Many women that are in menopause have had problems with gaining weight that they cannot lose.

Manuso, a certified Iyengar yoga teacher, taught this at one of his seminars I attended years ago.

There were many women in the class that said it had helped them tremendously.  So I pass this information

on to you!

Supported backbends:    You will need a folding chair, wall, stickymat and blanket.

A trained yoga teacher (you can find a wonderful list of certified Anusara Yoga Teachers at Anusara.com and click on the teachers list for your state) can also assist so that you keep proper alignment.

Sit in the chair backwards and put your feet to the wall.  Hold on to the back of the chair and slide

your hips thru the backside of chair then with your feet on the wall push the chair away so that your

legs can be straight and feet are on the wall.  Then holding on to the back of the chair, walk your

hands down the side of the chair and let the lower tips of your shoulderblades rest on the front

side of the chair seat.  If your neck does not feel comfortable come out immediately and put a rolled

sticky mat along your spine and back of your head and try again.  Start with short durations of time

and work up to five minutes!  Come out by walking your hands back up the sides of the chair and

put your feet on the ground.  Sit quietly for a moment.

As long as you are pain free, try doing this daily for about a month and see if you not only feel better

but look better too!

We are having our backbends with ease workshop on Sunday, May 18 from 10 am to noon!

Most people think that backbends are BAD for their back and very DIFFICULT to do.

HOWEVER, when doing a backbend (with good instruction, of course) the spine will move more deeply

into the body verses being out (sitting at the computor, ect. and bending forward creates the spine to

move out).  People with  bulging disks, rounded shoulders, neck and back pain can find the solution

to these problems when backbends are done correctly.  There have been many articles written in

Yoga Journal about how to do backbends.  One of the most recent was written by Desiree Rumbaugh,

certified Anusara Teacher.  Learning to do backbends with using the back plane of the body

can make back bends easier, fun, and safe.  Joyce Savitz, certified Anusara Teacher in Jacksonville Beach,

Florida will be teaching a seminar on backbends (Trusting with Security) in May, 2008.

Come and experience how fun it is to bend backwards!

About 20 years ago, I was starting to feel the negative aspects of teaching aerobics

and running. I also had scoliosis which was causing pain in my neck and shoulders as well as the lower back (sacroiliac joint).

I went to a week-long Yoga seminar. Immediately, the pain went away!! I also started feeling more grounded and secure!

Because there was no one in the area teaching Yoga, I started teaching a yoga-

stretch class at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club. The members loved it so much they

asked me to make a video so they could do it more at home. So now you can have

the opportunity to learn some of the best yoga stretches in your home and get relief

from back pain. Many people have done this video so many times that they have

memorized it.

It starts with a standing side stretch which will stretch your whole

side body. Then you go to a wall and open up the chest and upper back as well as

the back of the legs (hamstrings) and the lower back. Then you move to the floor and

stretch the psoas (great relief for lower-back pain) and also the outer hips with stretches

that resemble a lunge pose. Then lying on your back and using a belt you will learn

a stretch that opens the hamstrings, inner groins, illiotibial band (outer thigh) in less

than five minutes. This video ends with a seated twist.

You will end up feeling open and free. Doing this video on a regular basis will help you feel

younger and more agile. It is a great way to start your day and even end your day. Some

people use it as a way to give them more energy in the middle of the day. You can even do

15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening. Regardless of how you schedule

your session, it can be at your convenience and you get to have relief of back pain!

It also makes for a great gift for your friends and family.  To order, just go to jacksonvilleyoga.com and click on DVD’s on the right side.  The cost is only $25 plus shipping.

After a short while, people started requesting a more difficult and

challanging session.  I would hear more problems with tight hips from people

who had an active lifestyle.  Running, biking, blading all can tighten the hips

thus creating lowerback pain.   I am active too and therefore, have tight hips.

Going to many seminars all over  the world, I would “collect hip openers”.

The best that I have found are on this video as well as some really nice

hamstring stretches, upper thigh stretches and a really nice relaxation at the end

where the legs are up the wall.