Leslie asked readers of The Weighting Game blog to submit their questions about yoga for Tracy and Tanya to answer. People submitted nearly 30 questions and since brevity was never a strong point of Tracy or Tanya's we decided to create a page where they could go into greater depth in answering your questions.

 

 

 

 

Tanya says: Let's talk about good touch/bad touch. Now I am not trying to freak anyone out here but according to the CDC in the United States, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men reported experiencing an attempted or completed rape at some time in their lives. If you are a yoga teacher you probably have 10-30 students in your class. Many of these students you barely know and would be hard pressed to recognize when not wearing skintight Lycra stretch pants and sticking their butts in the air.

A lot of people in this world have totally legitimate reasons for why bad and anxious feelings crop up about their bodies from time to time. As a teacher you can be pretty sure that a handful of them are in your class. Trouble is, you probably don't know which ones, or, maybe you are even one of them.

Many teachers refrain from using even subtle physical adjustments and prefer to work verbally with their students to make adjustments. If a teacher is good he or she will often be able to spot troublesome alignment problems and may use imaginative analogies or other image based wording to help instruct the entire class on the finer points of adjusting the body. The obvious plus of this approach for the teacher is not violating a boundary she didn't know was there. The plus for the students is that everyone in the class can benefit from the instruction and not just the student in need of adjustment.

On the flip side, people learn differently and for some students even the best verbal instruction just doesn't do the trick. If you have good rapport with your instructor, I would suggest that you approach her once class is through and let her know that:

1. you really appreciate her teaching style and find her verbal instruction helpful but
2. you personally feel very comfortable with and enjoy some physical adjustment as it makes the asanas easier for you to learn and understand and
3. if she would feel comfortable doing so and if it doesn't take away from the attention she pays to the rest of the group would she be willing to make physical adjustments to you if she notices you need them?

Tracy says:

First of all it's great for your mother to be starting something new in her 60's. One of the best ways to stay young in mind and body is to learn new things. Yoga is a wonderful tool for fitness, wellness and neurological stimulus.

Even if someone in their 60's has a background in some kind of fitness activity, I still recommend starting at the beginning with a beginner's class. While some of the poses in yoga are intuitive - you may have figured out some of the poses on your own when trying to stretch this or that part of your body in the past - there is still a finer art to how to use the body well in the practice of yoga. Many studios offer free intro classes, which review the most common poses, names of poses and the unique terminology of instruction. Or, they offer a series for beginners.

Take advantage of this not just at 60 but in your 20's. Yoga offers many benefits, but won't if you hurt yourself trying to follow the person next to you in class. These courses are a great opportunity to build familiarity so that in a class or at home you can observe and correct yourself, explore safely and deepen your practice. .

 

Tanya says: Generally speaking, anyone could teach yoga as it is not a licensed profession like nursing. Also (and I think someone was clowning on it in the questions and I hope my writing this won't "make her puke"), yoga is a mind-body lifestyle practice so even someone who is skillful at understanding the mechanics of asanas might be a lousy yoga teacher. It is important to find a balance of scientific rigor, hands-on training and just plain old good bedside manner.

There are more yoga teacher training programs than you can shake a stick at, but generally you want your teacher to have had a minimum of 200 hours of hands on training and experience along with some modicum of education on anatomy, physiology and kinesiology. Your teacher should also have CPR certification. If she can't muster the $35 to take a CPR class and pass a test on how to work an AED then she's not the person you want hoisting you into full wheel pose.

Certifications and training are important, but if you are not sure how you'd tease that kind of information out of your instructor then there are practical ways to find a teacher that you can respect. Practice regularly in an introductory style class, if possible, with a teacher before making up your mind about her.

Are people hurting, sore or injured after her class? Or are they getting stronger, more confident and more relaxed? Do you feel a genuine sense of trust and appreciation for this teacher? Or do you feel the teacher pushes you to do things that make you feel physically or emotionally unsafe? Do you think your teacher is a quack or just plain old dippy? Trust your gut. Look around until you find someone who you can trust and you can relate to and who places her students' safety and growth in a place of obvious and high esteem. That's your teacher.

 

Tracy says:

For me the breath is key. I keep going back to it and let the mind quiet by virtue of sustained attention on the breath. Posture adjustment and teacher instruction can help me as well. I personally want to find a way to quiet the "running wild" of the mind. The chatter (citta vritti) or monkey mind or whatever else works as a metaphor can be very disconcerting. So, diffusing it via attentiveness on the small but significant things of yoga practice, i.e. the breath, I think are important.

At the same time, oppressively quieting oneself by using ferocity (the inner voice of old P.E. coach!) or condemnation to achieve this is destructive. Perhaps writing about the voices after your practice will allow you to uncover what the chatter is all about.

 

Tracy says: Increases in flexibility, comprised of both increases in the range of motion (ROM) at the joint as well as increases in the suppleness of muscle tissue and connective tissue (tendons, ligaments, fascia), are commonly experienced by those who practice yoga. Having said that, there are many people who shy away from yoga for the very reasons you mention. They enter a class and see many people who already have what you are searching for and so you feel like you don't belong. Or, past attempts at flexibility have been met with less than optimal results.

Without knowing your stretching regime (static, ballistic, PNF, length of time) it's challenging to know why your previous efforts have not paid off. I will venture some thoughts, however. Static stretching certainly has its place and barring any injuries or underlying pathologies can really provide benefits.

It's not uncommon for someone to be stretching and grimacing at the same time. As people push beyond their current limit they activate what is called the "stretch reflex."  This pre-programmed, difficult to override, neurological response protects the muscle tissue from tearing. So, the reflex is good and important. However, by not working with it, you can actually increase inflexibility while trying to stretch.

What is often missing is the correct stimulus to the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS - "rest and relaxation") via conscious intention and breath work. The hatha yoga environment (where poses are held for up to several minutes) provides ideal conditions for activating the PNS and avoiding the stretch reflex.

If your class provides guidance on breath work, e.g. ujjiya (victorious) breath as well, then you're really in good shape. This breathing style holds the body in a parasympathetic state. If you start to lose connection with the breath, chances are you are slipping into a more sympathetic state ("flight or fight") which will increases the chances for activating the stretch reflex.

In short, yes, yoga will help greatly with flexibility if it's done with care and consciousness. Talk to your teacher about where to begin. Usually they have great ideas about using props, which essentially bring the floor closer to your head for standing poses. This allows you to really relax with strength into your poses and get the benefit from them. A modified (prop-using) pose is still that pose. Your mind set and intention set your practice, not how much you look like everyone else.

In terms of frequency, I would suggest at least 3 times week to make some headway. In particular, the warrior poses really teach the ins and outs of hip stability, internal and external rotation and opening. One of the ultimate floor hip openers is pigeon pose. There are great ways to modify with blocks and bolsters that will allow you melt into this pose. And while you may have a specific goal as you enter the practice, also keep an open mind. Yoga will provide you with more than just increased flexibility. Allow yourself to be surprised.