Yoga is for Aging Well: Our Myofascial Maps for Effective Yoga

About the class

In this workshop, we'll concentrate on the fundamental 'myofascial maps' that throw new light on our understanding of the unique role that asana practice can play in our fascial fitness, as well as the often neglected role of the joints in governing our strength and flexibility — and how yoga begins, not with the muscles, but with the joints, in a very profound way.

All of this is put in the larger context of healthy aging. Aging is largely an inflammatory condition. Increased and chronic inflammation becomes more and more likely with age — and sometimes arrives rather early. The stresses of that inflammation not only cause pain, but negatively affect organ function as well as affecting the systems that otherwise maintain our vitality — our immune system, hormonal system, respiratory, circulatory, cognitive, and so on. Our capacity in these areas of vitality does decline over time, but the decline doesn't have to be so dramatic.

We DO have built-in anti-inflammatory mechanisms built into us, especially in our skeletal muscles, as well as in our breathing. The states of our nervous system of course also play a huge role.

Hatha yoga practices are organized around these mechanisms, and optimizing their function at any age. This is not surprising, since hatha yoga has always concerned itself with the aging process, and often references the benefits of yoga with regard to aging.

So we're going to be looking deeper into these practices from the perspective of how they help to stave off inflammation and decline — starting with insightful practice of asana and the breath, but not limited to that. Throughout the weekend, we'll also weave in the role of mudra and drishthi, particularly with regard to their profound effect upon breathing practices, taking our experience of pranayama as well as concentration deeper in ways that are not often explored!



FRIDAY EVENING:

It's in the Joints: the Feet are the Keys to the Hips

Before we can even talk on a practical level about muscles in asana, our first principle must be 'Joint Play.'

If there is not proper freedom of movement in the joints, the natural reflexes of the body attempt to stabilize the joints by reducing both flexibility and strength in the muscles that are attempting to move the joints.

Understanding this reflex is the key to gaining strength and mobility in asana practice, as well as avoiding inflammation of tendons, and injury from forcing the poses.

This principle is also closely connected to an understanding of myofascial 'lines,' which are fascial connections between muscles that extend through related joints. If a muscle is tight, weak, or 'stuck' due to lack of joint play in one area of the body, that is in turn communicated to the muscles surrounding other related joints. And so weak arches become a knee problem. Or hip pain. Or even a shoulder or neck problem.

This session will explore this experience by focusing on the feet as the keys to the hips (and knees) via these very tangible connections, and provide the beginnings of a 'map' of these connections for understanding asana. This will be taken into asana practice, with special focus on the feet and hips.

The session will also include pranayama, with the introduction of some simple yet powerful principles of mudra that will deepen your experience of the key pranayamas introduced in this session, prior to relaxation.

Our exploration of mudra will also reinforce this sense of connection between actions of body, breath, and mind. It will be a distinctive experience of 'Vyana Vayu,' the expansive experience of sensation and feeling of space in the body that is the heart of the asana experience.



SATURDAY MORNING:

Working with Your Muscles and their Anti-Aging Effects in Asana

This session will focus on forward bending and backbending, with special attention to how our muscles should be worked in companionship with each other to derive their anti-inflammatory benefits, as well as for better success in flexibility, mobility, and muscle tone. It's an all-levels practice, which focuses on healthy muscle action rather than extreme flexibility.

The myofascial 'maps' for this focus lie at the outer levels of the muscles of the front and back of the body, which are most at work in forward bending and backbending. Among these, we'll give special attention to the muscles of the spine and hamstrings, and provide keys for safe work in forward bending that also takes good care of the knees.

These myofascial lines or 'Sutras' of the front and back body profoundly bear upon how the nervous system is stimulated and calmed through asana practice — traditionally described as 'Prana Vayu' and 'Apana Vayu.' We'll explore how inclusion of these dimensions of practice in asana and breath help to improve the adaptability of our nervous system.



SATURDAY AFTERNOON:

The Heart of Movement and the Root of Equilibrium — Sacral, Low Back Health, and the Breath

All movement in asana begins with the spine, and the natural undulation of the spine in movement is also the foundation for the health and steadiness of the mind. And the heart of the spine's movement is at the sacrum, which is also key to the experience of breath and bandha.

This session will explore the movements of the sacrum and pelvic bones in asana and breath. This will be a journey into the 'Core' — as support for sacral stability, low back health, and as a key to diaphragmatic breath that is connected to the 'gut' and the pelvic floor.

The myofascial 'map' for this journey is through our center or 'Madhya,' deep along the front of the spine, involving the psoas, diaphragm, and pelvic floor, as well as deep muscles that stabilize the neck and support the pathway of the breath that connects heart and breath in Ujjayi.

The asana practice, which includes an exploration of healthy twisting, will take us into the simple actions of 'bandha' in breath work, which will help us to connect with the feeling of steadiness and equilibrium, traditionally described as Samana Vayu.



SUNDAY MORNING:

Keys to the Shoulders and the Power of Mudra

There are secrets to knowing how to use our shoulders well for the sake of greater freedom of movement — and for freedom from pain! For this, we need to understand how the joints of the shoulder girdle work, and how it is lack of proper 'joint play' causes tightness as well as weakness and pain syndromes that are often attributed to rotator cuff injuries.

This session will start out with an explanation and easy-to-remember principles and fundamental movements to restore joint play, leading into an exploration of the myofascial 'map' of the shoulders, which provides insights into the health of the hands, wrists, and elbows as well.

All of this will be put to use in asana practice, and as with every session, illustrated notes will be provided as downloads of the slides used in the presentation, to help you remember the applications of these principles in poses.

The experience of the connections at play between hands, shoulders, chest, and neck, will lead us into a deeper exploration of the power of mudra in working with the breath, mental focus (dharana), and meditation.

This journey into breath and meditation throughout the Sunday sessions will be an exploration of Udana Vayu, the power of intention that is directly linked to cognitive health, particularly with respect to the aging process. The emphasis on mudra introduced in the morning will take us into the afternoon session, when the role of the neck and drishthi is added.



SUNDAY AFTERNOON:



The Shoulders and Neck, and the Power of Drishti in Breath and Meditation

The afternoon session will include fundamental considerations and principles for taking care of our neck through asana principles and practice, and this will take us into deeper, yet very accessible, experiences of breath, meditation, and relaxation.

The power of drishthi, or the gaze of the eyes, in connection with the breath is surprisingly tangible, but is rarely really explored. In combination with mudra, the simple practice of drishthi opens the avenues of what the yogis called the 'nadis.'

A fair translation of 'nadi' is 'nerve,' with the understanding that the yogis, in their practices concerning the 'nadis,' were focusing particularly on stimulation of the 'cranial nerves,' the prime one being the vagus nerve. The 'nadis' emphasized by the hatha yogis reflect our evolving understanding of the vagus nerve as the key to regulation of our health, emotional balance, and cognitive health and clarity.

The afternoon, starting with some simple principles for neck alignment and awareness, will primarily be pranayama practices, incorporating the ideas of mudra, bandha, and drishthi that were explored through the weekend. This will add new dimensions to your practice, and will also help with understanding the tools of the 'upper' chakras, from the heart upward, in breath, meditation, and relaxation practices.



Practical bits: Due to the nature of the Crescent Bakery building, it's ideal to wear layers of clothing for cooler / warmer fluctuations.



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