It's nearly September again and the kids are getting ready to go back to school, which for many mums and some dads, means its time to start thinking about getting active again and maybe trying a yoga class for the first time or even returning to yoga after a long break.

There are so many types of yoga around these days that it can be hard to know what's what and so many yoga studios and independent teachers that you just don't know where to start.

So here's some basic advice to get started.

Ask yourself what you wish to gain from yoga.

Is it physical fitness with super flexibility? If so, try a beginners Ashtanga class or Power Yoga. Vinyasa Flow may also be quite vigorous but you will need to ask the teacher about the pace fo the class.

Would you prefer a detailed breakdown of each pose with attention to alignment and safety throughout as the main focus? Try an Iyengar class.

Do you want more or less the same routine every time so that you can easily begin to practice at home? An Ashtanga Yoga class or Sivananda Yoga class will always feature the same routine. Ashtanga will be more demanding while Sivananda will be much more basic with more emphasis on meditation and spirituality.

Are you looking for some spiritual content, yoga philosophy and meditation in the class? Sivananda Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Raja Yoga will probably be best for this.

Would you like a varied routine that focuses on flexbility, relaxation and meditation? Hatha Yoga, the original yoga, will be best for this.

Are you looking for remedial yoga to alleviate or to cure chronic pain, recover from illness? Firstly, consider a 1-2-1 class. If this isn't financially possible then try a Viniyoga or Somatic Yoga class. Other classes may also be suitable but you will need to discuss with your teacher.

And finally, should I choose an independent teacher or go to a large Studio?
This question isn't as simple as it appears. A large Studio may have discounts and sign up offers with lots of different types of yoga you can try. This is perfect if you are getting started as it allows you to find out which style is best for you and if you miss an evening you can always switch for another. As time goes on and you have found the style you like the other classes become less important and you may find that there is a lack of continuity in larger studios with timetables changing and teachers being substituted. An independent teacher cannot offer the same variety but if you like their style then this won't matter and you are more likely to get just the class you want every time you go. Developing a relationship with an individual teacher means that you may receive discounts specific to you over time that a large Studio will never offer. It also means that if you wish to progress your yoga to teacher training then you have a solid relationship with a person who can help you on this path.

This is not at all an exhaustive list, but I hope it will help a little. If you have any questions about which kind of yoga class will be right for you this september feel free to send an email to info@therapyandyoga.com, find us on Facebook or use the comment section of the blog.

In the meantime, to prepare your body for all that stretching, check out www.yogabodynaturals4U.com for the only supplements created by a yoga teacher specifically for yoga students.

Om Shanti

Liam B.

If you are chronically unwell then usually you will be emotionally ‘off’ as well. We mostly assume that being unwell causes negative emotions such as grumpiness, short tempers, even misery and depression. However, according to Chinese medicine, this street runs both ways. For several thousand years Chinese physicians have understood the close relationship of emotions to health and have fine tuned a method to cure emotional ill health through the body and physical ill health through working with the emotions.

In order to understand better where your chronic illness may be coming from, you will need to take an honest look at what kind of person you are. In Chinese medicine we are broadly divided into 5 categories described metaphorically as Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each of these 5 Phases or Elements corresponds to a pair of internal organs, to a predominating emotion and most importantly, to a virtue. When the emotion or the organ is out of harmony, then negative emotion and illness begin to take root.

The Wood or Liver type of person likes to control and organize. They are affected by tight muscular contraction, often around shoulders and knees, headaches, burning eyes, acid refux, to name a few. Anger, irritability and eventually depression are the result of disharmony. Organisation and kindness are the virtues.

The Fire or Heart type loves to laugh and enjoy life. They can be affected by palpitations, heart murmurs and irregular heart beats. Over excitement and exciteability are the result of disharmony. Joy, good humour and humility are the virtues.

The Earth or Spleen type is caring and sympathetic. They are prone to digestive disorders, IBS, diarhea, constipation, bloating after eating, to name a few. Worry and overthinking are the result of disharmony. Caring, sympathy and faithfulness are the virtues.

The Metal or Lung type is analytical. They are prone to respiratory disorder, hayfever, asthma, bronchitiis and so on. Out of harmony they suffer from sadness and grief. Their virtue is fairness.

The Water or Kidney type is creative. They tend towards bladder, kidney and low back disorders. Out of harmony they are prone to fearfulness. Functioning correctly they are courageous and wise.

How you think and feel not only makes you the kind of person you are, it also can dictate the kind of patient you may become and the specific way that your illness will try to teach you. If you are chronically ill then take some time to see what this is telling you about your thoughts, your emotions and about who you are as a person. There is always something new to learn. While achieving insight about your constitutional type may not ‘cure’you of an ailment overnight, it may well put you on the road to a long term recovery andl will enable your Chinese Medicine practitioner to help you more effectively.

And more importantly, how will you know if it has?

Yoga has become so amazingly popular today and of course the perception of the general public towards it has changed dramatically. Just a decade or so ago it was still shrouded in mystery and very bound up with ideas of the energy Chakras, enlightenment, Moksha, meditation and so on. Some of this still remains, however, by far the majority of students who walk through the door of a yoga studio have little or no knowledge of or interest in these things. Those who do may be a little dissapointed most of the time to discover that most teachers and classes will involve only stretching, breathwork and a little meditation.

Despite the association of Yoga today with back health, losing weight, physical exercise and so on, the ideas of the Chakras, Nadis, Moksha and Samadhi remain and integral part of yoga. Somehow the ideas of the Chakras have been separated out of yoga practice and become incorporated into quite different practices such as Reiki, Shamanic work, even Angel Healing Therapy and so on.

So does yoga as most people know it today have anything to do with Chakra work, Kundalini etc? Will stretching exercises and synchronized deep breathing clear your Chakras (whatever they are) and bring you closer to enlightenment? And who should you be asking? Your ‘yoga’ teaacher?

Many courses these days include exotic visualizations and methods to clear Chakras. You might use colours, sound, even visualize glowing spheres of energy along the spine being cleansed and powerful energy rising from the sacrum to the crown of your head and beyond. Are these all forms of yoga? Will you get any of this from your yoga class? Do you even want to????

Here is my humble perspective. It’s just my opinion. I have practiced yoga and meditation for nearly 30 years and dabbled in many other things besides including Reiki, acupuncture, hypnosis and so on. My honest opinion is that yes, you can expect your energy system to be purified and strengthened through the practice of yoga and meditation. Going swimming or running will also be good for your energy system. Carrying out a charitable act, an act of kindness or love will also strongly benefit this subtle energy system. How will you know its working? As one of my teachers, Yogi Hari once pointed out, if your heart Chakra is ‘activated’ you won’t have visions of swirling green or pink vortices of energy (and if you did, how would they benefit you?), rather, you will feel more compassionate and forgiving as a person. Likewise with your base Chakra, you will feel more grounded in reality, less prone to float away in dreams, connected by loyalty to your family and ‘tribe’ and so on.

Many people have psychic gifts and may be able to see the colors of Chakras and so on, but if you don’t have this gift and if you don’t have the time to develop it, this doesn’t mean you can’t work on the energy of your Chakras. You may not be able to see them like a psychic, but they may well be more developed than those of someone who is only able to see them, but doesn’t know how to work with them!

To develop your base Chakra, spend time with our family. To develop your main abdominal Chakra, learn to take pleasure in life and develop your creativity. To develop your solar plexus Chakra, learn to take responsibilty, step up to the plate more often and develop your self-confidence. To develop the heart, be more kind, loving and forgiving. To develop the throat, learn to speak clearly, honestly and with confidence. To develop your third eye, learn to think clearly, to be objective, to develop your personal vision for your future and those of your loved ones. To develop your crown Chakra….

Physical yoga, asana and pranayama helps you with all of these things, but if you choose to remain in a vain, selfish, hateful state of mind, you may have a flexible body, perhaps even a beautiful one, you may even have learned Patanjali’s aphorisms by heart, but your Chakras will be as closed as your mind and as blind as your desire to see swirling vortices of energy in your spine!

Liam B.

Loyalty cards have been ordered and will arrive in a week or so. Watch this space loyal yogis and Pilates aficionados for more details! Send a quick mail to info@therapyandyoga.com to learn more.

Liam B.

That's right! A whole new schedule of classes with yours truly starts this July at KB Fitness on Fitzwilliam St. in the posh D2 part of town. KB Fitness is right in Dublin City Centre with a range of fitness classes, amazing instructors and now of course, a full schedule of Yoga, Pilates and Yoga Pilates Fusion classes.

Check out the full schedule here http://www.kbfitness.ie/yoga-and-pilates.html and call KB Fitness directly on 01 6629723 for details.

Here's my profile on their site http://www.kbfitness.ie/trainers.html.

Spread the word folks!!

Liam B.

What is the difference between acupressure and acupuncture? When would you choose one over the other?

Well for some people the choice is simple. If you don’t like needles but you have heard that there is strong clinical evidence for the use of acupuncture points and Traditional Chinese Medicine then acupressure can be a nice alternative. It is also often more appropriate for children, partly because they don’t like needles and partly because they respond so well to acupressure and Tuina and don’t require needling.

On the other hand you may be open to both but don’t know which one would be best. Well here are some of the pros and cons of both.

Acupressure is more indicated in musculoskeletal conditions of pain due to contracted muscle tissue, scar tissue, etc. It can also be very relieving for digestive and bowel conditions such as IBS, diarrhea and constipation.

Acupuncture is more indicated for non-musculoskeletal and can be particularly effective for conditions where heat needs to be released, such as inflammatory conditions where piercing the skin is said to allow pathogenic heat to leave the body.

In our clinic we tend to mix both, as most musculoskeletal and digestive conditions will also respond quite well to needling. Acupressure and massage will tend to give immediate relief while acupuncture tends to work at a deeper and more precise energetic level to bring long lasting healing results. When massage and acupressure alone are used then relief may be quick but not long lasting and when acupuncture alone is used the result may often be delayed by a day or even 24 hours so there is long term healing, but not an immediate relief of symptoms. Using both Tuina (massage and acupressure work) and acupuncture is a most effective combination to work on both these levels and to provide the best possible service to our clients.

Other techniques include warming with lamp or moxa and the use of cupping to enhance the effect of massage. Combined with massage, acupressure and acupuncture, this blend of ancient techniques can be highly effective in bringing both short and long term relief to a wide variety of conditions.

What all of us who practice yoga know intuitively to be true (that it has a positive effect on mood), may be on track to being clinically proven.

Check out this article regarding the effect of Hatha Yoga on bipolar disorder and clinical depression in Psychology today.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20001101-000022.html

It sounds like a lot more work needs to be done, but these preliminary studies are a step in the right direction.

Om Shanti,

Liam.

1 in 10 People Affected

About 1 in 10 people or more are affected by IBS according to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. While there is no known cause for IBS, stress is a common factor which exacerbates symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating and cramping.

The pain can be extreme in some cases and is thought to be caused by uncoordinated intestinal contractions, meaning that as one part of the bowel pushes the following area is not yet prepared, causing obstruction, spasm and pain.

While the smooth functioning of the digestive system is dependent upoin the autonomic or involuntary nervous system, we know that stress activates sympathetic part of the this system, disrupting the harmony of the system. It is this component of IBS which lends itself to treatment via the practice of yoga and treatment with acupuncture.  

Yoga As Effective As Drugs in Clinical Trials

Meditation and relaxation exercises have a deeply calming and relaxing effect which has been shown to carry over therapeutically to distress in the bowel. Studies conducted in India have shown that Yoga is as effective as the use of drugs for IBS while having none of the side effects but many considerable additional benefits. One study in Banaras Hindu University showed that a combination of drugs together with Yoga was considerably more effective than either drugs or yoga alone.

Particularly useful poses include forward bends, side twists and poses that massage the abdominal area such as Prone Boat or Locust Pose.

Acupuncture for IBS

IBS may also be treated effectively by acupuncture. As stress is a component, acupuncture treatment is highly effective in beating the symptoms of stress. While acupuncture has not yet conclusively been shown to cure IBS, it has a known scientifically proven effect upon the autonomic nervous system which is linked to the pain and discomfort of this condition. For a detailed description, follow this link to hear Neelam Misra, MD, Assistant Medical Director, Manhattan Total Health, discuss the effect of acupuncture on the autonomic nervous system.

We Recommend....

IBS is a widespread and poorly understood condition, however, a combination of prescribed medication, together with a course of yoga practice and 4 to 6 treatments of acupuncture can be a highly effective way of dealing with this problem.

LIam Byrne
Dip Ac, Lic Ac (China), Dip Tuina, MAFPA

British Medical Association Recommends Acupuncture

After a two year study the BMA’s board of Science and Education recommended the use of Acupuncture for the treament of conditions including nausea, vomiting, back pain, dental pain and migraine headaches. See the article in the British Medical Journal here.

As a practicing acupuncturist I am often confronted with scepticism about the benefits and effectiveness of acupuncture therapy. This no longer surprises me as despite being used for nearly 200 years in Western Europe, still the general level of knowledge about the scientific underpinnings of Chinese Medicine remains quite low, however, the BMA however, is one of the most respected medical institutions in the world and with this kind of backing the use of acupuncture gains immense credibility.

Acupuncture in the Lancet

While acupuncture may seem new to many, the history of its practice in the west is really quite extensive. While most people are aware that acupuncture has been used in China for several thousand years, not so many people know that already in the 1600s knowledge of this ancient practice was brought from China to Europe by Jesuit missionaries. Acupucture was then practiced quite extensively in Britain during the early 19th century.  Indeed the very first edition of the Lancet in 1823 included an article on the effectiveness of acupuncture for a variety of conditions including rheumatism and ear infections.

The literature today presented by the BMA recommends its use for muscular, bone and joint pain, IBS, migraine, dental and back pain (as mentioned above), nausea (including morning sickness and nausea induced by medications), accelerated recovery after stroke,  support in withdrawal from drug use, and help for those suffering from asthma.

Acupuncture: A Safe Therapy!

Again the BMA recommends acupuncture for its excellent track record in safety, with the caveat that you should seek out a registered acupuncturist. Here in Ireland there is no state register for acupuncturists (although acupuncturists are pushing for this legislation), however, there are at least two main, well established and highly reputable professional associations for Chinese Medicine practitioners, the AFPA and the TCMCI. If you are seeking therapy in Ireland you should check to see with whom your practitioner is registered.

Cost of Treatments Reimbursed

Once your practitioner is registered with either of these associations then you should have no problem in claiming back in full or in part the cost of your therapy with the main health insurance providers.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have, leave a comment or find us on facebook and click the Like button to receive Eur 5 off your initial acupuncture consultation.

Liam Byrne

BA, Hdip, Lic Ac (China), Dip. Ac, Dip Tuina.  

People in my classes are often asking me what the diffeence is between Pilates and Yoga so here are a few words about the fundamentals of each and why you would want to choose one over the other.

Yoga is different to most forms of exercise in that it emphasizes the synchronizing of breath with movent, it includes balance exercises and inversions (poses where you are upside down) with a heavy emphasis on flexibility.

Pilates also emphasizes the synchronizing of breath with movement but is unique for its emphasis on the building of core strength together with correct alignment of the spine.

A typical yoga class will lead to greater flexibility than a Pilates class and will tend to improve balance more because of specific balance exercises and inversions. A typical Pilates class will tend to improve and maintain back health better than a yoga class because more of the class will focus on exercises to strengthen core and to maintain neutral alignment of the spine. A typical Pilates class will tend to focus more on your mid-section, toning up and strengthening the area around the abdomen, the tummy and the lower back. Yoga has a more global focuse and so does not focus so much on core and mid-section.

Pilates has more of a musculoskeletal focus while yoga pays as much attention to the effect of poses on internal organs and on your state of mind, with attention drawn inwards or towards the breath. A yoga class may include some meditation and relaxation while a Pilates class tends to be all physical exercise.

I hope this helps clear up the differences a little bit. I teach and practice both, finding them a perfect complement to each other. Of course to really understand the difference you need to come and try out a couple of classes, so check out our timetable if you would like to experience what the diffrence really is. Trial classes are always free.

Look out for some Youtube clips coming soon to demonstrate some obvious differences between the two.

Liam B.