Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
Sadness. If you're not darn sad or even depressed, then you're not paying enough attention. Right now there are bad people and even worse situations causing suffering in others and pain in ourselves. It's doesn't have to be around the world in some foreign country, it can be down the street at Mary's house or in your own home.There is a lot to be very bummed out about. I try not to think too much about it.
Adding to this feeling of doom is the winter season with its short days and dwindling light. There's a slice of the population for which this time of year brings the blues, doldrums, depression, lethargy, sadness. It's Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is considered very common. It's a type of depression that starts in the fall and ends at the same time every year. The APA (American Psychiatric Association's DSM IV, lists SAD not as a separate disorder, but a "course specifier" and may be listed as a description to major depressive episodes in patients with major depression or bipolar disorder.
It's common to want to hunker down and hibernate emotionally and/or physically during the shortened light. Although common, SAD is not the normal shift in mood and energy during the winter months. Symptoms of SAD include irritability, tiredness or low energy, problems getting along with other people, hypersensitivity to rejection, oversleeping, changes in appetite especially craving for foods high in carbohydrates.
There are some suggested and disputed causes of SAD. In human prehistory, food was scarce during the winter and mood was low and man would have adapted by reducing need for calorie intake. Because SAD affects more women than men, it could be somehow linked to regulating reproduction It's possible that SAD is related to lack of serotonin or related to melatonin, which affects the endogenous circadian clock, but can also be suppressed by bright light.
Here are some suggestions for dealing with SAD:
Light Therapy. A lightbox which emits more lumens with specific wavelengths than a regular lamp. The person sits a prescribed sits with eyes open for 30-60 minutes. This needs to be done on a specific schedule and many people (69%) found the treatment inconvenient or even stopped (19%). Light therapy can be exposure to sunlight, so spend more time outside.
Dawn Simulation. This is timing lights in the bedroom to come on gradually over a period of 30 minutes to 2 hours before awakening. This simulated dawn mimics a springtime sunrise. The theory is based on the fact that early morning light signals are much more effective at advancing the biological clock than are light signals given at other times of day. This can be used in conjunction with a lightbox.
SSRI. Antidepressant have been proven effect in treating SAD. Hello pharmaceutical companies.
Negative air ionization. Releases charged particle while sleeping and has been found effective with a 47.9% improvement if the negative ions are in sufficient density (quantity). I do not know any more about this, so you'll have to do some research.
That's not all. Suggested are Vitamin D supplements and physical exercise, which could include a couple of down dogs and a sprinkling of tree poses. See what works for you. You can combine any of these treatments.
It you do have SAD, do something about it. There are a lot of resources online and talk to someone who is qualified to help you. But, SAD shouldn't be confused with depression Depression is serious and shouldn't be ignored. If your winter blues go deeper or beyond the low-light months, definitely see your healthcare practitioner. There is help out there and people who genuinely want to help you. Feeling of hopelessness, thoughts of suicide or using drugs or alcohol for comfort is not Seasonal Affective Disorder.
That's it. Whether or not you have SAD, let more light into your life, get plenty of rest, enjoy warm seasonal foods, soak in nourishing baths and get plenty of exercise.
Want to read some of my past articles?. They're archived right here. Enjoy.
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My classes will be subbed this M-F as I take a week to study Experiential Anatomy with Judith Lasater at Mt. Madonna in the Santa Cruz mountains. This is a great opportunity for me as understanding the "how and why" of body movement helps me keep myself and my students safer.
Tony Briggs and Liz Levy will pair up and offer Anatomy & Yoga Therapeutics starting in February. These two topics from these seasoned and brilliant teachers are a must for not just teachers, but students alike. Go to Westside's site for info.
On Feb 7, the lovely, Iris Lambert, will offer a free intro to her Irie Yoga Teacher Training program at the Dhyana Center in Sebastopol. There will be chanting, pranayama and asana. Hi, Iris!
We're lucky to have Judith Lasater in Northern California. She's offering a small group, Advanced Restorative Yoga series on 4 Wednesdays in March in Marin. I'm signed up!! Go here for more info.
Know about Yoga in Graton? It's hopping! Find 5 classes a week ranging from Gentle to Slow Flow to All Levels, featuring me, Corina Stoicescu and Denise Hammond. Time and places at YogaInGraton.com.
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.
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 The Adult Nap
Thanks to your interest in this important practice, I'm offering a a Restorative Yoga on Wednesdays from 5:15 to 6:45. at Yoga Studio Ganesha on the Square in Sebastopol. Pricing - Buy a 4 class pass for $54 ($13.50/class) or 8 classes for $100 or Drop-In of $16. Yoga in Graton students can use your punch card ($11 per class)!!!
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Lymphatic System and Mental Health
I recently did a couple of articles on the lymphatic system,which I knew and still know little about. Dr. John Douillard, Ayurvedic Practitioner, offers up some research about the link between the lymphatic system, inflammation, and mental health. Very, very interesting, I say.
Here's a bit from Dr. Douillard's article. Also, the video is above
"The relationship between mood and inflammation, now thought to be linked to poor lymphatic brain drainage, was recently studied in a meta-analysis which suggested that when serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac, were given alongside low-dose aspirin or ibuprofen, there was a significant reduction in the need for psychiatric care."
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Zen-Out in Marin
We all want to champion our own team or in this case, county.. Those of us in Sonoma County love to dis Napa County, with all it's glitz and fame and tourists and the grande wine buses and the big money and the even bigger vintners.
Our other neighbor, Marin Couunty, besides its fancy yoga studios and bling-bling, has plenty of Zen spots, according to New York Magazine Travel. Look!!--there's mention of OnBoard Standup Paddle Board Yoga and Green Gulch Meditation Center and Spirit Rock. And, Open Secret Book Store in San Rafael. Read all about it here.
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Star Wars Movie - It's the Karma
I think Ethan Nichtern is the new face of Buddhist teachings and mindfulness matters. He's young and his messages are contemporary. He's reviewed the New Star Wars movie. Here's a clip:
"In all seven of these movies, including this one, anytime a Jedi enters anything resembling a meditative state, I feel like I am watching a bad new age spiritual infomercial. It makes me wish George Lucas spent a little less time with Joseph Campbell, and a bit more time with Joseph Goldstein. What are the Jedi doing to connect with the light of the force? Is it metta meditation? Visualization? Mantra? Qigong? What? Maybe they should hire Sharon Salzberg as a spiritual consultant for Episode 8."
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The Power of Intention
I remember the 2006 best-selling book The Secret about the law of attraction and that positive thinking can create life-changing results. It seemed like some hokum at the time.
Ayurvedic Doctor, John Douillard, writes in this article that our intention is powerful, whether a wish, meditation, prayer or thought. The regarding the placebo effect he writes:
"Perhaps since this effect is so powerful, we should be spending more time researching the power of intention instead of drugs, which are more often than not out-performed by dummy pills."
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Schedule of Upcoming Classes
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Class Schedule - Week of January 10, 2016
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Tuesday
(Subbed)
5:00 - 6:00
Private, Healdsburg
Wednesday
Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sebastopol
Restorative Yoga
Thursday
(subbed)
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club
All Levels
(Subbed)
5:00 - 6:00
Private, Healdsburg
Saturday
All Levels Flow
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Wednesday
(Subbed)
5:15 - 6:45
Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sebastopol
Restorative Yoga
(Subbed)
5:00 - 6:00
Healdsburg, Private
Thursday (subbed) 8:45 - 9:45 Saturday 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.
Quotes I Like
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
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
Dalai Lama
"Everything will be alright in the end. And if it is not alright, it's not yet the end!" The Magnolia Hotel movie
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