A gentle approach for beginners with back problems / severe

[Guest guest]

Dear Dharam & Ovasoul,

 

Thank you both for your responses on this.

 

I hadn't considered the issue of toxicity in the case of body pains,

but it's an interesting one. Dharam would you please send me the

details of your contact for the Arise and Shine Cleanse? What kind of

pH should our blood usually be? as you mention it is toxic when acidic.

 

When it comes to challenging postures, i always offer people an

alternative or a way to make the postures easier to help with back

problems. I just wondered, since we are not supposed to change the

Kriyas, if, for someone with ongoing back pains, doing a counterpose

would cause any problems by changing the flow of energy of the Kriya?

 

Dharam, you also mentioned

> In closing, yeah, have this person begin working with Nabhi or

>Abdominal sets as it will have a positive effect on the lower back

>and Kidney area.

> Make sure they are supporting their lower back and applying Mul

>Bhand properly, pushing the lower back into the floor (if on their

>back) and tucking their tailbone slightly. The difference is quite

>perceptible and actually energizing. Have her play with it and be

>gentle.

 

Interesting, I've not come across Applying Mul Bhand when doing legs

lifts before. Does one -apply Mul Bhand, -lift legs, -lower legs

then -relax Mul Bhand and begin again?

 

> *One other thing I picked up, with all that Chinese medicine, is

>that lower back pain most often points to issues along the Kidney and

>Adrenal meridian. This situation is often best approached through

>getting the breath to be healthy, which means working through the

>tensions in the diaphragm which constrict the healthy flow of prana

>to the heart.

 

What do you suggest for helping to work through Diaphragmatic tension?

 

Many thanks,

Sat Nam,

 

Krishan Shiva Kaur

[Guest guest]

On 2/14/06, Krishan Shiva Kaur < krishanshivakaur wrote:

>

>

> Dear Dharam & Ovasoul,

>

> Thank you both for your responses on this.

>

> I hadn't considered the issue of toxicity in the case of body pains,

> but it's an interesting one. Dharam would you please send me the

> details of your contact for the Arise and Shine Cleanse? What kind of

> pH should our blood usually be? as you mention it is toxic when acidic.

 

 

The pH should be close to 7, or above, as one can get it. This can be

determined using a somewhat elaborate procedure with litmus paper, if one

wants to. I personally don't bother with testing as I can accept that, on

the average, I have toxicity (more acidic than I should be) judging from my

diet, which is pretty good, and from my stresses. I can feel the difference

within a couple of days of starting the cleanse program and getting "right"

in diet and approach to my food intake and what I avoid. Acid producing

foods are Fried foods, dairy, meats, almost all grains with the exception of

Amaranth, Quinoa and Millet. Proteins in general are acid producing which

applies to to beans, also. So we have to combine foods in such a way that

the overall effect on the body id neutral. In the Kitcheree recipe (see the

files Area) there are enough veggies (Alkaline forming) to balance the Beans

and Rice (Acid forming).

 

When it comes to challenging postures, i always offer people an

> alternative or a way to make the postures easier to help with back

> problems. I just wondered, since we are not supposed to change the

> Kriyas, if, for someone with ongoing back pains, doing a counterpose

> would cause any problems by changing the flow of energy of the Kriya?

 

 

It is best to integrate the experience through the breath and layout and

spaces between postures. Gong can move alot of residual tensions. You are

free to do a long warm up set or do something entirely Not Kundalini Yoga

before you Tune In.

Keep the teachings pure.

 

Dharam, you also mentioned

> > In closing, yeah, have this person begin working with Nabhi or

> >Abdominal sets as it will have a positive effect on the lower back

> >and Kidney area.

> > Make sure they are supporting their lower back and applying Mul

> >Bhand properly, pushing the lower back into the floor (if on their

> >back) and tucking their tailbone slightly. The difference is quite

> >perceptible and actually energizing. Have her play with it and be

> >gentle.

>

> Interesting, I've not come across Applying Mul Bhand when doing legs

> lifts before. Does one -apply Mul Bhand, -lift legs, -lower legs

> then -relax Mul Bhand and begin again?

 

 

Actually, I should have more specific. Even though there are a few sets

where Mul Bhand is applied and relax with leg lifting, it is not the norm.

What I was inferring is that when doing anything on your back that involves

lifting the legs, make sure to maintain a decent pelvic tilt - tucking the

tailbone a pinch and pushing the lower back into the floor. Stretch pose is

a perfect posture to feel the difference between doing it wrong and doing it

properly. Stretch pose can be broken up into shorter durations and the

effects will be better integrated and actually pleasureable. I've watched a

lot of folks do it wrong, and actually copied them. It's nice to get it

right. Thank you Guru Prem (

go/start.cgi/store/shop.html?showprod=P15001 )

 

> *One other thing I picked up, with all that Chinese medicine, is

> >that lower back pain most often points to issues along the Kidney and

> >Adrenal meridian. This situation is often best approached through

> >getting the breath to be healthy, which means working through the

> >tensions in the diaphragm which constrict the healthy flow of prana

> >to the heart.

>

> What do you suggest for helping to work through Diaphragmatic tension?

 

 

So many postures with work here. Every person is different in their

particular needs but a warm up series/yoga set that includes Pelvic Lifts,

Bow Pose, Uddiyana Bandha, Agni Sara, Breath of fire and stomach pumps with

the breath held out are what will get this area unstuck. (

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/168_4.cfm ). There is a whole

abdominal/Navel section in Transitions....... (

go/start.cgi/store/shop.html?showprod=P01001 ).

Lots of info on this but keep one thing in mind. There is a need to do the

emotional work to may the experience deep, rich and completely owned. The

classical Sadhana ( http://amritvela.org/ ) covers us in much of this as it

is done in the Amrit Vela and there is chanting which is good for

integrating the change in the body. Also, at that time the stuff/thought

forms that sustain our daytime body tensions/armor and patterns are floating

without anchor - everything is on the surface and that's why we really don't

want to get up.....it takes a lot of courage. If one can be alert (cold

shower) and even leaning in the right direction at this time, we can align

our with our deep self and many issues just leave you alone.

An yoga set performed at this special time is many times more powerful that

at any other time of the day.

Bless,

Dharam

 

Many thanks,

> Sat Nam,

>

> Krishan Shiva Kaur

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Krishan,

My classes are multi-level if you will with students of various experiences

with yoga as well as different "limitation". To use your example of bow

pose and cobra-I give variations to bow pose as follows:one can use straps

around the ankles and just gently lift head/shoulders and the thighs can

remain on the ground or lift slightly, eventlually one will be able to open

up to a greater degree, but this comes with time and practice. As for

cobra, I have my students come into sphinx pose: resting on forearms lifting

head and heart-much more gentle than full cobra. Again over time one's back

will open up to doing this-these are heart openers so blockages in this

chakra create difficulty in doing the poses.

Sat Nam

Marva

 

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere-

Martin Luther King Jr.

 

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity

cannot survive"

~ Dalai Lama

 

 

 

 

>"Krishan Shiva Kaur" <krishanshivakaur

>Kundaliniyoga

>Kundaliniyoga

>Kundalini Yoga A gentle approach for beginners with back

>problems / severe stiffness

>Thu, 09 Feb 2006 19:57:26 -0000

>

>Sat Nam,

>

>I would like to hear from other teachers / practitioners about their

>experiences for the most helpful way to approach Kundalini Yoga if one

>is complete beginner, and has never done yoga before. Particularly if

> the beginner is very tight in the body or has specific major health

>concerns or back problems.

>

>I once overheard someone say that Kundalini Yoga is not a systematic

>form of therapy for the body.

>

>Kundalini Yoga is taught in Kriya. We are taught to practice the

>Kriya exactly as it is, without adding or changing. However often one

>kriya is not enough to stretch the whole body, and provide balance.

>

>So one can do some warm ups before hand to help with this somewhat.

>However for a complete beginner who has just started and suffers from

>real tightness or back pain, might it be better to first practice some

>more gentle yoga to open up and balance the body in all directions,

>before attempting more dynamic kriyas?

>

>A friend of mine is interested in joining my class and has been under

>the guidance of a chiropractor for years for severe back pain. I worry

>about her hurting her back in the class. I don't want to deny her the

>opportunity of experiencing the vast aspects of Kundalini Yoga,

>however I feel she may benefit from a more gentle yoga class that

>gradually and systematically strengthens and loosens the body in a

>balanced way with counterposes and then she could join the Kundalini

>class.

>

>However I wonder if there might be another way to approach her

>problems with her back in a safe way, without changing the Kriyas??

>

>Some Kriyas include either Bow Pose or Cobra Pose for several minutes,

>but may not necessarily be followed with a counterpose such as Childs

>pose or a forward bending stretch to help relieve the tension in the back.

>

>I have thought that maybe I could suggest she does a brief counter

>stretch if she needs to, but would this be ok? Since it would change

>the energy flow of the Kriya?

>

>Does anyone have any suggestions for how to help beginners with these

>kind of challenges?

>

>Does Kundalini Yoga include a systematic way to gently open up and

>strengthen the body to prepare for the more challenging sets within a

>class environment?

>

>

>Many thanks, Sat Nam,

>

>Krishan Shiva Kaur

>

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