My Beginning Yoga ExperienceWritten by Boyd Martin
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3. Trust your body to know what it needs to do. Patience. As obedient as body is to limitations of mind, it has also retained awareness of sequence of how those limitations were imposed, and knows how to undo them. The deeper problem with this is that many times there seem to be opposing limitations and confused commands operating within body. These were put there by mind, resulting in wrong muscles being used to do certain motions. The trick, of course, is to get mind out of way, and it WILL resolve. 4. How you do yoga is how you do your life. The corollary to this is what happens during yoga practice is a microcosm of what happens to you in life. Paying attention to this is road to revelation--as well as some inner grins. 5. Flexibility and core strength are keys to health. Nutrition is important, drinking lots of water is important, getting proper amounts of sleep is important--all things I had been doing throughout my life. Unfortunately, I had overlooked two most important things. Exercise is inadequate (and I dare say useless) without flexibility and core strength training. Again, it has taken much more than I thought to keep my body's bank account from going into red, and quickest way into black is with flexibility and core strength training. (By "core strength" I mean deepest core muscles that create movement in body, such as abdominal and back muscles.) With a high degree of flexibility, all enzymes, minerals, blood flow, and myriad other rejuvenating substances body creates to heal and build itself can get to those areas that need it. Without flexibility, there is withering and dying. I also noticed that I didn't engage my abdominal muscles when I should, such as when bending over, lifting, carrying, walking, standing up. This set up bad habits of motion, and obvious developing flacidity and inappropriate muscle recruitment. 6. Breathe. Combine this command with how you do yoga is how you do your life, and you'll quickly see where you cut off your life force in daily living. I would stop breathing when I felt weak, for example. Ooops. 7. Use your mind to guide and expand. This is a corollary to Number 3 above. I noticed that by setting and visualizing goals on each posture, as well as for entire class, and by refusing to entertain any other thoughts--such as how hot it is in room, what hurts, what I'm afraid of, etcetera, etcetera--lo and behold progress gets made. The body wants to feel better. Help it out by concentrating on improving each posture, and when not doing that, concentrating on breathing. I'm saving myself a lot of unnecessay torture by applying this point in my practice, and in my life. EMOTIONAL/SPIRITUAL CHANGES The most impressive effect underlying all physical changes has been my greatly increased ability to confront life in proper perspective--what I'll call "Small Potatoes Effect." This is where one does something so monumentally difficult that rest of life's daily conflicts, conundrums, irritations and niggly stresses seem to all pale in importance. Or, more accurately, they begin to assume quality of merely backdrop texture accompanying my personal goals and purposes. They become tiny, swirling dust devils stirred up by my atmospheric movements of intention. These are no longer "stresses"--they are revealing acknowledgements that life is changing according to my desires. As practice advances, I'm wondering if perhaps it is not so much that it is "monumentally difficult" to do this yoga, but that certain firmly embedded toxic conditions residing for decades deep within organs, muscle and bone are at last being purged--and that translates as a monumental achievement on some subliminal cellular or auric level. Whatever it is, it has restored my sense of humor, allowed me to rediscover my enjoyment of living, and added an aura of leisure in everyday activities, even as I find myself accomplishing more. And so I continue on with my daily practice of Bikram Yoga with an inner smile, remembering that Bikram says, "You gotta go through hell to get to heaven," and remembering that only reason "hell" is there was my own doing. But with yoga, my days of redemption are at hand. GRAPHICS/LINKS: http://www.subtleenergysolutions.com/newsletter-boydyoga.html
Boyd is the webmaster of www.subtleenergysolutions.com and the newsletter writer for that site. He enjoys a wide range of experience both in the ways of the internet and in freelance writing. An active, professional drummer, Boyd performs in the Portland area with several area blues and R&B bands. Boyd is also an avid, practicing Bikram Yoga participant
| | Brain Nutrients for Alzheimers Disease and Senile DementiaWritten by Patricia Valle
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B Bitamins are essential for mental health. Deficiencies may manifest themsleves as cognitive impairment or psychosis. B1 (thiamin) deficiency is associated with a psychotic disorder, and B3 (niacin) deficiency is associated with dementia, memory deficits and delirium. Studies indicate that abnormally low levels of vitamin B 12 are also associated with Alzheimers Disease. Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a phospholipid present in large amounts in brain tissue and component of all cell membranes. Suggested dosage is 300 mg. three times a day with meals. Zinc prevents zinc depletion which has been linked to a number of brain disorders. Ginkgo Biloba ia an herb that has been well documented to improve cerebral blood flow, and exhibits antioxidant activity on nerves. It may also reduce age-related decline of neurotransmitters and receptors. Ginko may also slow progression of Alzheimers by improving blood flow and reduce blood vessel inflammation. Proper nutrition may deter onset of Alzheimer's Disease. Avoid red meats, sugar, alcohol, processed foods, and avoid using any aluminum cooking utensils when preparing foods. Eating a well-balanced diet of natural foods is highly recommended. Add fiber foods such as vegetables, sea greens, nuts, ginger, eggs, and soy for brain-nourishing EFA's. Include B vitamin foods such as brewere's yeast, brown rice, molasses, wheat germ, fish and whole grains. Avoid flouridated water as it increases aluminum absorption, and avoid using pain killers like buffered aspirin, analgesics and antacids because they contain aluminum. By using natural therapies, slow progression of brain deterioriation has been successful. This information is not intended to diagnose or treat any ailment. Always consult with your health care professional. Copyright 2003 by Patricia Valle
I am a nutrition consultant at a well-known health food store in So. California. Prior to working at this store, I became interested in alternative medicine and nutrition when my eldest son was dying of a terminal illness. A little over two years ago I began writing articles on health, nutrition and herbs. Some of the articles are on my own website. www.angel-made.com
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