Easy Yoga with Peggy Cappy

>> Flex the ankle.

Press through the heel.

Arthritis is a big problem.

Bring the arms to the sides of the chair.

The statistics are pretty grim.

One in three adults has arthritis, or is going to have to deal with that.

And that's amazing.

>> I had been dealing with a painful illness that was affecting my hands and my feet.

Yoga really is a huge part of my life, and I know that it repaired things that doctors told me would not... could not be repaired.

I think without yoga I would not have gotten out of that pain.

>> I'm loaded with arthritis, I think if I wasn't doing yoga, I would probably not be getting around like I do.

>> I've had a really happy life and busy life.

I'm in such good shape.

And I all give it to yoga.

No aches and pains.

I wake up in the morning, do my exercises in bed, then I get up and start my day and feel good.

And not many people my age always do that.

>> Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in adults.

Movement is one of the best remedies for bringing about greater ease and relief from suffering.

One of the things that's remarkable is the yoga poses help bring increased circulation to the joints.

And that's very important.

It's kind of like the motor oil for the body.

>> When I started having some issues with my knee, I had to give up things like pickup games of basketball, tennis, things like that.

But now I've been able to still consider... pursue golf, hiking, walking, things of that nature.

So through yoga, it's helped restore some of my life's activities that I used to enjoy before.

>> I think yoga has kept me more limber.

It helps me with balance, which is an issue for me.

I've got some knees that wish I hadn't tried running for a couple of years, jogging.

I have a slight neck problem from a car accident.

I have a lower back problem.

You collect these things over time.

But I think yoga makes it much easier to live with.

>> People find that they have in a very short time more ease in themselves.

They feel more comfortable in this body that we dwell in.

>> Don't wait.

Do it now.

You're never too old.

>> Yoga is a series of practices, but it's also a philosophy that originated in India thousands of years ago.

In fact, yoga encompasses all of one's being, all the dimensions-- physical, mental, and emotional, as well as spiritual.

Yoga, through stretches in the poses, helps not only stretch out tight places in the body, tight muscles, but also strengthens weak muscles.

And that's particularly important for people with arthritis, people that have become stiff with inactivity or through age as the body has stiffened and there's less flexibility.

I've designed Easy Yoga for Arthritis not only to address arthritis issues, but all joints which have stiffened with age or become less mobile from injury or inactivity.

Yoga can make a huge difference in the condition of your body and the quality of your life.

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in adults.

One in three people are going to feel the affects of arthritis.

Movement is one of the best remedies for bringing about greater ease and relief from suffering.

It used to be that arthritis sufferers were told to rest, but now we know that exercise is the most important thing that an arthritis sufferer can do.

And it must be an exercise that is gentle and kind to the joint.

And that's why yoga is so very valuable.

>> I found yoga through Peggy Cappy.

I had been dealing with a painful illness that was affecting my hands and my feet, and I became... over a length of four years I became quite immobile, and could not hold utensils.

And it was painful.

>> Paula is a yoga student of mine, and now a yoga teacher herself.

She came to class only three years ago, but when she arrived, she was at the end of her rope both physically and mentally.

She had a lot of suffering, and she didn't know what to do.

>> I had a great deal of pain that would radiate from... just from inside the bones, it felt like, from the fingertips all the way up to the shoulders, and from the feet, sometimes up to the knees, and occasionally up to the hips.

After four years of this, I really had gone deep within myself to kind of cushion myself from the pain.

I think that's how I dealt with it.

>> Barbara has been one of my most loyal and regular students.

And you know why?

Barbara has had arthritis in just about every joint of her body.

And she knows that if she stops moving, she's just going to really feel the effects of that arthritis.

But by coming to class week after week, month after month, year after year, she maintains an ease in motion, she maintains a vitality with her life.

>> I'm loaded with arthritis, and if you don't keep your joints and your muscles moving, you're going to get stiffer and stiffer.

With the knee, the first knee and then the second knee a year later, I knew it was time, because I could barely walk down one step before the pain was so excruciating from bone rubbing against bone.

>> Many problems that are attributed to arthritis are the result of inactivity, of not moving.

Because what happens is when you hurt, you move less.

But as you move less, the joint stiffens, and so that causes you to move even less.

And so there's a whole cycle, buildup, of inactivity.

>> I think if I wasn't doing yoga, I would probably not be getting around like I do.

It's made me more flexible, more able to do everything I want to do.

>> I know that immobility in a joint is a very bad thing.

If you stop moving the joint completely, the joint actually degenerates.

And I know this all too well in my own family.

My father suffered an accident during surgery that left him in a coma for months following the surgery.

Because he wasn't expected to live, he just lay there.

But he came back from that surgery, he gained full consciousness, full mental faculties.

But then he was left with a body that could not move.

He literally could not move his body.

The joints froze.

So I know all too well the quality of his life was significantly affected simply by letting his joints lie there and not move.

Bob is a remarkable athlete.

In his younger days he played football, he played basketball, he was very, very active.

But as a result of an injury that he suffered in football, he began to have a lot of problems with his knee.

They did surgery, removed all the cartilage from his knee.

But what happened is that he began to really suffer the problems of arthritis as a result of the trauma that his joints experienced.

>> When I was a sophomore in high school, I was playing football, and I hurt my knee pretty severely.

>> He was the quarterback, and a game, he was tackled.

And his cleat caught in one direction, he was pulled in the other, and his knee was blown out.

>> About 12 or 15 years later I started experiencing some pretty good pain in my left knee.

At that point I went to an orthopedic surgeon, he took some x-rays, he said, "Yes, you have osteoarthritis," and that, "really I can't do anything with you at this point.

Maybe if you can wait another 15, 20 years, we can look at doing something."

>> Well, in a 16-year-old with no cartilage, bad things are going to happen, and that came to pass.

>> Begin to stretch through your limbs.

And when you're ready you can draw your knees into the chest.

>> When Bob was about 40, he was suddenly, fairly suddenly, incapacitated, and could no longer walk.

He also drives in the car a lot, and his back was also out at that same time.

Bob was in great pain.

His knee was hot to the touch.

It was red, and he was... he almost had to crawl sometimes to get to bed.

Working was almost impossible, because he drives in a car.

And he'd reached a point of just desperate...

I don't want to say desperation, but he was in great physical and emotional pain.

>> Bob feels that yoga not only has benefited his joints, but also in the joint that he severely injured, he had muscle atrophy.

And what's remarkable is he's been able to develop his muscles, increase not only the strength but the mass of his muscles, as well as take care of the joint.

He feels that yoga has been truly a lifesaver for him.

>> I began to urge him to consider yoga.

Well, he had misconceptions, or preconceptions, about it.

And he balked.

He balked for quite a long time.

And finally, I said, "Look, what do you have to lose, your misery?"

>> Yoga was a mystery to me.

I really didn't know anything about it.

And it was such a foreign language to me.

>> And go ahead and lift your arms above your head.

>> It was just something I was never exposed to in the past.

I think in general, too, men don't know a lot about it, or maybe they're sort of put off and are skeptical of what the benefits of yoga could be.

>> The physical aspsect is most known because of the benefits that the postures in yoga provide.

Yoga is an internal cleanser for the body.

Think about that.

The body moves internally, of course, as well as externally.

And so while we think of the muscles being worked, being strengthened, and being stretched, also all of the organs are more or less massaged by the movements that we make.

And see if you can make your circle get larger and larger.

Chris Kelly, there's a woman that has aged gracefully.

She's done yoga most of her adult life, and she claims that, and rightfully so, that yoga has prevented her from having stiffness in her body anywhere.

Chris knows that yoga has been a big benefit to her life.

She is one of the most vital older people that I know.

>> I am 86 years old.

I just think that yoga has kept me in the best of health.

And I am so thankful for that.

I would say I've been going to yoga classes for 40 years.

I have benefited so much by it.

I have always been strong.

No aches and pains.

I wake up in the morning, do my exercises in bed, then I get up and start my day, and feel good.

And not many people my age always do that.

>> Now you'll need to come up with your own breathing pattern.

>> The physical benefits are pretty remarkable.

Often people think, "Oh, well, it's just about stretching and flexibility."

I've had people say, "Oh, I can't do yoga yet, I'm not flexible enough yet."

And in fact you do yoga to increase flexibility.

I'm so passionate about yoga, because I feel that once someone does yoga, there is an energy that's released to them that begins to work on every aspect of their being.

If you look at simply the physical benefits, it's amazing.

I think if we were born in India we would know how to do this.

It's an honor to have Mary Catherine in the class.

She's an author, and well known for her writing.

But what impressed me is I'm an anthropologist by training, and her mother was Margaret Mead, and her father Gregory Bateson.

Catherine has found that yoga has been a great benefit to her life as a speaker, and someone who travels a lot, and as an author.

>> I think that at the point where I started doing yoga, I had already had chronic fatigue syndrome, and was recovering from it, and wanted a form of exercise that would not make me collapse.

I was around 50.

I think yoga has kept me more limber.

It helps me with balance, which is an issue for me.

If I were not doing yoga for an extended period of time, I would have much more sense of deterioration in my body.

And if I don't do yoga, I begin to feel the difference.

>> Keeping both legs straight, reach towards the center.

>> I think the deep stretching really does have an effect that goes for several days.

>> People don't even think of me as the same person, because when I first went to yoga, my eyes were always down.

I was very inside of myself, because I was fearful of the pain.

>> So we're lifting the shoulders and rolling them forward, or lifting the shoulders and pulling them back.

>> And then as I was able to start doing some of the exercises, particularly with the hands and feet, I started to find that, A, there was less pain, and I was beginning to have... my hands were more facile, and I could pick up utensils again.

>> Toes to the right.

Heels to the left.

>> In the warmups in class, we do a lot for the fingers, hands, and wrists.

And that's to increase the circulation in the joints.

And people with osteoarthritis in the hands or rheumatoid arthritis in the hands need gentle movement to work those joints and to create more ease in the joints.

>> After those first three months I just quietly to myself thought, "Maybe this is really it.

Maybe I really am getting better."

And within six months I was absolutely positive, because I was now not having days where I couldn't walk.

I could walk.

And I do remember... you know, one of the things that was so hard for me before was I have a wonderful companion dog, and I couldn't walk him.

I both couldn't walk, and I couldn't hold the leash.

I couldn't clench my hands.

And I remember when I first started being able to take him for just extraordinarily short walks up the driveway and down.

And it just was... it's a chain reaction of good things.

And I also think that yoga is of a whole.

It's in the body, but it releases things from the body and the mind, and it can only... it can only benefit you.

>> The benefits of yoga for arthritis are many.

Many, many.

One of the things that's remarkable is the yoga poses help bring increased circulation to the joints.

And that's very important, not only to bring in nutrients, but also to take away waste products and toxins that accumulate in the body.

Also the movement of yoga in the joints help stimulate and circulate synovial fluid, which causes the joint to be lubricated.

It's kind of like the motor oil for the body.

Yoga also is very important by increasing muscle strength, because we need strong muscles to protect the joints.

Move the hands into an infinity symbol.

>> I've got much more flexibility, and much, much less pain.

And my hands are loaded with arthritis, but they don't hurt.

>> And then just let your hands rest.

And now feel that sensation of the movement in the spine.

>> My hands just look a lot worse than they are.

I think I just continue to use them and do the exercises that Peggy has had us do in class, and I have no problem.

A few years ago for our 50th anniversary, our whole family came with us to Tuscany.

And one of my favorite places to go to is San Gimignano.

And there's a tower there.

And I was able to climb to the top of that tower.

It was between eight and 12 flights of stairs.

Not everybody did, but I did.

I think if I wasn't doing yoga, I would probably not be getting around like I do.

I won't say I'd be in a wheelchair, but it's made me more flexible, more able to do everything I want to do.

>> See if you can pull up from the wrists, and then release those wrists down.

When people start yoga, often they feel the benefits right away.

Maybe as soon as the first class.

I've had people tell me in one class it made such a difference to their well being, they decided to continue.

During the day at home, whenever I have the opportunity, I will do some stretches.

Every morning I do a couple stretches in the shower, and then when I get out of the shower.

And if I'm lying down watching the TV, I do a lot of the twisting to benefit my back and sciatica problem.

And you just incorporate it into your life during the day, whenever you think about it.

>> People find that they have, in a very short time, more ease in themselves.

They feel more comfortable in this body that we dwell in.

And what's wonderful is that it's never too late to start.

The changes that you see may evolve more slowly, but they are profound.

In fact, someone that has started yoga late in life sometimes can see the benefits even faster than a young person who already has a lot of resilience in the body as well as the mind.

>> The physical aspect is very important in yoga.

But what happens over time when someone practices yoga is they come to see that the benefits for the mind are perhaps more profound than the physical benefits.

And the physical benefits are pretty remarkable.

In the beginning, you notice the physical changes that are really beneficial.

But over time, you notice that, "Ah, something else is happening.

I have a better ability to focus, better ability to bring myself into the present moment rather than worrying or having anxiety about the future, or feeling overwhelmed by past experiences."

Another important aspect is it helps develop balance and harmony through all the systems of the body.

So it promotes health on the physical aspect, but the mental aspect is just as important.

>> It helps me with balance, which is an issue for me.

And I've also felt that yoga has become a part of my reflective, meditative side of my life in a way.

That this whole business of concentrating on the breathing and being aware of one's body and noticing changes after activity and so on has given me a new kind of awareness.

I'm sure it has to do with health, but it's also just interesting to live with.

One of the things that yoga helps with is... makes you aware of the relationship between what you're doing physically with your body and and what's going on in your mind.

So sometimes I connect my head with the rest of my body.

And it's interesting when you just think in terms of the breath.

That's two ways, right?

Breathing in, you might say, breathing in.

I think in some way, what does that say to me about the concept of love?

What does it say when I breathe out, right?

Then if you have two or three things and you're going through a series of motions and you're still... then you're still exploring, say, faith, hope, and love, and each one comes with a different bodily motion at a different moment.

And you say, "Ah-hah.

I just spent some time exploring what these words mean."

>> In addition to the physical benefits, there are emotional benefits that yoga provides.

Yoga is one of the greatest stress relievers that I know.

And there are components of yoga that really help deal with emotional trauma and strain.

And slowly down to the left.

Yoga is a great antidote to stress.

And stress is not a friend of people that suffer with arthritis.

As you feel stressed, what happens is that you tense up your muscles.

You get really tight.

And that tension then creates more pain.

Pain creates emotional disturbance, and then the more upset you are, the more pain you create.

And it's a cycle that just continues.

All of us at one time or another, and some people more than others, feel run by our minds.

The mind's constant chatter seems like it seldom slows down.

And for many people, it's actually hard to be in the present moment, to be aware of what's happening.

Deep breathing itself is known to bring about decreased blood pressure.

And with better breathing, sometimes it even affects sleep.

People sleep better once they're doing a yoga program.

I began yoga...

I had the good fortune to begin yoga when I was only 21.

And as a result of my very first yoga class, I knew this was something I would do for the rest of my life.

And coming from that place for myself, having that experience myself, that's what kind of drives me in my teaching.

I want...

I love teaching first- time people.

I want people to have that great first experience with yoga so that they too know that all of the benefits are theirs.

>> I think one thing about yoga is that there's a more calming effect, perhaps a little more peaceful...

I'm more peaceful with myself, and a little more at ease.

>> He liked it.

He liked, I think, being able to move again.

And he stayed with it.

And so for the past ten years, he's faithfully done yoga probably two to three times a week.

And the changes are nothing less than miraculous.

>> Meditation and yoga is your life.

There is no separation.

Yoga is almost like a cultural feeling.

When you come into contact with yoga, it affects all parts of your life.

I felt like I had found somewhat of a spiritual home base.

Allow the energy to flow.

And after about three months of really just doing the breathing with her, because I wasn't strong enough to do the gentle stretch exercises, but just doing the breathing, I found a great reduction in my pain.

In the mornings, I do get up, and I meditate.

Not for long.

Just about ten minutes.

And I do my own personal practice first thing in the morning.

And it's usually a fairly quiet practice.

And it has... it's a flowing practice, just to get the juices flowing.

I knew... when I went to that yoga class, I knew I wanted to know more.

I knew I wanted it to be part of my life for the rest of my life.

I also knew that it filled a spiritual gap that I had, and that I'd been searching to fill that gap for quite a long time.

>> I just think that yoga has kept me in the best of health.

And I'm so thankful for that.

It has made such a difference in my life.

People can't believe that I walk with my shoulders back.

My balance isn't always the best, but that comes with age.

I just can't say enough about yoga and what it's done for me.

And people say, "But, oh, I can't do that now, you know, I'm too old for that."

And I keep telling them that, "Well, you'd be surprised.

And just let me know when you want to go.

I'll take you."

Yoga is my life.

And I don't think that I would ever miss a day of it.

And so it's one of the most important things I do every day.

>> Yoga is my life.

I feel very alive and healthy.

I look at people my age, and some people just seem like they've given up, that they really aren't very comfortable in their body.

And I feel tremendously vital.

I feel young and full of energy, enthusiasm, and I attribute a lot of that to yoga.

>> It's allowed me to find my true self, which is really the goal of yoga, to find the light within yourself, but to find your true self and be confident in that, and in the decision of being yourself.

And then you find that people are just fine with that.

>> So what helps you have a good yoga practice?

First of all, yoga poses that are safe and effective.

Second is a well thought-out program.

Third is being able to practice from home.

And another factor that I think people often neglect is you can invite a friend over, or do it with a family member.

And then there's a social component to the yoga as well, where you just really enjoy taking care of yourself with somebody.

>> Peggy leads the class with her heart.

She's very aware of everyone in the class and their needs, and while she directs the class, she can very discreetly give adaptations out.

And she knows exactly who they're for, and so do we.

But it never feels like, "I don't think you can do this, so do it that way."

It's always a choice, and it's always a wonderful way that she enables us, everyone, to be able to do yoga.

>> Sometimes people are hesitant to start yoga, because they feel like they don't have time in their lives, or they feel like not only are they too busy, but they just can't fit in an extra moment to spare.

If someone feels like that, they're going to benefit even more from a yoga practice.

Other people say they're too tired for yoga, they don't have enough energy.

And it's precisely for that reason that they should begin.

Tremendous energy is released internally, and you end up feeling so much better and have more energy and endurance for the other daily activities.

My recommendation is for you to focus on what you want.

You want a better body.

You want to move with more ease.

You want to be able to enjoy the activities in life that you've always loved.

Turn the torso, come into side facing warrior.

Bend that knee.

And by adding a little yoga to your day, you bring about a sense of ease on every level of your being.

I think we live in an instant culture where we're used to having instant results.

With yoga, you don't need to be afraid that you're moving too slowly.

In fact, I encourage you to slow down, to not expect results overnight.

But you will see those results very soon.

>> I think yoga means to me... it's more of a... it's a lifetime learning for me.

I'm hooked on it now, and it's something I can do for the rest of my life.

>> The beauty of this yoga program is that anyone can do it.

And what I mean is I've provided three different variations of the poses.

You can do the yoga from a seated position, you can do the yoga with the support and aid of a chair for balance and alignment.

Or you can do the yoga as a preventative to ward off any problems.

My students hear me say all the time, you hold a yoga pose as long as it remains comfortable and steady.

If it's no longer comfortable or steady, time to come out and just be with the conditions that you've created in the body and be with what your needs are.

I myself come from a family that has arthritis all over.

Not only my mother and grandmother suffered from arthritis, but now my sisters and my brother also complain.

One sister I've shown stretches to, and she said they make all the difference in how her hips feel throughout the day.

>> You're elated for one thing, you know?

You just have this feeling... you feel so much better, and everything's moving okay.

Voile.

>> I think for sure I would suffer from arthritis had I not been doing yoga my whole adult life.

From time to time I have a little twinge, and what I do is just rededicate myself to the poses and activities that I know are going to benefit the circulation, benefit the joint, and in no time that twinge is gone.

>> Don't wait.

Do it now.

You're never too old.

>> When things might get difficult, it still is a process that lifts my mood.

If I am having any frustration or sadness, I get on that mat, or I go to a class.

Go to a class with people.

It's important to go with people too, not just the personal practice.

And it will lift your mood as it lifts your body.

>> Yoga is such a very important part of of my life, because it enhances my well-being on every dimension.

It also puts me in relationship with the cosmos, with the universe, in a way that is very important to me, where I extend the idea of who I am to a bigger picture.

Yoga for me, and the philosophy, helps me understand about the mystery of life, and have appreciation and really awe for the fact that we are alive.

And by the practice of yoga, I found my life's purpose.

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