“From Downward Spiral to Downward Dog”- By Christina Cuff

My spiritual journey started shortly before I first found yoga, when I landed in a rehab for substance abuse at the age of 19.  I should have at least another ten years of fun before I have to stop, right?  How could I possibly navigate life without my favorite coping mechanisms – drugs and alcohol?  But I was slowly dying from my disease and out of necessity I sought help and I began to cultivate a relationship with the Divine for the first time since I was a small child.  I found a weekly yoga class at an L.A. Fitness near my home.  However, I struggled to find a personal connection to the practice.  It felt as if others understood the postures and spirituality better than I ever would.  Their bodies certainly looked better than mine did!    

Over the following years I attended yoga classes on and off with little regularity.  In 2018, I stumbled upon a class where the teacher mentioned there was one spot left for an upcoming yoga teacher training.  Despite the fear rising as I approached the teacher after class… I knew that spot was for me.  But how could I take yoga teacher training? I don’t even practice regularly!  I didn’t even want to teach yoga… But I was reading a book called “The Power” and I had recently chosen puppies as my sign.  The book indicated I was to look for my symbol and know that the universe was responding to me when I saw it.  As I inquired about yoga teacher training, a 10-week-old Bernese Mountain puppy hopped into the studio.  I still attempted to talk myself out of it in the coming days – “I don’t have the money.”  “I don’t have the time.“  “I’m out of shape.”  Then between an award from a writing contest and a random winning scratch off, I suddenly had the money to cover the cost.  I was in!  I attended the training on weekends over 8 months while working full-time as an actuary.  Yoga teacher training challenged me in a beautiful way and truly changed my life.  I now have a personal regular yoga practice and despite once thinking I could never teach yoga, I have led yoga classes and meditations in corporate settings, studios, recovery centers, on the beach and online!

Yoga is more than just handstands and fancy pants.  It is the single most effective healing modality I have found!  While the postures are a helpful tool for healing and stress relief, Yoga is also a way of living that was outlined thousands of years ago.  It includes breathwork, meditation, mindfulness and service to others.  For many people, incorporating yoga into their lives takes time, patience, and ahimsa (a Sanskrit word meaning compassion).  One way to begin practicing yoga and feel the benefits right away is through pranayama.  Pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning life force and loosely translates to breathwork.  Our breath is an effective and accessible stress reliever.  Here are three pranayama exercises that you can try right now:

1.        Take Five:

·        Open your left hand, palm facing up. 

·        Place your right pointer finger on your left wrist.  As you inhale, drag the right pointer finger toward the tip of your left pinky. 

·        As you exhale, drag the right pointer finger back to the wrist. 

·        Repeat inhaling up and exhaling down each finger until you reach the thumb.

You can switch hands and repeat, making it a “take ten.”  This exercise brings us into the present moment through tactile sensation and mindful breathing. 

2.        Box Breath:

·        Inhale for a count of 4.

·        Hold at the top of the inhale for a count of 4. 

·        Exhale for a count of 4.

·        Hold at the bottom of the exhalation for a count of 4. 

·        Repeat for several rounds. 

You can decrease or increase the count to 3 or 5.  You can also shorten the time spent holding your breath if it is uncomfortable.  This exercise can lower the heart rate, calm the mind, and deactivate the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight or freeze mode).

3.        Physiological Sigh:

·        Inhale fully into the belly and then into the chest on the same inhale. 

·        When full, pause for a second, then sip in additional air. 

·        Exhale fully through the mouth. 

·        Repeat several times. 

When stressed, people tend to take shallow breaths which causes the air sacs in our lungs to collapse and increases the CO2 levels in our blood.  This in turn causes more stress!  By inhaling fully and then introducing additional oxygen, the pockets in our lungs are forced to reinflate.  This engages our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest mode).

 Another easy way to begin practicing yoga is to incorporate chair yoga into your day.  You can find short, simple chair yoga flows on YouTube.  You may not even know it, but you are practicing chair yoga when you stretch your arms overhead or rotate your neck when sitting at a desk.  Chair yoga helped me become mindful at work.  I used to think a headache was a cue to pop ibuprofen, but now I see it as a notification to stretch, rest and drink water.   

Yoga has helped me overcome personal obstacles: the fear of failure, the related fear of success, fibromyalgia, addictions, depression, anxiety to name a few.  As a result, I am passionate about sharing how yoga can help others too.  I have led virtual and in-person yoga, meditation, and chair yoga sessions.  I was also blessed to start an employee-led wellness committee. 

 Toward the end of my yoga teacher training, I realized yoga could help others struggling with addiction.  This idea inspired the free bi-monthly workshop known as Yoga for Recovery.  We meet at Yoga Moksha on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays each month from 7:30-9PM.  Navigating the world as an addict can be difficult and this workshop introduces yoga and all its healing attributes to those who need it.  During our time together we connect, stretch, flow, chat, journal, mediate, chant, etc.  Thanks to Yoga Moksha (yogamokshali.com) and Thrive (thriveli.org) the workshop is always free and open to all.   

 As humans we are often analyzing and reviewing the past, while projecting and attempting to sculpt the future.  No wonder it can be tough for us to get present!  Yoga has helped me quiet my overactive mind, ignite my parasympathetic nervous system, and experience my whole self.  It has enabled me to connect to the divine and live life to its fullest potential.  I am blessed to have the opportunity to help others do the same.

3/4/2024

Christina Cuff RYT 200