Toe-Ga: Yoga for Toes and Feet
Beerasana is happy to host our friend and student, Dr. Lance Robbins, writing about one of his favorite fetishes. Take it away, Lance.
Toe-Ga: Yoga for Toes and Feet
DR. LANCE ROBBINS
One of my daughter’s favorite diversions is a kid’s yoga game that works the toes. All the anxious kids wait on their mats while the instructor spreads multicolored cotton balls around the room. When she says, “everybody go!” the kids race around the room trying to gather as many of the little fluffy balls that they can and bring them back to their mats. The only catch: they have to pick them up and carry them using only their toes!
As I watch this delightfully simple game my biomechanics brain is hard at work thinking of all the wonderful benefits this will bring for those rarely used intrinsic foor muscles. If I could only get some of my adult clients to participate!
As a chiropractor I have helped many people understand the importance of a healthy spine: about the necessity of dynamic stability, adequate strength, and flexibility throughout their range of motion. This is why so many clients of mine receive yoga and Pilates-based rehabilitation exercises.
However, if there is one thing I have learned it is that the spine does not walk around on its own. Two exceedingly important lower extremity appendages form the primary support and locomotion features of the human body. That support and locomotion starts all the way down at the foot. With simple foot/ankle/toe exercises I find that people need a lot fewer adjustments to maintain pain-free low backs, hips, and knees.
Think about it like this:
If you wrapped your hands up the same way you do your feet from the time you were born until you turn 18, and then I asked you to unwrap your hands and write your name, how well do you think you would do? We have more muscles in our feet than we do in our hands. Now you see why the barefoot movement is sweeping the nation. Although not for everyone, being barefoot has many benefits.
This leads me to another important feature of the feet. During my acupuncture and Kung Fu training we learned that the feet and toes are where we derive energy/Qi from the Earth. A very powerful acupuncture point called Yongquan, Kidney 1 (Bubbling Spring) is directly under the bottom of the foot at the apex of the transverse arch between the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal heads. It is said that this is the point where the Earth Qi enters our body. Through a process the Chinese call ‘Rooting,’ we can tap into this energy to be used throughout our body. Beyond this the Chinese have been teaching for over 2,000 years that the stimulation of Kidney 1 can be valuable for relief of back pain.
So what does all this have to do with Yoga for Toes and Feet you ask? Everything! Yoga poses are a great way of developing our ‘Rooting.’ All you have to do is add a little foot focus to your practice.
Try this on for size… take a short walk down a hallway with your hands and fingers resting in your back pockets so you can get a good feel of those lovely gluteal muscles. As you walk pay attention to what you feel. Now turn around, lift your toes, and keep them lifted as you walk back. What do you feel?
Heehee… I like to call it a butt muscle!
Wait a minute… how did lifting your toes firm up your tush? It’s called kinetic chain muscle activation, my friend. Toe extension facilitates glute function!
Eek
Now lets translate that into your practice with a few simple exercises. These come from my friends Drs. Shawn Allen and Ivo Waerlop, collectively known as The Gait Guys.
Once you can perform these two toes exercises in static mountain pose position, try performing them during any of your standing poses to increase the lower kinetic chain muscle activation.
- Tripod Anchor: visualize the 3 points of the tripod on the bottom of the foot (base of 1st and 5th metheads and calcaneus), now try to anchor each point to the ground symmetrically creating a balance of weight throughout.
- Toe Extension: while maintaining the foot tripod created in the first exercise just lift all your toes up. Hold the lift for 30 sec to 1 min. Next try holding them up during simple standing postures.
Arch Supports: this one requires a little more focus. Start by anchoring the tripod noted above. Next lifting up the toes as you did in the first exercise. Now look down and see how as you lift your toes your arch actually goes up with it. Now comes the hard part—you want to lower all the toes back down straight (that means they can’t be curled). As you lower the toes though YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE ARCH UP! Again start by holding the arch up with the toes down in mountain pose for 30–60 secs. After that try doing it in different poses.
Dr. Lance Robbins is a licensed Chiropractic Physician, Certified Acupuncturist, and Certified Personal Trainer located in downtown St. Petersburg. He owns and operates Chirolates: a multi-disciplinary training studio offering Health Recovery and Performance Enhancement. For more info email: Chirolates@gmail.com or Visit: www.facebook.com/chirolates
Books: Yoga for Americans, ©1959 by Indra Devi
Also known as Mataji, which means mother. Happy Mataji’s day!
Indra Devi lived one hell of a life. Read her New York Times obit so I don’t have to repeat it. Trained by T. Krishnamacharya himself, she seems to have lived everywhere, done everything, and taught everyone, from nobility to celebrities to orphans, before finally dying at age 102 in Buenos Aires. From Mark Singleton’s Yoga Body, “During the 1950s, a proliferation of practice manuals, such as those of Krishnamacharya disciple Indra Devi, promised unassailable health and youthfulness through a radically secularized and medicalized version of yoga.” I’ve got here in my hot little hands is one such manual, Yoga for Americans, published in 1959. I’m going to transcribe the jacket text here, for your edification and enjoyment. Links inserted by me.
YOGA FOR AMERICANS
A Complete 6 Weeks’ Course For Home Practice
by INDRA DEVI
Ever wish you could trade yourself in for a new model?
You can—and yoga shows you how.
Ancient India’s science of Hatha Yoga gives you a vital, confident approach to the converging pressures and tensions of modern living. Practicing Yoga daily will relax and rejuvenate you in mind and body. You’ll face every day with a fresh, buoyant energy that will make you feel years younger.
Author Indra Devi concentrates not only on the physical-culture aspects of Yoga—but also on on the more spiritual forms as practiced in India. She gives you 6 practical lessons you can easily follow in your own home—the very same lessons for which you might pay $25 or more in salon classes or a correspondent course.
Indra Devi’s 1-2-3 instructions are as specific and complete as as if she were personally directing you in her own Hollywood studio. She takes you step by step from the first through the final stages of all the important Yoga postures, exercises and deep breathing.
You learn how to do the 10 basic Yoga postures including the Headstand, the Lotus Pose, the Cobra Pose, the Twist, and others. As you combine these postures with the proper deep breathing, you will start to enjoy sounder sleep, a keener mind, and a happier disposition. Mental and muscular tensions will diminish- and you will discover new protections against colds, fevers, sore throats, constipation, headaches, fatigue, and other ailments.
Hatha Yoga—a practical method for attaining physical perfection, has been practiced by many successful personalities in America. The famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin considers Yoga to be as important to his art as his violin practice. Gloria Swanson has stated that her health and beauty secret is Yoga. Greta Garbo, Jennifer Jones, Linda Christian, Robert Ryan, and Mrs. Serge Koussevitzky are among other famous Yoga followers.
Yoga can work for you, too. Turn now to Lesson One of YOGA FOR AMERICANS—and begin to revitalize your health for a fresh, new adventure in living that makes you feel on top of the world all day every day.
There was apparently a time when violinists were counted as celebrities in America.
Tony Nenov at Yoga Etc. Studio, Saturday June 2
Once a week Beerasana rides across town to Tony Nenov’s house in Gulfport for 90 minutes of trying to do impossible things. Tony greets us and inquires about our new or chronic aches and pains. Then we stand at the top of our mats and Tony says, “Inhale.” We inhale for what feels like forever. “Exhale,” he allows at last, and continues to cue every breath for the duration of class. After my first couple of sessions with Tony I was sore just from breathing.
The only picture that seems to exist of Antonin Nenov
Some call Tony “the teachers’ teacher,” and this small room is full of yoga instructors. Cindy Mastry is the most flexible. Shila Tirabassi nails the handstands and jump-throughs. “Textbook!” Tony says, in his Eastern European accent. Katelyn’s good, too. In this company, my practice looks its age, and for a change I’m the greenest. Again and again, Tony implores us to find our cores, our backs, to expand, to suck it in. Every week I resolve to shed some pounds to make this easier.
Between efforts we sit on our heels to rest while Tony drops some yoga philosophy. I don’t always understand what he’s saying, but when I do he’s either being wise or funny, and sometimes on purpose. And then we’re back in a slow flow, and up on our hands again, with Tony’s help, piking softly out of handstands, or transitioning from Galavasana to One-Legged Crow to Eka Pada Koundinyasana. He seems to make up sequences in mid-air. Tony’s very-hands-on assists are like stepping stones between impossible, ugly, and textbook.
It’s great. Every week Katelyn and I race out of there to teach our respective classes, re-energized and psyched on practice. I don’t know what Tony’s session at Etc. is going to be like, but I think he’s going to talk about the Sutras some, and then work us out. I’m recommending this class to anyone who’s semi-serious about their yogas and loves arm balances or strong men with accents. Or if you’re a name-dropper, you can say you took a class from a guy who studied with A.G. Mohan. Space is limited so call 727-644-4554 to reserve your spot.
YOGA ETC. STUDIO PRESENTS
MASTER TEACHER TONY NENOV
Saturday, June 2, from 2-4:30pm
~ $25 ~
3338 Tyrone Blvd. St. Pete, 33710
Get Down, Baby, Get Down
Humans have been around for about 200,000 years. Toilets have only been around for about 5,000 years. That’s a whole lotta years of squatting to poop. Anybody who has been to Asia or parts of Europe and has used squat toilets there can attest to the benefits: most obviously a speedier and more complete poo, but also the following (from Nature’s Platform):
Seven Advantages of Squatting
(1) Makes elimination faster, easier and more complete. This helps prevent “fecal stagnation,” a prime factor in colon cancer, appendicitis and inflammatory bowel disease.
(2) Protects the nerves that control the prostate, bladder and uterus from becoming stretched and damaged.
(3) Securely seals the ileocecal valve, between the colon and the small intestine. In the conventional sitting position, this valve is unsupported and often leaks during evacuation, contaminating the small intestine.
(4) Relaxes the puborectalis muscle which normally chokes the rectum in order to maintain continence.
(5) Uses the thighs to support the colon and prevent straining. Chronic straining on the toilet can cause hernias, diverticulosis, and pelvic organ prolapse.
(6) A highly effective, non-invasive treatment for hemorrhoids, as shown by published clinical research.
(7) For pregnant women, squatting avoids pressure on the uterus when using the toilet. Daily squatting helps prepare one for a more natural delivery.
That seems like a lot of bad shit (har har) you can avoid if you just poo the way nature wanted you to. Each time I’ve been to Asia, I come home newly fired up about this issue. I’ll put both toilet seats up, set my feet on the rim of the bowl and squat down. The problem with this, on Western toilets, is the distance that is now between the butt and the water. It’s big, causing splashing. Also the rim of the toilet is small and slippery. I have some friends who put their feet up on the tub in front of them or bend their knees and bring their feet up towards their bum to simulate squat position and get a healthier poo. There are also items you can buy to turn your home toilet into a squatting toilet like the Squatty Potty, or Lily Pad.
Recently my friend Lance Robbins, who also happens to be a chiropractor, acupuncturist, Pilates instructor, personal trainer and all around knows-stuff-about-health guy, posted the baby-squat photo on Facebook with the caption: “Try holding this for 60 seconds each day and see what happens.” Some of you will quickly discover that squatting is hard for you to do. It might take a bit of time to get your body comfortable in this simplest of postures. And what will happen if you spend some time each day in a squat? Get on down and find out.
Working Through Pain and Fear in Your Practice
Beerasana’s good friend, badass teacher and Ashtangi Jade Skinner, writes about overcoming fear and injury in your practice.
Insights into Ashtanga: Working Through Pain and Fear in Your Practice
JADE SKINNER
Ashtanga yoga is such a beautiful yet powerful practice. It’s physically, mentally and emotionally challenging to our bodies and our spirit. Many things come up when we are on and off the mat. We don’t always know how to deal with it, especially during yoga practice. When we step on to our mats with discomfort in our bodies it creates a mental block that prevents us from exploring deeper. There’s an alarm that goes off, panic starts, and the brain tells the body not to move a certain way or pain will come. Frustration and impatience can set in when we start to experience panic, emotions, negative thoughts, or feelings of fear. In these moments it is only ourselves that we have to turn to. We are given the opportunity to be an observer of ourselves, to come to the present and reflect on how we deal with just being in the moment on the mat and in life.
Last year about 2 days before Christmas I injured my back by doing a simple turn to set a pot down in my kitchen. I heard a loud click in my low back and said to myself “hmmm, I’m not sure if that is a good click or a bad click.” Come to find out quickly, it was bad. The pain was debilitating to the point where I was uncomfortable in every position (sitting, standing, laying down, and twisting was excruciating). The pain went from my low back to my right hip and wrapped around the leg traveling all the way down the inner thigh to my knee. The last time I experienced something like this was 20 years ago. My practice seized for about 2 months, fear arose and mild depression set in. All I kept asking myself was “Why is this happening to me? What’s the lesson that I’m supposed to be learning here? Am I ever going to be able to practice ashtanga again“? All of these questions are normal and can make us feel a bit lost in our practice which can also, be challenging off of the mat.
The author makes a nice L-shape.
Two months later I returned to my soul mat and started my practice again. It was challenging, and the process of going through it has given me greater insight on the healing benefits of Ashtanga yoga. Here are some tips that helped me while I was working through pain and fear during some of the more challenging asanas.
We think that pain is our enemy, but in all actuality it is our friend. Pain teaches us to be fully present in our bodies and our mind. Practicing the most basic of yoga poses take the time to feel your way through it. Many times we just want to get there. The transition in and out of asanas is more important that just getting there. We want to connect with our bodies on a deeper level using all the muscle groups needed to really experience the true benefit of the asana. When we are faced with some of the more challenging poses sometimes we want to bail and say to ourselves “peace out…I’m not doing this” and move on, but having that attitude gets us nowhere. When you feel fear arise as the twist in Marchiasana C & D get deeper, take a moment to sit in your body with the breath and coach yourself through the sensations of discomfort. Ground through your pelvis, begin to lengthen the spine on the inhalation by drawing in mula bandha and pace yourself as you enter the twist on the exhalation. Maintain positive thoughts and do not let fear take over. It’s not about how you look in the pose, but what is more important transitioning safely into and out of the asana.
Breathe calmly and sit with yourself for the moment. Relax the mind and you will relax the body allowing yourself to explore the deeper realms of space. As backbending approaches emotions of panic may set in. You might think as though you will never be where you were in your practice before the pain was there.Let go of the negative emotions and come back to the breath, return to the goal of your practice. Work slowly as you set yourself up for the asana. Connect with your feet and hands to make sure they are in the correct place, so you are fully grounded. Breath your way through the legs and arms as you start to lift away from the floor. Relax the glutes and allow the spine to lengthen as your chest opens. Let yourself feel all the sensations of comfort and discomfort arise. Sometimes we feel lost in our own bodies or we are on the verge of panic. Be humble, don’t give in, instead maintain your focus on the goal of letting go. Holding on to pain and fear will only keep you stuck in the past. This is your opportunity to be the observer and learn something about yourself. The feeling of regression subsides. Emotionally and mentally the sense of progression sets back in and the physical aspect is soon to be on its way. Having a more positive mindset will change your practice on and off the mat.
Brad Friedel, old bastard, attributes long excellence to yoga
Excerpted from I Am Iron Man, Sports Illustrated, April 23, 2012
He’s spent 15 years at the top of the game and is set to play in his record 300th straight Premier League match. Yes, Brad Friedel is the Cal Ripken of English football, and he’s 100% American—except for that accent
By GRANT WAHL
The English media will hail Friedel’s play as the save of the week—Spurs go on to a 3–1 win—and one of the best of the season. Yet even more remarkable than the save itself is that it was pulled off by such an, um … experienced …
“You can say it,” Friedel interrupts with a laugh. “An old bastard!“
How old is Brad Friedel? Old enough to have competed in the 1992 Olympics. Old enough to have turned pro before U.S. star Juan Agudelo was born. Old enough to have tried out in England before the formation of the Premier League. Old enough to have represented the U.S. in three World Cups and to have retired from the national team seven years ago.
Naturally. Brad watches “Kenny The Anfield Cat runs on the pitch during the English Premier league football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.”
And old enough to have played in 299 straight games in England’s Premier League, more than any other player in league history. While Spurs, who are in fourth place in the Premiership with five matches remaining, jockey for a Champions League spot for next season, the 40-year-old Friedel has turned into soccer’s version, in looks and actions, of Bruce Willis in the Die Hard movies.
For years Friedel’s goal was to play with a top European team until he was 34 or 35, then return to the States for a swan song in MLS. But the longer he excelled, the more his expectations shifted. Friedel attributes his iron-man streak to the usual suspects—eating and sleeping right, not overtraining, drinking in moderation—but says the key has been yoga. After tearing his right quadriceps at the end of the 2003–04 season (the cause of his last missed games), Friedel took up the practice on the suggestion of former teammate Barry Venison. “When you get older, it’s easier to get tightness in your groin and quads and hips,” he says. “If you can keep those parts strong and flexible, it helps your knees.” Friedel does his downward-facing dog twice a day year-round and has recruited Spurs teammates and staff to a weekly session with his longtime instructor. “We never did yoga when I played,” marvels Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp. “We didn’t even used to stretch before training!” For Friedel the results are plain to see. One month before he turns 41, and at 6’3″ and 202 pounds, he can nearly do splits.
One not fun thing about athletics: the ice bath.
Brad Friedel, ladies and germs! Still making it work across the pond with yoga. By the way, we know 40 isn’t old in the real world (right?), but it’s pretty ancient for an elite athlete. What do you guys think? Know of any other old jocks working it with yoga? Take a penny leave a penny for your thoughts if you’ve got any, below.
Getting old isn’t for sissies
My sisters and I drove up to Landrum, SC for the weekend to visit our grandma. She lives alone in a spacious, immaculate house. She has a plus-sized cat for company, and she is often in pain. These days, she can’t even walk around the block. When we go downtown or to the mall, she spends most of the time sitting on a bench. It’s depressing. She wants to have fun, but her back is a mess. Degenerative discs, pinched nerves, sciatica, arthritis; you name it, she’s suffering from it.
I don’t want to write my grandma as a cautionary tale, but it’s hard not to think about how she got this way. Poor nutrition? Smoking? Lack of exercise? Stress and anxiety? She’s 78. Not young, but not so old that I can just invoke Bette Davis: Getting old isn’t for sissies. No. My friend Megs says getting old is inevitable, and I should just relax and accept it. And sure, I may have an unhealthy fear of mortality, ahem, but what does getting old really mean?
My next birthday will put me solidly in what they call middle age, so I’m thinking long-term. How can we make the best of the lives we have? What can we do to rehab, maintenance, and preserve these creaky ships?
Here comes an(other) unqualified opinion: it seems to me the best thing you can do for yourself is to use your time well, and surround yourself with people you love and enjoy. How do you spend the hours of your day? Doing something you dislike, surrounded by assholes? If so, first fix that. The second thing we need to do is to exercise. It’s a simple use-it-or-lose-it equation. Our heart needs to work, and our other muscles need to work, and we need to stretch, and send blood and nourishment to our spines, organs, and brains. We need to relax and simplify and be happy with ourselves. I think you know where I’m going with this. Yoga is really part of a complete breakfast. Stick with your practice, and at the least your back should stay healthy. Then you can walk around a shitty mall with your grandkids in 2052, bitching about the wretched excess. Just like now!
Like this:
Dog + Yoga = Doga
A dog’s life is stressful. They are at the whim of their owners, never knowing when they will sniff their next butt. Never fear, Doga is here. When your pooch seems a little frazzled, you can go and breathe it out together.
The eyes of the canine participants seem to say: “Can you believe this shit?”
In Doga class you will massage your pet and do various postures with them awkwardly balanced on or under you. Doga is for those times you look at your dog and think; “C’mon, let’s go get weird.”
Then after class maybe you can grab an ice cream from the K99 truck and go to the park to play with Fido’s new “Om ball” or “Shanti stick” from Bhodi toys.
Traditionalists lament that Doga trivializes yoga by turning it into a fad. To me, it seems like a natural progression. Pet pamper and Yoga are both booming markets, getting sillier every minute.
Of course, if finding and attending a Doga class just seems like a little too much work, you could always just drop them off at the spa.
I think they may have left the perm in too long.
“This limbering-up exercise, by the way, is just the thing to cure a hangover.”
Here’s some good shit. This 2-minute+ film is called Yoga Dancing 1956, and features Prima Ballerina* Madame Legat and her charges at the Legat School of Ballet, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It is narrated by a smirky cat with a highball in his hand. Dig!
Madame Legat, um, assists a young lady.
What Famous People Do: Yoga
Gwyneth Paltrow wakes up at 4:30 every morning to practice. Other famous practitioners include: Madonna (Ashtanga), Jon Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, Sting and wife, Gisele Bundchen (Anusara — not sure if she was a blazing solar flame), and Ellen! The list goes on. Reese Witherspoon practices YogaHop — 90 minutes of yoga with some bumping hip hop music. Hm. Where do you think Adam Levine of Maroon 5 gets his “muscular yet catlike physique?” (barf)
Today on Beerasana: pictures of famous people doing their yogas.
Madge on her way into Eka Pada Shirshasana, Ashtanga intermediate series.
Gaga getting her Bikram in NYC.
Gisele Bundchen, Natarajasana
Maybe Jen knows that Baddha Konasana can help ease childbirth.
Sting and wife Trudie Styler welcome you to the party.
Jenny's style icon, Matthew Mcconaughey getting sandy. Bhujangasana and Supta Virasana.
And Marilyn Monroe, natch! Rocking Bow pose.
Fancy in Shoulderstand.
Tripod headstand, movie star-style.
Enough said. See you on the mat, suckas.
