Health

Spring, the Sky…

Elizabeth Health, Mindset, Seasons , , ,

First signs of Spring

Spring, the sky rippled with geese,
But the green comes on slowly…”
From “March 16,” in Ted Kooser’s Winter Morning Walks

We have almost arrived at the end of March, and I have been observing its fluctuating energy throughout the month. What have you noticed this month? And, not just about the weather. How has your body been feeling? What has your energy been like? How have your moods been?

It is in the nature of March to reflect both the winter we have barely left and the spring that is promised. And each season has an energy that influences each individual depending upon his or her unique system.

A friend of mine with whom I spoke on one of March’s first sunny, warm days talked about feeling a sense of excitement without knowing why. I thought it funny she expressed it that way as I had been experiencing a similar sense of excitement. It was only when she mentioned this that I began to relate it to what was going on around us.

On a warm sunny early spring day there is a feeling of potential energy. My friend described it as “pregnant energy.” I had just noticed earlier in March how daffodils in my yard had pressed through the cold, hard earth, undeterred by snowfalls. They were growing greener and taller each day. “Pregnant energy” had pushed them toward the sun with a promise of blossoms, energy expressed in their opening. That pregnant energy is an energy of anticipation, excitement, a movement toward birth, renewal, fulfillment.

But even now as the vernal equinox is behind us, we can still feel the fluctuating energy of this season. Ted Kooser expresses this best in a short poem in which he speaks of “The pond, still numb from months of ice,” and juxtaposes it to the nearby “budding maple whose every twig is strung with beads of carved cinnabar, bittersweet red.” On a chilly, overcast March day, one perhaps even offering some wintry precipitation, we may relate more to ice barely cleared on the pond, or, for us living close to the Susquehanna, to ice barely cleared in the river. On such days the excitement of spring is dampened, and we feel a heavier, denser energy of winter not ready to let go to make room for spring.

Transition is often difficult. And the transition between the pregnant potential of a promised spring and weighty, internal energy of winter can bring a sense of agitation, confusion, or maybe even a sense of just being worn down.

One of the teachings of yoga that helps me with the fluctuating days of this seasonal transition is parinama vada, translated as “everything changes.” We learn that everything in the material world is in flux. It is the nature of things to be constantly changing, including ourselves, which we see as we grow from children, to adolescents, to young adults, to middle age, and to elders.

A regular yoga practice attunes us to the changes around us and within us. We learn to live in the present moment and accept that change and transitions are inevitable.

When the moody indecision of March plagues our bodies, energy and dispositions and disappoints our desire for a more consistent diet of pleasantly warm and sun, we can remind ourselves that it will change. That is assured.

Transitions

Elizabeth Health, Seasons , , ,

Leaves are Starting to Fall

When I woke the other morning, the air felt chilly as I slipped into the space I call “my room” to do my yoga practice. And it was still cool enough when I went downstairs afterwards that Jim had cooked oatmeal for our breakfast, his “first oatmeal of the season,” as he said.

At my desk later, I found my head spinning as I looked at the well-organized sheet of notes listing all the things I should be taking care of. Fortunately, I stopped and decided the only way to gain perspective was to take a walk.

The lane where I walked divides smallish homes and the Conodoguinet creek on the left and a woodsy area below a town house development on the right. Scattered across the lane were brown leaves, and a few even floated down in front of me as I walked. Some trees sported drying leaves lacey with holes. It was quiet. No voices, no bird calls. Just the peace of the trees and a few horsetail clouds in a blue sky. I couldn’t help but think the day announced the slightest shift, an almost perceptible movement, toward the energy of fall.

I know this change toward shorter days and cooler weather is not welcome by everyone. And I’m not writing this as a foreboding of unwelcome things to come, but rather as an observation. So often our awareness of seasonal change is about what is around, outside of us. Yet the energetic qualities of each season influence all beings – including us.

In fall we observe the leaves drying and falling, often blown by the winds. The air cools. Autumn is characterized by the qualities of vata dosha, one of three constitutions described by the Indian science of health known as ayurveda. If we are in a vata stage of life – mid-50s and up – we might be even more vulnerable to these effects. We might find our hair, nails, and skin is dry. We may suffer from constipation and have trouble sleeping. We may feel ungrounded or anxious.

Knowing in advance the energetics of fall can keep us from wondering “what is the matter” if we find ourselves experiencing some of the symptoms of out-of-balance vata. Accepting that the season may exacerbate these effects, we can start making changes in our diet and lifestyles that can support a sense of balance. So, for example, if we tend to experience dryness, we can begin to add soups to our diets and take time to massage some sesame oil into our feet and joints. Our yoga practice can change to bring a sense of grounded-ness and stability to our system.

We do have to remember that how we respond to seasonal and life changes varies from person to person based upon what ayurveda identifies as our personal dosha or constitution at birth. Understanding our constitution helps us to understand our strengths and weaknesses and our responses to seasons and life events and choices. Much literature exists on the subject, and an ayurvedic practitioner can accurately identify and explain our constitution and its implications in our life.

Whether you choose to delve more deeply into learning about your constitution or not, we all can observe, without judging, the qualities of each season. We can notice how we are affected and prepare strategies to counter-balance any negative effects we may experience. In that way, we can help ourselves to “avoid future suffering“.

 

Taking Time to …

Elizabeth Health, Mindset , ,

Forest greenery

About a month ago my husband, Jim, and I had a talk about, well, about having fun. It wasn’t that we weren’t doing things together. We were good about working together on projects and supporting one another in our individual interests. What we weren’t doing was taking time to do things we enjoyed.

So we decided not to make appointments or plan other things on Thursdays. Instead we would choose something to do we could enjoy together. For example, one week we visited Hershey Gardens and lunched in Hershey. Another week we drove to Pine Grove Furnace and explored the State Park, taking a long hike, and lunching in Carlisle. This Thursday we went biking on the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail and had an ice cream cone before driving home from Lewisburg.

We don’t have lives as busy as many of you, especially those of you with children and grandchildren you care for. But, I have to tell you that we have enjoyed our days off, and I can imagine that taking an hour or two even once month would be enjoyable as well as healthful.

As you can see from our plans, our outings have taken us to places where we can enjoy nature. The beautiful mild summer days we have had certainly have encouraged all of us to spend some time outside. Personally, I know that this time outside, in nature is important to my well-being.

I came across the concept of shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” in a recent article in Oprah magazine. This idea, which is hugely popular in Japan, refers to an immersion in nature, especially in forests. In fact, getting out into the woods is considered a kind of preventative medicine.

The Japanese first began studying the health effects of immersing yourself in a forest environment, and since then other studies have supported its positive effects on health as well. These studies have observed “that forest environments promote lower cortisol concentrations, lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, better immune system functioning and greater parasympathetic nerve activity” (Source: PsychologyOfWellBeing.com). In other words, your stress response is reduced and your immune response increased.

I know days will come when “forest bathing” is not practical. We will wake up to a rainy or cold Thursday. And, then, winter will challenge us unless we take up cross-country skiing. But we will find new activities and places to enjoy on Thursdays. After all, we dedicated this day to doing something enjoyable together.

I have to admit, however, I will miss the comfortably warm days of summer that encourage our days hiking in woods, biking through fields, and just spending time in nature, which is also our home, as well as preventative medicine.

You can find an interesting article on “forest bathing” in the online edition of Outside magazine.

Yoga, Wellness and Aging Gracefully

Elizabeth Advice, Health , ,

Yoga Aging Gracefully

When I taught Yoga I and Exercise and Stress Management at HACC, we talked about the concept of “wellness” rather than “health.” “Health” is often viewed as the absence of disease – chronic or otherwise. “Wellness,” a concept adopted by the World Health Organization, is a holistic view of human beings. The concept of wellness refers not only to physical wellness, but also to intellectual, emotional, social, environmental, and spiritual wellness and recognizes their interdependence in the well-being of a person. Moreover, our wellness depends not on our genetic inheritance, which is a given, but rather on the choices we make in our life.

The yoga classes I taught at HACC met twice a week for fifteen weeks. In that time students grew in their awareness of their behavior and reported seeing areas of their lives where their choices were not supporting their wellness. Many students started to make changes as a result – stopping smoking, choosing healthier foods, letting go of depleting relationships, and making changes in how they responded to others.

Once they came to realize that wellness was attainable, not because of their genetic luck, but rather because of their choices, many felt empowered to make change.

In the January, 2014 issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, the writer looked at a concept – salutogenesis – which means “the origin of health.” He goes on to suggest that this idea is critical when we look at “healthy aging.” “It shifts attention to what supports health and well-being – what creates “health” – rather than what causes disease. This concept of “health” is very much like that of “wellness.”

Our perception of our own health is very subjective. This article mentions studies in which older adults are asked to assess whether they have “aged successfully.” “One study of 205 older adults with physical illnesses or disabilities found that most considered themselves to be aging successfully.” In another study of 1,900 women over 60, most rated themselves as aging successfully even though physically they would not meet “objective standards for having good physical health.”

Many of us see members of our family or our friends experiencing serious illnesses, and many of us have lost people close to us. Some of us are dealing with a chronic condition or illness right now in our own lives. This can lead us to have negative expectations as to what we will experience as we grow older, perhaps even leading to a sense of helplessness.

But I believe most of us hope to age gracefully. Embracing the concept of “wellness” and an appropriate practice of yoga can help us live with grace. As a holistic practice, yoga can support physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual wellness. The awareness it brings to our behaviors and relationships with other beings and the earth can support social and environmental wellness. Yoga teaches us awareness so we can live the only life we have, which is in this present moment. Focusing on the concept of wellness, despite what ailments or chronic conditions we may face, can help us to have a more balanced perspective on our lives. It helps us to see we can make choices that support us, whether we are 18 or 80, and that is empowering.

 

Benefits of Chair Yoga

Yoga 4 Healthy Living Current Events, Health, Regular Classes , ,

Chair Yoga class

A woman I know was clearly annoyed observing a Chair Yoga class at her gym when she told me “those people need to get up and move.” Her comment made me wonder about the misconceptions people may have about a Chair Yoga class.

Participants in the Chair Yoga for Seniors class I teach range in age from late 60s to early 90s. While they can stand for some poses, some using the chair for stability, they are not getting down on the floor. But they want the benefits of improved stability, flexibility and balance in their bodies, self-awareness and clarity in their minds, and a sense of calm and balance at the level of emotions. They want to worry less and enjoy their lives more.

An understanding of yoga postures or asana can be helpful in understanding the value of what can be done in a Chair Yoga class. Yoga postures are divided into categories based upon their functions. For example, the function of bending forward in a posture is to stretch the back. The function of a back-arching pose is to stretch the front of the body; a twist twists the spine; a lateral pose stretches the sides of the body. As we work in postures in Chair Yoga, we need to achieve the function of the classical postures in a modified context.

Let’s keep this in mind: if someone 70 years old has a stiff back and legs, gently bending forward while seated will stretch the back. The function of the pose can be achieved even though the form differs from the classic form of bending forward standing, legs straight, hands on the floor. In fact, trying to achieve this form could cause injury to the person with such stiffness.

When people assume that someone should move a certain way to be doing yoga, they are missing the point. When a person using the breath in a way that supports that function and moves prana or energy. By connecting the mind and body through movement, the mind begins to focus. Awareness develops as the participants are given time to observe the effects of what they have done. Additional work is done as they sit with an assigned breathing practice to steady breath and mind.

The point I want to make is, depending upon the audience, a Chair Yoga can offer the benefits of regular yoga class. In form it may not look as demanding as the posture done classically, but it might be accomplishing the same benefit based upon condition of the person doing the posture. We have to remember that we are all different. There is no one yoga practice to fit all people at every age. But there is a yoga for everyone and every body.

Chair Yoga is a gentle, non-traditional form of Yoga that reduces strain on limbs and joints. Participants are guided in postures, breathwork, and meditation. Postures may be done in the chair and/or standing with the support of the chair. This practice promotes stability and flexibility at the level of the body, self-awareness and clarity at the level of the mind, a sense of calm and balance at the level of the emotions, and overall wellness

Chair Yoga at Susquehanna Township Recreation Building meets Thursdays from 11:00 am to noon. Please contact me at eterryyoga@gmail.com or call 717-645-0067 for more information or to sign-up.

 

A Symptom of Inner Peace

Elizabeth Health, Knowledge, Yoga Terms , , , , , , ,

Peaceful Purple Sunset

“A loss of the ability to worry” is a serious symptom of inner peace, according to one writer’s reflections on inner peace I found stuffed away in a poetry folder. I smiled as I read this because I believe we all might agree that worry and inner peace do not co-exist in our bodies or minds.

Have you noticed how you are conscious of the present moment when you feel a sense of peace? Worry, on the other hand, takes you out of the present. The mind becomes occupied with what might happen in the future or the ramifications of something from the past.

My parents were great worriers, and so I grew up with worry as an unconscious habit. Focusing on the worst case scenario of a choice, behavior, or event, I would make decisions as a way of “protecting” myself from the disastrous outcomes that I imagined. The great irony of this is that I was not protecting myself, as I really did not have control over the outcome of things worrying me; rather I was creating a negative and unhealthy environment for my body, mind, and emotions.

Worry is about fear. We fear something bad will happen. Often what we dread is a loss. It might be a loss of a person, pet, reputation, success, power, possessions, health, or life. Fear engages the stress response, our body’s natural physiological response to a threat or danger. When this response is activated a flood of chemicals in our system raises blood pressure, increases respiration and heartbeat, and creates tension in our muscles, all preparing us to respond to the threat of danger we believe is immanent.

Worry, and especially chronic worry, has negative health effects, and it does not even protect us from the bad things we fear will happen. Worry keeps us from living the only life we have – this present moment.

In yogic terms, worry is avidya or lack of awareness or knowledge. We are caught in illusions that we have power over events when we don’t, or that things must never change when it is their nature to change, or that we have knowledge of what will happen in the future when we cannot know what will happen. Avidya inevitably leads to duhkha or suffering. When we worry, we suffer.

Yoga can help us with avidya and worry through practice (abhyasa) and discrimination (viveka). Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra gives us the eight limbs of yoga – ethical practices, behaviors toward ourselves, postures, breathing practices, and the inner limbs of yoga, all leading to purification of the body, mind and heart. Through diligent practice of the limbs of yoga, purification leads to greater clarity. We begin to see our ourselves and our behaviors; we see what we what we can change and what we must let go of. We have strategies in our practice to take the mind to a more peaceful place when habits of worry return. As the mind becomes clearer, we develop discrimination, the ability to see what is helpful and what is harmful and to base our decisions on that knowledge.

While banishing worry from our minds forever may not be attainable for most of us, discrimination that comes out of a consistent and sincere yoga practice can help “weaken” our tendency to worry. And, as worry diminishes, inner peace can take root and grow.

 

Spring Cleaning

Elizabeth Advice, Health, Seasons , ,

Spring Cleaning

The wind in March sweeps away the residue of winter and prepares us for change. As the earth releases what is old, space is made for the new growth to come.

Last week I attended a class offered by my friend and Health Coach Ruth Seitz at the Cornerstone Coffeehouse. In keeping with the traditional notion of “spring cleaning,” Ruth’s class focused on “Lifestyle Practices that Cleanse the Body and Soul.”

In her presentation, Ruth discussed the many ways we might include cleansing practices in our life. For example, we may commit to drinking more water, eating organic, deep breathing, skin brushing, and including foods in the diet that are known to cleanse and purify. What especially grabbed my attention was her recommendation to “dispense with what does not serve you.” As she explained, things that don’t serve you or bring you joy dry your soul.

A metaphor I’ve heard talks of a cooking pot that is used day after day without scrubbing it clean. When we continue to use the pot without cleansing it, the dirty pot taints each new dish we prepare. When we allow things to accumulate around us, they can taint whatever new project we undertake. They impinge on our space, creating tension so our bodies and minds cannot relax. When a flower pushes through the earth only to be choked by weeds and other plants competing for space, water, and light, it cannot flourish. And, neither can we.

We can start our cleansing practice by looking at the physical space around us. Are there objects, papers, clothing, “stuff” we do not need? We can look at ourselves. Are there issues affecting our physical health that need attention? Are we doing so much that we feel anxious and exhausted from all our commitments? Are our activities keeping us from getting adequate rest or eating in a way that supports us? Are there relationships that leave us feeling depleted? Do we have habits that continue to cause us suffering?

Our practice of yoga always requires svadhyaya – self-observation. We set an intention to be observant so that we can see what we need to clean out in our lives. Then we can set the intention to let go of what no longer serves us with the knowledge that this release will give us the space to breathe and bring to life what is new. Like the cook cleaning the cooking bowl soiled with the remnants of many meals, we may require time and patience and scrubbing. But as we clean gradually and steadily, the shine will come through.

If you would like more information about the classes Ruth Seitz teaches, you can reach her at ruthhealthcoach@gmail.com or by phone at 717-238-7878.