My knees are cringing…
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This just in: CHOCOLATE IS GOOD FOR YOU!!! Not Hershey’s waxy version of the stuff, and not just the super-bitter expensive dark stuff either. It’s good ol’ Dove Dark that has shown the highest levels of antioxidants. Which is cool because Dove actually tastes good. It’s rich, but not overbearing. This means that you can prevent cancer and heart disease by eating chocolate every day, folks. It’s like eating broccoli, but more fun. Just don’t eat too much. Moderation in all things!
;)
By Linda Rao, a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Prevention.
You’ve read it before: Dark chocolate, the richer in cocoa the better, is not only a to-die-for treat, it’s actually good for you. And just 1 oz of a very special dark chocolate packs more than twice the healthy antioxidants punch of red wine or other dark chocolates.
Dove Dark, made by Mars, Inc., contains Cocoapro cocoa, a proprietary, specially processed cocoa that contains superhigh levels of antioxidants –so high that Dove Dark is used in medical research.
“Cocoa is rich in antioxidant flavonoids called flavanols, which include procyanidins, epicatechins, and catechins,” explains Harold Schmitz, PhD, director of science at Mars, Inc. Studies have shown that people with high blood levels of flavonoids have lower risk of heart disease, lung cancer, prostate cancer, asthma, and type 2 diabetes.
Several studies in animals and humans have shown the heart-healthy effects of dark chocolate’s antioxidants. One of these studies, led by Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State University, found that people who ate a diet rich in cocoa powder and dark chocolate had lower oxidation levels of bad LDL cholesterol, higher blood antioxidant levels, and 4 percent higher levels of good HDL cholesterol.
Here are the good things research shows that Cocoapro cocoa can do…
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I love this picture! First of all, this woman has an amazingly fit, healthy, strong and flexible body. And look at the joy radiating from her face! She just exudes energy and confidence. Talk about aging gracefully. This is why I practice yoga, folks. I want to be doing the splits when I’m 85.
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Parents and teachers are starting to realize the benefits of yoga for today’s kids. Children are naturally flexible and strong for their body size, so they move easily into poses that challenge adults. They bring an energy and freedom to yoga poses, trying new things without ego getting in the way. There is a lot of laughing and wiggling, and I always leave class with a big smile on my face. Isn’t that the essence of yoga? To experience the joy in each moment and just “be”?
By SHARON LEE TEGLER For The Capital
Outside, the weather was chilly. But the gym at Severna Park Elementary was pleasantly warm for last Wednesday’s after-school yoga class.
Fourteen children carefully positioned their feet on colorful yoga mats. With eyes closed, they listened to the background music, relaxed and breathed in through their noses.
“Breathing is important because it brings oxygen to our muscles, tendons, and joints so we’re able to stretch,” said teacher Jessica Switzman. Beginning with centering exercises, she led the students through several simple postures. Each movement flowed fluidly into the next and, before long; the children were performing more challenging poses.
[...] Read the full article at HometownAnnapolis.com
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Imagine your spine lengthening, your hips opening, your shoulders releasing, all without your doing a thing. Ah, this is the bliss of a Thai yoga massage, an ancient healing art that is said to date back to the time of the Buddha. Thai massage can feel like a nurturing, effortless yoga practice in which your partner moves your body in and out of postures, enticing your muscles into gentle stretches and your mind into deep relaxation.
Legend has it that the practice began in India more than 2,500 years ago, then migrated to Thailand, where it was performed in temples and regarded as a spiritual practice. In offering a massage, the giver cultivates the four divine states, or brahma viharas, of Buddhist practice: metta (lovingkindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy), and uppekha (equanimity). In this way, a Thai massage becomes both a meditation and an offering of sublime kindness. Bringing this spirit to a massage makes it truly healing for both giver and receiver.
[...] Learn the techniques at Yoga Journal
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Yoga is an effective treatment for postpartum depression, with none of the side effects associated with anti-depressants, which is particularly important if you are breastfeeding. Find a gentle, slower paced class to ease your body back into shape, while calming your poor, sleep-deprived brain. This article does a great job explaining, medically, why yoga is effective. It’s not magic and it’s not mumbo-jumbo!
[...] Different aspects of yoga such as asana and pranayama have indispensable applications in the treatment of depression. For example, specific postures (or asanas as they are called in yogic parlance) are said to have a regulating effect on the endocrine system. There is evidence (from preliminary studies) to show that the regular practice of yoga reduces the production of stress hormones when exposed to stressful situations. The medulla oblongata in the brain controls respiration and the production of certain stress hormones. During stress, when the breathing becomes rapid, signals are sent to that part of the medulla oblongata to secrete stress hormones. However, with the regular practice of yoga, the breath remains steady even when confronted with stress and consequently, this reduces the brain’s impulse to secrete stress hormones.
Therefore, yoga brings about hormonal balance and stabilizes the endocrine system. The practice of relaxation techniques balances cortical activities and the nervous and endocrine systems, thus reducing the body`s predisposition to react to stress. As a result, the body produces less adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol, all stress hormones, and a state of harmony is achieved.
Read the full article at Natural News.
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I was in yoga the other day. I was in full lotus position. My chakras were all aligned. My mind is cleared of all clatter and I’m looking out of my third eye and everything that I’m supposed to be doing. It’s amazing what comes up, when you sit in that silence. “Mama keeps whites bright like the sunlight, Mama’s got the magic of Clorox 2.” ~Ellen DeGeneres
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Wow, talk about unique and interesting yoga classes! This is kinda kooky, but really cool. I’m sure no one else is doing anything quite like it.
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) –
The Georgia Aquarium — which with 80,000 animals and 8 million gallons of water is considered the biggest facility of its kind — has begun offering yoga classes in front of the tank that holds its belugas, whose playful nature and graceful movements have made them a favorite of visitors since the aquarium opened in late 2005.
“The beluga whales are so slow and so smooth in their movements, which is indeed what this is about — slow movements of the body,” said Todd DeLaune, one of the instructors of the weekly sessions, which start Sunday. “And I think the energy of the belugas corresponds with the practice that we do.”
There’s the cobra, the cat and the downward-facing dog. Now, the world’s largest aquarium is introducing a new animal to complement those centuries-old yoga stances — the beluga whale.
[...] Read the full article at CNN
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I have added a Yoga and Health Store to my blog! Just click on the link above and browse my selection of books, music, dvd’s, yoga gear, prenatal yoga and kid’s yoga products! I’ll be adding to the store regularly, so keep checking back. All purchases are made through Amazon.com and are guaranteed safe and secure.
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I have been working for the last year on opening up my right hip enough to practice Padmasana, or Full Lotus. The left side of my body, in general, is more flexible, from my left tricep down to my hip. So everyday I do hip openers, and my poor stiff right side is finally giving in.
Yesterday I worked my left hip for about 45 minutes, getting it warm and loose enough that I could gently lift my foot up into padmasana without any knee strain or discomfort. It felt amazing. I pressed my hands down on the floor on either side of my body and lifted my hips up into Utpluthee. Wow. I felt weightless!
Later that night, I decided I had to show my sister my new trick, so I threw my feet up into Lotus, lifted up, and then thought, “I wonder what would happen if I swung back and forth through my arms…” Well, I swung, and it was fun, until I felt a huge POP in my right knee. Nauseating. I thought I had probably dislocated something. This morning it is really sore, and although I can put weight on it, I can tell something is seriously strained. I don’t think anything is broken or ripped, but it still feels awful and I’ll have to stay off of it for a few days.
So I guess my body was trying to teach me something about ego. Yoga is not a performance art. I ignored my knees and did something stupid because I thought it would be cool. Now I’ll have to go back to hip openers and nurse my knee back to health. Next time I get cocky I’ll remember what happens if you try to run before you can walk…
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