503-705-4762

Author: fluidportland

Yoga For Pain Relief Case Study Results

Last month’s yoga series was a huge success! Thanks to all my ladies who participated. We met once a week for six weeks for ninety minutes of restorative, gentle yoga. Our focus was chronic pain relief and we recorded pain levels at every session.

All of our participants reported lower pain levels by the end of the six weeks. One client reduced her chronic pain by six points, going from a 7 out of 10 at week one to a 1 out of 10 at week six! All noticed increased breath and postural awareness and greater ease of movement during their daily activities.

I know yoga can seem intimidating if you have never set foot in a studio. To quote Martin Luther King: “You don’t have to see the top of the staircase to take the first step”

 

What can yoga do for you? If you are interested in forming your own small group or joining one of our ongoing classes contact Anne – 503-705-4762.

Panel Urges Mamograms at 50, not 40.

According to this N. Y. Times Article a recent study suggest healthy women with no unusual risk factors for breast cancer should start regular breast cancer screening at age 50, not age 40 as previously suggested.  The study also suggests women have mammograms less frequently – every two years as opposed to yearly.

The guidelines were based on new data and were aimed at reducing the potential harm from overscreening.  In order to formulate its guidelines, the task force used new data from mammography studies in England and Sweden and also commissioned six groups to make statistical models to analyze the aggregate data. The models were the only way to answer questions like how much extra benefit do women get if they are screened every year.

The article states:

It was still a tough call to make, according to Dr. Berg, the task force chairman.  Adding that “we pointed out that the benefit will be quite small.” In fact, he added, even though mammograms are of greater benefit to older women, they still prevent only a small fraction of breast cancer deaths.

Different women will weigh the harms and benefits differently, Dr. Berg noted, but added that even for women 50 and older, “it would be perfectly rational for a woman to decide she didn’t want to do it.”

But the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology both said they were staying with their guidelines advising annual mammograms starting at age 40.

One point to consider in this debate is that while early detection can result in lives saved, mammograms and even self breast exams can be anxiety producing.  They can also give false-positive results.  Younger women have denser breast tissue making a correct diagnosis more difficult.

Ultimately the choice of when to start regular screenings should be up to you and your physician.  What are your thoughts on this?

Talkin’ Turkey

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it’s time to order your bird!  Here are a few local farms that offer free range grass-fed meats.

http://www.eatwild.com/products/oregon.html

New Seasons also has local, healthy birds for pick up or delivery.

Still not sure what to do with that bird once you’ve got it home?  Williams-Sonoma is offering free cooking classes this month.  Call the store to sign up.

Last but not least, here’s a recipe for a yummy side dish – baked acorn squash with apples.

Enjoy!

SWEET AND SPICY SHRIMP AND CABBAGE SALAD

Here is a quick and easy salad the whole family will love.

The only “strange” ingredient here is the fish sauce.   This can be found at most grocery stores near the soy sauce.  Feel free to embellish with chopped peanuts, or sub leftover turkey, chicken, or baked tofu for the shrimp.

Salad Ingredients:

  • One bag of shredded cabbage and carrots
  • Small bunch of cilantro (1/2 cup)
  • 2 cups of chopped pineapple
  • One cup of cooked shrimp

Dressing:

  • 3 Tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons of fish sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons honey or sugar
  • Chili sauce to taste

Directions:

Mix the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.  Toss with the salad ingredients and serve.

Ernie Banks – baseball player, entrepeneur, Yogi?

I caught the tail end of an interview with Ernie Banks on NPR yesterday.  He played shortstop, and then first base for the Cubs in the 50 ‘s and 60’s.  Several things about him struck me as interesting.  For one, he seems unusually humble for a ball player  (Barry Bonds, A-Rod I’m looking at you), and he really did seem to enjoy just getting out and playing the game.

How refreshing in an era of multimillion dollar contract battles, temper tantrums, doping scandals etc…  He stuck with the Cubs despite the fact that he never made it to the World Series, in fact he holds the Major League Record of most games played without a post season appearance.

What the heck does this have to do with yoga you ask?  I’ll tell ya.

I have been re-reading B.K.S. Iyengar’s “Light On Yoga” , aka the yoga bible.  In it Iyengar outlines the eight limbs of yoga: 1. Yama (moral commandments) 2. Niyama (self-purification by discipline) 3. Asana (postures) 4. Pranayama (breath control) 5. Pratyahara (emancipation of the mind from the senses) 6. Dharana (concentration) 7. Dhyana (meditation) 8. Samadhi (a state of super-consciousness brought on by profound meditation where the individual becomes one with the object of his aspiration).  When we hear the word “yoga” most of us think of the asanas, or physical practice of yoga.  This is just one of the eight limbs.

Ok now here is the Ernie Banks/ Yoga connection.  Let’s take a look at one on the Niyamas, Santosa or contentment.  To quote Iyengar:

“Contentment has to be cultivated.  A mind that is not content can not concentrate.  The yogi feels the lack of nothing and so he is naturally content.  Contentment gives bliss unsurpassed to the yogi.  A contented man is complete for he knows the love of the Lord and has done his duty.  He is blessed for he has known truth and joy.”

Ernie says in his interview that there was talk of him being traded but that he didn’t think about it, he was just so focused on playing.  In other words he was practicing Santosa.

Here is Ernie talking about walking out onto Wrigley Field:

“When I walked into that ballpark, my mind just, boom, on the game. ‘Cause it’s a park where you can easily lose your concentration because you’re close to the fans and all of that; and you know, you can see people in the stands walking around, pretty girls, and all of that. You could lose your concentration real fast. And I played the game as if nobody was there but me. That was it. When I walk in a ballpark today, I mean it’s the same thing, just me and the ball.”

This sounds like meditation, or mindfulness,  one of the principles of yoga.  Meditation helps us control our mind and relax our bodies.  It  allows us to be more conscious about what’s happening around us and more aware of what’s happening within ourselves.  While not easily achieved we can get closer to this ideal with daily practice.

The goal of yoga is to eventually reach a state of Samadhi where the body and senses are at rest as if asleep, but the mind is alert and fully conscious.  As Iyengar says “the peace that passeth all understanding”.   I would call Ernie’s technique a form of moving meditation.

Have you experienced a zen-like moment where you felt as if you were exactly where you needed to be, doing exactly what you were meant to do, completely focused and not thinking of the past or future, only the here and now?   If so tell me about it and what led you to that moment.