I Banned Headstand for Life...Until I Didn't

Standing on my head?

Yeah - I hung out far more on my head than on my feet as a child.

Yoga only normalized my obsession with being upside down on my noggin! I mean, salamba sirsasana is known as the King of Yoga Poses because of its exhaustive list of health benefits.

I spent most of my early years on the yoga mat on my head - ten minute timings, headstand drop overs, endless tick-tocks, surfing gravity from headstand to various arm balances, and of course mandalasana, where you walk (or jog!) around your head in both directions.

About 7 or 8 years ago I started cycling more frequently, and developed some neck issues which I cleared up by refitting my bike. In that process I had gotten an x-ray to make sure everything was okay.

The x-ray revealed degenerative discs in C5 and C6. I was devastated.

When I saw the diminished size of my discs, all I could think of was the compression I might have caused by standing on my head all those years. I surmised that the "head forward" posture I'd adopted from using a smart phone and computer could not have helped either.

Right then and there I made a decision to stop standing on my head forever and dropped the pose from my practice.

In yoga trainings, I would still teach headstand, but gave all sorts of disclaimers about how the game had changed in the modern world and now you need to be extra cautious with how technology has impacted our cervical spines. I told them about my discs. I gave everyone ample encouragement not to practice the pose.

But then in January of 2017, all of that changed with a phone call from Glo.

Glo had been getting a lot of requests from members asking for classes on headstand. Since I was such a stickler for alignment they thought I'd be the perfect teacher to create a headstand program and would I do it?

Of course I was like, "Nope. Thanks for the invitation, but I don't do headstands. I wouldn't be able to demonstrate."

Glo prodded a little - was there any way I'd reconsider? Would it be in the realm of possibility for me to try headstand again?

After 7 years of not doing it, I thought to myself. "No way."

But then it all came flashing back to me -- I had made that decision on my own with no professional input.

Had I made up a story about my neck? Maybe I should go see one of Boulder's top physical therapists and revisit the topic?

I told Glo I would think about it and get back to them and promptly made an appointment.

At the appointment, I told my PT about my C5 and C6, explained my decision from 7 years earlier, and my current dilemma.

The first question he asked was, "when you got the x-ray, did you have any pain or problems in headstand?"

"No," I replied, feeling a little silly.

He then went on to tell me about a muscle called the longus colli that sits on the anterior surface of the vertebral column, between the atlas and the third thoracic vertebra. He said that when we stand on our heads, that muscle switches on and actually stabilizes your C5 and C6.

"Oh, wow," I said, feeling increasingly even sillier, since that is exactly what my C5 and C6 had needed my whole life!

I immediately knew I had indeed made up a story, created a belief based on my x-ray, and that trying to stand on my head again was probably a good idea.

We agreed he'd do some body work on my neck and shoulders and then we could give headstand a try in the exercise room if I felt comfortable.

Sure enough I stood on my head while he observed my neck with a watchful eye. As soon as I was up, he said "your neck looks perfect, just pull your throat back a little".

I felt fine. And when I came down, I still felt fine.

For a week or so I kept practicing headstand until I got the confidence to tell Glo yes, I will do it. And the rest is history!

Not only did I film the program, but I have been practicing headstand and many variations of headstand ever since and my neck has never felt better.

And so I am thrilled to share with you my latest program on Glo, Highway to Headstand - I hope you enjoy it and it gives you the courage to try this inversion!

Perhaps it might also inspire you to let go of any stories you've told yourself about what is possible...

Yoga Goals: Reinvent Your Wheel Pose

YOGA GOALS: REINVENT YOUR WHEEL

When I was a girl I spent a lot of time upside down in wheel pose. It was natural, painless, and took no effort.

In practice as an adult, we would do relays, racing each other through the studio — and we had conversations while doing timed one-minute holds!

Being able to get into wheel pose became a key to my well being emotionally as well as physically. It just puts me in a more uplifted mood. And lord knows we need a little reprise and sunshine right now.

But then, after spending two years working with a shoulder impingement (not from yoga) I had to lay off my wheel obsession for a while and abstain.

When my shoulder finally got better, my wheels felt totally horrendous! My body was so tight, I could not even talk while holding the pose and couldn’t wait to come down.

The good news? The extreme tightness definitely gave me insight into what it might feel like for those who have always had a hard time with wheel for whatever reason. We all have our assets, and back bending may not be one of yours - you’re still a good person!

Feeling this tight in wheel for me was unusual, but it got me thinking — through my own struggles in getting back to a comfortable wheel — about how I could open my body back up gradually so it could get closer to that pose.

And so I’ve been teaching a practice specifically designed to work toward wheel pose, opening the chest, the triceps, and the fronts of the hips along the way.

My goal for all yoga enthusiasts is to be able to do wheel pose…and still be able to talk.

Why is this important? Why set it as a goal?

Wheel is one of yoga's quintessential back bends. It provides a gateway to other advanced back bends, but more importantly, even if you never get there, the prep work has amazing benefits on its own!

Whether you take this pose to its full expression, or continue to build a solid foundation, you will stand a little taller, feel a little freer, and move about the world with a more open heart.

More Benefits of Wheel Pose:

• Better posture

• Longevity in your spine

• Spinal health

• Uplifted mood

• Generous heart
  

Preparation to Work Toward Wheel
Here are just a few of the kind of stretches and poses you’ll want to focus on in your practice to get closer to wheel pose.

Stretch the Triceps

You can incorporate a tricep stretch in a standing pose like Warrior 2.

Open the Chest

Cobra with your hands elevated on blocks is takes part of the weight off your arms so your shoulders and chest can open more easily.

Open the Hip Flexors

Poses that open the quads and hip flexors should be practiced almost daily if you want to have a wheel pose that doesn’t feel gripped with tightness!

If you’re curious about pursuing wheel pose and the poses that will open your body up in the process, you might be interested in my program on Glo.com: Reinvent Your Wheel!

This is a workshop-style program and will help you gradually work towards full wheel, using complimentary poses, props and modifications along the way. There are just three thirty minute classes that progress in level from 1/2 to 2 and you can choose to move forward at your own pace, repeating any of the practices as needed.

Overall I hope that you’re feeling more positive about working toward wheel pose! Leave a comment with your progress!.

The Unexpected Life Hack to Help You Excel in The New Year

We live in a world that’s addicted to quick solutions, easy fixes, and anything brand new.

We want to hear the most recent podcast, to have the newest iPhone, and we can “Google that s**t” to get instant answers.

In a culture of instant gratification, it’s become increasingly difficult to remember that we’re part of a world that is made up of repetition of the ‘same old - same old’. We forget that nature itself repeats itself - it’s recursive:

The sun comes up every day and then sets.

The moon cycles monthly.

The deer in my backyard mate every November and give birth the next June.

Every 365 days we celebrate the holidays and then find ourselves on January 1st planning our next year.

Here we are, welcoming another year of life, and honestly it feels new, but it also feels the same - an annual repetition.

Does that seem like a let down? Well, it could feel like a let down if, like most of us, you’re addicted to the Smart phone, your feed, or how many likes you got on your Instagram post.

So here’s the life hack.

Recognize that everything repeats itself and start getting back to craving repetition and baby steps like a child.

Remember when you were a kid (or if you have kids now you’ll totally get this) and you asked your parents to read the same bedtime story book to you every single night? You didn’t care if you heard it over and over again! And god forbid they skipped a page, you noticed and called them out on it!

I think I’ve seen The Little Mermaid and the Lion King about 50 times because my little sister wanted to watch it every single day when I was her caretaker.

Kids crave repetition. And they need it to learn and become masterful at life

When you read a book a for the second time, you are a different person than you were the first time around. That's what makes repetition interesting and not boring - it’s who you’ve become in between!

For example, it would be ridiculous to do one yoga class and then say, “Yep, I’ve mastered yoga -  been there, done that!”.  

Practice is practice - it’s not about completion and accomplishment, it’s about process and self discovery through, you guessed it, repetition.

If you’ve got a big, hairy, audacious goal (BHAG) to grow bigger this 2018, it’s important to let go of the idea that you can reach that goal quickly without serious commitment, repetition, perseverance, study, and practice.

Any BHAG I've ever reached or art form I've mastered has come about from the repetition of baby steps and chunked down daily actions.

My 500 Hour level yoga teacher training students often share that they want me to give them more new material in my trainings. While I certainly strive to share new information that they’ve never heard before, I remind them about the importance of repetition too.

To become a great yoga teacher and yogi, you have to ‘lather, rinse, and repeat’ in multiple scenarios across a timeline of study until things are so familiar they become part of you. It’s why we encourage our students to repeat the same module topics multiple times if they want to!

Once you come to terms with the fact that mastery requires repetition, you will be aligned with the recursive nature of the Universe and mastery of your goals will be right around the corner.

Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

Happy New Year, everyone!

If this resonates, leave a comment telling us about something you got really good at through repetition!

Podcast: Saving the World with Yoga and Activism

Podcasts have become so popular in the last year!

I hadn't been asked to be interviewed for a Podcast since 2011 and then out of the blue, last year I was suddenly on 5 or 6 different podcasts!

The latest interview was with Wild Ideas Worth Living, a podcast devoted to exploring what's possible when you have a wild idea and get up the guts to act on it despite self doubt, saboteurs, or the urge to talk yourself out of it! 

It was an honor to be considered someone who had done just that in life as a traveling yoga teacher.

Here are some of the things I get into in this nitty gritty discussion with Shelby Stanger.

• What kind of food you eat at an Ayurvedic retreat.
• The type of yoga workshop that I was teaching in Southeast Asia.
• Tantric yoga doesn’t always have to do with sex.
• How I got into yoga at a very young age.
• Why I look so much younger than I am! LOL! Get my secrets.
• How to make a living by following your passion.
• The challenges of being a yoga teacher.
• Why yoga should not be free.
• The danger of over-promising.
• Why I don’t separate politics and yoga
• Activism + yoga = my passion.
• How I trained to do yoga with marine animals.
• How yoga teaches perseverance physically and mentally.
• How I use meditation and visualization.
• You become the company you keep.
• There are no shortcuts.
• It’s time to find alternative sources of energy!

Listen to the Podcast!

Yoga: Not for the Faint of Heart

Swimming in 31 years of notebooks from my studies of yoga. (And there are a handful missing in this picture!) 📙📘📖📕📗📓📒

In this age of social media, sweaty yoga workouts, and quick rises to fame in the yoga world, people forget that studying yoga is physical, yes, but it's also academic and it takes TIME.

There is an infinite body of knowledge to tap - so much to learn, and so much to know. No one person could ever imbibe it all!

Studying yoga was never meant to be easy. It takes perseverance, dedication, and devotion. There is no such thing as overnight success yet the benefits are worth your efforts tenfold! 

Cheers to your studies!

Amy's YogaGlo Picks for the Week: Self Love Fest!

Now is one the most important times in the year to keep up with your practice, but also one of the most challenging. There was such a great response to my last playlist of YogaGlo classes on Facebook that we’re moving it over to the blog and I’m releasing new, curated collections to help you all stay strong and motivated! The holidays are notorious for robbing us of personal time, overextending ourselves, and then getting stressed and resentful. You’ll have so much more capacity and energy to be on your A game and to be there for others if you stay connected to your self. So, let’s practice!!

We’ll start with this week’s collection: a SELF LOVE FEST! That’s right, this week it’s all about learning to cultivate love for yourself on and off the mat. Love for the beautiful body that moves you through life, for the mind that helps you make decisions and learn new things, and the heart that beams your light out into the world!

Game on for a great week of passionate practice:

Self Love Fest - Vinyasa Flow Level 1-2

You are Irresistible - Vinyasa Flow Level 2

Yes, You Matter! - Hatha Level 2

Appreciation Flow - Vinyasa Flow Level 1-2

Yoga for Bliss - Hatha Level 2-3

Enjoy your time on the mat and tell us how your practice goes in the comments section below!