Yoga for Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers

The physical and mental benefits that yoga gives you when you practice can create transformation. When I had my injury and long recovery, I definitely used yoga to help my mind, body, and spirit. The first year I could barely walk which made it hard to do weight bearing exercise. I would do floor yoga and do poses that would increase flexibility in my legs, back, hips, and shoulders. I also did many poses to keep my core and back strong. I think this is why I recovered so well after a double lumbar fusion and continue to do great well into my pregnancy.

You don’t have to be injured for yoga to enhance your life. Yoga can pick you up when you are feeling down, help your mindset be more positive, and clear your mind so your thoughts are more organized. On the physical level, practicing yoga can open energy meridians and chakras which can lead to better health, and give your body increased flexibility and strength. Never underestimate the power of yoga and what it can do for your body and your life. Practice at least 3 times per week to keep your body supple and your mind relaxed and clear. Yoga gives your body isometric and isotonic strengthening which you don’t get from all exercise disciplines.

Check this video out; it definitely brought a tear to my eyes. With determination, belief in yourself, and a regular yoga practice, you can do anything!

Click here to see video http://igetintouch.com/blog/

Warrior I pose is a powerful standing pose that can help develop strength and endurance. This pose strengthens the legs, spine, and shoulder muscles at the same time as it enhances flexibility in the feet, legs, hips, and shoulders. Warrior I can be invigorating for the entire body and it helps set a strong foundation in your body from the feet up.

When you start doing yoga, you will think of certain body parts as you do each pose. After time, you work through the positioning of your arms, legs, hips, and shoulders to fit each piece of the puzzle together. Once you see how to integrate these parts together, you gain a sense of satisfaction by feeling everything working together as a whole.

Warrior I gives you a great opportunity to explore the fundamentals of a proper foundation and integrate within your body. By concentrating on your feet, leveling your hips, and aligning your body; you will be able to align yourself better beside your table when doing massage and bodywork.

Look at this pose and see how it fits into how you work next to the table. Warrior I Pose resembles archer stance. So, if you learn to practice this pose with correct alignment and set yourself up with a firm foundation, you will soon see that massage can be done with less effort and your back, hips, and arms will hurt less because you are working properly and in alignment.

Let’s set the feet and legs up for this asymmetrical stance. Stand with your feet parallel, your legs more than hip width apart, and your hands on your hips. Now, revolve your upper body to the left. You will see that the positioning of your legs will hinder the progression of movement. Next, turn your left foot outward 90 degrees and your right foot inward 45-60 degrees so you can rotate your torso to the left.

You will notice that it can be hard to completely face your pelvis to the left and keep your back heel on the ground. It will seem like a tug of war. This can be due to a tight psoas, tight hip rotators, or  constriction in your adductors. Whatever the case may be feel your body in this position and try to keep your hips level and facing your front foot. It can take time to open these tight areas so be patient.

Click here to see picture and full pose

I just taught a webinar for Tools for Touch. This webinar was on body alignment through yoga and how it can help you with preventing injury while doing bodywork. I had a great time and had many good questions.

Many benefits come from a regular yoga practice, including increased strength, flexibility, and better balance.  Practicing yoga
keeps you in the present moment and helps with your body awareness. The art of yoga allows you to accept your limits, and listen to and honor your body.

Alignment of your body is a important principle that you can learn from yoga. This principle is basic and crucial to the foundation of your practice. Aligning your body correctly can keep joints in the right position and assist with muscle balance which can keep the body healthy.

Alignment is the proper way in which the body should be positioned to produce a straight line of energy and allow the body to work in the most efficient manner. Proper body alignment and movement promote efficiency and reduce stress on the bodyworker’s body.  Correct body mechanics and alignment go hand in hand with leverage and leaning while transferring energy from the feet, to the legs, up the spine, through the shoulders to the arms, and finally to the hands.

Correct alignment has to do with the proper positioning ofthe skeleton. When the bones are in alignment, less stress is placed on the tissues of the body. Always make sure that the center of your joints are aligned to prevent unnecessary stress on the body. The bodyworker’s body must be aligned properly to distribute the pounds of pressure that compressive movements generate. When the body is not properly aligned, additional strain is placed on the joints and breakdown in the tissue can occur, which can lead to an injury.

Proper alignment is best shown in Mountain Pose. Click here to see a visual of Mt Pose.

Check out the next blog on lines of energy and alignment.

Namaste, Karina

Well I am back to blogging. I just finished my second book, Create Peace Yoga for Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers. This manual is a practical guide to increase your endurance and prevent injuries. It is quite a task to write a book. If you have read my other blogs, you are aware that I have a passion for helping therapists stay healthy! I believe that it shows through in both of my books, my DVD, and my education company.

Today I would like to talk about what type of yoga is right for you and your body. Yoga is very popular today and I am sure you have heard about all the healing qualities that yoga has to offer. On the other hand, I know that it can be a bit intimidating when you see people doing advanced yoga poses and “twisting their bodies into pretzels”. I can offer some suggestions.

First, Ask yourself why you are wanting to do yoga? Is it for a lifestyle change, to get in shape, just to relax, or for medical reasons. There are many types of yoga and many different philosophies that are taught. Another factor is the teacher. An experienced teacher is very important for the particular type of yoga taught. Now, let’s turn to you. What is your body type, health history, and medical condition? If you have any type of diagnosed medical condition, it is a good idea to get cleared by the doctor.

I believe it is a good idea to sit in on a few different yoga classes and see if the style matches your body type and ability. See if you are comfortable with the instructor. Do they give good instructional cues? Do they tell you to listen to your body and use your breath with movement? Do they tell you to work through pain or back off when it hurts? A good instructor should be able to modify a posture and work with each individual body type. If you have a more complicated condition, a specialized yoga class for your specific condition may be best.

Another point to mention is that you do not have to have a particular religious background to do yoga. Yoga means union. This union is between your body and your mind. If anything yoga has to do with your own spirituality and is not a religion.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when talking about what type of yoga is right for you. I will go into more detail in later posts but for now you are welcome to click here to read the second chapter of my book which explains certain types of yoga.

Stay healthy! Karina

I have always been an advocate of utilizing yoga to create health and freedom in your body instead of creating injury. Yoga can be a great way to enhance health, balance your body, and increase flexibility. On the other hand, yoga, if done incorrectly, can cause harm to the body. In yoga teacher training, I was taught how to instruct the basics and show different body types how to modify a pose as necessary.  I can teach an athlete or an elderly person because of the great instruction that I received and the decade of experience I have with teaching yoga.

In my book, Creating Peace with Your Hands, I write about a three year long process of injury I experienced from doing barefoot massage. I injured my ankle and subtalar joints due to the repetitive strain and I injured my lumbar spine. After three surgeries, I have learned how to modify my body with each yoga posture. I never thought I would get injured. I did a lot of self care and injury prevention measures possible. I had congenital lumbar problems and wasn’t aware that doing this type of massage would create injury. Needless to say, when I could walk for a year, I learned how to do seated and non-weight bearing postures. Now, I am fully healed and I perform yoga on a regular basis. Since I had a double lumbar fusion, the flexion in my lumbar spine is reduced by a third. Flowing through postures in a Hatha Vinyasa way makes my back stiff. I do not get upset at my body because of this; I love my body and modify my personal practice as needed. I can still do yoga and live a happy and healthy lifestyle. I now specialize in low back care yoga and post surgical lumbar yoga. On the other side of this injury was more internal strength and increased knowledge to help others.

Yoga teaches us not to work with our ego. Yoga is about self-realization and self-awareness. Yoga is not meant to be a competition with yourself or others. To prevent injury while doing yoga, utilize your breath, work with your stretch point, have constant self awareness, know your body’s limits, and learn from a qualified instructor.

Preventing injury for massage therapists is my passion. Be sure to read my blogs and feel free to comment as I will give a lot of information to avoid injury, help heal injury, and give you step-by step instructions to keep you healthy!

Read this article about Yoga in The New York Times Magazine:

Yoga Article  — The author gets a bit overboard on how you can get injured with yoga. However, he does explain how an injury can occur with yoga. I believe if yoga is practiced correctly you can avoid an injury. The point I am trying to make is that you can get injured doing anything. Do not hold the believe that you will never get injured doing bodywork. Athletes get injured and they heal up. Just listen to your body and don’t push past your limits, have proper alignment, and modify when necessary. Move onto advanced poses only when your body is ready.  Make sure you read the last sentence of the article. It is important to not operate with your ego or injury will be more likely to occur.

Talk to you soon!

Karina

It’s the holidays and you have to be aware of stress and try to keep it to a minimum. The added stress can wreak havoc on the immune system and create imbalance in the body. Developing a personal yoga practice can lessen stress and contribute positively to your mental health.

For bodyworkers, stress can come in the form of physical body aches and mental exhaustion. What yoga can offer is flexibility in the mind and the body. The increased mental alertness and focus yoga gives will help tremendously with your body mechanics and body awareness, as well as, assist your mental state on your off time.

When you work in a physical job it can really affect your mental state. Burnout can occur and fatigue can set in and can affect your body and your emotions.

Through postures and breathing, yoga can increase your flexibility, balance the nervous system, and increase oxygen to the muscles and brain. The key to reaping mental benefits from yoga is to reduce anxiety and stress. Yoga postures can improve mood by moving energy throughout the body. In fact,  Jon Cabot-Zinn, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts, developed the Stress Reduction and Relaxation
Program (SRRP). This system puts emphasis on mindfulness. Using mindfulness as a meditation technique allows the practitioners to observe their mind and thoughts. SRRP mindfulness technique has been used in several scientific studies and  is known  to reduce anxiety and depression considerably.

Take time in between sessions or before and after work just to still your mind. Perform yoga stretching while using mindfulness to balance
your nervous system and calm your mind.

Positive Mental Benefits for Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers:

• Increases concentration
• Improves clarity of the mind
• Improves focus of the mind
• Brings calmness of the mind
• Integrates mind-body connection

Stay Healthy!

Karina

I am sure you have heard that yoga is good for you. Have you tried it before? Maybe you have tried yoga and felt great after doing it. What are the specific benefits you can gain from doing yoga on a regular basis?

Physical Benefits of Yoga for Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers

Increases Strength:

Doing yoga requires you to utilize your own body weight. As you move slowly in and out of postures, you gain strength as you work the muscle in an isotonic and isometric way. Yoga helps to build long and lean muscles while increasing tone.

Increases Flexibility:

The type of stretching that yoga provides gives your body increased flexibility. This increases flexibility brings greater ROM to joints and more suppleness to the muscles. You will notice more ease of movement and less pain after a few weeks of doing yoga.

Injury Prevention:

The increased flexibility and strength you gain from doing yoga  will help to prevent injury. Yoga helps improve your posture and alignment which can also help to increase awareness and thus reduce injuries.

Yoga is a mind- body exercise that brings together the mental and physical disciplines to achieve whole body wellness. It also uses the breath and movement together to open up the body and oxygenate the tissues. I could go on all day about the physical benefits but I think you get the general idea here. Yoga will help you as a massage therapist to gain awareness in your body and help you to improve your posture and alignment while you work. Before and after work, you can practice yoga to help warm up the body to help prepare it for your rigorous schedule and then cool it down and release the tension that has accumulated throughout the workday.

On that note, I think I will go do some yoga. Next time, I will talk about the mental benefits that you will receive from practicing yoga. Then, we will move on to poses that can help you to stay healthy!  

Namaste,

Karina Braun

As a bodyworker, you are an athlete.  An athlete is one who has the essential abilities to participate in physical exercise.  Just like an athlete, a bodyworker has attained a high level of conditioning and skill.  The difference in a bodyworker and professional athlete is that a bodyworker is not competing against another opponent. However, a bodyworker does push his/her own physical limits.  The abilities that you as a bodyworker and an athlete should possess are strength, flexibility, and endurance.

It is important to know your current abilities and predispositions to injury and train for the type of strength you use most in your technique. Accepting these ideas are an important step in the right direction to making your career last.  If your body is not strong and flexible, then you are not equipped with the right tools to perform your job.

Many physical benefits come from a regular yoga practice, including increased strength, flexibility, and better balance. When you feel energetic and strong, you feel light. When you feel tired and weak, you feel extremely heavy. A steady yoga practice makes you feel stronger and lighter and gives better tone to your muscles. Doing yoga erases tension in your muscles. With a regular yoga practice, your body becomes more fluid, moves more efficiently, and is more flexible. Consequently, pain and tension are less likely to be stored. Yoga creates symmetry in your body in a balanced manner. As a result, balance is likely to happen in many areas of your life.

Yoga also brings awareness, grounding, and a sense of alignment to your body while working and are crucial to the foundation of your practice. It teaches you to use the breath as you flow in and out of each posture.  Yoga adds strength and flexibility to the body and enhances the body’s ability to practice massage.  The principles of yoga can make your job as a bodyworker easier and can help prevent injury.

Stay Healthy!

Karina Braun, LMT, RYT

Get In Touch Education

The practice of yoga originated in India. The word yoga means union. This union is of the body, mind, and spirit. For thousands of years, yoga has been used to open the mind and body to bring transformation and self-awareness. Through a regular practice of yoga, you gain awareness and give much needed self-care to your body.

Your physical body tightens as you live daily life, exercise, and age. As your body becomes less flexible and more rigid, it becomes less efficient and more prone to injury and disease. Many people think that yoga is simply stretching. Stretching is essential, but yoga creates balance by developing strength and flexibility in the body with breath and movement combined. Achieving this type of balance is done by performing a series of postures, or poses, called asanas. Each pose has a particular benefit. The poses can be done either quickly or at a slower pace.

Yoga gives strength and flexibility for physical activity, and on a deeper level, yoga generates energy. The energy yoga brings has a focused quality. Practicing yoga keeps you in the present moment and helps with your body awareness.Yoga helps train your mind in a concentrated way and helps keep your mind focused. Yoga brings mental clarity and increased peace of mind. Yoga gives feedback from your physical body to your mind.  The body has its own built-in intelligence. Doing yoga teaches you to listen to the intelligenceof your own body. Great side effects of practicing yoga are learning to focus your energy and cultivating feedback sensitivity.

The benefits of practicing yoga are physical, mental, and spiritual. Physical benefits include increased strength, flexibility, and endurance. The pay off on the mental level is increased focus and mental clarity and on the spiritual level benefits can be increased inner strength and intuition.

I am happy to be blogging about yoga and the massage therapist. These two subjects are truly my favorite. I look at the body through the eyes of a therapist and a yoga instructor and help many therapists prevent injury and prolong their career. I look forward to giving you great information on how you can utilize yoga to help your practice.

Karina Braun

Get In Touch Education & Create Peace Yoga