Yoga, training and health inspiration for you

Training with resistance bands offers a fun and effective way of working out that is easy to do – at home or wherever you are. Learn more about how this form of exercise can contribute to a sustainable and injury-free body and what to keep in mind when using resistance bands.

Gentle training for both prehab and rehab

To strengthen the body with the help of resistance bands is both effective and fun and the best thing is that it is easy to do at home or wherever you are.

Resistance bands were originally used to build up and strengthen the body after an injury. If you have suffered from an injury, training with resistance bands is great for resuming your training and building up stability around the injury. The dynamic resistance makes the workout so gentle as the bands' resistance follows the muscle's strength curve and relieves your joints. It can otherwise be easy to overload which in turn contributes to wear and tear which then could lead to injuries and pain.

I would say that working out with resistance bands is fantastic for both rehab and prehab training but also as "regular" training, and I often add sequences with the bands in my own workout routine.

Benefits of training with resistance bands

When working out with resistance band, you can get a fairly versatile training as you use your whole body to adjust the strength and resistance. There is also a balancing act that makes you activate the stabilizing muscles. I get the feeling that I move from the inside out when I exercise with the resistance bands. It feels like a gift to the body.

Another advantage is that the resistance bands challenge the stability of the body in all movement planes compared to when using exercise machines. When you workout and perform exercises with the resistance bands they provide an eccentric workout, that is – the muscle is activated during its extension (when you hold the resistance) and slowly relaxes when you let go of the resistance.   

Which resistance band should I choose?

Resistance bands come in different levels of resistance - light, medium and heavy. This means that you can adapt to your own conditions and everyone can use it, regardless if you are a beginner or experienced. If you want to make it extra tough, you can use several bands at the same time or find a really good and strong band with a lot of resistance. My advice is to not buy the cheapest resistance bands, but instead spend some extra money on good-quality bands that will last a long time and can be washed in the washing machine.

Personally I use textile resistance bands that are washable. They are also softer against your skin. To be able to optimize your training, you benefit from having slightly different sizes and strengths on the resistance bands at home. Our legs often require and can handle heavier resistance and arms usually need a little less. I prefer to have thicker bands for the legs and longer and thinner for the arms. Try out and see what works for you!

It is easy to learn how to use the resistance bands and if you are used to working out, you can do most of your basic exercises that you already do with the addition of the resistance bands.

To keep in mind during resistance band training

• Stand firmly with your feet, preferably hip-width apart.
• Pull the navel in slightly to activate and get support from the torso.
• Stretch your body and pull your chin in slightly so that you get a good posture.
• Lower the shoulders.
• Keep your wrists straight.
• Breathe in rhythm with the movement.
• Do somewhere between 12-20 repetitions in three sets, depending on your goals and conditions.

Let's go! / Julia

Read more about yoga, training and breathing

• Design your life – create good habits with the help of yoga and meditation, by Emma Öberg.
• Exercise for long-term wellbeing - here’s how you get started, by Tanja Djelevic.
• Full Complete Breath technique, by Ulrica Norberg.

Videos online – training with resistance bands

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When life is fraught with anxiety, it can be difficult to fit in exercise, even though that’s when we need it the most. Begin with shorter training sequences and it will be easier to get started. That way you will create a habit for long-term health. Read more about how to get started here!

Three tips to get started with training when it feels daunting

Now in pandemic times, it is even more important to get moving! It’s also harder I have to add because when stress takes over and the only thing you can do to ease the nervous system is to bake a carrot cake (as my husband and I did when we were sick, haha). But after baking several, eating them and realizing that a cake a day is a terrible consolation for a still body, we encouraged each other to give ourselves 30 minutes of exercise a day to begin with, until we were back on the roll.

Three things to remember, if it feels really IMPOSSIBLE to get going:

1. You are not alone, if you need a hand, reach out to me on Instagram messages.
2. You do not need 90 minutes at the gym. You just have to BEGIN with a short session each day.
3. YOU have all the wisdom within you, but we can not do everything ourselves! Sometimes you need a little help and then myself, Yogobe, other professionals, nice sneakers, good music, etc, etc are there to help. Make a decision, ask for help, and let’s do this!!

Make exercise and movement a part of everyday life

It is often overwhelming to embark on a huge training program in the beginning. After over 20 years in the profession and really hundreds of different types of clients, what I know for sure is that if you create a habit that you can do every day, it does more for health than if you try to quick-fix your way through with a 30 day transformation program and then expect that everything will work out for the best. EVERYONE is different, and is motivated by different things, but my thesis is that IF you can make exercise and movement a habit, a part of everyday life, it will definitely be better in the long run.

I strongly believe in creating triggers. Like listening to the right song or music or having a little routine that gets you started. Another trick is to plan the training and NOT cancel it. Even if it will be 3x10 minutes a week at first, you have to start somewhere. The third is to have a training date! Maybe instead of having a coffee with a friend, suggest a brisk walk in the park or share a PT session.

Let the motivation come from within

I often get questions about tips to get started exercising regularly. My advice is actually that we must change the attitude that motivation comes from outside, and instead work on creating the motivation that comes from within. Of course, it is not just about changing it by the blink of an eye, but even if this takes time, it is valuable for lifelong well-being, instead of living in a way where you are constantly looking for the pull from the outside. And another tip is to create opportunities where you move. Skip taking the car sometimes and cycling or walking several times a week for example. Everything counts when the other opinion is to do nothing.

So what exercises should you invest in when time is short? It all depends on what the goal is, of course. If you just want to feel good and feel fit and healthy, then it is great to plan a little bit of each modality. Mobility, so that you are well prepared for other training and do not injure yourself, stretching because our lives are often sitting or stillness, strength because we all really need to activate and build muscle to get stronger. A little bit of everything. 30 minutes a day is definitely better than having anxiety about not having 90 minutes to pump iron.

Photos: Kitty Lingmerth-Lingmerth Photography/James Lee Wall Photo

Further reading

• Find your inner motivation, by Satu Tuomela
• Open up to fill you up – 3 tips to combat fatigue, by Emma Öberg
• New to yoga? 8 helpful tips for beginner yogis, by Yogobe

Videos online - short and effective training with Tanja Djelevic

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With the support of yogic breathing you can make small changes that lead to big ones. One breath at a time. Learn more about how the yogic practice of pranayama can work as an alternative method to cultivate well-being!

The health benefits of pranayama

Psychological distress and mental health difficulties
According to the World Health Organisation, mental health difficulties are a global issue. Studies conducted in the U.K., the U.S and in the Nordic countries, demonstrate that mental health difficulties and sources of psychological distress such as depression, anxiety and chronic stress are on the rise.

Adolescents and young adults seem to be suffering the most from these disorders, with suicide being the second leading cause of death in those aged 15-29. This matter needs to be taken seriously and acted upon. One way of doing this is to offer people in need the appropriate support through a variety of channels such as the national health care system, therapy work, community support groups, educational sources and self-care practices.

In recent years, alternative complementary therapies have been increasingly employed with people who are living with mental health difficulties. An example of this has been the integration of psychosomatic techniques such as yoga, dance and mindfulness meditation into therapy programmes, with the aim of improving people’s well-being. Studies show that people who are living with psychological difficulties can, in an attempt to support their healing process, draw from practices like yoga and mindfulness meditation to help improve their well-being. Furthermore, the findings of a ground-breaking journal article published in 2015 showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is equally effective as antidepressants in the prevention of depressive relapse.

With yoga- and mindfulness-based therapies as our central focus, this article will introduce the yogic practice of pranayama as an alternative method to cultivate well-being, and will discuss its potential health benefits for a person’s overall health.

What is pranayama?

Without breath, we cannot live. The flow of breath regulates the movement of the life force i.e. prana in our bodies; our breath thus keeps us alive and vibrant. According to yoga philosophy, prana brings movement to the mind and by altering the flow of prana, we can alter the state of our mind. In part 1 of this article series, I discussed how the breath functions and how one can establish more free and harmonious breathing. Pranayama is different in that it does not refer to our natural breathing. Rather, it refers to particular breathing exercises whereby you consciously alter your natural breathing pattern in a controlled manner. Pranayama can thus be used as a tool to regulate prana and is described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as follows:

• Pranayama is the conscious, deliberate regulation of the breath, replacing unconscious patterns of breathing (2.49).
• The regular practice of pranayama reduces the obstacles that inhibit clear perception.
• And the mind is now prepared for the process of direction toward a chosen goal (2.53).
  The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Desikashar, 1995: 181-182)

Dos and don’ts when practicing pranayama

Pranayama can have a strong effect on the body and mind. Therefore, all breathing exercises should be practiced purposefully and carefully. I recommend that you practice pranayama with the guidance of an experienced teacher. Best is to practice on an empty stomach. Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks before or after the practice. Make sure to include a couple of minutes of supine rest after practicing pranayama, to relax your nervous system.

Each breathing exercise has a certain effect on the body and mind. The effect will differ from person to person. Some pranayamas are more challenging than others, as they can involve breath retention and quicker inhalations, and exhalations. Deep fast breathing, and/or holding the breath for a long time can be triggering for some people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or have experienced panic attacks or psychosis in the past. Therefore, pranayama should be practiced with great care.

If you experience discomfort, dizziness, or a lack of breath, stop immediately and return to your own natural breath. Less is more when practicing pranayama. If you live with a medical condition of some kind, then make sure you consult your doctor before trying these exercises.

Exploring the practice of pranayama

Pranayama is an experiential practice. For the purposes of this article, I will introduce two basic pranayama exercises that are suitable for both beginners, as well as advanced students. I will include a brief instruction video and describe the benefits associated with each exercise.

Brahmari – the humming bee breath
This exercise is appropriate for beginners, as there is no breath retention, alternation between nostrils, or counting of breaths. The practitioner goes at their own pace. The sound makes it easier to give the practitioner something to focus on and they can further assess their breathing more easily by evaluating the quality and evenness of the sound.

Instruction video, for free:

Benefits: Brahmari changes your normal breathing rhythm by shortening the inhalation and prolonging the exhalation through the “hmmm” sound. This can have a significant impact on our physiological system. Research demonstrates that brahmari can help decrease heart rate and lower blood pressure. It is also associated with enhanced cognitive control and response inhibition. Brahmari can help to balance the autonomic nervous system, and induce the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us to calm down. It can be practiced for mental relaxation and stress reduction.

Nadi Shodana – alternate nostril breathing
Alternate nostril breathing is a gentle exercise for the beginner, as well as the advanced student. Clear the nostrils before starting the exercise to ensure good airflow. The synchronisation of hand movements with the breath can be confusing at first. Give it a bit of time and practice to master.

Instruction video, for free:

Benefits: This exercise has shown to have a balancing effect on the activity of the two cerebral hemispheres, providing a more balanced state of mind and an improved attention span. Additionally, nadi shodana has shown to increase the amplitude of P300 – a brain wave that concerns cognitive function in decision making processes, helps one to discriminate between different stimuli, and affects attention and memory.

Our P300 is affected by our emotions and can decline in amplitude if we experience emotional distress. Alternate nostril breathing can reduce autonomic arousal and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure rates, as well as increase one’s vital capacity, which improves overall wellbeing. With lower levels of arousals and anxiety, one can assume that this supports participants in feeling more relaxed, thus also increasing the amplitude of P300. Therefore, alternate nostril breathing helps one to concentrate better and to improve one’s performance in tasks requiring attention.

Contribute to your own healing and well-being
Our body has an innate capacity to heal and re-balance itself. Through the support of yogic breathing, conducted in a safe and responsible way, we can consciously contribute to this healing through our own initiative. Follow these videos on a daily basis and take note of how they make you feel. Small changes can lead to big ones. One breath at a time.

A social mission as well as an individual one
I wish to acknowledge that supporting the healing of people living with mental illness is a societal mission, as well as an individual commitment. It is not sufficient to put the sole responsibility on the person who is suffering, expecting them to be able to deal with their mental health difficulties by themselves.

Mental illness is a social issue that needs to be addressed not only by the individual person, but also within larger social structures, such as workplaces, schools, social and natural environments, social media, and so forth. Yoga can be a great tool to support us in coping with different stressors, and to help us improve our immune system. However, it alone is not a panacea for the characterisation and treatment of mental illness. Rather, we must work together to develop more comprehensive and tailor-made interventions for each individual, whilst addressing the roots of mental distress, which lie in an unequal social system, and its corresponding stigmas.

Read more

• Exploring the breath – part 1, by Eleonora Ramsby Herrera.
• Learn more about Pranayma through the online course The Art of Breathing!
• Prāṇa - does it really exist? by Simon Krohn.

References

• WHO, 2018
• Mental Health Foundation UK, 2018
• American Psychological Association, 2019
• Nordic Council of Ministries, 2018
• Pilkington et al. 2005
• Van der Kolk, 2015
• Van der Kolk et al. 2014: Rhodes, 2015: Price et al. 2017
• Kuyken et al. 2015
• Kuppusamy et al. 2018
• Telles, Singh, & Puthige, 2013
• Singh, Gaurav, & Parkash, 2011

Personal Trainer Matthew Griffiths explains why, and how everybody can benefit from an effective mobility practice. Learn more about mobility training, how it helps keeping a healthy and well functioning body as well as maximizing results and performance, here.

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What is mobility?

The term mobility means the combination of full range of motion within each joint structure coupled with healthy soft tissue (muscles, tendons and fascia) that produces mobility. Erwan Le Corre the creator of MovNat clearly states that, “Mobility places you in optimal position”, which exactly works in accordance with the notion that form equals function. Mobility is the ability to get into a better position and move in such a way that you will be creating a stronger movement environment for your body and performance, whether you’re a runner, a tennis player or a person that just want a pain free functional body. 

There is no doubt that Form is Function, meaning the alignment of your body (form) will dictate how you perform (function). Mobility is an essential component to this formula because it dictates whether or not you can have correct form. It’s important to note that mobility is comprised of three factors, which are collectively represented by the degree of which one can accurately maintain proper alignment through a specific movement pattern. 

The Three components of Mobility:

• Flexibility of the Soft Tissue
• Range of Motion at the Joints
• Neurological Coordination of Movement Patterns

Mobility is not your flexibility, mobility is the combination of flexibility of the soft tissue, the range of motion of every joint and the neuromuscular coordination involved in creating the specific movement. Problems can occur when someone misinterprets mobility as flexibility, as it implies the answer for addressing a lack of mobility is purely stretching, which is not the case as that solution neglects the associative neurological patterning and joint limitations within one’s movement.

In other words, stretching alone will not improve the way that you ‘create’ movement in a holistic sense because the flexibility of one’s soft tissue is only part of mobility. The other components that are essential to mobility are the range of motion at each joint and the neuromuscular coordination of every movement pattern, that ability to maintain strength at the end ranges of movement. To elaborate, a person may be ultra-flexible in certain positions, but still lack mobility when it comes to a specific movement pattern (another movement) because they may have limitations in the joint or not have the strength when the soft tissue is at full range.   

When one of the three components of mobility is compromised this can lead to an increased risk of injury and joint pain. If you remember that mobility is a combination of these three components and include them in your practice or training you will optimize your position and move more effortlessly.

Mindset

Although it is widely accepted that a powerful mindset can truly alter the outcome of a chosen task it is still under trained by the majority.  What happens in your mind during that important moment really sets the stage for whether you perform to the best or the worst of your ability.  I use these three mindsets, they have been particularly useful personally as well as in my work as a pro trainer. There are many variations that has been inspired from other mental training methods, but I find these to be logical and user friendly for many.

Booster
I think of the booster mindset as a way to be more proactive, assertive, and forceful, for example, when going for a risky shot in golf or tennis, or setting a fast pace in a marathon. This mindset is often needed for athletes to shift from a solid performance to exceptional performance because it allows them to take their performances to the next level, particularly for those who aren’t naturally proactive or assertive in how they perform. The Booster mindset can be developed in several ways.

First, you’re more likely to perform dynamic if your body is amped up a bit more than usual. You can raise your physical intensity with more movement during practice, in your pre-competitive routines, and just before you begin to compete. Simply moving more and being more dynamic in your movements will help you shift to a more powerful mindset. 

Second, you can use high-energy self-talk to instill that Booster mindset. Examples include: “I can do it, I will succeed".

Third, you can incorporate a booster mindset into mental imagery in which you see and feel yourself competing energetically which in turn helps in creating a more attacking thinking, focus, and feeling.

Calm
A calm mindset is typically good for those who can get nervous before game or a sense of doubt when performing a new drill. Your primary goal is to re-set your mindset and to settle down and relax, thus allowing your mind to let go of doubt and worry and your body to be free of nerves and tension. Additionally, a calm mindset can be valuable for many who are naturally very energetic.

A calm mindset can be created in several ways. First, it’s difficult to have a calm mind if your body is anxious, so focusing on relaxing your body is a good start. Deep breathing and muscle relaxation are two good tools you can use to calm your body.

Second, you can use mental imagery in which you see and feel yourself being calm before a competition. This imagery response has a direct physiologically relaxing effect on both your body and mind.

Third, calming and reassuring self-talk can ease your tension, for example, “Easy does it. Cool, calm, and collected." Relaxing self-talk can take the edge off of your nerves giving you the comfort and confidence to perform your best.

Clear
A clear mind involves having basically nothing related to performing going on in your mind before a big moment or game. This mindset is useful for those of us that might be cheerfully talking before a competition or speech, often smiling when talking to friends and coahces, dancing around, chatting it up, or singing to ourselves. These individuals can use a clear mindset because they have trained their bodies to an extent that they can trust it completely to perform their best without any interference from their minds.

A clear mind is most suited for individuals who are intuitive (meaning they don’t have to think about their sport very much to perform their best), free spirited (meaning they go with the flow rather than being really structured in their approach to their sport) and experienced (meaning they have a lot of confidence and trust in their capabilities from many years and successes).

Find the mindset that works best for you

You create a calm mindset by thinking about anything except your sport. Talking to others around you, thinking about someone or something that makes you feel good and listening to music in your head are some ways you can keep your mind clear, and thus preventing it from getting in the way of your body performing its best.

Training the mindset like any training or new practice requires several steps to instill and master. First, you have to experiment to figure out which mindset will work best for you. Second, you need to make a commitment to adopting an ideal mindset. Third, you must focus on your desired mindset in practice and competitions to create that mindset. And, finally, you need repetition in practice and competitions to ingrain your ideal mindset so deeply that, when you begin the most important competition of your life, that mindset just clicks on and it enables you to perform your very best.

Further reading

• Make a long term investment in your body, by Matthew Griffiths.
• Exercise for long-term wellbeing - here’s how you get started, by Tanja Djelevic.
• Training with resistance band, by Julia Glutz

Mobility training online 

• Playlists:
  • Mobility practice - for the whole body
  • SomaMove®
  • Self massage - with foam rollers

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About Matthew Griffiths

Matthew is an education provider and personal trainer within the fields of health and fitness. Matthew's work is focused on having every student develop their natural movement patterns.

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