My physical state often reflects my mental state. When my life is stressed and chaotic, my body is tense, achy, and uncooperative. This past year I have found immense power in slow, deep breathing and simple stretches. I'm totally in to yoga, but these stretches can help anyone, anywhere-- even if yoga isn't their thing. These are a few of my favorite poses to target those "teacher" stress areas. Let me know if you try these and like them! 1. EAGLE ARMS I don't know about you, but when I'm stressed, tired, or simply at my computer planning or grading for too long, by neck and shoulders get knots in them. My right side is especially bad. I find myself hunching my shoulders up by my ears, drawing inward and rounding my back like Gollum from Lord of the Rings! There are many different arm poses that you could use to straighten out your upper spine and lengthen the distance between your shoulders and ears. My favorite is using garudanasana, or Eagle pose. This can easily be done seated at your desk-- you can even teach this one to your students, as it also helps increase alertness and focus by crossing the midline right over left, and left over right. Start by holding both arms out in front of you at shoulder level. Cross at the elbows (without bending) right under left. Now bend at the elbows so that your arms are vertical, the palms face away from each other. Lower your elbows down toward your ribcage and in toward your heart- you should feel the stretch in your neck and upper back! If you are super bendy, wrap your hands again so that your palms touch each other. *be careful not to crank your neck or jut out your chin. Go slow and keep these neutral!* 2. SEATED PIGEON When we sit too long, we put a lot of tension on our lower backs. Most of us sit incorrectly, with a tilted pelvis. Our disks get stiff, and our nerves pinch. I have huge problems with my sciatic nerve shooting pain down my left leg. Not only do I use an inversion table daily, and have my chiropractor on speed dial, but I also do this pose every time my hips, glutes, or hamstrings feel tight. You can do this many different ways- full out on a yoga mat, seated on the floor, lying on your back, sitting at your desk, or even leaning up against your bed. It helps reduce inflammation and sends blood to some pieces and parts that don't always get the help healing that they need. If you are doing this seated in a chair or on the floor: plant your left foot steady on the ground. Cross your right ankle on top of your left knee. Draw your left leg in toward your chest (or if you are sitting in a chair, lean your chest toward your left knee). You should feel this stretch in your "butt dimple" (totally not scientific terminology) but it's that indentation where your glute and hip join on your backside. Some people also feel this in their hamstring of the right leg. You should NOT feel this in your knees or your left leg. Be careful to keep your upper back long and straight, and don't round into it to try to force a deeper stretch. Bend from the hips. Repeat on the other side. This also is great for relieving menstrual cramps! 3. SPINAL TWIST There are seven different ways your spine can move. For the best back health, you should gently move your body to address these every day. Spinal twists are great ways to "wring out" or detoxify your insides. Plus, they just feel really really good! The key to these is to twist from your core, not your neck. If you're sitting in your desk and feeling frustrated or tired, this is a quick pick-me-up that will get your energy flowing again. Sit up straight, engaging your core by pulling your bellybutton in toward your spine. Plant your feet, and place your hands flat next to your hips. Gently press your hands into the chair to subtly lift your body without leaving your chair. Inhale, and twist your core to the right so that your chest and shoulders are more facing the right than center. Hips stay facing forward, the neck is neutral so that your gaze follows your shoulders without going beyond them. Exhale while you hold the pose and deepen into it. Release, breathe normally, and switch sides. 4. FEET UP THE WALL You might not be able to do this one in your classroom or at your desk, but it's definitely worth finding time for. Any inversion, where your hips are above your heart, reverses the blood flow direction and makes your veins stronger and clearer. This is great for varicose vein pain, sciatic pain, menstrual cramps, or any time you need a change of perspective on a problem you're contemplating. Because this is a fully supported inversion, the only thing you have to be careful about is if you have blood pressure or vertigo issues. Always listen to your body! Find an empty space on your wall. Scoot your bottom up to where the floor meets the wall. Lay down so your back is flat on the floor, and swing your feet up flush against the wall. It's okay if they aren't straight- that's not the point of this pose. Now that you're in position, you can really focus on noticing your sensations (sights and sounds around you) as well as your internal sensations (tingling, creating space, deeper breathing). I try to do this for at least two minutes, but if I'm super stressed it's hard for me to sit still that long. I also modify this into a butterfly position by bringing the soles of my feet together and bending my knees so that my heels draw closer to my pelvis. It feels good, is still in inversion, and keeps me from getting bored. 5. SUPPORTED FISH In yoga we call these "heart openers." This is another great way to straighten out that upper back, stretch your neck and shoulders, and literally open up any tension or frustration in our hearts by opening up our chest area. Because this is supported, you don't have to worry too much about your neck- just keep it comfortable and natural. I use this when I have a particularly difficult student, and I use this time to meditate on why I'm in their life at this moment and what they need from me to be happy, healthy, and free. I try to open my heart and mind to their perspective and unique story. It doesn't always work, but it's definitely worth a try! Lay down on the floor. Grab a pillow that has a substantial volume to it- no squishy flat pancake pillow. If you need to, roll your pancake pillow into a tube (seriously, how do you people sleep with those things?!) Place it lengthwise under your upper back, with your head gently hanging off so that your chin is raised more than normal. If this is uncomfortable for your neck, place a rolled towel or a smaller pillow under your head. Lay your arms out to a "T" at the shoulders. Your pillow will not support your shoulders, so they should be hanging down gently with a little gravitational pressure in the joint. Your lower back arches just slightly because of were the pillow drops off. If you can't lay flat on your back, it's okay to bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor to take pressure off your lower back. If you're doing this right, your chest should be the highest point of your body, and it should feel very open and exposed to the room. Breathe- a good breath technique here is to inhale for a count of 4, exhale slower for a count of 6 or even 8. When we slow our exhale, we flip off our "fight or flight" response and calm our nervous system down. It's so cool! (Check out this article for more on that) Bottom line, even when life sucks, your body needs you to care for it. Move it in as many different ways as possible every day. Be gentle, but persistent. The mind body connection is a real thing, and teachers need to care for themselves in order to care for others.
Namaste! May all be happy, may all be healthy, may all be free. ~The Comfortable Classroom
2 Comments
8/22/2022 03:54:08 pm
The full out on a yoga mat, seated on the floor, lying on your back, sitting at your desk, or even leaning up against your bed. It helps reduce inflammation and sends blood to some pieces and parts that don't always get the help healing that they need. Thank you, amazing post!
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AuthorA midwest teacher in love with creating awesome opportunities for students to think, communicate, and produce. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Comfortable-Classroom
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