Wow, what a year 2008 was! The financial crisis has touched us all from Wall Street to Main Street. Many have lost their homes or their jobs, and we watched as our retirement savings went down the tubes. If you find your head spinning, and wonder what happened and what is going to happen next, you are in very good company. We are living in interesting times indeed! Yet in every cloud there is a silver lining. This can be the perfect time to rebuild our spiritual bank accounts and become happier and healthier. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Regaining balance: Financial advisors recommend that you periodically review and rebalance your financial portfolio as you get closer to retirement. Perhaps now is time to review and rebalance your life! There is a Chinese proverb that states: “crisis is opportunity riding on the dangerous wind.” What new opportunities can open up for you now? What is really important and makes life really worth living? What gives you passion? What do you want to keep in your life and what do you want say good bye to now?
Often what appears as a crisis turns out to be an opportunity for something better. A friend of mine just called to say that she will be loosing her job due to the economic down turn. I asked her if she was worried, and she replied: “The last two times I changed jobs I found better ones – with a significant increase in pay, better benefits and work that I enjoyed more.” She views loosing her job as a great opportunity. Another friend who had his hours cut sees this as a great opportunity to do more traveling and visit with his grandchildren. This might just be the perfect time to make an important change in your life too!
Lessons to learn: One of my favorite sayings is that “we have ideas of how we want to live life, and then life shows up gives us something completely different and often unexpected.” And this happens to all of us! But this is exactly when we get to learn some of life’s most valuable lessons. If these lessons came easy we would never pay attention.
Sometimes we have to be slapped in the face to wake up. Loosing your job or your home is never easy or wanted, but there are valuable lessons to learn. What can you learn from your current situation?
Take care of yourself: Clearly we are living in stressful times. And this stress can take its toll physically, emotionally and spiritually. Maybe you are having trouble sleeping at night worrying about your 401K? Perhaps you get an upset stomach every time you look at the stock ticker, or you are feeling overwhelmed when you go to pay your bills. If you let stress build up, overtime it will lead to disease states like insomnia, high blood pressure, digestions problems, anxiety and mood disorders, etc. The good news is there is much you can do to handle stress and feel better. Mind-body practices like yoga, Pilates and tai chi are perfect for helping you deal with stress. Of course any exercise program will be helpful at reducing stress and improving overall health.
Here are a few more proven ways to negotiate stressful times: Keep a daily journal of your thoughts, feelings and experiences. Get a massage. Don’t allow yourself to become isolated – reach out to friends and family. Meditate. Pray. Take up a hobby. Eat well – sound nutrition is foundational to feeling good, overall health, and maintaining stress hardiness. And remember, this is just a moment in time - it will pass!
Surrender: To move from one place to another in life we have to let go of what we have had. We have to surrender to make it to the next phase. Sometimes it feels quite natural to surrender as in when we are really ready to take a next step, or become positively motivated to effect change in our lives. At other times the need to surrender is thrust upon us. Regardless of how it happens, the strategy for moving through change is the same and includes surrendering - letting go. How do you know it is time to let go? When you have done everything that is possible, its time to surrender - and let the great mystery of life take its course.
Howard Allan VanEs, M.A. is a wellness writer and certified yoga instructor located in the Bay Area of California. He is the author of Beginning Yoga: A Practice Manual, ABS! and Tight Shoulder Relief as well as numerous yoga audios and a health/wellness newsletter. Visit the website: http://www.letsdoyoga.com/ for free yoga downloads and the newsletter or contact him directly at info@letsdoyoga.com.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Do You Suffer From Tight Shoulders?
Did you know that health experts predict that most of us will have a shoulder problem by the time we are 65 years old? In fact, almost 14 million people visited a doctor in 2003 for a shoulder related problem and these statistics don’t include those who have shoulder problems and have not sought medical attention. If you have shoulder issues you are in good company!
In fact so many of my students were arriving in class complaining of shoulder issues and asking for what they can do about it that I wrote Tight Shoulder Relief and a companion audio, both of which you can find at http://www.letsdoyoga.com/
So how come so many of us have tight shoulders and shoulder related problems? The answer is that there are many factors contributing to this – some preventable and others that are not.
Keep in mind that your shoulder joint is highly mobile and offers a lot of flexibility. Think of all the ways you can move your arm and shoulders compared to your hips which are strong and stable but limited in flexibility. The flexibility in your shoulders comes at a price though, as they are easily injured.
A major factor in shoulder injuries is your career choice - what you are doing on a day to day basis. If you are at a job that requires a lot of repetitive motions, then you are at risk. People who spend a lot of time at computers, dental hygienists, gardeners, hair stylists and profession athletes are examples of professions where there is a high prevalence of shoulder issues from overuse.
Prior or current injuries to your shoulders will directly impact how well they function as well as any past surgeries, illness, or disease such as arthritis or bursitis.
Genetics is another key factor: your posture, how well your body handles stress (both emotional and physical) as well as your body’s inherent strength and weaknesses in muscles and connective tissues.
Your general fitness level and your diet are other contributing factors.
All of this brings us full circle to yoga. When you think about all the benefits of yoga postures offer, you realize how perfectly suited yoga is for your shoulders! Yoga teaches proper alignment and posture, helps us reduce stress in our bodies and minds, improves strength and flexibility and reduces the effects of certain joint disease such as arthritis. Of course you have to select the right postures to match your body’s needs.
Howard VanEs, MA, has been teaching yoga for over 11 years and practicing for 16 years. He is the author of Tight Shoulder Relief, and contributing author to Office Ergonomics, Preventing Repetitive Stress Injuries and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. For a free yoga audio featuring exercises you can do at your desk, visit http://www.letsdoyoga.com/ and click on the Office Ergonomics book.
In fact so many of my students were arriving in class complaining of shoulder issues and asking for what they can do about it that I wrote Tight Shoulder Relief and a companion audio, both of which you can find at http://www.letsdoyoga.com/
So how come so many of us have tight shoulders and shoulder related problems? The answer is that there are many factors contributing to this – some preventable and others that are not.
Keep in mind that your shoulder joint is highly mobile and offers a lot of flexibility. Think of all the ways you can move your arm and shoulders compared to your hips which are strong and stable but limited in flexibility. The flexibility in your shoulders comes at a price though, as they are easily injured.
A major factor in shoulder injuries is your career choice - what you are doing on a day to day basis. If you are at a job that requires a lot of repetitive motions, then you are at risk. People who spend a lot of time at computers, dental hygienists, gardeners, hair stylists and profession athletes are examples of professions where there is a high prevalence of shoulder issues from overuse.
Prior or current injuries to your shoulders will directly impact how well they function as well as any past surgeries, illness, or disease such as arthritis or bursitis.
Genetics is another key factor: your posture, how well your body handles stress (both emotional and physical) as well as your body’s inherent strength and weaknesses in muscles and connective tissues.
Your general fitness level and your diet are other contributing factors.
All of this brings us full circle to yoga. When you think about all the benefits of yoga postures offer, you realize how perfectly suited yoga is for your shoulders! Yoga teaches proper alignment and posture, helps us reduce stress in our bodies and minds, improves strength and flexibility and reduces the effects of certain joint disease such as arthritis. Of course you have to select the right postures to match your body’s needs.
Howard VanEs, MA, has been teaching yoga for over 11 years and practicing for 16 years. He is the author of Tight Shoulder Relief, and contributing author to Office Ergonomics, Preventing Repetitive Stress Injuries and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. For a free yoga audio featuring exercises you can do at your desk, visit http://www.letsdoyoga.com/ and click on the Office Ergonomics book.
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