LIVE WELL: Learn a few yoga basics from Gazette's guru

From nightcrawling to down dogging.

It seems ironic that a person who penned a nightlife column called Nightcrawlers should now be the same person behind a health and fitness column. But there you go.

I wrote about new bars and old bars and all the clubs in between for the Friday Go! section several years ago. Drag Queen Bingo anybody?

But those days are gone. A better, more fulfilling activity has presented itself to me over the past four years. And as they say, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

That teacher for me? Yoga. I loved the practice so much I completed a teacher training program three years ago and became a teacher two years ago.

I now bring you this weekly column. I’ll cover yoga and other topics I find fascinating and hope you do, too: alternative medicines and therapies, nutrition, and other fitness classes or activities you’re curious about. I’m more than happy to take the class and report back to you.

Let me know what’s on your mind about your body, at jen.mulson@gazette.com.

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The subject of yoga is incredibly vast, and I could never cover it in one simple column (or many columns, for that matter). It is a beautiful union of your body, mind and spirit. I feel the practice has literally changed me from the inside out, and given me a quieter mind, greater body awareness, and a way to heal and help myself when life inevitably gets sticky.

I’m always interested in people’s reactions to yoga whenever I bring it up in conversation or invite them to a class. One of the most common statements is: “Oh, yoga. I can’t do that. I’m not flexible enough.” Ah, you funny people! This is precisely the reason one might consider a yoga practice! To gain some crucial flexibility.

The older we get, the more important it becomes. Just consider: Yoga keeps the muscles in the limbs pliable and bendy. If those limbs should fall down a flight of stairs, they might have a better chance of bending, not snapping.

A person with tight muscles has a much greater chance of falling down that flight of stairs and feeling something strain or tear.

Another one: “I can’t touch my toes.” Bend your knees a little, silly! Yoga is not about being able to touch your toes. Maybe you will, maybe you never will. Not important. Yoga will most likely eventually allow you to lengthen a bit more than you do now, thus creating that juicy bendiness.

A third and final one: “Don’t you just sit around and breathe?” Well, yes, there is a bit of that. And depending on the style of yoga you choose, there could be more than a little of that.

But if you choose a flowing style of yoga, such as vinyasa, you are moving and shaking. Your heart will get a workout and your brain will relax for a few precious moments when all you can think about is what amazing things your body is being asked to do. But there’s nothing wrong with sitting and breathing anyway. In our culture of rush, doesn’t it sound delicious to just sit still and pay attention to the breath that gives you life?

Ah, the breath - one of the biggest and most important pieces of any yoga practice is the breath. The Sanskrit name for it is Pranayama. Prana is considered to be your life force. It’s not just the breath, which I first believed it to be, but also that unnamable and invisible energy that courses through your body. Pranayama is the work of intentionally controlling the breath.

TIPS

I thought I’d give you one breath suggestion and one yoga posture to start us off.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

It’s just like it sounds. This is perfect for anybody who’s feeling a bit crazed. Or not. You can use it even if you’re feeling calm and collected. This breath will unite the left and right sides of the brain, bringing you into balance and calming the nervous system.

How to do:

Sit quietly, maybe cross-legged, maybe in your office chair. Relax your left hand on your left thigh. Lift the right hand and bring the first and middle fingers to touch the middle of the palm. The thumb, ring finger and pinkie finger remain loose and extended. Place the ring finger over the left nostril, closing it off. Breathe in through the right nostril to a count of four, then close off the right nostril with the thumb. Hold for a count of four. Lift the ring finger away from the left nostril and exhale out just through that nostril to a count of four. Inhale through the left for four counts. Hold both nostrils closed, then exhale through the right nostril to a count of four. This completes one round. Do several more, as many as it takes. You’ll know when you’re done. Just check in with your body.

(SEE VIDEO OF THE FORWARD FOLD.)

Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

This posture feels so good. I like to go in the bathroom at work and just hang there, letting the blood make its way into my head. It calms the nervous system, lengthens the spine, stretches the back of the legs and gets fresh blood flowing down into the brain due to its inversion quality (head below the heart).

How to do:

Stand with feet hip distance apart. Bring your pinkie fingers into the crook of the opposite elbow or grab your biceps. Keeping the knees super soft and bendy for the moment, slowly fold forward, letting the torso go completely heavy. Let your head hang down. Maybe shake the head yes and no or just sway side to side. Or stay still. Depending on the flexibility of your hamstrings, play with bending and straightening the knees.

Jennifer Mulson teaches yoga at Corepower Yoga and Gold’s Gym in Colorado Springs. Her column appears on Mondays at gazette.com.