Slowly, slowly starting back yoga after surgery

As many of you know, last Monday I underwent an emergency surgery to remove my appendix. I'm guessing that an appendectomy is always an emergency surgery?

Knock on wood, I've always been lucky in health. In fact, this was the first time I've ever been in the hospital (as a patient) for anything and have not seen a doctor (other than Ayurvedic) since I was a small child. Oh well, I guess it was time for a new experience!

Before continuing I should define; "yoga" in the title of this post is referring to my asana practice. I actually never stopped practicing the yoga of breath and mindfulness (that's the real stuff) which was extremely helpful in calming my anxiety before the operation (anesthesia, being cut, possible death, financial cost of health care in America...) As always, staying with my breath and trusting in the process and the extremely qualified staff at Stanford helped a ton.

While recovering in the hospital room the day after the operation I began with gentle Chi Kung and Active Isolated Stretching for my neck and shoulders. My belief is that allowing the oxygen, blood, chi to flow consciously through the body would expedite the healing process. I already felt much better having lost one sick appendix. The doctors and nurses seemed pleased with how everything looked and sent me home. I was able to decline any pain medication as I only had mild soreness from the incisions. I wanted to have my wits about me.

I came home on Tuesday and spent the week recovering by watching movies (I should include some reviews here), weening myself from coffee (goodbye my french roasted friend), and trying not to lift heavy objects like baby, cat, manduka yoga mat...

Before continuing I should mention that I would not encourage anyone to practice post op without the approval of their surgeon. I based my decision to practice on trusting in my own sensitivity, knowledge of anatomy, and mind/body awareness based on a 15 year practice. I know how to go slow with care and patience.

Yesterday morning (Monday-exactly one week post op) I was ready to begin a gentle Ashtanga practice. My focus is currently on what I can do rather than what can not be done: The "Not Yet" category includes back bending (including upward dog), deep twists, lotus pose (not wanted to press the heal into the abdomen). The "Can Do" list is quite long I am pleased to report!

With an awareness of not wanting to overstretch or compress the abdomen in any way and budgeting 75 minutes for my initial practice I was able to complete the following asana series:

Surya Namaskar A x 10 (minus the upward dog)
Padangusthasana
Padahastasana
Trikonasana and Parivrita Trikona with a gentle rotation
Parsvakonasana
Prasarita Podottanasana
Parsvottanasana
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
Utkatasana
Virabhadrasana

Janu Sirsasana
Marichyasana A (as a gentle twist)
Supported Navasana
Baddha Konasana (w/o bending forward)
Uppavishta Konasana
Supta Konasana

Sarvangasana (Iyengar style with blanket and strap-long hold as Sarvangasana is the "Medicine Cabinet" of yoga)
Halasana
Karnapidasana
Mathsyasana with straight legs, keeping arch in my upper back, neck
Sirsasana
Yoga Mudra
Sukhasana
Resting

I feel I could actually do more, but I wanted to stick with things that were fairly easy and could be performed with minimal risk. The most wonderful part for me was not being goal oriented, rather oriented to experiencing my new body.

I'll continue posting my journey of appendix free yoga. Thanks for reading!

namaste,
adarsh

Christmas 09

Happy New Year to all of you!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas together and on the slide show to the right you can see some of the pics we shot of Evan having fun with his new goodies.

We went outside and to the park on Christmas morning and it seemed like the entire town had left. We were the only ones there (ok, admitting that 8:30am in the park was a bit early). The wagon you see in the slide show is an old radio flyer we found at our house. Adarsh fixed it up like new so we took Evan for a ride in it which he loved.

Monday after Christmas Adarsh had to go to the hospital after a night of pain in his stomach. It turned out to be his appendix which was taken out straight away that evening. After taking a week of rest he is doing well again and has slowly started his AIS practice again (smartstretch.com) and will gently begin his Yoga practice tomorrow. Slowly slowly is his motto here...

New Years eve and day was spent with a sick Evan and not much sleep but he is also on the mend so we're happy to go back to regularity with everyone healthy again.

Wishing you all the best for the new year,

Heleen

Practice of a yogi mom #2

So here I am, 7 months pregnant with our second child. Quite amazing how time flies and how our life has changed already with another soul entering our lives. Evan is going to have a baby sister very soon!

When I wrote the first chapter of "practice of a yogi mom" in 2008, life had balanced out beautifully and I was very content to have found my true yoga practice. I experienced positive changes within my physical, emotional and spiritual approach to yoga and was very happy to see this process continue over the next year.

When Evan was 16 months old my Ashtanga Yoga practice was back to where I was before I got pregnant with him. In fact, my body and awareness of it had changed so much that I surpassed that level in a way that it felt smoother and easier. And much more full and aware than before.

On the day where I had one of those "aaahhh, Yoga feels sooooo good" moments and everything felt light and bright, I found out that a second soul chose us to be his/her parents. It was very surprising and very welcome news to us. Now that I am 7 months along there have of course been changes in my yoga practice again. In my first pregnancy as well as in this one I developed an over-flexibility in my pelvis and an instability in my hips. This is common in pregnancy and by now I knew what to do to eliminate and prevent pain: no ashtanga yoga!

This isn't an easy feat for me but I immediately developed a practice I could do. Unfortunately I was very very nauseous and tired the first 4 months and during that time my yoga practice was to sleep as much as I could and be as present with Evan as best as I could. It wasn't easy but I survived.

I still need more sleep than when not pregnant but most mornings I manage to get up before Evan and do a little routine that centers me and connects me to myself. The hip area cannot be stretched, instead it has to be strengthened. I do a few movements that stabilise the hips and build core strength. Some of them are pilates style moves but a lot is also found in Ashtanga Yoga: moola bandha and uddiyana bandha. I take this practice with me throughout the day and know from experience that it will help me bounce back fast after labour.

The rest of the body can be stretched but it gets complicated when you can't do anything from a standing position or when you can do no folding forward bends etc. A lot of movements end up going into the hips. So.....I use a technique called AIS - Active Isolated Stretching. A technique that Adarsh has studied thoroughly in the past years and which he has now included in his work with students/clients both one-on-one and in group sessions. You can read more about it here: http://www.smartstretch.com/

For me it has been an incredible tool to stay strong and flexible and to stay connected to my body on a deep level. I believe that a healthy happy body brings healthy happy children. Not that this is always the case but for me it's very important to be present in my body, to not get too carried away in the mind with the daily things but to feel balanced and connected. The AIS has given me this during a time where Yoga is not so easy. I can work specific muscles that need attention (in my case my neck and shoulders and my calves) and get rid of aches and pains from carrying Evan and carrying the belly.

I have also developed a modified seated half primary series sequence that I do on days where I have the time (not often) but I always do a few AIS stretches before. The two complement eachother beautifully and it brings me back to: "aaaahhhhh, moving and yoga feels soooo good!"

There will without a doubt be even less time for a yoga practice on the mat when our little girl has arrived but that's ok. Whatever I can do is great but my approach and attitude to the changes are much more important. With Evans arrival 2 years ago I found a whole new approach to what my yoga practice means and it has been the best change for me as a human being. With our little girls arrival there will be a whole new shift in how I practice yoga and I welcome the challenge and the change.

To all the yogi moms out there who struggle to find time for themselves and who miss their relationship with the yoga mat: everything is temporary! If you are open to adjusting your practice and your approach to it you will find that yoga is more than being on the mat. It may be that staying calm during another tantrum of your child is your yoga or taking a few deep breaths while he/she is playing. Yoga is there. Everywhere. Always.

Love Heleen

doing yoga

D came over and shot some yoga pictures for me

Halloween 2009. What a great time we all had, especially Evan was very excited. He and Ayesha charmed the neighbourhood.

Back on the blog....it's been a long time and lots has happened since Evans haircut. We said our goodbyes to Florida and the friends we made there on September 15 and headed back to California with way too much luggage. The flight was smooth and easy with a very happy and easy toddler on our hands (Evan rocks!).

Back in Palo Alto we were hoping that the house we were about to move into would be ready (they were doing complete renovations on it) but it wasn't so we had to stay put at our small home that was getting smaller and smaller it seemed with every day (probably because I was getting bigger and bigger ;-).

Finally after 4 weeks and a lot of hard work on our side as well the house was ready and we moved in. It's been 2 weeks now and we are extatic about our new home. This is our home and we feel so good about it. Our kitty felt at home immediately, Evan loves all the space and having his own room and we are just happy. We even have a seperate (beautiful) yoga/stretching room and lots of space in the garden. Ahhh such bliss.

In the past week Adarsh's uncle stayed with us to train me in a massage technique called Japanese Restorative Therapy and that was quite amazing. I enjoyed it very much and feel that I have found a new outlet for my talents and found talents I didn't know I had :-). It's so great!

So we've been busy rebuilding our Yoga teaching business here: http://www.ashtangapaloalto.com/ , Adarsh started his new AIS business: http://www.smartstretch.com/ , we moved house, I've become a massage therapist and all that while evan is growing steadily and our baby girl is developing inside. Lots has happened in the past month!!

But now I've finally managed to get some pictures together and here they are: a few of my growing bellie, some play at Carmel beach and Evan practicing for Halloween with his friend Aiden.

A little while ago I gave Evan his first haircut. He had developed a proper mullet as you can see in the pics. I cut adarsh's hair all the time but this one was quite different as I was pretty sure Evan wouldn't sit as still as dadda does. He turned out to be a trooper though and it worked out very well. The cut isn't perfect but it looks much better :-). It's almost time for a second cut because everything grows so fast with that little boy.

To the Beach

Due to the massive Coral Reef surrounding the islands, the beaches here are not exactly world class, but not completely lacking either. We live very near to the Founders Park in Islamorada(click here for pictures) which is a kids and family paradise. The small man-made beach has white sand and very shallow waters. Evan confidently wades out into the warm waters all by himself. The Park also serves as a marina where some folks are living on their own boats, an amazing skate park which reminds me of my own days on the board, Olympic pool, baseball and soccer fields, dog park and walking track round out the amenities.

The best beach in the Keys is Bahia Honda (about an hour drive). The natural white sands and views are postcard perfect and the waters are bath-like. Bahia Honda is a state park and has that park vibe: serene, clean, and quiet. For a journey to the other end of the spectrum, you must pay a visit to Miami Beach. Again, the sand, water, and views are gorgeous with added bonus of people watching, many of whom smoke which equals lots of (cigarette) butts in the sand. Ahhhh, there's nothing better on a hot, humid day than a refreshing cigarette!

Oh, the next time you see Heleen, you have to ask her about her Sunday afternoon alone on South Beach!

Eat!

The Upper Keys offer some really good restaurant selections. Being a vegetarian in a fishing community is not always as an easy fit, but it's no problem when you've got Num Thai! (no website, you can yelp! it) Whenever we are coming home from a day out in Miami, we hit up this tasty spot in Key Largo - I’ve gotta get my Panang on. And since they are sensitive to our vegetarian palates, everything on the menu can be prepared Buddhist style.

I should add a few more dining choices to #8. We have quite enjoyed the kid friendly Morada Bay (private beach for the kiddies and live music.) Recently, we enjoyed the art, ambiance, fantastic service and delicousness of Spanish Gardens Café.

Since we prepare most of our meals at home, we have not yet ventured out to the highly recomended Green Turtle or Kaiyo. Oh, and I should throw a shout out to the Midway Cafe (especially since the owner is now taking yoga.)

That's that for restaurants, if you want to really get your grub on, you simply must go out and pluck your own star fruit, lychee, or better yet MANGO!

Visit Yoga Friends

The yoga scene in Florida is really growing. Quite a few people were initiated into Ashtanga when Guruji opened the Shala here in Islamorada last year. And it seems like yogis all over the state from Tampa to Jacksonville, Orlando to Miami are getting hooked. We've met a lot of new yoga friends and have enjoyed hearing about traditional shalas and practice groups carving a path. The weather is certainly helpful. It reminds one of South India down here below the Coconut Line.

We have especially enjoyed visits with old yoga friends such as the crew from Miami Life Center and a day at the beach with Ashtanga Yoga Miami. I am very impressed to see the community that has grown and flourished around these teachers and shalas.

Due to the surge in popularity of yoga over the last 15 or so years of yoga in this country, it has allowed teachers and studios to "specialize" with different styles. It shows the maturity of yoga in Florida that studios dedicated to a traditional practice like Ashtanga can offer students an experience beyond a generic yoga class.

Road Trip

Road Trip!

Admittedly, one of my apprehensions in (temporarily) relocating to the Keys would be The Road. The “Road” refers to the Overseas Highway (Hwy 1.) that connects the Islands from Key West up to the mainland. Most of the Islands that make up the Keys are quite small. You could pet an iguana on the Gulf Side of our Island then walk the maybe two miles over to the Atlantic side and bathe your feet without breaking a sweat. (Well, you would break a sweat because it is Summer time and the temperature is rising. Luckily I'm native to this part of the world and feel a little iguana-like myself. My dear wife on the other hand is from Northern Europe where the only sun they see is on "holiday" in Greece.)

Landmarks here are determined by the nearest Mile Marker. Key West begins at 0 and goes up from there. When folks ask where we live, we say, "just off 88." That's 88 miles north of Key West. The Yoga Studio is at 82.3, less then 6 miles from the house. Luckily the nearest beach is at 86, so we could even walk or ride a bike.

We’ve gotten used to The Road. There is not much land here and one road is enough. Most people are traveling by water craft anyway. Occasionally the traffic backs up, usually when the Draw Bridge at (MM 84.5) is letting the big boats through. But that is the thing about the Keys, the speed limit is 45MPH and life is slow. When out for walks, we've had people stop and chat with us, real friendly like. We like that.

And who cares that the land mass is limited. People are here for the warm blue water anyway!

Overseas Highway from the air

Islamorada by beach