Doorway Shoulder Release

Doorway Shoulder Release: A tip from Aleixa Freire!

1. Stand in a doorway with your elbows and arms forming a cactus shape or a 90 degree angle.
2. Step one foot forward as you press your palms and forearms into the side of the door frame.
3. Lean forward slowly allowing the stretch to deepen. Remember to keep gentle engagement in the abdominals and the ribcage “closed”4. repeat with the other leg in front

Interested to learn more shoulder techniques from Aleixa? Sign up for her May 15th workshop here

Shoulder Rescue Series: The Bodyfix Method

Shoulder Rescue Series: The Bodyfix Method

What is the Bodyfix Method?

The Bodyfix Method is a form of treatment for chronic and traumatic pain, developed by Elaine’s mentor and Exercise Physiologist, Bill Boland. Through his personal experience and decades of studies, Bill Boland created Bodyfix Method as a means of treating the underlying misalignment that causes chronic pain. By emphasizing balance and alignment throughout the whole body (not just at the sight of pain), clients can achieve greater access to mobility and comfort at any stage in life. Clients of Bodyfix Method are given a postural evaluation, administered hands on therapeutics, and are taught simple but effective restorative exercises. These techniques combined help the practitioner shed unconscious and harmful movement patterns that cause imbalance and poor biomechanics. Chronic pain vanishes when biomechanics are improved and alignment is restored. 

Elaine has been a practitioner of Bodyfix Method since 2014. Under the guidance of Bill Boland, Elaine has adapted the practices and principles of Bodyfix Method’s one-on-one therapeutic sessions to a group class format called Sit, Stand + Balance. SS+B was one of 2nd Story’s popular Community Classes pre-pandemic, and Elaine’s instalment of the Shoulder Rescue Series revisits SS+B’s unique but practical approach to moving well throughout our lives. I hope you can join me for May 8th’s workshop. Full description below!

Shoulder Rescue Series Workshop on May 8th at 2:30pm (Livestream)
Does it seem like your shoulders remain tight and sore despite regular exercise and stretching? If stiff shoulders seem like a constant problem, then you may need to look elsewhere for the solution! Elaine’s practice of the Bodyfix Method is a uniquely holistic approach to pain and restriction in movement. Students will identify connections throughout their body, and will come to understand that tight shoulders may be an effect of instability elsewhere. We’ll focus on shoulders, but also attend to the ribs, pelvis, hips and ankles for more understanding of how our shoulders respond to tightness or weakness elsewhere. You’ll leave with a new set of tools for keeping your shoulders happy!

Props for this workshop: Yoga block, Yoga strap, 2-3 towels, A chair, Access to a wall
Students can borrow props from 2nd Story for this workshop. Email info@secondstorymovement.com to inquire!

Sign up Here!

Pen Pals! A conversation with Beverly and Elaine about Restorative and Gentle Yoga

Pen Pals! A conversation with Beverly and Elaine about Restorative and Gentle Yoga

Elaine and Beverly connect over email to discuss the distinction between gentle yoga and restorative yoga. Experience it for yourself at Beverly’s Gentle Yoga + Restorative class on Sunday February 28 at 7pm.

Gentle yoga is a pretty subjective term. How would you define gentle yoga and how is it different from beginner yoga or yoga foundations?

Gentle yoga is great for beginners, but it’s not necessarily for beginners. It’s a slow, grounded practice that incorporates mindful movement and breath. We all need a gentle practice sometimes—movement that soothes the nerves, loosens the joints, and builds strength without revving you up. I’m not a morning person, so I often do a short gentle practice right after getting up just to feel better in my body and allow my mind a little more time to wake up. And I like a gentle practice at the end of the day, when I need to release the stress of the day so I can sleep better. Movement doesn’t need to be sweaty to be beneficial! A little stretching, strengthening, and lubricating the joints can make a restorative practice even sweeter.

That's an interesting distinction; gentle yoga is great for beginners but it's not necessarily for beginners. I've noticed a shift in my own practice in that I used to need very vigorous movement in order to calm my mind, but lately delicate and subtle movement has more effectively captured my attention. Do you feel that a gentle practice can serve as a bridge to restorative yoga? Particularly for people who typically gravitate toward a more high energy physical practice?

A gentle practice can definitely be a good transition to a restorative practice, and you bring up a great example as to how. Many people are surprised at how difficult restorative yoga can be—not because of the physical aspect, but the mental/emotional. It’s hard to be still! Our mind fights it. Yet focus, the ability to concentrate, is a hugely important skill. In yoga it’s part of the path to enlightenment, but frankly, for me, it’s primarily a tool to get through the day. Most people find it easier to focus on movement than, say, the breath or a mantra. By moving mindfully, we can start to draw inward a bit more. In addition to the physical benefits (strength building and injury avoidance), gentle yoga begins to reset the communication between body and mind. Our bodies don’t feel the “threat” of extreme movement, and our nervous system can start to reset—so we can enter a state of physiological relaxation in restorative yoga.

Catch more of this discussion next week!

Sign up for Gentle Yoga + Restorative Here

Pen Pals! A conversation with Cathy and Elaine

Most 2nd Story students know Cathy Dirkx from her calming Sunday night restorative class and her fiery vinyasa practice. Cathy has been in the midwest since March, and is bringing some much needed grounding to 2nd Story with her livestream yoga nidra workshop on Sunday November 1 (more information about the workshop here). Elaine and Cathy recently caught up over email to discuss online teaching strategies and how to keep calm during stressful circumstances (hint: “keeping it together” is overrated!) 
 

ELAINE: You've been in Des Moines since the start of the pandemic. What's the vibe there? Are places open for business? Is it dramatically different from times you've been there before? How do you spend your time?

CATHY: Des Moines is A LOT quieter than NYC, to say the least. I am staying in a studio apartment located downtown, and most people live in houses. So, it feels more like suburbia. Not many people live downtown. It's easy to social distance. 

I am fortunate enough to have a beautiful sculpture park across from the apartment building (with a Keith Haring, Louise Bourgeois, Richard Serra sculpture among others) and a small lake where I can take walks with Shanti, my pup, and reconnect with nature and art. It's been super grounding being here through this pandemic. It gives me space to roam, think, and create.

I do miss NYC though.

Businesses such as restaurants and bars are open with limited capacity (indoor + outdoors). Masks are required when entering businesses.

I haven't spent much time in Des Moines before the pandemic, but I know this past summer was different. Des Moines is known for big outdoor concerts, county fairs, and markets; it was all canceled this year.

I spend my time meditating, yoga-ing, walking, hiking, and biking. Des Moines has hundreds of miles of private bike trails sponsored by corporations.

ELAINE: Practicing online has been a big adjustment for teachers and students. How have you adapted to teaching online? Any tips for students (or other teachers!) about how to stay connected to your practice through online classes?

CATHY: Ah, I am still adjusting to teaching online!! Like everything else, it is a practice; every day is different!!

It is wonderful, though, to be able to connect with students from all over the world!

Tips for students: Keep your screen on if you can. I realize you are practicing in your private space, and inviting others in, can feel invasive; but it also helps you connect with the other students on screens. We are all in this together; it's the best way to give and receive energy and practice non-judgment towards ourselves. Oh, it's been a BIG one for me!! #nonselfjudgment

Tips for teachers: invest in a good mic and some lights if you can + step off the mat from time to time to instruct without demo-ing.

It will save your energy and help you connect directly to your students.

ELAINE: Interesting that you mention stepping away from the mat when you teach. I JUST started watching students as they move instead of practicing in front of the camera the entire class. For me, at the beginning of the pandemic it was liberating to show every move. It was like I could just present students the practice I had in mind and they could choose to apply what worked for them. It’s different 7 months later! I have more of a longing to see my students engage in their practice, even if I can only see half their body. 

Same with my students and their cameras. I used to encourage people to have their camera off if they didn’t want to be visible, but now I ask them to turn it on at least in the beginning of class so I can connect with them for a moment at least. I miss them!  

I also enjoy watching students creatively use their furniture and other items when they’re in class. As a restorative teacher, do you have any methods of converting household items into yoga props? 

CATHY: That question made me smile, yes I've had to be creative myself, especially at the beginning of the pandemic when I traveled to Des Moines and the only props I had were a couple of blocks and a mat!

• I've used big books (art books, cookbooks, thick dictionaries if you still have some around) instead of blocks to prop up a bolster 

• Paper towel rolls can also be used under knees in supta baddha konasana

• instead of a strap, use belts, pet leashes, scarfs...

• couch cushions make a GREAT bolster or you can also use firm throw pillows.

• blankets and bathroom towels are great props to add support in some poses or to cover yourself up

• bed pillows under your head especially in savasana

• you can even use your pet (small dog or kitty) as a sandbag :) 

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ELAINE: How has your personal practice changed during the lockdown?

CATHY: My lower back has been super tense and painful since March/April, so I've had to take a step back from my physical practice. I've been a lot gentler with myself, deepened my meditation practice. I haven't inverted much since March except on my Feet Up prop. I do miss my handstands!!

ELAINE: The pandemic has obviously been loaded with challenges for everyone, but have any pleasant surprises developed for you during this time?

CATHY: Slowing down is the best thing that happened to me. Instead of a human DOING, I became a human BEING.

It took a few months actually, although I couldn't go anywhere because of the quarantine, it didn't stop me from "doing"; I was adjusting to teaching online, creating the best space in my apartment to teach, preparing to lead an online Yoga Nidra teacher training, mentoring 4 amazing students through their 200hr TT, working nonstop to keep my mind busy and doing my best to serve my yoga community. And I hit a wall. I realized I needed to regroup. So I did, and I meditated on what would serve all the people I wanted to help best and me.

I took some trainings and workshops in yoga & social equity, anti-racism, and coaching to refine my mentoring skills.

What I discovered is that I wanted to create my own mentoring/coaching program to help women, in particular, shine their light brighter.

Have you ever felt like there is something more to the life you are living, a pull towards your heart desires?

Do you stop yourself from exploring your desires? I want to help these women explore their calling, discover what fires them up, what brings their light out so they can shine it on a world that really needs it right now. 

It took me slowing down to discover that there was a life coach inside of me!

ELAINE: I love that you appreciate slowing down! I’m also learning the value of doing less. At the same time, so many people are dealing with more pressure at home and with their conditions at work. Stress is a constant these days, and Kay and I have been emphasizing sanity as a point of focus at 2nd Story this month. Any practices or strategies that keep you from losing it?

CATHY: Losing it is not always a bad thing, haha. We need to let the emotion go through us. It's okay to be angry, sad, fearful, and... we have to remember that there are no bad emotions, it's just emotion! The key is to not stay in that state.

I rely on my meditation & yoga practice a lot when everything spins out of control. Sitting on the ground, one hand on my chest, the other on the earth, and breathing deeply always help me. And doing that by a body of water is the ultimate reset; I prefer the ocean, but a river or a lake is just as powerful, just sitting there and listening to the water makes me feel better, no matter what.

ELAINE: Tell us about yoga nidra? How did you get interested in it, and what inspires you to continue practicing it?

CATHY: I discovered Yoga Nidra the same year I did my 200hr Teacher Training (2009) - I participated in a workshop led by Rod Stryker and felt so good, so opened; everything around me seemed brighter, colors were more vivid. Simply, I felt more connected to myself and the world around me afterward. 

It helped with my stress & anxiety. I felt super anxious about teaching yoga in front of a class during training; sometimes, I couldn't even speak. It made me more confident.

I never thought that I would ever be instructing Nidra, let alone leading Nidra teacher training! it was just a guided meditation I did for me, so I could be a better yoga teacher and better & healthier human overall.

After 5 years of practicing it on my own, it then occurred to me that if it was so beneficial for me, it could be for my students as well.

So, I decided to get certified and offer it to help students with their own anxiety, stress, insomnia, chronic pains... I've led workshops and TT ever since.

Students inspire me to keep practicing and offering it. There is nothing more satisfying to me than seeing the faces of the students after receiving that practice. I can see the stress melting, and faces are relaxed, their gaze is sharp, the shift they experience shows all over their body. And that keeps me going and wanting to share more.

--

Meditation

“Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better, it’s about befriending who we are.”

                                               -Pema Chodron

Like most people, I thought about meditating well before embarking on a regular meditation practice. On occasion I’d catch myself meditating at the end of a yoga class, and sometimes I’d even choose to sit for five minutes at the start of my day. But for the most part, meditation was an idea, not a practice. “I’m too restless to sit still”, I’d say. “I have no time” was another reason to skip meditation. I’d nod in agreement with others when they’d mention the value of their own sitting practice, but I didn’t plan on making it a priority for myself.

That changed for me in September 2016. I had struggled with anxiety on and off my whole life, but I had recently experienced an uptick in its symptoms and effects. Aside from being constantly worried about everything from my subway commute to global politics, I was becoming increasingly absent minded. My lack of presence was often frustrating (I was forever searching for my keys/wallet/phone) and at times dangerous (coming home late at night to find that I’d left the toaster oven on all day). Additionally, I had previously managed to force myself to snap out of it when I’d feel my anxiety building, but I had gotten to the point that no amount of self will could de-escalate my fear. I still didn’t have much interest in meditating, but I knew I had to slow down and was just willing enough to try.

I took a few suggestions from friends who meditated daily and committed to sitting for five minutes every morning. At first it was a struggle to make time for meditation, but I was surprised at how comforting it was to let myself be still and to simply focus on my breath. After a few weeks I extended my practice to ten minutes, and before long I was sitting for twenty minutes each morning. I was noticeably less hurried, less reactive and more trusting of myself and others. Despite spending an ample portion of my morning sitting still, I felt as though I had more time and was able to give more attention to the task at hand. I still enjoy the focus and calm that meditation provides, but the most powerful benefit for me is that my anxiety can no longer spiral downward to unmanageable levels. I continue to experience worry and doubt, but it’s as if my daily practice provides soft floor for my fear to rest upon, and I can safely arrive back to the present moment after a few deep breaths.

In many ways, I’m the same person I always was, despite over two years of daily meditation. I’m still restless, my mind is unruly, and I still struggle from time to time with catastrophic thinking. What’s different now is that I’m not trying to cure my anxiety or bully myself into being better. Meditation encourages the development of reason, without demanding that the meditator only thinks reasonable thoughts. The effect is that I can tap into greater reservoirs of compassion and courage when I feel fear, and that I can extend that compassion and courage outward to others.

Although anxiety is common, you don’t have to struggle with anxiety to benefit from meditation. Life is more vibrant when you’re present and aware, and mediation is a great tool for helping us maintain presence.

Remember, you don’t have to be great at meditating to experience the benefits, and there is no better time than the present to get started.

Thanks always for your presence at 2nd Story!

Elaine

Mindful Conditioning

Photo by Laura Bartczak

Joseph Pilates, the inventor of Pilates training invented his first “apparatus” during WWI, where he attached springs to hospital beds so that bedridden patients could still exercise against resistance. Many don’t know that the Pilates Equipment exercises were invented before the Mat work.  When he moved to New York in 1926 he met his wife Clara, and they opened a studio, sharing the same address with the New York City Ballet! He called his methodology Contrology (core, control, post war… makes sense). Most of Joseph Pilate’s students consisted of dancers once he moved to the New York city area, and it was through them that the work evolved to what it is today. That is why you may see Classical Pilates (Joseph) and Contemporary (the evolution).   

Last Thursday I went to MOMA to see the exhibition, Judson Dance Theatre: the Work is Never Done. After seeing a live performance of Yvonne Rainer’s dances from the late 60s, I was overwhelmed by the playfulness of those works. During the show Yvonne (now 83) joined the dancers in MOMA’s second floor atrium turned performance space. She talked about this choice after the show, and casually said how she could still run and walk, so why not still participate in those aspects of the piece, and also be honest in exposing the movements that she can no longer do. That was the exactly Judson Spirit in its formative years of experimentation , to “lay it all out on the table.”. The very idea of exposing creative process is what struck my heart. The piece was made, and was being remade again in the moment.

This past summer at Jacob’s Pillow (a dance school and festival in Massachusetts) I spent hours watching Joseph Pilates footage from the 1940s and 50s. Not only was I reacquainting myself with the origin of Pilates but I was struck by the vigor and inventiveness of Joseph himself. He courted an air of experimentation throughout all of the archival footage that I witnessed . There were videos not only of Joseph teaching his students at Jacobs Pillow, but at his studio in New York. Dancers holding clip boards and wearing little shorts and tops practicing on what is called the chair. Hooks on barn door walls, pulling out against springs hanging from wherever. Or in his apartment, with his wife, who was sitting on what looked like a normal chair, until he flips it over, adds springs to it and starts to exercise. Movement was always in play and always in Process.

I think about these spirits as I sense what Pilates has done for me as a dancer. I heard many dancers speaking about a movement home. A modality that they could always return to as they experimented with other forms. These wonderful pieces of Pilates Equipment became a home for me along with the Pilates Mat choreography and principles. Both forms complimenting one another, but offering very different sensations. I could run with these on my own and always return to them for further learning and inspiration…… thus birthed 2nd Story.

What I am practicing as a student and as a teacher feels like mindful conditioning. Where is your breath? Where are your bones aligning today? How does this movement work? What am I doing within the movement? Questions that I will probably be asking and learning about for the rest of my days. I feel stronger because every day I am learning what my body likes to do or not do. Whether Pilates or Yoga, I invite you all to play, to inquire, to revisit and remake in the moment because every day, every decade feels different.

Abrazo,

Kay