THE THIGH BONE'S CONNECTED TO THE KNEE BONE?

I have three photos of the inside of my husband's knee on my phone!  This is like a goldmine of personal information about anatomy of the knee joint.  So. Much. Fun!  I'd show you those instead of this diagram, but the surgeon who texted me the pix warned they might not be to everyone's liking.  I've learned that some people do look a bit green around the gills and need to look away when they see the muscles and tendons pulled away and the bones exposed, ends cut off of parts of the tibia and femur and the patella moved aside, to make room for placing the new joint.  My husband had total knee replacement surgery two weeks ago -- an old college football injury finally caught up with him and was interfering with his snowboarding obsession, hence: surgery.

I think the insides of people look a lot like the insides of any animal.  Bone, muscle, tendon, fascia, blood.  Chop up a whole chicken into parts -- you'll see something similar.  Seeing the photos reminded me of my husband's medical school years when we'd meet for lunch in the anatomy lab and I'd munch on my PBJ sandwich while quizzing him on anatomy as he poked around in his assigned cadaver.  This sounds weird and gross and it was, in retrospect, but at the time it was a normal part of our lives.  (I assure you, we were very respectful and appreciative of this person who ended up the object of a med. student's attentions; what a gift to science.)

In yoga teacher training our instructor has shared stories of her own experience with having the opportunity to do cadaver dissection.  She has advanced training in yoga therapy and her knowledge of how the skeleton, muscles, tendons, and facia interact is immense.  She is doing her best to teach us a rudimentary understanding, at the very least, of what is happening inside the body when we move through our asana practice on the mat.

I admit that of my teacher training texts the anatomy book is, to me, like reading a foreign language.  I am lost and have to go over and over the assigned reading, including getting tutoring from my husband.  But what I have learned is that every move we make, the way we hold our bodies, the way injuries and maladies impact our bodies has a profound effect on how we live and move.  I love learning that yoga therapy can help address and correct many of the misalignments we have habitually formed in our bodies.

I know so much in fact, that in sitting in on my husband's post-op home physical therapy sessions I was able to speak with a modicum of knowledge about how I felt he was "compensating" by raising his hip to get his knee flexed and elevated.  I even threw out the term PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) as if I was intimately familiar with the therapeutic benefits of such an approach to muscle strengthening (instead of having heard of it for the first time only a few months ago.)  I realized that in spite of my overwhelm when pouring over my anatomy text, I'm actually learning a few things that are helpful.

What does all this have to do with YOU?  I just want to point out that yoga instructors who are well trained and knowledgable don't just pick out a pose from a list of cool pretezel-y body tricks; there is a reason for what they offer in class and how one pose should follow the next in a logical, body-friendly sequence.  They are aware of the internal workings of your body, the ways in which to best address your shoulder stiffness, your sore lower back, your tight hamstrings.  It may all seem random, but when done well, it's most definitely rooted in anatomical knowledge and expertise.

And good yoga teachers keep learning and growing in their professions.  I know I will need to keep up my anatomy studies to become as proficient and knowledgeable as I want to be.  That's OK.  I have some great photos to study right here on my iPhone.

Namaste,  donnajurene

OBSERVING OBSTACLES

As is so often true, I have to eat my words.

I have a habit of complaining about my resort yoga experiences -- those times when on vacation I decide to take a yoga class at the hotel or resort where we are staying.  They have mostly been disappointing experiences.

I recently returned from a trip to the Southeast visiting friends and family in Georgia and South Carolina.  We spent 5 days at a beachfront resort on Hilton Head -- a lovely barrier island about 2 hours from Charleston, primarily developed to appeal to golfers and beach goers.  It's a little "Stepford-y" for me -- too planned and too perfect.  Still, the place we stayed was lovely and the beach and warm Atlantic waters were heavenly.

One morning, I rallied at 7:30 a.m. for the Yoga at the Beach class, with low expectations.  Walking to the meeting place, I was sure:  A) I'd be the only person to show up, cuz really who gets up so early and out the door at that hour while vacationing?  B)  If there were other people there, they'd be  20 years old and wearing skimpy bikinis to show off their rockin' yoga bods;  C) The instructor would be the usual yoga robot, auto-piloting her way through the class with little enthusiasm.

I always get into trouble when I pre-judge.  A) There were 24 people at the class; B) Most were in the 40-70 ish category and almost all wore yoga pants or shorts and baggy T-shirts, like me (zero bikinis); C) The teacher was great!

And now that I am nearing the end of my 200 hour yoga teacher training, I know what makes a great teacher.  LOL  Well, I know how better to discern some things.  Still clueless about others, no doubt.  I loved how open and authentic she was and genuinely friendly and happy to see us.  She led us through a "beginner" class, assuring us that there would be a way for everyone to participate, no matter the level we were on.  One pose followed the next logically with attention to sequencing smoothly and safely and she offered modifications for the more challenging poses.  Her instruction was clear and precise and she actually seemed to be enjoying teaching.  The only critique I had was that she was hard to hear -- over the sound of the waves, the wind, and the calling gulls.  Rough duty!

I like her so much that when I found out she was the activities director and also taught the pool aerobics class, I went the next day.  What a kick!  Again, she was fun, funny, enthusiastic, and seemed to love her job.  There were about 20 of us -- this time in the age range of 50-80 I'd say, and we all had a blast splashing about together.  

In yoga philosophy, the true purpose of yoga is to be present in each moment, as the observer not attached to the experiences that come and go in life, to sit firmly in the seat of the true self unbound by human constructs.  But there is also the idea that we carry around a big bag of very human life experiences that shape how we view the world; these experiences, thoughts, feelings, etc. cause obstacles to our remaining in the seat of the true self as that observer.  These obstacles, as described in the Yoga Sutras are called our Kleshas.  

The Kleshas that cause us to stumble along the path (very simply defined) are:  

Avidya (ignorance) meaning having a cloudy perception of what is real based on pre-conceived ideas

Asmita (false identity or ego) meaning who we believe ourselves to be often shadows and shapes how we respond to life circumstances

Raga (attachment) meaning our tendency to grasp at repeating positive experiences

Dvesha (aversion) meaning our tendency to avoid repeating any negative experiences

Abhinisvesha (fear) meaning ultimately the fear of annihilation or death and how this limits us

So, what's the lesson here?  Ahhh.....as always what we learn in yoga is that there is only this moment.  There is no past.  All those negative resort yoga experiences are over and done and only still exist as a function of memory -- not real in the moment -- so pre-judging was a form of avoiding a negative experience, or at least steeling myself for another one.  My Dvesha (aversion) Klesha was up and active.  Likewise, assuming that only positive experiences await now that I've had one, is clinging to a future that also does not exist and any grasping I do to ensure I can repeat that positive yoga experience is for naught.  The Raga (attachment) Klesha is already whispering in my ear.  

When we are aware of our thoughts, emotions, and motivations and how they can influence and limit us, we can stop, breathe, find our calm center at the seat of true self and move forward into a present moment that is free from emotional drama.  

Easy, right?!?  Of course not....which is why we call yoga a practice.  Keep it up!

Namaste,  donnajurene

Photo:  Early arrivals for Yoga at the Beach class