l if esty le
Yoga helps local doctors minimize tension
Ready for yoga class? Have you packed your vegan diet, donned your organicallymade attire and solidified the spiritual connection between mind, body and spirit?
Those are just a few common misconceptions about yoga; that to be a
practiced yogi you have to be a tree hugger living a certain bohemian lifestyle.
But yoga isn’t so much about what you
put into your body or drape around it;
it’s more an expression of movement of
your body. And with hectic schedules,
demanding patients and that ever-elusive
work-life balance on the cusp, yoga
may just be what the doctor ordered …
for him or herself. At least that was the
case for Dr. Clive Rayner of Oral Facial
Surgery of Orange Park.
Dr. Rayner sought refuge through
yoga about 12-15 years ago from a back
injury after decades of karate. At that
time he went out of his way to find a
yoga studio with only just a handful in
the Jacksonville area. He hoped to find
another full-body exercise coupled with
a meditative quality.
Today, he finds himself stealing away
during the workday to sneak in some
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poses. “When I need to take a break,
my back starts bothering me, something is stressing me out or I’m anxious
at work, I’ll just stop for a minute. I
go back to my office and just do some
stress or some breathing exercises,” Dr.
Rayner said.
Getting Started with Yoga
Life’s Journey Yoga & Wellness instructor Peg Oddy didn’t take to yoga until she
was 50 and stresses that it’s never too late
to understand the benefits of the practice.
“It’s the art of stopping, honoring,
breathing. Doctors have very-high pressure jobs and they work long hours,
so it’s really important for them to take
the time between family and home and
their patients and their workload to just
stop occasionally and breathe. That’s
what yoga is about.” She maintains yoga
doesn’t necessarily slow down your life,
it’s that you handle life a little bit differently after yoga. “There is less grasping,
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less fist-clinching and more of a conscious relief that there is relaxation even
in crisis.”
But before you dive headlong into the
practice, Oddy offers some tips to newbies on the scene, including:
• Explore different yoga studios and
different types of yoga, and then find
what resonates with you. There are
several different forms of yoga from
hot and fast to slow and rhythmic and
anywhere in between.
• Take a beginners class. Just because
your friend invited you and he takes
an advanced class doesn’t mean you’re
a rock star yogi too.
• Your practice stays on your mat. You
may not be the most limber one in
class or the fastest in jumping between
postures. But it doesn’t matter. It’s a
very accepting environment.
Relaxation Tips for the Office
Big Fish Power Yoga Owner Mary Lyn
Jenkins describes the benefits of yoga as
a two-fold cure. “It calms the central nervous system,” she explains. “It also gives
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c l o c k
By Theresa Monahan
the people who are walking, standing
or sitting at a desk all day and not really
moving their bodies at a bone level and
using their muscles, an opportunity to
stretch and open and gain flexibility.”
Jenkins offers some relaxation tips and
exercises for those who can’t make it out
of the office:
1. Office Meditation: Close the door of
your office or a quiet room. Commit to at
least 5 minutes. Sit up straight in a chair
with feet firm in the floor. Rest your
hands on your knees and close your
eyes. Breathe in and out through your
nose and feel your chest lift and drop.
Set a timer for 5 minutes so you aren’t
distracted by how long you’ve been sitting still. Your goal is simply to do nothing. If you’re consumed with thoughts,
that’s okay. The work in sitting still is to
simply sit still and give yourself a clear
place to do nothing.
2. Morning Intention: Setting an intention
for your day may sound silly, but over time
this simple exercise can become powerful
especially when work or situations with
patients can become stressful. Start your
day with a simple intention like, “I commit
to create ease in my day.” Or “I commit to
practice presence and enjoy my colleagues.”
Or “I am blessed with work, friendships and
health.” When we declare what we want to
create more of in our life, it will show up!
3. Legs up the Wall: This one will require
an office space, but is incredible for
reducing stress and creating a sense of
relaxation. Lie down on the floor close to
the wall. Lift your legs up on the wall so
your body makes a right angle and your
back is totally supported by the floor and
your legs supported by the wall. When
your legs lift up, the flow of blood changes. The central nervous system calms. To
add more, take a towel or eye pillow and
cover your eyes. Rest your arms alongside
the floor with your palms facing up so
your shoulders can drop down your back
and not be at a strain. Stay for 5-7 minutes. This is also great at the end of the
day at home after a long day on your feet.
pretty thorough list. Dr. Rayner went
back to karate and yoga, but as any
doctor can attest, time is short and yoga
has won out. He practices formally
about twice a week but finds time to do
something every day on his own. He
often turns to more practical poses such
as downward dog and forward fold.
“I leave a yoga class more relaxed,
more centered, more aware. But I can
use the same techniques throughout
the day; use it just for a minute or two
minutes. I stop what I’m doing and
go and do a little stretch or breathing
exercise.” He added, “It’s also a good
tool for stress management as you learn
a lot about breathing and meditation.”
So try your hand at it, you may just
come away with a feeling of wellness,
of expansion, a clearer sense of the bigger picture. And who knows, maybe
that spiritual mind and body connection
isn’t so bad after all.
Namaste.
There are several yoga studios at your
finger tips. YogaFinder.com supplies a
www.beson4media.com
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