Think of your body being wrapped in a fishnet hose, both internally and externally. It is and it's called fascia.

If you come to my classes I speak a great deal about fascia and we work to get rid of impediments and imbalances in every class. Working with the fascia through yoga and/or massage therapy will change your life. And thats a promise. Below, Dr. Frank Lipton speaks on your yoga practice and fascia. Enjoy!

Dr. Frank Lipman: Why Yoga Works from MindBodyGreen on Vimeo.

Did you know that yoga actually makes your brain more flexible as well as your body?

I think we all know by now thanks to fMRI's etc. that we can continue to mold and change our brains as we age and there's not much better news than that!

There has just been so much research on the plasticity "changeability" of the brain in recent years and there is absolutely no denying it. It is just so thrilling that we can continue to expand pathways in our brain, and adapt and learn as we age. And many folks are living sooo much longer these days (interestingly, I just read that there are "48,000" centenarians living in the United States alone right now surprisingly).

And although none of us knows how long we are going to live I do know one thing for sure... as long as I live I really hope and pray I can take care of myself and "think" up until the end whenever that may be.

Yoga is brilliant in so many ways:

Did you know that stem cells that form new neurons in the brain come from the bone? (the marrow of our bones)

When we practice yoga we are "literally" creating the stem cells that form new neurons in our brains. We are stimulating the brain to grow so we can have more available pathways.

Its truly fascinating, and too amazing for words.

And combine that with all the other brain benefits of meditation? Its just so incredibly huge. (Almost too much to wrap my brain around haha)

So remember, even if/when we're elderly our brains can keep rewiring themselves protecting against cognitive decline both structurally AND functionally, and thats wonderful news!

See you on the mat friends! Namaste.

Be sure and watch...

Watch your habits, for they become your posture.
Watch your posture, for it creates your boundaries.
Watch your boundaries, for they restrict your growth.

Watch your restrictions, for they create immobility.
Watch your immobility, for it becomes your illness.

-Katy Bowman

Use it or literally lose it. remember your yoga practice

Its been a couple of years since I have posted this Gil Hedley video but it is brilliant and describes so clearly the fascia, and how critical it is to move our body/the sliding surfaces of our body every single day. Otherwise the fuzz literally builds, and builds, and builds.

A facebook discussion on my own self myofascial release this evening prompted me to post this video again. MOVE MOVE MOVE your body, and lose the fuzz. And feel delicious. Remember your yoga practice :)

Pelvic floor issues for men? Yup. you betcha.

Just last evening I looked in the faces of about 20 women and told them that even if they didn't have babies/have a vaginal birth/wound up having a c-section/were a man etc. our pelvic floors can become compromised no matter who we are for various reasons. I looked at them point blank (the previous day I told even more...25-30 people easily) that even my own pelvic floor is changing and I haven't even ever had a baby. I certainly wouldn't call it compromised in any sense of the word thankfully, but at 47 it's just a little different. And if you live long enough you'll notice too that things just change a little bit. Its not bad and difficult to explain. The bottom line (pun intended haha) we ALL need to take care of our pelvic floors, thats all. Those muscles are holding our internal organs in there, babies in there, women use those muscles to push baby out if they deliver vaginally, and men too need to keep a strong and healthy pelvic floor to support the organs and core and spine just as we do because everything is connected. The latest research seems to speak of really strengthening the adductors and to keeping that lumbar curve while sitting. Saw this video this morning and thought I'd share. See ya at yoga! Registration is on. Namaste.

What is flexibility, and how much do we need?

I've been watching Leslie Kaminoff videos all morning long. Enjoy!

Leslie Kaminoff is a yoga educator inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. He is an Internationally recognized specialist with over thirty-one years’ experience in the fields of yoga and breath anatomy.

He is also the author of the book Yoga Anatomy here

For more info click on Leslie click here

Body Worlds

We all have one and we all hope it's going to last, remain disease and pain free (and looking half decent for as long as possible, let's be honest here)! If you have an interest in your body, aren't squeamish, have a fascination with the human body and would like to see what lies beneath your skin, I can not recommend enough taking advantage of this incredible one of a kind exhibit.

I have been looking forward to it's return for months!

It's Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds.

It's back and is as magnificent as ever I am sure!

It's an Anatomical Exhibition of real human bodies. Personally I love it. It isn't gory. It is simply real (and very tasteful I might add).

This year it is Body Worlds-and the brain. Sunday's the big day for me. I bought my tickets weeks ago and will be dragging my partner back there again this year haha...

(just kidding he thinks it's cool too)

The exhibit is at Science World. For more info or to purchase tickets click here

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Namaste xo