YOGA and LUPUS, taming the wolf …

3rd week into this YTT journey … Master PAALU says “You need to trust your body!”. Hum … How could I trust my body when, as a woman, I cannot conceive and carry a baby without medical assistance? How could I trust my body when my immune system is not able to fight a simple virus? How could I trust my body when it gives me joints pain when I get a little bit stressed at work?.. I started to get emotional that week thinking I might never be able to “trust my body” and do most of the postures.

I was diagnosed with Lupus about 10 years ago but it took 4 years from the first flare to the proper diagnosis in 2010. Lupus is a chronic immune system disease that “attacks” normal and healthy tissues damaging the joints, the skin, the blood and vital organs such as the heart and the kidneys. Lupus means “wolf” in Latin because in some ways of the disease, the patient may develop a “wolf mask” on the face.

There is no permanent cure for Lupus, treatments can only help the patients to relieve symptoms (fever, hair loss, rash, extreme fatigue, etc…) and protect organs by decreasing the inflammation.
Those treatments (anticoagulant, hormones, anti-inflammatory, etc…) can affect your body and your mood. Patients may even need to go through surgeries to “repair” their damaged bodies.

A lot of medical studies connect Lupus and Stress. Stress doesn’t cause Lupus but triggers the activation of the symptoms meaning you have no choice but managing your stress level and emotion cycles.
Your first step as a Lupus patient is to “tame the wolf”. So I decided in 2018 to start yoga thinking it could help me to manage my stress level. The teacher was very inspirational and I enjoyed the physical workout.
I also adapted my diet to a more healthy and homemade food. I came to know during this YYT that there is a name in yoga for that kind of diet: Sattva! Food definitely plays a role in your immune system especially if it is dysfunctional.

But the Covid-19 turned our lives upside-down this year and yoga was my only “routine” in the chaos at home. I signed up for this YYT, not really knowing what I was getting myself into!

First thing to do before signing up for these high physical 2 months was getting approval from the hematologist and physio. They actually highly recommended the practice of yoga:
• Hatha and Ashtanga yoga are recommended but not hot yoga.
• Asanas can help to slow down arthritis. Joints are usually very stiff with Lupus patients. But it is ok, in yoga there is always a variation in the pose that will be suitable for you.
• Fatigue is a constant symptom in Lupus patients, pranayama relaxes your mind and helps with improving your energy level.
• Yoga nidra is also recommended as a restorative practice during all lupus stages.

Halfway through the training, I realised what was the next step for me: Learn to accept and appreciate my body with its scars and limits, reconnect with it. This journey is a healing and accepting process. I had the chance to join a very fun and supportive group, the experience would have been totally different without them 🙂

Being able to do those fancy poses may come along the way, getting the certification would be a great reward, teaching might be an option later on, but as Master Sree says “Do Kriya, don’t do Karma”!

Understanding the 5 Popular Types of Yoga

There are many different types of yoga today and it may be confusing for some, especially beginners. However, no matter what style of yoga you practise, you are likely to enjoy benefits from regular practice such as improvement in flexibility, strength, muscle toning and posture. In this blog post I will be briefly sharing about 5 popular types of yoga and their characteristics.

1. Ashtanga Yoga
The Sanskrit word “Ashtanga” means eight limbs. It was first used by an ancient Indian sage, Patanjali to describe eight practices (“limbs”) which should be mastered in order to experience the true goal of yoga. In short, these eight limbs of yoga are: Yama (abstinences), Niyama (observances), Asana (physical yoga postures), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (transcendence).
There are 6 series of Ashtanga Yoga, and they increase in difficulty as they advance from the primary series. Each series is a set sequence of asanas in the same order and they are usually fast-paced and physically challenging. However, there are Mysore-style classes where students can carry out the series at their own pace while yoga instructors assess them.

2. Hatha Yoga
The word “Hatha” can be translated to two meanings, “wilful” or “forceful”. Hatha Yoga practices are meant to align and calm our body, mind and spirit to prepare for meditation. A Hatha Yoga class generally involves a set of physical yoga poses (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayama). These are practised at a slower pace with more static posture holds than other types of yoga.

3. Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa refers to a series, or sequence of steps. The Sanskrit word “Vinyasa” comes from a prefix vi-, meaning ‘variation’ and a suffix -nyasa, meaning “within prescribed parameters”. It is a style of yoga characterised by stringing postures together so that one moves from a posture to another seamlessly, using breath. A posture is connected to another in Vinyasa via “transitions”. They are basically what you do in between postures, but what is not always appreciated is that transitions are considered postures themselves. The variable nature of Vinyasa Yoga allows one to develop a more balanced body while preventing repetitive motion injuries that could possibly happen if one repeats the same thing every day.

4. Bikram Yoga
Bikram Yoga was initially introduced by Bikram Choudhury. The practice involves repeating the same 26 poses in set cycles over a span of 90 minutes. These poses were chosen by Choudhury from classic hatha poses and they should be done in a specific and unchanging order so as to achieve the desired benefits of Bikram Yoga. In addition, Bikram Yoga is typically done in a room heated to 40.6 degree Celsius or 105 degree Fahrenheit with a humidity of 40%. This form of hot yoga is meant to detox and eliminate toxins and aid weight loss while allowing one to become deeper into the posture.

5. Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga was founded and first taught by martial arts expert and Taoist Yoga teacher, Paulie Zink. Yin Yoga is a style of yoga that targets the deep connective tissues of our body such as the ligaments, joints, bones and fascia. It is slow-paced and poses can be held for 3 to 5 minutes. The reason for holding such poses is to apply moderate stress to the connective tissues so as to increase circulation in our joints and improve flexibility. Yin Yoga also improves energy flow and enhances the flow of chi (which means breath or air) in the organs.

Smoothies for Yoga

It could be before an inversion class, or a morning Ashtanga class, or even before learning Uddiyana Bandha.

There will be a time when we may not want to have a full proper meal because it will weigh us down but we still need that sustenance which will last us through the whole session.

Smoothies could be the perfect solution for that.

Below are few easy steps to start preparing your smoothies:

Pick your base

For fruits dominant smoothies – milk and yogurt are great bases. They are tasty and creamy.

But those who prefer non dairy, other alternatives such as oat / almond / soy / coconut milks are just as good.

For green dominant smoothies – coconut water and lemon juice

Coconut water is a natural electrolyte while lemon juice adds that fresh and sour kick to counter the vegetal flavours. This is good especially for those trying green smoothies for the first time.

Coconut water based smoothies are perfect for hot yoga class as our bodies will need more hydration.

Pick your fruits and vegetable

This is easily the best, most fun part of making the smoothies.

Berries and tropical fruits such as papayas, pineapples and mangoes are great. Alternatively, a visit to the local market will tell us what is in season and when in season, these fruits tend to be sweeter.

Put those fruits in the freezer before going into the blender for added textures.

For green smoothies, besides the common green such as spinach, kale and bakchoy, we can also add green apples, pears and kiwi for balance without changing that amazing green theme from the final product.

Pick your carbs / protein / seasonal add ons

Apart from the fruits and vegetables, always prepare bananas, avocados, or coconut meat ready – adding them in will make the smoothies even creamier.

If you want a more filling smoothie to prepare you for that never ending sun salutations, you can add more carbs from pumpkins, carrots, beets, dragonfruits and oats.

But if you’re going for a more intense class like power yoga or core yoga, you may want to add protein sources in such as peanut butter, cacao or even protein powder.

If you’re feeling hot, add more cooling ingredients such as cucumber, watermelon and fresh mint.

On the other hand, if you’re feeling cold, add more warming ingredients such as ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and turmeric.

You can also add your usual morning pick me ups such as coffee and mocha into the smoothies for either that sense of familiarity or additional caffeine kick.

Pick your superfood and toppings

As the last step, you may want to add those superfood in to boost your nutrients intake.

Black sesame, goji berry, maca powder, green tea powder, chia seed, flaxseed, spirulina and medjool dates are great add ons for any smoothies.

Once blended, you may also add toppings like almond shavings, cacao nibs, honey, vanilla beans or even something similar to bubble teas such as grass jelly and coffee jelly.

Happy experimenting!

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