A recent class I held, “Sensitive Soles – Yoga for the Feet,” is an example of how yoga therapy can help increase awareness of the body, breath and mind. The gift of yoga is that it heightens our own internal awareness of how our body feels from day-to-day and how it functions as a balanced unit. When any one element of the body is out of balance, the entire structure suffers as other parts of the body compensate for any weaknesses. Yoga therapy is designed to help bring balance to the physical, energy, emotional, wisdom and bliss body – known in yoga as the Five Koshas.

Yoga therapy is receiving a lot of attention these days, not just by students but by the medical profession. According to a 2008 Yoga Journal Study, one significant trend to emerge from the study is the use of yoga as medical therapy. According to the study, 6.1%, or nearly 14 million Americans, say that a doctor or therapist has recommended yoga to them. In addition, nearly half (45%) of all adults agree that yoga would be a beneficial if they were undergoing treatment for a medical condition.

The group that participated in the yoga for the feet program learned first-hand the importance of bringing sensitivity back to the feet and maintaining awareness of tactile sensation. Keeping the sensors between the feet and mind open and active helps create early awareness to any potential  issues. When we feel from the inside out we become our own best advocates to optimal health.

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

Effort is defined as something done or produced through exertion while Ease is freedom from pain, tension and effort. In this soft hip opening practice use the qualities of effort and ease to open and broaden your client’s awareness from the inside out. I’ve provided the sequence along with some cueing.

Start out in a bent knee Savasana for your breath work. Practice alternating between a focus on the inhalation and a focus on the exhalation, noticing which feels more easeful and which requires effort. Notice sensations in the knees and hips. Relax into the position and notice if it takes effort to maintain the position or if you are at ease in the pose. Continue the breathing exercise for 3-5 minutes.

Now open the knees, keeping the feet wide and drop into windshield wipers. This is your baseline pose. Notice how much effort is required to flow both knees from the right to the left with breath. Explore the movement as if it were the first time your noticed you had hips. Is it more easeful to move right or left? Float back and forth with breath eight times on each side, then hold left. Allow the legs and hips to yield to the earth, release and relax. Notice any force required to rest in the pose, then float to the right and repeat. Feel as if you are shifting the energy in your hips.

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Location: PLEASE NOTE NEW LOCATION -Fireside Lounge – Wind Crest Retirement Community, 3235 Mill Vista Road – Highlands Ranch, Co 80126

Start Time: 11:30 am
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
End Time: 1:00 pm

Description: Join Highlands Ranch Senior Outreach Services and NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness for a program designed to help bring sensitivity back into your feet. The feet are the body’s foundation and every step you take impacts how the rest of the body moves and responds. When your feet are out of balance, the knees, the hips and ultimately the whole spine may be affected.

 In this gentle senior yoga practice, you will learn how to reconnect and re-ground through the feet. Come prepared to remove your socks and shoes, spread the toes, enliven the feet and practice a few poses. You must be comfortable standing and moving to participate. Each participant will have a chair for support.

This hour and a half long program will be taught by Nancy Levenson, an advanced teacher of yoga therapy. Nancy currently runs her own business, NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness and has been guiding the yoga practice at Wind Crest Retirement Community for more than two years.

 For full details and to register for this free program click here

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