ACL Reconstruction & Hot Yoga

If you are reading this you are either researching the best ways to rehab, currently rehabbing or just plain curious.

An Anteriror Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction of the knee joint is one of the most common surgeries and the recovery time can be up to a year. That is a long time for anybody and even after the instructed rehab has finished for many the pain can still be a problem as surgery doesn’t always mean a pain free life.

This is where the Classic Hot Yoga (26&2 sequence) approach comes in as an aid for your ACL reconstruction rehab.

Before I go into more detail - I have had double ACL reconstruction, and one of my surgeries didn’t go to plan, and the Classic Hot Yoga (26&2 sequence) helped me walk again. And there have been many stories of this working for people.

Combining your physio and Classic Hot Yoga you will be back in action in no time, and you will be able to maintain the health of your knee.

This is a practice to aid your normal physio therapy rehab, or to practice after you have fully rehabbed but please be sure to check with your physiotherapist and doctor before starting.

The following factors explain why the yoga helps those going through rehab and even post rehab.

• The heat allows the joint to relax giving it the stretch it needs.

• The emphasis on straightening out the leg and activating the muscles around the knee joint helps to realign the knee and creates a strong muscular structure to support it.

• The calm and relaxing environment that your mind goes into during practice will allow you work with the tightness of the knee; giving it the safe stretch it needs.

• Yoga pumps fresh oxygenated blood around the body to the knees where they are needed the most and this really helps the healing process.

• The repetition in the sequence balances out the body and builds muscles correctly, giving strength equally throughout the body.

During the practice please do not miss out: Fixed Firm - Supta Vajrasana, this is the knee healer, and even though 99% of "rehabbers" will not be able to do the full expression at the beginning, you must start this – the teacher will guide you and this right here is the knee healer regardless you have had surgery or not! Before you know it you will be in the full expression and happier than ever.

Before you start tell the teacher about your injury, listen to them and also listen to your body – do not strain yourself in any posture.

Using this approach to rehab both of my knees has been an absolute gift - I couldn’t walk after an infection in my left knee reconstruction and, I can say I have been very lucky to have this practice.

If you have any further questions about ACL rehab please email me at – surajyoga1@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to guide you through and give you some tips to get you back to what you love doing most.

Below is a picture of me 10 years on post infection, and you can see the wonders yoga has done for my knees by allowing me to hold this posture and also straighten out the knee joint as much as possible.

Will Power: the cliches, and one Yoga-esque practice to enhance Sankalpa Shakti

Some thoughts on will-power and a Yoga-esque practice to enhance will power, Sankalpa Shakti.

D.O.M

I'd just come out of the shop with a roast beef sandwich, large chips, ear of corn, & a jumbo sausage. A poor, homeless man sat there and said 'I haven't eaten for two days.'I told him, 'I wish I had your will power.' 

A 1996 paper in the field of psychology concluded that “Will-power is like using a muscle: After exercising it, it loses its strength, gets fatigued, and becomes ineffectual, at least in the short-term.” For those inclined to read more, elaborate commentary can be found here.

The flip side of the same coin is that will-power can be strength-conditioned as well - through deliberate exercises and practices. For example, by setting “small”, “easy” goals and seeing them through, the mind is conditioned - it develops a winning habit. Converse is true, quitting tasks - no matter how trivial - becomes a habit too.

Another perspective, backed by data and scientific research, comes from Dr Krishna Savani at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and also shared by Dr. Christian Jarrett: “Instead of thinking of willpower as the amount of petrol in a car… think of it as the car’s battery,” The more you drive, the more the battery gets charged, and the longer it will last.” An elaborate commentary can be found here.

The real-life practical implications, in my humble and layman-ish opinion, are similar from all such works of research, and they converge with the traditional wisdom on the matter: ‘Practice becomes strongly embedded when it is nourished by regularity and truthful actions over a period of time’ (Patanjali’s Sutra 1.14: Sa tu dirgha kala nairantarya satkarasevito dridhabhumih.) Applied here: with earnest, mindful practice, will-power can be increased.

As day-to-day practical steps, it is then generally advised to make any resolution - “sankalpa” - very judiciously, and to refrain from lofty and unrealistic goal-setting, as the outcomes feed either of the two respective mindsets (a/ strengthened will-power-mindset or b/ debilitated will-power-mindset). Unfortunately, the magnitude and glory of the tasks undertaken is immaterial. The scores move by just 1 or -1, black or white, simple yes or simple no; not taking into account the quality.

As an example: a smoker’s resolution to stay off tobacco just for one day, if successfully kept will have a positive impact. Another resolution could be to complete the London marathon in under four hours. Well, if the marathon was completed, but not in under four hours: the sankalpa failed, and despite the glorious context, it will have a negative impact. The sankalpa shakti scorecard gained 1 in the former instance, and lost 1 in the latter.

By this logic, will power can be conditioned and increased by succeeding frequently, even though in small magnitudes, and by being a mindful decision-maker. One may also think of it as an Artificial Intelligence bot that has to be trained on data. This analogy gives a sense of healthy detachment from the mental faculty of will-power. i.e. it is a skill, though innate but still to be sharpened as if an external tool. Mindful decision making applied to small tasks can have compounding impact on will power. A simple daily check-list that I would myself like to follow in this direction is to:

• Have a realistic and reasonable wake up time in the morning, so that there is never the risk of pressing the snooze button and scoring -1 on the sankalpa shakti scorecard

• Make up bed first thing every morning after getting up and score an easy +1

• Meditate every morning to shore up energy for further +1s

• Having a well-deliberated and realistic time-plan for the week and the day that involves wholesome life activities; with self-joy taking the highest priority (arts, sports, etc. - any recreation that doesn’t involve self-abuse): and sticking to the plan. Score more +1s in a planned way!

• Working towards a “larger” and long-term goal may or may not be part of the plan; it does not matter. Frequent uncorrelated wins - even though small - matter more.

Of course, everyone would have their own similar check-list. But the importance of a self-schedule can’t be over-emphasized enough.

In all likelihood, all of the above is commonly known, cliched and intuitive. The associated neurological and biochemical narratives (adrenalin, dopamine, endorphins, etc.) are well researched and general knowledge. The following section may not be. 

There is an effective yoga-hack to access the sub-conscious and therein plant the seeds of a sankalpa. It is kind of self-hypnosis - making a suggestion to the sub-conscious, priming it and influencing it. Modern science estimates, and it’s yet another cliche, that sub-conscious controls more than 90% of our brain activities, and is arguably proportionately more potent than the conscious mind. So why not harness this reservoir of power to achieve a particular goal!

The practice goes thus: Prepare yourself in a meditative posture, ideally after a run, or a yoga session, a gym workout, or a dance. Perform pranayama or simple deep breathing to calm down body, breath and mind. After a complete exhalation, assume simultaneously the bandhas (energy locks) of the mooladhara and swadhisthana chakras (mool-bandha), manipura (uddiyan bandh) and vishuddhi (jalandhara bandh); and with closed eyes gaze internally at the ajna chakra (eye brow centre). One of Ajna’s literal meanings is “command”. While holding the locks and the gaze, and awareness at Ajna chakra, repeat the sankalpa internally three times. This is akin to commanding the subconscious. The bandhas and the internal gaze bring the practitioner in proximity of the sub-conscious, and repeating the sankalpa in this state encourages the entire sub-conscious to organise and align itself behind the sankalpa.

If the practitioner is not familiar with the chakras and bandhas, a simple substitute could be to exhale completely and hold the breath (or even while holding breath internally after a deep inhalation), gaze internally with closed eyes at the space between the eye-brows, and repeat mentally the sankalpa. No excuse for not trying!

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar

One final thought: While there are elegant theories and abounding practical tips to understand and  enhance will-power, taking the first baby step itself needs will-power to build will-power. Developing other skills and working towards goals need will-power. The funny - and also simultaneously not so funny - thing here is that developing will-power needs a starting dose of … will-power. For many this could be a never-ending (or never starting) convoluted loop of dependancy. For example, pulling oneself out of depression vs. slipping further into it. External help from loved ones - to provide a much-needed jumpstart - becomes quite critical in such situations. Stocking up the reservoir when completely healthy and capable is a wise idea too.

Then there’s the other extreme - which we should be wary of - where will-power can morph into ego-fuel. 

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you, Namaste!

Addiction

When I hear the word addiction, I immediately think of drugs, alcohol, gambling, social media, mobile phones, shopping and many other forms of material things.

Russell Brand says, “Everyone, in some form, is an addict”, and I think that is very close to the truth.

It is true, addiction can be in any form, and identifying and removing this impulsive behaviour will help to lead to a improved wellbeing.

Why addiction?

Addiction can start for so many different reasons.

Situations such as trauma, sadness, abuse, unconscious actions and other things can be the reason for an addiction to form.

Sometimes we do not even know ourselves why until we take a deeper look and this is why being conscious of the problem is so important. And being conscious is usually the first step, once we admit the problem then actions to fix them can be put in place.

What can we do to change?

1) Accept and admit you have an addiction. Until this happens you are not going to stop your addiction. That is the reality of the situation.

2) Talk to people about how you feel. Whether that is someone at home or someone professional, start the process. And do, eventually, ensure you seek professional advice if needed.

3) Create a disciplined plan to keep you away from your addictions and act on it. With a good plan in place and dedication to that process, your life can change today.

Responsibility - we all can change…

We all have the capability to change, it just really comes down to being responsible. 

Taking responsibility for our own actions is the one most important thing any of us can do.

Helping/caring for others? Take care of yourself too

Unless someone wants to change there is nothing really anyone can do.

It can be so hard to accept this, but you must step back and take care of your mind & body.

Remember that whether you are addicted to something that is damaging you, or you are close to someone challenged in this space, if we don't work together and seek help, things are likely to remain the same. 

Some people can do it alone, some of us can't, and identifying where you lie is most important. 

There is no weakness in reaching out as it shows courage, regardless of your age in life, and if you do your best to help yourself and those you love, that’s the most important thing. 

Sadhguru says, “If you do not do what you cannot do, that’s no problem. But if you do not do what you can do, you are a tragedy.”

I hope this article has helped you, please share & like if it has. 

Peace and love.

Written by Suraj Ghumra

Who you are today is what really matters

Yes, it’s true. Who you are today is what really matters..

Who we are is a complex conversation, but all in all, the way we think today is determined by many life situations:

Physically - we are from our biological parents, ancestors and the food we ingest.

Mentally - what we are is the data ingestion from many different situations in our lives. We have obtained and absorbed information through the environments we have been brought up in and surrounded ourselves in.

However, defining ourselves too much can be unhealthy as it leads to identification and we see daily that people who identify themselves deeply with something cause so many human disasters.

Having an understanding of identification is very powerful, and can teach us to leave a lot of things at the door.

An example

The film Lion (and a true story), where the actor Dev Patel plays Saroo Brierley who was separated from his biological mother at in his early years due an unfortunate circumstance, and then was adopted by an Australian family. His experience of life comes from his environmental challenges and changes. Even though his memory takes him back to his childhood and makes him want to go home, his lifestyle, friendships, accent and more were due to the life he lived being brought up in Australia. However if he was to remain in India his social life, hobbies and more would be that of India’s and the area he would of been brought up in.

The same man, but given an upbringing in a different world.

With that in mind, becoming attached to one way of life, or becoming too attached to the person you are in the moment (or were), and not giving yourself the room to grow, change and be the best human being you can be, is something you shouldn’t limit your life to. When you create limits to life, you end a cycle.

Who you are today comes from within, and you can change to be better and get rid of habits and ways that do not serve you.

But for the majority of humanity, who we are today internally is something that we haven’t taken much responsibility for and that is the largest barrier in this process; the way we think, what we consume, what we watch, what we listen to and more. Once we take that responsibility, together with a balanced attitude, we can give ourselves the clear sight to change things we may not like, things that make us unhappy and overall work towards and eventually become someone that is at peace and joyful inside. All this happens because we take responsibility for our feelings and lives, instead of waiting for external surroundings to change that are not in our control. 

Yoga is the path, but it doesn’t happen over night

I, myself, am working on changing things on a daily basis. I still struggle with this and controlling the senses is where yoga and meditation comes in. With the sadhana of yoga you start to see within, and start to get to know the person that you are. Only once you start to understand yourself a bit better and who you may have become then you can start to change things that might not be so good and do not serve you. 

Once I started to meditate and understand there is more than just the physical aspect of yoga, this changed changed my life for the better and enhanced me in ways I couldn’t imagine.

I really started to eliminate ways that I did not want to be any longer.

From when I started my physical yoga to the point of learning how significant the meditation aspect is, I learnt such a great deal and even though I could wish it happened earlier, I am happy the process was right. So don’t rush your process.

The importance of Sadhana

Sadhana can be defined as a regular and dedicated practice to something. In my life, that is yoga.

If you try the simple methods of yoga and meditation on a regular basis, you will start to obtain the skills and benefits that can help you change and better yourself for who you are today. It may not happen overnight. Just as it has taken a certain amount of time for you to be who you are now, why would you now suddenly change in 5 minutes?

But with patience, a dedicated Sadhana, and an attitude for change, your life has endless possibilities and I wish you the best in having the best life you can.

I look back at the way I was in many things and think if only I knew what I knew now, but I didn't. Digging in to the past will not serve this process, but understanding “who you are today is what really matters” allows you to move forward in this dimension of your life.

Changes start from within, not from the outside. Only once you are willing to do something, then something can actually happen. The same concept goes for attitude and mentality. 

We only experience life within ourselves and once we all take responsibility for that, then we can all live in a wonderful environment which will be beautiful for all involved. The problem we face is that not everybody has taken responsibility for their own inner wellbeing and that has lead to so many forms of destruction in many parts of the world and societies today. 

Enjoy the path of having the best life you can. I wish you nothing but love for this, and just remember it is what you are doing today that really matters. You can apologise and change much of your life if you take responsibility for yourself first.

Namaste.

Written by Suraj Ghumra

Self love

Self-love

Self-love according to the wonderful Google is: “regard for one's own well-being and happiness.”
But this has become something that we are doing less and less of, and that's due to many reasons that I will go into later.

What's happened to self-love

Self-love is something that can be associated with different life experiences. We must aim to keep it, or if it goes, we have to fight to get it back. This may sound a bit confusing but the following will help to iron this out.
A lot of people struggle to love themselves internally, and this is due to many reasons in life such as, not being happy with where they are in their working lives, personal lives and more. 
Others may fall victim to bullying (both in educational environments, social and working). Some may fall victim to a negative upbringing or situations in their life that have been so traumatic they feel victimized (something that I used to suffer with for many years). 
On top of these common reasons, society itself (people, colleagues, family members, friends) is always trying to tell you to act a certain way, or be a certain person, or be how they think you should be instead of supporting positivity and self-love for freedom of oneself. When someone has to change who he or she is to match others, that is when self-love can start to become destroyed. Thankfully we live in a generation that this is accepted (or at least in the western world I live in), but there are still places in the world that do not have this mentality, and this does affect many people.

Working to overcome

When you face these challenges and battles, this is when self-love can really help. Once you surpass comments from people in society and stop focusing your energy on what others say and start listening to yourself, your self-love will come back into play. That is when you can use that feeling to achieve the right things for you and be happy within yourself.
Don't get me wrong, there are things that people in your circle say that are correct but there are also things that you may have to dismiss. Learning that art is something that takes time, and something I still struggle with on a day to day basis. Acknowledging what someone says doesn't mean you need to act upon it.

Following your intuition

Following what you believe deep down is not easy in the reality of life. 
However, remember that nobody really knows the situation you are in and, in the most beautiful way possible, they don't really care as much as you think they do. People just want to have an opinion to make themselves feel better or feel like they are a part of something.

Remember to love yourself

Loving yourself, doing what makes you happy and not letting others' opinions affect yours are three main ingredients that have helped me overcome a lot of challenges. 
Even though this is challenging in itself, with controlling the mind as much as possible and getting on the right path with the power of yoga and meditation, this can start to become a reality. 

Thank you for reading and I hope you have enjoyed today’s topic.

Written by Suraj Ghumra.