Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
 Elimination (er, Poop) (pt. 2)
Poop cannot be used as a conversation starter. unless you're a doctor, and that's still iffy. If you've got a dog, you hope it's solid for easy pick-up. Old-timers say they're "pooped" when they're had a long day. Ayuvedic docs routinely want to know about it.
Last week we touched the verboten topic of feces or poop. Why? Because it's never talked about, even among friends. So, we'll explore it together. Let's continue where we left off.
Straining and incomplete elimination is no way to spend your time on the john. Many folks treat constipation with laxatives. But before hobbling to your local Rite-Aid and scanning the multiple shelves for the Philips Capsules or MiraLax make sure you've thoroughly exhausted other ways of increasing the "transit time". Excessive use of laxatives can cause damage the muscular function of the bowel, drain the body of water, vitamins and minerals, cause kidney stones or kidney failure and you may need more and more of the laxative to get results, until eventually the laxatives do not work.
Dealing with constipation is cheap and easy, but you've got to make some changes. I try. Drink more water. Move. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Get more fiber. There are two types of fiber, one is soluble, which is absorbed, slows down the transit and allows more nutrients to be absorbed; and two, insoluble that is undigested by you but becomes food for gut bacteria (good) and bulks poop up like glue.
The Bristol Scale developed by researchers at the Bristol Royal Infirmary-a hospital in Bristol, England-created a visual guide for stools. It is called the Bristol Stool Form Scale, or BSF scale for short. It helps docs talk to patients without overly grossing them out. There are pictures and descriptions of various kinds/types/shapes of feces. Here we go:
Type 1: Deer poops, like nuts, hard to pass, lumps are hard and scratchy.
Type 2: Sausage-like but lumpy. Most destructive by far because its size is near or exceeds the maximum opening of the anal canal and can cause extreme straining, anal canal laceration, hemorrhoidal prolapse, or diverticulosis.
Type 3: Sausage with cracks. Irritable bowel syndrome is likely. Flatulence is minor.
Type 4: Smooth, soft, consistent surface, like snake, 1-2 inches in diameter and up to 18 inches long.
Type 5: Soft blobs, breaks apart on impact. Although considered borderline normal, it can be difficult to make it to the bathroom on time and may require a whole lot of toilet paper.
Type 6: Fluffy pieces with rough edges, a mushy stool. Suggests a hyper-active colon, too much potassium or spike in stress. Type 7: Watery, entirely liquid, no solids. Diarrhea. It's worth reminding ourselves that everyone has their own normal, but Type 4 and 5 are considered optimal.
Is that enough elimination talk? I think yes, so we'll call it quits (for now). There's a lot more we could cover, but we'll save it for another day. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
Reference:
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/laxatives-for-constipation-using-them-safely
https://www.gutsense.org/constipation/normal_stools.html
Want to read some of my past articles?. They're archived right here. Enjoy.
|
All Restorative - This week at Hump Day Hour Yoga we'll do ALL Restorative....5:30 - 6:45. More about Hump Day Yoga below.
New Class at Yoga in Graton! Corina is adding a much asked for evening class on Thursdays at 6:00. More on Yoga in Graton at, you guessed it, www.yogaingraton.com.
It's Tassajara Time again. I will be assisting Britt Fohrman this summer August 2 - 7 at Tassajara Retreat Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It will be all about resting deeply both body and mind with Restorative Yoga and Zen. I'm told Tassajara will be especially rich with all of the water that the received. For info go to www.sfzc.org, or contact me or Britt.
My friend Shirley Gillotti and her daughter are holding a spring silent retreat on Saturday May 7 with mindful meditation, medical qigong, restorative yoga and yoga nidra. More info from Shirley at shirley@centerforinnerhealthandstillness.com.
Heh, Ashtangis: Yoga Toes in Pt. Reyes is hosting a 5-Day Intensive with Chuck Miller this summer. July 20th-24th, Go here for info. There will be daily practice, and afternoon clinics with hands-on instruction, physical adjustments and direct feedback from Mr. Miller himself.
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.
|
 Hump Day Yoga Hour Oh, it's getting better and better. Beginning this month, I'm offering a one hour, yes, one hour class on Wednesdays (Hump Day!) from 5:30 - 6:30. It will be all-levels with some ebb and flow and some rest at the end.
And.......the last Wednesday of the month will be ALL restorative from 5:30 - 6:45.
Yes, there's more......... Ramen Gaijin just reopened just steps from Yoga Studio Ganesha. On the second Wednesday of each month we'll slide over and get a beer. Whadya say? Sounds fun to me.
I'll try to keep this all straight. Keep checking this newsletter for updates. |
Zootopia and Lesson's for your Kids
From my fav go-to site Greater Good Science Center comes Three Lessons from Zootopia to Discuss with Kids. From the article:
I braved opening day of Zootopia with four kids. I had seen the previews and thought it would be a sweet, funny Disney movie about "becoming who we want to be no matter what" or "following our dreams."
It did meet those expectations, but there was actually more. As I watched, I wondered: Was this Disney movie actually making a political commentary about bias, sexism, racism, and xenophobia? Did they really do that?
- See more here.
|
 Eagle Cam
Wha? You think I have nothing better to do but watch some bird, albiet special bird like a wild bald eagle, sit on its nest all day long. This is not any eagle but "Mr. President" and "The First Lady", nesting at the U. S. National Aboretum. They hatched two yunggins just a few days ago.
I logged on to their eagle cam (and so can you) to take a peek at the action or lack thereof. Today, there's something dead, looks like a rat, in the nest and I saw one of the babies tentatively peek out from under Mom. It'spretty fascinating and intimate to see a wild bird, much less an eagle, close-up in their environment.
|
 Leaky Gut What the hell is leaky gut. It certainly doesn't sound healthy. Nestled in an email from Farmacopia in Santa Rosa was a link to some information. Leaky gut is also called intestinal permeability. Still doesn't sound good.
Simply put, abnormal intestinal permeability arises when the tight junctions between these cells loosen, allowing for large, immune-confounding particles to be absorbed into the bloodstream. These can wreak havoc on many of the body's tissues, including the liver, the thyroid, the skin, the joints, and the brain itself. |
S
Schedule of Upcoming Classes
|
|
Class Schedule - Week of March 27, 2016
|
Tuesday
2:00 - 3:00
Private, Healdburg
5:00 - 6:00
Private, Healdsburg
Wednesday
Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sebastopol
Thursday
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club
All Levels
5:00 - 6:00
Private, Healdsburg
Saturday
All Levels Flow
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday
5:30 - 6:30
Ganesha, Sebastopol
Hump Day Yoga
Thursday
8:45 - 9:45
All Levels, Graton
5:00 - 6:00 Healdsburg, Private
Saturday
All Levels Flow
|
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
|
|
|
