The Daily Bandha: Stabilizing Your Shoulders In Downward Dog

The Daily Bandha: Stabilizing Your Shoulders In Downward Dog

Here’s the cue…


Warm up first a bit. Then, take Downward Dog pose. I use three steps for the shoulders. Go slowly and use gentle engagements.

1. Contract the triceps to straighten your elbows. Then, press the mound at the base of your index fingers into your mat to engage the forearm pronator muscles.
2. Next, fix your palms into the mat and try to drag the hands towards each other. This engages the adductor muscles of the shoulders as well as the biceps.
3. Finally, gently roll the shoulders outward. This externally rotates the humerus bone and helps to bring the greater tuberosity away from the undersurface of the acromion.
4. As a final adjustment, I like to link the action of the shoulders to the lower extremities. The cue for this is to engage your lower gluteus max and adductor magnus muscles by drawing in with the upper inner thighs and then attempt to drag your feet away from the hands. Feel how this stabilizes your pose. 

Namaskar - Yoga for All

A 2013 Study:
Mindfulness-based stress reduction program in coronary heart disease: A randomized control trial

A 2012 Study:
A Comparative Randomised Controlled Trial of the Effects of Brain Wave Vibration Training, Iyengar Yoga, and Mindfulness on Mood, Well-Being, and Salivary Cortisol

A 2009 Study:
The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Yoga During Pregnancy on Maternal Psychological and Physical Distress

Journey to Me: National Yoga Academy January-July 2015 200 RYT Cl...

Journey to Me: National Yoga Academy January-July 2015 200 RYT Cl...: National Yoga Academy January-July 2015 200 RYT Class

The 6 Phase Meditation Infographic| Mindvalley Academy

Your Daily Peace of Mind – The 6 Phase Meditation

This infographic is based on the core meditation from the Envisioning Method, a daily practice designed by Mindvalley Founder, Vishen Lakhiani. The 6 Phase Meditation is a distillation of hundreds of books on personal growth and is designed to create the most remarkable transformation in your state of being — in the shortest amount of time.

6 Phase Meditation

- See more at: http://mindvalleyacademy.com/featured/6-phase-meditation-infographic#sthash.H8PaWM1v.dpuf

Senior Dogs are Wonderful

http://www.boredpanda.com/old-dog-portrait-photography-old-faithful-pete-thorne/

What does religion have to do with it?

So CBS is already mentioning that the brothers are more than likely Muslim.  Why is this even an issue?  I rarely hear broadcasters mention the religion of other known terrorists or fringe groups. Did Timothy McVeigh get pegged a Christian? Did Christianity have anything to do with him setting off explosives in front of the ATF bldg and killing all those children in Oklahoma? Eric Rudolph was a member of the Christian extremist group Army of God. Did broadcasters focus on that? What about the rest of the men in America that flip out and kill innocent people in their path? Does the Westboro Baptist Church spew hate because of Christianity? The focus is not on the fact that WBC is a Christian church. Islam has as much to do with terrorrism as Christianity does with mass shootings.
Any group can interpret a holy book to their advantage and use it to justify terror, murder and abuse. That is how bigots, that just happen to be Christian, justify their intolerance for homosexuals. It is how terrorists, that happen to be Muslim,  justify the maiming and murder of innocent people.
America refers to domestic religious extremist groups as cults yet they undergo brain washing of people and their charismatic leaders making promises of grandeur in the  after life. Terrorism is conducted or carried out by mostly men that feel disenfranchised by people, women or their government. They may have a vendetta of some type.

The myth's about bully breeds and/or Pit Bulls. Know the facts...

Pit Bull Myths and Facts - Inform Your Decision Before Declaring Your Position

Pit bull ownership has been a hotly debated topic in recent years. The pit bull, at one time bred for fighting, has consequently become notorious for vicious attacks, thus encouraging many cities and counties to elect and enforce breed-specific legislation (BSL) that essentially bans pit bulls. In response to these breed-specific laws, pit bull owners are speaking out, claiming biased media attention and irresponsible ownership is to blame for the public's negative view on this beloved family pet.

With one side decrying pit bulls as a dangerous, aggressive dog that has rightly earned its fearful stigma, and the other side claiming unfair bias toward pit bulls they perceive as loving animals, how can you determine your position in the debate?

1800PetMeds has researched the positions, politics and perspectives related to pit bulls and the pit bull debate, to shed some light on this hot-button topic. Some of the pit bull myths and facts in the infographic below may surprise you.

Courtesy of: 1800PetMeds.com

Midwives Say Limiting Their Freedom to Practice Hurts Mothers, Children, Low-Income Families

Midwives Say Limiting Their Freedom to Practice Hurts Mothers, Children, Low-Income Families:

For many years women helped fellow women give birth. In offering support, calming them and in doing so relieve their pain, and delivery the child. I find it fascinating how midwifery has been demonized and outlawed as the power in the delivery room shifted to the men. More currently Certified Professional Midwives (CPM's) can only practice in 27 states and are frowned upon in certain sectors of society. Doulas are seen as unnecessary and there are those that doubt the need for them at all. Hospitals are preferred when giving birth but there is a growing murmur of a trend where women are branching out and discovering that there are other less conventional ways of doing things. Or perhaps the conventional ways of doing things are what we should be aiming for in this case!
    
Ricki Lake Documentary - The Business of Being Born 

My good friend recently gave a hospital birth and the baby came so fast that the nurse ended up delivering the child before the Doctor arrived. Shockingly the nurse felt the need to apologize to the Doctor when he got to the room. Can you imagine that a Registered Nurse would have fear or reservations about conducting a birth when necessary but this is part of the dilemma that women face today concerning midwifery.


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Interview With The Dog (click on image)

Sent from my Galaxy S®III

Fierce & Sexy Tattooed Beauty

By Byron Velasquez

Source: piccsy.com via ByronTattoo on Pinterest

Portraits of Dogs Shaking Off Water

Source: petapixel.com via Cris on Pinterest

The World mourns Lennox, condemned as pitbull, put to death in Belfast

When are we going to stop labeling every pit-bull, or in this case American Bulldog-Lab mix, bully breeds and a danger to public safety. In this case, in accordance with the 'Dangerous Dog Act' of Belfast Lennox was taken away from his family because of his looks and measurements. The city would not even even allow the dog to be sent to the United States to be saved. The idea that he was a pit-bull brought on a death sentence before any crime was committed. After cries, a petition, blog and a Facebook support page city council has put down Lennox.

Lennox, dog condemned as pitbull, is put to death in Belfast

Sit less, add 2 years to your life - The Times of India

Sit less, add 2 years to your life - The Times of India:

'via Blog this'

So what a surprise! Attempting to move around some will add years to your life and watching TV & sitting all day is detrimental. Well duh!!  
"They calculated that 27% of all deaths in America are partly caused by adults spending too much time sitting down. Similarly 19% of all deaths are in part due to watching too much TV."

Stop American Censorship — a campaign from Fight for the Future

Stop American Censorship — a campaign from Fight for the Future:

'via Blog this'

Kincaide Presents: Winter Mix 2012

Kincaide Presents: Winter Mix 2012

Higher Ground

Higher Ground | Playing For Change from Playing For Change on Vimeo.

Subtly

The beginning of the end is usually not identified as such-
An unsuspecting subtlety of lost keys, forgotten birthdays and that time you showed up at the airport, two days late.
The path that you have taken around town for the last thirty years suddenly seem like a labyrinth of stop signs and dead ends.
Everything and everyone you hold dear mean nothing-
No thoughts of future, only past that slowly fades down-
As if turning the knob, to lower the volume...turning until...eventually you turn to the click of the off position.

You sit...in silence...eyes glossed over...waiting

-Cristal Rais

Last day of finals. Anxious to get going on my vacation.

This Is Why Elizabeth Warren Should Win Any Damn Elected Office She Ever Runs For

This Is Why Elizabeth Warren Should Win Any Damn Elected Office She Ever Runs For

Elizabeth Warren is the best person for the job