The King of Poses

"I don't know WHY it works..it just DOES!!"

I'm not one to ask "why" yoga helps me feel so great in all areas of my life. I tend to ride the wave, peaceful in the knowledge that I feel good after I hit the mat.

BUT, I discovered an article in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy that blew my mind. It is a study connecting Sirsasana (headstand) and Rotator Cuff injury (that area at the very front of your shoulder)....but not in the way you may first believe....

This study claims that headstand can relieve the pain of rotator cuff rips, and actually increase arm mobility!!! (Arm mobility increased 75%, and pain decreased from 4.8/10 to 1.2/10) In fact, the participants in this study were so affected by headstand that NONE went onto have surgery!! NONE!

What? Yoga can replace SURGERY???!!!

Here's what they speculate may happen: Through the practice of headstand, the central nervous system establishes a new, painless, and unconscious, sequence of muscle contractions to replace another, painful and still unconscious, set of muscle contractions. In other words, your mind/body LEARNS a new habit! BUT YOU'RE NOT AWARE OF IT!

whoa....

Without going into the technical terminology here (which I find difficult to muddle through anyway, unless I'm heavily sedated...), after headstand, your mind/body replaces the supraspinatus-deltoid contraction (rotator cuff PAIN!) with a rhomboid-subscapularis-deltoid contraction (NO PAIN!). And your mind/body adopts this new pain-free combination unconsciously and with stunning speed. Nuerologically, noone can explain it....but there it is.

Is there any wonder that this pose is called the "King Of Asana"?!

And it's not like these folks did full-sirsasana for hours every day....they in fact practiced a version with their legs supported by a chair, and for only 30 seconds daily! That's right! THIRTY SECONDS!

Apparently that's plenty of time for the ol' noggin to correct a bad habit. A kind of nuero-muscular training session...that may perhaps save you from painful and debilitating surgery.

What blows me away are the implications from this study...what else is happening on the mat subconsciously that monumentally affects different aspects of our lives? What else has changed? .....I don't know....

But I do know yoga works. Overtime.

Our time spent on the mat has far-reaching and astounding affects on our physical/mental/spiritual well-being, in ways we can't begin to quantify or explain. And precisely for this reason, it keeps us coming back....and makes it difficult to fully explain to non-yogi's why we love it so much!

Yoga's like chocolate...you've got to try it to fully get it. And once you do, you'll understand why it's been around for over 7000 years, never once needing a quantifying study to validate it.

But it's still awesome to see studies like this....it reaffirms what we all know. And re-ignites our passion for this amazing and humbling practice.

See you on the mat....I think I'll go do a headstand....!

Namaste,
Megan Sappington

All we need is love

I felt so full of love Saturday!

So full that I'm still feeling it, oozing out of my pores.

What created this feeling? Our sangha, our yoga community, held an open house and fundraiser for the Teen Yoga Outreach Program....a program that provides free yoga for our teens in Jefferson City.

Saturday was an amazing day for me, for all of us. We bonded through movement, through the intention to challenge our bodies and minds by completing as many Sun-Salutes as possible. Some of our community actually did 108! and that's ALOT of sun-salutes.... And yes we are all sore....but a sore that summons a satisfied feeling. We set a goal, we opened our hearts and minds, and we stepped out on the path together.

We are so blessed to have each other. I see so many folks that are alone, that have no community, no family. I see the empty eyes, the aching, angry heart, the flailing to connect to something, anything. In particular, a teen with no support needed my help this week, and because of my own tether to all of you, I was strong enough to help her. It hurts to see the emptiness, yet it reminds me of the blessings I have with our sangha. And it reminds me to practice gratitude.

We Have Each Other.

On the mat, we can learn to be fully ourselves and yet fully supportive of humanity! We can learn how strong, and how vulnerable, we all truly are! And we can own it, and reach out to those who need support. We learn to walk the path together. We remember that no man is an island, that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience! Pithy as these sayings are, they indeed echo a truth.

I heard shouts of encouragement this Saturday to yogis who felt like caving in. I watched teachers work from their hearts, alleviating the physical strain with bouts of gut-busting humor, and deep much-needed rest. I watched teenagers rally around their own sangha, looking deeply into each other's eyes, to keep connection during a very difficult demonstration. I watched everyone hug and kiss. I met Pete, the man behind the bulk of our teen-outreach financing, and was witness to a soul so caring and humble that I bowed in reverence. I felt loved, and I loved. I felt validated. I felt CONNECTED. Isn't this what every fellow human craves?

Have no doubt we are blessed. And with this love for our community, we have blessed our planet.

God (Buddha, Krishna, whatever name you subscribe to, because it's ALL good!) Bless You All. And thank you for, yet again, reaffirming my faith in the power of this practice. In the power of connection. In the power of that flicker behind lighted eyes. I bow in reverence to what WE ALL have created. A community that reaches inward, and thusly, outward, to accept all fellow humans. A community that has changed so many lives. A community that IS changing our world.

In little ol' Jefferson City, Missouri.... *Be the change you wish to see*.

Ghandi would be proud.
Om Mane Padme Hum.

Megan Sappington

PS To see photographs of 108 Sun Salutations visit our website's Photo Gallery.