breath Awareness for details about how to practice breath awareness.) You could also try consciously lengthening your exhalation while allowing your inhalation to come naturally. (See Calming Breath Practices We Recommend for information on exhalation lengthening.)

Then, after you deal with your emergency, head on home and spend at least 20 minutes doing your favorite yoga for stress management poses or practices and consider doing this every day for a while. Practicing yoga for stress management regularly will help lower your baseline stress levels, so when you do experience another spike in stress levels, you might be able to keep your cool and avoid high-stress thinking.


This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Managing Editor of Accessible Yoga blog and member of the Board of Directors.

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Thursday, March 26, 2020

Corona Coping: Collective Care to Help Unemployed Yoga Teachers

Kerri Kelly and Jivana Heyman

by Patrice Priya Wagner

Last week in an online interview, I listened to Jivana Heyman, Accessible Yoga's Executive Director, speak with Kerri Kelly, yoga teacher and "organizer and advocate for what yoga should look like" (her words). Kelly is the founder of CTZNWELL, an emerging movement to mobilize people into a powerful force for wellbeing for all. She spent seven years as Executive Director of the non-profit Off the Mat, Into the World and is currently on faculty. In response to Jivana's varied questions, Kelly replied with some answers that I had expected and others that caught me by surprise. I found the part of the discussion on political organizing in the yoga community very informative and decided to briefly summarize it for you today.

Kelly spoke about the importance of community care, especially within marginalized groups, and the act of showing up for the needs of others. She described ways to organize a neighborhood block, so everyone has necessities, such as groceries, during a challenging time like the one we're experiencing. Jivana followed with the question, "What would that look like in the yoga community?"

Kelly replied, "What does it look like to look beyond our individual circumstances to fight for policies that look out for others?" My ears perked up, knowing that most yoga teachers don't have an institutional safety net but work as contractors—and are likely not working at all right now due to studios closing to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus.

I'm aware that Reclamation Ventures has a grant program that Nicole Cardoza put in place that provides funds to assist instructors in need of support. But there aren't many organizations doing this important work.

Kelly continued, "There is an opportunity for us to aggregate the very abundant resource that is this community. We have very wealthy wellness brands worth $4.7 trillion globally." Jivana added "most of which is made off the backs of yoga teachers."

According to Kelly, we need to ask the corporations to contribute to a fund that fills the gap for contract yoga employees who are suffering now because there is no safety net. "That would be very effective and powerful thing for us to do as a yoga community."

She asked, "How are these corporations taking care of their people? Is there paid leave? What are their policies?"

I wondered if the yoga community would be able to ask corporations to step in and supplement the income for unemployed yoga teachers. We aren't politically organized in a way that would make this easy to do, but perhaps we can get organized—and make for one very positive outcome of the COVID-19 world experience.

If you're interested in finding out more on how to organize politically, you can hear Kelly's ideas in depth on the full interview.


Patrice Priya Wagner, RYT 500, C-IAYT, teaches yoga to people with disabilities and offers meditation workshops in Oakland, California, and has been published in New Mobility Magazine, Works and Conversations, Artweek, and Kitchen Sink. She is Managing Editor of the Accessible Yoga Blog and a founding member of the Accessible Yoga Board of Directors.   



This post was edited by Nina Zolotow, Editor in Chief of the Accessible Yoga blog and co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Waking the Witness for Guidance in these Challenging Times: Core Qualities of Yoga, Part 9

This post is part of a series that explores a variety of core qualities and suggested practices to consider for inclusion in your classes and private sessions (whether on a mat, in a chair, or a combination of both).

by Beth Gibbs

The koshas are a multi-dimensional model of the human organism found in Indian texts composed around the 6th century BCE. They are described as five interrelated, interdependent layers, bodies, or sheaths that are common to each of us. They are:

  • PhysicalAnnamayakosha; the body
  • Breath/EnergyPranamayakosha; breath and energy in all of its forms (nadis, chakras, etc.)
  • Psycho/EmotionalManomayakosha; the everyday mind with its thoughts and emotions
  • WitnessVijnanamayakosha; witnessing, wisdom consciousness
  • Bliss BodyAnandamayakosha; the natural state of all humans. 

Bliss is what brings us the most joy. Bliss has the power to take us out of ourselves and deliver us to a place of deep contentment, and wholeness. It may be through religion, spirituality, a passionate hobby, joy in nature, or a deep connection to what gives our lives meaning.

The first known mention of the koshas is found in the Taittiriya Upanishad, a Vedanta text that predates Patanjali's Yoga Sutras by about 1,000 years. The source referenced here is, The Upanishads, a translation by Eknath Easwaran, pages 251–256.

Each one of the five layers plays an important role in helping us live our best lives. However, I’ve chosen to focus on the quality of witnessing because the Witness (Vijnanamayakosha) is the lamp that illuminates all aspects and all five layersof ourselves; personality and shadow, the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly, for understanding, acceptance, and integration. When we are able to witness our physical sensations, thoughts, emotions, habits, and behaviors without judgment, we can consciously choose to make changes, keep the status quo with full knowledge of the consequences, or find acceptance if change is not possible. In his professional Yoga Therapist Training Manual, Joseph Le Page says:

“At the level of the everyday mind, the actor is caught inside their own drama and often cannot see beyond it. At the wisdom level, we are able to step out of that personal conditioning and look beyond the roles we play to see the larger picture of who we truly are.”

Waking the Witness becomes especially important to anyone who has ever dealt with difficulty - and who hasn’t! This is important because no matter who we are, where we live, or what our current condition or situation is, our ability to witness enables us to respond in a wise and balanced manner to the ups and downs of our human experience. This is true whether it’s a situation with our physical body, our energy, or our mind and emotions.

The thinking mind tends to judge, compare, and contrast what it observes. The Witness, however, will observe and accept what it finds without judgment. Witnessing is the key to finding clarity, contentment, and resilience in our complicated world. For example, I once held the belief that asking for help is a sign of weakness. In my life this belief often co-existed with feeling angry, stressed, and overwhelmed with responsibility. When I reached my breaking point and engaged the quality of witnessing, I was able to trace that belief to its source‑to watching my mom, my Aunt Lucy, and my favorite cousin Ella, seemingly do it all. I watched them take on responsibility for family life, work outside the home, community involvement, and church projects.

The key word here, as you may have guessed, is "seemingly." I am sure they could have used help, but I never heard or saw them ask for it. Why? I can guess. It might be that strong Black woman stereotype, or the line from the Helen Reddy song, “I am woman, hear me roar,” independent streak that many of us carry. I’ll never know for sure. My mom, aunt and cousin have all passed, and I can’t ask them. I was left dealing with a lingering and possibly unhealthy aversion to being dependent upon or obligated to others. 

The witnessing process helped me understand where that belief came from and how it was manifesting in mental and physical discomfort. I was able to take mindful steps to transform it. I learned to think clearly about asking for help, and can now ask for and accept help with gratitude. I no longer believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness (well, most of the time‑it’s a process for me).

Here is a practice for waking the Witness. Try it for yourself first and then with students in your classes.

Practice: Awareness of Sensation

Sensation can be defined as an impression, perception, or feeling in the body such as tingling, pulsing, heaviness, firmness, tightness, ease, stretch, a change of temperature, or connection with a surface. Because the body speaks with sensation and is accessible through our five senses, awareness of sensation is an effective starting point to engage the quality of witnessing.

1. Beginning. Take a posture you can comfortably hold for three to five minutes. Consider Mountain Pose (Tadasana) standing or seated, Simple Seated Pose (Sukhasana), or Relaxation Pose (Savasana)—as long as you remain awake. As you move awareness through the body, notice sense, and feel any sensations that are present. If you catch yourself judging what you find, witness that.

2. Lower Body. Take a moment to experience the toes, the bottoms of the feet, tops of the feet, the ankles, and the heels. 
Begin to draw your awareness into the lower legs, noticing the shins, and the calves.
Explore the knees, the area above and below the kneecaps and the backs of the knees.
Draw awareness to the thighs, tops of the thighs, the sides, and backs of the thighs.
Bring awareness to the pelvis. Explore the place where the legs meet the hips.

3. Torso. Bring awareness to the lower abdomen, the area below the navel. Sense this area from the pubic bone to the sacrum. 
Explore the low back.
Move awareness to the solar plexus, the area where the ribs meet in front of the body. Become aware of your middle torso from the solar plexus to the mid-back.
Explore the entire area of the chest, heart, and lungs. Explore the upper back and the area between the shoulder blades.

4. Upper Body. Sense the shoulders and collarbones.
Become aware of the arms relaxing along the sides of the body or in the lap.
Take a moment to pay focused attention to the palms of the hands.
Allow awareness to travel up the arms, through the shoulders, and into the neck and throat.
Begin to explore the head, the back of the head, the top of the head, the forehead, the area around the eyes, the ears, jaw, the inside of the mouth, and the chin.

5. Finish. Allow awareness to become global, encompassing the whole of the lower body, torso, and upper body.
As you witness the whole of the body, notice any sensations that stand out to you in this moment.
Witness, and explore your experience without judgment.
When you feel a sense of completion, begin to slowly move the fingers and toes. Stretch in any way that is comfortable as you return to full awareness.
Feel free to journal or draw picture of your experience.

With practice we can engage the quality of witnessing, bring clear, focused attention to what we find to accept and integrate all aspects of ourselves, pleasant and not so pleasant. Working with the Witness helps us move through our lives with clarity, contentment, and resilience.

Elizabeth (Beth) Gibbs, MA, C-IAYT, is a certified yoga therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is a guest faculty member of the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy. Her masters’ degree in Yoga Therapy and Mind/Body Health is from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She is the author of Ogi Bogi, The Elephant Yogi, a therapeutic yoga book for children. For more information please visit her website at: bethgibbs.com


This post was edited by Patrice Priya Wagner, Managing Editor of Accessible Yoga blog and member of the Board of Directors.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Home Practice Club: Making Your Own Yoga Props

by Nina Zolotow
Rolled Blankets, Folded Towels, Folded Blankets
Stacked Books, Tennis Balls, Silk Scarf, and
Bathrobe Sash
Now I know some people are reluctant to get started with props because they seem like such a hassle and maybe also because they’re seen as part of the whole distasteful “consumerist” aspect of yoga in America. But I’m afraid that for stress management, calming, and restorative poses—poses I'm pretty sure all of us need to practice more these days—props really are necessary. That’s because your body can relax much more effectively if it is being fully supported, rather than you having to use your muscles to support you.

However, using “props” doesn’t mean you need to run out and buy hundreds of dollars worth of specialized merchandise to duplicate what they have in your local yoga studio. In fact, for almost every prop we use in our poses, there is something in your house that you can use in its place.


Blocks. In most cases, you can use a book or a stack of books in place of a block. The only time you need to be careful about this is when you are placing both hands on a height (for example, in Downward-Facing Dog pose with hands on blocks). In this case, make sure the books are exactly the same height. And, of course, if you’re handy, there is no reason why you can’t make your own blocks out of pieces of wood you happen to have out in your garage. Just be sure to sand them well so you don’t get any splinters.


Straps. For a yoga strap substitute, look no further than your closet. Depending on which pose you’re doing, you can use an actual belt (leather or cloth). The sash from a bathrobe works quite well. You could even use an actual tie. And, yes, it’s nice to have one of those yoga strap buckles when you want to make a loop, but you could always tie a knot in the belt for the same effect. Just make sure that the cloth isn’t stretchy, as it won’t provide the necessary support if there is a lot of give to it.


Bolsters. I’d say if there’s one prop it’s worth investing in, a round bolster is my pick! Mine has lasted over 10 years, and has provided me with so much use and comfort.... That being said, you can “fake” a bolster by rolling a couple of blankets into a firm roll. Start with one single blanket that is folded into quarters. Then, from the narrow side, roll the blanket into a tight, firm roll. Then fold your second blanket into quarters. Finally, place the rolled-up first blanket on top of the flat second blanket, lining up the edges of both at narrow end, and then roll the second blanket around the first. Pretty close to a bolster, right? Another possibility is to use a sleeping bag that has been rolled up inside its bag for storage.


In many poses, the bolster doesn’t even need to be a round shape. In this case, you can fold some yoga blankets into long, thin rectangles and stack them on top of each other. This works well for reclined, supported poses, such as Reclined Cobbler’s pose, Reclined Hero pose, and Supported Savasana.


Blankets. The blankets used in yoga studios (and in our photographs) are wool, single-bed blankets, often from an Army Navy store. Because few people use real blankets any more, it’s a bit hard to find a substitute blanket in the house. The comforters and duvets we now use on our beds—when did that trend take over?—are too fluffy to provide any real support. However, when push comes to shove, a stack of towels can do the trick. Because towels are thinner than wool blankets, you’ll have to use more to achieve the same height. But some yoga studios, including some in India, use those very thin cotton hospital blankets, and you have to use quite a number of those, too. (I actually once taught yoga at a hospital, and we used those hospital blankets there, so I know. I’ve also done yoga in hotel rooms where I used the towels, so I know all about that, too.)


Yoga Mats. If you’re practicing on a wooden or carpeted floor, you might not even need a yoga mat at all for your standing poses. Try it and see. If you are resting your head on the floor, such as in an inverted pose, and the floor is too hard, you can put a thin towel under your head. You can also use a towel for cushioning your knees or any other part of your body.


Eye Pillows. 
An eye pillow has two functions. The first is to block out the light. For this purpose, you can drape a silk scarf or any other soft fabric over your eyes. The second purpose is to add a little weight to your eyelids, which can enhance relaxation. To add a little weight, you could wrap the silk scarf around a folded washcloth or even a small baggie filled with rice (hey, I just thought of that one).


Sandbags. So far, we haven’t been discussing and/or showing sandbags, but just so you know, a bag of rice or beans works just as well when you want to place a 1 or 5 pound weight on your body.


Be creative! Sometimes you can use various pieces of furniture in your house or hotel room, such as benches, ottomans, and coffee tables for various poses. I used to teach yoga in a room that had couches in it but no chairs, and at the end of class we used to do “Legs on a Couch pose,” which was my way of doing Easy Inverted pose. And I know teachers who use tennis and lacrosse balls for all kinds of evil—I mean, excellent—things.


That’s it for now, but if I’ve forgotten about anything important or you have some good ideas of your own, please let me know.



This post was written by Nina Zolotow, Editor in Chief of the Accessible Yoga blog and co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being.

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Monday, March 23, 2020

Home Practice Club: Carey Sims' Movement-Centered Chair Yoga Practice

In this video, yoga teacher Carey Sims leads you through a full-length chair yoga practice. That particular practice focuses on grounding, rhythm, and gentle spinal movement as it relates to breathing. By moving slowly and breathing gently, you can down-regulating your nervous system. It should be pretty accessible even to people who have  never practiced yoga. 

We hope this will encourage you to keep up your yoga practice even if you can no longer go to the public classes. We'll try to have more offerings like this in the future. And if you have a video you'd like to share on the blog, please let me know. —Nina





Carey Sims E-RYT500 lives in Charlotte, NC. His mission is to to help students explore their bodies in an accepting and non-judgmental way. He teaches “Gentle Back Care” at NoDa Yoga and offers Chair/Adaptive Yoga classes at various senior living centers in the Charlotte area. He is a student of Adaptive Yoga pioneer Matthew Sanford and an Accessible Yoga Ambassador and leads continuing education workshops on Chair Yoga and Adaptive Yoga. Carey holds degrees in Psychology from Winthrop University and Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte teaches modules on Yoga History and Ethics for several 200 hour Yoga Teacher Trainings.

This post was edited by Nina Zolotow, Editor in Chief of the Accessible Yoga blog and co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being.

° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube

° REGISTER here for our next conference. 

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Friday, March 20, 2020

Teaching Yoga During a Pandemic

Cloud Study by John Constable
by Jivana Heyman

I lived through one epidemic already—AIDS killed most of my friends and much of my community in the 1990s. In fact, AIDS is still one of the top ten killers around the world, so it’s not over yet. But one thing I learned from the AIDS epidemic is that people don’t like using condoms! It true, none of us like to change our lifestyles or to do anything that reduces our pleasure or fun.

I’m seeing some of that tendency again as we are faced with a new epidemic, the novel coronavirus. Just as with AIDS, marginalized communities will be most directly impacted by this virus. That includes people without resources or health insurance, people with compromised immune systems, and the elderly. It’s painful to see those who have resources play down the importance of a proactive, informed response because it might interfere with their lifestyle in some way.

Nicole Cardoza, founder of Yoga Foster and Reclamation Ventures, wrote an informative article about this in Medium. She explains, "Wellness is the fastest growing industry worldwide, and as we head into Q2 2020 the hot new workout is the twenty-second hand washing routine. In just a matter of weeks, the coronavirus has knocked the wellness industry off its feet, creating a swift reckoning with our relationship between “health and wellness” and "privilege and access". Now, coronavirus itself isn’t responsible for the inequities that persist in wellness. Instead, it’s merely exacerbating them; mirroring systemic inequities that are persisted in this industry — and throughout society."

The challenge here is to think of others and not just our own needs, which is the definition of karma yoga. We can consider our reaction to this challenging moment as an opportunity to practice yoga in action: to act with the benefit of others in mind. But that’s especially difficult for yoga teachers when it’s unclear what is best for our students.

Yoga is so helpful for dealing with the stress, anxiety, and fear that so many of us, and our students, are experiencing. But yoga isn’t a going to keep us from getting this virus. Yoga can help us stay calm, and that’s essential in this moment of worldwide panic. But we also need to take responsibility for our students’ health and wellbeing in practical ways.

News from China and Italy make it clear that improved hygiene will not be enough, and social distancing is needed to slow the spread of the virus. According to the CDC: “Social distancing means remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.” The challenge facing yoga teachers is that most of us are self-employed and don’t have the resources to cancel classes or teach less. But that is what we are being called to do.

In a recent announcement, Yoga Alliance suggested that in-person yoga instruction should cease to help prevent the spread of the virus. “Yoga Alliance is strongly recommending, for communities where social distancing has become required, recommended, or the community norm, that all in-person yoga instruction be canceled until the need for social distancing has passed, at which time we can evaluate the safety of resuming regular or modified practice schedules.” You can check out their COVID-19 resource page here.

Accessible Yoga teachers often work with populations who are at greater risk from the virus, so we have added responsibilities and face a number of hard decisions. Canceling classes is clearly the way forward, but our students may risk increased social isolation, which can lead to other serious medical issues. The other option is moving classes online, which so many of us are rushing to do. But this can be challenging for those of us who don’t have a system set up for online teaching or if our students aren’t able to access online classes.

Amber Karnes and a group of volunteers for Accessible Yoga have put together a COVID-19 Resource Guide for Yoga Teachers, which includes best practices for online teaching, as well as other resources that can be helpful at this time. Amber and I are also hosting daily Facebook Live conversations on our Accessible Yoga Community Facebook group with different community leaders and teachers talking about how to respond to this crisis. This blog also has a multitude of resources for yoga teachers and practitioners who are looking to practice at home or to spend time studying new aspects of yoga during this time.

Although it’s often the source of our feelings of separation, social media is also a potential way for us to feel more connected. Maybe we can take this opportunity to rethink the way we use social media to help build connection and community, using these platforms for healthy interactions and mutual support. That might begin with simply checking ourselves before we respond to a post or it could mean posting questions that invite constructive discussions and education. It also means being careful not to share misinformation about the virus. If you don’t recognize the source of the information than don’t share it, or do some research to understand more about this source. Facebook has a little “I” icon on the bottom right corner of all articles that are posted. This will give you access to additional information about the nature of this source.

In the end, I wonder if social distancing can actually make us closer. Is it possible that this disaster will bring the world together as we face a shared challenge and help us open to the shared experience of others? For now, each of us needs to reflect on how we can protect ourselves, our families, our students, and our communities in general.


This post was edited by Nina Zolotow, Editor in Chief of the Accessible Yoga blog and co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being.

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To order Jivana Heyman's book Accessible Yoga in the U.S., go to Shambhala PublicationsAmazonBarnes and NobleIndie Bound (for independent bookstores), or your local bookstore. People in other countries who want the order the book see How to Order "Accessible Yoga" from Countries Outside the U.S.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

COVID-19, Yoga, and Community Care: Summary of Discussion with Jivana Heyman and Amber Karnes


by Patrice Priya Wagner

A few days ago, I joined a group of yoga teachers and students to hear Jivana Heyman, Accessible Yoga's Executive Director, and Amber Karnes, Founder of Body Positive Yoga, speak on yoga in these challenging COVID-19 times. Like many other events these days, this event took place online (on Facebook) to reduce any possible spread of COVID-19 to audience members.

I was aware that many more people were listening than I'd witnessed for similar Facebook Live events, and with less than 24 hours advance notice. The feeling of wanting answers and reassurance about weathering this storm was almost palpable, albeit digitally. What follows is a summary of most of what Jivana and Amber shared with the Accessible Yoga Community Facebook group, and you'll find more in-depth coverage of the topics on our blog in the coming days. You can also hear the talk from start to finish here.

After a centering meditation, Jivana began the conversation by pointing out how appropriate yoga practice is during these challenging times. He reminded us that community is the essence of what we're doing; when we teach yoga class, we're building community and connecting outside of our individual self. But, he shared, he feels tension right now. "How can we do that when we're being told to isolate? It's hard to feel connected in this time. It speaks to something that is at the root of yoga, which is that we're all intimately connected yet we're all separate. I think about that dichotomy, or paradox, that yoga is an inner spiritual practice, but somehow we need the community to do that. There's this tension between the individual and the communal, and it is really interesting to consider."

So we can consider that right now: how we can be together even if we may be alone, physically. We can be together in that. Jivana went on to say, "If we're all at home isolating, it's kind of nice knowing that other people are doing it, too. It doesn't feel as lonely to me when I know everyone is in that same place now."

Another thing that comes to mind, Jivana added, is that yoga speaks to the fact that illness, disability, and death are part of life and factor into what we are teaching, especially when we teach Accessible Yoga. We discuss approaching illness, disability, and death in a more conscious way.

Anyone on a spiritual path needs to consider their mortality and their relationship with death and fear of death. It's a key feature in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the fifth klesha, which is fear of death (abhinivesha). It's a basic fear in humans, Jivana continued, and normal to feel that fear, and it's recognized in the yoga teachings for what it is. The Bhagavad Gita says that even a little bit of the practice of yoga can remove fear.

Another way to remove fear is to build faith, not faith in something outside of ourselves but in our true selves, the sense that there's always something inside and that part is always okay. The more we connect to that place, the more can deal with fear in our lives.

According to Jivana, the human experience includes illness, disability, and difference, and maybe the world is learning a little about that right now. He also acknowledged the work that the disability community has done, in particular to wake us up to the concept that illness, disability, and death are part of our normal life.

Amber Karnes then shared that even though some of us might be scared right now, we're all in the same boat and together in this. She talked about the importance of thinking about people who are most vulnerable, and said that she cancelled her classes and trainings to be mindful of them. While this pandemic is impacting yoga businesses, it's important to do what we can, individually, to help the community.

Amber spoke about the issue of healthism at this time. There is a personal responsibility that we need to take to keep ourselves healthy. But she continued, "It's important to remember that health is not a barometer of worthiness. It's because we have inherent value as humans. In yoga we talk about that inner connectedness, consciousness that we all share, atman—that is why we deserve respect and care. Health is not guaranteed to us even if we're doing all the right things."

How can we be of service as yoga teachers? Amber said we have tools and resources to share that much of the world does not have, such as the tool of teaching people how to down-regulate their nervous systems. In addition, we have the gift of how to use the breath to self-soothe, which is really important at a time when we have a 24/7 news feed of tragic information. While it's important to stay informed, give yourself breaks, remember your own practice, and engage in self-care.

Amber offered some practical tips in practicing self-care for people whose daily activities have been put on hold and have time on their hands. These include hydrating, getting enough sleep, taking breaks from news stream and social media, getting fresh air, taking walks, doing your practice. Make a list of all the resources available to you in case you get anxious and need reminding that you have your breath, movement (even if that's just your eyeballs), a voice to sing, a community to connect with, and more.

A crowd-sourcing document called COVID-19 Resources for Yoga Teachers is being developed to share resources within this community. Anyone may suggest a resource they know of, and editors can add that information to the document as it evolves.

If you're thinking of taking your classes online, Amber will be offering a separate webinar in the future about practical tools to do that. She suggests starting by informing yourself about tools like Zoom, Google, and FaceTime, and says, "It may be messy and difficult at first but start using these tools now." She recommends connecting with people and testing it out with them, especially folks who are isolated right now.

Jivana concluded by reminding us it's important to release the anxiety and stress that builds up these days. He admitted to dancing around the house when he needs to! Amber agreed, and stated she feels the world has shifted on its axis and the way we live our lives may be very different for a while. As humans we need to find balance in our lives, so if you need to watch some funny cat videos on YouTube, do it!


Patrice Priya Wagner, RYT 500, C-IAYT, teaches yoga to people with disabilities and offers meditation workshops in Oakland, California, and has been published in New Mobility Magazine, Works and Conversations, Artweek, and Kitchen Sink. She is Managing Editor of the Accessible Yoga Blog and a founding member of the Accessible Yoga Board of Directors.   



This post was edited by Nina Zolotow, Editor in Chief of the Accessible Yoga blog and co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being.

° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube

° REGISTER here for our next conference. 

° DONATE here to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Corona Coping: Yoga in Challenging Times

by Patrice Priya Wagner

For the first time in many years, I feel happier staying at home this afternoon than going out to take my weekly yoga class. It's a backward sort of feeling because I'm usually disappointed when I'm forced to stay home on a warm and sunny California day like today.

With an immune system compromised by multiple sclerosis, I'm actually pleased to be typing away at my keyboard with my dog nearby rather than finding myself sitting on a yoga mat less than three feet from the student next to me. What if someone in the class were to sneeze and not cover their mouth, letting all sorts of unknown germs loose in the studio? At home, my dog is the only one who can drag in germs until my husband returns later today, so I feel somewhat in control of the germs I may encounter in the next few hours.

Not only is there an upside to staying home because I'm avoiding countless germs, but I'm also getting the chance to chat with my elusive family members. I don't feel isolated today with all the text messages coming through as I try to write this. I'm on a texting thread where there are at least two separate topics of conversation happening: the effect of the coronavirus on the stock market and whether or not schools will close where I live and in New York (Manhattan). I keep switching from tapping at the keyboard as I add to this article to reading the newest text message on the thread before the discussion gets too far ahead of me.

Then I see a photo of a goat cheese roll in a deli freezer with the question, "Should I buy the large one?" At which point I have to jump in just to keep my sanity, so I text message that non sequiturs have no place on this thread. With seven people chatting, it isn't polite to ask a question pertinent to just two in the group. But then, people in my family always do talk over each other in person—why should texting be any different? We're just like that. No one replies to my message so I figure they may have chosen to start a new thread without me to discuss the merits of large goat cheese rolls. Fine with me so I can get back to writing an article.

I'm not saying that this new existence of being cooped up inside is enjoyable for everyone. I understand that folks who are healthy want to go out and socialize, at least have a meal in a restaurant with other people around. During these strange times we're now living through—our first pandemic in over 100 years—people who are usually highly active may get a taste of the physical isolation that people with disabilities deal with on a daily basis. For someone like me, it sure is nice to have more friends and family members to share the experience with on a sunny day when I can't go out to play.

So if you know people who are self-quarantined or who are practicing social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus—or if you’re in this position yourself—remember to reach out to others! In times like these, a simple phone call or a group texting session can make all the difference. This is one way you can practice karma yoga, selfless service, during these challenging times.

Patrice Priya Wagner, RYT 500, C-IAYT, teaches yoga to people with disabilities and offers meditation workshops in Oakland, California, and has been published in New Mobility Magazine, Works and Conversations, Artweek, and Kitchen Sink. She is Managing Editor of the Accessible Yoga Blog and a founding member of the Accessible Yoga Board of Directors.   



This post was edited by Nina Zolotow, Editor in Chief of the Accessible Yoga blog and co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being.

° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube

° REGISTER here for our next conference. 

° DONATE here to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Stress Management for When You're Stressed

The Angel of Peace by Walter Crane
“The antidote to stress is relaxation. To relax is to rest deeply. This rest is different from sleep. Deep states of sleep include periods of dreaming which increase muscular tension, as well as other physiological signs of tension. Relaxation is a state in which there is no movement, no effort, and the brain is quiet." —Judith Lasater

When you’re not feeling particularly stressed out, a well-rounded yoga practice that includes active asanas and short-sessions of the stress management techniques of your choice will help keep your stress levels in check. And if you chose meditate every day or do breath practices, restorative yoga or supported inversions on your rest days, all the better. 

But in times like these (where I live—the San Francisco Bay Area—is now in Shelter in Place mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic), stress levels for most people are particularly high. So today’s post provides suggestions for how to practice yoga for periods when you’re going through chronic stress. (For information about improving your sleep, see 5 Tips for Better Sleep. And for information about changing the way you react to stressors, see Re-Patterning Your Nervous System: Practice for the Real World.)

I’ll start with an overview of the six basic yoga tools you can use to reduce your stress levels. I’ll then make some suggestions about how to use these various tools in your home practice.

Six Yogic Tools for Reducing Stress

The six yogic tools on my list all provide you, in different ways, with the ability to switch your nervous system from Stress response (Fight or Flight mode) to Relaxation mode (Rest and Digest mode). Turning off the Stress response reduces your overall stress levels and allows you to experience the benefits of conscious relaxation. (See Life-Changer: Understanding Your Autonomic Nervous System for more information about your nervous system and The Relaxation Response and Yoga for information about the Relaxation response.)

These stress management tools are not all interchangeable, however. Although you can use any of these practices for stress management and you can choose whichever techniques you prefer to trigger the Relaxation Response, these practices each have different roles to play in a balanced yoga practice. In addition, not every form of stress management works effectively for everyone. And if a relaxation technique is not working for you, it’s not working for you, so find something else to practice (see If It's Not Working For You, It's Not Working For You for alternatives).

1. Meditation. Yogic meditation triggers the Relaxation Response through your focus on an object of meditation. As you repeatedly move your attention to your internal or neutral object of meditation and away from external worries or concerns, you’re signaling to your nervous system that you’re safe. Your nervous system responds by switching to the Rest and Digest state. Options include both seated and reclined meditation, with a mental focus of the breath or other physical sensations, mantra or sound, and visual imagery. See Starting a Meditation Practice and How to Meditate.

The role of meditation in a balanced yoga practice is particularly important (see Is Meditation an Essential Part of Practicing Yoga? and Samyama: The Trinity of Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi). Although you can use meditation for stress reduction, its role in classical yoga is to quiet the mind to allow union with the divine or “liberation.” Meditation is also, as Timothy McCall says, a “fabulous tool to study your mind and slowly gain more control over it.”

2. Breath Practices. Simple breath awareness triggers the Relaxation Response by providing a mental focus. Pranayama, on the other hand, directly affects your nervous system by changing your heart rate. Practices that slow your breath or lengthen your exhalation quiet your nervous system. (On the other hand, practices where you lengthen your inhalation stimulate your nervous system and practices where you make your inhalations and exhalations the same length are really more “balancing” than calming. See Pranayama: A Powerful Key to Your Nervous System for an explanation). You can perform breath awareness and pranayama either seated or reclined. See A Balm for the Soul: Practicing Simple Breath Awareness for information about how to practice breath awareness and Calming Breath Practices We Recommend for some calming forms of pranayama that I suggest might be helpful at this time.

Like meditation, pranayama is also an important component of classical yoga, and precedes meditation as one of eight steps on the path to samadhi (union with the divine). It is considered an instrument to “steady the mind” and a gateway to dharana (the first phase of meditation). See The Fourth Branch of Yoga: Pranayama.

3. Restorative Yoga. These modern yoga poses provide deep physical relaxation by supporting and relaxing your body, and can trigger the Relaxation Response if you practice them with a mental focus. The mental focus is important because as in meditation it signals to your nervous system that you’re safe. Classic examples are Reclined Cobbler’s pose and Supported Child’s pose. See Restorative Yoga: An Introduction for more information and Mini Restorative Practice for a simple sequence.

4. Supported Inversions. These modern yoga poses use gravity to trigger the Relaxation Response through the mechanisms that control your blood pressure. You don’t need a mental focus (although you can use one); as long as you are warm, quiet, and comfortable in the pose, all you have to do is let the pose work its magic. Classic examples are Legs Up the Wall pose and Supported Bridge pose. See All About Supported Inverted Poses for more information.

Caution: Inverted poses may be unsafe for those with certain medical conditions, such as high blood pressure that is not controlled with medication, eye problems, such as glaucoma or detached retina, recent oral surgery, or neck problems (for the inversions that put pressure on their necks). See Friday Q&A: Cautions for Inversions.

5. Savasana. In both classic and supported forms, this pose provides deep physical relaxation for your body and can trigger the relaxation response if you practice it with a mental focus. See Savasana (Corpse Pose) for detailed instructions on how to practice and Savasana Variations for different physical postures you can practice in.

Savasana is an ancient yoga pose. Based on what I’ve read about the original practice, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Savasana is a reclining form of meditation. To practice Savasana properly, however, you must actually do the work of meditating while you are in the pose (and make sure you don’t fall asleep). If you don’t actually meditate while in Savasana, then, well, you are simply relaxing. But that's okay, too, if that is what you are after.

6. Focused Relaxation. These guided relaxation practices, which include basic body scans and visualization practices, as well as formal practices like yoga nidra, allow you to achieve both physical relaxation and reduce stress levels by guiding you through a deep physical relaxation experience and providing mental imagery that harnesses you to the present.

Focused relaxation practices are specifically designed as relaxation techniques, and as such do not replace meditation or pranayama in a balanced yoga practice. This is true of any form of Savasana in which an external voice is providing instructions and/or imagery for you.

My post on Yoga for Healthy Aging called 6 Ways to Take A Yoga Staycation has more information (and more links!) about all these yogic tools.

How to Practice Yoga for Stress Management

How Often to Practice. If you are going through a stressful period, I suggest practicing at least a short stress management session for about 20 minutes every single day, if possible. Right now, I myself, at the minimum, am practicing 20 minutes of meditation and 20 minutes of Legs Up the Wall pose every day. What you practice for your short stress management sessions could be any of the relaxation practices you prefer or that work in your particular circumstances: seated or reclined meditation, calming breath practices, one or two restorative and/or supported inverted poses, or a guided relaxation program. And because exercise is important for reducing stress, you should aim for doing an active asana practice (or another type of exercise, such as walking) around three to four days a week.

How Long to Practice. For a short stress management session, I suggest a length of 20 minutes per day, but you can actually divide this session up and practice part of your session in the morning and part later in the day. For example, you could you could meditate for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening or meditate in the morning and do a restorative pose at the end of the day.

What to Practice.
For days when you want to do a full-length active practice in addition to your stress management, practice any sequence of active poses that you like either in the daytime or early evening but not just before bed. (Active poses, especially standing poses and backbends, can be very stimulating so it’s best to avoid them just before going to sleep as they can cause insomnia.) Generally, if you’re combining active poses and stress management practices, it makes sense to include the active poses at the beginning of your sequence, although if you’re fatigued you can start with a resting pose and ease into the more active poses. But always quiet down after the active poses with a stress management practice. For days when you just need a short stress management session, choose any single or combination of stress management practices that work for you in your particular circumstances.

Static Poses. These poses are good for grounding you when you’re feeling anxious or flighty and for tiring yourself out a bit when you’re feeling hyper. Standing poses, such as Warrior 2 and Triangle pose, are particularly effect for this. But a balanced practice that includes poses from every category will engage your body and mind, and release physical tension from your body. Practice mindfully for best results (see Practicing Yoga Mindfully).

Dynamic Poses.
These poses are good for releasing held tension in your body, engaging your body and mind, and mildly energizing yourself when stress makes you feel fatigued. Be careful, however, not to practice (or breathe) too quickly, as this can over-stimulate you. Practice mindfully for best results (see Practicing Yoga Mindfully).

Supported Inverted Poses. For many people, supported inverted poses are so effective for calming the nervous system and quieting the mind that even just one 15-minute session of Legs Up the Wall pose can turn the day around. And if these poses work well for you, during your active practice days, always include one or more near the end of your practice (before Savasana or meditation). Choose poses that you can hold for extended periods of time and use appropriate propping to ensure you’ll be comfortable. Warming up for these poses with active or reclining poses that stretch your legs and open your shoulders may help you be less fidgety. 

Restorative Poses. If stress is making you feel exhausted and depleted, you can put together an entire asana practice from restorative poses or even practice a single pose on its own. And if you are doing a more active practice and you enjoy restorative poses, include one or two at the end of your practice. Choose poses that you can hold for extended periods of time so you can relax, completely and use appropriate propping to ensure you’ll be entirely comfortable.

Focused Relaxation. Guided relaxation, meditation, calming breath practices, and Savasana with a mental focus are practices that you can do on their own or include in an active practice. Although these are good practices to end your practice with, you can also use them to start a practice as a way to center yourself. Choose the techniques that work best for you and your particular circumstances. And make sure to use seated or reclined positions that you can hold for extended periods of time so you can relax completely, and use appropriate propping to ensure you’ll be entirely comfortable.

This post was written by Nina Zolotow, Editor in Chief of the Accessible Yoga blog and co-author of Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being.

° FOLLOW Accessible Yoga on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube

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° DONATE here to help us bring yoga to people who don't have access or have been underserved, such as people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, children with special needs, and anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in a regular yoga class.