Thai Yoga Massage blends age-old wellness practices (video)

May 19th, 2012

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Click thumbnails to enlarge

Photo by JOHN HAEGER (Twitter.com/OneidaPhoto) Beth Sforza Yazell of Bloom Yoga and Wellness gives Chris Rossi a Thai Yoga Massage May 7 in her Oneida Studio.

By DYANN NASHTON
Contributing Writer

Photo by JOHN HAEGER (Twitter.com/OneidaPhoto) Beth Sforza Yazell of Bloom Yoga and Wellness gives Chris Rossi a Thai Yoga Massage May 7 in her Oneida Studio.

ONEIDA — The two concepts of yoga and Swedish massage are familiar to most people. But a new avenue to wellness — Thai Yoga Massage — combines the benefits of both.

Practitioner Beth Sforza Yazell said the goals of TYM are similar to other types of massage that soothe muscles, provide relaxation and promote health.

It incorporates many aspects of yoga with specific positions and assisted stretching, Yazell explained. But, TYM is much more passive than what most people envision in a yoga class and does not require yoga experience or even flexibility, she said.

CHECK IT OUT: Bloom Yoga & Wellness grand opening June 2.

Gail Whitman, of Oneida Castle, recently experienced her first Thai Yoga Massage. She said she was surprised by how much she enjoyed the massage and appreciated how Yazell prepared her by explaining the process first.

“It really stretched me out,” said Whitman, a runner who logs about 50 miles per week. She has traditional massages from time to time, especially when she has trouble with sciatica. A compressed nerve produces pain in her lower back, hip and leg. “Sometimes after a regular massage, I can’t run. But this didn’t hurt at all and I was surprised that I wasn’t even sore the next day.”

Another runner, Dedra Croll, of Vernon, said she enjoyed the ability to be a true participant in this kind of massage. In other types, the client lies passively on a table. “This is gentle but active. It helps you stretch but you’re never pushed beyond your point of comfort,” she said.

An important aspect of yoga is the breathing techniques that help focus and relax the mind. Croll said the incorporation of long, slow breathing by both Yazell and herself as a massage recipient went a long way to helping her relax while fully participating in the massage.

“I found it a very calming experience,” said Croll, who has already had two sessions of TYM. Continued…

Rhythms involved in the massage are soothing and can seem “almost dance-like,” Yazell said. Some of the rocking techniques she utilizes in both the massage and her yoga classes are “very reminiscent to the sensations experienced in the womb,” which goes a long way to bring a sense of peace. “It helps people peel back the layers of their life to a very pure, uncomplicated state,” she said.

While Swedish massage incorporates techniques such as effleurage, the long, relaxing strokes used to warm muscles, and petrissage, the rubbing and kneading of muscles, Yazell said TYM introduces several other elements. TYM is an outgrowth of Eastern medicine and Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science. It includes techniques which work on energy lines within the body much like in acupuncture or acupressure. The healing art is believed to have originated more than 4,000 years ago when this kind of massage was performed on Buddha by his personal physician.

Yazell is trained in the Lotus Palm method of TYM. According to the Lotus Palm website, this method seeks to integrate Eastern knowledge of mind, body and spirit with Western understanding of the body. A yoga practitioner and instructor of more than 30 years, Yazell is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in health services administration.

There are a number of obvious and subtle differences between TYM and traditional massage, Yazell said. Unlike traditional massage, recipients remain fully clothed. “There are many people who are not comfortable being undressed even if covered by a blanket during traditional massages,” she said.

There are also no oils or lotions used in the Thai Yoga Massage. Sometimes oils or lotions can get into the hair during the head and scalp portions of traditional massage, she said. Without the oils, TYM is an option for people who want to fit a treatment into their day without having to shower or restyle their hair afterwards.

Traditional massage is performed on a special massage table, but TYM is done on a large padded floor mat much like a futon mattress. Yazell offers TYM in a designated room at the new Bloom Yoga and Wellness at 604 Seneca St. near Oneida Healthcare Center.

For more information, call 363-5258 or visit the Bloom Yoga and Wellness website at:

Thai Yoga Massage blends age-old wellness practices

May 18th, 2012

More Photos

Click thumbnails to enlarge

Photo by JOHN HAEGER (Twitter.com/OneidaPhoto) Beth Sforza Yazell of Bloom Yoga and Wellness gives Chris Rossi a Thai Yoga Massage May 7 in her Oneida Studio.

By DYANN NASHTON
Contributing Writer

Photo by JOHN HAEGER (Twitter.com/OneidaPhoto) Beth Sforza Yazell of Bloom Yoga and Wellness gives Chris Rossi a Thai Yoga Massage May 7 in her Oneida Studio.

ONEIDA — The two concepts of yoga and Swedish massage are familiar to most people. But a new avenue to wellness — Thai Yoga Massage — combines the benefits of both.

Practitioner Beth Sforza Yazell said the goals of TYM are similar to other types of massage that soothe muscles, provide relaxation and promote health.

It incorporates many aspects of yoga with specific positions and assisted stretching, Yazell explained. But, TYM is much more passive than what most people envision in a yoga class and does not require yoga experience or even flexibility, she said.

CHECK IT OUT: Bloom Yoga & Wellness grand opening June 2.

Gail Whitman, of Oneida Castle, recently experienced her first Thai Yoga Massage. She said she was surprised by how much she enjoyed the massage and appreciated how Yazell prepared her by explaining the process first.

“It really stretched me out,” said Whitman, a runner who logs about 50 miles per week. She has traditional massages from time to time, especially when she has trouble with sciatica. A compressed nerve produces pain in her lower back, hip and leg. “Sometimes after a regular massage, I can’t run. But this didn’t hurt at all and I was surprised that I wasn’t even sore the next day.”

Another runner, Dedra Croll, of Vernon, said she enjoyed the ability to be a true participant in this kind of massage. In other types, the client lies passively on a table. “This is gentle but active. It helps you stretch but you’re never pushed beyond your point of comfort,” she said.

An important aspect of yoga is the breathing techniques that help focus and relax the mind. Croll said the incorporation of long, slow breathing by both Yazell and herself as a massage recipient went a long way to helping her relax while fully participating in the massage.

“I found it a very calming experience,” said Croll, who has already had two sessions of TYM.

Rhythms involved in the massage are soothing and can seem “almost dance-like,” Yazell said. Some of the rocking techniques she utilizes in both the massage and her yoga classes are “very reminiscent to the sensations experienced in the womb,” which goes a long way to bring a sense of peace. “It helps people peel back the layers of their life to a very pure, uncomplicated state,” she said. Continued…

While Swedish massage incorporates techniques such as effleurage, the long, relaxing strokes used to warm muscles, and petrissage, the rubbing and kneading of muscles, Yazell said TYM introduces several other elements. TYM is an outgrowth of Eastern medicine and Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science. It includes techniques which work on energy lines within the body much like in acupuncture or acupressure. The healing art is believed to have originated more than 4,000 years ago when this kind of massage was performed on Buddha by his personal physician.

Yazell is trained in the Lotus Palm method of TYM. According to the Lotus Palm website, this method seeks to integrate Eastern knowledge of mind, body and spirit with Western understanding of the body. A yoga practitioner and instructor of more than 30 years, Yazell is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in health services administration.

There are a number of obvious and subtle differences between TYM and traditional massage, Yazell said. Unlike traditional massage, recipients remain fully clothed. “There are many people who are not comfortable being undressed even if covered by a blanket during traditional massages,” she said.

There are also no oils or lotions used in the Thai Yoga Massage. Sometimes oils or lotions can get into the hair during the head and scalp portions of traditional massage, she said. Without the oils, TYM is an option for people who want to fit a treatment into their day without having to shower or restyle their hair afterwards.

Traditional massage is performed on a special massage table, but TYM is done on a large padded floor mat much like a futon mattress. Yazell offers TYM in a designated room at the new Bloom Yoga and Wellness at 604 Seneca St. near Oneida Healthcare Center.

For more information, call 363-5258 or visit the Bloom Yoga and Wellness website at:

Well: Turning Yoga Into Art

May 18th, 2012

Robert Sturman, an artist from Santa Monica, Calif., has traveled around the world painting and photographing landscapes, cityscapes, musicians, athletes and even a surfing rabbi. But it is the study of yoga that has triggered one of the most creative periods of his career, resulting in a series of stunning portraits that capture the beauty and poetry of asana, the repertory of postures included in the practice of yoga.

Recently, Mr. Sturman’s stunning photos of Tao Porchon Lynch, a 93-year-old yoga master pictured in a red flowing gown, have been making the rounds on Facebook and other Web sites, bringing added attention to his work, which is featured in the slide show above. (Ms. Lynch can be seen in Slides 5 and 6.) I recently spoke with Mr. Sturman about how he got started, his favorite yoga pose and photographing yoga at ground zero. Here’s our conversation.

How did you begin photographing yoga postures?

This started in 2003, when I started to get a practice in yoga. I wanted to really go deep into it to make a personal transformation, but I noticed everything around me was so beautiful, and I started to make art of it. Yoga offered me an opportunity to change my life, but it was also something that was so beautiful to study, the poetry of asana. It started growing from being able to photograph people on the beach to being invited to a penitentiary with yoga programs to do yoga asana imagery there.

How do you find your models?

They are people who teach or who have a devoted practice. They are interested in catching their moment of mastery on film. They find me. I find them. It’s like a movement where we all know each other. It’s like Paris at the turn of the century.

What is it about yoga that appeals to you as a subject for art?

It’s the closest thing I’ve ever seen that really shows humanity on its best behavior, of people aspiring to touch something bigger than themselves. They do it in a very pure, longing type of way. It embodies not only the joy of existence, but there is an element of embracing the suffering. When someone is very deep into the asana and reaching out with their hands, in the midst of nature or wherever we are, there is something extremely human about it. I think that’s what moves people more than anything. That’s what moves me.

Is there a particular pose you most like to photograph, or does it depend on your subject or location?

I’m not as interested in certain poses — there are various arm balances that come across as showing off. I like a pose called a dancer’s pose. It’s where someone is grabbing the back of their leg and pulling it forward and reaching. There are certain poses like that that are so elegant.

What is the story behind the young woman in a red dress whom you photographed in New York City?

Last summer I was in New York. I was in a cafe and met a girl carrying a yoga mat, and she had a red dress on. She recognized me from Facebook. I asked her where she was going to practice. We walked throughout the day and made the most wonderful art. For the last pose, she grabbed her leg and lifted it so high it looks like a teardrop. The background was the World Trade Center site. She was just the ultimate model. I haven’t seen her since. It was beautiful.

Turning Yoga Into Art

May 18th, 2012

Robert Sturman, an artist from Santa Monica, Calif., has traveled around the world painting and photographing landscapes, cityscapes, musicians, athletes and even a surfing rabbi. But it is the study of yoga that has triggered one of the most creative periods of his career, resulting in a series of stunning portraits that capture the beauty and poetry of asana, the repertory of postures included in the practice of yoga.

Recently, Mr. Sturman’s stunning photos of Tao Porchon Lynch, a 93-year-old yoga master pictured in a red flowing gown, have been making the rounds on Facebook and other Web sites, bringing added attention to his work, which is featured in the slide show above. (Ms. Lynch can be seen in Slides 5 and 6.) I recently spoke with Mr. Sturman about how he got started, his favorite yoga pose and photographing yoga at ground zero. Here’s our conversation.

How did you begin photographing yoga postures?

This started in 2003, when I started to get a practice in yoga. I wanted to really go deep into it to make a personal transformation, but I noticed everything around me was so beautiful, and I started to make art of it. Yoga offered me an opportunity to change my life, but it was also something that was so beautiful to study, the poetry of asana. It started growing from being able to photograph people on the beach to being invited to a penitentiary with yoga programs to do yoga asana imagery there.

How do you find your models?

They are people who teach or who have a devoted practice. They are interested in catching their moment of mastery on film. They find me. I find them. It’s like a movement where we all know each other. It’s like Paris at the turn of the century.

What is it about yoga that appeals to you as a subject for art?

It’s the closest thing I’ve ever seen that really shows humanity on its best behavior, of people aspiring to touch something bigger than themselves. They do it in a very pure, longing type of way. It embodies not only the joy of existence, but there is an element of embracing the suffering. When someone is very deep into the asana and reaching out with their hands, in the midst of nature or wherever we are, there is something extremely human about it. I think that’s what moves people more than anything. That’s what moves me.

Is there a particular pose you most like to photograph, or does it depend on your subject or location?

I’m not as interested in certain poses — there are various arm balances that come across as showing off. I like a pose called a dancer’s pose. It’s where someone is grabbing the back of their leg and pulling it forward and reaching. There are certain poses like that that are so elegant.

What is the story behind the young woman in a red dress whom you photographed in New York City?

Last summer I was in New York. I was in a cafe and met a girl carrying a yoga mat, and she had a red dress on. She recognized me from Facebook. I asked her where she was going to practice. We walked throughout the day and made the most wonderful art. For the last pose, she grabbed her leg and lifted it so high it looks like a teardrop. The background was the World Trade Center site. She was just the ultimate model. I haven’t seen her since. It was beautiful.

Yoga DVD Created For People Healing Chronic Pelvic Pain

May 18th, 2012

RT @nytimes: DealBook: Dimon to Appear Before Senate Panel http://t.co/KEso6cQe

Yoga Day in Steamboat to benefit Sustainable Schools Program

May 17th, 2012

Photo by Matt Stensland

Patty Zimmer leads a Yogatta Dance class during Yoga Day 2011 at Bud Werner Memorial Library. This year’s Yoga Day celebration takes place Sunday with donation-based sample classes all day and a raffle.

Upcoming Event

Yoga Day

  • Sunday, May 20, 2012, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Bud Werner Memorial Library, 1289 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs
  • Not available

More

Steamboat Springs — Yoga Day in Steamboat began as a local version of a nationwide celebration. Now a springtime, daylong fundraiser, it has taken on a life of its own in the Steamboat community.

The fourth annual Yoga Day, set for Sunday, will celebrate yoga and community with a sampling of 45-minute classes from local instructors. But yoga also is about service, or “Seva” in Sanskrit.

This year’s Yoga Day will donate all proceeds from donations and raffle tickets to the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council’s Sustainable Schools Program.

“It’s a great way for us to give back to the community,” said Alli Brook, a local yoga instructor and co-owner of the Yoga Center of Steamboat. “And to really come together with a lot of different businesses and individuals all to benefit a local nonprofit.”

Brook said Yoga Day organizers were impressed with the program’s far-reaching impact and successes of the Sustainable Schools Program.

The program’s accomplishments — introducing reusable school lunch trays, making school events zero waste and promoting reusable water bottles — also align with yogic principles, Brook said.

“It’s the idea that our lives can be very multifaceted but yet sustainable,” Brook said. “What you put out into the world you’re going to get back. Steamboat is such a great community, and we’re so fortunate to have so many people and organizations … that have that collective collaborative spirit.”

Yoga classes begin at 9 a.m. Sunday and take place at the Yoga Center of Steamboat and Bud Werner Memorial Library. Each class’s focus will represent a different kind of yoga, from Kundalini to yoga nidra. Classes range in ability from beginner to intermediate, and there is even a family option.

The suggested donation for each class is $5 to $10. Raffle tickets will be available at both locations for $1 each. Donated raffle items include gift certificates, yoga accessories and art amounting to more than $1,000. All proceeds will go to the Sustainable Schools Program.

When it comes to promoting sustainability and practicing yoga, Brook emphasizes that collaboration is key.

“On an individual level, life can be very full and enriching, but until you go out and connect with other people, it’s not entirely fulfilling,” she said. “You get into that great cycle and flow of energy and of sharing.

“It’s a lovely cycle.”

Sunday’s Yoga Day 2012 schedule

■ Bud Werner Memorial Library

9 a.m. Spring yoga and Ayurveda with Patty Zimmer

10 a.m. Vinyasa flow yoga with Jenny Gabriel

11 a.m. Kids and family yoga with Karen Goodman

Noon Journey through the Chakras yoga with Kriyadhara (Carrie Nelson)

1 p.m. Yoga for the hips with Paula Begay and Mandy Leonhardt

2 p.m. Devotional dance with Nicole Idzahl

3 p.m. Core Vinyasa flow yoga with Wendy Puckett

■ Yoga Center of Steamboat

10 a.m. Qigong with Sarah Braat

11 a.m. Eternal treasures meditation with Nina Darlington

Noon Yoga nidra with Beth Boyd

1 p.m. Yoga for a strong and supple back with Nina Darlington

2 p.m. Kundalini yoga with Alli Brook

3 p.m. Restorative yoga with Paula Begay and Mandy Leonhardt

*$5 to $10 suggested donation per class or $60 for the day. Proceeds go to the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council’s Sustainable Schools Program. For more information, visit www.yogacenterofsteamboat.com/yoga-day.htm.

To reach Nicole Inglis, call 970-871-4204 or email ninglis@ExploreSteamboat.com

Elaine Gavalas: Yoga Stress Relief for Soldiers

May 17th, 2012

Faced with the highest army suicide rates in at least 30 years, U.S. military officials are examining ways to help treat psychologically wounded soldiers. A study published in the March issue of the journal Injury Prevention found the number of U.S. military suicides rose by 80 percent from 2004 to 2008. The increased risk of suicide is linked to combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan and mental health problems like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that may occur after exposure to a traumatic event such as military combat, violence or a natural calamity. Research reports that yoga practice can help relieve PTSD symptoms like psychological distress, anxiety and sadness. According to the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, approximately 18.5 percent of returning soldiers from Iraq or Afghanistan have PTSD.

Now the U.S. military is turning to yoga to help manage combat stress and decrease the risk of PTSD and suicide.

Yoga Reduces Combat Stress

A small 2012 study published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy found yoga reduced symptoms of combat stress and PTSD. The study was conducted among U.S. active duty military personnel deployed in Iraq.

U.S. researchers administered nine sessions of the “Yoga Warrior method” to 35 U.S. air force and army personnel for three weeks, and this group was compared to another group of 35 personnel who did not receive any therapy. Tests assessing emotional responses and daily journals were obtained from the participants.

The Yoga Warrior method, developed by yoga and occupational therapists, includes hatha yoga and sensory-based occupational therapy techniques.

The researchers found the yoga group had significantly greater improvement in mental health and quality of life than the control group. Furthermore, the yoga participants reported sleep improvement, increased feelings of calm, and reduced anger.

“The results support using sensory-enhanced hatha yoga for proactive combat stress management,” the study authors conclude.

Yoga Nidra Helps Soldiers

A very small pilot study conducted at Walter Reed Army Medical Center reports that yoga nidra relieved PTSD symptoms in soldiers returning home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Researchers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., administered 18 sessions of the Integrative Restoration (iREST) program to seven Iraq and Afghanistan war vets with PTSD for 12 weeks. Tests assessing emotional responses and daily journals were obtained from the participants. The study participants continued to receive the treatment they traditionally received for PTSD for the duration of the study.

The Integrative Restoration (iREST) program was created by Dr. Richard Miller, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology. Yoga nidra, also known as yogic sleep, is a meditative practice that brings calmness and deep relaxation.

The researchers found that PTSD symptoms including anxiety decreased and feelings of being in control increased among the participants.

“As a result of these findings, Walter Reed Health Deployment Clinical Center has integrated Yoga Nidra protocol (now called ‘Integrative Restoration, or iRest) into its treatment program for soldiers rotating through the Clinical Center,” the study authors write. “Soldiers receive 12 iRest sessions during their three-week rotation through the clinic.”

Yoga Programs for Vets

Information about yoga for veterans can be found at organizations such as Yoga for Vets, Yoga Warriors, and Veterans Yoga Project.

For more by Elaine Gavalas, click here.

For more on yoga, click here.

To learn more about yoga’s benefits, download a free sample from Elaine Gavalas’ books, The Yoga Minibook for Weight Loss and The Yoga Minibook for Longevity.

You can buy Elaine Gavalas’ books here.

Elaine Gavalas is an exercise physiologist, yoga therapist, weight management specialist, nutritionist and healthy recipe developer.

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Take your yoga mat outside

May 17th, 2012

In an ideal world, every yoga class would take place on a Costa Rican beach. The birds would sing, the waves would tumble into the shore and everyone – including you – would look great in white yoga pants.

Reality, of course, is seldom ideal. More often, a yoga class will not include a stunning view of a beach or a mountain shrouded in mist. Instead, you’ll find yourself squinting at a piece of dirt on a beige wall and hoping you don’t fall over and inhale the scent of the mothball and garlic salad the man standing next to you so obviously ate for lunch that day.

“Practicing yoga in a studio can be great most of the time,” local yoga instructor Lanah Hake says. “But, for me, I’ve done yoga in so many beautiful places outdoors – on the beach, near the mountains. There is such a different element to doing yoga outdoors. It really connects you to the Earth. There is nothing like it.”

Two years ago, Hake, who received her yoga certification through the national Yoga Alliance in 2011, began offering outdoor yoga once a week at a park two blocks from her house. This summer, her classes have expanded to include four classes a week in three picturesque locations around the city – Lakeside Park Rose Gardens, Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory and Salomon Farm Park.

“I didn’t expect to continue offering this,” Hake says. “But people really respond well to it. It’s grown, and I’m growing with it.”

Hake, who operates both Fort Wayne Outdoor Yoga and the consulting agency LanahLink Social Impact Solutions, says outdoor yoga provides the aesthetic benefits of fresh air and sunshine, but the unpredictability of the outdoors – the sounds, the weather – can also increase a person’s ability to maintain focus.

“It is very different than a sterile environment,” Hake says. “You might have cute kids laughing, dogs barking or even sirens going past. It’s a great opportunity to build that – that unpredictability – into your practice. Yoga is not supposed to be an isolated endeavor.

“Things shouldn’t have to be perfect for you to learn how to stop and breathe.”

Experts will tell you, when it comes to sticking to a fitness routine, the real enemy isn’t sugar-coated or loaded with fat. Boredom, not hot fudge sundaes, is what can really kill your workout.

The cure, of course, is variety. The same goes for a yoga practice, says Cara Hall, co-owner of Fort Wayne Outfitters, 1004 Cass St., which hosts a weekly outdoor yoga class on the Wells Street Bridge.

“Doing yoga with the river flowing under you is a whole new experience,” Hall says. “You’re engaging your senses in a different way. While you’re holding a pose, you can see clouds floating by. And that’s just more fun than being inside a studio, trying to find a focus point on a wall.”

Both Hall and Hake say outdoor yoga is less intimidating for beginners, which is why their classes have drawn larger and larger crowds already this spring. Using nature as a guide, the instructors don’t have to work as hard at creating a relaxing environment.

“It’s impossible to control what happens outside,” Hall says. “And that creates a much more laid-back environment where people just have to go with the flow.”

In fact, a small amount of chaos is good for your yoga practice, Hake says. It teaches you how to embrace change without allowing it to effect your sense of calm.

“You’re learning how to react out in the world,” Hake says. “So, if you work in a stressful environment, and the people around you are getting worked up, you’ll know that you can always pause, take that breath, go internal and find peace.”

edowns@jg.net

Yoga at the library

May 16th, 2012



Learn about yoga and your health at the New Westminster Public Library, but the information won’t come from a book.

Yoga teacher Trudy Austin will give a presentation on how yoga can improve your health and relieve stress in the library’s auditorium on Thursday, May 24, 7 p.m.

Space is limited so to register call 604-527-4667. The library advises to wear relaxed clothes and come with your questions.

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