But did you know that you can also protect yourself from the “Inside”?

Recent research is making the connection between the immune defenses in the gut and the health of lungs in certain cases of COVID-19. They found the severity of hypoxemia was strongly correlated to the expression levels of immune cells, and additionally that the proportion of probiotics inthe gut was significantly reduced. See article link below.

Yes, I am talking about the immune system, which has strong connections to your gut and what you put in it (as well as your stress level, which is often driven by thought, but that is a topic for another blog. In the meantime).  While, I am well aware of the slew of supplements reported to “boost” your immune system, it is the food you eat that has a huge impact on creating a balance and healthy variety of gut microbiome.  Here is what the MDs recommend to maintain a healthy gut:

1.      Keep it clean – Wash your fruits and veggies before you eat them – especially with “Rona” on the run.  Eat your produce while it is fresh for the highest nutritional value.  To reduce likelihood of pesticides in your food, eat organic when you can (especially: spinach, green beans, green onions, apples, peaches, pears, and berries)

2.      Eat a Rainbow – Mix things up with a variety of plant-based foods, such as fruits and veggies, seeds, nuts, and whole grains.  Check out the produce section and look for different colors. For long-lasting storage option, frozen fruit and veggies hold a good amount of their nutritional value, as well as canned beans and fruit (organic and without additives). Check out these recipes for meatless protein.

3.      Not all fats are created equal – Avocados, nuts, lean fish, high-quality olive oil, flaxseed oil are examples of healthy fats.  Steer away from hydrogenated oils

4.      Not a Vegetarian? – eat lean meats or fish with relatively low fat content (no skin and trimmed of the fat).  You might be surprised to know that trimmed pork chops and lean beef are included here.  Ideally, your diet should be heavy on the plant-based, with small amounts of meat.

5.      Make your Own — Avoid processed foods, white flour, sugar and artificial sweeteners.  And, when you prepare your own meals, the sights and smells give your gut the signals it needs to get ready to take in the delish dish you are making. The Instant Pot can make it a bit easier.

6.      Take in Live Microbes — also known as probiotics and come in the form of natural yogurt (don’t forget to check the sugar content! like Siggi’s), kefir, Kombucha, and fermented veggies such as kimchi and sauerkraut.

And manage a healthy balance of work, rest and play (aka: exercise — try this or this for old-fashioned fun)

Well wishes to you and yours!

Click her for the technical reading

As a Yoga Therapist, certified with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), I work with people one-on-one dealing with the individual challenges that accompany disabling circumstances. I apply yoga philosophy and techniques to improve well-being across all layers of the whole person, including: physical, physiological, mental/brain, emotional and spiritual, because they all affect one another. Thoughts affect emotions which drive neuological and chemical reactions in the physiological and physical person — the research and science is very clear on this.

In a Yoga Therapy session, we can use a variety of techniques to help reintegrate the person’s human system, such as:

1. Modified postures

2. Individually tailored breath practices

3. Specific sounds and meaningful words

4. Mindfulness of the moment, environment, self-talk and internal sensations

5. Meditation on an object that supports the person’s goal

6. Visualization and positive thinking toward a meaningful endeavor

7. Guidance in adjusting unhealthy though patterns

According to IAYT, Yoga Therapy is defined as: “The process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of yoga.” Yoga Therapy is about helping people to have more self-awareness and understanding on all layers so that they can have more license and authority over their own well-being.

While I specialize in neurological and brain dysfunction (such as: ADHD, Autism Spectrum, Parkinsons, dementia, Post-Stroke, brain injury, and executive dysfunction), these techniques can be applied to a wide variety of challenges and across the lifespan. I have worked with a 2-month-old and a 102-year-old using some of these same principles and techniques.

The power of your thoughts are strong. YOUR BODY IS LISTENING!.

So, to celebrate Global Yoga Therapy Day, I encourage you to find one thing that you are grateful that your body or mind can do. Yes it is difficult when you have serious challenges facing you — and even the minor ones too. You might find you like this idea and make it a daily habit.

For me?…. Today, I am grateful to have the training, persistance and mindset (ohhh yes, daily effort) to share with you about the power of Yoga Therapy.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

— Confucius

Let’s face it, having many choices is stressful.  Yes, we appreciate the flexibility, opportunity and ability to self-direct – and yet each choice can take us down a slightly different path in life.  Now, if it is just about choosing which cereal to purchase, the stress load may not be so great, (unless – you have dietary requirements or preferences, then it becomes a search)

Okay, so that is a low level choice situation.  Now what if it is a larger one, such as: Where to live? Where to work? How to invest? Relationships? Fear of making the “wrong” decision can keep us stuck in one place.  Indecisiveness comes from “caring too much,” about too many things, but it gets in the way of happiness and completing a goal.

Let’s take a quick look at the brain-based reasons for the shut down and how to unlock and move forward toward goals and flourishing in life.

Without going into details: the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is responsible for goal-directed behavior.  The Limbic System regulates emotions.  They are linked in the brain.

When every decision feels wrong, it is the Limbic System overwhelming the PFC.  Intentional, goal-directed decisions help to rebalance frontal-limbic connections.  Indecision is a decision.  Having a specific goal allows the PFC to organize actions. If they are poorly defined, it is difficult for the brain to determine if they have been achieved, resulting in less dopamine (a motivation-reward neurotransmitter) release.  Once a decision is made, the PFC organizes actions to achieve that goal.  It changes sensory awareness in the brain and thereby affects perceptions.    The brain begins looking for something in particular.  Making a decision helps ignore irrelevant distractions and focus on the goal (When the brain focuses on irrelevancies, it loses processing power for things that are important). Decision making creates perceived control, reduces worry and anxiety.  Each active step toward the goal, impacts the brain.  Dopamine is released and supports the continued process of moving forward.

So what to do:

1.  Self-Reflection – Take quiet time to discover what is most important for you.  This can be in the form of meditation, prayer, journaling, gardening or walking with focus, expressive arts,   focused breath-work, chanting or singing, and paying attention to thoughts and dreams in early morning hours.

2.  Create goals that are positive, concrete and specific – Decide for something positive, verses a negative view against something you don’t want.

3.  Write in down “as the camera sees it”.  A feeling is not concrete.  Describe the specifics that create that feeling, considering the sensory systems.  As example, wanting a “comfortable home” is vague.  Describing the color of couches, a warm fire place, the smell of a healthy meal in the kitchen creates the concrete image for the brain to seek out and acknowledge with dopamine reward when clearly achieved.

4.  Create a vision board – Paste together a collage of images, colors, words that project your aspirations and wishes.

5.  Make a “good enough” decision — Trying for “the best” decision brings too much emotion into the process.  “Good enough” activates more PFC, which helps one feel more in control.

6.  Act — A decision without action is just a thought. It requires action to have an impact on your brain.  Take a step in that direction, even if it is a small one.

7.  Keep focused – Continue with the self-reflection to stay on track with single-pointed focus.  Success is about persisting toward a goal, even if the journey is not a straight road.

Success does not lie in the results, but in the efforts.  Being the best is not so important.  Doing the best is what matters. Actively pursuing a goal makes it more rewarding — verses simply receiving or acting on impulse, habit or external direction. Research shows that deciding and doing so is more rewarding then someone handing it to you.

People are at their best when working toward a meaningful goal that they believe is achievable. We are happiest when we decide to pursue a particular goal and achieve it.  It facilitates a life of mental wellness with purpose, efficacy and optimism, which is key to flourishing and living well.

– Lorelei Woerner, OTR/L, C-IAYT

As a certified yoga therapist, and a registered and licensed occupational therapist with a SIPT Certification, I have found the full concepts of yoga and occupational therapy to be a natural blend. Both disciplines seek healing and wellness for the whole person — body, mind and spirit. They honor the current state and needs of each individual, and respect the differences. And science is only a small part of the overall systems of belief. Both acknowledge that true therapy and healing takes the science and applies it as an art, intermingled with an individual’s philosophy of life.

WHAT IS YOGA, REALLY?

Historically, the primary reason for practicing yoga was to experience spiritual enlightenment. In Sanskrit (the ancient language of India) yoga means yoke or union, describing the integration of mind and body which helps one to arrive at their own peaceful nature. Although the roots of yoga are thousands of years old and developed out of ancient India, it is not a form of Hinduism. There is certainly a spiritual side to yoga, but only as it relates to one’s own belief system. Yoga, as it is meant to be practiced, encourages and supports a person’s individual faith.

Yoga can be approached for fitness, as a sport, as a therapy, as a lifestyle, as a spiritual discipline, or a combination of the above. Each of the above approaches share in common: awareness (being mindful and consciously present), relaxation, and conscious breathing.

Yoga can be a very powerful tool of overall health and well-being as it can simultaneously: reduce stress, increase flexibility, improve balance, promote strength, heighten cardiovascular conditioning, lower blood pressure, reduce weight, strengthen bones, prevent injuries, lift mood, improve immune function, increase oxygen supply to the tissues, improve digestion, facilitate breathing, and promote spiritual well-being, as well as help with a wide variety of medical conditions (with many scientific studies to back the claims).

THE “FATHER” OF MODERN-DAY YOGA

Krishnamacharya is truly the “father” of what we know of as yoga today. He taught and influenced the teachers who started Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga, among others, and outlined the principles for a therapeutic type of yoga, often referred to as “viniyoga”. This is the foundation for my teaching style and encompasses the following principles: breath is the focus, allowing the pose to fit the individual, importance of flexibility of the spine (stretching in all directions: forward, backward, side-bending, and twisting), forgiving limbs (allowing for slight bends in the limbs to adapt poses), conservative poses that are easily adapted for varying levels of ability, sequencing of postures based on physical needs of the body, moving in and out of postures first to prepare before holding, and smaller groups which allow for a more therapeutic focus. These also mirror occupational therapy’s principle’s of physical rehabilitation, including providing the “just-right challenge” to illicit a therapeutic response.

PATANJALI, AUTHOR OF THE YOGA SUTRAS

Patanjali is touted as the “codifier” of yoga through his approximately 2,000 year-old written work of 195 yoga sutras (or sutures, threads, aphorisms). They explore many aspects of living (including relationship, lifestyle, body, breath, senses and the mind) to encourage wholeness and peaceful living. According to yoga philosophy (and Occupational Therapy) all are interconnected, and healing in one area creates improvement in another. The asanas (poses) are only one means of aiding in achieving this lifestyle of more sustained joy. In fact Patanjali only dedicated 2 of his sutras to the explanation of asana, or poses.

RELAXATION TIP

Breathing in and out through your nose slowly, lengthen your breath, especially increasing the length of your exhale. A 1:2 ratio is a good place to start, such as inhaling for 4 seconds and exhaling for 8 seconds, gradually increasing the numbers. Close your eyes and focus all of your attention on the breath, honoring a pause at the top and at the bottom. Do this for a minimum of 3 rounds and up to a few minutes. This slow exhale sends a message to the nervous system to calm, relieving stress and typically reducing blood pressure as well.

– Lorelei Woerner-Eisner
OTR/L, CYT, RYT500
integrativewellnesstherapy.com
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