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The Inner Voice
A weekly newsletter from Debbie Jensen-Grubb, RYT500
November 5, 2012, Issue 13
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The Daily Yoga Poses Poster |  FREE!!! For all who receive this newsletter my first ever poster to download and print out! Thank you for joining The Inner Voice newsletter! (You need to open it in another window and print it from there.) |
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Quick Links
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This weeks reading can be seen here at The Daily OM:
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To access past issues click here:
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| Greetings! |  Tomorrow is an important day in our country. Election Day! Soon a decision will have been made by the people as to who our next leader will be. This is an honor not to be wasted. This opportunity is what many have fought and died for. It is a responsibility that empowers each of us that are allowed to vote. The power of voting is the power of change, of being a part of history, of taking action, and voicing your opinion. Whatever your political views may be, please get out and vote, we all have a stake in maintaining our democracy. Peace! |
| Rib-Tickler of the Week - hee hee | |
"Daddy", the little girl asked her father, "do all fairy tales begin with 'Once upon a time..'?
"No", said her father, "some begin with 'If I am elected...'.
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| Mantra | |
A mantra is a sound or phrase that aids in the concentration of meditation. It is a Sanskrit term and literally means 'instrument of thought'. Here you will find a suggested mantra to use during the week (from Louise Hay's 'Heal Your Body'). Just repeat it whenever you need a lift.
I am the cool, calm expression of peace and love. |
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| Nutrition Prescription - Honey |
 | | How Bees Talk |
Of all the animals that we can learn from the Honeybee is one of the most extra-ordinary of them all. It improves the environment and does not prey on any other species. As a community they all work together to maintain the hive.
The world currently is seeing a decline in bees which spells death to us as humans. Pesticides and EMR waves from cellphones are among the culprits.
Albert Einstein predicted that humans would only be able to survive for four years if the honey bee ever should disappear. They are a fragile part of our ecosystem and a potent indicator of our out-of-balance world. We all need to work together to do what we need to save them...and ourselves.
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Honey is like liquid gold. It's healing properties have been known for centuries and finally it is slowly being integrated into modern medicine as well.
Honey is the only food considered to contain all the substances necessary to sustain life. Because of the complex interrelation of these substances honey cannot be artificially made. It contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals and is a natural and powerful medicine that can be used both internally and externally.
The substance we are particularly referring to is raw honey. Most honey that you find on the grocery store shelves has been processed, refined, and heated so that all of the beneficial enzymes, antioxidants, and nutrients have been destroyed. Also, darker honey seems to have more benefits than lighter honey.
Some of the uses for honey:
- is as a beauty treatment because it is a humectant and an anti-irritant.
- as a source of quick energy because it is a natural sweetener that is all ready glucose and fructose.
- cleaning, treating, and protecting wounds due to it's anti-microbial properties.
- aids in digestion and a healthy gut with pre/pro-biotics that supports the good flora Bifidobacteria.
- can used to heal burn victims
- it's effective against respiratory ailments such as bronchitis
- used on wounds that are MRSA resistant
- eat local honey to ward off seasonal allergies
One warning about honey is that children under one year of age should not eat honey because it can cause them botulism.
When preparing for an emergency like we just had with Hurricane Sandy add a jar of honey to your list. Not only can you use it for so many medicinal purposes it is also a delightful treat to eat!
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| Tadasana to Uttanasana | |
How we breathe when we move can either help us or harm us. Last week we discussed how to breathe into the back of the body to broaden it from the shoulders down to the lumbar area. This week is an example of how the breath can aid us in the movements we make in our yoga poses.
The most common movements in yoga are lifting the arms up over the head and forward bending. In these two movements we must work with the inhale when lifting the hands and the exhale when bowing forward.
We first begin by standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and allowing the spine to lengthen and align over our heels; you can do this by just thinking of the spine and breathing into it (instructions on the video). Be sure to keep the knees relaxed.
When first beginning to lift the hands over the head (Urdhva Hastasana) breathe into the upper back lifting the ribs up off of the waist and dropping the tailbone. Next just as the hands rise to just in front of the face begin to breathe into the chest as well, lifting it up; now both the upper back and chest are lifted and broad.
As you come to the pinnacle of the pose begin the exhale before you start the forward bend, this will engage the core abdominal muscles to support the low back as you bow. Once you are in Uttanasana (forward bend) breathe mainly into the upper back to keep it broad.
When you are ready to come back up imagine filling two balloons in the upper back to float yourself up, stretching your hands forward. As your hands come to just in front of the face also breathe into the chest. Again at the pinnacle of the pose, exhale first and then bring your hands down in front of your heart.
Granted this is a lot to think about when you just want to move from one pose to another but it is well worth the effort and practice to allow it to become your natural way of breathing. Your balance will become more stable, your core stronger, your cells will benefit from more oxygen, your spine will lengthen (relieving back pain), and your entire back will become stronger and more supportive of the whole body.
When this process becomes natural you will be amazed at the difference it will make, not only in your body, but in your moods and emotional well being as well.
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| Ponderings - Community | |
"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress;
working together is success." Henry Ford
In the dictionary one of the definitions for community is: a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common interests, attitudes or goals.
What a wonderful way of putting it. We are all a part of a community of some sort. Every-one has a community, yet each persons community is different because each person touches the world in a different way. Everyone is the center of their particular community, even if it overlaps with another persons, each one is unique because there is no one else that can touch this world, or your community, as you can. Each community is made up of people you trust and who trust you.
Community has a warm, welcoming, and neighborly connotation. It generates a feeling of camaraderie, belonging, and a collaborative society. These days our communities are becoming broader and more fluid. We have those whom we see everyday and virtual communities of people that we have never met physically, still we come together to talk, share, work, and connect in both our physical and virtual worlds.
It is good to understand the meaning of community and especially of your own particular community. What does your community mean to you? Look at the people that are a part of your world, do you value them? Do you take them for granted? It's important to get clear of the significance and influence that your community has on you and that you have on your community.
To often we give too much clout to distant 'experts' and not enough to those in our community who know us the best. By undervaluing our community we diminish ourselves and begin to compromise what we believe and make decisions out of fear. It is from this disparaged place that we make decisions that ends hurting ourselves and others.
We are all a part of something. As the famous saying goes 'No man is an island'. Look around you. Open your heart to your community. Listen, share, and participate in their lives and their interests. Be the change you want to see in the world and you'll find that your community will reflect that change in you.
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From the little everyday activities to the larger, universal ones of voting, our communities support us through life, just as we support them. It is a symbiotic relationship that carries us through the crazy, scary, fun, beautiful, and loving life we are all a part of, all together.
Namaste,
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The next TWO workshops are:
Healthy Joints Workshop:
Head and Shoulders
Saturday, November 10th
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
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Yoga Nidra
Sunday, November 11th
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
You can register at 410-720-4340 or online at www.columbiayoga.com
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