|
Greetings!
We have made it! The days are slowly getting longer and brighter in the Northern Hemisphere. We have all lived with our New Year's Resolutions for a few weeks...How are you doing with them? I am geared up to help you reach your New Year's Resolutions for health and fitness (no matter how good you've been) in my studio. It is easy to sign up for an appointment online: Scroll down and read articles from winter past on how the changing of this season might affect your body (and what to do about it!) Also, read about how my goals have changed for the new year and how Liz Gillem PT is getting a new name... Hope to see you in the studio soon!
|
|
Business News for the New Year.
2012 is looking to be exciting for Liz Gillem PT.
1. I am incorporating and changing the business name to: Body Temple Physical Therapy, Inc. My husband, Dan, will be taking on a bigger role in helping with the business. Keep an eye out for him next ti  me you're in the studio; he might offer you tea.
2. I am in the middle of another new career adventure. I am studying to become a Certified Yoga Therapist. I am in the middle of the online portion now and will get to go on a retreat in May. I will return with even more useful tools to help you on and off the mat.
3. Online scheduling continues to improve.
After you book online, you will now receive the following message:
"MANAGE YOUR APPOINTMENT
Sign in to the Genbook Customer Center to manage your appointment online (and a link appears). You can click your unique link to view or print your confirmation, schedule your next appointment, get directions, cancel your appointment, view your appointment history, and much more."
It's easy and it's free. Simply create a user name and password.
See you on the schedule and in the studio soon!
|
Personal Note There are several of you who had a session this summer or fall and saw me getting bigger with joy (literally and figuratively). Dan and I almost succeeded in starting a family this year. We gave birth to our son, Jakob, too early, on October 31, 2011. His ashes were spread at sea. Thank you to everyone who has supported us through this terrible time. We are slowly coming out of the ground and blossoming again, one day at a time. |
|
 |
|
|
Water and Winter
Keep Your Roots Flexible
(Written December 2009)
Many cultures and traditions honor the disappearance, and reappearance, of the sun. In the Northern Hemisphere the Winter Solstice (December 21st) is the shortest day of the year. The sun rises late and sets early, allowing the deciduous trees to shed and the mammals to hibernate for the winter. The neurotransmitters and hormones in our bodies respond to changes in light and darkness. Chritiane Northrup, MD explains this in her book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. (Click here to order from my webstire, now). She reminds us that it is OK to honor the darkness this time of year.
Traditional Chinese Medicine correlates the season winter with the water element. The water element is characterized by fluidity, cold, damp, and the color blue. Awe, wonder, and respect are the emotions that flow like water through the kidney and bladder meridians in the body. Courage and steadfastness are expressed as a balanced winter state. When our winter state is unbalanced, terror, paranoia, and fear can run our body-mind on one extreme and foolhardiness or excessive bravado at the opposite pole. Our bodies seek balance. One way to balance the winter in your body is to keep our bladder and kidney meridians flexible.
The Kidney Meridian runs from the bottom of the foot, up the inside of the legs, and in to the chest. It controls the physical strength of the body, including its sexual energy, and is closely related to the first two chakras (Root and Sacral) which provide guidance for survival and sexuality respectively. One might say that the Chakras in the Yogic Theory of Energy (Prana) are the energy plexuses for the Traditional Chinese Meridians. To keep our first two chakras balanced, and to keep our kidney meridian flexible, it is useful to practice regular, gentle, inner thigh stretches (Adductor Stretches).
The bladder meridian begins at the bridge of the nose, near the medial corner of the eyes, travels up over the crown of the head, sweeps down the back and continues through the Gluteal, hamstring, and calf muscles, until it terminates in the fifth toes. We can stretch this meridian by stretching our hamstrings, calves, and by performing gentle knee-to-chest stretches.
Note that the Sciatic Nerve, follows the latter path of the bladder meridian. In fact, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the sciatic nerve was dubbed "The Life Nerve." Have you ever noticed that humans in the latter stages of their life typically are inflexible in their hamstrings? To keep our lives long and healthy, we should keep our life nerve long and happy.
To properly stretch these muscles or for other nerve gliding exercises, send me an email inquiry, or set up an appointment. Never stretch when your muscles are cold and stretching should never cause pain! Please listen to your body and be gentle.
Keep your roots flexible.
Many cultures and traditions honor the disappearance, and reappearance, of the sun. In the Northern Hemisphere the Winter Solstice (December 21st) is the shortest day of the year. The sun rises late and sets early, allowing the deciduous trees to shed and the mammals to hibernate for the winter. The neurotransmitters and hormones in our bodies respond to changes in light and darkness. Chritiane Northrup, MD explains this in her book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. (Click here to order from my webstire, now). She reminds us that it is OK to honor the darkness this time of year.
Traditional Chinese Medicine correlates the season winter with the water element. The water element is characterized by fluidity, cold, damp, and the color blue. Awe, wonder, and respect are the emotions that flow like water through the kidney and bladder meridians in the body. Courage and steadfastness are expressed as a balanced winter state. When our winter state is unbalanced, terror, paranoia, and fear can run our body-mind on one extreme and foolhardiness or excessive bravado at the opposite pole. Our bodies seek balance. One way to balance the winter in your body is to keep our bladder and kidney meridians flexible.
The Kidney Meridian runs from the bottom of the foot, up the inside of the legs, and in to the chest. It controls the physical strength of the body, including its sexual energy, and is closely related to the first two chakras (Root and Sacral) which provide guidance for survival and sexuality respectively. One might say that the Chakras in the Yogic Theory of Energy (Prana) are the energy plexuses for the Traditional Chinese Meridians. To keep our first two chakras balanced, and to keep our kidney meridian flexible, it is useful to practice regular, gentle, inner thigh stretches (Adductor Stretches).
The bladder meridian begins at the bridge of the nose, near the medial corner of the eyes, travels up over the crown of the head, sweeps down the back and continues through the Gluteal, hamstring, and calf muscles, until it terminates in the fifth toes. We can stretch this meridian by stretching our hamstrings, calves, and by performing gentle knee-to-chest stretches.
Note that the Sciatic Nerve, follows the latter path of the bladder meridian. In fact, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the sciatic nerve was dubbed "The Life Nerve." Have you ever noticed that humans in the latter stages of their life typically are inflexible in their hamstrings? To keep our lives long and healthy, we should keep our life nerve long and happy.
To properly stretch these muscles or for other nerve gliding exercises, send me an email inquiry, or set up an appointment. Never stretch when your muscles are cold and stretching should never cause pain! Please listen to your body and be gentle.
|
|
|
|
|
Please enjoy as you celebrate the return of the sun and light, Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Liz Gillem Duncanson
Liz Duncanson MPT ATC CSCS
|
|
 |
|
