Empowering women to embrace their inner Lamb & Lion. A gathering place to learn about fit minds, bodies, and spirits through yoga speak, green living, and more...just for women.
Showing posts with label Professional Yoga Therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Professional Yoga Therapy. Show all posts
Both blogs are excellently written, focusing on positive change for women in America. Their founders are experienced women and mothers who are experts in their field. This blog, BITL, has in the past been featured on both of these blogs.
This week I have two posts featured for those seeking to improve the status and health of women everywhere.
Our current approach in women’s health care in the US is not working.
In the US, there are more women living in poverty and suffering from chronic diseases than men. (1,2) ...women need better access to and better health care... they need and deserve the empowerment that comes with enjoying better health. Part Two in this series will show you how you can self-empower your way to better health through a 5000 year old practice. ...Read the full post
Life is painful. We all struggle...I have two dear friends...women who inspire every person’s life they touch. They are Alaha Ahrar and Shannon Johnson – two women from opposite corners of the globe...My own struggles pale in comparison to Shannon and Alaha’s, yet it doesn’t lessen the reality that I (and everyone else) have to wage battles and claim victory over my own losses and tragedies in life everyday. It’s embarrassing to admit we don’t have it all together, but I think if we share our pain with each other, it lessens the burden. Which is why I can say that I am now in the middle of a struggle...Read the full post
Enjoy my guest post today about The Living Spine - on California based Professional Yoga Therapy student and physical therapist Lisa B. Minn's fantastic blog, The PragmaticYogi.
I am sorry for the silent treatment last week, dear readers. It was for a good cause.
I just finished 30 days of non stop fun (aka work...insert exhale here) but the last (and final) of these days was capped by teaching a week long seminar in Ayurveda (pronounced "ah-yer-veh-duh") and Professional Yoga Therapy to medical professionals from across the United States.
This is where you come in.
For those of you who do not know - Ayurveda is the "medicinal" side of Indian healing and translated means "science of life." It is considered the "sister science" of Yoga. Ancient and modern sages in Indian Medicine alike state that Yoga and Ayurveda are most effective for lending mind and body health when practiced together.
What does this mean for you?
If you are currently a Yoga buff or even if you are a newbie to Yoga...If you want the best results for your body and mind - seek a therapist who has training on both sides of the proverbial "fence" - in Yoga & Ayurveda and western medicine.
What can Ayurveda (a "new" old method for maintaining health) do for you?
Ayurveda can help you do the following:
Improve your current state of health by teaching you to identify pre-cursors of illness and disease. As a physical therapist, athletic trainer, and specialist in women's health and rehabilitation - I am well versed in diagnosing from the point of view of the western medical model. However, western medicine does a far lesser job of preventing disease. It does not typically pick up on a disease process until it is full blown - or in a chronic state. However, Ayurveda can help prevent chronic illnesses and disease.
Put you in charge of your body, mind, and spirit to discover your Best Self. I use Yoga, Ayurveda, and western rehabilitation to help women achieve their best body, mind, and spirit. Yoga & Ayurveda address the components of your health that western medicine and rehabilitation typically leave out, like the energetic body. Mental, energetic, emotional, and spiritual health are just as important as physical health. In fact, it is well founded that experiencing chronic stress in ways that aren't seen - but are felt in your mind - can lead to physical stress and illness in your body.
Teach you how to perform self-healing techniques such as massage, yoga postures and breathing techniques, conflict management and resolution, improving your diet, essential oil therapy, meditation, sound therapy, color therapy, and environmental analysis (interior "re"-design of your space to make it fit you). I teach my students how to perform all of the methods above in order to help them help you create your most fulfilling life. Ayurveda does not conflict with your spiritual roots nor ask you to practice anything you are not comfortable with. Ayurveda helps you identify your constitution through something called a Dosha Test. If you have never taken a dosha test, you can download and take a free test by visiting the PYT Bookstore page. A dosha test helps you determine what areas of your life are imbalanced - and which ones are beginning to experience pre-disease states of "dis"health. A therapist trained in the PYT method can help you stop chronic stress and disease before it starts.
I teach my students in the PYT Program how to implement Yoga and Ayurvedic methods in their medical practices. To find a therapist in your area that is dually trained - meaning they are a licensed medical provider AND a Professional Yoga Therapist - visit this link.
Here's to finding your optimal health - and your Best You.
And a belated Happy Mother's Day to all of you!
*photo of the PYT retreat taken by Tianna Meriage-Reiter, a student from last week's PYT training and upcoming graduate in the PYT Method. Tianna has a blooming PT and PYT practice in Alameda, CA.
I have never doubted yoga's ability to improve your overall health, but it is nice to see science (finally) backing up my intuition that it also nurtures heart health. A recent study finds that yoga can carry equal to or more benefits for cardiovascular health than even aerobics. Read the full article.
This is great news - especially for my patients and millions of other people who are confused about how much of which type of exercise is best for your health. I have always educated my students and patients that their fitness program should be efficient (and fun). In other words - you do not necessarily need separate weight training, flexibility training, and cardiovascular training - which could keep you in a gym or working out for more than an hour at a time everyday. Who has time for that?
Fitness need not be confusing. However, some fitness experts would like you to believe that fitness is complex and requires a "secret" mixture of "this and that" - that only they can deliver in expensive doses and with special equipment.
Telling My Story
For almost 2 decades now, I have educated my patients and students that fitness can be both fun AND efficient. It does not take much time to have mind and body health (no, really!).
During that time, I have been my own "guinea pig." In other words, I teach and live by example. The methods I use with my patients - I have used with success on myself first. For example, I have used my methods to rid myself of chronic low back pain, neck pain, and to recuperate after childbirth. And - my methods don't require fancy gadgets, fitness toys, or expensive supplements.
What is my method? I use medical therapeutic yoga, the Professional Yoga Therapy method. It takes grounded medical research and apply it to yoga - so yoga can be brought into the 21st century.
I gave up my running regimen over 6 years ago. I realized I was spending twice as long practicing yoga to unwind the knots, aches, and pains in my body caused by running. After I quit running, my body (and mind) exhaled. Adrenal burnout subsided. And, I now spend 50% less time working out - and am in much better shape. Every person is different, however, so quitting running is not my message. Some bodies are made for running. My message is - make your fitness routine efficient and more effective for you - through adding yoga.
Yoga is touted to improve one's strength, flexibility - both physically and mentally - and it is something you never have to quit. From the 9 months spent in the womb to your 90th birthday - yoga can offers lifelong benefits. But enthusiasts often doubt its ability to improve heart health. Now some research is supporting that all you need is yoga. I say amen to that. But - I must caution you. Though yoga CAN be a bit of a "magic pill, cure-all, fountain of youth" - you don't need just any yoga. You need medically grounded, safely taught yoga.
Buyer beware...not all yoga is created equal.
People teach many strange and very dangerous things in the name of yoga. Even this great research article which touts yoga as a "one size fits all" fitness routine for comprehensive health fails to mention two important points:
To get the total body fitness benefits (including cardiovascular benefits) from yoga - you must be practicing safely and at an intermediate to advanced (not beginner) level.
There is no legal licensing or regulation of yoga teachers in the US. Although the article recommends you go to Yoga Alliance (YA) to find a teacher, YA is not a licensing board or even an entity which oversees the quality of education that a yoga student gets. The YA is only a voluntary registry. The widely used RYT designations that YA trademarked - are only minimum voluntary suggestions for someone to say they are a yoga teacher. This means anyone can say they are a yoga teacher and anyone can teach yoga regardless of whether or not they register with YA.
Yoga is both a complex art and science. Not just anyone can, should, or is qualified to teach it. Yoga is a powerful tool with a plethora of life improving benefits. However, its plethora of benefits are exactly what makes it a dangerous weapon - if put in the hands of someone unqualified to teach it.
Before you jump into the nearest yoga class - find out what type and how much training your teacher has had. For example, in my last blog I caution mothers and women not to just follow the rules of a "yoga guru." Some teachers teach what they have memorized or have been taught or told to do by their mentor or guru. They do not know the rationale or medical science (if any) behind what they are doing. Yoga, if it is going to be respected as a safe therapy for millions of people - needs to open itself up to the process of testing its teachers to make sure they are qualified to handle the medical (and otherwise) complexity of 21st century Americans.
If you do choose to search Yoga Alliance to find a teacher, I strongly caution you to do more than just go to YA and blindly pick a teacher. You need to personally interview your (potential) yoga teacher about their experience and formal studies. Completing or possessing an RYT is not necessarily proof of completion of formal studies or mastery of minimal knowledge about yoga.
How do you know if you have a good yoga teacher or therapist?
They need to be bilingual. A good teacher or therapist should have training in both eastern and western medicine and sciences. They need to be able to speak the language of yoga and medicine. The ideal background would be a teacher or therapist who has both University level western medicine training and completion of studies in yogic science and philosophy.
They need to know why they are teaching a breath or pose. A teacher or therapist should be able to back up what they are teaching with a sound medical explanation. If they cannot, be wary of its legitimacy, effectiveness, and safety. I have spent many hours treating injuries of yoga students and (veteran and new) yoga teachers because they did "what their teacher or guru told them to" without questioning why. Later, they learned there was no science or even good reason behind what the teacher said. They simply did what they were told. As both a teacher and a student - you must ask questions.
They need to know their limits. A good teacher or therapist will recognize when an issue or problem is past their education or ability. There is no current regulation of yoga or yoga therapy in the US, nor any mandatory test or educational standards which ensure a teacher is qualified to teach. A teacher should have a strong relationship with medical providers in the area - so they can ask questions and/or refer their students out when a problem is past their knowledge base.
What You Can Do To Practice Safe & Effective Yoga
You need to know and respect your own body and its limitations. If a teacher or therapist asks you to do something that doesn't feel right, don't do it. Listen to your body is telling you. Ask your teacher, and if he/she doesn't know the answer - they should be able to refer you to a medical professional who does know the answer. Ultimately - you are in charge of your body and your health. Don't just take anyone's answer to be "the last word" or "truth" - like the old cliche goes - "question authority."
Stay up on current events in yoga. Yoga use is much more widespread and sophisticated now. It is used in medical facilities, physical therapy practices, and hospitals and in use with cancer patients, spine programs, and more. Yoga is not found just in small studios and "big box/franchised" gyms anymore. Visit the only program in the US which currently trains licensed medical professionals to teach yoga as medicine. Doctors of medicine, physician assistants, physical therapists, and other similar medical and mental health care professionals are legally bound to their patients, taking an oath to "first do no harm." The graduates from this program are medically licensed and have studied yoga at a post-graduate level - which makes them ideal practitioners to both use and teach yoga, but also to oversee integrative rehabilitation and medicine programs which employ yoga teachers. Professional Yoga Therapy is not the only program which graduates qualified yoga teachers and therapists; however it is the only one which graduates clinicians who are licensed in western medicine AND have completed post-graduate medical studies in yoga and therapeutic yoga application. You can find yoga teachers through this program here.
No culture's medicine has the corner on Healing Truth. I believe a cross cultural approach to healing must be embraced - and urgently. Yes, yoga can be a magic bullet - to use the term lightly and nonviolently - it can provide a wealth of benefits for every system of the body and the mind - but it must be shaped to fit our 21st century needs. We need a system of healing in this country that:
is not disease driven but prevention driven
is person centered not patient centered
embraces multiple cultural systems of healing - not just "western" and not just "eastern"
unifies all forms of healing into a tolerant new paradigm for health care - one that uses Yoga, Ayurveda, Western Medicine, Native American Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and other approaches.
*photo taken by Paul Church 2009, during a press interview in central NC
This week I am in Lexington, Kentucky at Barefoot Works Yoga Studio, teaching a fantastic group of health care professionals about the medical yoga therapy method that is Professional Yoga Therapy Studies. Evidence based, PYT looks at healing the body and being through a "east meets west" method.
The students this week are motivated, intelligent, and determined take what PYT provides, the best of eastern and western methods of rehabilitation, and transform health care in this country (not to mention yoga classes!).
Kudos to all the students involved in my class this weekend, as they are a part of an elite group which will compassionately change the face of health care delivery in America, one patient at a time.
Because they are already health care professionals, they are well established in their scientific fields. Further, because they are yoga practitioners, they hold a unique specialty - the ability to combine west and east. Lastly, because they study side by side with their peers in the PYT method - they can apply eastern AND western modalities, and not simply east OR west, at an advanced clinical level - for their patients AND their communities.
Breathing In This Life will be silent for a few days while I travel to Juneau, Alaska to teach a great group of therapists about lumbopelvic and spinal yoga therapy.
In other words, if you have back or neck pain - then find a graduate of this program I'll be teaching at the link below. It will definitely help get you on the road to health!
PYT is a hybrid of western medicine and rehabilitation blended with yoga and Ayurveda, which hundreds of professionals, mostly physical and occupational therapists, teach across the United States.
Insurance usually covers this type of treatment, it is just finding a therapist or physician who knows PYT can be difficult. However, we've done the work for you! Click below to find a therapist who has graduated from my program:
I am writing from location in St. John this week, where I am teaching a Professional Yoga Therapy combination yoga therapist intensive training. This photo was taken yesterday at sunset from our villa balcony, Sunday, May 3. It is like living in a tree house, high above the tropical forest.
Today's weather is a stark contrast. It is the most blustery rainy day I have experienced in a long while. Occasional clapping, attention getting thunder, refreshing cool showers (with the occasional gully washer downpour!), it has been raining for 6 hours straight.
Today's monsoon-like thunderstorm, just like yesterday's sunny, clear blue sky - are both equally beautiful and perfect.
Whether it rains or it shines - I lift my head in thanksgiving.
I am never ceased to be amazed at the depth of knowledge these yoga therapist's in training demonstrate during their clinical case study presentations. You could hear a pin drop this morning as groups of therapists came together to discuss neuromuscular yoga therapy management, each telling their stories and giving their compassionate perspective on how they might more fully understand and therefore, offer better treatment solutions and outcomes, to their patients in light of the new knowlege they have gained from their studies this week.
Heart chakras and tear ducts alike - were well receptively and expressively open.
What a fantastic group of students this graduating class will be!
I truly believe that graduates from this program, because of their extensive medical education, clinical experience, research experience, and yoga therapist training, have the very unique opportunity to compassionately bring massive, radical change to the health care system and its methods of delivery in the United States. Get ready America!
