It is here.
Finally.
The long-awaited.
Summer.
“In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different,” John Steinbeck wrote in The Winter of Our Discontent in 1961.
I enjoy the explosion of flavours and colours in Urbs Aeterna, the Eternal City. Rome.
Read MoreWhen a student seeks out a yoga therapist or a therapeutic group, they are usually not coming to learn yoga. They come to get help with or relief from some symptom or health condition that is troubling them. In most cases, the instruction focuses on their condition and how the yoga techniques can help them feel better or improve their function, rather than on the techniques or methods of yoga practice.
Read MoreIn the middle of the winter, I dream of the beautiful scenery of hiking and running trails at the Torrey Pines Reserve. Oh, how I miss those exquisite runnable trails of La Jolla! Rare Torrey pine, miles of unspoiled beaches, and a lagoon that is vital to migrating seabirds. It was like a paradise for me. The hiking trails are with stunning views and I loved to run on the beach. One can also continue north along the beach to Solana Beach and Del Mar. Those were the times. My thighs were tighter, my cheekbones higher, my skin was absorbing sun 11 months a year. Even on Christmas, I would sit in a bikini on our balcony, having breakfast. There was a paradise-like atmosphere. Except for the rattlesnakes. They are born with tiny buttons at the end of their tails. Each time they shed their skin, a scale remains behind which, in time, becomes the infamous rattle. I heard that sound more than once.
Read More“Basketball or Nothing” is a fascinating tale about the young high school team and their coach Mendoza. The school’s athletic director Shaun Martin**, who is an ultramarathon runner himself constantly puts an emphasis on “why”. He wants children to become better human beings, while coach Mendoza measures his success by them not committing suicide while on his team.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to be his assistant coach. There is so much wisdom, patience and love radiating from his presence.
“There’s no limit to what we can accomplish if we don’t care who gets the credit,” he told his teenage team.
Read MoreFirst, the posture. The widespread image of a yogi sitting cross-legged in samadhi might be out of reach for most of us and also not really necessary to imitate. If you can sit on a floor, that might be very useful as you don't need much and you can practice anywhere, anytime. But if you cant, don't despair. Most of us will need something to sit on, even if it is a yoga block, a big dictionary, a cushion, a folded blanket or a sweater. You can be as innovative as you want to. Some of us might have bought or made themselves cushions filled with buckwheat hulls, for instance. There are limitless possibilities to explore and play with, but I would suggest before you establish a regular sitting practice and discover what you really need, leave that for later. For now, utilise whatever you see around you.
Read MoreMy expertise is in using yoga and meditation to improve quality of life for older people - as a prevention or as a part of stroke recovery, mobility issues, chronic pain due to arthritis, osteoporosis, etc.
In light of the recent lockdown measures I have pivoted my business, not only to provide a regular daily online yoga schedule of support digitally but creating a gift certificate system for family members of elderly isolated people to purchase which will allow them to access guided activity sessions. It has been created for those who worry about parents or grandparents not getting enough exercise in isolation but can also help with fall prevention and breathing exercises.
Read MoreThe award-winning Outset Start-Up Experts inaugurated me as a success story, one of those people who turned their ideas into successful businesses. What an irony? I have never been in a worse situation in my life, seeing a failure shadow in the mirror and I am 49 years old and lived through war, divorces, abuse in the spiritual community, etc.
It was a good idea, a good start and a good foundation. But then, when everything was supposed to start rolling out as planned, La Vida Lockdown became our reality and six months of hard work evaporated in the covid19 polluted air.
How can I “offer a safe, supportive environment for the older generation to promote better health”, when all care homes, residential homes closed their doors and I cannot see or touch a single senior person?!
Read MoreThe elderly.
We are all here because of them, our parents, our grandparents. We owe them everything.
This new situation puts them at the highest risk of getting infected with the virus. They are isolated. They might have many different health concerns, and also some might be facing anxiety, fear, depression.
Their physical functions might be deteriorating because of lack of activities, or simply because they age.
As we all age, we lose balance first and then fear of falling and suffering a severe, oftentimes life-threatening injury prevent them from moving a lot even when in limited space.
Being a yoga therapist in Germany in 2001, my clients were regularly reimbursed by health insurance, as prevention was highly regarded as one of the best cost-reducing and health-inducing methods.
Health is crucial in how we experience the old age. Every fifth person in the UK is 60+ and two-thirds of them have two or more long-term health conditions. Treatments for these conditions account for 70 % of NHS expenditure. Anxiety, depression and social isolation also contribute and/or cause limited day-to-day activities for affected individuals.
There is an increasing number of studies on the positive effects of gentler forms of exercise, everything from lowering blood pressure and managing depression to building strength and improving balance. As we age we start losing our stability and fear of falling can become bigger than the wish to stay active. But there are ways to minimize the chances of a dangerous fall.
Here is a simple exercise that if done regularly will maintain leg strength, balance, endurance, and coordination. It will also help you catch yourself if you should trip over preventing a fall.
Listening to her words and watching her gentle face in this video (see link below) about her first trip to India and meeting BKS Iyengar in the early 70s and inviting him to Europe, it is breathtaking. She was outstanding.
Read MoreIf I want to help Walthamstow residents progress toward improved health and well-being, through the practice of yoga, breathing exercises and meditation, what we practice every Friday in Harmony Hall, I need to make sure this place stays alive!
Read MoreWhy would anyone think of caring for old and dying, while the snipers' shots, grenades, and bombs daily kill the youngest amongst us?!
Why adopting foreign religious rituals like yoga when the newborn nation needs to redefine its identity?!
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