I love it when I go to a yoga class where something the teacher says really speaks to me. A few weeks ago, I attended a class taught by Jennifer Bishop and experienced quite the yoga epiphany.
While reaching our arms up and overhead in utthita parsvakonasana (extended side angle pose), Jennifer talked about the fact that we spend so much time during our days stressed out and hunched over our computers and steering wheels that our bodies get closed up. She went on to explain that the postures in yoga help us to open up the body, letting go of stress and creating space to counteract all those hours tied to our i-[you fill in the blank]s.
In a nutshell, Jennifer had described a typical day for me. Yeah, I get away from my desk and spend a lot of time doing yoga. But, I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk not always with the best posture, and I know that my neck, shoulders, and back pay the price for me doing so.
This message was reaffirmed when I recently attended a yoga anatomy workshop. The teacher, Gina Schatz, explained that we have fascia* that connects all of our muscles together, and this fascia runs from the crown of our head to our toes. Gina explained that fascia – and our body in general – does not like to sit for long periods of time. There are studies that show that if you sit for 45-49 minutes, you should counterbalance that time sitting with hip openers for 20 minutes to undo the kinks and tightness that was created. Here’s the really wild thing: If you sit for 50 minutes or more (hello, this is me!), you need to move and stretch for 3 to 4 hours to erase the effect of the sitting. Our bodies are not designed for a sedentary life.
Yowza! As if I needed another reason to practice yoga, there it is.
I always knew I loved yoga, but now I know that one of the reasons why I was called so deeply to the practice is because my body has the wisest mind of all and was telling me, “Yo Maria, what up with all this computer time? Go find your yoga mat again, stretch, breathe, relax, and give us a break.”
Thanks to Gina and Jennifer, I’ve set a little alarm on my iPhone that I turn on daily. It goes off every 45 minutes to remind me to get up, stretch, move, go for a walkasana, break out a few downward dogs, hug my husband (also know as hugasana), or do anything that lets me decompress and keep my body and my fascia happy.
*Stay tuned for a full report on my yoga geek-out weekend of anatomy!
brilliant idea, setting an alarm on your phone for every 45 minutes. LOVe it.
Yes, love this!! I’ve learned this about fascia from my massage therapist and do you think I still get up and stretch every hour at work? No. 🙁 Maybe setting the alarm is a good idea, but it’s also hard to stop working and have your boss eyeing you haha I definitely try to walk to the water cooler more and things like that, just to get my butt moving! And then, yep, yoga poses at night! 🙂
i’m a HUGE fan of hugasana, walkasana.. and i often do roll-on-the-floor-with-the-dogsasana.. which usually leads to grooming (of me by them.. ) but these are all good breaks from sitting at the computer and reminding to come back into the body!Love the alarm idea!!
Ooo! I need to set a little alarm on my phone for this! Too many hours are justified by too much to do! Everytime I finally force myself out of the office just to run around the corner for some greasy teriyaki I wish I had created more space for the healing brothy pho just a couple more blocks away. I know my hips and tummy would appreciate it!