End of August

August has been a very busy month.  For me, it has been a roller coaster: the good, the bad, and the weird all rolled into one. I would like to take this moment to remind everyone to notice and be thankful for the small joys in your life.  Even when things don't go your way or when troubles overwhelm you, there is always something, no matter how small, to be thankful for.  Just take a moment to figure out what that is or what those things are and hold on to those thoughts.  Create a joyful space in your heart and mind.  Give yourself permission to touch that reserve of inner peace.  Remind yourself that it is always there.

I've got one last class that I'm offering before Labor Day.  I'll be taking the Labor Day weekend off, but I'll be back to teach All Levels Yoga Flow on Tuesday.  I've got an All Levels Mat Pilates class in Canyon Park (Bothell, WA) at 5:30pm today.  It's my last class to offer in August, and I promise it will be super fun and an awesome work out!  Peace, Love, Light, and Happy Labor Day!

Don’t Cramp Your Style

One of the most common complaints I hear in all of my fitness classes, no matter what the format, from Yoga to Pilates to Water Aerobics to Zumba, is that about half way through class the participant gets terrible foot or leg cramps. This can be a serious enough problem, if it persists, that it drives a person to stop taking a class they might otherwise enjoy or stop exercising all together.  What can be done about these cramps?  What causes them, and how can they be prevented?

There are a number of things that are likely to cause them, and luckily, many of them are pretty easy to remedy.   In some cases when you start a new fitness program or intensify an existing one, you may experience this cramping because the muscle is not used to being asked to work consistently for that length of time.  It could be simply a lack of strength and endurance which will go away over time as your condition improves.  Muscle cramps can also be caused by fatigue, where the muscle is strong and would normally have the endurance, but in this case has been overworked without enough time to recover.  This can also happen when the muscle becomes too tight from too little or improper stretching.  Often mineral loss from sweating or the metabolic process in the muscle is to blame for the cramping.

One of the most common causes of cramps during fitness classes is dehydration.  Everyone knows that it is important to drink lots of water.  Everyone knows that not drinking enough water can result in a myriad of health problems from urinary tract infections to migraines.  What you may not know is that you can be mildly dehydrated, to the point of being compromised for sustained physical exertion, without feeling thirsty.  In fact, for most people, by the time they feel thirsty enough to do something about it, they are past the point of mild dehydration.    If you’re having an issue with cramps during exercise, try increasing your liquid consumption before the class.  As an important side note, not just any liquid will do. It needs to be water, something with vitamin and mineral supplements, or at least hydrating properties.  The worst choices would be coffee, tea, and soda.  Coffee and tea have diuretic properties and will actually cause you to become MORE dehydrated as you drink them.  I, personally, LOVE both, but I always drink a glass of water with my coffee or tea because I know every cup I have is leaching the moisture right out of my body and causing me to become more dehydrated than before I had them.  Soda also does not hydrate you, in many cases, also stimulates the kidneys, can be very high in sugar that will overload your body, or high in various other additives that are not healthy.  Drink water or water with some vitamins added.  If you don’t like the taste of water, try adding a little fresh lemon or a sprig of mint to give it flavor without the sugar.

Another common cause of muscle cramping is low potassium.  You may lose potassium as you sweat, or you may not be getting enough in your diet in general.  Some medications will use up your body’s potassium store, as well.  Some of the best sources of potassium are bananas, apricots, most types of beans including soybeans, spinach, pumpkin, carrots, and kale.  If your gym has a juice bar where they make their own juice from fresh fruits and vegetables, you can easily get a nice carrot, banana, kale type drink before class.  It will have calories, but they should be the kind that are easily accessible for your body to use and burn during class, rather than overloading your bloodstream with sugars which causes it to be instantly stored.  When I was working as a professional dancer and stage performer, I used to carry bananas and dried apricots in my bag with me to classes, performances, and rehearsals.  It’s the best way to keep your energy up and your muscles functioning.  A nice frozen banana tastes like and has a similar mouth feel to ice cream but without all the added sugar.  They make a refreshing treat on a hot day, especially during periods of physical activity.

Another common cause of cramping is calcium deficiency.  This problem can be common in older women who are not taking a calcium supplement.  Also, many common medications cause low blood calcium levels, so if you think this might be an issue for you, consider having a blood test done to see if your calcium levels run low, or are on the borderline.  Often the best answer for this issue is to find a good calcium supplement, since if you are calcium deficient from hormone depletion or a medicinal side effect, dietary changes probably will not be enough to correct the problem entirely.  However, I am always an advocate of dietary changes for the better.  Foods that are rich in calcium include figs, kale, soybeans, dairy (yogurt being one of the best), oatmeal (and many other whole grains), almonds, and apricots. 

For the record, a single serving of kale has more protein than a single appropriately sized serving of steak. Yes, it really does!  They are not the same amino acid chains, but they are proteins none the less, and if you are vegan or vegetarian and looking to build muscle, eat your kale!  Apricots and figs are also great sources of protein and iron.  I would recommend these three foods (kale, apricots, and figs) to any fitness enthusiast for their fantastic nutrient content.

These simple dietary shifts will end the cramps for most people.  If increasing your water, potassium, and calcium consumption mixed with proper stretching does not solve your cramping issue, then you should speak with your doctor about it to rule out any underlying disease or medical condition.   It can be frustrating enough learning new routines or starting up a fitness regime for many people.  Don’t let something that is probably an easy fix cramp your style.

Odds and Ends

Hello everyone,

I'm sorry I wasn't able to post very much this month.  I had a family emergency that pulled me all the way across the country, and now that I'm home again in WA state, I've had to play a lot of catch up.  I'll get back to regular posts about Yoga, health, wellness, and the journey to inner peace early next month.

In the meantime, please check out the 2nd edition of my book, Kundalini Rising, which is available through Amazon.com, in paperback or for Kindle e-readers.  You can also buy it directly through the publisher, Kitsune Books.  I am very pleased with the changes we've made since the first edition.  The second book is beautiful, and I hope you will enjoy it.

I've been compiling subjects that my students have been asking me in classes lately.  These will make up my next few posts.  You can look forward to information and musings concerning prevention of cramping in classes, aging gracefully, and further discourse on one of the more popular posts from June all coming in August.

Thank you for dropping by.  Namaste.

Kundalini Rising

Good morning, Yoga Fans, the second edition of my yoga and well-being book, Kundalini Rising, is officially available for purchase.  To order it right away, you can go directly through my publisher, Kitsune Books.   It should be available on Amazon within the next week, and you can look forward to availability on kindle in the near future.  For those who read the first edition, I have made quite a few lovely changes for the second edition.  I have up dated some of the information and also rewritten sections based on reader suggestions.  The new index is more comprehensive.  And, of course, the delightful haiku and playful pictures I created for the first book have been retained in the second edition.  Enjoy!

An Attitude of Gratitude

I am seeing more and more people embrace gratitude and thankfulness as a way of life.  I feel that this principle should be integral to our Yoga journey toward balance and unity.  In the spirit of gratitude, I would like to take a moment to say “thank you.”  Thank you for visiting my blog, most especially if you also happen to read it.  Thank you for your comments and feedback both publicly and privately.  I value them greatly.  Thank you to all of my students: those who have been, those who are, and those who will be.  I learn from you as much as I teach you.  Thank you to all the other teachers out there for spreading enlightenment in our communities.  Of course, I mean teachers of all kinds when I say this.  Thank you to all those who have read, bought, and supported my book, Kundlini Rising. I wrote every word for YOU!  I hope my words inspire, comfort, lead, teach, heal, and up lift each of you.  Thank you to Kitsune Books for publishing my little book and believing it worthy of a second edition.

I cannot imagine a more perfect time to fill your soul with the attitude of gratitude than this lovely Summer Solstice.  What are you feeling grateful for today?  Whom would you like to thank?  I hope that you will take a moment to reflect on this.  If you should feel compelled to write it down or speak it out loud, I would consider that even better.  Maybe it will feel so good that you will do it again tomorrow and then each day that follows.  Share that feeling with those around you until we all live our lives filled with the joy of gratitude.  Namaste.

Book Update

The second edition of my book Kundalini Rising is on track for release by the end of this month...provided I manage to finish updating and expanding the index pronto.  I've added some new material and updated the old material, so you can look forward to an even better book in the second edition.  I did not do the index in the original volume, however, I've always felt it was excellent.  I was asked to expand it a bit, and of course, I want the index in the second edition to reflect the new material.  It is taking a lot more work than I anticipated.  Indexing is not my forte, but I am dedicated to giving my readers the best Yoga book that I can.  So don't hold your breath, Yoga fans!  Kundalini Rising will be out in its second edition before you know it.

Now, back to work on that index!  Namaste.

To All A Good Night

This is not something we think about when we go to our gym, or our Yoga and Pilates studios, but it is an essential part of achieving and maintaining good health.  It is necessary for attaining peace in the body.  Do you get enough sleep?  Hey! Come back here! Yes, I’m talking to YOU!  Lack of sleep is a big issue in our society, and I feel we need to address it. 

Most sleep studies state that humans need 6 – 10 hours of sleep per 24 hour period to maintain normal mental and physical function.  That averages to 8 hours, but many people do not get their full 8 hours, nor do they have any idea if 8 is the proper number for themselves within that range.  There are a lot of things about sleep and sleep dysfunction that are still a mystery to modern science.  However, we do know that proper sleep helps maintain organ function—like that big organ in your head! I’m talking about your brain, of course.  Lack of sleep is associated with poor memory function, slowed reaction time, anxiety, irritability, and a myriad of other mental issues.  Sleep also helps regulate your endocrine system which controls blood sugar, blood pressure, hormone levels, and your ability to maintain a healthy weight.  That’s right!  Long term sleep deprivation plays a major role in making you overweight and sick!  There, I said it.

Most of us think we can “get by” on 5 or 6 hours nightly, but that’s just it: getting by is not good enough.  It undermines our health and wellbeing.  Be well instead.  The occasional short sleep cycle probably won’t have a long term effect on your health, however 1 or 2 hours skipped day after day can build up over time to create long term, chronic health problems.  Think of your sleep needs like a cell phone battery.  If you leave it on the charger until it is totally full, it lasts longer.  If you pull it off the charger before the battery is fully recharged, yes, you can use the phone, but over time the battery loses its ability to hold a charge, and then your phone dies more often.

I think far too many people disregard the importance of being fully rested.  I see this problem day after day with my students who are too tired to function, but unwilling to see lack of sleep as a real issue because they can “get by” on what they’re getting.  Figure out what you need to fit that extra hour of sleep into your schedule.  The improved waking function you experience will be worth the extra time you give.  Would you like to have inner peace?  Excellent!  I suggest you sleep on it.  Sweet dreams.