There is an unspoken fear that is inside us all when we think about attending a Yoga Class.
This fear might be so strong in some of us that it actually stops you from attending a class from time to time or even ever.
Breaking wind, Passing Gas, Letting one Go.
How ever you choose to say it we all Fart from time to time. A yoga class actually increases your possibilities of releasing trapped wind and Here’s why.

If we have Gas trapped within our Intestinal Track we may experience some contractions within this track causing some discomfort. We then inevitably tighten our muscles as we feel the pain. Causing the intestinal pressure to increase ,Not a good way of Letting go,
When we arrive into a Yoga Class we usually start with breath work (Pranayama) This allows us to relax which has a soothing effect on the central Nervous System.
This will help to relax all those muscles that we have no control over like our Digestive system and respiratory system.
Helping to reduce any contractual obstacles that might be standing in the way of our already used “Pranic Breath” trying to leave our bodies.
Then we start with movement.
Maybe a spinal twist which can really help to push out wind as we contract and squeeze through our abdominal area.
Imagine your intestines like a wet tea towel being rung out as you move into a deep twist. We then might move into a squat like position with a wide legged stance something like warrior 2 ( Virabidrassana 2)
Gravity helping and assisting this lost wind that has been trapped inside for a while. Can you imagine how good that would feel to finally find your way towards the light to be free to be aloud to roam and be yourself floating at last, flying high as you always dreamed you could.
Hold on that doesn’t sound much like you imagined how you would feel to Fart in class.
It’s the moment we have all dreaded. Oh No! I hope no-one heard that.
I hope it doesn’t smell. what did I eat last night?
We might feel a bit embarrassed, We might expect everyone to laugh at us. Suddenly full of fear and regret. Wanting to sink into the ground or wishing we never came.
Should I say something? “It was me! Sorry”
The truth is it happens.
If we were truly honoring our bodies, truly in the moment, truly focused inwardly we would let that Fart Roar like a celebration of our mastery over letting go and being present with our bodies needs.
Most of us do not feel comfortable with celebrating our Flatulence, and that’s ok,
If you can remember when that dreaded moment comes, We have all been there. We have all been in down dog and oopps. Out it fly’s!
See it as a progression in your Yoga practice, see it as your Yoga has helped your digestion system.
Maybe you can remember the movements for that time when you have abdominal craps after eating some rich food and instead of reaching for some meds you can do some Yoga.
With over 3.5 Million visits each year to the G.P for I,B,S related symptoms and 10% of the Global Population suffering from I,B,S at any given time, it is more than likely each and every one of us will experience trapped wind or bloating at some point.
So next time your in Yoga and you feel one coming.
Smile, let go and be happy. You truly are a Master in Letting go and rising above insignificance remaining focused and present.
May all your flatulence be Free and you be happy. xx

Su Tindall

Su is joining our team as from the new year. She will be Bringing a new Type of Non Yoga to our Space with her Qi Gong and Chil Ball.

Lets have a chat with her to find out exactly what we can expect from her classes.

You will be joining our team at Yoga Sol shortly and bringing with you Qi Gong And Chi Ball. Can you tell us what we can expect from both of these classes.

Qigong (Chi Kung) means cultivating energy, it is a system practiced for health maintenance, healing and increasing vitality by developing effective breath, balance and focus. It is widely recommended as an alternative therapy for many conditions, especially stress, rehabilitation, chronic fatigue and digestive issues.

The slow gentle movements of most Qigong forms can be easily adapted, even for the physically challenged and can be practiced by all age groups.

People do Qigong to maintain health, heal their bodies, calm their minds, and reconnect with their spirit.

The ChiBall Method™ is a mind body exercise program performed to music, which draws from principles and movements of Tai Chi Qigong, Yoga, Pilates, Expressive Dance, Feldenkrais and Mediation.

This beautiful mind body exercise encourages co-ordination, core strength and self-expression – all essential for the healthy body! It is suitable for all fitness levels, and is easily adapted for those who are less mobile or frightened of exercise classes at the gym. The class changes according to the Seasons, the time of day and the type of people attending. It is done standing, sitting and lying down, but can be completely adapted to sitting in a chair if necessary.

I’ve Also heard you will be doing Dance of the dragon! This brings on images of kung fu and flying through Trees. Do we need to be super fit to Dance like the Dragon?

Dance of the Dragon – so beautiful! It is adapted from the practice used by the ancient Taoist monks. This aids the health of the spine and the digestion, detoxifying the body and calming the mind. Great for core strength and co-ordination, regular practice assists in weight loss – no, you certainly do not have to be super fit but you will notice a difference afterwards! Think of a gentle Balinese Temple Dance!

Do I need to be fit/strong/flexable to practice Chi Ball or Qi Gong?

The idea of all the classes I offer is to help people develop flexibility, co-ordination, core strength and self-awareness, without risk of injury – we all have to start somewhere, and we all end up in our own footsteps, via our own individual path.

In short what is Chi/Qi and why does it fit so well within a Yoga Studio?

Qi is pronounced chee and is usually translated to mean the life force or vital-energy that flows through all things in the universe. The ancient Chinese believe there are many types of Qi, some we are born with and some we develop, the idea is to bring all these elements into a healthy working relationship. So really, balance and harmony, both internal & external, just like Yoga!

If you could give us some advice on daily movement and how we can bring our practice into our working day what would be your number 1 tip?

Always remember to be mindful, listen to your body and enjoy the experience! Breathe for enjoyment! Move to live!

If you think  Qi Gong or Chi Ball is for you. You can Try it out from the first week in January Qi Gong at 6;30am on Tuesdays and Chi Ball Tuesdays at 8am.

Looking forward to having you on the Team Su

https://www.yogasol.com.au/2556-2/

Spinal Health and Yoga.

Statistics say that most of us will suffer with back pain and/or restricted movement through the spine at some stage in our lives.
Most of us take this as normal especially with age. We do not need to experience pain in our spine and this is not a normal inevitable progression into older age.
For some people our first experience with Yoga is from taking advice from their Doctor or Physio to help with back pain. This is great and sure beats prescription drugs.
So why is Yoga so good and how does it help with both pain and spinal mobility?
The first point here is that Yoga is a slow controlled movement.
Engaging our deep postural muscle. With no explosive propelling large movements that use our Global larger muscles as the driving force.
This gives us a much more secure base or foundation to work with.
The slower movements also enable us to control our movement better so not to sprain or over stretch a muscle in full flight of movement.
The second point that differs Yoga from other forms of body movement is Meditation.
When we visulise and focus inwardly on the simple movement at hand we are actually firing up new neural pathways in our brain. Creating stronger association within our mysterious brain and elusive deep postural muscles. These two often end up with no awareness of the other resulting in bad movement patterns that inevitably result in long term reoccurring pain.
So working not only on the Muscles in the back but also the neural responses within the brain to help us with more fluid effortless movement.

Lets have a deeper look at the movement of the spine.

We can break the spine into segments of Movement.
The first segment being at the top 2 Cervical Vertebrae.
This area is where most of the Movement in the neck happens.
The Lower segment of the Cervical Spine is in comparison quite stable. This needs to be so for balance and strength.
The next Segment is the Thoracic Spine.
Most of our mobility comes from here. If you take a look at the shape of the vertebrae you can see the spinal process (The pointy bit) is much smaller creating more space for forward and backward movement as well as twisting movements.
Looking at the last segment The Lumbar spine. (The most stable of the segments) The Vertebrae are thicker and more enclosed to form better stability for the whole body.
So in short
Upper neck mobile.
Lower Neck Stable.
Thoracic Mobile.
Lumbar Stable.
When we get these segments working out of sink ie, lumbar Mobile and Thoracic stable. This causes pain and discomfort.
So working with Yoga both in the physical and the medative aspects and working through our poses with this information of this movement map in mind. We can help with the ease of the pose and also rehabilitation of back health and pain.
If you would like more information or a personal assessment please contact me via pm or at yogasol.com.au

This week on the Blog we meet Michael. Currently our only Male Teacher. Michael Teaches Radiant Light Yoga on a Wednesday at 730pm here at Yoga Sol in Ferny Hills. You can also catch Michael at Clayfield Yoga.

Michael we know you are currently on a Meditation course in the States. Could you tell us a bit about this?

I  am currently undertaking a two year Meditation Teacher Training course with Lorin Roche, the author of The Radiance Sutras. a beautifully poetic translation of the Sanskrit text the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra. This text is a conversation between Shiva and Shakti, the male and female aspects of divinity, during which Shiva describes 112 different pathways or doorways into a connection with our inner self.

Lorin has been studying and teaching meditation for 48 years and with his wife Camille, has developed an approach to Meditation that is suitable for everyone.
Natural, instinctive and available to people living a life of intimacy. Our instincts, desires and sensations are treasured and welcomed as opposed to what might be called a monastic view of meditation of detachment and suppression.

Thank you Michael for your insight