LYT

Category: Podcasts

  • 189 | Acquiring Happiness

    189 | Acquiring Happiness

    Today would normally be our interview episode, but instead I’m going to be talking about something inspired by one of my friends. My friend Elizabeth Fryer wrote me and said she had thought of me when she was writing about the French philosopher, Descartes, who said “happiness does not consist in acquiring the things that we think will make us happy, but in learning to like the things we have to do anyway.” She said I seemed to be happy in a lot of the things that I do, and wanted to talk about it.


    I agree with Descartes: You will not reach happiness in acquiring things. We know that some people have so many things, and those things still don’t make them happy. We’re doing things, why not find happiness in learning how to do these things anyway?


    So what are some of those things we have to do anyway, and how can we find happiness in them? Here are a few examples:

    • We have to work for money, for food and shelter, and hopefully for a higher purpose. Some people don’t necessarily subscribe to the belief that you can do something that’s fulfilling. Can you find moments of happiness in whatever work you do?
    • When things are hard, remember that there are people out there who just have it so much harder. It is harder to bring yourself to complain about something when you realize all of the ways that you are really so lucky and well off. Save the complaints for things that really, really matter


    Resources:

  • 188 | Wednesday Q&A

    188 | Wednesday Q&A

    Today is Wednesday Q&A, where you ask me questions directly and I answer them. I try to be spontaneous and answer them right on the spot. Also, make sure you check out my Lit Daily online yoga classes, so that you can feel your most lit up anytime, anywhere.


    I answer your questions about working through knee pain, helping with menstrual cramps, and keeping up self practice as a teacher.


    Your questions:


    • What tips do you have on working with someone with moderate kyphosis?
    • How many hours a day do you teach, and do you self-practice daily around that?
    • Does the subscription to your website renew automatically?
    • How can I help people step forward from downward dog to lunge without the knee down or circumventing the hip?
    • How/when/if do you make room for quiet/alone time away from all things electronics and other people?
    • When do you think you might have another teacher training in Princeton?
    • Is it a good idea to have my head and scapula against a wall while I meditate?
    • Where do I start with a student who has trouble in sukhasana, rounded spine high knees?
    • What is the best yoga pose to help relieve menstrual cramps in lower back and stomach?
    • What movements should be restricted for osteoarthritis?
    • Back bend from beginner to progress toward advanced level?


    Do you have a question?

    • DM me on Instagram: @lara.heimann
    • Email me at lara@movementbylara.com
  • 187 | How to Get Out of Feeling BLAH

    187 | How to Get Out of Feeling BLAH

    Everybody knows what that “blah” feeling is. It’s that feeling when you’re not excited, you’re not motivated, and you’re not energized.


    So how do you get out of this feeling? In this episode, I’m going to share some tips for getting over that funk and getting some motivation back.


    The important thing to remember is that this feeling is trying to tell you something, so don’t ignore it. Listen to your body, and learn when you need to feel it, and when you need to start pushing against it.


    Get the tools that you need for feeling better, but don’t shove it down. Allow yourself to feel it and move through it. If all you do is sit in it, you’ll only ever feel blah. And you should feel lit up.


    Resources:

  • 186 | Shoulders | with John Frank, PT

    186 | Shoulders | with John Frank, PT

    In this episode, my brother, John Frank, joins me to discuss the shoulder complex. John is a physical therapist, athlete, and fellow lover of movement. So often, we think that the shoulder is simple, but the shoulder is, in fact, quite complicated! 


    When you see people, what are the main complaints people have in their shoulders?

    The complaint usually comes from the front and / or top of the shoulder, so your bicep or your rotator cuff. There is never a blanket diagnosis, because the shoulder is so intricate. When you have pain when reaching overhead, you have to look at the whole complex of the shoulder, not just one place. 


    What is a good exercise that would help people re-educate their range of shoulder motions between the different parts?

    Face a wall and put your arms overhead, and move the arms slightly out to the sides. Relax the arms completely, and pretend as though someone took their fingers on the lower part of your shoulder blade, moving it upwards. Be sure to keep your neck neutral in this position. 


    What do you see in the shoulder when people have a sloped shoulder? Is this something that can be helped? 

    Even though there are a lot of genetic features, a sloped shoulder is mostly acquired. The top of the shoulder blade and the bottom of the shoulder blade should be pointing straight down as vertical, parallel to the spine. People with sloped shoulders tend to have pain in their necks as well as tingling down the arm. 


    What can people with sloped shoulders, or conditions like that, do?

    Definitely do the wall exercise described above, but also look at your posture. Shrugging the shoulders, and even raising the arms above the head periodically can help as well. 


    Resources:

  • 185 | Wednesday Q&A

    Today is Wednesday Q&A. You ask me questions and I answer! Remember to keep sending in questions – I love to know what you’re thinking and what you’re curious about. 


    Your questions:

    • I’ve been cued to push up between the shoulder blades. Do you agree?
    • What are your thoughts on triangle pose?
    • Is it possible for a runner to loosen their hips?
    • What is the proper way to walk up multiple flights of stairs, especially if double stepping?
    • Can we do cat cow movement while we are in a wide angle standing forward fold?
    • Where is the best spot to place hands for chaturanga pose?


    Do you have a question?

    • DM me on Instagram: @lara.heimann
    • Email me at lara@movementbylara.com
  • 184 | What is good movement?

    184 | What is good movement?

    In the 25 years of being a physical therapist I’ve seen that people have become more restricted and less varied in their movement. 


    In this episode I break down exactly what I mean by good movement and tell you how to increase your ability to move well. 


    There are four crucial aspects to good movement – ease, efficiency, variation and coordination. Each of these work together to ensure we’re not putting unnecessary stress on our bodies and that we have lots of choices in our movement bank. 


    Make it your mission to move, and move well, each and every day. Also, examine the ways that you’re not moving as well, and think about how you can be more efficient and more coordinated in movement.




    Resources:

  • 183 | Two PTs and a podcast | with Kristin Williams

    183 | Two PTs and a podcast | with Kristin Williams

    Today my friend and fellow physical therapist and yogi Kristin Williams returns to the conference. Kristin actually got into yoga because she had so many PT patients coming in injured from yoga and decided that she needed to learn more about it. She has an amazing therapeutic series on the LYT daily so make sure to check that out. 

    We talk about takeaways from a PT conference we just went to, how to work out what might be causing you pain when you run and how you could be suffering from weak scapulae, even if you work out a lot.


    Plus, Kristin answers your PT questions including:

    • What would be the cardinal sign of a glute medius tendinopathy or tendinosis? 
    • Is going from warrior three III or airplane pose to half moon bad for your hips? 
    • Does the sacroiliac (SI) joint really move all that much in asymmetrical poses?
    • What is the optimal position for feet in yoga – parallel or diagonal?
    • What movements do you see from bodies on the street that make you cringe?


    Resources:

  • 182 | Q&A For the New Year

    Happy new year! 2020 has such a great feeling behind it. I believe a lot of great things are going to happen this year and this decade. My wish for this new year is that we all show up in our best way. I’m going to start with answering questions that you have sent in and I hope this episode helps you start off 2020 in a fantastic way, with lots of movement!


    Your questions:


    • What would you do if a student doesn’t want to do a one-legged balance posture because the ankles hurt?
    • How can we set boundaries without guilt?
    • Is it necessary to twist after a backbend before a forward fold to neutralize the spine?
    • What are good yoga poses for high-level kayak paddlers?
    • After lower back surgery for a slipped disc, are there any yoga poses to be avoided?
    • What to do if a student feels her eyeballs are going to pop out into dolphin pose?


    Do you have a question?

    • DM me on Instagram: @lara.heimann
    • Email me at lara@movementbylara.com