Pages

Labels

12th anniversary 21st Amendment Monk's Blood Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien abhyasa abuse abyss active vs. passive poses acute pain agility agitated depression ahimsa Al-Aksir alasya ale alesmith alignment Allagash anatomy Anchor Brewing Anchor Brewing Company anchor steam Anchor Steam Brewing and moderation Andrea Gilats Angel's Share anger ankle circles ankle injuries ankle joint ankle problems ankle sprains anti-aging solution anxiety aparigraha appetite arm pain arm strength arms arthralgia arthritis arthritis (menopause) arthritis of shoulder joint atrial fibrillation avery avery maharaja award winning beer store ayurveda B.K. Bose baba back care back extensor muscles back pain balance Ballast Point baltic thunder bandhas bandwagon of healthy eating baroreceptors basque cider Baxter Baxter Bell bay area beer beer beer advocate beer castro beer club beer club san francisco beer list Beer of the Month beer of the month club beer pong beer shop san francisco beer store Belgian beer belgian beer glasses belgian beer san francisco Belgium. Japanese best beer store in the world BFM Bhagavad Gita Bhramari Bikram Choudhury biological clock Birra Troll Birrifio bitches brew Bittersweet Lenny black butte black lager blood lactate blood pressure body image bone strength Bonnie Maeda bottle bag bourbon Brad Gibson brain strength Brasserie Caracole breath breath practices Brettanomyces Beer Brewing Bridge pose Bridget Frederick Bruery Coton Bruery Mischief Bruery Saison De Lente bruising Brussels Bruton beer bursitis bypass surgery California beer Callifornia beer caloric restriction Cantillon cantillon san francisco Carol Krucoff cascade apricot cascade sang rouge cask strength sake Castro Cat pose Cat-Cow pose cataracts central nervous system cervical nerves Chair Cat pose Chair Downward-Facing Dog pose Chair Purvottansana chair yoga chair yoga sequence challenging pose charlie papazian chatoe rogue cheese Child's pose children Chimay chimay san francisco chocolate indulgence chondromalacia christmas beer chronic illness chronic inflammation chronic pain chronic stress cognitive decline cognitive health collapsed lung commenting comments community community yoga compassion compression of joints connective tissue conscious relaxation contacting writers contentment cortisol counter-poses Cow pose craft beer craft beer san francisco craft beer store craft brew creaky knees Cucapa Barley wine Cuvee de Tomme Cuvee des Champions Damnation dave hauslein david hausein David Hauslein Dayna Macy De Dolle De Proef De Ranke Dead Guy Ale Decadence Pomegranite Saison Decadent Evil degenerative disc disease dementia dental disease depression Depuceleuse san francisco DFH Faithful Ale DFH Twenty dharana dhyana dhyanam diabetes diet digestion digestive disorders digestive system dogfish head Dogfish Head Theobroma Dolphin pose dominus vibiscum doshas double ipa Downward-Facing Dog pose Downward-Facing Dog pose (variations) drake's denogginizer Drie Fontinen duck feet Eagle pose Easy Inverted Pose eating habits eating healthy Einbecker El Camino (un) real emotional wellbeing endorphins endurance training enteric brain equanimity eric's ale European Society of Cardiology exercise extensor muscles eye floaters eye problems facebook beer Fantome fatigue feet felt real happiness fifty fifty brewing company Firestone Walker first growth first trimester fizzy yoga Flanders flat feet Flemish Primitive flemish sour ale flexibility Food pyramid guide forehead skin forward bends fred echardt front body frozen shoulder full sail topsail fun gait Gandhi ganglion cysts Garudasana genetics Georg Feuerstein George Gale ginjo Gonzo goose island goose island san francisco Goouden Carolus gouden carolus Grand Cru greed grief grow your own Gueuze gueuze girardin Haandbryggeriet hakutsuru Halasana (supported) hands Handstand Hanssens lambic happiness hard cider head position head rush headaches health care professionals healthy aging healthy eating Healthy Eating Ideas healthy spirits healthy spirits Mikkeller 1000 IBU healthy spirits san francisco healthy spirits. Deschutes Jubel Ale 2010 healthy spirits. san francisco healthy spirits. san francisco beer healthy spriits healthy style of eating heart problems Hedonist Beer Jive herbs hernias high blood pressure himsa Hinduism hip arthritis hip dysplasia hip replacements history of yoga Hitachino Nest Hitachino XH hoarding home brew home practice home yoga practice hop wallop Howe Sound Hugh Malone hummus hypertension hypotension ida immune system inflammation inguinal hernias injuries insomnia Inverted Lake pose Irritable Bowel Syndrome Jalandara Bandha Japanese beer jatharagni jay hinman jizake John John joint health joint pain joint replacement joints Jolly Pumpkin Jon Kabat-Zinn Judith Lasater kampai karma yoga karuna Kausthub Desikachar kidney kleshas knee alignment knee joint knee pain knee replacement Koningshoeven Krishnamacharya Krishnmacharya kundalini lactic acid lager Lambic large women leg cramps leg length discrepancy (LLD) Legs Up the Wall pose life coaching Life Coaching Executives Life coaching problems ligaments lips of faith longevity Lost Abbey Lost Abbey Brewing Company low back low back pain low blood pressure Luciernaga Lucifer lying male hormones male menopause malnutrition Man Bites Downward-Facing Dog marijuana marin brewing barrel aged old dipsea massage medical advice medical conditions (informing teacher of) medical conditions (yoga for) meditation Melina Meza Melitta Rorty men menopause mental health Mephistopholes micro brew micro-brew middle-eastern Midnight Sessions Lager Midnight sun brewing midnight sun hop dog midnight sun san francisco migraines Mikkeller Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast Mikkeller Black Mikkeller chipotle porter mind-body connection mindful yoga mindfulness mini office yoga sequence mini yoga practices miracle mission statement mood Morton's Neuroma motivation Mountain pose Multiple Sclerosis Muriel Zimmerman music nadis napa smith nate breed neck anatomy neck pain neuroma neuropsychiatric disorders new arrivals new belgium new releases nigori Nina Zolotow Niroga Institute noble pils nocturnal leg cramps Nogne-O non-hoarding non-violence Norwegian beer nutrient-dense foods oak aged oak aged ale oatmeal stout Odonata Rorie's Ale odonata saison office yoga Old Inventory Barleywine ommegang Ommegeddon oral hygiene Orval osteoarthritis osteopenia osteoporosis Oyster Stout pain pain management parabola partner yoga Paschima Namaskarana Paschimottanasana passive vs. active poses Patricia Walden Paul Grilley peanuts Pearl Jam Pearl Jam Beer pelvis perimenopause pes planus philosophy physio-yoga pigeon toes pingula pinto plantar fascitis Pliny the Elder Pliny the Younger Plow pose (supported) pneumothorax Port Brewing postural control posture Powerful pose practice practice (changing your) prana prana vayu pranayama pratipaksha bhavanam pregnancy private lessons proprioception psoas Puppy pose purusathas Purvottanasana Purvottansansa quadruppel questions R. Sriram Ram Rao rami barqawi Rami's Mommy's range of motion (ROM) rate beer ratebeer real ale Reclined Cobbler's pose red lentils Redemption relaxation Relaxation pose relaxation response religion (and yoga) resistance training resting restless leg syndrome restorative backbend restorative yoga retreats Reverse Prayer pose Richard Rosen Rodenbach barrel 230 Rogue Brewery Russian River Russian River Sanctification sacroiliac joint sacrum sacrum (anatomy of) safety saint somewhere saison Saison Du BUFF sake Salvation samana vayu samaranth san francisco san francisco Beer San Francisco beer store San Francisco Beer Week san francisco bottle shop san francisco craft brew san francisco fantome san francisco odonata santosha Sarah Powers Sarvangasana (supported) satya saucha Savasana scalene muscles scar tissue Schaerbeekse Kriek Schlenkerla Ur-Bock Schneider scientific studies Sculpin sedentary behavior Seedstore seniors sequencing Setu Bandha Shari Ser shochu shoulder blades shoulder joint (arthritis of) shoulder joint replacement shoulders shoulders. sequences Shoulderstand (supported) sierra nevada sierra nevada 30th anniversary Signature Ale sitting-rising sleep smiling soy speedway stout spiritual health spiritual wellness split peas squatting steenbrugge stem cell regeneration stillwater Stone stone brewing company stopping yoga practice store hours beer strength stress stress management stress response Stretching stroke strong cheese styana suffering Sukasana supplements Supplication Supported Child's Pose Supported Forward Bend Supta Badha Konasana surgery sushumna nadi Swiss beer Table pose tabouli Tadasana teacher (choosing) teachers teaching seniors Temptation testosterone Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day Schedule The abyys san francisco The Bruery Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Thoreau tilting the pelvis timing poses Timothy McCall top sail toronado total knee replacement towards healing and finding the solution transferring transitions trappist trauma trial run coaching session truth tucking the pelvis TV Twilight and Life Coaching ujjayi breath unfiltered sake unibroue Upavista Konasana upper body flexibility upper body strength Upward Plank pose Upward-Facing Plank pose urthel Utkatasana val dieu Valley Brewing Company variety vata vayu vegetarian way vertical epic vestibular system victory Victory at Sea viloma breath vintage beer violence Viparita Karani vyana vayu Warrior 1 Warrior 2 pose Warrior 3 wedge weight loss weight management wild ale wild devil will power William Broad workshops wrist problems wrists wu tang clan xyauyu yamas Yin Yoga yoga history Yoga Journal conference yoga nidra yoga philosophy yoga sutras yoga therapy yogic breathing yogic phases of life yulesmith summer

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Featured Pose: Seated Cat-Cow Pose

by Baxter and Nina
This deceptively simple, gentle pose from our office yoga series brings mobility to your entire spine, allowing you to move your spine in two of the six important movement directions in which your spine can move, extension (back bending) and flexion (forward bending).  Mobility in the spine is important for maintaining the health of your spine, and for your entire body since your spinal cord, which communicates with your entire body, moves through your spine. Although most people don’t think of having arthritis of the spine, but it is a significant problem (see Arthritis of the Spine) and moving your spine is the best medicine for arthritis in this area. The gentle spinal movements can even help relieve back pain.

The pose also benefits your hip sockets because your sitting bones move back and forward with your spine, bringing movement into your hip sockets, which can get stiff from sitting from long periods of time. And because you move with your breath in this pose, inhaling into the backbend and exhaling into the forward bend, it’s a good way to learn breath awareness and beginning pranayama.

Accessible to everyone who can sit up, the pose is also so gentle that almost everyone, in any condition to do it. You can do it in any type of chair, even in the car! (In fact, Baxter did it just yesterday, while he was stuck in a !@#$%! traffic jam coming back to the East Bay from San Francisco.)

Baxter prescribes this pose for:
  • low back pain or stiffness
  • arthritis or stiffness of the hips
  • arthritis of the spine
  • held tension anywhere from hips to neck
  • beginner’s experience of pranayama
  • general stress reliever while sitting at your desk
  • warming up for office yoga or any other physical activity
Instructions: Start by sitting near the front of the chair seat, with your feet hip-distance apart and planted firmly under your knees. Straighten your arms, and place your hands on or near your knees. Before moving into the pose, establish the lift of your spine, from your sitting bones through the crown of your head.
As you inhale, start moving from your pelvis, rocking your hips forward so your weight comes more onto the front edge of your sitting bones. As you continue to inhale, gently lift your spine and lengthen into gentle backbend. Lift your breastbone forward and up and allow your head and neck to lengthen out and back, coming into the Cow backbend.
As you exhale, start moving from your pelvis, dropping your pelvis in the opposite direction, moving the back of your waist backward and rocking onto the back part of your sitting bones. As you continue to exhale, allow your middle back to move back as well and drop your chin toward your chest, coming into the Cat forward bend.
Repeat both the Cow and Cat positions, moving with your breath, allowing your inhalations and exhalations to be slightly longer than they are when you are taking a resting breath. Do the pose for a minimum of six rounds up to any number that feels good to you.

Cautions: Because these are mild, everyday movements, those pose is relatively safe. However, if you have been instructed by your doctor to avoid certain movements of your spine, for example, some people who have lumbar disk problems are warned about forward bending movements being potentially dangerous, you should try smaller movements at first and see what your body can handle. The same cautions apply to people who have significant injuries to their necks.

Note from Nina: Oopsie! I just realized we already wrote up this pose in April (see Chair Cat Pose). Naturally, that write up is different if you care to compare it with the new one. I think it's time for us to move onto an entirely new set of poses....
Posted by
Labels: , , ,
 

Sample text

Sample Text

Sample Text