So often in my classes I here women saying that they have started to feel moody, they feel a decrease in their libido, not connected, burnt out, stressed out, and sleep deprived and this is normal for them because they are told its normal it’s being a female. On the flip side, they are also encouraged to take pills to help them find the answer. As an exercise therapist who has worked with over 10,000 women, I refuse to accept that being a woman means feeling overwhelmed or that taking pills is just part of life. The classes I teach are carefully tailored and very unique. The women’s yoga class is a practice where I share the unique hormone-balancing postures that I have used for myself and thousands of other women to help them achieve optimal health.
I’m not saying that yoga is the only go to cure. What I am saying is…with a balanced diet, some herbal therapies, quality sleep, restorative yoga the balance you need as a woman is right there at your door step. These are techniques that will help optimize your body’s natural function.
Yoga the hormone cure, has become a vast interest of mine since I reached my 40s. It is exciting to be able to share that balancing your hormones can cure underlying health issues and provide you with quality sleep, greater energy, improved mood, a decrease in fat, increased energy, and many more benefits. Do you want better sleep? Attending any of our yoga classes at Ommi Yoga will help transform your life. Some feedback from my students is that after practicing yoga regularly for just eight weeks, they began to feel quality sleep that lasted longer than women who didn’t attend any yoga.
You may face a busy schedule and cannot fit a yoga class in that day, the great news is that you can improve your sleep with my favourite pose: LEGS-UP-THE WALL (Viparita Karani). This is a restorative, posture and a gentle inversion. It is known for its benefits of assisting your body to relax before you go to bed.
It is when you are in the relaxed state, that it becomes easier to re-set your mind to relax and be calm, creating space for a restful sleep. Set yourself some time 5-10mins (even longer if you can) to practice Leg-up-the wall at night before getting into bed, or if you are having a restless sleep then get into this pose to help re-set. Invite pranayama breathing techniques, where you are inhaling & exhaling gently and feel the effects take you on a journey of restoration. This asana is for everyone, everybody. You can do this with your kids or your partner.
Performing quiet, restorative poses can help calm your body and mind decreasing stress and anxiety. When the legs are stretched up the wall and are higher than the heart, gravity can help the circulation of both blood and lymphatic fluid.
Although Legs-Up-The-Wall is safe for most individuals, those who are pregnant or that have been diagnosed with glaucoma, high blood pressure, or any serious problems with the neck or spine, should consult their doctor first.
A Few Easy Steps to Get into Viparita Karani
- Sit sideways with your right hip against the wall (knees bent)
- On exhalation gently come onto your back, shoulders broad, head lightly flat onto the floor & swing extended legs onto the wall
- Your sitting bones don’t need to be glued to the wall, you can be a few centimetres away from the wall (depends on your hamstrings, how tight they may be)
- Try a few times until you find the right placement suitable to you
- If you are feeling tired or tight in the hamstrings, then move away from the wall allowing more room for you to relax, keeping your lower back grounded at all times (you can put a bolster or rolled up towel underneath your lower back to give you extra support)
- Broaden your shoulder blades away from your spine and release your hands and arms out to your sided, palms facing the sky
- It is important to keep your legs active, enough to hold them in this posture. You may want to use a strap to support your legs by placing it around the legs, under the knees, tighten it enough to keep the legs upright. This will help you focus on relaxing rather than trying to keep the legs up.
- Gently close the eyes, you may want to use an eye pillow. Now, lets get out of the mind and into the breath. Breath into all parts of your body and soften your breath in any tight areas find in your body.
- You may even add some connection through touch by placing one hand on your lower belly and one hand over the heart, become aware of your touch and go along with your natural calm breath.