Yoga DVD's and Home Practice

I have been sooooooo very busy lately. Between rehearsals for Soma Dance Company, working at YogaDirect.com, and rehearsing for the Jazz Nutcracker (it's just like the regular Nutcracker...but jazzy), I haven't had much time to go to any Yoga classes lately. I have, however, been keeping up with stretching at least a little bit every day. It is so important to keep your spine nice and flexible because it is probably the most important set of bones in your body. And I can't tell you just how good it feels to do a nice spinal twist, especially if you sit at a desk all day at work like I do. Keeping your spine healthy and supple is key to being healthier as you grow older.

Well, because I haven't been to a Yoga class in a while, I decided to pick up some new Yoga videos. Like I have stated before, we have a GREAT selection of Yoga DVD's at YogaDirect.com (you can find them by clicking here). One of the pieces of choreography we are working on in Soma Dance Company requires me to lift another dancer for pretty much the entire dance. And since my upper body is slightly weaker than my lower body (as most dancers are), I picked up these three DVD's:



I chose these three because I thought they'd help me build muscles, and also stretch them out. Yoga doesn't really build bulky muscles, but I already have overly muscular thighs from years of doing ballet (improperly) that I have been trying to stretch out. Also, because my quads are over-developed, my hamstrings are tight, and I am hoping these videos may help balance me out more. I also want to be able to developpe (or extend) my leg up a bit higher than I already can. Just so I can have bragging rights, of course. This is how high I can get my leg up now:

I'd also like to be able to do that without lifting my hip up, as shown in the photo (and without the funny-looking face too!). So I am going to be doing those DVD's at my home and I will report back about the DVD's and if they can help me increase my strength and flexibility by doing Yoga in my own home!

Harder Than I Thought!

Before rehearsal started last night I told the other dancers about my breathing experiment, and Meghan decided to participate as well. I was happy for this because we ended up reminding each other to breathe throughout the night. It was harder than I thought! I usually started off breathing fine, then I'd forget and fall back into my old patterns. Meghan had similar problems. I am trying it again tonight because I am convinced that with practice, I will be able to unconsciously breathe deeper when I dance.

The times I did consciously breathe however, I found that the movements I was doing flowed a lot better than they usually do. So far so good!

Taking a Deeper Breath

I have to admit, I really haven't been to a Yoga class in over two weeks, but I haven't stopped stretching, and at least getting one round of Sun Salutation in every day. I have been spending all my free time doing all of the fun outdoor activities you can do in the summer. This past week, for instance, I went hiking and canoeing. Who can turn that down?

I have, however, been keeping up with the breathing experiment i proposed in my last post. I was trying to see if Pranayama breathing and warming up my lungs before dancing would help me perform better during rehearsals. Yesterday was my first time, and I felt that if I tried to do the breathing while I was in the dance studio, the other dancers would be a little freaked out. Instead, I did a set of about 20 good deep breaths in my car on my way to rehearsal.

When I stepped out of my car, I did feel a bit more energized. However, as rehearsal went on, I didn't really notice if I had any sort of change in performance. What I did notice is how often I hold my breath when I dance! This is very bad!

So, tonight in rehearsal I am going to make an effort to pay attention to my breath and how I can use it while I dance. I always talk about breath being linked to movement, but most of the time, I completely forget. I read a while ago that most people are guilty of weak and shallow breathing, and that it's a good idea to try to re-teach yourself how to breathe to get the most out of everything you take in, as well as everything you release. For dance (and Yoga), breathing is very important. I will write a new post tomorrow after I have correctly breathed in rehearsal tonight!

Pranayama Breathing for Dancing?

Well, my ankle is feeling much better, and I have decided to take more care into warming it up before rehearsals and Yoga class so I don't injure it like that again.

Speaking of warming up, I have been thinking a lot about the Pranayama breathing that we do in Bikram Yoga class. The teacher always talks about how we use the breathing exercises at the beginning of the class to warm up the inside of our bodies, especially (and obviously) the lungs, and I wonder if I could hurt my lungs the way I hurt my ankle, because I don't warm up my lungs before dance rehearsal.

So I decided to read up a little more about Pranayama breathing and all the good things it can do for you. Other than relaxing your mind and keeping you focused during your practice, I learned that Pranayama breathing helps high blood pressure and relieves irritability. In Bikram class, the Pranayama breathing even quadruples lung capacity, helps control breathing problems like asthma, and even detoxifies the body. The elbow lifts done in Bikram during the first breathing exercise also help to lift and separate your rib cage, and dropping the head back to exhale opens the cervical vertebrae, relaxes the shoulders, stretches the nervous system, and even strengthens leg and abdominal muscles. That is doing a whole lot of good for your body - just by breathing in and out!

I also read about the different (wacky) types of Yogic breathing. Alternate Nostril Breathing is a special way of breathing in through one nostril, and breathing out through the other. It is supposed to be very calming, but requires you to alternately physically close off notrils with your finger. I tried this one, but didn't find it very soothing because I was congested in one nostril from allergies. Another way of breathing is a Cooling Breath, and involves breathing in through your nose, but then out of your mouth through a curled tongue. That's right, you curl your tongue and blow the air out that way. Since I am one of those people that can't curl her tongue, this breathing doesn't work for me either.

The Kapalbhati breathing that is done in Firm Pose at the end of Bikram class is a type of breathing that has always intrigued me. The fact that it is possible to only exhale, and allow the inhalations to occur unconsciously is a hard thing to comprehend. However, when it happens naturally, it is pretty amazing. I learned that Kapalbhati breathing not only helps strengthen your abdominal muscle wall, it also helps detoxify your body, normalises your bowels, and brings you mental clarity. I'll bet it helps with mental clarity because in order to do this breathing properly, you really have to not think about what you are doing at all, and just clear your mind. The second set, which is double the speed of the first set of breathing we do in class, is always the hardest for me because I think I go into panic mode too quickly from the short, quick spurts of breath.

In conclusion, after reading more about the different ways you can breathe, I suppose warming up my lungs before rehearsal would be a good idea, but probably isn't as necessary as warming up my ankles. However, I am going to try a few breathing exercises before I dive into my next few rehearsals and report back...just to see if I feel anything different.

I'll keep ya posted!

The Importance of Warming Up

As I mentioned earlier, I have problems with my ankles...

Well, I ended up missing Yoga class this week because I didn't warm myself up properly at our last dance rehearsal and messed up my right Achilles tendon. I think I had a partial rupture. It was weird because my ankle didn't hurt me the whole time I was dancing...but then as I was about to take a step out of the studio to leave, I felt a nasty sharp pain in my Achilles and it prevented me from walking for about a minute or so. There was no pop or snap, but there was definitely some intense pain, and I seriously saw my life flash before my eyes when it happened. I am an extremely active person, and not being able to walk is not something I would be able to deal with.

I know eventually after resting my ankle, it will feel better, but I really wish I had warmed myself up properly before rehearsal. Especially since it has been absolutely beautiful outside lately, and not being able to jog is really killing me. And I hate missing Yoga class as well.