Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 21, 2015

9

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 21, 2015 


THE JOY OF YOGA

WHY HOLD?


LET’S FIGHT FATIGUE!

As you’ve probably 
found, there are 
many different 
types of yoga 
classes. Some 
classes have a lot of 
poses, while others may have less. The pace at which 
the class flows can vary greatly. I’ve attended classes 
where it felt like I was tossed around in a windstorm, 
non-stop movement, with very few stopping points. 
It was hard to keep up. Alternately, I’ve experienced 
a lovely flow class that had incorporated longer holds 
into the poses. The effect produced by this was the 
exact opposite of a windstorm! It felt warm, solid, and 
energizing all at the same time.

 There are a few reasons why we prefer to hold poses 
for a bit in class. First, we are able to find our alignment 
in the pose. Each supporting muscle can engage, we 
can line up our legs, hips, belly, arms, head and hands. 
Additionally, after we make our physical adjustments, 
we can settle into our breath and simply experience 
the pose. The mind will want to tell us to come out; we 
may have an itch, clothing adjustment or any myriad 
of other reasons. It’s hard to stay!

 Secondly, performing poses with longer holds 
creates stability for the mind. Through practicing 
one-pointed focus, we begin to train the mind. It’s this 
focused concentration that builds strength, stability 
and stamina. We often joke that we’re “building 
character” as we hold a pose. This is so true. We 
hold steady in midst of challenge. Additionally, our 
heightened awareness not only empowers us, but 
it assists us toning our energetic body as well. We 
become aware, balanced, and self-regulating.

 Ultimately, we stay in the pose for the benefits. Our 
physical body benefits from the muscular engagement 
and cardiovascular workout. Our mind and energetic 
bodies are simultaneously enlivened, toned and 
stabilized. Granted, there are poses that you don’t 
want to hold indefinitely, but most of the standing 
poses and even cool down poses that release tension 
are best held. Start with 4 breaths, working on smooth 
and steady inhales and exhales, then work up to 6-8 
breaths for more stamina. Advanced practitioners 
may take up to 12 breaths in a pose. 

 Try it and report back! See you in class.

Namaste,

Keely Totten

RYT 500, Teaching at the lovely, Yoga Madre

More and more 
Americans complain 
that they suffer some 
sort of fatigue. It 
may range from 
needing a nap mid-
day to symptoms more 
severe like chronic 
fatigue. Fatigue is 
frustrating and can 
be debilitating. For 
some people they 
have to push through 
every day. For these 
same people, at the 
end of each long 
and exhausting day, 
sleep is yet another 
challenge. Oddly, for 
many people the more exhausted they are during 
the day, the worse sleep at night. After a restless 
night of tossing and turning, the cycle begins 
again as the sun arises. 

 Feeling great and energetic requires reversing 
the things that contributed to the problem in the 
first place. Fatigue is something that gradually goes 
away so you have to be committed. Supporting 
your body with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables 
which will improve your body’s immune system 
will greatly aid in restoring normal energy levels. 
Here are 5 more things that you can do to get 
started on a path of eliminating fatigue. 

1. Cut back on caffeine. 

Adrenaline is what gives athletes that winning 
burst of energy and also gives a person the 
strength to lift a car that has rolled onto a child. 
Adrenaline is the source of our “fight-or-flight” 
response, which enables us to run for our lives if 
the need arises. Caffeine stimulates your adrenal 
glands to produce this fight or flight response. 
When the over stimulation of your adrenals wears 
off you feel fatigue, and possibly irritability and 
headaches. If you are constantly using caffeine 
you are keeping your body in “flight-or-flight” 
mode.

2. Try to relax.

Make your world as small and uncomplicated 
as possible by reducing your everyday needs. 
Start by filtering news and information. If you 
cannot do anything about it and it stresses you, 
you do not need to be concerned with it. Learn 
to practice relaxation techniques whenever you 
can. Meditation, even for a couple of minutes can 
relieve stress as can a few slow deep breaths. 

3. Generate feel good hormones through 
movement. 

Endorphins are the “feel good” chemicals induced 
by exercise. Of course, you can be so fatigued that 
doing anything seems impossible which is a real 
“Catch 22” because moving is needed to eliminate 
fatigue. We need to be physically tired as well as 
mentally or emotionally. A simple walk can be 
the first step. Once you have established a routine, 
begin to walk farther or slightly faster. Yoga is 
another great option to get your body moving 
again and to relieve fatigue. 

4. Try to develop good sleep habits. 

Our bodies need a mini tune-up daily. Sleep, 
especially deep sleep, is when our bodies do this 
repair and maintenance. There are many things 
you can do to promote a good night’s sleep. Once 
you have done 1, 2 and 3 above to improve your 
odds of sleeping well then try to; establish a 
schedule, don’t eat too close to bedtime, and keep 
your bedroom as dark as possible. 

5. Embrace whole food or herbal therapy instead 
of drug therapy. 

If you are taking any type of drug therapy, be 
aware that it may actually be contributing to 
fatigue. Nutritional deficiencies can make it 
difficult to get your energy levels back even when 
you are doing all of the above. There are whole 
food and herbal supplements that feed the body 
what it needs to overcome fatigue without side 
effects. Herbs can help relieve the symptom of 
fatigue directly by enhancing immune function, 
balancing hormones, and stimulating the healing 
systems of the body. 

 

 Feeling good every day does require a healthy 
lifestyle and some effort but it well worth it!

Dr. Tina is a traditional 
naturopath and nutritionist 
at Vibrant Living 
Wellness Center