Monthly Archives: May 2017

Memorial Day Greetings and Family Photos

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Happy Memorial Day!  I’m taking the day off from blogging, but I wanted to share this recent photo of some of my yoga teacher training students and graduates.   The man seated in the chair is my teacher, Gary Kraftsow.  Gary was in Seattle teaching a weekend seminar on yoga for anxiety and depression, and these lovely yogis represented the Whole Life Yoga family.  It’s so cool to see my students continuing to learn, teach and grow.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.   Talk to you next week!

Tracy Weber

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All four books in the Downward Dog Mystery Series are available at booksellers everywhere!

What’s in a Name?

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Unending joy through the eyes of a puppy.

Today’s my day to blog at Inkspot, the blog for authors of Midnight Ink.  I’m discussing the power of names, both in fictional characters and our loved ones.

http://midnightwriters.blogspot.com/2017/05/whats-in-name.html

Enjoy!

Tracy Weber

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All four books in the Downward Dog Mystery Series are available at booksellers everywhere!

Can You Do Yoga Over 50? You Bet!

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Please welcome Sheryl Stich back to the Whole Life Yoga blog today.  Sheryl teaches four (!) classes each week specifically designed for students over 50.  Continue reading to discover what makes so many students come back week after week.  It’s never too late to start a consistent yoga practice!

As students were chatting and stacking their mats and blankets after the Monday Yoga for Over 50 class, I started to reminisce about how the class began seven years ago with three dedicated students. After a few months, attendance began to flourish and in response we added a class on Wednesdays and Fridays. The classes have continued to grow, so we recently introduced a 4:30 PM class on Wednesdays.

Why is this class so popular? The Yoga for Over 50 class is very similar to an All-Levels class with modifications to accommodate the over 50 body. There are countless benefits of yoga for people over 50, including staying active, improving quality of life and slowing down the aging process. I teach a variety of strengthening postures, always include a balance posture and exclude postures that could possibly compromise bodies with arthritis, osteoporosis and other issues we may face.

When I asked my students what specifically draws them to the class, one student approached me immediately, saying the class matches her energy level, and that Viniyoga is great for the body, and just feels right – this class is perfect for people over 50.

Several students shared that they appreciate working around any physical limitations but still getting benefits from the postures. They recognize the importance of the individual modifications and they feel safe because they are not pressured into positions. One student proclaimed that the practice and postures helped her recover from breast cancer!

One recurring theme was that the class helps with every day things like increasing strength, flexibility, balance, body awareness and a sense of serenity. And the practice helps students be more confident and have an increased ease of movement throughout the day. Stress management, minimizing physical discomfort and preventing accidents also came up several times.

The class has helped one student feel stronger when skiing and another said it has increased her time in the garden from one to three hours. One student shared that she couldn’t walk very far because her hips hurt – this class has helped her be more flexible and strong and has taught how to move so she can spend more time walking.

The Yoga for Over 50 class also has a great sense of community. Catherine Williford has coordinated monthly luncheons for students in all the Over 50 classes, and this is what she had to say:

I love Over 50 Yoga at Whole Life Yoga because Sheryl is a gifted teacher who teaches with clear language and she keeps the pace perfect for those of us who might need a little more time. The poses seem to always be just what my body needed that day. I also love the community that is being created with monthly luncheons for whomever wants to join. I highly recommend this class!

Sheryl Stich is a certified yoga instructor through Whole Life Yoga’s teacher training program and is registered with Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500. Sheryl came to Viniyoga after recovering from disc hernia surgery in 2002. She also had hip replacement surgery, and found that yoga and breath work not only helped retain her health physically, but also helped mentally and emotionally. She finds much joy and happiness in sharing this “calm awakening” connecting the mind, body and breath with her students.

Benefits of Yoga for Chronic Pain: A Practice of Conscious Movement, Breath, and Meditation

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Please welcome Whole Life Yoga instructor Katie West to the blog today!  Katie is such an inspiration to me and her students. Yoga is an incredible tool to help manage chronic pain, and I’m delighted to offer a new drop-in Yoga for Chronic Pain class by Katie on Thursdays at noon starting May 4.  Please join us!

The Body (movement/asana):

When living with chronic pain, one often develops a negative relationship with the body. If the body is limited and causing distress, frustrations, depression, or anxiety, the natural reaction is to disconnect from it. Many people want to suppress those emotions that are provoked by a chronic condition, so one might try to silence it, when all that is needed is to listen and respond with compassion.

Self-compassion is paramount when it comes to yoga and chronic pain. To be able to look at our own dysfunctional body, feel and nourish it, takes great courage and persistence. Our normal is a different kind of normal from those who do not have physical limitations. It is more delicate and special in that way. It is important to see this, to create a baseline for yourself and adapt from there. What differentiates Viniyoga from other lineages is its adaptability for different bodies and conditions. Correct movement for your body helps manage and minimize chronic pains, change old movement patterns, and build a more positive connection to your body. Viniyoga practices breath-centric movement where the breath is the core of conscious movement and builds a deeper connection to the body.

The Breath (pranayama)

One evening, I was on my side in the middle of the living room floor in crippling pain. Just a typical Friday evening. I began to focus my awareness on the expansion and release of my breath. I felt the warmth and vibrations of my breath within my body and the subtle contraction and relaxation of my muscles as I directed gentle awareness to achy areas. My exhale made my body feel at ease, and the control I had over the expansion in my body through my inhales left me feeling empowered. I slowly breathed life back into my body and realized I have the power to change my responses to what I had been labeling as negative physical sensations. Rather than wallowing in pity and complaining about my physical problems, I just breathed with intention and control, easing my achy joints and busy mind.

To breathe is to live. To consciously breathe is a persistent practice and affects our systems and energy on different levels based on the conscious control of the lengths, segments, pauses, and accentuation of the breath.

The Mind (meditation):

The mind is the control room, reigning over breath and body. Meditation can provide tools to change your thoughts, emotions, behavior, and habitual patterns allowing you to control your mind’s process.  If you choose to focus your attention fully on something, and catch your mind as it is wandering, the act of bringing your attention back to that original focal point is the practice of meditation. If you choose to focus on more positive things such as building a more positive relationship with your body, it will begin to become a habitual pattern. The same goes for negative habitual thought. Meditation teaches us how to listen and respond to the patterns in our mind and change them if desired.

The combination of correct gentle movement, conscious breathing, and focused intention or visualization creates an empowering practice for those with chronic pain.

Katie West has completed 500 hours of yoga teacher training via Whole Life Yoga (WLY) and continued as a TA for WLY’s 200 hour training. She believes yoga is a gift to share with all, having found Viniyoga after years of chronic conditions stemming from structural and muscular issues.The lineage’s teachings yielded the tools to begin her journey of reintegrating body, breath, and mind. This exploration of connection helped minimize and manage her chronic pain and revealed a constant practice of balance to life as a whole. Her teaching style highlights the accessibility, therapeutic, and rehabilitative aspects of yoga. Katie honors the Viniyoga lineage as an instructor and finds any way for students to integrate yoga into their daily lives. She holds that yoga is for everybody and adaptable to all.

 

3 Tips for Staying Centered through Trauma

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Hi all!  Please welcome Nadine Kenney Johnstone, author of a powerful memoir,  Of This Much I’m Sure, to the Whole Life Blog today.  In preparation for my next book, I’ve been researching the physical and emotional impacts of infertility and infertility treatments. When I learned of Nadine’s work, I asked her to join us and talk about her experiences as a yogi trying to conceive. Her tips are relevant for individuals living through any kind of trauma.

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I was taking a lot of heated vinyasa flow yoga classes before I started infertility treatments, and I always walked out of the studio feeling detoxed, strong, and calm. One of my favorite instructors was always there to adjust and support me into a deeper extension of a pose. At the time, I was living in Massachusetts, 800 miles away from my mother, sister, and friends in Chicago. So, this nurturing yoga environment was incredibly important to me.

When I started my fertility injections, my doctor stressed the importance of a stable core temperature, so heated yoga was off-limits. My studio didn’t offer non-heated classes, so I replaced my practice with solo walks around the neighborhood. This only furthered my isolation and gave me too much time to mentally obsess about all of the things I couldn’t control–if the injections were working, if the procedures would be successful, if I’d get pregnant.

Unexpectedly, after my egg retrieval procedure, my left ovary never clotted, and I had severe internal bleeding. I was rushed to the hospital and into emergency surgery. The recovery was even worse than that of a c-section. I was out of work and couldn’t drive for weeks. It was the loneliest time in my life. Though what had gotten me into this situation was the longing to be a mother, it left me wanting to be mothered.

On the first day I could drive, I knew exactly where I needed to go. I went to my favorite yoga studio, and though I couldn’t do 90 percent of the poses, the instructor gave me such healing support that I nearly wept. She felt like the mom, sister, and friend I didn’t have in Massachusetts.

When I did finally get pregnant–naturally, by some miracle–I found unheated classes and did yoga throughout my entire pregnancy, which might be why our son is a natural yogi!

I wrote about my experiences in my new memoir: Of This Much I’m Sure.  While reflecting, I learned that trauma, in any form, can be incredibly isolating, and as I look back, here are the things I wish I had done more of to help me stay centered:

Keep up with your yoga practice.

Stress can make you feel incredibly isolated. You need the company–the emotional and physical support from others. The poses and the breathing will give your monkey mind a job other than obsessing over things that you can’t control. If you are going through infertility treatments, go to an unheated class and talk to your doctor about any poses that might be off limits.

Train others to be good listeners.

Most people don’t know how to react to stories of other people’s struggles. Some will talk about the silver-lining; many will tell you to just relax. None of this advice will heal your pain. Choose a few trusted people and prep them about how to react. Tell them, “Listen, hug, repeat.”

Journal

Grab a notebook and time yourself: 10 minutes. Make note of your physical, mental, and emotional status that day. Note what’s irritating you. Note what you’re grateful for (both of yourself and the outside world). What have you learned about yourself today? And, finally, Were you able to speak your truth today? If not, why? Unspoken truth becomes a heavy weight that burdens you until you free it.

_Y5A6000(3)Nadine Kenney Johnstone is author of Of This Much I’m Sure (She Writes Press, 2017), a memoir of her experiences struggling with IVF and illness, and the healing power of hope and love. Her work has been featured in Chicago Magazine, The Month, PANK, and various anthologies, including The Magic of Memoir. Nadine, who received her MFA from Columbia College in Chicago, teaches English at Loyola University and doubles as a writing coach, presenting at conferences internationally. She lives near Chicago with her family.