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Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
Public bathrooms can be nasty. Porta-potties as well. I remember my mother carefully laying toilet paper on the rim of the seat in public bathrooms. As I got older, I followed suit, trying to keep the paper from sliding off into the toilet or floor. It was quite imprecise. I later found it was much more efficient to squat, if you weren't going to be there long. Squatting was also necessary on long runs and other "got to go now" times. Fortunately many public restrooms have toilet covers(1)(2), but you've got a 50-50 chance of getting it to stay on. [Does the long tab-thing go on the front or back?]
What one does in the bathroom is their own business. We rarely know the bathroom habits of others. Really, I got through a good portion of my life not knowing that most people poop every day and often at the same time. Going every 2 or 3 days was not considered "normal".
According to the WHO, 1.1 billion people go without a toilet. You may have noticed on your foreign travels that some public toilets have a porcelain on which to stand and squat. But, what was new info to me was that many people with toilets choose to squat and I found this a bit crazy and intriguing. After some research and chatting with squatters I found it was the preferred position for the body and it can have positive health effects.
Slate's article Don't Just Sit There! has a fun and informative article even relating the advice given to President Jimmy Carter's by his proctologist to explain his hemorrhoids. "We were not meant to sit on toilets," he said, "we were meant to squat in the field." He's probably right. Who knew that hemorrhoids affect half of all Americans and new research suggests that getting your butt off the toilet can help. The theory is that squatting makes defecation easier and eliminates the straining that can lead to hemorrhoids.
Squattypotty.com has a video that suggests: "Effects of improper toilet posture . . . can affect your health. . . toilet posture can help with straining issues such as hemorrhoids, pelvic organ prolapse and constipation. . . " They also sell a riser for placing the feet for squatting over the toilet that puts the body in a better position for elimination. According to squattypotty, our body is designed to be in the squatting position to eliminate. It has to do with the anal sphincter muscle. We can control it by contracting the muscle, but the body also relies on a bend bent between the rectum (where feces are stored) and the anus (the exit point).
Squatting is also a preferred position for childbirth. According to Lamaze International(3), gravity helps with the descent of the baby, widens the pelvic outlet, requires less bearing down and may help the urge to push. It also allows the mother freedom to shift her weight to increase comfort. This seems obvious, I know, but the supine position has become so common that we forget that it is an intervention to be used in limited instances.
So, squat more. You may want to even sing along with the Squat Song created by Kauai yogini, Denise Kaufman:
Bend your knees and tuck your booty
You got to get your core to the floor
Cause keeping it loose is what we're doin'
And if you've never done it before, you probably don't know squat...
(2) According to http://www.ehow.com/about_6300227_california-public-restrooms-law.html: "A common misconception surrounding California public restrooms is that all toilets must have seat covers in addition to the standard seat found in these types of facilities. In fact, the purported requirement that a California public toilet come complete with a seat cover is a myth and is not a legal requirement."
Want to read some of my previous articles? You can do it here. Enjoy.
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Did You Know?
Just Announced - 200-Hr Yoga Teacher Training right here in Petaluma. I'm honored to be on the faculty. See below for more info.
Ashtanga Yoga Confluence registration is now open. If you're going, and I am, you'll want to register early. It sells out, especially the rooms at the Catamaran Hotel, at the special rate of $130.
Check out November's Yoga Journal Magazine. Our local and always popular yogini, Anne O'Brien, authors an article on page 87 on aging gracefully.
The Yoga in Graton program is growing faster than the price of Lululemon yoga pants. We now have seven weekly classes, 2 Graton locations, 4-glorious teachers and lotta amazing students. Find us at www.YogaInGraton.com.
Mark your calendars with the West County Craft Fair on November 3. Started many moons ago by Ashtangi Star, Ann Austin, it's become a local must-attend. It'll be at the Sebastopol Grange again this year.
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JUST ANNOUNCED - Advanced Studies - Teacher Training Program
If you've ever considered taking a Yoga Teacher Training program, the stars have just aligned for you. Post Wellness by Design in Petaluma with the expert guidance of local legend, Tony Briggs, is holding a teacher training beginning in January 2013.
Do you wonder about the differences between teacher training programs? Good, you should. They are not all created equal. This program has teachers who I would (and do) seek out to train with "individually". So, a training that includes all of them is stellar. These are senior, seasoned, respected, local and international teachers. Who? Tony Briggs, Anne O'Brien, Richard Rosen, Ann Dyer, Ulrika Engman and more! And, I have the great opportunity to be included with this impressive group. I have been asked to present the Restorative Yoga module.
Maybe you don't want to teach, but want to extend your knowledge of the practice and learn more about the philosophy, anatomy and grounding in the principles of yoga. This is the perfect opportunity.
I know, life if busy and funds are short. They've made it easy and affordable. Classes will be on Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons for 4 months. Want more info? Of course you do. Go to Tony Briggs's site at www.tonybriggsyoga.com. You can ask me any questions at cheryl@cherylthomas.com.
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 99 Life Hacks
You see these in Real Simple magazine and strewn through Ladies Home Journal (is it still around?). Here are 99 tips and tricks to make your life easier. Really, they are all pretty darn good. This link came from my fav kottke.org. Here are just a few:1. Use a clean dustpan to fill a pail that won't fit in the sink
2. Use a staple puller to open the key ring instead of breaking a nail
3. Use toilet paper rolls (cut) to keep your wrapping paper rolls together.
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RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms
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Changing Education Paradigms
If you're an educator, student or have a kid in school, you'll find this though provoking. Even if it doesn't apply to you, just the illustration alone is fascinating. Thanks Molly for the link.
"Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence."
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Be Happy on Friday's
Instead of shots of tequila and fried artichoke hearts, spend your Friday happy hour moving and grooving at an all-levels vinyasa flow class.
I am honored and excited to be offered another class at Westside Yoga Studio. On Friday's from 4:30 - 6:00, we'll end each week with an energetic vinyasa flow class. Through building heat from the inside, we'll strip out the stress hormones from the day. A long rest at the end of class will reset our nervous system and prepare us for our weekend.
You'll be done at 6:00!! That'll leave plenty of time for dinner with friends, a movie or a relaxing evening with your pooch. Or, maybe a Chia filled Kombucha or that 100% agave margarita!
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Restorative Yoga 
I love the response of students to their first or second or hundredth restorative yoga experience. It's the moment when their nervous system shifts from "yikes!" to "ahhhhhh." They leave with relaxed shoulders and brightened attitude.
It's easy to forget that the body knows exactly what to do. The relaxation response is a built in function of our amazing central nervous system. We just have to let relaxation happen. I know, it seems impossible sometimes. Thus, the popularity of restorative yoga where we learn to put the body in positions and let it do it's thing.
Every Monday
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Westside Yoga, Sebastopol
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Get Your Girlfriends Together
It's fun to get friends together. Treat your friends to Yoga and Tea rather than Food and Booze. Inviting friends to come together for a Gentle or Restorative Yoga class is a perfect way to enjoy each other's company and do something good for yourselves. Many yoga parties end with tea or champagne and some munchies. Your friends will thank you!
Please call on me if I can help you book a private yoga class or answer any questions. I can be reached at cheryl@cherylthomas.com.
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Schedule of Upcoming Classes
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