What began as a vision and turned into reality this past February has now expanded to 3 times a week! Thank you to everyone who has supported our Barefoot yoga classes and to those who are joining us in September! Starting the first week of September is the new schedule:
Tuesday, Hatha Yoga, 6:30-7:30, Instructor: Emily
Wednesday, Hatha Yoga, 6:30-7:30, Instructor: Kat
Thursday, Vinyasa Yoga, 6:30-7:30, Instructor: Emily
Space is limited, but there is room to drop-in! Email if you want to try one of our classes. Namaste, Emily
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Yoga for a beautiful YOU
If you've tried yoga, you've already experienced some of its beauty benefits: the rosy afterglow, the elongated limbs, the graceful poise. But there's more. Yoga fights wrinkles by combating the free radicals and stress that cause them. Plus it stretches and tones your muscles, giving you that lengthened leaner look -- and better posture, too. If you stand and walk tall, you can look years younger. Join us! I teach most days of the week. We look forward to seeing you soon for these, and so many more, good effects of YOGA! Namaste, Emiy
(tips from Health magazine)
(tips from Health magazine)
Friday, August 22, 2008
Sleep and Energy
So, I got this in an email and thought, "Do you feel lethargic in the morning? (CHECK) Are you drowsy by mid afternoon and unable to stay alert as you go about your day? (CHECK)" So, if you feel this way, or maybe answer yes to the other questions... read on! Namaste, Emily
The Consequences of Sleep Deprivation
by Susan B. Sterling and Crystal Quintana
Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night? Once you get to sleep, do you wake up frequently? Do you feel lethargic in the morning? Are you drowsy by mid afternoon and unable to stay alert as you go about your day? If you answered yes to one of these questions, you may be one of the millions of people who are chronically sleep deprived and not even aware of it!
Most of these people are also unaware of the extent to which their lack of sleep contributes to feelings of irritability, impatience, anxiety and depression. Sleep deprivation can also affect memory, thinking, reaction time and productivity. It may adversely affect job performance and cause unwanted accidents. Over time, lack of sufficient sleep can have serious health consequences. In fact, more and more studies are showing that getting enough ZZZs is as vital as diet and exercise if you want to live a long and healthy life.
To function properly, the human body needs to sleep a certain number of hours within a 24-hour cycle. The body of research has shown that 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day is optimal for sustaining maximal mental and physical function. Unfortunately, the average American gets only about 7 hours’ sleep per day--90 minutes less than a century ago (Kantrowitz 2002). It has been estimated that as many as 70 million Americans experience some kind of sleep disorder (Kantrowitz 2002).
The Consequences
Studies have shown that too little sleep can affect human beings in all kinds of ways, most notably in terms of cognitive functioning, weight management and athletic performance.
Cognitive Functioning
The Army Physical Fitness Research Institute has conducted studies to determine how lack of sleep can affect the productivity of soldiers during waking hours (Wesensten et al. 2002). During total sleep deprivation, the soldiers’ cognitive performance on a task requiring decision making, short-term memory and mathematical processing declined by about 25 percent for every 24 hours of wakefulness.
Countless studies have found a direct correspondence between lack of sleep and a decline in cognitive ability; the less sleep subjects got, the worse they fared in terms of performance, productivity and functionality.
Weight Management
Researchers have also found a link between obesity and sleep deprivation (Brink et al. 2000). One hormone that appears important in this equation is human growth hormone (HGH), which controls the body's proportions of fat and muscle. The majority of HGH secretion occurs shortly after sleep begins, especially during the deepest stages. If sleep is impaired, so is HGH secretion.
As we age, we spend less time in deep sleep, so HGH secretion decreases. With lower than normal levels of HGH, the body cannot properly control the proportion of fat to muscle. When this happens, we tend to store more fat in the stomach area. Some researchers have theorized that lack of sleep at a younger age can prematurely drive down HGH levels and accelerate the fat-building process (Spiegel et al. 1999; Brink et al. 2000).
Lack of sleep can also affect appetite in a negative way. Because many of the symptoms of fatigue and hunger are so similar, people tend to eat when they actually need sleep. Fatigue can also affect energy levels and, consequently, the ability to adhere to regular exercise.
Athletic Performance
For the endurance athlete looking for every edge, it appears that proper sleep during heavy training or competition is critical for optimal performance. In a sleep-deprived athlete, glycogen (energy) storage may be slowed. During endurance events exceeding 90 minutes (e.g., a marathon), this can lead to hypoglycemia and contribute to what athletes call “hitting the wall,” where they essentially run out of fuel (Ketchum 2003).
Other studies have shown that sleep deprivation causes elevated nighttime levels of the hormone cortisol, which can interfere with tissue repair and growth (Ketchum 2003). Over time, this can prevent an athlete from properly adapting to heavy training and may lead to overtraining injuries.
Adequate sleep is essential for health and peak performance. Above all, remember that good sleep hygiene is as important a daily lifestyle habit as regular exercise or proper nutrition.
The Consequences of Sleep Deprivation
by Susan B. Sterling and Crystal Quintana
Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night? Once you get to sleep, do you wake up frequently? Do you feel lethargic in the morning? Are you drowsy by mid afternoon and unable to stay alert as you go about your day? If you answered yes to one of these questions, you may be one of the millions of people who are chronically sleep deprived and not even aware of it!
Most of these people are also unaware of the extent to which their lack of sleep contributes to feelings of irritability, impatience, anxiety and depression. Sleep deprivation can also affect memory, thinking, reaction time and productivity. It may adversely affect job performance and cause unwanted accidents. Over time, lack of sufficient sleep can have serious health consequences. In fact, more and more studies are showing that getting enough ZZZs is as vital as diet and exercise if you want to live a long and healthy life.
To function properly, the human body needs to sleep a certain number of hours within a 24-hour cycle. The body of research has shown that 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day is optimal for sustaining maximal mental and physical function. Unfortunately, the average American gets only about 7 hours’ sleep per day--90 minutes less than a century ago (Kantrowitz 2002). It has been estimated that as many as 70 million Americans experience some kind of sleep disorder (Kantrowitz 2002).
The Consequences
Studies have shown that too little sleep can affect human beings in all kinds of ways, most notably in terms of cognitive functioning, weight management and athletic performance.
Cognitive Functioning
The Army Physical Fitness Research Institute has conducted studies to determine how lack of sleep can affect the productivity of soldiers during waking hours (Wesensten et al. 2002). During total sleep deprivation, the soldiers’ cognitive performance on a task requiring decision making, short-term memory and mathematical processing declined by about 25 percent for every 24 hours of wakefulness.
Countless studies have found a direct correspondence between lack of sleep and a decline in cognitive ability; the less sleep subjects got, the worse they fared in terms of performance, productivity and functionality.
Weight Management
Researchers have also found a link between obesity and sleep deprivation (Brink et al. 2000). One hormone that appears important in this equation is human growth hormone (HGH), which controls the body's proportions of fat and muscle. The majority of HGH secretion occurs shortly after sleep begins, especially during the deepest stages. If sleep is impaired, so is HGH secretion.
As we age, we spend less time in deep sleep, so HGH secretion decreases. With lower than normal levels of HGH, the body cannot properly control the proportion of fat to muscle. When this happens, we tend to store more fat in the stomach area. Some researchers have theorized that lack of sleep at a younger age can prematurely drive down HGH levels and accelerate the fat-building process (Spiegel et al. 1999; Brink et al. 2000).
Lack of sleep can also affect appetite in a negative way. Because many of the symptoms of fatigue and hunger are so similar, people tend to eat when they actually need sleep. Fatigue can also affect energy levels and, consequently, the ability to adhere to regular exercise.
Athletic Performance
For the endurance athlete looking for every edge, it appears that proper sleep during heavy training or competition is critical for optimal performance. In a sleep-deprived athlete, glycogen (energy) storage may be slowed. During endurance events exceeding 90 minutes (e.g., a marathon), this can lead to hypoglycemia and contribute to what athletes call “hitting the wall,” where they essentially run out of fuel (Ketchum 2003).
Other studies have shown that sleep deprivation causes elevated nighttime levels of the hormone cortisol, which can interfere with tissue repair and growth (Ketchum 2003). Over time, this can prevent an athlete from properly adapting to heavy training and may lead to overtraining injuries.
Adequate sleep is essential for health and peak performance. Above all, remember that good sleep hygiene is as important a daily lifestyle habit as regular exercise or proper nutrition.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Yoga for Stress and Burnout
By Timothy McCall, M.D. (yogajournal.com)
Just about any system of yoga can help reduce stress levels, and this is undoubtedly a major reason for the current surge in yoga's popularity: Sky-high stress is endemic in our society. Not only can stress make life less enjoyable and contribute to such bothersome symptoms as headaches, insomnia, and back pain, but it's linked to many of society's killers, including osteoporosis and heart attacks. Even conditions that aren't caused by stress can prove much more bothersome during stressful times.
While vigorous asana practices can help burn off nervous energy, stressed-out students need to watch the tendency to overdo. Strenuous workouts may leave them feeling temporarily more sattvic but, if not balanced by sufficient winding-down and relaxation, they can lead to increased vata derangement and, ultimately, a quick rebound of symptoms. Also be careful with strong breathing practices such as Kapalabhati and Bhastrika, which can increase vata. Specific yoga practices to lessen excessive vata include squatting, as in Malasana (Garland Pose), standing poses in which an emphasis is placed on grounding well through the legs, and a regular practice of inversions such as Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand).
Breathing and Stress
One of the ancient yogis' most profound insights was the link between breathing patterns and state of mind. Shallow, rapid breaths—the way many people breathe most of the time—can, from a yogic perspective, be both a cause and a result of stress. Think of how you breathe if you are startled, with a quick inhalation primarily to the upper lungs. Physiologically, habitual rapid chest-breathing is a bit like getting startled thousands of times per day.
The yogic remedy is to slow the breath down. One way to do this is to breathe through the nose. The greater resistance to air flow in the nasal passages compared to the mouth results in a naturally slower respiratory rate, and nasal breathing is also beneficial because it warms and filters incoming air.
It's also calming to breathe more deeply than most people usually do. Abdominal breathing, in which the diaphragm is used to maximum advantage on the inhalation and the abdominal muscles help squeeze air out on the exhalation, results in larger breath volume. It turns out that slower, deeper breaths are much more efficient in bringing oxygen into the body while not exhaling more carbon dioxide (CO2) than is desirable. Rapid, shallow breaths, in contrast, tend to deplete CO2 levels, which has a number of negative effects, including promoting mental agitation. (ok, so, while reading this, are you breathing slower?? -Emily)
A simple technique, which can provide almost instant stress reduction, is to lengthen the exhalation relative to the inhalation. Doing so increases the tone in the parasympathetic nervous system, which increases relaxation and decreases the sympathetic nervous system's fight-or-flight response.
Pratyahara
Pratyahara, the turning of the senses inward, is the fifth of Patanjali's eight-limbed path of yoga and can be an important tool for stress reduction. I believe one reason so many people in the modern world are stressed out is because of the visual and auditory stimulation constantly bombarding us. Even if you don't realize it, ringing phones, blaring TVs, and traffic noises tend to activate the sympathetic nervous system. Many people add to their sensory overload by reflexively turning on the TV or radio while they eat or sit down to relax.
Consciously going inward on a regular basis can be a partial antidote to regular assault on the senses, both calming the nervous system and making you more resistant to future assaults. Practices such as Savasana (Corpse Pose), pranayama, and meditation cultivate introspection. Regular practitioners can usually notice when external or internal stressors are mounting, portending a serious flare of stress. Detecting the spark before the fire, as Buddhists put it, can help you institute breathing practices or take other action before stress spirals out of control.
Yoga's ability to reduce stress deepens with regular practice. A little bit every day is great preventive medicine for stress, and it will make the use of breathing practices, deep relaxation, and other yogic tools more effective. If you think you are too busy to practice regularly, that's precisely why you need to find a way to do it!
Let's all use this moment to SLOW DOWN, Em
Just about any system of yoga can help reduce stress levels, and this is undoubtedly a major reason for the current surge in yoga's popularity: Sky-high stress is endemic in our society. Not only can stress make life less enjoyable and contribute to such bothersome symptoms as headaches, insomnia, and back pain, but it's linked to many of society's killers, including osteoporosis and heart attacks. Even conditions that aren't caused by stress can prove much more bothersome during stressful times.
While vigorous asana practices can help burn off nervous energy, stressed-out students need to watch the tendency to overdo. Strenuous workouts may leave them feeling temporarily more sattvic but, if not balanced by sufficient winding-down and relaxation, they can lead to increased vata derangement and, ultimately, a quick rebound of symptoms. Also be careful with strong breathing practices such as Kapalabhati and Bhastrika, which can increase vata. Specific yoga practices to lessen excessive vata include squatting, as in Malasana (Garland Pose), standing poses in which an emphasis is placed on grounding well through the legs, and a regular practice of inversions such as Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand).
Breathing and Stress
One of the ancient yogis' most profound insights was the link between breathing patterns and state of mind. Shallow, rapid breaths—the way many people breathe most of the time—can, from a yogic perspective, be both a cause and a result of stress. Think of how you breathe if you are startled, with a quick inhalation primarily to the upper lungs. Physiologically, habitual rapid chest-breathing is a bit like getting startled thousands of times per day.
The yogic remedy is to slow the breath down. One way to do this is to breathe through the nose. The greater resistance to air flow in the nasal passages compared to the mouth results in a naturally slower respiratory rate, and nasal breathing is also beneficial because it warms and filters incoming air.
It's also calming to breathe more deeply than most people usually do. Abdominal breathing, in which the diaphragm is used to maximum advantage on the inhalation and the abdominal muscles help squeeze air out on the exhalation, results in larger breath volume. It turns out that slower, deeper breaths are much more efficient in bringing oxygen into the body while not exhaling more carbon dioxide (CO2) than is desirable. Rapid, shallow breaths, in contrast, tend to deplete CO2 levels, which has a number of negative effects, including promoting mental agitation. (ok, so, while reading this, are you breathing slower?? -Emily)
A simple technique, which can provide almost instant stress reduction, is to lengthen the exhalation relative to the inhalation. Doing so increases the tone in the parasympathetic nervous system, which increases relaxation and decreases the sympathetic nervous system's fight-or-flight response.
Pratyahara
Pratyahara, the turning of the senses inward, is the fifth of Patanjali's eight-limbed path of yoga and can be an important tool for stress reduction. I believe one reason so many people in the modern world are stressed out is because of the visual and auditory stimulation constantly bombarding us. Even if you don't realize it, ringing phones, blaring TVs, and traffic noises tend to activate the sympathetic nervous system. Many people add to their sensory overload by reflexively turning on the TV or radio while they eat or sit down to relax.
Consciously going inward on a regular basis can be a partial antidote to regular assault on the senses, both calming the nervous system and making you more resistant to future assaults. Practices such as Savasana (Corpse Pose), pranayama, and meditation cultivate introspection. Regular practitioners can usually notice when external or internal stressors are mounting, portending a serious flare of stress. Detecting the spark before the fire, as Buddhists put it, can help you institute breathing practices or take other action before stress spirals out of control.
Yoga's ability to reduce stress deepens with regular practice. A little bit every day is great preventive medicine for stress, and it will make the use of breathing practices, deep relaxation, and other yogic tools more effective. If you think you are too busy to practice regularly, that's precisely why you need to find a way to do it!
Let's all use this moment to SLOW DOWN, Em
Monday, August 11, 2008
BYOM In The Rain!
Last month the rain stopped all the fun, but this time a few dedicated souls decided that the Yoga Glow was worth a little downpour. Just goes to show that connecting with yourself and nature sometimes means a brand new experience!
Friday, August 8, 2008
BYOM to meet this Saturday, August 9th
Come one, come all, yoga enthusiasts, UNITE! It's park time, BYOM! Let's meet at Antioch Park, Saturday, August 9th, 8:00-9:00. At the main entrance you can drive between shelter 4 and the picnic symbol. It's a flat area and has the sound of a fountain in the lake. I'd say park in the one-way loop area. It's been a while since we've been able to meet, so I hope to see everyone there, as well as your curious friends and family members! :) can't wait~ Namaste, Emily
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