I see a lot of head yanking when I teach the roll and most of us have experienced the sensation that if we just try hard enough, lifting our heads will make us roll.  Unfortunately this technique doesn’t work and no matter how many times you try to roll, if you lift your head it’s just not going to work.  In our society of hardcore striving, many people do tend to yank their heads and bodies around trying to get to an end goal, not paying attention to how it affects the alignment and health of their spines.  A lot of us store tension in our necks and sit with our heads/necks jutted forward staring at a computer screen all day, driving our cars and even kayaking.  If we can learn to sit with our necks and heads in alignment and let go of the tension in our necks it can lead to better posture, reduced neck pain, and the ability to ‘roll up’ without having to yank our heads around.

Here are a few poses and tips on how to strengthen, align and stretch the neck to counter our head yanking tendencies.

1.  Learn to sit with your spine and neck in alignment.  This will not only help your posture and neck when you sit at your desk in front of a computer or drive your car, but it will also help you sit up better in your kayak.   If you can sit well in your kayak then your paddling strokes and torso rotation will improve.

Notice in the difference between these two photos — Photo 1 is shoulders rounded and neck jutting forward and photo 2 is proper alignment.

To practice, sit on the forward third of a firm chair that allows your feet to touch the floor and your thighs to be parallel to the floor.  If your feet don’t touch the floor then you can stack books underneath them and if you have long legs then you can fold some towels and stack them to sit on.  If you do this make sure that you fold and stack them evenly.

Sit up straight, open your chest, lift your front and back ribs evenly so you’re lifting the front and back bodies evenly.  Draw the shoulders back and down and draw the chin back until you feel that your head is centered on top of your spine.  Once you feel in alignment, find the top of your head, imagine that you can lengthen up just a bit more to sit up taller.  At the same time feel your sit bones grounding into the chair so as you lengthen your spine down. This will create a beautiful lengthening in the spine.  As you breath in feel your spine extending from the sit bones up all the way up through the top of the head and as you exhale feel the spine extending from the top down into the sit bones.

Once you feel this alignment try to keep it throughout the day the best that you can.  It will help if you can find a comfortable chair that allows you to maintain this posture.  Leaning back into a chair with a rounded back will only accentuate your slump forward.  This is also true of kayak seats and back bands — especially in recreational kayaks where the backs of the seats are designed to lean back.  Although it may seem that leaning back is more comfortable, it can actually accentuate back pain because the spine is out of alignment and it hinders your ability to paddle properly.  So, while you’re paddling tighten that back rest or back band so that it supports your back and helps to hold you a position of proper alignment with your spine extending.  If you don’t have a good chair then practice sitting on the front of your chair various times throughout the day.  Positioning your computer monitor so that it’s in line with your gaze when you’re sitting at your desk will help too.  If you use a laptop a lot then prop it up on something so that you’re not hunched over and staring down at it.

Once you feel like you’re in tune with proper spine and neck alignment then try to bring your attention back to your alignment several times throughout the day.  At first you may not think about it as often as you’d like, but the more you practice, the easier it will become and the better you’ll feel.

2.  Ear to Shoulder Stretch

Sit with proper alignment either on a chair or in a comfortable cross-legged seated position.  Inhale as you extend your spine and exhale, drop your right ear toward your right shoulder.  As you do this make sure that you don’t lift your right shoulder toward your ear.  Keep your shoulders down and back.  Breath deeply, slowly and fully in and out through the nose.  As you breath feel the left side of your neck gently lengthening.  Once you’ve held this pose for 5 deep breaths, inhale the head back to center and exhale the left ear toward the left shoulder.  Again, take 5 deep, slow, conscious breaths.  Once you’ve held this pose for 5 breaths you can then start slowly turning your chin toward your shoulder.  Breath into any tension and move gently and slowly.  Hold for another 5 breaths.  To deepen the stretch you can extend your arm and fingertips toward the floor on the side that is stretching.  These stretches are easy and quick to do at your desk and while sitting in your kayak.

3.  Head to Knee Pose Variation with Neck Stretch

Sit on a flat surface with the legs extended in a wide stance.  Bend one leg and bring the foot in toward the inner thigh.  Flex both feet to keep the extended leg dynamic and the knee of the bent leg protected.  We’ll start with our right leg extended and left leg bent.  Inhale the left arm up and exhale it behind your back, taking hold of some clothing or, if your flexible enough, holding the right thigh with your left hand.  Drop your right ear toward your right shoulder and gently and slowly allow your upper body to fall out over the extended leg in a side bend.  Really allow your neck to stretch in this position.  Just allow your body to hang over your right leg.  You can use your right hand on the floor for support if you need it.  Hold for 5 deep, slow, full breaths.  Imagine and allow your neck to release and stretch.  On an inhale roll up slowly, your head being the last thing to come up.  Release the pose.  Take a few breaths here to notice the difference between both sides of the neck.  Switch sides and repeat on other side.  Once you’re comfortable with this pose you can gently roll your chin toward your shoulder and breath into any tension.

Remember that we want to let go of our ‘head yanking’ attitude so practice these exercises slowly and mindfully.  If at anytime any of these stretches cause pain then stop immediately and consult a yoga teacher that you can see face-to-face or consult your doctor.

Anna is available for private, custom yoga instruction that fits your body and your needs. Her private yoga and private kayak instruction are open to both men and women.   Click here to learn more!

Namaste

If people who don’t kayak are susceptible to the shortening of the iliopsoas then you can image what can happen to kayakers!  We sit with our hip flexors flexed for long periods of time and most of us rarely stretch out the front of our hips, but focus more on the hamstrings and back.  So, it’s especially important for us to focus on stretching this muscle group because we are especially susceptible to its shortening.  Upward Frog pose is a great way to tone the Iliopsoas.

Yes, this is a strange looking pose, but I’ve found that kayakers really get a lot of benefit from it.  My husband and Team Dagger paddler, Andrew Holcombe, now practices this pose almost everyday and it has really helped reduce his lower back and hip pain. Try it and see how it feels for you!

1. Lie on your back and bend your knees so that your shins are parallel to the floor, your thighs are at a right angle to your upper body and your feet are flexed.  Keep your knees from rising up to your shoulders.  In fact, you want to move your knees away from your upper body until you feel the stretch.
2. Allow your knees to fall apart and continue to fall apart with every exhalation.  This stretch can feel very intense.  When it gets intense bring your attention to your breath and notice the stories that your mind is telling you about how you just can’t do it anymore.  Try to just observe these thoughts and take two more breaths than you think you can.  Once you release the pose hug your knees into your chest.  Try to work up to holding this pose for 2 minutes at a time.  And, you can even add some crunches to make it more interesting as long as you continue to focus on your breath.  (What!?  Crunches in Yoga?! Yes, they’re good for us!)
3. For crunches try inhaling deeply, then exhale in three parts as you crunch up in three parts, reaching the top of your crunch at the bottom of your exhale.  Then as you bring your upper body back down toward the mat inhale and lower on a three count so that you come down at the top of your exhale.  Keep the movement slow and controlled.  Lift your chest toward the ceiling and don’t wrench on your neck as you lift up.  If your knees start creeping up toward your armpits make sure to lower them away from your body so that you continue to get the stretch in the illiopsoas.  Start with 5 crunches.  Hug your knees into your chest when your done.

Our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs shape our lives today and for all of our tomorrows.   I recall a native elder telling me some years ago: “Be careful what you pray for because you will receive it.” As I traveled along my spiritual path, I began to understand that this elder was saying that the power of our thinking, our words, and our beliefs demonstrates itself in our external world.  This is why I am a big advocate of the use of affirmations, as well as affirmative prayer to help us create what we want in our lives.

Through a regular practice of using affirmations our lives can greatly change for the better.  We so often unconsciously measure out what we shall receive in terms of the limitations of our previous experiences.  Through the practice of replacing the old, small mind, repetitive, self-limiting and fear-based thoughts with affirmations, we can cultivate a sweet and joyful life for ourselves. By repeating the affirmations every day we see, little by little how we open ourselves up to infinite possibilities. To think in new ways is to allow Grace into our lives, to extend our personal horizons, and to let ourselves out of our self-imposed box.

As you work with affirmations, it is important that you are able to feel the believability of each affirmation you are working with; that even though it may not be true for you now, that it feels right for you.  Otherwise, I suggest you scale it down to where you can feel it in your body that it can be true for you.  Practice, practice, practice, first thing in the mornings, last thought before you fall asleep at night, and in moments of self-reflection.  Writing them down between 10 and 20 times is also very powerful.  Choose an affirmation that you want to work with and make it your mantra.  With this practice of affirming the truth in your life, I promise you will see that you are nurturing a happier, sweeter life for yourself and your loved ones.

In addition to using affirmations it’s important to express gratitude for the goodness that shows up in your life.  Whether it’s for working through the fear of a particular river or a successful run of a rapid or for your paddling friends that make kayaking so much fun!  I have found that by standing in my gratitude on a daily basis and expressing that which I am grateful for each and every day, I nurture more of the good that is yet to come.

Below, I am sharing with you some of my favorite affirmations to work with as you prepare yourself to go out on the river.  You can use these exactly, change them to suit what feels good to you or make up your own.  The idea is to find positive statements that allow you to shift fear, worry or doubt into something positive and empowering.

Daily Affirmations:

I feel relaxed, confident and focused.

I choose in this moment to release ANY sense of burden, struggle, or fear.

I anticipate today with enthusiastic expectation.

I let go of all doubt, distrust, worry, and fear.

Everything I do is done with ease and good timing.

The river of life’s good never stops flowing.

I give freely and fearlessly into life and life gives back to me with fabulous increase

I am grateful for the river, grateful for my paddling friends and grateful for my skills

Sharon Mitchell is a healer and beginner kayaker who co-facilitates the Whitewater Goddess and Outdoor Goddess Retreats.  In these retreats you’ll work with her to open up to the infinite possibilities on the river and in your life!  Click here to learn more about the Goddess Retreats.

Photo 1: Begin standing with your feet together or slightly apart facing forward at the front of your mat. If your feet are together the big toes should be touching and there should be space between the heels. Arms are down at your side. Upper inner thighs are rotating toward one another, the front of the thighs are pressing back while the tailbone is tucked slightly toward the ground. Chest is lifted, spine is extended and head and neck feel balanced and relaxed. Take a few breaths to get comfortable breathing in and out through the nose.

Photo 2: Inhale, sweep the arms up stretching through the fingertips.

Photo 3: Palms come together, gaze is up toward the thumbs, stretching up toward the sky.

Photo 4 and 5: Exhale as you ‘swan dive’ stretching through the fingertips into a forward fold. If you can reach the ground, great, if you can’t then place your hands on your thighs for support. Don’t let your arms hang down, support yourself.

Photo 6: Inhale lift the head and the chest keeping a straight back.

Photo 7: Exhale and step the left foot back into a wide stance, bring the left knee to the floor and point the left toes so that the top of your left foot is flat on the mat. This is a lunge position. You’ll want to make sure that your right foot is far enough forward so that as you shift your weight toward the front that your knee doesn’t pass your foot. You want your right knee to be directly above your right foot. You also want to ensure that you’re getting a stretch through your left quad and the front of the left hip. To do this your left leg must be at an angle. If it’s straight then you need to bring your right foot forward so that you can shift your weight forward and feel the stretch.

Photo 8: Side view of the lunge — notice that the back leg is tilted forward. Hold the lunge for 5 deep and easy breaths.

Photo 9: Curl the left toes under and step your right foot back into Plank position. In this position you’re attempting to create a straight line with your body. To do this engaging the core is key. This pose is a great core strengthener.

Photo 10: Side view of plank position.

Photo 11: Lower yourself to the mat while maintaining proper alignment — don’t let your lower back sink down first — keep a strong core. If this is too difficult then bring your knees to the mat first and lower yourself to the mat.

Photo 12 and 13: Clasp your hands behind your back and inhale as you straighten your arms as much as possible drawing the shoulders back and lifting your chest off the mat. Hold for 5 deep and easy breaths. Exhale to release the pose

Photo 14: Place your hands under your shoulders, curl the toes under and inhale as you lift yourself up to all fours.

Photo 15: Exhale, keep your toes curled under and press your hips back toward your ankles bringing the crown of your head toward the mat — Child’s Pose with the toes curled under. Hold for 5 deep and easy breaths. This is a great stretch for the feet and the toes. After you’ve held Child’s Pose with the toes curled under you can come back up to all fours on an inhale, exhale and press back into Child’s Pose with your feet pointed (the tops of your feet will be flat on the mat) for a deeper back stretch. Hold for 5 breaths.

Photo 16: Inhale as you come up to all fours, curl the toes under and exhale as you press your hips back into Downward Dog. In Downward Dog your fingers are spread and you’re pressing your index finger into the mat. Your shoulders are rotated away from your ears and up your back with your shoulder blades squeezing toward one another. Your arms and back are straight and your hips are pressing back. Your heels are dropping gently toward the mat. Keep your upper inner thighs rotating toward one another. Relax the head and the face and hold the pose for 5 deep and easy breaths.

Photo 17: Side view of Downward Dog pose.

Photo 18: Inhale as you look forward and step your left foot forward into a lunge on the other side. Your right knee will be on the mat and your right toes will be pointed with the top of your right foot on the mat. Shift your hips down and forward to get a good stretch in your right quad and the front of your right hip. Hold for 5 breaths.

Photo 19: Inhale as you look forward and step your right foot forward. Exhale into a forward fold.

Photo 20: Inhale as you sweep your arms up, stretching through the fingertips. Palms come together as you gaze up to your thumbs, stretching up to the sky.

Photo 21: Exhale and release your arms to yours sides, stretching through the fingertips.

You can hold any of these poses for longer if you like and you can repeat this sequence several times going deeper into the poses. You can also substitute in other poses that flow well and different variations of lunges. If you’re hamstrings are feeling tight you can start out the sequence with two or three forward folds before going into the lunges. Remember to be gentle with yourself and to bring you attention back to your breath when your mind starts to wander.

I’ve been tossing around the idea of combining yoga, kayaking and transformational work for a few years now. Kayaking has taught me many lessons that enrich my day to day life. Whitewater kayaking is an exceptional teacher because it brings up, as one woman this weekend put it, “emotions that you didn’t even know you had.” I’ve witnessed many women over the years grapple with the fears and emotions that come up in kayaking — with the wet exit, the roll and pushing their limits on the river. Some women get so scared that they think about quitting, but there’s something very exhilarating and satisfying about facing those fears which is why many of us choose to stick with it.

In my opinion it’s not enough to just stick with it and ‘push through’ or ‘attack’ the fear. It’s important for us to understand that the fear never goes away because it’s there for an evolutionary reason to make us pause and think about what we’re about to do. That can be very healthy. The key is to learn tools and practices that help us to move through the fear and focus our attention on what we want and where we want to go. When we learn how to manage the fear it doesn’t overwhelm us and we can choose to respond to our nervousness instead of immediately reacting to it. I feel that retreats like Whitewater Goddess weekend that combine kayaking with transformational practices like yoga, meditation and Native American spirituality can go a long way in helping all of us transform our lives for the better both on the water and off the water.

Although I wanted this weekend to assist the women who attended, I ended up with a really big discovery and transformation for myself that I’m grateful for. It was a bit painful at the time, but seeing our shadow selves is not usually pleasant and is often necessary for change. During the weekend I was very concerned with the logistics and making sure that all ten women were getting enough attention and instruction for their skill level. I wanted to make sure everything was awesome. Although these are important things for a leader to work out, there were times when my worry and concern took me out of the moment and out of the joy of the moment. Instead of acting with compassion and patience I felt as though I was being impatient and thinking about what I had to do next to make sure everything was o.k. Instead of allowing myself to enjoy the weekend and the people around me I felt worried and tired. There was no reason for me to feel that way because everyone was having and did have an amazing time!

The piece that I got for myself is to relax, slow down, enjoy the moment and recognize that I don’t have to control everything for things to go well. And things don’t always have to go as planned. How many times have I learned that on the river!? There’s always enough time, especially when you’re focused on the moment. And when I’m focused on the moment I give better attention, instruction and experience to my students. This is actually very similar to what I wrote about my Grand Canyon trip. Interesting how things keep coming up until we really get them… I’m also reminded to be gentle and compassionate with myself as I face my shadow self, learn and transform. We’re all perfect right where we’re at and we improve by realizing and focusing on where we want to go from here. These are all teachings that we explored during the weekend and I’m grateful for the reminders and the opportunity to apply them in my life.

So, I’m very grateful to all of the women who participated: Carol, Carol, Caroline, Deidre, Shannon, Shelly, Joyce, Helene, Erin and Rose. Thank you for your energy, your insight, your openness and your presence. I also want to thank Anne for being the awesome, mellow kayak instructor who always has a solution for everything. And of course to Sharon who gently and compassionately guides us as we learn and grow. I look forward to many more Whitewater Goddess Weekends in 2009. For those of you interested in learning more click here. 2009 dates will be up soon.

Below are some photos that Helene took from the weekend:

If you want to feel less fearful and more confident on the river it’s worth taking the time to visualize yourself feeling good and making the moves you want to make. Visualization is a technique that’s used successfully by countless high performing athletes, but seems to be overlooked by regular enthusiasts and weekend warriors. If it works for those athletes it can work for you too!

To start, find a quiet place where you can sit by yourself and not be disturbed for 10 to 15 minutes. Sit comfortably, close your eyes and start to focus on your breath. Become aware of how your breath feels and pay attention to the spaces between your exhalations and inhalations. Breath in and out through your nose.

Once you feel relaxed imagine yourself on your favorite river about to run a rapid that challenges you or maybe that you’ve never run before. See yourself taking deep breaths in the eddy and relaxing. Now focus on a thought of gratitude for the skills that you have, for the opportunity to be on the river — whatever makes you feel good at the time. Now see yourself running the rapid or making the move successfully. Focus on the sense of accomplishment and excitement that you feel at the bottom. Repeat this practice as often as you can and see where it takes you. Then when you find yourself in the actual eddy above the rapid you can take a deep breath and remember all of those good feelings and moves you’ve practiced in your mind. This will allow you to feel relaxed and confident.

There are many ways to visualize. This is just one way that has been successful for me. Once you get more comfortable with visualization you can transform it into a process that is unique to you. Breath, relax and enjoy the positive results!

Yoga and kayaking make a great combination. Yoga helps us focus and relax. The practice also teaches us to be more aware of our bodies and to take care of ourselves. If you feel physical pain or discomfort during or after kayaking you may want to try some stretching to see if it helps.

Wide angle forward fold is one of my favorite poses because it opens the chest and shoulders at the same time as it stretches the back of the legs and the outside of the hips. It feels great before and after paddling and you can do it with your gear on too!

1. To start, take a wide stance with your feet and make sure that your feet are pointed straight ahead or very slightly turned in. If you’re standing on a mat the outer edges of your feet are in line with the outer edges of the mat.

2. Inhale, raise and extend your arms out from your shoulders. (photo 1)

3. Exhale, clasp your hands behind your chest.

4. Inhale, open your chest and shoulders by straightening your arms behind your back. (photo 2)

5. Exhale, fold forward at the waist and lift your hands off of your back so that they are moving toward the ground behind your head. (photos 3 and 4) Some people are more flexible in the shoulders and will be able to move their hands further from their bodies. Remember that you’re ok wherever you are in the pose and keep gently working that chest and shoulder opening.

6. Hold the pose for 5 deep and easy breaths. While you’re in the pose make sure that your legs are dynamic. Flex your thighs to lift your kneecaps. Be sure to keep a very slight bend in your knees so that you don’t hyperextend them.

7. To come out of the pose inhale all the way up and exhale to release. (photo 2)