Monday, October 10, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Friday Q&A: Classes for People with Parkinson's Disease
Q: Richard Rosen’s post on yoga and Parkinson’s Disease this week was very informative. Do you know of any ongoing yoga classes especially for people with Parkinson’s Disease?
A: For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, CA, has two weekly classes for anyone with PD or for caregivers, taught by Vickie Russell Bell.
Classes are held on Tuesdays 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm and Thursdays 1:30 pm - 2:45. Advance registration is required. Both the Tuesday and the Thursday classes are now full, but a waiting list has been started. For more information or to sign up for the waiting list, call (510) 658-8899 or send email to yoga@pdactive.org.
Also, the PD Active blog has information about classes and support groups for people with PD. (PD Active is a group of Berkeley/Oakland-based people impacted by Parkinson’s disease who act to build and strengthen their local community through advocacy, dance classes and other activities.)
Readers: If you have information about PD yoga classes or resources that you’d like to share, please let us know, either in a comment or through email.
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Thursday, October 6, 2011
Stress, Telomeres, and Aging
by Nina
In his next post, Brad will be writing about one of the several competing theories about aging: Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn’s theory of the relationship between aging and telomeres (the protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes). Dr. Blackburn believes that telomere length is an indicator of the age and vitality of a cell, and that psychological stress actually ages cells, which can be seen when telomere length is measured.
We thought you might be interested in Dr. Blackburn’s work because she is so convinced about the effects of stress on cellular aging that she is studying the effects of meditation and yoga on telomeres. So for those of you who would like to learn a bit about her work before Brad’s post, here is a little background information. As a start, you can find a brief interview with Dr. Blackburn here. If you’ve got an hour or so, you can listen to her lecture on “Chromosome Ends and Diseases of Aging” here.
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| Gaudi Mosaic by Brad Gibson |
Throughout your life, your cells may reproduce many times to repair and strengthen their host organs, to grow or to fight disease, and the telomere at the end shrinks each time the cell divides and duplicates itself. A chemical called telomerase helps restore a portion of the telomere with each division, but after 10 to 50 divisions or so (the number varies by tissue type and health, and biologists still do not understand the system well), the telomere gets so short that the cell is no longer able to replicate. Because some cells or tissues in our body (skin, blood cells, etc.) continue to replicate and be replaced as we age, or to be repaired after injury, if the progenitor cells needed for these processes cannot replicate due to telomere shortening, this can contribute to the aging process and increase our susceptibility to disease. See here for a short article on this.
For several years, Dr. Blackburn has been conducting research on the relationship between stress and telomere length. According to her, there is so much evidence that psychological stress actually ages cells that she and her colleagues have been studying the effects of mindful meditation on telomere length. See here for a full academic paper entitled “Can meditation slow the rate of cellular aging?” I've read that as a result of these studies, Dr. Blackburn has taken up meditation as regular practice.
To be continued....
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Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Acceptance, Active Engagement, and "The Bhagavad Gita"
by Nina
Since Brad started off by mentioning the combination of acceptance and active engagement as the best approach to healthy aging, and Baxter followed with his take on the subject, I thought I’d tell those of you who don’t already know a little something about the yoga philosophy to which they were both referring.
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| Paris in Motion by Brad Gibson |
When I teach beginning yoga philosophy I often like to start by mentioning that most people don’t realize that the most famous yogi of the 20th century was Mohandas K. Gandhi. And what made him a great yogi wasn’t the number of sun salutations he did (not very many, if any at all), but his practice of yoga in action, as inspired by the seminal yoga scripture, The Bhagavad Gita, which he referred to as his “mother.”
The Bhagavad Gita is one section of a much longer work, the Mahabharata, written approximately in 500 to 400 BCE. It tells the story of Arjuna, the most distinguished warrior in the Pandava army, as he stops and surveys his adversaries in the Kavara army. The Kavaras are power-hungry corrupt rulers, who had usurped the throne. The peace-leaving Pandavas, on the other hand, have the welfare to the people at heart. So this is considered a moral war.
But Arjuna sees among the opposing forces many with whom the Pandavas have no quarrel, including highly esteemed teachers and elders. He tells Krishna, his charioteer and great friend, he is determined not to fight. His scruples center on the imagined personal consequences of his fighting: his guilt for the decimation of his people. Krishna speaks with him about yoga—the Gita is their dialogue—until he is once more resolved to fight.
The main message of the Gita, which is repeated throughout the text, concerns the benefits of acceptance along with the need for action. Here is how Krishna puts it:
Set thy heart upon thy work, but never on its reward.
Work not for a reward; but never cease to do thy work.
Do thy work in the peace of Yoga and, free from selfish desires, be not moved in success or failure.
Yoga is evenness of mind—a peace that is ever the same. — trans. by Juan Mascaro
Krishna tells Arjuna that work is a necessary part of human existence, so the only way to attain equanimity is to do your work without any thoughts of results, remaining open to success or failure. And that this approach—this letting of all results, whether good or bad, and focusing on the action alone—is the essence of yoga. For Gandhi work meant fighting for the independence of India and the rights of the oppressed through non-violent action. And he describes the importance of doing work without focusing on the results this way:
Work not for a reward; but never cease to do thy work.
Do thy work in the peace of Yoga and, free from selfish desires, be not moved in success or failure.
Yoga is evenness of mind—a peace that is ever the same. — trans. by Juan Mascaro
Krishna tells Arjuna that work is a necessary part of human existence, so the only way to attain equanimity is to do your work without any thoughts of results, remaining open to success or failure. And that this approach—this letting of all results, whether good or bad, and focusing on the action alone—is the essence of yoga. For Gandhi work meant fighting for the independence of India and the rights of the oppressed through non-violent action. And he describes the importance of doing work without focusing on the results this way:
“He who is always brooding over results often loses nerve in the performance of his duty. He becomes impatient and then gives vent to anger and begins to do unworthy thing; he jumps from action to action, never remaining faithful to any. He who broods over results is like a man given to objects of the senses: he is always distracted, he says good-bye to all scruples, everything is right in his estimation, and therefore he resorts to means fair and foul to attain his end."—M.K. Gandhi
But how does this yogic attitude help us ordinary mortals? This week both Baxter and Richard Rosen recommended regular, steady practice as the best approach for both osteoporosis and Parkinson’s disease. But daily yoga practice is no quick fix, and results are never guaranteed, because this is real life, people. So for your peace of mind, at the same time that you work toward staying healthy you can let go of all thoughts of success or failure and simply focus on your practice. Then no matter what happens, you’ll be prepared to handle it. And outside the yoga room, this yogic approach allows you to cultivate equanimity in your daily lives. For no matter what work we have to do, whether it is raising children, going to a 9 to 5 job, being politically active, or helping a dying family member, practicing acceptance along with active engagement allows us to do what we need to do and be at peace with the results:
In this wisdom, a man goes beyond what is well done and what is not well done.
But how does this yogic attitude help us ordinary mortals? This week both Baxter and Richard Rosen recommended regular, steady practice as the best approach for both osteoporosis and Parkinson’s disease. But daily yoga practice is no quick fix, and results are never guaranteed, because this is real life, people. So for your peace of mind, at the same time that you work toward staying healthy you can let go of all thoughts of success or failure and simply focus on your practice. Then no matter what happens, you’ll be prepared to handle it. And outside the yoga room, this yogic approach allows you to cultivate equanimity in your daily lives. For no matter what work we have to do, whether it is raising children, going to a 9 to 5 job, being politically active, or helping a dying family member, practicing acceptance along with active engagement allows us to do what we need to do and be at peace with the results:
In this wisdom, a man goes beyond what is well done and what is not well done.
Go thou therefore to wisdom:
Yoga is wisdom in work. —trans. by Juan Mascaro
(It took me a long time to learn this particular lesson, and a lot of practice to learn not to fall back into my old patterns of stressing out about the future, but personally I’ve found this yogic attitude to be as helpful as any of the other anti-stress yoga practices, such as inverted poses and yogic breathing, that I practice on a regular basis. Maybe even more so.)
(It took me a long time to learn this particular lesson, and a lot of practice to learn not to fall back into my old patterns of stressing out about the future, but personally I’ve found this yogic attitude to be as helpful as any of the other anti-stress yoga practices, such as inverted poses and yogic breathing, that I practice on a regular basis. Maybe even more so.)
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Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Yoga and Parkinson's Disease, Part 1
by Richard Rosen, guest contributor
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| A Road Through the Woods by Brad Gibson |
When we received a question last week about yoga and Parkinson’s Disease, we turned to our friend Richard Rosen. Richard Rosen is a senior yoga teacher, who has been practicing yoga for 31 years and who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease about 9 years ago. Richard had so many interesting things to say in the response to the question that we decided to make it a separate post. —Nina
Q: Interested in suggestions for yoga for students with Parkinson's.
A: Parkinson’s Disease (I prefer Condition) is a progressive degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Common symptoms include loss of muscular flexibility, balance, and strength. You may notice that these are the very physical qualities promoted by the physical practice of yoga postures and related exercises. To a certain undetermined extent then, yoga exercises help to not exactly counteract PD symptoms, but go a long way toward at least a temporary amelioration. These exercises (depending on the frequency and intensity of practice) also help cultivate and refine greater body awareness, which in turn (again to an undetermined extent) allows the individual to self-correct certain of the symptoms. I’m hedging everything I say here because, as in all of life, there are no guarantees. Some conditions progress very rapidly, others only gradually. But in any case the sooner a credible practice is established the better it will serve the individual. I can’t stress this enough: once the diagnosis of PD is confirmed, if you’re not already practicing some form of yoga exercise, get started immediately with a competent teacher.
This is a very difficult question to answer in 25 words or fewer as it’s stated here. I would ask first about the students’ condition: are they pretty much at the same level of development, or are some farther along? If the former, are they all still fairly mobile, is their balance still decent, their strength and flexibility? If the latter, how serious is the situation? Do some need canes or walkers? Is the shaking debilitating at times? Different strokes for different folks is the operative approach.
And then I’d need to know something about the teacher, if there is one. Training? Experience? Are there props like chairs and bolsters? What size is the class, if there is one? Are there assistants if there are more than, say, 6 to 8 students? Don’t mean to be evasive here but a PD class is definitely not like an average public class, these are students that need extra attention.
Or are you asking in general about individual students you might be working with in a private setting? Again it’s important to tailor the work to the student’s level of development. Without more detailed information I can only give general suggestions.
Certainly one of the most useful exercises would be a passive backbend over a bolster or rolled blanket (see here for a photo). We PD people tend to slump after awhile and the backbend helps encourage a long (not "straight") front spine. The thickness of the support would depend on the student, both his/her level of development and previous experience with yoga-influenced exercises (I assume when you say “yoga” you’re talking about asana-like postures; please remember “yoga” is an umbrella term for a wide variety of schools and practices, and shouldn’t be equated solely with asana). Obviously the stiffer the student, the smaller the roll’s diameter should be, and stiffer students will likely need a blanket support under the back of their head to prevent jamming the neck, and should also keep knees bent and feet on the floor to avoid back strain. The roll should be positioned under the lower tips of the shoulder blades so that the arms can lay comfortably off to the sides, not higher than parallel to the line of the shoulders. Initially the student might stay for a couple of minutes, then slowly over time, depending on the student and the seriousness of his/her practice, increase the stay to 5-6 minutes. I should emphasize here that if the student isn’t ready or willing to practice regularly—every day would be ideal—then the exercises will have minimal impact if only practiced once weekly or less.
While in the pose it’s essential that some attention be paid to the breath. Have the student pretend he/she can channel the inhalations slowly and directly into the space behind the sternum (yes, I know that’s where the heart is, I said “pretend”), so that each intake creates more and more space in the upper chest. On the exhalations have the student imagine sinking down over the blanket, so that with each successive exhale, he/she seems to be releasing more and more over the roll.
I’m not, at this point, particularly comfortable going any farther until I learn something more about the teacher-student relationship, the former’s chops and the latter’s needs. Please write to this blog again with more information about yourself and the students, and of what you intend to do with this instruction.
Richard Rosen is currently the director of Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, CA. He is a contributing editor for Yoga Journal magazine, and is the author of three books, The Yoga of Breath (Shambhala 2002), Yoga for 50+ (Ulysses 2004), and Pranayama Beyond the Basics (Shambhala 2006). He’s also created a set of seven CDs titled The Practice of Pranayama, issued by Shambhala, and Shambhala will publish his Original Yoga, a book about traditional Hatha Yoga, in 2011. (To find out more about Richard and Piedmont Yoga Studio, see here.)
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Q: Interested in suggestions for yoga for students with Parkinson's.
A: Parkinson’s Disease (I prefer Condition) is a progressive degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Common symptoms include loss of muscular flexibility, balance, and strength. You may notice that these are the very physical qualities promoted by the physical practice of yoga postures and related exercises. To a certain undetermined extent then, yoga exercises help to not exactly counteract PD symptoms, but go a long way toward at least a temporary amelioration. These exercises (depending on the frequency and intensity of practice) also help cultivate and refine greater body awareness, which in turn (again to an undetermined extent) allows the individual to self-correct certain of the symptoms. I’m hedging everything I say here because, as in all of life, there are no guarantees. Some conditions progress very rapidly, others only gradually. But in any case the sooner a credible practice is established the better it will serve the individual. I can’t stress this enough: once the diagnosis of PD is confirmed, if you’re not already practicing some form of yoga exercise, get started immediately with a competent teacher.
This is a very difficult question to answer in 25 words or fewer as it’s stated here. I would ask first about the students’ condition: are they pretty much at the same level of development, or are some farther along? If the former, are they all still fairly mobile, is their balance still decent, their strength and flexibility? If the latter, how serious is the situation? Do some need canes or walkers? Is the shaking debilitating at times? Different strokes for different folks is the operative approach.
And then I’d need to know something about the teacher, if there is one. Training? Experience? Are there props like chairs and bolsters? What size is the class, if there is one? Are there assistants if there are more than, say, 6 to 8 students? Don’t mean to be evasive here but a PD class is definitely not like an average public class, these are students that need extra attention.
Or are you asking in general about individual students you might be working with in a private setting? Again it’s important to tailor the work to the student’s level of development. Without more detailed information I can only give general suggestions.
Certainly one of the most useful exercises would be a passive backbend over a bolster or rolled blanket (see here for a photo). We PD people tend to slump after awhile and the backbend helps encourage a long (not "straight") front spine. The thickness of the support would depend on the student, both his/her level of development and previous experience with yoga-influenced exercises (I assume when you say “yoga” you’re talking about asana-like postures; please remember “yoga” is an umbrella term for a wide variety of schools and practices, and shouldn’t be equated solely with asana). Obviously the stiffer the student, the smaller the roll’s diameter should be, and stiffer students will likely need a blanket support under the back of their head to prevent jamming the neck, and should also keep knees bent and feet on the floor to avoid back strain. The roll should be positioned under the lower tips of the shoulder blades so that the arms can lay comfortably off to the sides, not higher than parallel to the line of the shoulders. Initially the student might stay for a couple of minutes, then slowly over time, depending on the student and the seriousness of his/her practice, increase the stay to 5-6 minutes. I should emphasize here that if the student isn’t ready or willing to practice regularly—every day would be ideal—then the exercises will have minimal impact if only practiced once weekly or less.
While in the pose it’s essential that some attention be paid to the breath. Have the student pretend he/she can channel the inhalations slowly and directly into the space behind the sternum (yes, I know that’s where the heart is, I said “pretend”), so that each intake creates more and more space in the upper chest. On the exhalations have the student imagine sinking down over the blanket, so that with each successive exhale, he/she seems to be releasing more and more over the roll.
I’m not, at this point, particularly comfortable going any farther until I learn something more about the teacher-student relationship, the former’s chops and the latter’s needs. Please write to this blog again with more information about yourself and the students, and of what you intend to do with this instruction.
Richard Rosen is currently the director of Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, CA. He is a contributing editor for Yoga Journal magazine, and is the author of three books, The Yoga of Breath (Shambhala 2002), Yoga for 50+ (Ulysses 2004), and Pranayama Beyond the Basics (Shambhala 2006). He’s also created a set of seven CDs titled The Practice of Pranayama, issued by Shambhala, and Shambhala will publish his Original Yoga, a book about traditional Hatha Yoga, in 2011. (To find out more about Richard and Piedmont Yoga Studio, see here.)Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect
Monday, October 3, 2011
Active Engagement: Yoga and Osteoporosis
by Baxter
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| Roots and Water by Brad Gibson |
Earlier this summer, some good news was reported in the New York Times about recent study on the benefits of yoga asana for osteoporosis. Physiatrist Loren Fishman, MD (a physiatrist is an MD who works mostly with helping to rehabilitate those with chronic illnesses and injuries without the use of surgery) released the results of a study on the potential benefits of yoga on the progression, or course, of osteoporosis. Originally enlisting over 180 subjects, the study had participants attend a series of classes to learn a short 10-minute home yoga practice that they were then asked to do daily for two years. Knowing human nature, it is perhaps not surprising that only 11 participants were able to complete the study as required. But those who did had some very encouraging results: an increase in the bone density of hips and spine, while the seven controls with osteoporosis continued to lose bone mass. That’s right, the bones of the yoga practitioners actually got stronger. The downside to this result, of course, is the small number of folks who stuck to it, which means that additional larger studies will be required to confirm these initial encouraging results.
Sadly, we live in a culture that often is looking for the quick fix, the one-pill solution, or the single visit to the doc for the cure. The yoga tradition is pretty clear on how positive change occurs, and how goals are met through regular practice done over the long haul. And this ongoing active engagement concept seems supported by the results from this study. Got 10 minutes a day?
For more about this study and what it might mean for you, check out the New York Times article here. You can get complete information on the study (and see the poses included in the osteoporosis yoga practice) here.
Next week, my Rx for osteoporosis in your home practice. If you can’t wait till then, know that all of your yoga poses are “weight bearing,” so keep on doing some poses you love for now, and I will add in my favorite picks next time!
And remember to ask us questions for our Friday Q&A. Leave questions in a comment or email us at the address in the Contact Us page.
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