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Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
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Sunscreen*
Think back. 1997. There was a spoken song called "Wear Sunscreen." Erroneously thought to be a commencement speech, it appeared in the Chicago Tribune. If you haven't heard it or don't remember it, it's worth a listen right here or click the video above. There's a lot of good advice. Wearing sunscreen is one of them, but today it's not so simple. We have sunscreen with different ingredients, a crazy range of SPFs, versions for children, faces, and sports, some are ultimate, quick dry and Australian or sticks, sprays and lotions.
The sun can wreck havoc. Leave your Hard Tail black T-back yoga top on your clothes line for a couple of days in the sun and it will bleach it to a tie-dyed gray tone. Just look at the effects on a delivery truck driver getting pickled through his window by ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. The sun is a great disinfectant and things exposed to light become clear(er). Called "transparency" in the Obama admin. But, I digress.
Ayurvedic practitioner, John Doulliard, via Elephant Journal, reported on some new studies, the pros/cons of sunscreen and some alternative ways to protect your skin. He offers that "According to a new report released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), there is surprisingly little proof that sunscreens prevent most skin cancers and according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, "Sunscreens should not be the first choice for skin cancer prevention and should not be used as the sole agent for protection against the sun."
Regular sunscreen use lowers the risk of squamous-cell carcinoma, but not other types of skin cancer. Squamous-cell carcinoma accounts for only 16% of all skin cancers. The biggie is basal-cell carcinoma (80%). Malignant melanoma is 4% of all skin cancers. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that "sunscreen use has no demonstrated influence on basal-cell carcinoma". Conversely, if sunscreen use gives you permission to stay out longer in the sun, it can actually increase your risks.
Like pink, rotary princess phones, I remember when lifeguards smeared white paste on their noses, called zinc oxide. (I also remember generously smearing on the baby oil or Bain de Soliel for the "St. Tropez Tan"!) Generally considered safe, zinc oxide has been reformulated to avoid the "unsightly white film" into microscopic particles, called nano particles. Nice, but current reporting is that nano-particles "may" cause a health risk. Google it or read about it here. Also, sunscreen can also lower your absorption of Vitamin D from the sun..
If you're going to use sunscreen, use a lot. Slather and slop it on. The recommendation is 1 oz (a shot glass) or 1 tsp for the face, 20 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied every 2 hours. For a day in the sun and you'll use half your 8 oz bottle. Think your "foundation" with sunscreen is helping? Well, it's helping Johnson & Johnson. You need to use seven times the normally used amount of foundation to meet the (SPF) on the label.
I'm not dissing sunscreen. Just don't rely on it to do what it won't do. Want to avoid sun damage? Don't burn, avoid the sun between 10 and 4, cover up, seek shade, wear a hat. And, wear sunscreen.
*This is a repeat from June last year.
Want to read some of my previous articles? You can do it here. Enjoy.
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Did You Know?
The Yoga Clothing Swap is TODAY, May 5!! Bring, take or just hang out with your yoga friends. It's Spring Cleaning Time!!
See below for details.
Welcome back Ann Austin! Ann will be teaching her awesome Ashtanga based class on Tuesday (beginning) and Thursday (intermediate) at Yoga Studio Ganesha during the month of May and beyond. Then, starting in June, you'll find her at Move2Change M/T/F at 9 and W at 11. More updates to come.
Jenn Russo, co-owner of the popular, Yoga on Center, in Healdsburg is bringing her friend and Ashtanga certified instructor, Adarsh Williams on May 10th and 11th to teach two 90 minute classes as well as a 21/2 hour workshop Saturday afternoon. Though he is an Ashtanga instructor he also specializes in Yoga Therapy. The workshop on Saturday is for all levels and styles of students and will not be an Ashtanga practice. Go to Yoga on Center for more info. Want to advance your back-bending practice. May 5 (after theYoga Clothing Swap!) is the day at Yoga by Design in Petaluma with accomplished Anne O'Brien. Time is 1-4.
Suitable for levels 2 - teachers.
The new community based movement studio, Move2Change is having its grand opening in June 1. More news when their website is live. It'll be at the Barlow in Sebastopol in the previous Sebastopol Center for the Arts.
Yay, Guerneville has a yoga studio, Riverbed Yoga. Yes, a real one, props and all. You'll find Ashtangi, Richard Koman, (and soon, Cindy Sims) there on Sundays. Here's their beautiful website. And, Rachel Lanzerotti will be offering Yoga for a Healthy Spine workshop on June 22. Jim and Gary love the Thurs. evening class which includes 30 minutes of yoga nidra.
Sardinia, Italy, anyone? Yoga and career coaching retreat? My dear friend, Shannon Houde, will be offering the coaching at a beautiful place in early September. Learn more here.
Did you miss your "spa day" at Solage in Calistoga last month? Better get it on your calendar. The always awesome, Anne O'Brien, will offer an all-levels yoga class from 11-1, AND you get to hang out all day at one of the fanciest, hoity toity spas in Calistoga. It's Friday, May 10. Thinking of going??? It's almost full, so do register.
Get boat loads of yoga information and lots of free downloads from YogaU online. Really, tons. It's a great resource for teachers and students. There's one NOW, Free,
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 TODAY!! Yoga Clothing Swap & Sale
It's Spring Cleaning Time! You know you have a few gently worn yoga tops or pants that someone else could enjoy. Or, are you in the needs of some new togs, but don't want to pay the killer $95 for a pair of pants? Do you have some spare yoga DVDs, books, mats or props hanging around.
Westside Yoga Studio will be bringing some of their NEW clothes on sale. Do you have something that you'd like to offer the group? If so, let me know.
Here's the info: Sunday, May 5, 11 to 1 p.m.
Alive Yoga Studio, 972 Gravenstein Highway (Near Starbucks), Sebastopol
Suggested Donation: $5
Profits will be donated to The Ceres Project
Leftover items will be donated to The Living Room, a daytime drop-in center for homeless and at-risk women and their children.
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 Your Brain on Yoga From Huffington Post, a helpful article, "Your Brain on Yoga: How to Kick Bad Habits and Foster Better Ones" about yoga's connection to changing habits. Interviewed is Dr.Tim McCall. Here's a bit: This is something that yoga does really well and that modern medicine is really bad at. What we do with yoga is we start a practice, and we repeat it, ideally every day. Essentially, we are building a new, positive samskara. The more we repeat this positive pattern, the deeper those new neural networks become and the more they can eventually out-compete some of our older habits, habits that can tax our health and lead to stress, disease, and dysfunction.
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Self-Affirmation Improves Problem-Solving Under Stress
Remember when it was recommended you look stand in front of your mirror and give recite self-affirmations in the morning. It seems a bit hokey to me, but it was valuable, I know. Here's some research about how it relates to stress. Here's a bit from the article in Science Daily.
"People under high stress can foster better problem-solving simply by taking a moment beforehand to think about something that is important to them," Creswell said. "It's an easy-to-use and portable strategy you can roll out before you enter that high pressure performance situation."
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Neuroscience, Yoga & the Gut
Check out this article from Elephant Journal. I'm fascinated by the ability of the mind to change ( neuroplasticity) and how much our gut has to do with our emotions and decision making. Here's a bit from the article:
We think so much of the brain and spinal cord as running the show where our nervous systems are concerned. What's interesting to note is that there are 100 million nerves withing the digestive system-more than even the spinal cord. The enteric nervous system and central nervous system have reciprocity-the extent to which new information emerges all the time.
There's other great stuff.
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Daily Dharma - Tricycle Magazine
May 4, 2013
Keeping Our Understanding Alive
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The seeds of anger are always there. But when you notice, when you keep alive your understanding, they have no chance to manifest. Understanding is something that stays with you, and practicing the precepts, practicing meditation, helps you deepen your understanding all the time.
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Thich Nhat Hanh, "Interbeing with Thich Nhat Hanh"
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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
most-levels vinyasa flow class.
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!
NOTE: THIS FRIDAY (5/10) class will meet from 5:30 - 7:00 to accommodate teacher training. I will be in Big Sur with a friend and Paulina Fink will be subbing. Thanks, Paulina!!
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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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