Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
 Palliative Care and Hospice Dr. B.J. Miller and the Zen Hospice Project
It was in an obscure town in Utah, Boulder, where I first met Dr. B.J. Miller. After spending 4 months with 1.6 million New Yorkers in 2007, Patrick and I went directly to Boulder to spend 6 week in this teeny town with a population of 180. Albiet small, Boulder boasts Hell's Backbone Grill, which received Restaurant of the Year by Salt Lake City Weekly, is regularly praised in Sunset Magazine, and has appeared in New York Times Travel Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and Zagat's.
While hanging out with new friends, which included a variety of dogs, cats and feral kittens, I met Dr. Miller, who now owns 10 acres in Boulder, Utah. On first sight, I saw a tall, model-handsome man with a killer smile and athletic physique. It wasn't long before I noticed his stunted left arm and without long pants I would have seen his two titanium legs. As a palliative care doctor living in Mill Valley, he was kind enough to adopt on of the fat tabbies that had found it's way to the sunny spot on the couch.
This week with Michael Krasny(1), Dr. Mller elegantly spoke of his work as a palliative care doctor at UCSF and Executive Director of The Zen Hospice Project.(2) The ZHP operates a residential "Guest House" that provides care for those at the end of their lives. Started in 1987, The ZHP is the oldest and largest Buddhist Hospice in America.(3) Encouraging wisdom and compassion through service, the ZHP supports a mutually beneficial relationship between volunteer caregivers and those facing death. See some videos here.
With Mr. Krasny, B. J. Miller shares his path to becoming a palliative care doctor and his roles at the Zen Hospice Project. Here are some nuggets, but I suggest you listen to the entire program here.
- Dread takes up a lot of space. The hard part is that you're dreading things that aren't yet happening to you. That's why being in the moment is so profound, with proper support . . . demystified a lot of things and given space to talk through things that may not have answers and take the dread out of things. That takes the air out of the dread a bit.
- There is no real right way. . . Terminal illness. . . instead of saying why me, why not say why not me. We are going to go out some how. Life is a terminal condition. The diagnosis is the mechanism, it's how we're going to go out.
- Depression, whatever you want to call it, when our lenses, our filtration is clouded by depression it's merciless, it's devilish. . . Depression needs to be teased out from existential pain, the pain that comes from being a human being.
I respected and was inspired by everything Dr. Miller had to say and the topic will only become more relevant as 76 million boomers creep toward the inevitability of death. Next week, let's explore a bit more about hospice and answer the question that I had: What's the difference between palliative care and hospice?
(1) He's the smartest man in the world, as far as I'm concerned. He pulls information from heaven knows where. Easily recalling authors, dates, and concepts, it would take a google search for most of us to match his cerebral computer. Daily he slips and slides from gay gamers to pelvic exams for women to the our drought. (2) I had the opportunity to take the Volunteer Training Program at the Zen Hospice Project. (3) Interview with the founder, Frank Ostaseski here.
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70 Years, 70 Backbends, 70 Bucks.
Special 3-hour Backbends Workshop for Tony Brigg's 70th Birthday! 8/31 9 a.m. Wellness by Design, Petaluma. Call it a birthday BASH. Food and fun after. More at tonybriggsyoga.com.
Anne O'Brien in back to "Coax Suppleness & Fluidity in Hard to Reach Places". It's Saturday, August 2nd, 3-5pm. at Yoga One
in Petaluma. This is a great opportunity to study with Anne! Westside Yoga in continuing their excellence by offering Ongoing Iyengar Yoga Workshops w/Brian Hogencamp. This series of classes will offer a progressive study of asana, yoga sutras, and pranayama.
Let's get out-of-town. Yoga Out the Door is happening again! See below.
Looking for teacher training? Yoga Community in Sonoma has a 9 months session starting in October. Info at yogacommunity.net.
Sonoma Yoga Fest! in Sonoma is happening late October: http://www.sonomayogafest.com/. Details are a bit sketchy on the website, but it looks like there'll be yoga and just going for Jai Uttal will make it worth while.
$35 for 10 classes via Groupon for Alive-Yoga Studio in Sebastopol. What a deal.
Yoga on Center hosts Guest Teacher Schuyler Grant for KULA FLOW Level 2/3 on Saturday, July 26th, 9:00-10:45am.
New Student Special at Devi Yoga Center in Sebastopol. Pay only $60 for 30 days of unlimited TriYoga Classes or sign up with a friend and each pay only $50 for 30 days of unlimited TriYoga Classes.
Who knew of such a thing?? Love Parmatma. She's offering Roller, Ball & Water Yoga at Sonoma Mission Inn. She'll us a combination of balls and the foam roller to bring more fluidity to our connective tissues and to "free up" our stuck spots in asana. A healing crystal bowl bath will help you integrate this activation of tissues and fluids. The last half hour we will practice water yoga in the mineral therapy pool. All props will be provided. Class is suitable for all levels. WOW.
Tassajara Anyone??? Looking to "get away" for a bit? Here's an opportunity. See below
Improve your Space. See below.
Be Happy on Fridays! Instead of shots of tequila and fried artichoke hearts, spend your Friday happy hour with ME moving and grooving at an
most-levels vinyasa flow class. in an Introductory session on June 15, 2-4:30. Westside Yoga 4:30 - 6:00
My weekly schedule is below (scroll down or click here!). Or, you can always go to my website and click on the always up-to-date calendar to find where I might be.
Right now, get boatloads of yoga information and lots of free downloads including Judith Lasater on Teaching to Mixed Level Classes all at YogaU Online. Really, tons. It's a great resource for teachers and students.
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  Yoga Out the Door!
Sometimes it's refreshing, inspiring and just plain awesome to take your mat and go somewhere different. With friends. That's Yoga Out the Door. We've sun saluted in Grace Cathedral, M.E.L.T.ed in Sebastopol and did headstands on paddle boards (yes, in the water) in Sausalito.
Now we head to Pt. Reyes to ebb and flow in a sweet vinyasa class with the respected and talented, Peggy Orr. We'll share a meal after. I'm taking suggestions.
Date: Sunday, July 27
Time: 10-11:30
Pencil it in. Tell your friends. More details to come!
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Retreat at Tassajara Zen Center
My friend and colleague, Britt Fohrman, is offering a chance at rest and rejuvenation at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center--The Healing Power of Stillness: Restorative Yoga and Zen from July 29 - August 3, 2014
Come explore what it means to deeply rest in your own body and mind through Restorative Yoga and Zen. The retreat will also include dharma offerings, seated meditation, leisure time, gentle movement and stretching to complement our theme of cultivating ease, The setting is magical with hiking, hot springs and pool and vegetarian meals. There's plenty of time of rest and reflection.
Again this year, Britt has asked me to come as her assistant. Yippee! This is a great opportunity to me to work with Britt and her students and to take a bit of a break myself. There are still some spots open if you want to join us. It's wonderful, really.
More info available at: http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/
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 Improve Your Space
Join Bette Timm as she presents Vastu, the art and science of creating good space.
With some simple understanding of practical tools, Vastu allows us to align our home and business spaces with nature in order to live aesthetically pleasing lives graced with greater happiness, ease, comfort and success.
Topics include:
The origins of Vastu in ancient Indian culture
Universal tools of Vastu including compass directions, building structures and door placements, room placements and basic room arrangement
Individualized tools to foster comfort in family life, romance, wealth, spiritual development and more.
It's August 8, 9 and 10 at Yoga Community in Sonoma. More info here.
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 Happy Birthday His Holiness!
The Dalai Lama's message has never changed. It's his mantra yet every time I hear it, it seems so simple yet profound. Kindness and compassion, open heart, do no harm Here are some comments from his birthday.
"Those my friends who really seriously thinking about my birthday and at the same time wishing and also prayer for my long life so I mentioned the best gift for me on birthday: Please keep your own mind, your own heart - more compassionate, more spirit of seriously or genuinely sense of concern of others wellbeing and with that motivation, if possible serve others, helping other people also other animals. If you don't have opportunity to serve them, then at least restrain from harming them. So to all friends, actually brothers and sisters - please keep in your mind, for the rest of your life - More compassionate life. That is the best present for my birthday"
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Spiced Greens
It's an effort to get greens into my diet, mainly because I'm not big on salads. This recipe by the respected Ayurvedic Practioner and yoga teacher, Scott Blossom, has the new "go to" spice, tumeric. According to Mr. Blossom, tumeric is the most highly research herb in the world for it's anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory,and anti-cancer properties. Turmeric stains everything it touches including ceramic tile and even metal pots! I make this in the morning with kale and pair it two eggs. Try it!
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Daily Dharma - Tricycle Magazine
July 14, 2014
Room for Everything
Noticing the space around people and things provides a different way of looking at them, and developing this spacious view is a way of opening oneself. When one has a spacious mind, there is room for everything.
-Ajahn Sumedho, "Noticing Space"
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Be Happy on Fridays!
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!
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Schedule of Upcoming Classes
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Week of July 20, 2014
Monday 8:30 - 9:45 Sebastopol Private Tuesday 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Healdsburg Private Wednesday 4:00- 5;15 Windsor Private |
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Thursday
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club, Graton
Gentle Flow - All Levels
4:00 -5:00 p.m. Healdsburg Private Friday 4:30 - 6:00 Westside Yoga Studio Happy Hour Vinyasa
Saturday
9:00 - 10:30
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Flow
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Thursday (to be subbed)
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club, Graton
Gentle Flow - All Levels
Friday (to be subbed)4:30 - 6:00
Westside Yoga Studio Happy Hour Vinyasa
Saturday (to be subbed)
9:00 - 10:30
YogaOne, Petaluma
All Levels Flow
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Graton Yogis Info:
Did you know your class pass (get these from your instructor) are accepted by all yoga teachers at Yoga in Graton?
We Gratonite Yogis have a place to call our own. It's www.
yogaingraton.com. There is information about current and new yoga classes offered in Graton.
Don't live in Graton? No problem. We want you to come anyway.
You cannot be lost if you don't care where you are.
Judith Lasater
When people ask me what equipment I use, I tell them my eyes.
Ansel Adams
"Not to have what we want is stressful; to have what we do not want is stressful." Buddha
Dalai Lama: "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
"Everything will be alright in the end. And if it is not alright, it's not yet the end!" The Magnolia Hotel movie
If your Food can go bad, it's good for you. If it can't go bad, it's bad for you. Originally pinned by Michael Leaming, Ed.D. onto Fitness, Nutrition & Wellness
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