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Fully Restored

April 10, 2006 by Lauren Ladoceour

It's not as easy as it looks. Judith taught that Savasana and restorative yoga is about letting go of the body and breath so that we might disidentify ourselves from our thoughts. It also has more physical health benefits. From her studies with Dean Ornish and a San Francisco university, Judith found that restorative yoga lowers cholestoral and can stabilize glucose levels.

But many yoga classes don't give enough time to Savasana. Judith taught that it takes at least 15 minutes to relax before one can withdraw from external sensations. Here is a recipe for relaxation, as outlined in this all-day restorative yoga intensive:

1. A safe environment
2. Darkness
3. The body positioned in a 30 degree incline
4. Warm hands and feet
5. A lowered core temperature

Posted by Lauren Ladoceour at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hell Bent

April 09, 2006 by Lauren Ladoceour

Barbara Benagh is my hero. In the past, teachers have rushed me through backbends, with little-to-no preparation for Wheel. But today's class was completely devoted to warming the spine and preparing it for more advanced backbends. After two hours of gentle Cobras and modified Locust and Bow to strengthen the thoracic spine, I was able to move into a full bridge with an ease I've never experienced. I only wish the photographer had captured my shining moment. After class, I heard one student with a compressed lower back say today was the first time she had tried Cobra and that she now felt ready to move on from her fear of backbends.

Posted by Lauren Ladoceour at 06:57 PM | Permalink

Yoga, Breath, and the Brain

April 08, 2006 by Lauren Ladoceour

Gessner Geyer gave a lecture on the neurobiology of insight, emotional well-being, and enlightenment. Using findings from recent scientific studies, Geyer pointed out that physicists and neurologists are now proving was yogis have known for centuries: experiences are what change us. It was once believed that our brains are "hard wired," but Geyer suggested that through meditation and awareness, we can even change the way our brain functions. This did not come as news to the audience, but his message was clear. Yoga helps us grow calmer, clearer, and more compassionate, and how e move and breathe affects how we think and feel.

Geyer ended the lecture with a Buddhist prayer: Be aware and don't squander life.

Posted by Lauren Ladoceour at 02:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Set Straight

April 07, 2006 by Lauren Ladoceour

What a start to the YJ conference! I arrived in Boston tired and achy after a long, bumpy flight. My mood was sour, and my jaw was tight. But after an all-day intensive with Saul David Raye's partner massage class, I was ready for my mat and beginner's conference sessions. My plan is to take it easy for the first day or two with Thai Yoga Massage and an Anatomy lecture. Sunday I'll start early with an Ashtanga Primer, ease into backbends with Barbara Benaugh, and then finish the conference with Intro to Meditation with the lovely Sharon Gannon and an all-day restorative yoga intensive on Monday.

In Saul's class, I was lucky enough to partner up with a professional masseuse, who was looking to explore Thai Massage. It could have been awkward to be so intimate with a complete stranger, but Saul created a safe space so that we could all trust each other --- even when we had to massage a partner's posterior. And there was no way of getting around that. It wasn't exactly a formal handshake, but it did the trick and I got (and performed) a two-hour massage out of it.

Posted by Lauren Ladoceour at 01:52 PM | Permalink

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