tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2010://1 2010-01-02T20:06:27Z Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2010://1.47 2010-01-02T19:36:27Z 2010-01-02T20:06:27Z

Book review by Irene Alleger, Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine November, 2007....

Suza Francina Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine November, 2007.]]> Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause was reviewed in the Townsend Letter in January 2004.) The New Yoga for Healthy Aging may be the best prescription around for the growing population of baby boomers. ]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2010://1.46 2010-01-01T22:13:41Z 2010-01-04T00:25:41Z

With my 60th birthday quietly behind me, the time has come to complete a yoga memoir that I have been working on for many years: Autobiography of a Yogini: Innocence, Illusion, Illumination....

Suza Francina Autobiography of a Yogini: Innocence, Illusion, Illumination. ]]> Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything by Phil Bolsta. It’s a collection of 45 life-changing stories from well-known people. To order a copy visit www.sixtysecondsbook.com To view an excerpt from my story, click on “Meet the 45 Storytellers” and then click on my name. Book and Video Reviews Suza's Review of Earthlings Suza's Review of Green Yoga Misc. Items in progress The Reality of What Humans Do Change.org Social Action network Change includes Animal Rights ]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2010://1.45 2010-01-01T21:10:00Z 2010-01-01T21:18:57Z

this moment a bright sliver of the moon hangs over the dark shadowy mountains of the valley of the moon...

Suza Francina this moment a bright sliver of the moon hangs over the dark shadowy mountains of the valley of the moon Ojai, March 23, 2007 ]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2010://1.44 2010-01-01T20:33:45Z 2010-01-02T18:27:19Z

I head out in the dark to catch the magic moment -- the crack of dawn...

Suza Francina I head out in the dark to catch the magic moment -- the crack of dawn January 1, 2010]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2009://1.43 2009-09-11T01:27:02Z 2009-09-12T16:16:19Z

It's no use trying to save the world When I myself am drowning...

Suza Francina It's no use trying to save the world When I myself am drowning I sit now under the Great Oak A tree so strong, so majestic So silent, so serene She is safe here far off the beaten path Far away from the relentless greed of man And I am safe here under her canopy Here I can sit on a cool hard rock And enter the sacred silence Here I sit in the greatest cathedral of all I look up at her awesome branches Spreading in all directions Upward and outward I sit still so I can see Her I sit still so I can feel Her I sit still so I can hear Her Her natural beauty is such a relief That I cry tears of happiness I study her trunk So straight and strong I see how the base of the trunk grows Over a huge rock I can hardly believe this was once a tiny acorn sprout And now look at Her See how Her graceful branches touch the ground A perfect canopy Now look -- see how the huge trunk branches out into eight limbs Like the eight limbs of Yoga That we have all but forgotten My soul cries out for Ahimsa Non violence, mercy The silence of the Oak can only go so deep My mind won't let me sleep I cry out for the immense suffering and injustice For the people and animals At least people can speak I cannot forget the pig in the steel crate When I close my eyes I feel the holy stillness But I still see the pig Reign in your wandering mind For this still moment Leave the world behind And focus on the Oak Relax your clenched fist Know you have a right to rage and be angry For now Feel the sweetness of the great Oak Hear the coo of the quail See how the light sparkles on the leaves See how the sun rises each morning in spite of man's insanity See how the Great Oak grows silently Like the Oak I have no choice But to express my true nature. And revel in the miracle of being. tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2008://1.40 2008-04-22T20:08:14Z 2010-01-01T21:31:33Z

Years ago I went to a market in Saanen, Switzerland and, much to my chagrin, they did not provide a bag for me to carry my groceries back to the chalet. I purchased a string bag on the spot, and...

Suza Francina Years ago I went to a market in Saanen, Switzerland and, much to my chagrin, they did not provide a bag for me to carry my groceries back to the chalet. I purchased a string bag on the spot, and after that I never again forgot to take my own bag to the store in Europe. More recently, while visiting my relatives in Holland, I noticed that my cousin, like many other Dutch shoppers, brought cardboard boxes each time she made a trip to the store. For larger items or quantities, boxes work even better than canvas bags. My bicycle is equipped with two large saddle bags that hold two giant canvas bags of groceries or other items. For larger things like watermelons I hook-up my trusty bike cart or use my handy personal shopping cart which I purchased at Star Market for about $18. I also keep a large sturdy attractive straw basket, an old back-pack and a variety of recycled bags and cloth bags permanently in the car. Storing the plastic and paper bags you already have on hand immediately in the car rather than stuffing them in a drawer and risk forgetting to bring them when you run to the market, is one of the easiest things you can do for the environment. It takes 12 million barrels of oil to produce the plastic bags Americans use each year. In addition, about 15 million trees are cut down to produce paper for paper bags. You can help reduce oil consumption and save trees simply by bringing your own bag on your next trip to the store. Each sturdy reusable shopping bag you use has the potential to eliminate hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic and paper bags over its lifetime. As other citizens of our beautiful valley have pointed out, the City of Ojai should adopt a Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance. The facts and figures regarding the true cost of plastic bags are well-documented on web sites like Resusablebags.com which features a counting clock of plastic bags consumed this year. One million bags a minute are consumed, becoming trash and choking marine mammals. Becoming a plastic-bag-free City is one more important step towards Ojai becoming a model Sustainable City. Local stores can look to stores like the Swedish furniture company, IKEA for ways to encourage customers to remember to bring their own re-usable bags. IKEA is charging shoppers in their U.S. stores five cents for each plastic bag. The move to charging for a bag helps to remind more people to bring a reusable sack. Stores should also credit customers five cents for each recycled bag used in bagging their groceries. Ojai stores should take the lead and adopt bag reduction measures such as the above as soon as possible. There are numerous other ways to motivate customers to bring their own bags, boxes and baskets. Another step used by some stores is to provide a bin where customers can use re-cycled paper and plastic bags brought in by other customers, for those times they forget to bring their own. Ojai stores could have a display with the Top Facts on the true cost and environmental impact of plastic bags. For example: Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year. According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year. According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion) According to the industry publication Modern Plastics, Taiwan consumes 20 billion bags a year—900 per person. Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food. Plastic bags do not biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest. Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags. According to the BBC, one group harvests 30,000 per month. According to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, plastic bags have gone "from being rare in the late 80s and early 90s to being almost everywhere from Spitsbergen 78° North [latitude] to Falklands 51° South [latitude]. Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation. Remember: Each high quality reusable shopping bag you use has the potential to eliminate hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic and paper bags over its lifetime. (Editorial, 2007) tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2008://1.39 2008-04-22T19:10:18Z 2010-01-01T21:34:38Z

About seven years ago I gradually changed my trip to work from a two-hour car commute to a refreshing ten-minute bicycle ride....

Suza Francina About seven years ago I gradually changed my trip to work from a two-hour car commute to a refreshing ten-minute bicycle ride. (Editorial, Ojai Valley News and other publications, 2000) ]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2008://1.38 2008-02-27T20:01:36Z 2010-01-12T02:47:01Z

Book Description and Excerpts...

Suza Francina Book Description and Excerpts ]]> spiritual memoir, author, animal advocate and yoga teacher Suza Francina describes the quest that has guided her from earliest childhood. Her path is yoga in all of its manifestations--not only the asanas of hatha yoga, but also the practice of ahimsa, the recognition that all life is sacred. These themes are illuminated with intensely personal stories and anecdotes. Along the way we learn about her many roles as mother, wife, caretaker, yoga teacher, author, politician, environmental activist and advocate for the rights and welfare of animals. Suza describes her days as a runaway teenager in the Haight-Ashbury; having a baby at age 18; the saga of romantic relationships; caring for elderly people during the last years of life and through the dying process; the years of intense rigorous training as an Iyengar Yoga Teacher; the drama of environmental activism and spiritual politics; and her election to the City Council and appointment as Mayor of Ojai, California, the artistic and spiritually progressive community that has been her home for over half a century. Suza shares her encounters with yoga teachers and other pivotal people in her life, many of whom lived in Ojai, including the world renowned artist Beatrice Wood, spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti and philosopher George Jaidar Autobiography of a Yogini is divided into three parts: Innocence (early childhood to late adolescence); Illusion (early adulthood to midlife); and Illumination (later years). Stories adapted from Suza's forthcoming book will be posted here: Winter Solstice Liberation Forty Years Ago in the Small Town of Ojai A Birth Story for Mother's Day Photographs View image 1972 or 1973 My first teacher, Sarah Kirton, who asked me to teach her class of retired school teachers at Gray Gables (now the Gables) in Ojai. This photograph was taken in Upper Ojai, at a place called "High Winds," near the land that later became the Ojai Foundation. [this caption is being checked for accuracy] The great yoga masters through the ages urge us to consider all aspects of our lives and to revere all living things. Yoga addresses the ethical life through a whole range of practices that encourage us to live in harmony with nature, which includes how we treat animals. The practice of yoga is rooted in the principle of "ahimsa" (non-violence). The great yoga masters teach that "The yogi believes that every creature has as much right to live as he has. He believes he is born to help others and he looks upon creation with the eyes of love." The yogi knows that his life is linked inextricably with other living things. A complete, holistic yoga practice encompasses a way of life that addresses the harm we inflict on animals. ]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2007://1.36 2007-05-06T21:22:38Z 2008-07-02T02:16:06Z

Excerpts from The New Yoga for Healthy Aging...

Suza Francina Excerpts from The New Yoga for Healthy Aging]]> Yoga Asanas: Practical Tools for Life A yoga pose is known by the Sanskrit term asana. The terms, pose, asana, and posture are used interchangeably in this book. Asana is the positioning of the body in various standing, lying down, upside-down, or seated postures. Asanas are one of yoga’s most significant and practical tools for integrating all aspects of a human being—body, mind, and spirit. The word healing comes from the root “to make whole.” Among the many health benefits that set yoga apart from other forms of physical exercise is the effect that yoga postures and breathing practices have on the vitality of our organs and glands. This book describes the effect that asanas have on all the systems of the body. Yoga’s inverted poses are particularly important in the later years as they have a powerful effect on the neuroendocrine system by allowing fresh, oxygenated blood to flow to the glands in the head and neck. According to Iyengar, “In each asana, different organs are placed in different anatomical positions, and are squeezed and spread, dampened and dried, heated and cooled. The organs are supplied with fresh blood and are gently massaged, relaxed, and toned into a state of optimum health.” Iyengar Yoga and Yoga Props B. K. S. Iyengar is widely credited with the development of practicing yoga with the help of props. Although the use of props was known earlier in crude form, Iyengar evolved both their use and the sequences of asanas commonly practiced today. He categorized groups of poses according to anatomical structure, physiological functioning and psychological effect. Iyengar’s early writings describe how he began experimenting with ordinary, everyday objects such as walls, chairs, stools, blocks, bolsters, blankets, and belts to help his students move deeper into postures. By providing more height, weight, and support, he discovered that props helped students of all ages and all levels understand and retain key movements and subtle adjustments of the body. These discoveries inspired him to experiment further and to create props adjusted to suit individual needs. Today the therapeutic use of props for special populations is one of the most distinguishing features of Iyengar yoga and one that many other schools (styles) of yoga are integrating into their curriculum. Iyengar’s innovations in the understanding, practice, and teachings of yoga are described in great detail in his books and videos. Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health illustrates the use of sequences of poses supported with props to treat or prevent over eighty ailments. Iyengar demystified what had previously been a somewhat secret, exclusive, and inaccessible art. He made yoga immensely practical and accessible to ordinary men and women, including those who begin in the later years. What Are Props and Why Do We Use Them? In the world of yoga, a prop is any object that provides height, weight, or support and helps you stretch, strengthen, balance, relax, or improve your body alignment. Props are used both for therapeutic purposes, as previously mentioned, and to teach specific actions such as “lifting the kneecaps,” “elongating the spine,” “opening the chest,” and others, which you will hear repeated over and over again in yoga classes. Props also help you stay in poses for a longer time and conserve your energy, allowing the nervous system to relax. They can be used to make postures more challenging; to safely stretch farther; to work in a deeper, stronger way; and to expand, open, and blossom in a pose. In yoga we are asking the body to “work against the grain.” We are asking the body to let go of the death grip that habit and conditioning have on us. Props help us to accept this revolutionary (and evolutionary) process. Props include sticky mats (also referred to as “yoga mats”), blankets, belts, blocks, benches, wall ropes, sandbags, chairs, and other objects that help students experience the various yoga poses more profoundly. The ancient yogis used wood logs, stones, and ropes to help their practice. Many common features of our homes can also serve as props: floors, walls, corners, doors, doorways, hallways, stairs, ledges, windowsills, kitchen counters, even the kitchen sink! Using yoga props makes postures safer and more accessible. Most older people are quite stiff by the time they start yoga, and props allow them to practice poses they would not ordinarily be able to do. Older students also frequently come to yoga with problems, ranging from back and neck pain to knee problems to old injuries. The more problems a student has, the more useful yoga props are. Props allow you to hold poses longer, so you can experience their healing effects. By supporting the body in the yoga posture, muscles can lengthen in a passive, nonstrenuous way. By opening the body, the use of props also helps to improve blood circulation and breathing capacity. For example, if you are unable to bend forward and bring your hands to the floor without straining, you can place your hands on a chair or wall. As the backs of your legs become more flexible, you will find that you can put your hands on a lower prop, such as a bench or a block. Props can still be used when the student wants to practice the pose in a more restorative way, even though he or she is capable of practicing the pose independently. Supporting the body with props opens the door to restorative yoga, which not only allows you to exercise without exerting any effort but simultaneously relaxes and reenergizes you. This is critical during times when we find ourselves feeling too tired to exercise and then feeling even more tired because we are not exercising. The creative use of props expands the help a teacher can give, especially when teaching a class with students of various levels of ability. For example, students who are not strong enough to practice inversions on their own can safely do so supported by ropes suspended from the wall or ceiling. In this way inversions can be performed without strain, and the student can receive the benefits of the pose. Props are also used to teach students how a pose done correctly should feel. A rope hanging from a wall hook or doorknob and placed at the top of the legs in Downward-Facing Dog Pose, Adho Mukha Svanasana, allows the student to stretch the torso and arms as far forward as possible. Because the rope pulls the student’s weight back into the legs, it helps the student experience the elongation of the abdomen and the deep muscles of the torso in the pose. The head can rest on a bolster or pillow. In this way, a wonderful, passive stretch is experienced. The student gets a taste of what it feels like to let go in a pose, to relax, and enjoy it. The use of props facilitates imprinting of the correct action in the pose so that the student understands it when the prop has been removed. By using props, students who need to conserve their energy can practice more strenuous poses without overexerting themselves. People with chronic illness can use props to practice without undue strain and fatigue. Props are adapted to each student’s body type and flexibility. They are especially helpful to anyone who may avoid certain poses because of fear, problems with balance due to loss of hearing and eyesight, pain, or other limitations. In therapeutic situations, props are invaluable. People who have scoliosis (curvature of the spine), rounded back, or other chronic postural problems can significantly improve their posture by stretching with the help of a prop. Iyengar introduced props into the modern practice of yoga to allow all practitioners access to the benefits of the postures regardless of physical condition, age, or length of study. He also explored in depth how these modified poses could help people recover from illness or injury or psychological trauma. Iyengar and his teachers have worked with Western doctors with great success in the fields of heart and immune disease and spinal and orthopedic problems. Props help all practitioners—including both the most advanced students and those of advanced years—to receive the deep benefits of postures held for sustained periods of time. ]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2007://1.31 2007-03-02T05:59:44Z 2007-03-02T06:03:20Z

Author Interview on The New Yoga for Healthy Aging Interview - HCI Books...

Author Interview on The New Yoga for Healthy Aging Interview - HCI Books]]> Q. This is your fourth book on yoga for people at midlife and older. How did you get interested in this subject? A. My first teachers were older men and women ranging in age from about 60 to over 90. I was very impressed with their youthful posture and flexibility. At the time that I began studying yoga, I was also working as a home health care provider for elderly people, some confined to a wheelchair and bed. I saw how life can change in an instant after a stroke and how the body can linger for many years, long after the mind is gone. The difference between the people I took care of and my teachers who were around the same age, made a profound impression on me. Q. Your new book is called The New Yoga for Healthy Aging. What do you mean by "healthy aging"? A. Healthy aging is the understanding that everything changes and that getting older is part of the nature of life, but, our minds and bodies can continue to function in ways that are healthy. If we exercise in a way that does not wear the body out, we can safely gain and maintain strength and flexibility. Healthy aging views the years after 50 as the best time for psychological and spiritual growth. The yoga philosophy of healthy aging includes facing death and learning to let go of what we no longer need on our journey through life. Healthy aging is aging with wisdom! Q. What is the main way that yoga can be beneficial for healthy aging? A. As we age the human body has a natural tendency to become increasingly rigid and inflexible. The loss of flexibility –mentally as well as physically -- is a defining hallmark of old age. Medical research on aging has clearly shown that without proper exercise, the body contracts and we lose height, strength and flexibility. Our natural free range of motion becomes restricted, so daily activities become difficult and in some cases impossible. However, if you observe older yoga practitioners such as the people in my book, you will see that they still have their natural youthful suppleness. They move freely in all directions—forward, backwards, sideways and upside down. Removing years of accumulated tightness and stiffness from your body feels like turning back the clock. Q. What are some other important benefits of yoga for healthy aging? A. As we get older, our bodies begin to show signs of wear and tear. The challenge for healthy aging is to exercise in a way that does not cause bone fractures or have a negative effect on our joints. Yoga is one of the few exercise systems in which weight is borne through the entire body, including the bones in the hands, wrists, arms, upper body, neck and even the head. Weight bearing upside down poses that strengthen the upper body are particularly important in preventing upper back fractures that result in upper back curvature common in older people. Yoga builds strength safely and incrementally. Strong, supple muscles help protect us as we grow older from conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, and back pain and help prevent falls. It’s well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. Many postures in yoga require that you lift your own weight. And some, such as Downward-Facing Dog Pose and Upward-Facing Dog Pose, help strengthen the arm bones, which are particularly vulnerable to osteoporotic fractures. Q. What about yoga and the spine? In The New Yoga for Healthy Aging you point out that the close relationship between yoga and aging begins with the spine. A. Yoga is unique in its capacity to prevent and even reverse the most conspicuous sign of aging—one that cannot be disguised or transformed cosmetically: the shortening and rounding of the spine. Our posture affects more than our outer appearance. Our posture affects the health of every system of the body. Lengthening the spine to create space between the vertebrae is vital to our health because nerves connected to the structures of the body, including the internal organs, branch out from the spinal cord between the vertebrae. Yoga develops spinal strength and agility, slowing and even reversing the common degenerative changes often found in people at midlife and older. Q. What yoga poses are particularly important for a healthy heart? A. All poses that open the chest, especially backbends, are particularly beneficial for the health of the heart. Backbends increase lung capacity and improve circulation to all the organs of the body. As we age, stress accumulates in the body. One of the most important things we can do for our heart is to take at least twenty minutes every day to consciously relax and let go of stress. This can be as simple as lying-down on the floor with a folded blanket under our head, a pillow under our knees and an eye bag over our eyes. Or practicing what is known as Restorative yoga poses which are special poses that use blankets and bolsters to support the body and help us to relax and rest deeply. During deep relaxation all the organ systems of the body are allowed to rest. Also important for a healthy heart are poses where the head is below the level of the heart as in Downward Facing Dog Pose, Legs Up the Wall Pose and other upside down poses. All poses that are deeply relaxing and relieve stress, are restful and healing for the heart. We have to keep in mind that all the systems of the body are connected and yoga has a positive effect on all aspects of a human being, body, mind and spirit. Q. Tell us about the models who demonstrate the poses in your book. A. The models featured in my book range in age from 60 to 94. I interviewed a wide range of people, some new to yoga and others who are famous longtime teachers. Most of the people in my book started yoga later in life, when they were in their 50’s , 60’s or even older. I feel inspired when I read their stories and see the beautiful photographs of their poses. One man I interviewed went to India to study with B.K.S. Iyengar when he was 87. He is now 95 and still hanging upside down, just like the photo of him in the book. Q. Your book shows photographs of people in their 80’s and 90’s hanging upside down, bending backwards over bolsters and practicing standing poses with walls, chairs and other props. Why are yoga props especially important for older people? A. Props allow older beginners to safely practice poses they would ordinarily not be able to do. For example, if you are unable to bend forward and bring your hands to the floor without straining, you can place your hands on a chair or wall. As the backs of your legs become more flexible, you will find that you can put your hands on a lower prop, such as a bench or a block. By the time people at midlife and older start yoga, they often have a wide range of problems, ranging from back and neck pain to knee problems to old injuries. They may be recovering from surgery or coping with problems like arthritis. The more problems and health issues a person has, the more useful yoga props are. Props allow you to stay in poses longer, so you can experience their healing effects. By supporting the body in the yoga posture, muscles can lengthen in a passive, non strenuous way. By opening the body, the use of props also helps to improve blood circulation and breathing capacity. Props like walls and chairs also allow older people with balance problems to practice the weight-bearing standing poses, helping them to remain independent and out of a wheelchair. Many people feel too tired to exercise. Yoga practiced with props help people to conserve and replenish their energy reserves, which becomes increasingly important as we grow older. Q. Your book shows people in their eighties hanging upside down in yoga wall ropes. What are the benefits of turning upside down? A. Turning the body half way or completely upside down improves the flow of blood to and from the heart and feels refreshing and rejuvenating, particularly as we grow older. The gravitational force of Earth is among the most powerful physical influences on the human body. With the passage of time, it becomes increasingly important to reverse the downward pull of gravity on the body. In a sense, inverted yoga positions turn gravity itself upside down which is among the best ways of slowing down and even reversing the aging process. Think about it! During most of the day we are standing or sitting with our head above the level of the heart. When we bend forward in a yoga pose such as a Standing Forward Bend or Downward Facing Dog Pose, or we turn ourselves upside down as in a Headstand, the head is below the level of the heart which increases the circulation to the upper body, including the brain. Due to cardiovascular problems related to aging, such as arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), blood flow to the brain gradually decreases. Senility, memory loss, is one of the things people fear most about aging. Western medicine accepts the fact that senility is a degenerative disease usually associated with inadequate circulation to the brain, but it has found few ways of preventing or treating it. Yoga teaches that the most effective way of increasing blood to the brain is to allow gravity to do the work for you. Inverted positions, which bring the brain below the level of the heart, permit circulation to the upper body to increase without putting strain on the heart. Q. What about the cost of all those props and yoga classes? A. People sometimes tell me, “But not everyone can afford to go to a yoga class or purchase those expensive yoga bolsters.” Many older people cannot afford to attend classes at fully equipped yoga centers and they don’t have the money to purchase props for home use. My reply is this: One year of yoga costs less then a single day in the hospital. My book gives convenient alternatives to standard props for situations in which they are truly not available. I believe we should think of yoga classes and props as preventive medicine –as an investment in our health. The National Academy of Sciences has reported that if the average age of institutionalization could be postponed by just one month, it would save over $3 billion in Medicare and Medicaid—and that figure doesn’t include the priceless savings in dignity and independence for elderly people! Our society recognizes the need for all kinds of products that help older people maintain their independence. I believe that someday yoga chairs, bolsters, wall ropes, pelvic slings and even Backbenders will seem as normal as any other common item. In the coming years, more doctors will follow the lead of today’s mind–body medicine pioneers and will have props and yoga therapy programs available in medical offices, hospitals and senior wellness centers. Insurance companies and Medicare are acknowledging that programs promoting health and balance, and preventing falls and other accidents, deserve coverage. Q. How can older beginners safely start practicing yoga at home? A.There are four simple poses that I tell all my students to practice at home. The first pose is to stand every day in bare feet with the back of your body against a wall. Standing in good posture near a wall will help remind you to open your chest and lengthen your spine. In yoga this is called Mountain Pose where we learn to stand steady on our feet. Second, sit on the floor in a comfortable cross-legged position every day. This will help keep your hips flexible and assure that you do not loose the ability to get down and back up from the floor. Third, relax with your legs up on the wall for at least ten minutes everyday. This is known as yoga’s great rejuvenator and is very beneficial for the heart and balancing your blood pressure. It also relieves swelling in the legs. And fourth, lie down on the floor every day for at least ten minutes with a folded blanket under your head and a pillow under your knees. This will relieve stress and passively stretch the chest muscles and help keep the spine youthful. This is known as the Pose of Deep Relaxation, Savasana. Q. How does someone go about finding a good teacher for an older beginner? A.Yoga teachers vary widely in training and experience. I recommend choosing your yoga teacher as carefully as you would any other health care professional. If you are starting yoga after age 50, I suggest finding a class especially geared for people at midlife and older. If you have an existing medical condition it is wise to start with a private lesson with a teacher who is willing to consult with your doctor or another health care professional who is knowledgeable about your condition. Find a class that is appropriate for your level with a teacher who can show you how to modify poses and how use yoga props. Be a good student and attend class on a regular basis and practice at home! One more suggestion: Give your teacher a copy of The New Yoga for Healthy Aging –it has a great chapter on The Art of Teaching Seniors! The Resource section of my book also lists organizations that can help you find a teacher in your area, such as The International Association of Yoga Therapists. Q. One last question: Are you a vegetarian? A. Yes, of course I’m a vegetarian. I don’t have the heart to kill anything, not even a spider in my house! While you don’t have to be a vegetarian to do yoga, the practice of yoga is rooted in the principle of ahimsa which means reverence for all life. Yogis believe that all of life is sacred and that we should refrain from harming animals and other living things whenever possible.]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2007://1.30 2007-03-02T05:55:29Z 2010-01-04T01:22:26Z

Author Interview on Yoga and Menopause - HCI Books...

Author Interview on Yoga and Menopause - HCI Books ]]> What motivated you to write a book on yoga and menopause? For the past thirty years my classes have been filled with women who began yoga during menopause. Many of my early teachers where women who turned to yoga during menopause. My previous book, The New Yoga for People Over 50, had a chapter on yoga and menopause that was used as a reprint by teachers for yoga and menopause workshops and was excerpted on numerous websites. So in addition to my classes with women who were concerned about common menopausal symptoms I received questions and comments about yoga and menopause from women all over the world. I began to realize that one of the most valuable things a book on yoga and menopause could do is to let women know they are not alone in how they feel. I learned that even America’s leading yoga teachers get tired and depressed, suffer from insomnia and need to adjust their practice to cope with common menopausal symptoms like hot flashes. I began writing this book the year that my periods stopped. My yoga practice became my menopause medicine and I became religious about practicing the yoga poses described in my book. Why is yoga especially beneficial for women going through menopause? During menopause there is a tremendous shift and release of energy that is both unsettling and liberating. There is a natural, biological movement away from the surface of life, from the dictates and expectations of family and society and an increasing pull inward toward listening to what is really important at the soul level. One of the most common longings during the menopausal transition is for solitude. Consider the deeper implication of the word "men-o-pause." According to both spiritual teachers and authorities on women's health, during menopause we are being urged, both biologically (physically) and on a soul level (spiritually), to pause from everyone—to pause from our daily responsibilities –and take some much needed quiet time just to be with ourselves. The practice of yoga helps us to integrate and cooperate fully with this process. Yoga supports a woman’s physical and spiritual journey through menopause. Does yoga help balance the hormonal changes? A woman's physical well-being during the menopausal years depends on the healthy functioning of her endocrine (hormone-producing) glands. With all the focus in the media on hormone replacement, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that if all our other glands are functioning well they will, in most cases, continue to produce all the hormones a woman needs for the rest of her life. Yoga helps modulate mood swings and reduce depression and anxiety by helping to balance a woman's changing hormones. Many of the symptoms commonly associated with menopause, such as irritability, depression, and various aches and pains, are intensified by the inability to cope with stress. The adrenal hormones help us tolerate many of the stresses and burdens of life. However, many women—possibly even the vast majority—enter menopause with their adrenals already exhausted from years of juggling the responsibilities of family and work outside the home. If life has been chronically stressful or if you have been ill, then you have asked your adrenal glands to work overtime and have not given them adequate time to replenish themselves. Practicing yoga's relaxing, restorative poses on a regular basis helps ease these symptoms. Equally important, yoga practice gives you the opportunity to weed out and clear away the mental and emotional debris that is the root cause of many problems associated with menopause. What else sets yoga apart from other forms of exercise during menopause? What sets yoga apart is the effect yoga postures and breathing practices have not only on the muscles and bones of your body, but also on your organs and glands. Yoga reduces the effects of menopause's hormonal changes by balancing the endocrine system. It smoothes out the hormonal and glandular changes that take place during this period. The regular practice of all the categories of poses: standing, sitting, lying down, backbends, forward bends, twists, and inverted (upside down) poses, stimulates and activates all the glands, organs, tissues and cells of the body. Yoga’s inverted poses are particularly important during menopause poses as they have a powerful effect on the neuroendocrine system, allowing fresh, oxygenated blood to flow to the glands in the head and neck. In each yoga posture (asana) different organs and glands are placed in various anatomical positions and are supplied with fresh blood, gently massaged, relaxed, toned and stimulated. It's important to bear in mind that all menopausal symptoms are related and using yoga to ease the unpleasant effect of one symptom generally leads to better health in the rest of the body. Every yoga pose has a multitude of effects on all the systems of the body. What are the most important poses for balancing your hormones? Yoga poses that turn the body halfway or completely upside down such as Standing Forward Bends, Downward-Facing Dog, and various inverted poses stimulate the endocrine system, especially the pituitary gland. This small gland in the center of the brain is involved in the regulation of blood-sugar levels and body temperature, and controls the changes in the hormone levels that occur in menopause. Forward bends also gently compress the abdomen, massaging the uterus and other abdominal organs. When we come out of the pose and release the compression, the organs are bathed in freshly oxygenated blood, and we feel refreshed and rejuvenated. This alternate squeezing and soaking enhances the functioning of the ovaries and the hormones they produce. Forward bends also soothe the nervous system and have a quieting effect on the mind. Yoga's relaxing, rejuvenating inverted poses and other important restorative poses can break the vicious cycle of adrenal exhaustion, stimulation and fatigue. They smooth out the emotional rough edges common during menopause and give us some much-needed time to be quiet. Yoga poses, such as twists and backbends, improve the functioning of the adrenals, helping them to increase the amount of estrogen in the body. These poses also stimulate the kidneys, promoting healthy elimination of metabolic byproducts. How does yoga help create pelvic health? Can you discuss yoga’s effect on your uterus and ovaries? Yoga helps create pelvic health by increasing the flow of blood and oxygen to your reproductive organs and restoring your energy reserves while relaxing the nervous system and balancing the endocrine system. Lying Down Bound-Angle Pose, one of the key poses described in Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause, is considered by many to be one of the most effective poses for both regulating and balancing a woman's menstrual cycle and relieving symptoms associated with menopause. Blood flow is directed to the pelvis, bathing the reproductive organs and glands and helping to balance hormone function. The pose relieves tension and constriction in the abdomen, uterus and vagina. The centering, balancing effect of Lying Down Bound-Angle Pose helps reduce mood swings, anxiety and depression. This pose is additionally beneficial for those with high blood pressure, headaches and breathing problems. There are three poses, known in yoga as restorative poses, that I consider essential to practice daily while crossing the menopausal bridge. They are usually referred to as Supported Lying Down Bound-Angle Pose, Supported Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose and Supported Bridge Pose. It seems fitting to call these three essential poses for the menopausal transition the Goddess Pose, the Great Rejuvenator and the Menopausal Bridge Pose. Supported Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose (known in Sanskrit as Viparita Karani, which means “Inverted Lake”) is practiced with the legs up the wall, pelvis elevated on a bolster or folded blankets. If the legs tire in the straight position, bend the knees and cross the legs, with knees near the wall. This pose stimulates baroreceptors (blood pressure sensors) in the neck and upper chest, triggering reflexes that reduce nerve input to the adrenal glands; slow heart rate; slow brain waves; relax blood vessels; and reduce the amount of norepinephrine circulating in the bloodstream. No aspect of yoga is more important for women crossing the menopausal bridge than to take time every day to practice at least one of yoga's relaxing, restorative poses. Like many women, I have spent my adult life juggling the myriad responsibilities of working outside the home, raising children, caring for animals and doing volunteer work. I was never so grateful to yoga, especially Restorative Yoga, as during these past perimenopausal years. My yoga bolsters, blankets and sticky mat were always in view. I became religious about practicing on a daily basis, no matter how busy I was. No matter how tired or cranky I feel, even a short yoga session works wonders, especially when practiced with the help of props. I tell my students that yoga bolsters are my “menopause medicine”. "And," I add, "you will not hear about a study ten years from now saying bolsters are bad for you!" Can yoga help with hot flashes? Yes - Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause explains how yoga postures may relieve hot flashes, night sweats and other common symptoms. Yoga's classic Shoulder stand and various safe variations have long been valued for their cooling and calming effects. My students tell me these postures are an effective antidote to hot flashes and other common symptoms. Supported inverted poses and supported backbends are especially nourishing and rejuvenating during this time. All upside-down poses, according to your ability to practice safely, are recommended before, during and after the menopausal years. For centuries, classic inverted postures, especially the Shoulder stand, Plow Pose and Downward-Facing Dog Pose, as well as various relaxing forward bends and restorative poses, have been valued for their cooling, calming effect on the mind and nervous system. On a more subtle level, inverted poses affect the flow of prana—or life-force energy—in a way that can help counteract hot flashes. Inverted poses draw prana inward, toward our vital organs and the body's core, and away from the surface (the skin). According to some theories, during hot flashes, prana is flowing outward from the body's center, heating the skin. Supported Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose, Supported Shoulder stand, the Shoulder stand variation known as Niralamba Sarvangasana, Supported Half-Plow Pose (Ardha Halasana) and Downward-Facing Dog Pose are all inverted postures recommended by yoga practitioners as helpful in mitigating the effects of hot flashes. Lying Back Over a Chair or Backbender (Viparita Dandasana) and Supported Bridge Pose are some of the other poses associated with cooling hot flashes. Can yoga help prevent osteoporosis? Yoga is one of the few exercise systems in which weight is borne through the entire body. In weight-bearing standing poses, inverted poses, active backbends and various arm balances, weight is systematically applied to the bones in the hands, arms, upper body, neck and head, as well as the feet and legs. Inverted weight-bearing yoga poses such as Handstand, Right-Angle Handstand, Elbow Balance, Headstand and Downward-Facing Dog—where the bones in the arms, wrists and hands are strengthened by supporting the weight of one's body—all work to prevent osteoporosis and other problems related to a weak skeletal structure. These poses help strengthen the arms, upper body and upper spine. Yoga's upper-body weight-bearing poses help preventing hairline fractures in the vertebrae, which cause the upper-back curvature common to older people in our culture. Because yoga postures are learned gradually, the weight applied to the bones increases safely and incrementally, as the student becomes stronger and can hold postures for longer periods. When the back becomes rounded, it compresses the chest and causes shallow breathing, which limits the amount of oxygen the body's cells receive. This collapsed posture contributes to cardiovascular and other health problems. Yoga counteracts and reverses all these changes, and prevents or corrects the most visible sign of osteoporosis — the shortening and rounding of the spine. Poor posture and the degeneration of the spinal column affect the health of every system of the body. Not only do a rounded spine and collapsed chest restrict breathing, but they also interfere with the vital flow of blood and nerve impulses to internal organs. In this way, poor posture interferes with digestion and elimination. According to Dr. Christiane Northrup decreased height is not always the result of bone loss. Years of poor posture, lack of stretching or feeling weighed down by life's burdens can also make a woman shorter than she once was. Some height loss results from the shrinking of spaces between vertebral discs, even when bone density is good. Dr. Northrup observed the least height loss in her patients who regularly practiced yoga. I believe this is because yoga helps keep the space between the vertebrae open, plump and supple. Many of my older students report that after practicing yoga for a while, they regain their youthful height. Similarly, when students who have experienced some height loss stand very tall and strong, the height loss is not noticeable. When we are under stress, our blood becomes slightly more acidic, which, over time, removes calcium from the bones. When we are more relaxed, our blood becomes more alkaline and doesn't loose as much calcium. The stress-reducing benefits of yoga can also help prevent osteoporosis. Your book has a chapter on women and heart disease. How does yoga benefit the health of the heart? The most important task of the cardiovascular system is to supply blood to the brain. Inverted poses help strengthen the heart, increase blood flow to the brain and may prevent the death of brain cells. According to yoga experts, passive, supported backbends gently stretch the heart muscle and the cardiac vessels that supply the heart. This increases blood flow to the heart and helps prevent arterial blockages. Backbends also help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, and force the heart to contract—lengthening cardiac muscle and enhancing blood flow. Stress is now considered a significant contributor to poor health and an important factor in the development of heart disease, cancer and many chronic and acute diseases. Most modern-day stress reduction techniques have their roots in yoga and its emphasis on the breath and deep relaxation. Our everyday posture—the way we sit, stand and walk—affects our respiration, circulation and the health of the heart. Chronic slouching decreases circulation to all the vital organs. One of yoga's most immediate effects is improvement in our posture. The body almost sighs with relief as the chest opens and the breath flows freely. Standing poses, backbends and inverted poses open the chest and expand the breathing process. Upward and Downward Dog, both from the floor and with the aid of wall ropes, stretch the muscles of the front of the body, expand the chest, increase breathing capacity, and strengthen the back, chest and shoulder muscles. What are the most important poses to practice for heart health? The most important poses for heart health are: Supported Lying Down Hero Pose (Supta Virasana) The chest opening in this restful, supported variation of the classic pose is particularly beneficial for the heart. Supported Lying Down Hero Pose helps prevent arterial blockages by gently massaging and strengthening the heart and increasing coronary blood flow. It stretches the abdomen, aids digestion, relieves acidity and flatulence and is one of the few poses that can be done after a heavy meal. This pose also helps relieve discomfort and swelling in the legs and feet and helps prevent varicose veins. All standing poses are useful for increasing circulation in the heart and throughout the body. Lying Down Hero Pose, Supported Bridge Pose and backbends such as Lying Back Over a Chair and Upward Facing Bow (Urdhva Dhanurasana) are among the postures most noted for their effect on the health of the heart. The Yoga and Menopause Practice Guide in my book is based on a style of yoga known as Iyengar Yoga. I think it helps if the teacher herself is a woman who is going through or has gone through menopause. Women who begin yoga during menopause are advised to seek out a class appropriate to their level —one that emphasizes good body alignment and has available props to help ensure the integrity of the spine. Props are invaluable for teaching students how to lengthen the spine and create space between the discs—which is important if women have concerns about osteoporosis. I highly recommend finding a teacher who is trained in Restorative Yoga and who can help you modify poses so that they are safe and nourishing for you. Menopause is indeed a wake-up call to take care of ourselves. Or, as a doctor friend of mine used to say, "Either take time to be healthy or take time to be sick."]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2007://1.29 2007-03-02T05:42:32Z 2010-01-04T00:36:48Z

For Immediate Release “Yoga philosophy teaches that the years after midlife are an ideal time for psychological and spiritual growth. I’ve written this book for those who reject the notion that aging is an inevitable process of decline and who...

“Yoga philosophy teaches that the years after midlife are an ideal time for psychological and spiritual growth. I’ve written this book for those who reject the notion that aging is an inevitable process of decline and who wish to explore yoga’s ascending path to physical and spiritual transformation.” - Suza Francina, author, The New Yoga for Healthy Aging ]]> The New Yoga for People Over 50 and subsequent title, Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause, Francina has written The New Yoga for Healthy Aging: Living Longer, Living Stronger and Loving Every Day (HCI Books – March 2007 -- $16.95) In it, she counters negative stereotypes of aging with remarkable photographs of seemingly ageless yogis and yoginis and truly touching stories of yoga’s deep impact on older adult’s bodies, minds and spirits. Even though yoga has entered the fitness mainstream, its full potential as a preventive and rehabilitative component in holistic, cutting-edge gerontology is just beginning to be explored. As 78 million baby boomers move into their senior years, more and more of them will be turning to yoga for both prevention and rehabilitation. In The New Yoga for Healthy Aging, readers will learn about the integration of yoga and Western medicine and what the emerging fields of yoga therapy and gerontology have to offer for building a foundation of healthy aging. Here’s how it goes: Chapter 1 – Peek into Suza Francina’s yoga class Chapters 2, 3, and 4 – Learn about the special benefits of yoga props in later years Chapters 5 – 8 – Focusing on the most common health challenges for the later years, learn about keeping our cardiovascular and skeletal systems healthy, relieving arthritic joints, and yoga after hip replacement surgery. Chapter 9 – Discusses yoga for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Chapter 10 – How to teach yoga to seniors. Chapter 11 – Yoga sequences for healthy aging. Chapter 12 – Examining the Savasana pose, or corpse pose. The posture that ends every yoga class. Facing death. Combining the latest medical research with true stories from yoga teachers and older students about the transformative power of yoga, Suza Francina shows how yoga can keep people living independently and happily well into their eighties and beyond. Discover why her books outsell the others in this category. Available at bookstores, or to order directly from the publisher, contact: www.hcibooks.com or (800) 441-5569 Contact: Kim Weiss (800) 851-9100 ex. 212 or kimw@hcibooks.com]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2007://1.28 2007-02-24T19:01:07Z 2007-02-24T19:10:17Z

If you have a "wheel" on your mouse: The quickest and easiest way to adjust your monitor's font size is to hold down the control button (Ctrl) on your keyboard, and then move your mouse's scroll wheel. If you do...

If you have a "wheel" on your mouse: The quickest and easiest way to adjust your monitor's font size is to hold down the control button (Ctrl) on your keyboard, and then move your mouse's scroll wheel. If you do not have a scroll wheel on your mouse: For both Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape Users: You can easily adjust your font size by going to your web browser's tool bar on the top menu: First click on "View," and then click on "Text Size." When the window opens, you will see options for changing your font size. For AOL Users: AOL does not directly support your ability to control the size of my website's text. However, there is an easy "work-around." AOL uses Internet Explorer (the Microsoft web-browser) as its foundation. Since most computers already have Internet Explorer installed and ready to go, select the Internet Explorer icon that is usually on your desktop or in your task-bar. The icon will look like one of these: Then simply click on the icon and follow the directions given above. If you can't find the icon on your desktop or task bar: Go to your Program Files folder (usually C:\Program Files). Then open the "Internet Explorer" folder. Then simply double click on the Internet Explorer icon and after it loads, type in the website address www.suzafrancina.com. You are almost done. Now simply go to the tool bar at the top of the screen and select VIEW. Then select TEXT SIZE and choose a new font size. All pages within the website will now reflect your preferred font size. Instructions courtesy of extensionyoga.com]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2007://1.26 2007-02-24T18:45:26Z 2010-05-30T21:04:13Z

Yoga for Healthy Aging Photo Gallery and Slideshow http://web.mac.com/jhjacobs/Jim_Jacobs_Photography_/Yoga_for_Healthy_Aging.html Suza's Blog: Yoga for Healthy Bones Suza's Yoga Articles Suza's writings on everything under the sun on the Ojai Post Ahimsa, animal advocacy and other Yoga Life writings Click here for...

Yoga for Healthy Aging Photo Gallery and Slideshow http://web.mac.com/jhjacobs/Jim_Jacobs_Photography_/Yoga_for_Healthy_Aging.html Suza's Blog: Yoga for Healthy Bones Suza's Yoga Articles Suza's writings on everything under the sun on the Ojai Post Ahimsa, animal advocacy and other Yoga Life writings Click here for Suza's 2010 Yoga Schedule Phone: 805-646-2613 Cell: 805-603-8635 E-mail Sfrancina@aol.com Courses and workshops are held at Sacred Space Studio, 410 Bryant Circle, Suite A, the Ojai Retreat and other locations in the Ojai Valley. ]]> For photographs of above categories poses please click here: http://web.mac.com/jhjacobs/Jim_Jacobs_Photography_/Yoga_for_Healthy_Aging.html Suza's Favorite Books for Teaching Yoga to People Over 50]]> tag:www.suzafrancina.com,2007://1.16 2007-02-21T06:24:52Z 2010-01-04T01:14:35Z

]]>