For those of you who follow this blog, you know that I’m a strong proponent of a regular yoga practice. You don’t have to be tall, skinny and Gumby-like to start practicing yoga or to get anywhere with it. Yoga can be adapted to anyone at any age, in any physical condition, from kids to the elderly, from anorexics to grossly obese folks and everyone in between.
I started practicing yoga almost fifteen years ago on a whim. I didn’t know the first thing about it so I bought a couple basic books on yoga from the bookstore and started where I was.
The feelings I experienced in my body and my psyche from simply raising my arms above my head while taking a deep breath in and releasing that breath as I let my arms come down sold me. I thought, “If a simple move like that can help me feel this good, I’m never stopping.” And I haven’t.
My Ongoing Journey
In addition to that initial “feel good” experience, over the ensuing months, the “bad back” that I had since I was fifteen years old was gone. I felt calmer when I practiced regularly.
The more I practiced, the more I learned how to connect with my body. When I was young, I had learned that it wasn’t safe to express my emotions. Cutting my connections with my emotions also cut my connections with my body. We carry around our emotions buried in our bodies which, I believe, was the source of my bad back. Yoga helped me to reconnect and release the pent-up emotions and ease the physical pains.
Over time, I no longer needed my weekly visits to a chiropractor. By connecting better with my body and understanding the yoga poses more thoroughly, I learned how to use yoga poses to make my own adjustments.
Now, when I’ve overworked myself physically or at my desk and my back is screaming at me, I know that I can spend about ten minutes in relaxing poses and feel like a new person when I’m done.
Knowing how effectively yoga can transform physical and emotional pain, I was happy to read a new book, Restorative Yoga Therapy: The Yapana Way to Self-Care and Well-Being by Leeann Carey.
The Yapana Way
Yapana Yoga Therapy is a hatha yoga practice to address the profound imbalances of today’s lifestyles. The practice consists of a series of simple movements held for extended periods of time (up to 10 or 20 minutes) with the support of yoga props (blankets, bolsters, chairs, pillows, belts – all of which can be found at home).
Yapana is a Sanskrit word meaning “the support and extension of life,” exactly what this practice is about.
Carey developed Yapana Yoga Therapy based on her decades of experience working with the physically challenged, professional athletes, yoga teachers, and students. The props it incorporates offer strategic support to extend the life of poses and deepen their healing effects (see more).
“This practice meets people where they are. It’s designed to encourage self-inquiry, reflection and change, not perfection. It’s a gateway to discover how to apply its therapeutic outcome on and off the mat. The objective on the mat is to promote both balance and a positive and enduring effect while supported in both the heat-building and passive phases of the practice.” ~Leeann Carey
Restorative Yoga Therapy is a comprehensive, illustrated guide designed for everyone regardless of body type, phase of life or fitness level. Carey’s program uses props not to water down poses but to fulfill yoga’s most fundamental goal: offering a path to living a more mindful and wholehearted life. In this practice, there is no competition with the self or with others. Instead, the practice facilitates awareness, acceptance of what is and joyful movement toward what’s possible.
The book includes yoga sequences for specific issues like taming tension, releasing a tight lower back, PMS and menopause relief, enhancing the immune system and active recovery for athletes. It also includes an entire section of prenatal practice for expectant mothers.
The author’s approach can inspire beginners and experienced practitioners while elevating their yoga to a new level of awareness and understanding.
This is particularly true with restorative yoga therapy. Every single pose can be adapted to meet hyper-flexibility, rigidity and a host of other needs. Yoga props are strategically placed to bring the pose to the student as opposed to forcing the student into a predetermined shape (see more). Restorative Yoga Therapy is a perfect introduction into a yoga practice due to its gentle approach. All that is required is interest.
Life today is crowded with responsibilities, commitments, and complications. A restorative yoga therapy practice is an excellent healthy option for coping with, managing and decreasing stress levels in order to live a fuller and more joyful life.
About the author
Leeann Carey is the author of Restorative Yoga Therapy and has a network of Yapana Way mentors throughout the United States and Canada. She is ERYT-500 registered (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500 hour level) and has studied with masters including Kofi Busia and Judith Hanson Lasater. She lives in Redondo Beach, California. Visit her online at http://www.yapanayoga.com.