Ken was diagnosed with bipolar disorder eight years ago. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by shifts in mood from periods of extremely high energy levels to strong depressive episodes. Additionally, Ken suffered from anxiety disorder. Anxiety symptoms included the…
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
“I wanted a “flat” stomach”, confessed Reed when I asked what brought her to class. Commendably, Reed was willing to commit to her physical fitness and my class fit her full schedule. Just out of high school, Reed was starting fresh…
Friday, April 1st, 2011
How I learned to Breathe My first introduction to healthy, yogic breathing came from my beloved mentor Jamie. As Jamie’s counseling apprentice, I co-taught a college stress management class. Clearly I had survived into my 20s so I must have been…
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
Somehow I convinced my mother to take some time out of her day to get on my massage table, and as soon as I applied a little pressure to the hip flexors on that right side she felt the cramping. BINGO! Her pain is not irreversible nerve damage; it is due to extremely tight hip flexor muscles.
Friday, March 25th, 2011
It can be difficult for busy people to find time for self care. My mother, for example, is one of those people. Between her jobs, her family and her animals, she always comes last and barely makes time to eat on…
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
In Yoga Tune Up®, we take the body apart muscle by muscle in order to put it back together again in a healthier, more balanced way. What this part by part method can teach us is that every part of us…
Friday, March 18th, 2011
The byproducts of a great yoga practice are not exclusive to those who practice in caves on the top of a mountain, but rather they are felt by anyone who is instructed well, and who practices with purpose. Even children are reaping the benefits. Numerous schools now implement programs for children of every age and the results are astonishing.
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
When we stretch a muscle, upwards of 40 percent of the actual stretch is coming from the elongation of its fascia! With too much stretching, the fascial tissues lose their ability to recoil and the inherent elasticity of these connective tissues disintegrates and becomes less functional as a result.
Friday, March 11th, 2011
On day 3 of YTU Level 1 yoga teacher training, Jill took us through a shoulder sequence which culminated in Downward Facing Dog. It took 2 hours. I ran the following emotional gamut: mild amusement, boredom, impatience, seriously? don’t we get…
Friday, April 8th, 2011