One of my favorite scenes in City Slickers, starring Billy Crystal, is when he returns from his yahoo adventure and greets his wife at the airport. He holds up his index finger to his mouth and says, “Look what I found” as he exuberantly displays a wide smile. If you saw the movie, you know he had just had a mid-life birthday, felt trapped in his career and seemed unhappy in his life. He sets out on an adventure in search of a magic elixir to curb his depression and what he finds is a smile.

Imagine that –something as simple as a smile can change one’s emotions and reignite joy inside the body. Physiologically, a smile helps to increase endorphins, a brain chemical sent through the nervous system. These endorphins act as a barrier to stress and pain and increase a state of euphoria.

In my therapeutic practice, I have many clients who come to me no longer smiling. Whether its bodily pain, physical stress or emotional drains, the loss of a smile can have a tremendous impact on one’s health.

There are two easy ways to put a smile back on your face without having to drive cattle through Montana. The first is a tool I employ in my practice, the use of a Mudra combined with breath. Mudras are hand seals/gestures that seal in energy and shift the prana/energy flow to a specialized place in the body. The smile Mudra is called Hasa Mudra. Hasa in Sanskrit means smile. To try Hasa Mudra, first come into a simple seated pose. Bring the fingers of each hand into the respective palm, except for the pinkie, and cover the tops of all the fingers with the thumb. Then extend the pinkie fingers out. Place the hands on the back of your knees, palms up, close the eyes and begin to breathe naturally into the body.

Begin to notice how both the inhalation and the exhalation naturally begins to lengthen, creating a sense of lightness throughout your body. Hasa Mudra helps facilitate a connection with your bliss body, feel the joy rising inside of you. Practice ten cycles of an inhale followed by an exhale. See if you can sense the breath rising upward in the body into the chest, the neck, and the head. This Mudra nourishes these areas and the nervous system. Now begin to notice the natural tendency of your mouth to form a smile. Then release the Mudra and see if you don’t feel more joyous.

If you’d like to try this ancient practice first-hand with several hundred others, then join us for the Free Yoga in the Park, presented by NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness and the Highlands Ranch Metro District tomorrow at Civic Green Park. Jenny Clark, the lead instructor tomorrow will be guiding a practice centered on smiling. The mind/body practice is offered in the heart of Highlands Ranch at Civic Green Park from 8:15-9:15 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday through September 4, weather permitting. Must be 18yrs of age to participate.

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, by: Nancy Levenson

Remember the last time you were up close, personal and intimate with the Earth? It may have been when you were a child. Daydreaming, starring up at the world and sky above you or lying on the belly taking a bugs-eye view of the world. Remember the sensations you felt? How the Earth seemed to cradle and nurture and in some ways heal and comfort whatever ailed you.

In Savasana, corpse pose, one lies mindfully on the Earth, tuning into quiet simplicity, inviting the feet to fall outward, the arms to rest by the side of the body, palms facing upward, and fully releasing one’s body into the pull of Earth’s gravity.

Lying mindfully on the Earth allows us to reconnect with nature, to fill our back body with the energy of the Earth while inviting our front body to reach to the sky. It is here that a convergence of two energies takes place, the feminine, yin energy of the Earth and the masculine, yang, energy of the sky.

We instinctively know how to guide our body towards optimal health. Have you ever wondered why we go lie down when we don’t feel well? When we allow the body to rest horizontally, we make the most contact with the Earth. Thus, allowing blood to flow throughout the body, increasing expansion through the chest and organs, and inviting a more spacious vehicle for air and prana to flow throughout our being.

In yoga classes and therapeutic yoga sessions, we end the practice with Savasana, not just to seal, but to heal. It is in stillness, non-doing and non-striving that we find a balanced integration with our action, doing and striving. Choose to take time daily for lying mindfully on the Earth.

(c) Namasteworks Yoga + Wellness, LLC. Nancy Levenson, Highlands Ranch, CO http://www.namasteworksyoga.com

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

INNERview – An Exploration into the INNERyou Weekend Yoga Retreat – September 17-19, 2010 – Joyful Journey Hot Springs & Spa, Moffat, Colorado 

Treat your mind, body and soul to a mindfulness weekend as you reconnect with your inner needs and desires and explore yourself from within. This weekend promises to guide you on an inner journey of self, while in the presence of community. What better way to allow your inner senses to come alive than a retreat combining nature, yoga, meditation and more. This program is targeted to woman of all ages that desire to refresh and rejuvenate their spirit from within. Joyful Journey Hot Springs & Spa promises to be a unique venue for this retreat.  Choose from a Hotel room or Yurt.  For full program details and registration see Events Tab on this site.

This week USA Today ran a cover story about the rave in toning shoes, A Revolutionary sneaker, or overhyped gimmick?  Seduced by their claims to improve posture, circulation and reduce joint pain, these shoes have been a source of lively discussion in my senior yoga therapy classes.

The feet impact every part of your posture and are one of your main sensors for communicating pain. While the body is quite adaptive and will make modifications to maintain its muscular-skeletal alignment, any change to your natural movement, results in a shift to the entire body. Just experiment with walking on the insides of your feet, or the outside edges and notice what happens to your posture, your hips, your spine and the muscles that are being used to support you. It’s not that you are using increasing the intensity of your muscle use, it’s that your body is adapting by using different muscles not normally used. This is the reason most of us find our legs fatigued after walking for a period of time on a sandy shore.

Our feet are innately designed to provide traction for mobility and aid us in balance and posture. The entire posture originates from the feet and aligns upward. When the feet no longer sense the ground, or when they are forced into an unnatural position, they no longer support the posture in an optimal way.

The long-term impact of these toning shoes on individuals with knocked or bowed knees, hip displacements, ankle rotations and a host of other postural misalignments has yet to be unveiled.

(c) Namasteworks Yoga + Wellness, LLC.   Nancy Levenson, Highlands Ranch, CO http://www.namasteworksyoga.com

A yoga therapist utilizes many tools to guide her student to optimal health.  One of those tools is the sacred sound OM through the introduction of both chanting and the value of silence to heal the body.   Inviting students, especially senior clients to explore the sacred sounds of mantras, chanting and OM, may be uncomfortable for you and them at first, but bringing these tools to life can be playful and enjoyable.

I am forever grateful to Dr. Lorin Roche and his work with The Radiance Sutras.  It is in his Sutra 19 that I have found a beautiful way to express, explore and examine sound and silence with my students.  With Lorin’s permission, I have reprinted his Sutra 19 below. 

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, by: Nancy Levenson

“Today I can complain because the weather is rainy, Or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.”  Author Unknown

Today’s practice of Free Yoga in the Park – Civic Green Park – Highlands Ranch, Colorado, 2010 – has been cancelled.  Please come join us next week, Wednesday June 16 for the morning practice.  Unfortunately, we will not have a practice next Saturday, June 19th due to a prior engagement in the park, KIDSFEST.  We hope to see you next Wednesday.  On behalf of the entire teaching staff, Namaste!

(c) Namasteworks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, Nancy Levenson, www.namasteworksyoga.com

Opening day of Free Yoga in the Park brought out the baby in many area residents. Moving from sun salutations to pigeon to happy baby pose; both first-timers and seasoned yogis, took advantage of the opportunity to practice free yoga outdoors as the second season of the program kicked off.

Happy Baby Pose

This mind/body practice is offered in the heart of Highlands Ranch at the mind body gardens of Civic Green Park from 8:15-9:15 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday through September 4, weather permitting.

“We had a vision of providing a place of beauty and serenity where anyone could come and experience a free yoga practice in a space that helps to heal the body, mind and spirit. It’s the kind of program that allows you to be in touch with the earth, nature and the community at-large,” said Nancy Levenson, founder of NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, and a certified yoga instructor and therapist.

“The community is what makes the class. While yoga is very personal and it stays in your head long after you leave the park, being surrounded by a hundred other people all practicing together fills me with a joyful spirit I carry throughout my entire day,” said participant Teresa Dinnen.

See the events tab for full schedule and more details.

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, by: Nancy Levenson

Finding inner peace this summer can be as simple as stepping outdoors and onto the mat. NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC and the Highlands Ranch Metro District have teamed up again to offer a second year of FREE Yoga in the Park. We will be offering this summer long, mind/body practice once again at Civic Green Park from 8:15-9:15 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday starting May 26 through September 4*, weather permitting. *Some dates may be excluded due to prior engagements in the park.

See full schedule and more details under events tab.

This year, eight expert teachers will take part in the outdoor program, offering their time as part of their annual Seva to the community. A spectrum of yoga lineages will add spark to the weekly practices as each instructor draws from her own teaching and life experience. This year’s participating teachers include, Nancy Levenson, Angela McLinden, Barbara Bloodgood, Elena Haykin, Jenny Clark, Jena Sawyer, Meghan Ecklund, and Sue Khodarahmi.

The practice will be open to seasoned and first time yogis, at least 18 years of age. So grab a friend or two or three, bring a yoga mat, sunscreen and a water bottle. Check in at least 15 minutes before class starts, sign a participant park waiver, pick a spot on the pristine lawn of Civic Green Park and be prepared to enjoy an hour of breath with movement yoga as we welcome in the morning.

The 2010 Program is sponsored by NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, the Highlands Ranch Metro District, the Colorado Lottery and Stonewear Designs.

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, by: Nancy Levenson

A client recently shared a story with me about her use of centering in the middle of chaos. She was undergoing a rather intricate surgery to her left eye. I had asked her if she was nervous at all, given my own fear of having anything resembling a blade placed near eyes. She indicated that she arrived at the facility that morning, only slightly concerned. She was placed in an individual treatment room, prior to the surgery, and instructed to relax. She shared with me that she immediately began to draw inward, to find her center. Using some pranayama from her yoga classes and a mudra to create clear focus, she began to put her mind at ease. After all, this would be a simple procedure, it was safe.

Shortly after this, two attendants walked into her room. She remained in a total state of stillness, breathing and centering when one of the attendants began to complain to the other, that one of the pre-exam tools was broken. The other then stated that he could not open the cabinet door, “it must be stuck, it’s not working.” As these two fumbled in her presence, her mind went from centering to chaos – “what else isn’t working in this place,” she wondered to herself. The two attendants continued on with their dialogue and she took a deep breath, and brought herself back to center…..breathe, follow the inhale, follow the exhale. She started to repeat a mantra in her mind to keep herself centered. Shortly thereafter, she was wheeled into the operating room, concerned. And, moments later she was completely out.

Her surgery went well and I found her story so profound. When engaged in centering we have to be aware that distractions will try and pull us out. Some may be as insignificant as another thought we are having and some so startling to move us away from center altogether. Only through practice do we learn to stay in the present moment, focused on our intention. I was very impressed by her will. Staying centered is hard enough, but it’s quite another story to stay centered in the middle of chaos.

Jeanne Thornton and I held our second “Teaching the Inspired Class” – A Workshop for Yoga Instructors to help re-ignite that source of inspiration from which they teach, day after day, week after week, year after year.

I loved Jeanne’s introduction on Inspiration (In`spi*ra”tion) – too breathe life into. While the program is designed to assist teachers, it also re-inspires my own teaching. I continue to be awed by the amazing creativity that exists all around us. The opportunity to see everything with new eyes and to know that no two of us perceive an event, sound, sight or thought in exactly the same way. That we each find inspiration in different sources and that this inspiration can extend from one thought to another – flowing with unlimited motion. I thank all of the participating teachers for also breathing life into me.

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, by: Nancy Levenson