Reader Request: Quick Core Killer

Really this should be called Sister Request but Reader sounds more bloggish. I am a firm believer that to build a strong core we need a well rounded exercise routine rather than just 1000 crunches. Crunches have their place, sure, but in order to support long distance running, headstands, baby carrying, or any other day to day movement it is important to work the WHOLE core (everything from the hips to the armpits). Not just the crunch muscles. Sister agrees so she gets a slideshow of moves in her honor. I did not find my camera so these pictures look like security camera footage on the news. My apologies. Also, I took them between running and showering so I myself look like I could be on COPS. Just be glad you can't smell blogs!

The slideshow is to give a demonstration of the basic moves. See below for more descriptive instructions.

Quick Core Killer

1. Hold plank 30 seconds

2. 3 legged dog to sunbird flow- in downward dog kick one leg into the air (3 legged dog pose), lower the hips till you're almost in plank pose, pulling the knee in to touch (or point towards) the nose (sunbird 1). Kick the leg back up, lower down with the knee to opposite side elbow, kick it up, lower down with knee to same side elbow. Make sense? So it's three 3 legged dog poses, 3 different sunbird variations. Do this on the other side for one set. Do 4 sets (12 reps each side) total. 

3. Side Plank Twists- In side plank on an elbow, place the fingers of your top hand behind your ear. Crunch towards the floor, bringing the elbow to almost touch but staying about an inch above the floor. Lift back up, that's one. Do 12 each side.

4. Side Plank Crunches- In side plank on an elbow, bend top knee and crunch to touch elbow and knee. Try to do it without dropping the hips to the floor. 12 each side.

5. Walking Plank- Start in plank pose, bend one elbow at a time and place the forearm on the mat so you end up in elbow plank. Push back up one hand at a time to full plank. That's one, repeat for 12. Try to keep hips and shoulders level so you're not rocking all over the place. 

6. Boat pose- Balance on your bum and suck your belly in, push your chest up to make a straight back. I show two variations depending on how much you want to feel the burn. Knees bent, barely leaning or kick it up to straight legs, leaning back more. Hold for 30 seconds. 

7. Oblique Twists- In kids' yoga we call this windshield wiper legs, you choose your title. Lay on your back with legs at a 90 degree angle. The knees are directly over the hips. Reach your hands out to the sides for balance and lower both legs to one side, hovering about an inch off the mat. Lift and go to the other side. That's 1, repeat for 12. Move carefully with your focus on the obliques, rather than just swinging your legs all willy nilly. 

You can change it up by adding more repetitions OR completing the whole set and then starting over at the beginning, circuit style. Let me know what YOU think. What's your favorite core exercise, if any? Do you loathe crunches like I do? 

Small Miracles

Today has been about small miracles. Tiny victories in the quest to teach yoga to the kids at West Ave Elementary. It was my first day back after Christmas break and the crazy month of January and I was not excited about it this morning. Around lunch time I decided, I have got to make this better.

Let me back up. Last semester I went to West Ave every Monday and Wednesday from 3:15 to about 4:30 with the intention of teaching yoga. Every Monday and Wednesday it looked like someone fired a gun in a hen house and then locked me in there. Kids.screaming.running.hitting.flipping and the one little girl at the front listening attentively and mastering her down dog. This class was organized by the after school program director and she and I tried every kind of positive rewards, consequences, pep talks, stern talks, three strikes your out, and then some tactics that we could think of. Every Monday and Wednesday I could pretty much laugh it off and keep trying, I'm pretty patient, kids are wild, whatever. But after over a month away, it didn't seem exciting to go back.

So I determined to do more research, to make changes, to MAKE.IT.WORK. I did some googling and found this:

(Update: I deleted the video b/c I was sick of it starting automatically and scaring the pants off me.)

Inspiration! I decided to go up to the school a little early to talk to the director and formulate a new plan. Here are the four small miracles that followed:

1) I show up and she immediately says "Oh Caitlin! I'm so glad you're back, the kids made you this for Christmas and have been dying to give it you!"

It is a precious work of art made by melting crayons across a canvas. But it's not about the artistic ability. It's about being greeted with a token of appreciation. I didn't expect it and I would've kept teaching without it, but it sure was nice to receive. 

2) We get into our conversation about making the class better and I tell her I think we really need mats. I tell her I've been brainstorming fundraising ideas and she says, "hold on, I just got an email from a church group that wants to know if they can do a fundraiser for us!" What the what? Mats are a done deal. 

3) We decided to have a "meeting" today; one with the older grades and a separate one with the younger grades to talk about yoga this semester and how it's going to be a club that they can sign up for (with a lot more explanation). I explain what yoga is supposed to be, why we want to have this club, and then give them the chance to ask questions and clarify. One little boy raises his hand to say "I want to sign up for yoga because it helps you relax!" Done. You're in and I love you. 

4) Finally, as I gently say something like, "if you know that after school is not the time for you to try to sit still and you'd rather run laps around Ms. Sullivan then maybe yoga is not the club for you" the wildest, craziest, grab every marker, throw every tennis ball, pull everyone's hair, scream for no reason, precious little girl says, "I don't think yoga is for me." Couldn't have said it better myself little one. You're out and I love you. 

After A Run

Stretch! It doesn't matter if the run was 1 mile or 22 miles, if you stretch after a run you will be less tight and recover faster. Your muscles will be so happy! I have put together a quick yoga sequence that is great for after a run and will take less than 5 minutes. My camera is currently taking a sabbatical so I am going to use pictures from Yoga Journal's website. The people look so much calmer anyway...which is probably because they are in that all white room. Except wouldn't that make you feel a little insane? I feel a little bad about hijacking their pictures so here is the link to their Pose Guide. Yoga journal pictures do tend to look like the people don't have bones in their bodies so I'll give my own descriptions, for the more realistic versions of the poses!

So you've just come inside or stepped off the treadmill. It's important to let your breath and heart rate slow a little bit so you don't pass out or vom when you start folding. Just walk it off or shake out the arms and legs for about a minute till you catch your breath.

 Quick Post-Run Yoga 

Forward Fold: Feet together or about 3 inches apart. Bend at the hips, keeping the legs straight. Let the arms and head hang heavy or place the hands on the thighs, shins, ankles or floor...whatever you can reach. Obviously Serena here is pretty flexible, don't worry about her. Just fold as far as you can. Hold this pose for 5 deep breaths then roll back up to standing. 

Wide Leg Forward Fold: Spread the feet wide, keeping them parallel to each other. Fold at the hips, again reaching the hands and head as far as you can. Mindy appears to have her head on the floor too. This is accomplished by simply removing the hamstrings, no problem OR practicing yoga for many years. Hold this pose for 5 deep breaths then pivot to the left, turning the feet. 

High Lunge: Both feet are pointing forward, the front knee is over the ankle. Extend the back foot and keep the leg straight with the knee lifted. Placing the hands on either side of the front foot, look forward  and try to lift the chest (to keep the core engaged, rather than just laying on the front leg). Hold this pose for 3 deep breaths then switch sides. Hold the other side for 3 deep breaths then stand up. 

Pyramid: With the right foot pointing forward, step the left foot back about two feet (a much shorter stance than the lunge). Turn the left toes out slightly to about a 45 degree angle. Keep both legs straight and the hips level as you bend over the front leg. If you are not quite as limber as Theresa here, you can rest your hands on your thigh, shin or the floor, again whatever you can reach. The point is to keep the legs straight so the stretch is in the front hamstring. Hold this pose for 3 deep breaths then switch sides. Hold the other side for 3 deep breaths then stand up. 

Wide Leg Prayer Squat: Standing up, spread the feet wider than the hips and turn the toes out slightly. Squat down as low as you can, with the goal being to bring the booty lower than the knees. Bring the hands together in front of your chest (like you're praying, hence the title) and use the elbow to slightly press the knees out. This does not have to be a hardcore, full body engaged squat even though it may appear that way. Once you get into the pose and find your balance, you can pretty much just hang out with the booty hovering over the ground. "Hanging" the booty like this stretches and releases tension in the lower back. Pressing the knees slightly helps to stretch the inner thighs. Hold this pose for 5 deep breaths then rock forward, place the hands on the floor and lay down on the belly. Laurel is so sassy here with her hair cut and that look on her face. Feel free to make your squat as sassy as you'd like. 

Bow Pose: The point of this pose is to stretch the quads- the front of the thighs. If you'd like to go with the standard standing on one leg, pulling the lifted foot into the butt while the knee points to the floor, go for it! That is a great stretch. Bow pose is just another option to mix it up. Laying on your belly, bend up both knees and reach the arms around to grab the outsides of the ankles. Pull the feet up to arch the back and stretch the front of the body. Lance has got this pose DOWN. But if you need a less intense option to start, try doing one side at a time. Rest the left forearm on the floor in front of your face, keep the left leg straight and laying on the floor, and just pull up the right ankle. Hold this pose for 3 deep breaths (if you are doing one side at a time, hold each side for 3 breaths). Release the ankles and lay flat on the belly. 

Child's Pose: From the belly, push back on the hands to bring the booty over the feet. Lay down over the thighs bringing the forehead to the floor. The arms can reach out long in front of you, fold in front of you to place the head on the hands or reach down the sides of the body like Theresa is demonstrating. If your body won't touch your thighs put a pillow or folded up blanket between your booty and feet. The lift should allow the chest to come lower. If your chest is laying on your thighs and you'd like a deeper stretch, scoot the knees apart and allow the chest to lay on the floor between the knees. Hold this pose until you fall asleep, get hungry or your Stout Boyz come jump on you! :) 

What do you think? Do you usually stretch after running? Is there anything you would add?

Obviously I made up all the names in this post and all the information about the models. I don't know them and they certainly do not know me.

Yoga 101- Plank

Before we get into plank, I have to share the two "first time for everything" experiences I had yesterday. Two in one day! 

1) I had to be somewhere at 9:00am. I was running a little bit late because I went through the inevitable "do I need to shower" debate (always a no). As I turned off of our street it hit me, I FORGOT to eat breakfast! How did this happen? Will I make it to lunch without eating? Who am I? I spent too much time in disbelief to think fast. I should've taken it as a sign that Chick-Fil-A had an extra biscuit with my name on it. 

2) Lately I have been thinking a lot about a specific topic. It is undoubtedly because I've been doing more yoga and thinking about yoga so much. I feel like I am connecting some dots in my brain but still trying to find the words to explain. Yesterday evening I was in the shower and I had the thought, "maybe if I write an essay about this it'll help me to....WAIT A SECOND" Now, for those of you who do not know Kevin as well, this is exactly the type of thing he does. Write an essay for fun? When I'm not in school? Who will grade it? Why would I do that? I have no idea where the notion came from, other than 7 months of marriage to the most scholarly person I know. 

But on to plank:

Plank is very versatile. It is a wonderful shoulder and core-strengthening pose if it is held for a few breaths and it is also a transitional pose to get you to almost any other yoga pose. When holding plank, think strong and solid. The whole body should be engaged, from the shoulders to the toes. Get into plank either by laying on the floor and pushing up, folding forward from a standing position and walking the feet back or starting in downward dog and dropping the hips. Once in plank, hold it for 3-5 breaths or to the count of 30. 

The Hands- are directly below the shoulders. The arms are in a straight line from the shoulder to the wrist. Spread the fingers wide to distribute the weight throughout the hands. The hand position may feel more snug then the top of a push-up position, depending on your push-ups. 

The Head- is in a neutral position, reaching the crown of the head away from the feet. Looking between the hands or just in front of the hands helps keep the head in the right place. 

The Shoulders- push back away from the ears. Imagine you are trying to make the shoulder blades touch in the center of the back, just like in downward dog. This visual keeps the shoulders from hunching. 

The Back/Core- is straight and strong. All of the core muscles are engaged to hold the body stable and the hips up.  

The Legs- are straight with the knees lifted. The feet are about hip width apart, the toes press into the mat and the heels are lifted. 

Focus on: Creating a diagonal line from the head to the shoulders, hips and heels. Pull the crown of the head forward while pushing the heels back. 

NOT plank: 

hips are too high and the shoulders are behind the wrists

midsection is sagging and the shoulders are hunched

Still working on it? Drop the knees to the floor for a kneeling plank. Think girl push-ups, which is just a little bit offensive to girls. Keep the wrists directly below the shoulders, the whole body engaged and straight, with the diagonal line ending at the knees instead of the feet. 

There you have it, plank pose! Have you tried plank? Do you love it or hate it?

Alas, we shall see if Kevin has REALLY changed me or if he's just put new thoughts in my brain. Will I really write an essay for "fun"? 

Yoga 101- A New Series

Since I started studying to be a teacher I have had multiple people mention to me that they are afraid or intimidated by yoga because they don't know how to tell if they're doing it right. Teachers often just name poses and students are expected to know how to get into them and how they should feel. I have taken this as my personal mission to make my classes accessible to someone who has never done any yoga at all. I thought it would also be fun to have a weekly (ish) series here going over the basics. My hope is to present a pose or concept that is sometimes assumed to be easy and break it down so a first-timer can master it! These posts can be used to help remind experienced yoga students of the basics, they can serve as an introduction to new students, or they can be used individually as a stretch after you do your jump squat throw-ups.

Before we get started, let's just establish that I'm not a photographer (you probably noticed this with my food pictures yesterday). My Nikon Coolpix on self-timer in the cleanest room of my house is the best I can do. To be honest, when I practice yoga alone it is usually in the living room. We have a pretty sweet backyard/courtyard area behind our house that would be perfect for yoga if this was like New Haven or something. But this is Texas. We're still in the 100s everyday. Ok so I don't know where New Haven is, maybe that was a bad example. Or maybe I made it up, I'm good at that.

So Yoga 101, day 1: Downward Facing Dog

If you've ever seen a dog do this, you know exactly where it got its name. Downward dog is an excellent pose for building strength in the arms and stretching the back of the legs. It also releases the weight and pressure out of the lower back. Our lower backs carry so much weight all day so it's nice to take the weight off for a little break.

The Hands- should be about shoulder width apart, flat on the floor and all the fingers spread out wide. Leaving a tiny space between the base of the palm/wrist and the floor relieves the pressure on the wrists that some feel in this pose.

The Head- should be between the arms. The ears are directly between the biceps but not touching them. If your biceps are even close to touching your ears it's because the shoulders are hunched up.

The Shoulders- are pulled away from the ears. Imagine that you are trying to touch the shoulder blades in the middle of the back. Teachers often call this "shoulders back and down."

The Back- is straight and flat!

The Legs- are extended and the heels are reaching to the floor. The feet are about hip width distance apart.

Focus on: The hips should be the definite highest point of the body. The back is straight and the shoulders are not hunched.

Still working on it? Bend the knees and lift the heels to slowly work towards straight legs. Especially if you are a runner, the hamstrings can be very tight so straight legs may not be possible at first or at all.

The most common misalignment in downward dog comes from thinking that it is crucial for the heels to touch the floor. This leads to hunched shoulders, rounding in the back and possibly some serious pain in the legs!

Now everyone on the mat! Have you tried Downward Dog? Do you love it or hate it?

My Yoga Story

My love affair with yoga began while I was in Macedonia as a Peace Corps volunteer. I had taken a few classes in Fort Worth before I left but really found my groove in Macedonia. This can probably be attributed to the fact that I had so.much.free time. Nothing but free time. I began with the yoga DVD I had packed with me, then moved on to trading DVDs with other volunteers to learn new things. As the DVDs became routine I started researching online. I spent hours upon hours on Yoga Journal's website reading through their pose descriptions. I would read about a pose then practice in my living room. Having friends that enjoyed yoga too allowed it to become both a form of exercise and an entertainment for us (many Friday nights spent laughing hysterically as we tried to pull off crazy poses like side crow and scorpion). Some light yoga felt great after a long run or fast paced, intense yoga was awesome strength training in a country devoid of free weights. 

As I was falling more and more in love with yoga, my coworkers and I were trying to decide on the new schedule of classes/events/workshops to have at our "youth club" (basically the same idea as a Boys and Girls Club). The long and short of it is that a conversation about what we were all interested in, what would benefit our teenage clients and what would draw people in led to the decision that I, the out of place blonde American in a sea of tall, beautiful, dark haired Eastern Europeans, would teach a yoga class for teenage girls. Was I nervous? Very. Did it turn out to be the most awesome, enjoyable, rewarding experience I had in Macedonia? Yes. Exercise was a new concept in Macedonia and I was very upfront about the fact that I had completely taught myself and was not at all an expert so I didn't feel too bad about teaching the class. The girls and I had so much fun learning together, talking about trying to be healthy in the Macedonian society and sharing our thoughts as we tried to love our bodies. Every week after class I would find myself daydreaming about getting trained for real when I got back to the US. I thought a lot about if it was an isolated event that I was connecting with my students and enjoying every second of it. 

Fast forward 2 and a half years to newlywed Caitlin who has continued personal yoga practice, running half marathons and many different forms of exercise over the years. All this time I had yoga teacher training on the back burner of my mind. As life started to calm down after our wedding I couldn't get the thought out of my head. Kevin, always Mister Supportive and my best cheerleader, encouraged me to go to the first training, scope it out and then make an informed decision about if I wanted to pursue yoga teacher training. I went, I learned, I loved, I decided. I love helping people realize that yoga is not some crazy religion, yoga is not some sissy "workout" for athletes to scoff at and not all yoga is about chanting and omming and meditating. Yoga is a very versatile form of exercise with amazing benefits, both physical and mental. Yoga will work out muscles you didn't even know you had and doctors, scientists (I don't know, "They") have proven over and over that all the new ways the body moves in yoga help with anxiety, depression and a whole slew of other mental/emotional states. A power flow yoga class will leave you drenched in sweat, heart pounding and cursing the dozens of squats, lunges and push ups. A gentle flow class will make you feel more relaxed and de-stressed then the best pill out there*. Do some people get really into the ancient traditions of yoga and the spiritual side of it? Yes. Do we have to to gain all the health benefits? No. 

Moral of the story: Yes, yoga seems trendy, but it really doesn't require us to become Buddhist vegans or something crazy like that (life without cheese?!). I just gave all the reasons I love it, have you tried it? 

*Just to be clear, I'm not saying the "best pills out there" are not needed in some cases. Some bodies need the pills. Don't mistake me for a pill expert. You get the point.