My point being, in the past nine months, I have finally chanced across the personal tools -- yoga, pranayama, meditation and self-inquiry, combined with the expansive horizons of the Internet -- that allow me to steer my life and emotions. I wish I had these practices when I was a teenager or a young adventurer going off to South America to experience life or an adult husband and father who did not comprehend why he had to harbor a core of unhappiness.
I am not saying that I have suddenly become brilliant or more accomplished -- I've just found the means to live within myself while still stretch my boundaries.
My acupuncturist, Kelly Welch, tells me that both in Western and Chinese medicine there's not much known about the lympathic system.
For those who have not investigated the Art of Living side of the site, the daily practice includes deep, rhythmic breathwork. Three-part breathing with a 4-4-6-2 pattern ujayi breath; three rounds of bastrika (a bit complicated to describe in this short entry) and kriya sudarshan, which includes three rounds of slow (20 breaths), moderate (40 breaths) and rapid (40) breathing. Some observers say that the kriya technique is a form of hyperventillation. That might be the case at first, but after the first few session I have not noted any symptoms of hyperventillation. It's 15-20 minutes of very active diaphragm movement -- without having to breaking into a sweat as you would with exercise. I suspect that much of the benefit comes from the effect on the lymphatic system.
The Art of Living Foundation promotes kriya practice specifically for medical conditions, like cancer, HIV and depression. It says that it has medical research to back up these claims.
In any case, I felt comfortable on the mat.
Kelly, who has a PhD in pyschology with a concentration in Humanistic Medicine, says in Breathwork for Enhancing Immune Function:
The body's biggest lymphatic vessel is the thoracic duct, which begins near the lower part of the spine. The thoracic duct collects lymph from the lower limbs, pelvis, abdomen, and lower chest. At the thoracic duct, the rate of flow of lymph is proportional to the depth of inhalation. The total volume of lymph that enters the central veins depends on both the depth of inhalation and the overall breathing rate. The respiratory diaphragm is the main pump of the lymphatic system. Strength training for the diaphragm helps you increase the depth of inhalation, and also improves your ability to breathe deeply when you need to breathe more quickly (i.e., during strenuous exercise).
Kelly explains gives some exercises to strengthen your diaphragm, but it lags behind my daily routine of pranayama. When I saw this article, I thought I had discovered gunpowder because I suddenly realized why a regular practice of pranayama and yoga help clean out your system in multiple ways. I did more research, however, and discovered that yoga's benefits on the lymphatic system are known, though not emphasized. The contortions that we get into help move the lymphatic fluids through our body.
Yoko Yoshikawa explains in a Yoga Journal article Everybody Upside-Down:
The lymphatic system is responsible for waste removal, fluid balance, and immune system response. Lymph vessels arise among the capillary beds of the circulatory system, but comprise a separate system that transports stray proteins, waste materials, and extra fluids, filtering the fluid back through the lymph nodes and dumping what remains into the circulatory system at the subclavian veins, under the collarbones. The lymphatic system is analogous to a sewage system — an intricate, underground network tied to every house in town that keeps the citizens healthy.
The effect on my practice is that I will pay a lot more attention to moving my diaphragm, rather than pushing as much as air as I can through my chest.
What have I got to look forward to? An evening of yoga and meditation.
Vad says that each routine should take 15-20 minutes, but I found that prescription an underestimate, closer to 30-40 minutes, perhaps because I took longer, deeper breaths or I held the positions longer.
Again, the routines are focused exclusively on treating a back problem.
In the meantime, I have refrained from going to yoga classes because I did not want to do deep forward bends or other postures that would stress my lower back. I tend to tighten up in classes, just the opposite of what I want to do.
The payoff has been more flexibility in my hips and improved balance because I've been working everyday. I still have some stiffness in the lower back in the morning, which I usually treat with a hot pad. But it's not pain, but the soreness of having worked over those muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Subject: Invitation to join e-Sutra
You are invited to join "e-Sutra".....a lively, interactive Yoga List moderated by Leslie Kaminoff. Current worldwide membership includes over 1,300 yoga teachers and students. There is no fee for e-Sutra. It is supported by voluntary contributions from list members. e-Sutra will offer you the opportunity to read notices, interviews, articles and editorials featuring some of the leading teachers and thinkers in the world of yoga today. You will also have the unique ability to respond to these postings with questions, comments, and additional thoughts of your own. It's like the letter column of a yoga magazine, only better. e-Sutra is a *moderated* list, which means that everyone's e-mails are sent to Leslie Kaminoff, who will read all submissions and decide which ones are appropriate for posting. The selected postings will then be sent out to the entire list. Some of the itmes may be edited for brevity or clarity, and some may include interjections from the moderator. You will typically receive about three to five e-mail postings once a week. The postings will create "threads" of discussion that will emerge from your responses, questions and contributions. To subscribe, simply follow these directions. You can unsubscribe or modify your membership at any time. To subscribe by e-mail, just send a blank e-mail to: esutra-sub@lists.esutra.com To subscribe by web, go to: http://lists.esutra.com/sub/esutra
This kind of exercise can be frustrating since most news sites send their stories to archive within 7-14 days of appearing, requiring that you pay for access to their past articles. In any case, it's no small accomplishment to pull together these news items, throw out the dross, repeats or shortened versions and put it in a readable format. I know because I used to do something like this for another site.
He also sends out a bulletin board in which teachers can announce courses and authors their books. These tend to be centered in the New York City area, but can still be far ranging. For instance, it recently pointed me to the site of Kelly McGonigal's Newsletter. She teaches yoga at Stanford.
Kaminoff also issues a synopsis of mailing list discussions, on a specific topic -- for instance, yoga sequencing.
In other words, it's worth subscribing.
I purchased a book, Back Rx: a 15-Minute-a-Day Yoga and Piletes-Based Program to End Low Back Pain by Vijay Vad and Hilary Hinzman. The book is published by Gotham Books, New York. Vad is a sports medicine specialist in New York and has worked with the golf and tennis pro tour. He endorses a hybrid method because some routines in boht Pilates and yoga put undue stress on the lower back. His routines are three sets of about 15 poses. You're supposed to be able to get through one routine without pain before moving to the next level.
I've also being doing poses for my hamstrings and rotators: Hips too tight? by Judith Lasater and Ease on the Back by Julie Gudmestad. Both articles had originally appeared in Yoga Journal. I only do the exercise that do not cause me pain.
My review of the literature, much of which I had read a couple of months ago but did not fully understand, pointed to two trouble spots -- tight hamstrings and rotators. There may be other muscles involved, but two are enough for right now. As a first measure, I have to keep backbends and sitting poses to a minimum. The idea is to get my body back in balance.
I've found that a supported bridge pose, using a foam block to support my hips, can offer substantial relief from the stress. I don't push my hips too high, just enough to arch my back a little. I move the block up and down my spin to vary the inflex point of my spin.
