Home For The Holidays: HELLO, STRESS!

Holiday magic…. The tree is sparkling with hundreds of shimmering lights, and the stockings are hung. You’ve spent many afternoons fighting crowds in the mall, and now carefully wrapped presents are tucked under the tree. Read more

Inflammation: Good, Bad & Ugly

Inflammation is bad news, right?

There’s much talk about hyper-acidity and chronic inflammation. Aging, heart disease, digestive problems, respiratory congestion, joint pain, and even cancer have all been connected to inadequate inflammatory response. No wonder many doctor super – stars and well – known athletes like Dr. Oz, Dr. Andrew Weil, Brandon Brazier all advocate anti – inflammatory diet.

But wait. Is all inflammation actually harmful?

Watch the video below to learn how inflammatory response works ( please ignore the ad at the end of the video; it is difficult to find a good educational video without ad of some sort attached to it)

Consider this:

Local inflammatory response is needed and necessary to repair broken tissue – be it a simple cut, a broken bone, a case of appendicitis or any other surgery. It allows the human body to be unharmed by viruses, bacteria or fungi by triggering an appropriate defense mechanism.

How come this vital part of the healthy immune system function can become such a menace? The reasons are one, two, way too many. For some of us it is genetic predisposition, for others – the state of chronic stress, and for many it is our diet.
All too often the link between the state of our overall health and the state of our digestive system becomes the vicious circle: the weaker our digestion, the poorer is our health; the poorer the health, the weaker the digestion.

Whoa, what a person to do?

You can, just like I did a few years back, pour over the books, experiment with different diets, try dozens of different supplements in hopes of finding something that works. It only took me about 7 years… give or take.

You can also attend Anti – Inflammatory Diet and Beyond:

You’ll get all the information I have collected and tested over the years of being unwell, working at the Health Hut and studying Ayurveda. Plus, as a special bonus feature, you’ll get a great overview of anti-inflammatory supplements available on the market from Kelly Stubbert (she had worked at the Hut for over 15 years; trust me, she knows her stuff).

So, what do you think? Quite honestly, if I was invited to one of these workshops 10 years ago when I was ill, I would have dropped my books and registered without even thinking twice. Lucky for you, though, none of that was available in 2001, so I had to do my own research and lots of it.

Anti – Inflammatory Diet and Beyond:
November 16 ( a Wednesday) 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the Northwest Wellness Centre. Register now!

Be Good…For Goodness Sake!

 

When I ask my students how are they feeling, more often then not I hear “ good…fine.”

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Dreams, Desires, Accomplishments

“yoga is a path of finding the means to do something beyond one’s reach and then of gradually making it possible.
It is the movement from the place one is now, to a place one has never been before.”
~Marcia Langenberg Read more

The Fine Art of Self Care

 

Nowadays, the fine art of self-nurture is all but forgotten, replaced by eternal, all – consuming busyness. We feel guilty about saying no, guilty about feeling tired, even guilty about not being busy enough! Read more

The Breath Poem

I’ve been reading this poem in my classes this week, and some students asked me to post it.

Here it is: this poem came to me in one of my trainings; it is by Donna Martin, professional writer and speaker.

Enjoy!

Brain Works

4 FREE Ways to Detoxify

Many of us are so used to the idea that we need to buy a cleanse kit of some sort to do a seasonal cleanse. Here are 4 FREE ways to detoxify your body and your life:

#1. Reduce or eliminate all ice-cold drinks. The reason behind the idea: ice – cold drinks hinder the function of your digestive system. By this time of year, unless you have taken measure all through the fall and winter season to stoke your digestive fire, your digestion is compromised.

#2. Drink hot water with and between your meals; ideally, few sips every 30 minutes. Hot water dissolves the toxins and starts the gentle detoxification process. For extra kick, add a half inch slice of fresh ginger into your hot water. Ginger tea reduces cravings for salt and sugar.

#3.Contrary to popular belief, toxins are formed not only by weakened digestion, but also by mental or emotional overload. How much information are you consuming? That includes TV, newspapers, magazines and such. How much of it is necessary or beneficial? Reduce the amount of information, especially toxic information, and notice more mental clarity and stability.

#4. Is your house cluttered? According to Oprah’s favorite clutter expert Peter Walsh there’s a direct correlation between the amount of clutter in your house and the amount of extra weight you carry. Ayurveda agrees: clutter, as well as weight problems are the sings of Kapha congestion. Read Peter’s book “ Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?” to detoxify your house and loose weight.

Birds of the Feather & Spring Yoga Plans

My intermediate yoga class inspired me to take a second look at the way I map out the yoga sessions.

A few students in the intermediate class were eager to practice Rajakapotasana, the pigeon pose. According to Martin Kirk, a senior Anusara yoga instructor, the pigeon pose offers a whole range of benefits: it energizes the body and the mind, opens the hip flexors, thighs, chest and shoulders, relieves mild depression and stress, improves circulation to the abdominal cavity and low back, stimulates the digestive and reproductive system, alleviates menstrual and menopausal discomfort and encourages healthy thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal function. Therapeutically it is used for low blood pressure, infertility and headaches. Unfortunately, in many flow classes this asana is routinely taught without any emphasis on safety, pelvic stability or alignment, and as a result yogis are experiencing knee, shin or ankle pain, amongst other problems. The injury rates in modern yoga classes are staggering and have been on the rise for the past decade. Knowing that, and having experienced a number of yoga mishaps myself, I just wasn’t willing to sacrifice the safety of my students for the glory of a pose… even if it was the King–Pigeon pose.

That’s when I got an idea. What if I created a class template that allowed the class to progress towards the pigeon pose, while still maintaining overall safety and integrity of alignment? What if instead of protecting my students by refusing to bring more complex asanas into the practice, I taught them how to listen to their bodies so intently that not even a quietest whisper went unheard? My teacher Susi Hately often says:” If you listen to your body’s whispers, you don’t have to hear it scream.”

We began our practice by nourishing relaxation. We practiced all-too  familiar Sun Salutation with a new – found meditative mindset, watching our bodies flow fluidly from pose to pose.

I introduced my students to the principles of core stability without gripping or tension (a concept from therapeutic yoga practice) and we challenged our core through the series of neuromuscular exercises.

Through smart sequencing we moved from simple to more complex postures to warm the body and give targeted attention to the areas which would be worked more deeply. Anticipatory asanas helped to open and stabilize the muscles and joints most involved in the pigeon pose and prepare the ankles, knees and hips for a gentle, yet profound opening.

At last I introduced my students to Rajakapotasana, the pigeon pose. It was breathtaking to watch my class practice this complicated and difficult pose with such care and awareness…There was no going back the the old way of session planning.

Welcome to the intelligent yoga practice.

While your safety is still my first and foremost priority, each session now has a goal in mind – asana to build toward; and in the process, the stillness of the present moment and the sweetness of surrender to experience.

A Pigeon!

What could be more fitting for this time of year?

See you in the class!

 

4 Easy Ways to Beat March’ BLAHs

 

This is the time of year most of us, yours truly included, are feeling a rather deeper shade of blue. We are tired of this long up and down winter and sick of the deep freeze, wind-chill and mountains of snow. Read more

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