Greetings Lifefit Students and Friends!,
Hope you all have had a great Spring Break! While we had a break in our CUMC class schedule, one of our classes, the 11:00 General Exercise class participated in the Torch Relay to represent us in the kickoff event of the Bicentennial Celebration of Greensboro! Tom Alspaugh carried the torch for us, and Jeannine Bailer, Jean Breed, Sue Hewett, Evelyn Longdon, Opal Phelps, and June Sasscer traveled alongside him! We will have some photos to show this week, courtesy of our own wonderwoman, Susan Pabon!
Below is an article I wanted to share - information from The Scientific Keys of Hatha Yoga. As we have but two months before the Summer break, I am trying to share some good information to empower you each for your own practice. I have not yet determined the Summer workshop schedule, but keep looking to the website!
On April 11 and 12 we will have the Women's Spirituality Retreat at CUMC. I have been asked to speak on yoga. For more information you can go to the church website, www.christgreensboro.org and download the brochure. I feel honored to have been asked to speak as I have an opportunity to share our passion for the practice and to iron out some misconceptions about yoga.
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 Sunrider "Super Juices"
Currently, juices are trendy in the direct selling and health industry. This may not be obvious to most people, but Sunrider has had expertise in the "juice" business for 25 years. Sunrider’s source ingredients for its dietary supplements are the juices of the herbs. Our products are very, very different from the other “juices” on the market because we offer people the essences of the herbs, not just the water.
During the manufacturing process, we clean, dry, and chop or grind the raw herbs into powder. Then, we take the chopped or ground herbs and put them in a tank with water to extract the essences. We condense the “juice” so that it’s highly concentrated. Finally, we remove the water or spray dry the essences onto other finely ground herbs again.
All of the herbs we use are very high in phytochemicals, which is the essence or energy of the herbs. Because we concentrate the herbs so much, our products contain antioxidants and bioflavinoids and our herbs are many more times concentrated than other juices. Other "exotic" juices on the market like wheatgrass, noni, mangosteen, acai berry juice, etc. are just regular, inexpensive juices in their native lands like orange or apple juice. While most juices have good ingredients, you would need to drink a lot to get the expected benefits. Unfortunately, most of the juices on the market are not specially concentrated and are basically water, flavor, and sugar. You can even make them yourself.
Sunrider® products are unique and superior because we have the technology and expertise to extract and concentrate the essences—the jewel—of our herbs. Our "super juices" are potent and immediately digestible.
Evergreen® & Fortune Delight®
Evergreen® and Fortune Delight® are two of my favorite Sunrider® beverages. The main ingredient in Evergreen® is copper chlorophyllin, a type of chlorophyll, which helps the circulatory system, helps clean the intestines, and aids digestion.* Chlorophyll is the blood of the plant—the energy from the light. Because we concentrate the chlorophyll so much, Evergreen's green color (an antioxidant) is much darker and the liquid is thicker and richer than many other chlorophyll products.
There is an abundance of research that highlights the benefits of tea catechins and polyphenols compared with other beverages. The problem with regular tea is that catechins don't dissolve in water very well. Also, if you put tea in water, the water dilutes the tea and you won't get the full benefits. We specially process Fortune Delight® by concentrating the tea so that the polyphenols are effective even when water is added.
Independent Business Owners have asked me if Fortune Delight® contains caffeine. During manufacturing, we reduce the content of caffeine, but we do not completely remove it because our metabolism needs a little boost to get the ball rolling. Obviously, too much caffeine is not good, but your body needs the right amount. This is the case for many ingredients—they are not all bad or all good. Green apples may contain a small amount of arsenic; certain types of yams contain steroids. That's why expertise in formulation is so important. A good herbalist is like a good cook. You can have confidence in Sunrider® products because I am an expert and I know how to safely and effectively combine herbs.
Dr. Tei-Fu Chen, Founder and Owner of Sunrider International
Fortune Delight : Peach, Berry, Regular, Lemon, Cinnamon $ 13/10 packets, $67/ 60 pack
Evergreen: $45/10 mini pack vials
Orders for April will be on April 13 an 27
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Sore hamstrings:
Typically, when practicing forward bends such as Uttanasana we straighten the knees and then bend forward. This focuses much of the stretch on the region of the proximal hamstrings at their origin from the ischial tuberosity. If overstretching occurs and we continue to bend forward in this way the result can be sore hamstrings that do not get better on their own. This is especially true if we are practicing repetitive forward bends as with the Vinyasa flow series. This soreness is usually located in the region of the sitting bones.
Breaking the cycle:
Overstretching muscles can create micro-tears in the substance of the muscle, resulting in an area of weakness. Things in nature tend to follow the path of least resistance. This means that when we apply a stretch to a muscle in which a region has been injured, the stretch tends to focus in that region and aggravate the injury—a bit like a bald spot on a tire. In order to heal the sore area of the muscle it is necessary to temporarily alter the method of stretching in order to distribute the stretch to a healthy region of the muscle and give the injured part an opportunity to heal.
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The following movements aid to distribute the stretch along the length of the hamstrings:
1) Bending the knees releases the hamstrings at their insertions on the lower legs.
2) Activating the psoas muscle tilts the pelvis forward and stabilizes the origin of the hamstrings. This action draws the torso
towards the thighs.
3) Maintaining the pelvis tilting forward and gently contracting the quadriceps to gradually straighten the
knees focuses the stretch on the distal regions of the hamstrings and away from the overstretched area at the origin.
Contracting the quadriceps also results in “reciprocal inhibition” of the hamstrings and causes them to relax into the stretch.
It is best to build this new method of stretching over time. If pain occurs in the hamstrings, one should back off on the stretch by
slightly bending the knees.
- If you are new to integrating anatomy into your practice, remember that it is not necessary to memorize this technique
- on your first pass. Begin by enjoying the beautiful images of the body in yoga. This alone will awaken your brain's
- awareness of the anatomy during your practice. Return at a later date for a closer look and then gently go thru the
- motions illustrated above as you practice. Then leave it. Your unconscious mind will create new circuitry while you
- rest. Enjoy this process and when you return to the mat you will be surprised at how easily you access this technique.
Namaste'
Note:
Always practice under the guidance of an experienced instructor.
Always, in your particular case, consult your health care provider before practicing yoga or any other exercise program
Thought for the day: Each one of us has it...the ability to lead and inspire...you all inspire me!
Mona Flynn, MS, RYT
Life Fit Yoga, Inc.
5806 Wildrose Drive
Greensboro, NC 27410
336-580-5833
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