The Happy Heart, The Healthy Heart

Maureen Mason, MSPT, WCS, CCI, PYT-C

February is heart health month, and I am writing this in honor of a dear friend who confided in me she discovered during a recent medical procedure that she has significant heart disease. She is now intent on, and practicing, heart health in mind, body and spirit. She may use medication and /or surgery, as needed, yet in her post op lifestyle she is on a health quest incorporating mindfulness, walking, and healthy eating daily. I want her to live long and prosper!

Sages throughout the ages offer strategies and methods for peace, enlightenment, and wisdom. Certain habits and practices help mind, body and spirit to thrive. Here are a few habits that can improve your health,and can specifically help your heart health.

Exercise regularly, 12 x per month or more.
Regular exercise may include the practice of yoga, either solo, or in a class that is safe and sound. A study published in research gate identified significant reductions in anxiety, depression, worry, and reduced salivary cortisol in women practicing Iyengar yoga for 3 months, compared to controls. Walking is also a wonderful form of exercise.Recent research is noting health benefits of yoga as similar to that of traditional cardiac training.

Maintain a good weight, BMI range 18.5 to 29.9
Calories count: Eat a diverse, Mediterranean diet. Eating a lot of vegetables, nuts, and good fats and proteins helps fill you up and nourish your body.

Practice meditation*: clear your mind
"Being", sitting or reclining, breathing, and cycling a mantra or prayer can calm and control the wandering mind. Use free guides, friends, or links in prior yoga posts here to develop a meditation practice. Research is showing improved mental and physical health in individuals who meditate regularly.

Alcohol: moderation
Women may benefit from one drink per day, men, 2 drinks. But alcohol use can cause impaired health by adding extra calories, upsetting blood sugar, irritating the throat, stomach lining, pancreas and liver, so if used, only in moderation.

Engage the positive with Spirituality, or Religious affiliation.
Reading uplifting literature or prose regularly, or having spiritual or religious devotions can enhance your life, and your health. Individuals that have spiritual or religious devotions as part of their life rate higher on compassion, forgiveness, and on heart health standards.

Comprehensive Therapy Services has resources to help improve your health, including free handouts on Mind Body health strategies, Meditation*, “Medicine Mind” mindfulness training, Doterra essential oils, pilates and other fitness classes, acupuncture and massage. Ask your therapist for resources to improve your heart health and self care. One on one private training is available for health and wellness in professional yoga therapy.

Ginger Garner is a a preventative health care leader with free mediation* podcasts and a gentle yoga DVD you can practice.She founded the Institute for Professional Yoga Therapy. The PYT-C after my name denotes my Professional Yoga Therapy affiliation and training, which has helped me practice self care and expand my integrative health care offerings to clients. She created PYT to offer medically based, safe, sound yoga programs. Here is her link: http://www.gingergarner.com

Research based articles on heart health:
Rapid stress reduction and anxiolysis among distressed women as a consequence of a three-month intensive yoga program.
"Women suffering from mental distress participating in a 3-month Iyengar yoga class show significant improvements on measures of stress and psychological outcomes. Further investigation of yoga with respect to prevention and treatment of stress-related disease and of underlying mechanism is warranted."

Measurement of the effect of Isha Yoga on cardiac autonomic nervous system using short-term heart rate variability
During both supine rest and deep breathing, Isha Yoga practitioners showed well-balanced activity of vagal efferents, overall increased HRV, and sympathovagal balance, compared to non-Yoga practitioners. Hence, it may be postulated that Isha Yoga practitioners: have better exercise tolerance, their cardiac response to adverse conditions like day-to-day stress is improved following Isha Yoga practices the probability of them experiencing hypertension and other premature cardiac events like ischemia or infarction is decreased after the practice of Isha Yoga. However more studies should be conducted to explore these areas further.

Mediterranean Diet and Incidence of and Mortality From Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Women
Cardiovascular disease mortality was significantly lower among women in the top quintile of the Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (RR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.76; P for trend less than 0.0001).

Yoga for Cardio Wellness and Power

Yoga for Cardio Wellness, and Power: Medical Yoga

Maureen Mason MSPT, WCS, CCI, PYT-C

October 2015                                                       

Part 3 of 9

Celebrate PT month!

Yoga can power up muscles, and key yoga asanas are illustrated here. Also, yoga appears to have cardiovascular benefits similar to those seen in the standard advised aerobic fitness training protocols. The latest research identifies reductions in blood pressure and improved lipid profiles in a groups practicing yoga for 12 weeks or more. This is great news for the 80% of the population that do not perform aerobic training regularly.

    According to research from the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology “Compared with individuals who did not participate in any physical activity, those who practiced asana-based yoga reduced their LDL-cholesterol levels by 12.1 mg/dL and systolic blood pressure by 5.2 mm Hg and increased their HDL-cholesterol levels by 3.2 mg/dL. In addition, the yoga practitioners also saw significant reductions in body-mass index, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and heart rate. Overall, the yogis lost 2.35 kg compared with non -exercisers…. Yoga, it appears, might provide a benefit in terms of improving cardiovascular risk profiles similar to that of physical activities like cycling or brisk walking, say researchers".

Medical Yoga, as prescribed individually in the Professional Yoga Therapy method, considers safety, stability, and sequencing of yoga poses to build strength. No wobbling or painful twisting or nerve irritating maneuvers should occur when performing yoga for health benefits. Props such as blankets, blocks, and bolsters are used for optimizing alignment and comfort.

Here are a few key poses, I am showing "modified" versions per my own flexibility, strength, and safety; asanas can help you develop power without hitting the gym for 90 squats and lunges with machines or free weights. These are performed with breath control and engaging spinal neutral-avoiding pivoting or arching excessively. 

Yoga Asanas for strength and power:

 Chair  Pose

  

I love this, as it provides a "hip hinge" while engaging abdominals, low back, pelvic, and leg muscles in a functional pattern that carries over to spine protection during activities of daily living. It is a mini squat with a slight forward lean. Add arms reaching up for an upper/lower body hold. My shoulders are tight on reaching up and I "substitute" by arching my mid back too much, so I warm up with just legs and trunk. 

This is great for post partum moms lifting babies, as it allows the strong hip to be the hinge vs the spinal segments. 

Boat Pose

The boat is often performed with legs out straight-but-anyone reading this have tight hamstrings? This also requires a flexible lower spine and tailbone, and breathing while holding lower abdominals in. You can build up to it by practicing pilates style roll backs.

         Plank

I am not a perfect straight line with this, but am better at lowering my hips without over arching my back and sagging. A key control tip here is to dial in scapula-thoracic stabilization with a shoulder lock, or in lay terms, turn on a slight shoulder blade pinch vs hunching shoulders into a rounded position. How long can you hold this? A great goal is to build up to 60 seconds.

Side plank

The truth is that it has taken me months to develop the ability to hold the side plank without my hip cramping and my shoulder giving out.

 But you may notice my back appears to be arching-big deal, but it could become a pivot and compression point, and strain.So I am building on this, with a dose of yoga 3 to 4 x a week, 30 min sessions mostly. 

 In order to have strong hips for walking, and for runners, the side plank should be held for 30 sec. for women, and 60 sec for men.

What are your favorite Asanas? And do you have a question regarding yoga safety and your joints or spine? Log in and let us know!

For PT month we have private Physical  Therapist training sessions available, call for details.

Next up: Warrior series. Yoga for energizing.

References:

Chu P, Gotink RA, Yeh GY, Goldie SJ, Hunink MG. The effectiveness of yoga in modifying risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Prevent Cardiol 2014; DOI:10.1177/2047487314562741. Abstract

 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/836678

 Namaste, Yogis: Review Suggests Yoga Improves CVD Risk

Michael O'Riordan

James A. Raub. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. December 2002, 8(6): 797-812. Psychophysiologic Effects of Hatha Yoga on Musculoskeletal and Cardiopulmonary Function: A Literature Review doi:10.1089/10755530260511810. Volume: 8 Issue 6: July 5, 2004

Medical Therapeutic Yoga: 

http://proyogatherapy.org

Yoga for your Power and Peace, Medical Yoga 

Maureen Mason MSPT WCS, CCI, PYT-C                    

Part two of nine. October 2015, Yoga mind beyond muscles.

 Celebrate PT Month with Medical Yoga!

Yoga can be useful as a philosophy and a lifestyle. Not a religion, but having tenants or sutras that are similar to religious disciplines. One may cultivate religious practices and use yoga derived strategies to augment and enhance the religious affiliation. Or use yoga as your guide to optimize your human potential. If the ultimate goal (of yoga) is enlightenment, no small topic, we see strategies to attain bliss, enlightenment, as the spiritual and energetic goal of yoga. The spiritual and energetic aspects of yoga are often overlooked in "yoga workout" classes. In my first post I referenced the 8 limbs of yoga, and today we are looking more deeply into the spiritual /energetic aspects of yoga, limbs 5, 6, 7, 8.

In Physical Therapy we use  yoga postures, or Asanas, to attain flexibility, balance, strength, and power. Yoga postures can help our clients meet their goals. Also we address the mind, and the ability of our clients to attain a sense of peace or calm, to tune down or turn off pain, as well as improve relaxation and self care. This brings us into the steps and strategies for meditation.

We must tame our dragons, our gremlins, and learn to focus our mind with uninterrupted awareness. We must withdraw from the senses, Pratyahara, and then develop our single pointed concentration Dharana. Next, Dhyana is the term for the practice of meditation that cultivates supreme focus. Ultimate calm control and letting go of the busy brain. And finally Samadhi, bliss. No dragons, gremlins, or buzzing hummingbirds.

Honestly, I am simply working on sitting up tall, un-supported, and breathing and keeping my mind on the mantras I use. I also use Christian prayers I have memorized. I am partly a hummingbird busy brain, and a dragon viewer, but some days I attain the peace and tranquility I seek in this busy life. It is amazing how much more I can perceive and sense in life, when I withdraw from the sensory realm for 5 to 30 minutes with meditation. I usually use a monotonous sound track of flute and ocean waves to cover up neighborhood and household sounds that distract me.I occasionally listen to podcasts or guided meditations as well, see links.

Many of my clients say they simply cannot concentrate to meditate, and it truly is a practice. Here are some things that may come into your mind during morning meditation; "I am hungry, my neck hurts, I need to adjust my posture, I am not breathing right, I want coffee, I feel sexy, that airplane is loud, that dog is annoying, what will I wear today, what time is it now, I am thirsty, the school shootings are horrid, the middle east seems always unsettled, the presidential race is wild, the weather is too hot for now, work will be busy today, I must call so and so for their birthday, I need to use the bathroom"…and so on. This may be in the course of 1-2 minutes! Have a sense of humor and go easy on yourself. You can keep going back to your mantra and breathing, and strive to allow yourself positive thoughts and intentions for your time there and now, your day, your family, your community, the world. 

 Here I am sitting up on a folded blanket due to tight hamstrings, and using pillows to support my knees. Take the time to get comfortable to sit upright without straining.

http://aboutmeditation.com/guided-meditations-every-occasion/

This is a nice site with free offerings of guided 10 minute sessions, great for mini sessions, and more extensive options for those who want to study as a free course.

http://www.gingergarner.com/category/garner-yoga-podcast/

Guided breath training, creating a supportive “yoga couch” if needing to lie down, and guided meditation options. Ginger is a PT, founder of Professional Yoga Therapy, and pioneer in bringing complementary evidence based methods into physical therapy practice. The associated website home page has extensive education on breath control and the diaphragm.(I am studying her methods for certification and will also be a teaching assistant at upcoming seminars. She rocks! A scholar and a humanist and a wise PT.)

The mantra:

A great text is Strength in the Storm, by Easwaren, founder of the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in Berkeley Ca. Easwaren provides examples of how individuals of various faiths can use a mantra specific to their faith for meditation.

He advises half an hour in the morning, and evening if possible for meditation and spiritual reading. You may use his guide for selecting a mantra at http://www.easwaren.org/mantra

Yoga for Peace and Power, Medical Yoga

Yoga for your Power and Peace, Medical Yoga    

Maureen Mason MSPT WCS, CCI, PYT-C

                                                 

Part one of nine. October 2015, Yoga introduction. Celebrate Physical Therapy Month with us by learning some mind, body, and  spirit practices!

Yoga can be regarded as a philosophy and a lifestyle. Not a religion, but having tenants or sutras that are similar to religious disciplines. There are 8 limbs to the practice as written around 200 AD, by Patanjali:

The eight limbs, or steps to yoga, are as follows:

1.   Yama: Practice of universal morality, including non-violence to self and others, truthfulness, not stealing, restraint, and not coveting.

2.   Niyama:  Personal observances, including tapas: practices, seeking purity, and self-education and contentment.

3.    Asanas:  Body postures

4.     Pranayama:  Breathing exercises, and control of prana

5.     Pratyahara :  Control of the senses

6.     Dharana:  Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness

7.     Dhyana:  Devotion, Meditation on the Divine

8.     Samadhi:  Union with the Divine

            In our modern busy culture, most people are familiar with the Asanas or body postures, and with the concept of meditation. But it is all foundation work for our spiritual development as human beings, so that we can be free of our ego and separation from the divine. You may call this bliss, a state of grace, this Samadhi. Quoting from expressionsofspirit.com:

“Samadhi refers to union or true Yoga. There is an ending to the separation that is created by the "I" and "mine" of our illusory perceptions of reality. The mind does not distinguish between self and non-self, or between the object contemplated and the process of contemplation. The mind and the intellect have stopped and there is only the experience of consciousness, truth and unutterable joy.” This is the 8th limb of yoga.

I wanted to share the foundation philosophy of yoga for body, mind and spirit, to allow people to see the process of cultivation of these habits that people follow for their development and enlightenment. Consider what you need for your life to be balanced, in body mind and spirit. Some individuals desire an athletic focused, physical challenge with yoga, with perhaps 3 minutes of rest or a mini mediation at the end. This is yoga for power. But you can also cultivate your own sense of peace, with sensory control and an awareness of your own perceptions and mindfulness. And you can cultivate a connection to the divine, Samadhi. Combine the varied disciplines of yoga for power and peace.

Here are two resources you may use for more detail.

http://www.yogajournal.com/article/beginners/the-eight-limbs/

http://www.expressionsofspirit.com/yoga/eight-limbs.htm

Next up: Dhyana, meditation and uninterrupted awareness