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Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
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The Two Halves
I love the Ted Talks, and one of the first ones I was exposed to was Jill Bolte-Taylor's talk about her stroke. If you've never seen it, I'd recommend a look. Being a neuroscientist, she was able to actually watch her brain/mind pass from "normal" to the post-stroke state where she lost her left hemisphere. She watched it "completely deteriorate in its ability to process all information losing her speech, and ability to walk, talk, read or write or recall any of her life."
Ms. Bolte-Taylor explains the two hemispheres of the brain. They are completely separate, yet communicate with each other. They think and care about different things and have different personalities. The right hemisphere is all about the present moment--right here and now. This is amazing stuff as she explains what it was like to live in her still functioning right brain.
The left brain wants to get things done--it analyzes, makes correlations, gets an A in math and chats up a storm. It's about the past and present. It thinks in word and it causes all of that brain chatter. The right brain is about reading and expressing emotions, colors, creativity, and intuition. Bolte-Taylor describes being in the right hemisphere. It "thinks in pictures and learns from the movement of our body. . . Right here, right now, we are brothers and sisters on this planet. . . in this moment we are perfect and whole and beautiful."
This ties into one of my favorite authors, Dr. Christine Carter, who offers research-based advice for families and is the author of the book "Raising Happiness". Her recent blog post is about slowing our chattiness--that would be our left side. She mentions Daniel Kahneman's new book Thinking, Fast and Slow, which I promptly ordered from Amazon. He writes that the "noisy verbal part of our brains are slow, processing only about 40 bits of information per second. The creative, intuitive, non-verbal brain processes about 11 million bits per second." So, less talking and more time on the right side of the brain.
Ms. Carter offers another book by Martha Beck who is practicing what she calls "deep wordlessness". She's got a book, which I also ordered, of course--Finding Your Way in a Wild New World. Here's a quote:
To master Wordlessness...you must unlearn almost everything you were taught in school about what it means to be intelligent. The sharp focus you were told to sustain is actually a limiting, stressful, narrow attention field - something animals only using the moment of 'fight or flight.' Dropping into Wordlessness moves the brain into its 'rest and relax' state."
I'm endlessly fascinated by the workings of the mind. After listening to Bolte-Taylor's talk and Dr. Carter missive, I'm newly inspired to do some more thinking about the right versus left. Could we really voluntarily spend more time on the right side, and quieting the left. Oh right, that meditation, isn't it? Yes, it is.
Want to read some of my previous articles? You can do it here. Enjoy.
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Did You Know?
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.
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.
Get boatloads of yoga information and lots of free downloads from yoga online. Really, tons. It's a great resource for teachers and students. There's one NOW, Free,
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Craigslist Laughter-- Hot Yoga
I remembersome years ago a funny about a wedding dress for sale a disgruntled husband had posted. And, there's the cheating husband who gets his stuff booted for sale on his front lawn "while he's with his floozie".. Heh, yogies,here's a hoot about a yoga mat for sale. after a Hot Yoga class. Check it out! It's been flying around the yoga-sphere.
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Brain Diseases Affecting More People and Starting Earlier Than Ever Before
We all dread the "getting old" diseases, like Alzheimer's. This article reports finding that these brain diseases are starting earlier. Crap!
Here's a bit from the article in Science Daily.
"Professor Colin Pritchard's latest research published in journal Public Health has found that the sharp rise of dementia and other neurological deaths in people under 74 cannot be put down to the fact that we are living longer. The rise is because a higher proportion of old people are being affected by such conditions -- and what is really alarming, it is starting earlier and affecting people under 55 years."
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First Taste
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Thumbs Down on the Vegemite
But, a big smile for yogurt. The fantastic site, kottke.org, has this fun slo-mo video (click thumbnail to the right) of kids trying new foods. Enjoy. While you're there note the NYT's reporting on the 7 minute workout. |
 Dancer's Pose Natarajasana or King of Dancers's Pose is a graceful, elegant pose, however, elusive for many of us. It takes fierce balance, mobile shoulders, spinal extension, a flexible lumbar spine and willing psoas. When it all comes together, it's magic. Here's is Leslie Kaminoff's comments on the anatomy of the pose. |
Daily Dharma - Tricycle Magazine
May 6, 2013
Facing Yourself
Alive Spiritual change is precisely a process that is bigger than you. You don't control it. You surrender to it. You don't reinvent yourself through spiritual work. You face yourself, and then you must let go of all the ghastly things you find. But there is no end to these ghastly things. They keep coming. The ego is a bottomless pit of suckiness. And so you finally let go of the self that clings to itself (one definition of ego). True freedom comes when ego goes.
- Shozan Jack Haubner, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Enlightenment"
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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 class meets from 5:30 - 7:00 once a month due to teacher training. Check my calendar or Westside's.
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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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