We're Not Just Being Polite. We REALLY DO want to know how you're doing.

It may seem like we’re kind of nosy. At the beginning of every Therapeutic Series or Gentle therapeutics-style yoga class, the teacher will certainly ask how you’re doing. Not the usual, How are doing? Oh, I’m fine!, kind of exchange. We really want to know how you’re doing.

What we want to know
We want to know about your general wellness, like whether you have been under recent acute or chronic stress, how you’re sleeping, and whether you have pain in any parts of your body. Some common pain areas are neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, and headache. Digestive issues are also important for us to know about.

Please let us know if you’re pregnant.

We want to know if you have any chronic or recent injuries - a hurt toe, a twisted ankle, a torn rotator cuff, a car accident, a “bad” knee, etc.

Please let us know about any medical conditions such as scoliosis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, high or low blood pressure, osteoporosis, arthritis, etc.

We also want to know if you’ve had surgery, been hospitalized, or are under medical care. For example, please let us know if you have had a spinal fusion, if you’re in treatment for cancer, if you’re recovering from surgery, or if you have any other kind of medical issue.

Doesn’t it take up a lot of time to review everyone’s health issues?
Well, in a larger class it certainly can. That's one reason we try to keep our class sizes smaller, typically not more than 12.

Over time, we become familiar with the health history of our regular students, so we don’t have to do a full review with every person every time we see them. 

We do want to get more extensive information about students who are new to us, or who we’ve had in our class only a handful of times, or who we see only once in a while.

And from our regular, longer-term students we like to get updates whenever there’s a new issue.

We do want to be mindful of receiving everyone’s health information in a timely manner so that we have plenty of time for the actual yoga practice.

Why we want to know
Doctors often recommend yoga to their patients to help with all kinds of issues ranging from rehabbing a hurt knee to managing stress. It’s important for us know your goals and limitations so that we can provide a practice that is appropriate and beneficial to you. We certainly do not want to offer a practice that will cause you harm.

With hundreds of yoga poses for us to choose from, it’s important we pick the right ones for you and it’s equally important that we avoid the ones that are not appropriate for you on any given day.

For example, if you've recently had knee surgery, we don't want to teach a practice full of kneeling postures. And if you have high blood pressure, we want to make sure to avoid certain postures that can raise blood pressure.

We want to select the best, most appropriate postures so that we can provide the very best practice for the specific people who attend each day.

We’ll check in throughout the practice
Once practice begins and we are able to see how your body is moving and how you're responding to the practice, we’ll likely check in with you again.

We may ask how you’re feeling, what your’e feeling, or where you’re feeling it. This is partly for our knowledge (so that we can make any needed adjustments), but also for your knowledge.

When we ping you for information, it helps your brain tune in to your body and your self so that you can better understand in which ways the practice benefits you.

What we do with the information
Your information stays private within the class setting. If you are dealing with a serious health condition and you're likely to attend classes with other teachers at The Yoga Room, we will ask your permission to share your relevant health history with our teaching staff so that you don’t have to tell each teacher individually.

What if you don’t want to share your information in the class setting?
If you are not comfortable talking about your health history in front of the class, please tell the receptionist at the front desk that you’d like to speak to the teacher privately before class begins. We’d be more than happy to speak with you one on one. Or, you can you email us ahead of time to share your information.

Private Instruction
Private therapeutic yoga instruction is a great option for people who are dealing with any kind of health issue, from an injury, to recovery from surgery, to chronic stress, to poor sleep. The teacher creates a practice custom-designed for your specific needs and goals, then teaches you the practice so that you can practice daily at home. Every few weeks you can have a follow-up session to continue refining your practice.

We welcome your questions
Please always feel welcome to contact us with any questions related to your yoga practice. The best way to reach us is via email at info@rryogaroom.com.

How To Get Comfortable Doing Less

In our culture, we strive in all areas of life - work, kids, fitness, nutrition, etc., but we're not so good at resting. In fact, we often feel guilty when we do take time to rest.

In last week’s newsletter I talked about Sthira sukham āsanam, which means “The āsana (yoga posture) should be simultaneously strong/alert and relaxed.” So today, I’d like to show you 3 ways to weave more sukham into your āsana practice. 

Take breaks during class
In yoga class, the element of “peer pressure” can definitely exist. Everyone around you is working hard and following the teacher’s guidance. They might even be sweating and breathing hard. When you find yourself getting out of breath or a little tired, challenge yourself to beat the peer pressure and take a break.

You can stand in a relaxed posture, take a drink of water, or maybe hang out for a few breaths in pose that feels comfortable to you, like a forward fold, child’s pose, or even śavasāna. Rest a minute or more, then rejoin the teacher’s instruction.

Slow your pace
If the pace of class feels a little too fast for you, or if you’re struggling to keep up, go slower. Spend more breaths in one posture, skip the next posture, and rejoin the class on the following posture.

If you’re in a Flow class, pick a sequence and spend two breaths in each posture rather than one. You can do fewer repetitions or just skip the following sequence so you can rejoin the teacher’s instruction.

Try a different class
We’re so accustomed to working hard that it can seem very mentally challenging to slow down. We might even be so used to the rush of adrenaline that we have no interest in slowing down.

Once a week, try a different class. If you’re used to Core Power, try Vinyasa Flow. If you usually practice Vinyasa Flow or Hatha II, try Hatha I. If you usually practice Hatha I, try Gentle. Shake things up a bit to find a new challenge - learning how to slow down and rest.

Chronic stress is extremely common in our society, so it’s actually very healthy to practice doing less so we can learn how to be comfortable in a state of ease and relaxation. In fact, this is something I have been working on since I returned from India a few weeks ago. One day I’ll write more about it, but for now let me just say that the benefits have been pretty mind-blowing.

If boosting your sukham sounds like an interesting (or maybe even needed) challenge for you, I encourage you to join us for the upcoming 40 Day Challenge. You can practice finding your ease for 40 consecutive days and maybe even make it a new habit!

 And if you have any questions about how to integrate more sukham into your life or your practice, I’m always just an email away.

All my best,
Zelinda