February 2008 Newsletter

February 2008 NEWSLETTER

Text Box: Start seated with the legs forward. Hinge forward at the hips with a flat back…don’t round the upper back yet. Extend hands out in front of you on the floor…you don’t need to touch your toes. Take a few deep breaths here. As you start to feel your muscles stretch and release with your breaths, lengthen further forward. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, begin to round the spine from the lower back to bring the belly closer to the thighs. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, round the middle back to bring the chest closer to the knees. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, continue you forward to place the head on your shins (not your knees) Breathe here for 4 deep breaths.

Big Apple Core News

What’s Going On

Text Box: Everything we do in life is a lesson. Not learning from our mistakes creates the sensation of “bad luck”. Eliminating this feeling can only be accomplished by facing the issue “head on”. This also happens on our mat. What’s exciting about this is that sometimes we are able to practice out our situations on the mat and take our lessons with us in to our daily lives. Let’s observe the general issue of anxiety. This is many peoples’ greatest enemy. Obsessing over every little detail and anticipating the outcome of events before they occur robs us of the joy of experiencing every moment. Some times as we move through the poses on the mat we do the same thing. We analyze a pose, judge it, and anticipate our next movement without even listening to the teacher’s cue or even worse, our own bodies.

Text Box: Variation: Start seated with the legs extended in front of you. Arms reach forward on the shoulder line. Relax the shoulders. Round the lower back and roll down half way. (make sure you are not just unhinging at the hips, this is only contracting the hip flexors that are probably already too tight!) Hold for four long, deep breaths and roll up. Repeat several times

Text Box: Start lying on your back. Legs can be bent or straight. Extend arms over shoulder line to reach fingers toward the ceiling. Keep the shoulders relaxed. Inhale. Exhale, bring the chin to the chest slightly. Feel the abdominals scoop in and up to peel the spine off the floor SLOWLY one vertebrae at a time until you are sitting. If the knees are bent, lengthen them now. Round the spine to fold over the legs; finding a “c” curve from head to tailbone and the shoulders drawing away from the ears and down the back. Inhale. Exhale, feel the abdominals engage as the press one vertebrae at a time SLOWLY down into the floor. Repeat several times.

Pilates Pose: Roll Up

Rollups require a lot of strength of the abdominals, especially the rectus abdominus (connects the sternum to the pubic bone). This can be a very difficult exercise for many of us. You may find bending the knees with the feet flat on the floor helps . . . you may also find placing your feet under a couch to secure them helps . . . you may also find that only rolling up part way or rolling down part way is the best option until you build strength properly. My point is you will probably have to modify the first time and maybe for the hundredth time . . . will your ego be able to handle it??

Remember Ego: this exercise is not about sitting all the way up…it is to strengthen the abdominals!

Yoga Pose: Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

This pose is also very basic but requires a lot of flexibility through the back body. It may be very difficult to fully enjoy this pose with the use of props. Can you be honest with yourself and use the appropriate props?

PHOEBE KELLY

Private Yoga and Pilates Training

Move Your Core New York

Featured Poses:

The following exercises are relatively basic in terms of understanding the directions. To be able to execute them physically and without ego is another story. Sometimes if we are not quite ready physically, the ego has its own set of goals and gets in the way.

¨ Pilates: Roll up

¨ Yoga: Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

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Life Lessons: Learned on the Mat

Word for Thought

“Every creative person has to learn to deal with failure….If you’re not failing, you’re not taking enough risks”

-Twyla Tharp

"Since beginning my own Pilates and Yoga work, Phoebe and I have been discussing the power of the mind-body connection. There is a natural overlap between how we feel about ourselves physically and emotionally. When we tune in to our bodies, powerful feelings can surface about anxieties, insecurities, fears and loss. It is so important to have a place for those feelings to be released and acknowledged. As you are taking time to respect and appreciate your breathing, your balance and making your body stronger, it can be helpful to talk with a professional therapist about your emotional health, too. In my own therapy practice, I work with people trying

to cope with a broad array of issues like dealing with the daily stresses of city living, relationships, self-esteem, or living with chronic illness/loss.

I often introduce relaxation techniques, such as guided imagery and deep breathing exercises as a way to reduce stress and access deeper emotions. By exploring your inner voice, you can connect your body and your mind to feel stronger, balanced, and more peaceful."

For more information check out Beth Friedman’s website www.manhattantherapists.com

Volume 2, Issue 2

February

Happy New Year! This time of year we often look inward to reflect upon where we’ve been and where we’d like to go. To live fully in the present, we should examine what makes us succeed and not succeed.

The times we experience this, we must focus on our breath and allow it to bring us into the present. Every situation is different for everyone. The most beautiful thing about learning in Pilates and Yoga is you get to explore your true self!

You get to dissect your habits and personality traits and decide the best path for you. At times going through this self exploration, issues may come up that you are not sure how to deal with on your own. It may be helpful to talk to someone about your experiences; a loved one, a teacher, or a therapist. Our goal in yoga is unite mind, body, and soul. Expressing yourself to others can also be a gateway to fulfilling this goal.

The following is my client, Beth Friedman’s experience with Pilates and Yoga. As a therapist, she also talks about tools she uses with her clients.

Some questions to ask….

Do you have a “whatever it takes” attitude for getting up, whether it’s flying through with momentum or muscling through it with arms and legs? Are you able to take a step backwards to modify the exercise so that you can accomplish it? Are you connected to your breath?

Text Box: Remember ego: The object of this exercise is NOT to touch your toes . . .it’s to stretch your hamstrings and back.

¨ If you can not fold forward with the support of the legs, try placing a pillow between your torso and your legs. Or bend your knees enough so that the torso is supported and place the pillow under your knees.

Some more questions….

Do you fight to touch your toes?

Do you feel anxious about being still in the moment? Do you fidget?

Can you let go of expectations?