My Blog

NY Times Yoga Articles

02/29/2012 08:46:00

Thank you William Broad for your efforts.

I understand that you are concerned for the yoga community and I'm guessing that your attempting to satisfy your needs for safety, integrity and acknowledgement. I hope you accomplish what ever goals you have intended for yourself in this life and I'm sure your book will make millions.

I also doubt that you will be reading my words and that's ok. In fact, I didn't get around to reading the first article in the NY Times until this morning. My yoga students even emailed it to me so that I could be a part of the buzz. With a business to run and Yoga teacher training to attend I couldn't bring my self to make reading the article on your book a priority.

This morning however; no one came to the Rise and Shine class I'm offering at 7am and the men from the personal training facility next door shared the sex scandal article with me. This I had to read...Bravo to you...who designed your marketing plan?

With the last article I thought it best to remain firmly grounded in my own beliefs and skip reading it all together. I have to admit I prefer the safety article.

I can almost guarantee that if we met you and I could have an amazingly intimate relationship with or without sex and it's not because I practice yoga. It's not because you're a well established older man and it's not because I'm a beautiful, spirited and flexible young woman :) The reason that you and I could connect is because we are humans and we share something that exists with in each of us. Christians call it Jesus & Quakers call it InnerLight. At this time I'm aiming for a modified version of connection which entails you writing articles that arouse the yoga community and me possibly responding on my blog if I can make the time to read your words.

I hope your article doesn't attract any perverts to my yoga studio and I plan to satisfy my need for consideration through relationships other then the one I have with you.

Namaste

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/health/nutrition/yoga-fans-sexual-flames-and-predictably-plenty-of-scandal.html?_r=1

Cool things to do in Hyde Park

07/28/2011 14:32:00

Cool things to do in Hyde Park

I'm a girl in Love with her town. It took a while for Hyde Park to grow on me and I do believe it to be cooler now then it was back in the day.

New cool stuff in Hyde Park includes:

Roller Derby

Roller Magic has 2 bouts left in this season

September 24th

zomBsquad vs Syracuse

and

October 22nd
Horrors vs Connecticut

Check our home teams website @ http://www.horrorsrollerderby.com/

The closest canopy tour to NYC

BIG BEAR ZIPLINES

817 Violet Avenue Route 9G

Hyde Park, NY 12538

Phone: 1-888-ZIP-BBZI(947-2294)

Email Address:

contact@bigbearziplines.com

www.bigbearziplines.com

*Go during the week for a great price*

Kayak Tours

www.the-river-connection.com

www.atlantickayaktours.com

Age old favorite things to do in Hyde Park:

Music in the parks

http://www.hydeparkny.us/Recreation/MusicInTheParks.html

Have you hiked lately?

http://www.hydeparkny.us/Recreation/Trails/WalkaboutTrails.pdf

The Hype Park Drive In

http://hydeparkdrivein.com/

$5 admission on Tuesdays

Home of FDR

http://www.nps.gov/hofr/index.htm

Vanderbilt Mansion

http://www.nps.gov/vama/index.htm

The Hyde Park Station is open Year-Round on Monday Nights:

5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

In addition, the station is open Saturdays, Sundays,

and Holidays during the Summer.
Summer Hours are: 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM.

For even more cool stuff to do:

http://www.discoverourtown.com/NY/Hyde-Park/Attractions-2413.html

December InnerLight-Bulb: Sleeping it off

07/27/2011 17:59:00

Did all that turkey from Thanksgiving make you want a nap? Since so many people find the Holiday Season stressful, now is a good time to look at sleep hygiene. We've heard getting enough sleep is good for us. But if you are one of the many Americans who can't fall asleep at night, that may be easier said than done. Here are some tips for getting a good night's rest.

Exhausted is different than sleepy: "Contrary to what people think, being exhausted doesn't necessarily make people sleep better," says Thomas Roth, PhD, director of the Sleep Disorder Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. "There's actually a big difference between being exhausted and being sleepy." Roth points out that if you ran 50 miles and then dropped down in bed, you would unquestionably be exhausted. But your body might be too energized to sleep. What to do?

Unwind first: If you come home from a long day completely exhausted, it might be temping to stumble right to bed. But if you've ever had the experience of tumbling into bed totally wiped out and staring at the ceiling for an hour unable to sleep, you'll know you need to unwind first. This doesn't mean a night cap!

Warm milk or herbal tea: Why no alcohol? Doesn't it make you sleepy? While alcohol may make you drowsy at first, it affects your sleep rhythm. At first it's a sedative, but then a few hours later it will wake you up. To prevent your glass of wine from waking you up in the middle of the night, stop drinking two to three hours before bed. Instead, have some warm milk or a cup of chamomile tea. When heated, milk contains tryptophan, a natural amino acid sleep inducer and chamomile is a gentle herb known to soothe nerves and promote relaxation.

Take a Warm Shower. A warm shower does more than relax the muscles. Scientific studies show that people sleep deeper when their bodies are at a different temperature than the surrounding environment. By taking a warm shower, you increase the temperature difference between the environment surrounding you and your body, leading to a faster, deeper sleep.

Use the night: When it's dark your body is naturally more inclined to sleep. So dim your lights, turn off the TV, and shut down the computer several hours before bed. This "artificial light pollution" stimulates your brain to thinking it's time to be awake. Just like chickens who, with artificial light, will continue to lay eggs year-round, artificial light for humans keeps us in an awake state too.

Go with it: If you can't get to sleep after about 15 minutes, get out of bed and do some lightweight activity - a yoga pose, a short walk, some breathing exercises. Nothing vigorous - we want sleepy, not exhausted! And remember to keep the TV and computer off to avoid the light stimulation.

Don't Medicate, Meditate: Forget the sleeping pills and try some meditation. While lying in bed, start by gazing upward. Take an abdominal breath and hold it. On the out breath, let everything relax. Repeat one or two times. Then imagine yourself walking down a flight of stairs or a gentle hill while counting down from 10 or 20, each number signifying your movement to a lower step. Exhale with each imaginary step.

November InnerLight-Bulb: Attitude of Gratitude

06/30/2011 21:44:00

With Thanksgiving just around the corner there is usually more talk of gratitude this time of year. But an attitude of gratitude is more than just a tired cliche. Did you know that being grateful is beneficial all year long?

Alert, enthusiastic, determined, energized:

Self-guided daily gratitude exercises in young adults resulted in higher reported levels of positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, and energy compared to a focus on hassles or downward social comparison (ways in which participants thought they were better off than others).

Want more exercise?

Compared to a group keeping weekly journals on hassles or neutral life events, people keeping weekly gratitude journals exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week.

Achieve those goals!

Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward personal goals (academic, interpersonal, and health-based) over a two-month period compared to subjects in other experimental conditions.

Lend a helping hand:

Participants in daily gratitude were more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or having offered emotional support to another.

Sleep better:

A sample of adults with neuromuscular disease found a 21-day gratitude intervention resulted in a greater amount of high energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of one's life, and better sleep duration and sleep quality, relative to a control group.

Enhanced well-being:

Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. The tendency toward gratitude seems to boost pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions. Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.

Pro-sociality:

People with a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathic and to take the perspective of others. They are rated as more generous and more helpful by people in their social networks.

It even works on kids!

Children who practice grateful thinking have more positive attitudes toward school and their families.

(These studies are from the Universities of California and Miami.)

Suggestions for adding gratitude to your life:

Write it down:

Keep a gratitude journal where you write down what you are grateful for. Keep it on your nightstand and add at least one item when you wake up and at least one item when you go to bed.

Stop it:

Whenever you are driving and you come to a stop, whether it's for a light, a stop sign, or the end of your journey think of something you are grateful for.

Share the love:

If there's a person you are grateful for, let them know! Make sure to say what it is you are grateful for. Was it their smile? Maybe you appreciate something they've done. Or perhaps you really enjoy their warmth. Tell them!

Food counts too:

Each time you consume food, consider all the people, plants, and animals who brought it to you. Send your thanks to each element of what it takes to nourish you.

Unsatisfied needs of Erik Lenshirr lead him to become Magneto, mutant super villain.

06/30/2011 19:48:00

Unsatisfied needs of Erik Lenshirr lead him to become Magneto, mutant super villain

Yes I'm an X-men fan as well as Spiderman, Superman, Batman and the list goes on. Recently Kraig, Karson, Naomi and I watched the newest X-men flick. I actually had a blast trying to apply my NVC skills to the characters. Of course I was drawn to giving empathy to the young Erik Lenshirr who was not able to save his non mutant mothers life because he had not yet mastered his skill. The twist is that he now projects his anger and fear toward the humans when it was in fact a Mutant who shot his human mother in front of him as a young boy. I do not disagree with Magneto in believing that humans will try to contain and or destroy that which they cannot understand or explain. However I do believe that he could, with an NVC mindset, ask the world for Empathy, because he has needs for acceptance, trust, equality, self expression and safety that are not being satisfied. I'm imagining he might feel a little apprehensive, overwhelmed and dejected. So the story goes on and Magneto continuously tries to satisfy his lack of safety by cleverly attempting to gain more power and control over the human and mutant world around him. Magneto you have become that power hungry man whom you hated for killing your innocent mom. I wish I could hug you. I know that the main reason people and mutants alike make poor choices is because we have unsatisfied needs.

For more information about Nonviolent Communication go to cnvc.org

October InnerLight-Bulb: "Back" to Basics

06/23/2011 07:23:00

Having a healthy back begins with proper posture. Among other things, proper posture:

Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy.
Prevents strain or overuse problems.
Prevents backache and muscular pain.
Contributes to a good appearance.

So what exactly is posture? Posture is the position you hold your body in, whether it's while standing, sitting, or lying down. "Proper" posture is when you hold your body (while standing, walking, sitting, and lying) in positions where the least amount of strain is placed on the supporting structures like muscles and ligaments.

Here is some information from the Cleveland Clinic about proper posture while sitting.

Sit up with your back straight and your shoulders back. Your buttocks should touch the back of your chair.

All three normal back curves should be present while sitting. A small, rolled-up towel or a lumbar roll can be used to help you maintain the normal curves in your back.

Here's how to find a good sitting position when you're not using a back support or lumbar roll:

Sit at the end of your chair and slouch completely.
Draw yourself up and accentuate the curve of your back as far as possible. Hold for a few seconds.
Release the position slightly (about 10 degrees). This is a good sitting posture.

Distribute your body weight evenly on both hips.

Bend your knees at a right angle. Keep your knees even with or slightly higher than your hips. (use a foot rest or stool if necessary). Your legs should not be crossed.

Keep your feet flat on the floor.

Try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes.

At work, adjust your chair height and work station so you can sit up close to your work and tilt it up at you. Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, keeping your shoulders relaxed.

When sitting in a chair that rolls and pivots, don't twist at the waist while sitting. Instead, turn your whole body.

When standing up from the sitting position, move to the front of the seat of your chair. Stand up by straightening your legs. Avoid bending forward at your waist. Immediately stretch your back by doing 10 standing backbends.