Yoga for Headache Relief

My beautiful cousin came to me asking me for any poses that could help relieve her headaches. As a chronic headache sufferer myself I was instantly grateful to help her out. Below is a short list of some yoga exercises that should bring you some relief, from breathing to stretching to meditating. This is only to give you relief and is not a cure. If you have terrible migraines you may want to consult your physician and maybe even work with an acupunturist, mine has helped reduce the amount of migraines that I get significantly.

YOGA FOR HEADACHE RELIEF



Sit on a chair or cross-legged on the floor, whichever is most comfortable for you. Check your posture, make sure that your spine is nice and long, shoulders on your back (away from your ears) and that you're not rounding your back or lurching your neck forward - this causes your muscles to strain to hold the head forward and the end result --- headaches! very common in people. i catch myself doing this at my desk..

close your eyes and take deep inhales and exhales holding the breath for a few counts after each inhale and exhale. while doing this, observe your breath. take your mind away from the pain and focus on the flow as you inhale and exhale. do this for 5-10 rounds and then move on to slow neck rolls, really stretching the muscle in each direction you move your head, do this 10 times, each direction.

get off the chair, if you were on one and place it in front of you - seat facing you. put your legs straight under the chair, place a pillow on the chair or a folded up blanket - make sure there is space between you and the chair. lay your forward on the chair without rounding the back, always keeping your shoulders away from your ears. --stay for 5min.

stack a couple pillows on top of each other come to your knees - toes touch and spread your knees wide, place the fillows between your legs and rest your body and head on the pillows - arms can be placed however comfortable - stay for 5min.

turn around and rest your back and back of head on the pillows, legs out in front of you feet relax out to the sides. arms along your sides - palms face up. - stay for 5min.

**while in these poses focus on your inhales and exhales the whole time or some other form of meditation you choose to calm you -- focusing on a peaceful place -- ocean, mountains, tree house, whatever it may be that brings you peace.


"All you have to do today is INHALE, EXHALE, INHALE....AHHHH" - Buddha

Branding Logo

For the past couple weeks I have been working with Omid, creator of MadMind Studios, to help me put together a branding logo, something that makes me stick out from other yoga studios and yoga instructors. As none of you probably know, it is my goal to eventually travel the world teaching retreats and master classes with the possibility of having my own studio.
So today we are down to the final revision of my logo. I'm excited to see what we come up with and excited to show you all what has been created. As soon as it is done I will attach it to my next post!

Love & Light

Lady J

Shadow Yoga Workshop DAY 4

Tonight will be Day 4 of my shadow yoga workshop, only two more left after this! We have been learning a few poses each day and tonight we add in the final 2 poses and put it all together.

I have made a discovery in this class that I have had very stiff hands in my 10 years of practice; I hold my hands as if I'm afraid to let the energy in my body, or maybe it's my way have maintaining balance in these poses cause I've noticed I can be a bit clumsy or uncoordinated. Through this class I have learned to let go and relax more into my mind and body and flow from pose to pose as if I'm dancing in water. I'll continue to take this with me in my regular hatha classes and incorporate some of the movements into my teaching.
Another interesting find in this class is that Ujjayi pranayama with loud inhales and exhales is for beginners, in shadow yoga you want your breathing to be silent, only listen to your breath from the inside. This really brings a different kind of concentration to your practice as opposed to listening to your breath from the outside.

Below is a link of the second half of class we have learned - Kartikkeya Mandala. When put together with the first half of class in total it lasts only 24 minutes. It's a very quick practice, unlike your 90 minute yoga class. No excuses that you don't have any time.



Enjoy the peacefulness that this moving meditation brings you.

Shadow Yoga Workshop DAY 1

I was ecstatic when my acupunturist at Golden Monkey Healing in Sherman Oaks sent me an e-mail with details on his next Shadow Yoga Workshop. For 6 days I will be learning a new technique and going against everything I have learned in my 10 years of praciticing yoga ; )

Last night was my first night. I bumped into my friend Casey who brought along a couple of her acro-yoga friends so we did a little "flying" as they call it in the acro world before class started. This will be my next adventure in yoga : )

Description of Shadow Yoga

Developed by Natanaga Zhander, Shadow Yoga is a modern school of yoga that is rooted in classical hatha yoga. Emphasis is placed on four prelude forms which prepare the student for the classical asanas. Reflecting common principles found in yoga, Indian cultural dance, martial arts, and the Ayurvedic and Siddha systems on medicine, the Shadow forms combine leg work and skillful arm movements with deep breath work to strengthen and free the energy of the periphery channels. This energy can then feed into and increases the central life force.

With curvy lines we floated into one pose to the next, we just got started so we have learned the warm-up sequence which lasts about 10mins, a few asanas and sun salutes. Tomorrow we will be adding on to our sequence and learning more asanas. It's not like your traditional yoga where you keep a straight back in all your poses, rounding of the back in some poses is encouraged. It also involves deep breathing without the sound of the ujayii breath. It was such a beautiful class, of course I don't have the smooth lines yet and I tend to fall in certain poses as I'm not used to this type of yoga.

I have attached a video to give you an idea of what we are working on..

If interested in the next workshop you can contact Matt at Golden Monkey Healing. I believe the next one starts in January but he will be able to give you more details.

New Lady J Yoga DEMO REEL Posted

I have just posted my first demo-reel for Lady J Yoga on YouTube. Check out my website http://www.ladyjyoga.com/ for a link or directly at www.youtube.com/ladyjyoga

Subsribe to my channel and enjoy more videos to come!

Hope everyone had a blissful Thanksgiving.

Black Dog Yoga

Yesterday I taught my last donation class at Black Dog Yoga. It was such a beautiful class filled with students who were really looking for a challenge and each one loved it in their own different way. I was surprised at how big the class was considering every street in LA is flooding at the moment, and the traffic is hairy scary because of how much rain is coming down. I love the LA rains, it means SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS for snowboarding!
I've always enjoyed teaching at Black Dog as it was my "home" studio. This is where I got my certification and it always so warming and comforting when you enter. After 7 months of teaching there, I have had to make way for the new teacher training graduates to come in and teach. Excited for them.
See below photos from today's class. I currently don't have another class scheduled at the moment but I am working on a DVD as well as putting together a yoga retreat for 2012 so my schedule is plenty busy with that. But continue to follow me on my blog, twitter @ladyjyoga. facebook.com/ladyjyoga and ladyjyoga.com where I will update you on what's next!

Yoga Etiquette

Have you ever gone to a class, placed your mat down on the floor, only to have someone from the other side of the room walk all over it to get to the other side of the room? Annoyyyyinggggg and just plain rude, excuse me, I place my face where your stinky foot just landed. Just what are the etiquettes upon entering and leaving a yoga class that people should know about.

Etiquette is Respect. Respect your fellow Yogis.

• Please arrive at least 5-10min early to allow yourself to settle into your spot and so the instructor can start on time
• Please take your shoes off and leave them outside the room
• Please turn OFF your cell-phone before entering, and not just silent or vibrate you never know when there will be a glitch in your phone and it'll ring while it's suppose to be silent and YES we can still here that humming vibrate of your phone, especially during savasana.
• Please do not wear perfume to class, some people have sensitive noses or are allergic and the last thing you want to smell when you're practicing is musty flower perfume
• Please do not walk all over others mats, we don't know what's going on with your feet and that funky odor..keep it to yourself
• Please do not conversate with your friend during class, we know it's fun to connect and catch up on the gossip but yoga class is the wrong place to do so...maybe meet at a coffee shop next time instead
• Please do not leave the practice early, especially during savasana (unless it's an emergency)
• If you borrowed props please place them back where you got them from and in a neat manner
• If you dripped sweat all over the floor around your mat, please use your towel to wipe this area, there may be another class following yours and it's not fun to place your mat in someones sweat or step in it...gross!

Thank you for respecting your fellow yogis!!!

NAMASTE. --the light in me bows to the light in you.