Dr. Fishman's 12 Yoga Poses for Bone Health & Osteoporosis of the Spine | Including Seated Twists

Transcript

foreign [Music] poses for bone health and strength for today's practice you'll need a block and a yoga strap let's get started find your position in the middle of your mat we're starting with tree pose shift your weight over to your left leg drawing your right knee into your chest and then externally rotate that leg bring it out to the side now this foot can go either to the floor to the calf or to the inner thigh you can choose which position you find the most balance in once you've found your position press your foot down into the four from the heel to the ball of the foot and engage your foot on your calf it's okay if you wobble a little bit find your breath press your hands together at your heart center once you've found that calmness you can go ahead and reach your arms up overhead and open into a wide V lift your gaze take a couple more breaths here really feeling your foot ground into the floor and feel the energy of your heel being heavy and that energy floating from your foot into your hips and out through your head one more breath here bringing those hands all the way back to Center Glide down in front of your chest take the right foot back towards the center and drop it down to the floor we'll go to the left side shift onto your right leg lift your left knee into your chest opening that leg out and then find the position that works best for you so if that's toes tucked on the calf or upper thigh and then press down into the floor get rooted through your heel through the ball of the toes press the foot into the leg and imagine you had a string attached to the top of your head that was pulling you toward the ceiling reaching the arms up overhead lift your gaze find your breath it's okay if you wobble here it means you're challenging yourself one more deep breath here inhale bring the hands back together in front of the chest all the way down and replace your left foot back down to the floor release your arms coming into triangle pose step your feet wide a little wider than where your wrists are bent we're turning the right toes out left toes in to start take your left hand onto your hip reach your right arm forward draw back through that right hip as you're reaching imagine you're pulling yourself towards the opposite side of the room okay now a block is really handy here if you'd like to take a block here on the outside of your foot you can take your hand to the block and take it to your shin or to your ankle whatever is accessible to you take a big breath in exhale engage your deep core and then maybe start to turn your chest towards the wall in front of you press down through your feet keep your spine nice and long use your core to help you rotate and open up through your shoulders press down through your bottom arm and then let that top arm float toward the ceiling your head can either be looking at your top hand looking forward or looking down whichever is most comfortable deep solid breaths here take your attention to your feet round down through your heels and let that reverberate up to your hips through your tailbone and elongate through the crown of your head one more breath here exhale left hand to your hip grab your block if you have it with you you're going to press through your left leg come all the way up to the stand and we'll switch sides turning your toes out left toes out right toes in switch the hand of the block reach the arms out with that block you're going to reach towards the left so really drop into that hip find the spaciousness here and lengthen the side body and then drop that arm all the way either down to the block to the floor or to your shin or to your ankle wherever is accessible to you good elongate through your rib cage and as you exhale rotate open your chest towards the front of the room when you are ready extend that top arm toward the ceiling Let It Be an extension of your shoulders go ahead again head position can be looking up towards your thumb Straight Ahead or all the way down to your foot take your attention to your feet again ground through your heels find the intention of engaging in your quads engaging in your hips and lengthening through the entire length of your spine open through your shoulders and let the energy flow from your fingertips in both directions good one more breath here taking your right hand down to your hip and coming all the way back up to stand pressing through your right leg good you can move that block off to the side if you had it there I'm going to rotate the feet back in take the right toes out left toes in we're coming to Warrior Two bring your left hip slightly forward going to bend the right knee over the right ankle now here bring your ribs back over your hips and then extend your arms all the way out to the sides good Breathe Here ground down through your feet down through your heels but your left hip come slightly forward and the right hip sink underneath you so you feel the support of your glutes in this position and then reach out through both fingertips maybe if you're feeling really good bend that front knee a little bit more go a little deeper find your breath Breathe Into Your Back Body relax your shoulders even turn your palms to face the ceiling let your shoulders relax and then turn your hands back to the floor with the shoulders released one more breath here exhale come all the way back up to stand and we'll switch to the other side right toes in left toes out bending your left knee over your left heel bring that right hip slightly forward good and then drop that right hip underneath you let your ribs align over your pelvis and then extend and float your arms out to either side looking out over your fingertips press through the outer edge of your back foot deepen the bend of your front knee and check in with your breath can you breathe more into your back strong solid inhales strong solid exhales and if you start to get comfortable here can you go a little deeper in that front knee Bend turn your palms to face the ceiling relax your shoulders again leave your shoulders where they are turn your palms down keep that relaxed state in your shoulders pressing through your back leg exhale coming all the way back up to stand we're going back over to the other side for side angle right toes turnout left toes turn in feel free to bring a block with you if you need in front of your right leg bending your right knee we're going back into this Warrior Two position and here we're going to reach forward just like we did in Triangle pose deepen that right hip crease and then take your hand and elbow either to your right knee or to a block on the outside of your foot your choice either press down through your feet fire up your glutes arrange your hips so you feel some freedom in the core freedom in the tailbone and then take your left arm sweep it all the way up and over your left ear energetically we want to encourage the left heel to press down and that energy to travel up your left leg and all the way through your left fingertips deep breaths here again bending that right leg a little bit more if you'd like a little more intensity two more breaths here where can you find the lightness in your pose [Music] taking the left hand down to your hip press through your back leg coming all the way back up to stand and rotating to the other side if you use your block on that side you'll want to take it with you left toes turn out right toes turn in coming into Warrior Two position to start ground through your heels ground through your feet lift through your rib cage now reach forward with your left arm take your left elbow down to your knee or to the block or to the floor cover is most accessible to you and that right arm circles all the way up by your ear so you're making a nice straight line from your right heel to your right toes let the weight be heavy in your heels and then drop your tailbone let it be heavy so you can feel your glutes starting to work and then lengthening through your spine extending that left hip back in space so you create a lot of space underneath this left rib notice if you've stopped breathing go back to your breath one more breath here releasing your right arm all the way down press to your back leg going all the way back up to stand heel to your feet together great now we're coming into Twisted triangle so you're going to use your block we're coming to stand at the top of your mat and we're going to put the Block in between your feet your right foot will be forward stepping your left leg back spin the heel down so it's kind of a shallow stance and we're going to square the hips towards the front of your mat take your right thumb into your right hip crease and pull that hip back in space reach the left arm up and then reach all the way forward and down to your block take your hand to your block keep moving that right hip back in space pressure in your left leg deep breaths here opening your chest any amount the key to twisting with osteoporosis is that we have to keep your spine straight while you twist which means we have to one rotate from our hips but also use our core muscles to help rotate not the flexibility of our spine if you feel comfortable here reach that top arm towards the ceiling as an extension of your top shoulder if your shoulders are rolled forward like this your arm is going to be slightly forward you can also choose to keep the hand on the heaven one more breath here press through the back foot and through the crown of the head good inhale bring it back to the center bring your block with you exhale come up to stand excellent switching to the other side so you can just rotate over left foot forward right leg back we'll take the block on the inside of your left leg squaring off your hips your back toes are turned in about 45 degrees we're going to take the left thumb into the left hip crease and draw back so we're squaring our hips off right arm reaches up and then reach forward nice and long keeping that left hip moving back it's going to want to hike up so really pull it back and onto the block stay here for a breath exhale good you know if you would like to twist go ahead and inhale lengthen through the spine and then exhale twist open your chest towards the left sending your left hip back and at the same time elongating through the spine through the crown of the head and rotating your chest from your shoulders at any point you would like to extend that top arm you may and bring your head back if you find you're looking down and rounding see if you can look up slightly go ahead stay here getting heavy in that back heel drawing the left hip back in space elongating through your spine and the crown of your head one more breath here inhale returning back towards the center and then bring the block with you press to your back leg exhale come all the way up to the stand right heel toe your feet back together we're coming down to the floor for Locust find your position on the floor make sure that you have your block and your strap close by we're going to come all the way down to your stomach in your chest go ahead and lay your forehead on the floor and bring your arms all the way back by your hips relax completely on the floor now roll the shoulder blades towards each other go ahead and lift the hands off the floor lift the legs off the floor but keep your pubic bone pressing down keep it heavy reach out and up through your legs now the final piece is to lift the head off the floor but let's not jut the chin forward let's keep it tucked so you can bring your gaze down to the floor gonna be soft and then gently hug your shoulders on your back reaching through your fingertips use your glute muscles to help you lift your legs if you feel any pain in your lower back lower your legs and engage your core let your tailbone be heavy let's do two more breaths together feel the expansion of your front body the lift and the power of your back body on your next exhale lower down to the floor turn your head to one side resting here big breath into your back we're coming over onto our backs to come to a bridge pose to roll all the way over onto your back bring your feet underneath your knees Press Your Hands into the floor press the little occipital bone the back of your head into the floor as well tucking the tailbone under let your hips Rock back drive your heels into the floor and scoop your hips up using your glutes to lift so we're not shoving from the lower back you should not feel this in your lower back you may not have to go that high draw the shoulders underneath you press your arms into the floor Breathe Here press your heels down engage and lighten up the back of your legs your hamstrings your glutes allow your breath to invigorate you press the upper back into the floor hands down into the floor and back of the head gently into the floor as well to come down slightly tuck your tailbone roll down one vertebrae at a time as you come all the way down to the floor to rest on your back okay grab your strap and we're going to put this right foot in of the belt stretch it all the way up towards this ceiling hold on to the Belt you're going to have the option to leave your left foot on the floor or straighten it out whichever is more accessible to you drop your shoulders down pressing your heel stay here and breathe into any Sensations drop your right hip away from your right ribs your right shoulder relax your jaw relax your neck and once it feels good you can extend your left leg out and drive through the left heel towards the opposite side of the room breathe through any Sensations press through the InStep of your right foot and then bringing both ends of the belt into your right hand take your left hand onto your left thigh for groundedness bend your knee just a little bit and take that leg out towards the right so you can bend that right elbow and put it on the floor for a little kickstand turn your right toes out slightly so you're pressing the heel towards the ceiling press your foot into the InStep and into the band in the belt good this requires a little bit of core engagement as well and then take your attention to that bottom leg press through the heel of your left leg and out through the crown of your head feel your breath expanding into your back body allow your body to work but also receive at the same time good bending your right knee bring it back to the center [Music] hold on to the belt with both hands reset and then we'll bend the right knee bring the belt around the ball of your foot on the left side we're going to straighten the leg all the way up over your hip so option here is to keep this right leg either bent or we can straighten it all the way out if that feels more accessible to you but you can always leave it Bend all right flex your left foot now press through the InStep of your left toes relax your shoulders hold onto that belt at a level where you're not pulling with your arms you're just allowing the distance between your foot and your hands to be natural and if at some point you'd like to extend that bottom leg out I'm going to ground through the right leg press the right heel away from your hips find your breath allow your breath to expand into your back body now we're going to take both ends of the belt into your left hand take your right hand onto your right thigh ground it down engage your core and then take the leg out to the left side of your mat so you can bend your elbows so your elbow works like a kickstand to take it out to the side turn your left toes down towards the floor and then drop your left hip away from your left shoulder to creating space between the left rib and the left hip Breathe Here drive through the right thighs you're leaving some engagement in that right leg and imagine you're standing on your right leg press to your right heel and through the crown of your head on your next exhale bend your left knee slightly bring it back to the center bring the belt off to the side now rolling over to your side we're going to come up to a seated position and we'll take a straight leg twist so we're going to take the left leg extended out your right knee will come into your chest and bring that right knee as close to your hips as you can so it's very very close extend through your left leg and then lift your chest forward so this might be where you stop if you have a lot of tightness in your lower back you can just work here if you would like to twist we're going to hold on to the right knee with your left hand reach your right arm up but this is an important step especially for osteoporosis we want to stay straight and lifted in order to stay safe in your osteoporosis twists okay so we're going to inhale reach up and then exhale rotate through your upper back and through your chest make sure your lower back is staying nice and straight and then reach your arm all the way back behind you tent your fingers on the floor and open your chest toward the right breathe into your mid back you are staying as compact as possible through your lower belly to your right thigh and letting the twist happen from your upper back and this is a safe twist for osteoporosis if we are staying upright the trouble is when we get into twists and we're rounded like this so stay upright you can opt to turn your head all the way towards the right even turn your eyes towards the right side of your mat as much as they can inhale grow taller through your spine exhale rotate and twist inhale come back through the center reset hold on to your knee and then extend your right leg all the way out bringing your left knee into your chest and again hugging that heel back towards your hip as much as possible now grow really tall through your spine bring your left knee towards your chest hold on to your left knee with your right hand left arm reaches up overhead get really tall and rotate through your upper back let your left hand float down to the floor tent your fingers on the floor as you inhale lift your chest as you exhale rotate towards the left continue to draw the left knee into your chest as you're rotating staying long through your spine and we don't have to pull ourselves into this rotation we want to get there gradually and naturally so go with your own range of motion from here as you're inhaling grow longer and as you're exhaling rotating more maybe taking your gaze all the way to the left side of your mat one more breath here inhale and exhale rotate [Music] inhale gently come back to the center reset hug the left knee into the chest and then extend your legs all the way out on the floor just go ahead and bounce your legs a little bit wiggle out your feet a little bit then we're coming into a bent knee twist we're going to start with the right leg crossing over so we'll take the left leg and cross it underneath you take the right knee and cross that one over the left so your left heel is right by your hip on this other side and then bring your chest towards your knee nice and Tall press through your hips lift your spine find this position first before we start to twist ground through your hips ground through your feet with your left hand grab onto your right knee lift your chest reach your right arm up towards the ceiling grow taller through your spine and then exhale rotate out to the side and bring those right fingertips all the way to the floor Let There Be heaviness in your sit bones rotate your chest towards the right side from the upper back breathing in growing longer exhaling rotating more to the right bring your attention to your feet press your right foot into the floor to potentially help you get a little more rotation one more breath here we're longer through your inhale exhale open to the right unraveling coming back to the center straighten the spine lift the right knee into the chest and then extend both legs all the way out to reset and shake your legs and then we'll take the right leg underneath the left bring it up by your left hip and then the left leg comes over the top of the right leg sitting tall draw your left knee into your chest press your sit bones down into the floor taking the right hand around your left knee reach the left arm toward the ceiling as you exhale rotate open through your shoulders draw that left knee into your chest fingertips float down to the floor as you inhale lengthen through your spine as you exhale rotate open towards the left make sure your spine is staying nice and straight especially in the lumbar spine in your lower back if you're not able to stay straight you can come back to a gentle twist here press your left foot down into the floor in the front to help you initiate that twist and rotation even more as you inhale lengthen through your spine as you exhale rotate deeper using your deep core muscles to help you rotate and twist through your upper back inhale unravel come back to the center sit tall draw your left knee into your chest and then lean back into your hands extend your legs all the way out bounce your legs and we're coming down to savasana roll down to your side and lay all the way onto your back no options for shavasana if you would like to put a blanket underneath your knees you can or you can just extend your legs all the way out let your feet roll open arms roll open the back of your palms laying on the floor draw your shoulders down your back and down your yoga mat and let the back of your head fall into the floor so the small occipital bone at the back of your head is heavy on the floor and if you would like close your eyes [Music] allow yourself to settle here this is your body's chance to really integrate all of the work that you've done thus far if your mind starts to wander just bring it back to the breath resting in shavasana and all the parts of your body that are touching the floor to fully relax and release I'm going to be silent for a short bit but I will let you know when it's time to come out [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] begin to deepen your breath longer inhales longer exhales maybe even parting your lips to breathe out [Music] and grow your fingers and your toes your eyes are closed I invite you to keep them closed and then gently bring your feet flat to the floor rolling to your right side resting in a fetal position let the forehead come down to the floor and just rest ing your hands down into the floor let your head be heavy and come up to a comfortable seat with your legs crossed take your hands onto your knees your eyes are still closed you can leave them closed find the groundedness of your hips in the floor just notice how your energy has shifted from when you started if your eyes are closed when you're ready you can blink your eyes open take in the room around you thank you so much for joining me today I hope you enjoyed your practice [Music] [Music]