I just survived my 25th Bikram Yoga class in 30 days.

Who would have thought that I could handle this series of two sets of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises conducted in a 105-degree room for 90 minutes? Especially since the extent of my exercise program is wii bowling every few months and running to catch the UPS driver before he leaves without my outgoing box of lab orders. What does this have to do with the ever changing optical industry and ECPs? Pull up a yoga mat and let the class begin. I am not certified nor qualified to teach Bikram Yoga, so I will be teaching you Opti Yoga to practice throughout the day at your optical studio. Please focus your attention on this page and we're ready to begin. Opti Yoga requires everyone to stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water. If you are working out properly and talking to your patients you will get thirsty. Coffee water and caramel colored carbonated water with caffeine are both far stretches from hydration. Please keep in mind that drinking too much barley and hops or fermenting grapes with yeast after hours makes for an extra rough yoga recovery the next day. A hangover will affect your balance and performance in the optical studio. Hangover remedies with electrolytes might be a smart move.

Focus on controlled breathing during your practice of Opti Yoga. Slow breathing in and out through the nose. Try it now. Breathe in, belly rises. Exhale, belly falls. Keep your breathing in check and try to remain calm when working with difficult patients. Avoid any fight or flight breathing by keeping your mouth closed when it is full of hot air. This type of breathing can cause your heart rate to accelerate and blood pressure to increase. The more you dwell on the heat, the more exhausted you will eventually become. Practice artificial yawning as a calming exercise.

Opti Yoga will make you more aware of proper posture. Don't overlook the wise investment of work stations and seating that promote a healthy spine. Yogi staff will be much more productive when working isn't such a pain. Office chairs aren't always one kind fits all. Shop around and get input from other yogis before you make a final decision. Place work computers slightly below eye level so they may be viewed comfortably with the head and neck in a natural position. To reduce the risk of dry eyes during computer use, try this exercise: Every 20 minutes, blink 10 times slowly by closing your eyes as if falling asleep. Practice the 90 degree angle pose. Your ankles, knees, hips and elbows should be at 90 degrees (L shaped). And your wrists should rest neutral. Make sure that everyone is comfortable sitting on their sitz bones. That's what they get paid to do, right?

Opti Yoga can help with the healing of Opticianitus. If you are bothered by numb thumbs from years of mounting lenses into zyl frames then work on ThumbsUpAsana stretching with another yogi. Sit down and relax your favored arm on the dispensing table. Place other arm behind your back. Hook the four fingers of your dominant hand with the same four fingers on your opponent's hand. Point your thumb up towards the ceiling. Lock your knees. Try to pin your opponent's thumb down for five seconds using full thumb strength, while dodging any attempts of him/her doing the same. Repeat ten times. 

A great stretching exercise that I call NoSaleAsana should be practiced often. Stand on your toes as high as possible; now lift your chest up and with a straight spine reach for a frame on the very top row of the frame board. Hold it there for a count of ten and then slowly lower your body back down and remove a frame from the eye level row. Place the frames back on the board in opposite positions. This works well for strengthening your calves and as well as good inventory karma.

One of the most strenuous stretching postures is bending over backwards for the patients. Be careful though, you don't want to overdo this posture at the risk of it coming back to harm you. You won't find me offering medical advice to a patient that is out of the scope of my licensed position or measuring a patient's PD during this posture for use outside of our optical studio. The advanced yogis in my state have got my back on this one. 

Sometimes the optical studio gets so busy we forget to eat or don't bother taking the time to do so. Not eating can become a cranky topic very quickly so we try to keep some healthy snacks on hand at our studio. Fresh fruit, protein bars and trail mix can usually be found in our break room along with the occasional happy birthday cake and ice cream. You just need to follow your gut on this one. No two guts are alike and that's the beauty of practicing Opti Yoga.

In the stillness, the healing begins. Remember these words the entire time you are working out with a patient to get them fit with eyewear excellence. Engage in the conversation by opening your mouth and never closing your ears. Discover what a typical day for them outside the studio is like and how they use their vision. Sit down at the dispensing table and make sure you are eye level with the patient. Balance the frames evenly on their face. No leaning in, stretching up or slouching down to take the proper measurements. Exercise your fingers on the keyboard or by using a pen and paper if your instructor insists. Look into the eyes of the patient and stay energized while you are setting the tone for the best possible eyewear for them. This next part can be a very uncomfortable for some yogis. 

Trust me this posture is 90% mental and you can master it with continued practice. Relax your brain of all negative thoughts and tell the patient what the total amount of their bill will be. Be careful not to ramble on or you might lose your balance due. Remain calm without fidgeting all around. Close your mouth. Keep your eyes open and wait for the patient to respond. In the stillness the healing begins and that's the things that make you go ommm.

Give yourself a hug. You are awesome. Namaste.

Ginny Johnson
LDO, ABOC