Yoga as a potential physical therapy tool.

Typically at the moment an injury happens we are unaware of what our body is doing. Though it sounds illogical to the mind, our body follows patterns we have trained into it. It is likely that unconscious movement & postural patterns set us up for events that cause injury. An example of this is if someone has a habit of letting a foot drag or leaning into one hip. When faced with a new obstacle while doing something as simple as walking this habit may cause a sprain or fall.

Another way our incorrect movement & postural patterns show up is called "repetitive stress injuries." Two common examples are shoulder/rotator cuff pain due to working with arms forward, and hip/low back pain from long hours of sitting. The movements we commonly use start out just fine but if we do not stay mindful of posture and take breaks during the work day we will slump into incorrect posture. After some time we notice discomfort so we must then consciously balance our muscular system with contrasting exercises. When multiple days go by without corrective movements we will start feeling discomfort as over used muscles pull joints away from their center.

As a seasoned Shiatsu practitioner I can report that the body tells its movement history loud and clear. Helping educate people on how they can balance joints through conscious postural and movement patterning is a big part of my work. When they learn how simple it is to alleviate their own discomfort, clients frequently exclaim "They don't teach us this!" 

The reality is They can only give us broad outlines. In a society that is geared toward mass education They cannot teach what is good for each person.

Enter yoga. This is an ancient practice, developed & taught by seekers of personal empowerment.

Because we all live in the physical body we can learn the rules of physicality and consciously realign our structure. Yoga postures teach us to synchronize our body, mind and breath. This focusses our mind and brain together to activate neural pathways that strengthen new muscular patterns. This focussed state is needed to learning anything new.

When we realign our body with concentration and repetition we initiate a natural process of return to comfort.

Though it takes practice we can train the musculoskeletal structure to return and rest at home base. Over time the muscular structure will release old injury patterns in favor of the healthy, functional options. 

Here's the catch.

If we want to empower our body/mind to learn, grow and heal we must do this consistently over time. For best results we need to reproduce the patterns on our own. Another person is needed to teach the mind/body/breath positioning and movement sequences but for it to transfer into our lives we must learn to do this by ourselves.

This means something different for every one every day. 

Attending classes with consistency is important. Practicing between classes is optional and as simple as sitting & breathing for 10 minutes with correct positioning. If a student practices or even thinks through the new pattern for a few minutes between classes the information will become more natural. Once a new movement is practiced enough times it becomes a skill that helps us grow our posture library over time. 

The reason the Ashtanga Yoga series is such a useful sequence is its consistency.

The Ashtanga Primary Series is called "Yoga Therapy" in Sanskrit. The sequences are designed to move the body through a gentle warm-up and gradual opening of all the joints then close in the home base postures. In my 32 years of practice this sequence has proven to be a therapy for every physical problem. The brilliantly crafted flow allows for all levels of modifications and change while the practitioner is traveling through their own physical journey.

In my Intro classes I invite students to learn home base and carry it along through the sequence. 

If it's something you'd like to explore please come to a class or reach out for options. My current studio schedule in Missoula includes one Introduction class and one ongoing practice per week. Private sessions are available.

Please go to https://offthematselfcare.com/ for more about me and my contact information. Go to https://www.sacredally.love/movement-yoga-class-schedule to see my current classes.

Blessings, joy and health,

Christian

A short summary of cleanses

 If we do not actively support our health we are passively allowing its decline.

Articles about strengthening health naturally started coming to me in high school. Simple “healthy habits” that all focussed on digestive comfort. When the teacher made the above statement on the first day of Shiatsu school these tips came flooding back to mind. Eastern therapy models such as Shiatsu view digestive health as the key to overall life balance.

Food choices and eating habits are primary to daily beneficial habits. Another component of digestive and overall disease prevention is actively tending to the organs. Cleansing the organs is a seasonal routine in pre-Western health practices. The Spring Clean involves a liver refresh of some sort. This clears the bile ducts and blood vessels after the heavy Winter feasts in anticipation of Summer heat. The Fall Cleanse focuses on preparing the lower intestines for the dormant Winter months. 

After a long, stressful life situation or a few seasons of unhealthy food choices simple protocols give the digestive system a reboot. Below is listed my study of cleanses and dietary rebalancing formats. Though incomplete in the scope of human health, it represents my and my clients direction of focus for enhancing quality of life.

At the end I’ve included a simple suggestion for incorporate moderation into the year. This is not intended as medical or dietary advice, rather a suggestion to move toward reducing unnecessarily taxing items from your routine.

The Ayurvedic Kitchari Cleanse

Duration: 3 - 10 days.

Why do this: A simple digestive system reset. Helpful to detoxify and balance the body's natural constitution.

How does it look: Shifting all food intake to the simple ayurvedic meal, kitchari, commonly made with basmati rice and mung beans. A specific group of spices are added. Ghee (clarified butter) is part of the meal. A pre-cleanse preparation is advised as well as a post-cleanse food reintegration strategy.

Links: https://www.ayurvedhealing.com/kitchari-cleanse-5-day-reset-recipes/

https://svasthaayurveda.com/how-to-perform-a-kitchari-cleanse/

The Master Cleanse

Duration: 10 - 40 days.

Why do this: Those who enjoy a very light body might do this to enhance spiritual connection. Those who enjoy a fleshier vessel might do this occasionally to clear out build up. Useful for weight loss.

How does it look: Consuming only the specific drink containing fresh lemon or lime juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Herbal teas are good additions when needed. A salt water solution is drunk to maintain bowel functioning in the absence of solid food. 

Link: https://themastercleanse.org/

Colon Cleanses with pre-made formulas

Duration: 5 days to multiple weeks.

Why do this: To remove residues from the gut lining.

How does it look: Drinking a specific herb or pre-made herbal formula. Herbs used have mucilaginous, toxin binding, anti fungal and anti bacterial qualities. Herbs to stimulate peristalsis may also be included. It is recommended to increase water consumption and decrease consumption of anything dehydrating. Increasing high-fiber vegetable intake will increase the effects.

Examples: There are several pre-made formulas available. Here is a Consumer Health Digest review for Perfect 7: https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/colon-cleanser-reviews/perfect-7-intestinal-cleanser.html

Blood Type Diet

Duration: This is a dietary overhaul. To determine its effectiveness it must be followed for a few months. 

Why do this: If commonly used foods cause predictable discomfort, if the body is building up inflammation in the joints, gradually increasing fat and general congestion.

How does it look: Dr. Peter D’Adamo developed the research matching the 4 blood groups (A, B, AB & O) with foods that easily digest in its body system. Each blood type has a list of beneficial foods, neutral foods and foods to avoid. This system includes supplements and ways of formatting exercise throughout a week to enhance wellbeing. A cookbook is in print. Online resources are also available.

Link: https://dadamo.com/dadamo2024/

Elimination Cleanse

Duration: 2 to 8 weeks.

Why do this: If someone is unclear on which foods cause minor allergic responses or to reset the diet to a distinctly different program.

How does it look: Progressively removing specific foods until the diet is pared down to easily digested basic foods. After all allergens are removed, foods are reintroduced to allow a clear experience of which foods are not tolerated. Depending on the program specific herbal supplements may be used to clean and bolster the organs as food intake changes.

Example: https://www.integrativenutrition.com/blog/how-to-do-an-elimination-diet-a-complete-guide

https://www.fodmapgutdiet.com/guides/fodmap-elimination-phase

Supplements play a big role in many cleanses.

Dr. Hulda Clark’s Liver Flush protocol

Duration: The original model is a 2 day flush after several weeks of targeted cleansing and nourishing the intestines and kidney. A several different supplement products are advised. More recent versions have it pared down to 5 days leading up to the flush and increased supplementation to follow.

Why do this: Someone who has myriad digestive and physical concerns that have been unresolved with standard remedies.

How does it look: The Liver Flush itself begins on a predetermined date (because the flusher will not want to leave home for most of Day 2). This procedure includes a 20 hour fast, drinking an Epsom salt solution in small doses from late afternoon to evening, drinking a mixture of olive oil & grapefruit juice, a phase of potential discomfort as the liver and gall bladder squeeze out all their bile during the night, follow-up with drinking more epsom salt doses in the morning, the elimination of bile & stones, and then rehydration. For someone with deep liver congestion it is recommended to repeat this process up to 5 times with 5 days between flushes.

Links: https://drhuldaclark.org/liver-cleanse/

https://drclarkstore.com/

Candida Cleanse

Duration: From 6 weeks to 3 or more months.

Why do it: Chronic digestive concerns that have resisted all other treatments. Advocates of this program list multiple symptoms and pathologies that indicate Candida overgrowth.

How does it look: Using the idea that an overgrowth of Candida albicans generates multiple by-product related health issues, this protocol includes a food list that is free of items that feed the yeast. Eliminated foods include sugars, highly-starchy vegetables & grains, gluten and dairy. It is advised to remove foods considered inflammatory (beans, corn, highly processed and preserved foods), fermented foods and fungi. There are likely to be a few specific foods recommended to enhance organ function during the detoxification and bacterial die-off stage. Probiotic and anti fungal foods are emphasized to create an environment for the intestinal lining to self-repair. Once the body stabilizes with a reduced microbiome overgrowth, bacteria known to be productive for digestive health are added along with anti fungal supplements to remove remaining food for candida. This process repopulates and establishes the vitalizing bacteria. The final stage of this treatment includes adding digestive enzyme supplements and gradually reintroducing foods that have been eliminated. 

Links: https://www.ultimatecandidadiet.com

https://globalhealing.com/blogs/education/ultimate-candida-diet-program

https://drruscio.com/candida-cleanse/

Moderate Added Sugar 3-month program

Duration: 7 - 10 days, three consecutive months.

Why do it: Sugar added to food has long been considered non-essential for humans. Regular consumption of foods high in added sugar has been known to disrupt the digestive system. Symptoms include gassiness, bloating, indigestion, constipation and weight gain.

How does it look: During the period of restricting sugar, do not add sugar to food or beverages. Don’t drink alcohol, soft drinks or drinks flavored with syrups. Skip dessert or substitute fresh fruit. Choose buttered toast or biscuits rather than a pastry or donuts. If this is too hard, choose one regularly consumed food or drink to substitute with a non-sugary option per day.

    Natural sweeteners (xylitol, monk fruit, stevia & erythritol) may be used for the beginning few days, but try to let go of any added sweetness by the middle day.

    Once you’ve completed your 7 - 10 days, slowly reintroduce previously consumed items as desired. Try to add only one per day for the first few days.

    If you are able to quit all the food & drink items with added sugars the first time you try this, be prepared for your body to withdraw from the change in sugar consumption. This might produce headaches and cravings. Increase your water intake during this time. You might benefit from drinking warm water with a lemon slice, or herbal teas to reduce tension.

Easy enough. But when in the month?

For women, try the week before the menstrual cycle starts. 

For men and women in menopause, tune into the days before and just after the New Moon.

If you want to try this simple and free moderation exercise for three consecutive months, consider planning it for August through October. Enjoy your Halloween candy in mid-November if needed. Notice how digestively prepared you feel for holiday season after completing your third month.

Wishing you Joy and Abundant Health,

Christian

Confessions of a Yoga Practitioner, Part 3.

Having glimpsed how sick I was, how could I get well?...Ma? 

Picking up from the deep ceremonies, yes, I came away from Crestone as if out of my own grave. Plant medicine opened me to knowledge of ancient practices. Specifically I went straight to tending the fire, the active, illuminating and purifying agent. In the space of plant medicine my soul path, that of a spiritual seeker, was clear. I gazed at it avidly for almost three years.

The ceremony had became an indulgence. This could only go on for so long until my life broke down. The marriage came unhinged. It became impossible to ignore that I had given away all my power to a dream life.

My spiritual wandering was called into action. The 5 years of marriage allowed me to amass a collection of therapy tools. Along with ceremony, I had studied the Human Design System, astrology, Non-Violent Communication, and had been given a book by Angeles Arrien which contains the Four Universal Addictions*. 

*Four Universal Addictions

1. The addiction to intensity. The unclaimed human resource is the expression of love.
2. The addiction to perfection. The unclaimed human resource is the expression of excellence and the right use of power.
3. The addiction to the need to know. The unclaimed human resource is the expression of wisdom.
4. The addiction to being fixated on what’s not working rather than what is working. The unclaimed human resource is the expression of vision and ways of looking at the whole.

Arrien, Angeles, The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer, and Visionary. New York: HarperCollins, 1993

After the divorce, 2009, a year of group therapy taught me two more powerful tools to identify and disarm my own painful background energy. The first was knowledge that shame, blame and guilt are the three most toxic things in the human experience. The second was a letter writing exercise to unload the emotional hooks between myself and anyone I felt resentment toward.

Important to note, just because the tools were learned doesn't mean I used them all the time.

I reconnected with Aikido and then started lunchtime kettkebell classes at the dojo. Many students stayed with me through a recertification phases which switched the format from lifting for strength to Kettlebell Sport. About a year into the switch my classes came to an end, but my passion to compete did not. I quit Aikido and yoga to give lifting all of my energy.

Seven years of competing with Kettlebell Sport was a way for me to be the focal point of my life. I was good at it, my coach constantly propped up my ego with bonuses on training every time I would win, I dominated my weight class. It brought out the worst and the best in me. Specifically the balance of poison/medicine found in excessive use of willpower and mental discipline.

The primary poison: my family culture had conditioned my mind with image awareness. This battle will never be won. Even as I excelled at the sport my feeling of "not perfect" was driven deeper with every competition. Kettlebell Sport is organized in weight classes. Though never more than 10 pounds overweight, I had struggled psychologically with the number on the scale since 14 years old. Having a weigh-in before competitions added strain to my tenous self-confidence.

The primary medicine: I was building new self-awareness. It was a time when I truly saw how natural the renunciate life is for me. Though I pushed the edge of my physical health I found myself in the discipline. The weightlifting days proved to me that hard work and desire for a goal produce both success and humility. 

Eventually the injuries no longer justified the reward. The depth of mental discipline I developed is the real gold from those days. The greatest psychological breakthrough was acknoledging how long I had been in denial. I was an addict. An intensity junkie hooked on the possibility of perfection, fuelling self-doubt with fixation on the negative results.

Quitting an amateur athlete career produced an identity crisis. Though gym culture was always an awkward fit, I was no longer a "gym rat." Seeking a place to belong I returned to Aikido. I knew that Ashtanga Vinyasa was the needed therapy but my fragile ego was not ready to release the emotional trauma I had built into my chest and low back. The practice of martial arts was an easier transition.

Almost 2 years later I faced the fact that nothing was going to change in me if I didn't surrender my precious emotional triggers. Once I "took refuge" in Ashtanga Vinyasa it became my healing sanctuary. When a teacher started me on the Intermediate Series the chest-opening sequence cracked open my emotional flood gates. On the plus side, a yoga shala is the safest place for someone to break down a few times each week. Everyone there has been and may be headed back through this transformative process. 

Between 2018 and 2022 the Ashtanga practice and periodic dietary cleanses served as a therapy duo that eased my ego/mind into a new way of being. The process was a path to my true nature, my soft heart. I found inner strength in vulnerability. For the first time I connected with the depth of Love that is within my own heart.

Once the routine became established I realized a curiosity to understand the "how" and "why" of everything in the asana sequences. There were no teachers who could answer "how" to find the root of each pose. The common answer I received was that everyone takes their own route, there is no one way to find correct alignment.

This question lead me to the Ashtanga Vinyasa Month-Long Teachers Intensive in 2022. This was a major turning point. There was remembrance that the yogic path called me more than all other paths. I craved the study of sanskrit. I saught deeper knowledge of the Vedas and for the first time ever wanted a spiritual discipline. Coming home to my original fascination with yoga, all I wanted was Ashtanga Vinyasa, pranayama, sanskrit study and lectures on Advaita Vedanta via YouTube to fill my days.

Life changed rapidly in the following years. I did a series of Candida Cleanses to allow my body to reset itself. My entire system was ready for accelerated healing.

Autumn Equinox of 2023 was when I committed to spiritual life, no longer seeking for a physically intimate relationship but rather God Realization. The next year I shed all possessions that did not fit into my car and journeyed forth on The Yoga Trail. It was a trust-fall much like the one I took during college that lead me to Shiatsu. The major difference being 25 years of Shiatsu practice, 20 years of Aikido and athletic training, wisdom gained, and a strong passion to teach/learn Ashtanga Vinyasa.

As you may have heard, when we seek in earnest the universe sets the path in front of us. I've tracked the path to my new home in Missoula, Montana. Right away I encountered a scattered Ashtanga community. They had been a tight group before a shake-up in 2019 that took away their practice space. Along with my Shiatsu practice, I've taken on the task of slowly rebuilding interest in Ashtanga Vinyasa.

And so it is in the world of this Yoga Practitioner. If you have read this far I wish you peace and love as you continue on your own inner path.

Blessings to All,

Christian