Discovering Pre/Post Natal & Fertility Yoga-

As you may know, yoga has long been recognized as an effective tool in reducing stress, anxiety and is a fantastic way in which to build up your core strength. What you may not have known is that yoga is strongly effective for fertility as well. Yoga for fertility focuses on improving blood flow and circulation to the low back (sacral plexus), hips, groin, and pelvis, which can ultimately aid in healthier gynecological functioning. There are numerous studies on pre-natal yoga, showcasing benefits such as- decreasing the risk of gestational diabetes and pre-term labor as well as ‘yoga babies’ having a higher APGAR. The APGAR is a quick test performed on a baby at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. The 1-minute score determines how well the baby tolerated the birthing process. The 5-minute score tells the doctor how well the baby is doing outside the mother’s womb. Beyond these reasons, yoga just feels good. It feels good and can often make Mama’s body feel a little lighter, from increasing her circulation, stability and strength to aiding her while she sleeps and deterring sciatica. Yoga also helps both mama and baby prepare for labor and delivery, all while keeping stress at bay. Post-natal yoga assists in regaining strength, elicits healing and a sense of grounding. The practice can also be beneficial in helping with some postpartum complications such as diastasis recti and baby blues, not to mention movement towards a pre-baby body.

©JenCastlePhotography

©JenCastlePhotography

At Beverly Hills Posture, we often offer a variety of methods to ensure a pain-free and healthier lifestyle for each one of our clients. It’s important to us to be able to work with each client in a variety of ways; to have options. Amongst our methodology is: Pilates, Yoga, GYROTONIC, Massage Therapy, Accupuncture, Accupressure and of course Chiropractic Care. With each one of these methods comes a variety of teachers and approaches. We pair each client with the best expert for what is most needed. Due to our strong beliefs in the Pre/Post Natal and Fertility Yoga, we brought in Wendy Obstler to our studio in 2012 and with her, came a unique comprehensive approach that includes yoga postures, breath work, meditation and acupressure- all geared towards optimizing fertility naturally. Her approach addresses the emotional and stressful components that often accompany the fertility journey. It is a safe and complementary practice to any Assisted Reproductive Technology. Wendy also specializes in teaching Pre and Post Natal yoga, and is just over a year postpartum herself. She has been teaching the “Strong Yoga for Women” method for fertility, for almost a decade now and has been helping our Beverly Hills clients for three-

“I strongly believe that my practice with Wendy had a huge impact on the success of my pregnancy and the birth of my amazing daughter. I cannot say enough about how lucky I am to have found Wendy and her program. I am thankful every day for my amazing baby and believe that the techniques that I learned in class were an integral part in bringing her to me.”    -Ginsberg (Los Angeles, CA)

There’s no doubt that a strong fertility yoga practice can help women and couples feel more empowered on their journey toward conception. We’re happy to have Wendy as our aid in this specific method.

Wendy teaches a saturday yoga for fertility class and conducts one-on-one sessions throughout the week. If you are just beginning your journey into fertility or have already had your baby and are currently feeling the “out-of-body blues,” we highly recommend you give this a try. Any questions about Pre/Post Natal and Fertility Yoga, please click HERE to contact us directly…. Namaste Everybody!

©JenCastlePhotography

For a quick introduction from Wendy, please click on the video below: 

Yoga for stress reduction…and weight loss

Photo Credit (click photo to link to): http://www.mensfitness.com

If you’re thinking about taking up yoga, you might be interested to know that yoga not only reduces stress levels, it also supports weight maintenance and loss goals.

The lower your stress, the lower your cortisol levels which means your body will store fewer calories as fat.

Acupuncture and massage therapy also lower levels of inflammation in the body—another known contributor to weight gain.

Beverly Hills Posture offers Private Yoga Therapy and Training, visit: http://bhposture.com/services/yoga-therapy.html as well as massage and acupuncture therapy visit our website for information and to book appointments.

Visit http://www.mensfitness.com  for more health and wellness tips!

If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.

Yoga off Your Mat

by Chelsey Charbeneau

The Tree Pose (image credit: Yoga Fitness Guide: http://www.yogafitnessguide.net/yoga-poses-the-tree-pose.php)

Wouldn’t it be nice to know that you do not have to drive all over the city just to find yoga? Well now you know you do not have to. To make sure your body and mind remain in balance and harmony in-between classes, try taking your yoga practice with you throughout your day.

The definition of yoga is to yolk or unite. When we are practicing yoga we are trying to unite on a deeper and more conscious level with our true self. It is more important to have a yogic perspective throughout your day than it is to only practice good posture and smooth breathing once or twice a week in your favorite yoga class. Yoga is a way of living, not just a class here and there. I always compare yoga to brushing our teeth because we don’t just brush our teeth on the days we have time, it is a daily practice and habit. Yoga can be a daily practice as well.

What we learn in classes or private sessions are the tools for how to live a better life off of our mats. From there we are supposed to take those tools and incorporate them into our daily routine. This can be anything from evenly distributing the weight in our feet while standing in line at the grocery store to slowing down enough to listen to the messages our body is sending us.

These tools are so pertinent to long-term health and wellness but if we do not start living these tools on a daily basis they are useless. That feeling that we all like at the end of a great yoga class is something we can have all day, every day, as long as we are mindful of how we carry ourselves and of our breath. There are countless ways to practice yoga all day long.

Here are a few examples to start with and then get creative and add some of your own.

– Practice tree pose while cooking
– Use core strength to sit up straight at your desk
– Deep breathing while stuck in traffic
– Figure Four pose seated on the plane
– Mountain Pose while in the checkout line
– Hip openers on the floor while checking your email
– Downward dog on the wall anytime you need it

Now start finding your own yoga practice throughout your day and add to this list!

If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.

Ease Chronic Low Back Pain by Opening Your Hips {advice from a #BeverlyHillsChiropractor}

Many people experience back pain at some point in their life and a number of us don’t even know what caused it. We have our theories of what could have triggered this nuisance; from weak core muscles, to lifting something too heavy, or sitting for extended periods of time, the list goes on.  Fortunately for the 31 million Americans currently suffering from low back pain there is hope on the horizon.

Yoga has been proven countless time to speed the healing process. We know that it is imperative to strengthen and stretch our bodies, but what muscle groups precisely should we focus on to ease low back pain? To make it simple, we are only going to focus on the muscles that contribute to the movement of the hips. The hips include many muscles with one in particular, the psoas, which connects directly to vertebra in the low back.

The following yoga poses will ease low back pain regardless of severity and intensity by focusing on hip opening. Here are some of my favorite hip openers that have helped me as well as countless others in living a life with a pain-free back.

Pigeon Pose

This classic pose helps posture by stretching the muscles on the sides of the thigh, the groins and psoas muscle. Begin by holding this position for one minute and gradually work up to three minutes. This can be practiced either on the floor or with the hips propped up on a cushion or blanket. If the first pose is too difficult then try one of the variations. This pose is safe to do post surgery and should be practiced with flexed toes to protect the knee.

Bound Angle Pose

This simple pose helps to stretch and tone the inner thighs and groins, relieves sciatica by reducing lumbar lordosis, and increases circulation to the low back. Tip: If your knees are higher than your hips sit on a folded blanket or cushion. You can also do this pose lying down.

Wide-Angle Seated Forward Fold

This therapeutic posture is used for strengthening the spine, relieving sciatica, stretching the inside of thighs, hamstrings, adductors, groins and back. If you have hips on the tighter side sit on a folded blanket and use a strap around each foot to hold for support.

Tip: Practice with a tall spine trying to avoid any rounding in the back.

It is always a good idea for people new to yoga to practice these postures at least once with a professional. The practice of yoga helps us to get more familiar with our bodies thus possibly preventing future injuries. Just like every lifestyle change it takes time and daily dedication to reach maximum results.

For more tips and information, contact:

– Chelsey Charbeneau – CYT, E-RYT
Certified Yoga Therapist, Yoga Instructor, Private Trainer

If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.

The benefits of a good stretch – we’ve got a few tips!

Stretching.  We hear about it all the time.  We all know that we are supposed to stretch, but most of us don’t.  If we do stretch, we often have no real idea what we are doing or why. We  are big fans of stretching at Beverly Hills Posture, so we thought we’d offer some tips and hints about stretching and dispel some of the myths surrounding some of the commonly held beliefs about stretching overall.

1. Warm up before stretching

Many of us think about stretching as part of our warm up prior to exercise.  In fact, we should be warming up BEFORE stretching.  Stretching cold muscles can cause injury.  So warming up with a few minutes of walking or cycling is the best approach.  Also, research shows that stretching can cause a short-term dip in muscle strength, so you should save your major stretching until after your weight workout.

2. Stretching for good posture

Stretching helps us maintain good posture.  By allowing the body to maintain its natural balance, it is much easier for us to avoid the slumping that leads to poor posture.

3. Stretch out cramps

To stretch out a calf cramp or “Charley Horse”, pull the toes up towards your shin in an opposing stretch.  The calf muscle pulls the foot down, so you want to do stretches in the opposite direction to offset the cramp.

4. Yoga for flexibility

Many people think they need to be flexible to practice Yoga.  In fact, Yoga is a great way to improve your flexibility.  The BHP Yoga Team would be happy to meet with you regarding starting a Yoga regimen.

5. Muscle balance

Remember when stretching to make sure that you are stretching in a balanced manner.  For example, if you are stretching your quads, make sure you are also stretching your hamstrings.

6. Ankle flexibility

Try the alphabet stretch to maintain good ankle flexibility.  Simply trace each letter of the alphabet with your toes, one foot at a time.

7. Hamstring stretch

Lie on your back on the floor.  Leave one leg extended on the floor and raise the other, knee straight, until you feel the stretch in your hamstring.  You can loop a towel around your leg with the ends in your hands to make this easier.

Remember to warm up before stretching and to breathe.

8. Quadriceps stretch

Lie on your side.  Bend the knee of the top leg, moving the heel towards your rear end.  Gently assist the stretch until you feel tension in your quad.  Hold for thirty seconds.  Repeat two to three times on each side.

9. Neck Stretch

Stretching the neck muscles can alleviate neck pain.  Simply turn your head until your chin is over your shoulder (or as close as you can get).  Hold this position for 20 seconds, breathing consistently throughout.  Repeat this stretch on both sides.

10. Corner stretch for your chest

Stand facing a corner with one hand on each wall, about chin level.  Lean forward until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders.  This will help open up your chest.

11. Over stretching

When it comes to stretching, remember that more is not always better.  Genetics do play a part in how flexible you are.  Stretching through pain is not a good practice.  This can cause joint laxity and muscle injury.  Gently pushing into your stretches and always remembering to breathe is the most effective and safest method.

These are just a few of literally thousands of stretches you can do.  Many are specific to certain conditions or designed to assist with physical therapy.  A well thought out stretching regimen is an important part of any fitness plan.

If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.

Book private Pilates, GYROTONIC® and yoga sessions on our all new online scheduling system

Beverly Hills Pilates, GYROTONIC® and Yoga appointment times are now available for patients/clients to view and book online.

Simply sign in and check out what session times are available and request to book on your own and online (rather than call us and have us search).

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to www.mindbodyonline.com and click “Log in” and search for Beverly Hills Posture OR go to our direct link: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=36775.
2. The first time you log in, you will be asked to create a profile (you can even do so with your personal Facebook account). You must be a current (registered) Beverly Hills Posture client/patient to request an appointment via this system.* The system will ask a series of questions to validate your identity.
3. Once you’re logged into the system, you can search for the type of service/session you’d like to book, pick your session (yoga, Pilates and or GYROTONIC®) and time and send a request to via the system to make your appointment.
4. Wait for our confirmation–then it’s booked!

*New clients/patients will be added into our system during or right after an initial office first visit. Once enrolled as a patient or client in our system, anyone can use Beverly Hills Posture’s Online Store & Scheduler system!

We will be adding more products/appointment schedules in the coming months–stay tuned!

GYROTONIC® is a registered trademark of the Gyrotonic® Sales Corp.

If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.

Recharge the Soul

‘Recharging the Soul’  is necessary and can look (and feel) many different ways. Sometimes a change of scenery is the answer: a trip out-of-town, a different rhythm of life to move through, a “breath of fresh air.” But for many of us, we may not have the time, funds or energy to take a trip, take a break from our daily responsibilities, or even go take an afternoon hike exactly when it may be needed.

Yoga is a science and an art form of transformation. Consider here that “transformation” doesn’t have to be something that is very involved and huge in order to be extremely effective and powerful. Yoga is a beautiful and multi-layered practice that can shift our current state any time of any day. We don’t even have to gather our gear and get ourselves into a yoga studio to make this happen. It is accessible (and quick) to find those necessary ‘recharges’ throughout our day – whenever needed – just simply focusing our attention to the Breath.

Breathing is the most vital part of human life. And yet, when things get busy or stressful, our breath is one of the first things to suffer. Poor breathing patterns negatively impact the body on many different levels. Yogic breathing techniques are simple and can be integrated throughout a day, seamlessly. The benefits of consciousness and proper breathing include: elicits the relaxation response in the body; creates a balanced source of energy moving through us; increases our lung capacity; boosts the immune system; feeds our organs with vitality; stabilizes the mind; maintains emotional equilibrium; facilitates the reduction of depression… just to name a few.

So, the next time you feel tired, sad, overwhelmed, unfocused, burnt out, or just feel you need a little “pick-me-up,” try this yogic breathing technique (this one can also be helpful for insomnia, and is safe to do for those on the fertility journey, as well as throughout pregnancy):

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama  (means: “alternate nostril breathing” or “channel cleansing breath”)

Benefits:

• Lowers heart rate, reduces stress and anxiety & soothes the system
• Said to synchronize the two hemispheres of the brain
• Said to purify the subtle energy channels (nadis) of the body so the prana (life force) flows more easily

Notations:

• You can practice this breath work up to 15 minutes at a time.
• You are breathing normally through each nostril (no constriction/sound at back of throat).

How-to Step by Step:

Sit in a comfortable seat, with a tall spine, soft shoulders and a long back of neck (chin slightly down).

• Gently close your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril fully, then close it with your ring and/or little fingers.
• Open and exhale slowly through the right nostril.
• Keep the right nostril open and inhale through it.
• Then close it, and open and exhale slowly through the left.
  This is  one cycle.**
  Repeat 3 to 5 times (or more), then release the hand at the nose and go back to normal breathing though both nostrils.
  Feel the impact on your body, mind and spirit!

**Depending on your needs this breath can be practiced in a few different ways:

• To balance: begin with the LEFT nostril — do many rounds back and forth — and end with the RIGHT nostril
• To calm (also good for interrupted sleep): begin with the LEFT nostril — do many rounds back and forth — and end with the LEFT nostril
• To energize: begin with the RIGHT nostril — do many rounds back and forth — and end with the RIGHT nostril.

Wendy Obstler, CYT, E-RYT,  is a certified yoga therapist, experienced registered yoga teacher and certified prenatal yoga teacher. Wendy is also the certified Lead Teacher and Ambassador of Strong Yoga™ 4Women. Since 2005, she has worked with countless women struggling with fertility challenges and has witnessed over and again the powerful benefits of yoga on fertility. Having used the practice of yoga therapy to heal her own severe back injury, Wendy enjoys sharing the transformational qualities of yoga with other individuals in chronic pain, healing from injury, post-operative rehab and as awareness for injury prevention.  Wendy is a therapist/instructor at Beverly Hills Posture, a proud member of both the International Association of Yoga Therapists and the Yoga Alliance. Wendy Obstler, CYT/E-RYT ©2013 All Rights Reserved

If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.