Herniated Discs, Sciatica & Spinal Stenosis
Dr Loren Fishman, a back-pain and rehabilitative medicine specialist who has long incorporated yoga into patient care and studies Iyengar Yoga, published an article in the New York Times on 5/8/13 called Advice on Practicing Yoga in Middle age. Responding to questions about practicing yoga with herniated disc Dr. Fishman made the following statements: – [...]
Playtime
Brene Brown, in her CD series called The Power of Vulnerability, discusses 10 guideposts for what she calls “wholehearted” living; cultivating authenticity, cultivating self compassion, cultivating a resilient spirit, cultivating gratitude and joy, cultivating intuition and trusting faith, cultivating creativity, cultivating play and rest, cultivating calm and stillness, cultivating meaningful work and cultivating laughter song [...]
Dad’s First Yoga Class
My 74 year-old father was in town for Memorial Day weekend and I made him take a yoga class. Though fit from years of tennis, gardening, and ballroom dancing, his basic stance on yoga is not atypical of his generation; one of dismissal and moderate disdain. He had his head in his laptop until 2 [...]
Take 10
I like mornings – our energy and brains are clear and the day spans before us, however, I have never been a “morning” person. Once up, there are the daily list of things to do and the race to leave the house. If I wake up late, I am rushed and frantic and settle down [...]
Reflections on Cambodia
Well I came back from another Cambodian retreat with Simone Inns. The yoga was challenging and strong, the group dynamic and the countryside lush, hot and dramatic. We walked through 1000 year old temples, had noodle soup for breakfast, shopped in humid markets, rode in tuk-tuks, donned hats and sunscreen galore, re-visited the orphanage Simone [...]
Sciatica!
The sciatic nerve innervates all muscles of the posterior thigh, leg and foot. It is as thick as a finger and is formed from the nerve roots that originate from the sacral plexus (groups of nerves) that emerge from the vertebrae between L4 and S3. It is actually two combined nerves, the tibeal nerve and [...]
Gluteal Muscles: Deep
The deep layers of the gluteal muscles are also commonly referred to as “the rotators”. They are a dense strip of 5 muscles and are responsible for laterally rotating the thigh and helping to stabilize the femoral head in the acetabulum. The piriformis is considered to be a landmark of the gluteal region and renowned [...]
Gluteal Muscles: Superficial
The gluteal muscles are comprised of two layers, superficial and deep. The superficial muscles are what we commonly think of as our buttocks and include the gluteus maximus, minimus and medius and the tensor fascia lata. Extensor and lateral rotation: The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle of the body. The maximus attaches to the [...]
Hamstring Muscles (Part 2)
Hamstring muscles are active in all thigh extension – except when the knees are fully flexed such as in danurasana/bow pose. They also support trunk extension, and if they were to become paralyzed, our bodies would tip forward when standing. The hamstrings are also very active when walking on flat ground (city walking!) and are [...]
Hamstring Muscles (Part 1)
The hamstring muscles are a group of 4 posterior thigh muscles. The muscles are semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and the biceps femoris, which are considered two muscles due to their two distinct boney attachments. All muscles attach proximally to the ischial tuberosity except for the ‘short head’ of the bicep femoris, which attach to the lateral femur [...]