THE TATTERED FLAG

By Nancy Dale Running  

Running was no longer easy. The uneven curvature of the ragged stones tore effortlessly through frayed jeans, every stride a drudgery of toil and pain. This infliction of the world had to stop, manifested in the bloodstain of a hopeless cause. But for now, there was no other way but to run until the cursed body surrendered.

Broken and weakened, the tall youth struggled onward, as his thoughts relentlessly raced back to the beginning when the memory of the glistening silver moon rising above the jagged mountain crests froze in his mind.

His instincts led him to a darkened jungle, a footpath twisting deep into mountain crevasses shielding his wretched body from the sight of the mangled world he once knew. Only the Ancient Ones, the ghosts of the past, knew this clandestine way into the sunken universe where now no man ever dared to pass; it was a sacred shrine of a lost people not to be trespassed upon forevermore.

But now there was no choice. Perhaps the gods would forgive this intrusive violation of the ancient Traditions. The young man would not reveal the treasure hidden beneath the known, as the threat of doom that could befall him in the jungle could be no worse than what he already knew. Once inside the mountain’s protected valley, he awakened his humble body to feel the heartbeat of the Earth and absorb its healing grandeur of Beauty.

The Ancient Ones held tightly to the secret of this hallowed ground. Billie Sergeant had only known of this place in his academic quest to find the lost people. Now at the end of his life’s journey, he stumbled across the carefully enshrouded clues that led him to this place. In a blind reality, Billie Sergeant did not know at this passage of his life, that this sacred refuge would draw him deeper into the secrets. Billie Sergeant, following his dream to bare the cause of freedom in a foreign land and discover the history of a lost people, had reached his final destination; he would come to rest forever in the bone valley of the Ancient Ones that took back their own. In the end, Billie Sergeant had become more like “them” than like those in his own life. 

With a tangled, strife-ridden history of civil war, the spirit of innocent indigenous people, who for generations reaped the life-giving sustenance from the rain forest, was crushed; the healing salts from the warm gurgling spring rising from the soul of Nature’s rich resources was now a “dying river” diverted into the creeping urbanization of foreign oil corporations, development, construction and the downing of one-hundred-year-old trees. The canopy of forest that held the secret ways of past lives in the veins of their wooden frames lay broken and bleeding, their sap draining back into the Earth, just like Billie’s life, as he crawled into the womb of their fallen wooden arms. 

All that once was valued and cherished in this sacred place is a lost memory of generations past, as civilization with all its sirens of material hope bulldoze the spirit of the people fueling urbanization of the forest and the land. In a strange reality with time now frozen, Billie Sergeant, for a while, felt the acceptance into an unfamiliar culture as he studied the history of the people, becoming one with the lives he touched and those who were drawn to him. It was a short jaunt over time that brought Billie to this passage and into the jungle of another life. “I cannot go on,” graveled Billie, his words caving inside his chest as he pitched back and forth writhing blood from his guts, coursing him closer to his Fate. “I know they are closing in behind me, but I must rest. I have to stop, the blood, the pain… I am torn … have to stop. Is it over? This steaming pit, I’m being eaten alive. The eyes glaring, just waiting… I must fight.” Billie struggled to hunker down beneath the piece of flag he once carried proudly as an emblem of freedom. It was now a weight of fragility, the symbolic meaning to his life. The fight for freedom that captured his spirit was dying. He left all he had known and now there was just this simplicity: to stay alive. Billie had all the academic credentials and scholarly labels stamped upon his university certificates, as he forged an intellectual pursuit to find man’s lost humanity in the records of the Ancient Ones. He broke free from the mindless “Establishment” ideology that “bigger and more is better.” He consciously chose to find the world he ideally envisioned as the spirit of the past and the humanitarian glory of mankind’s future, despite the degradation of causes that absorbed him in raging inscrutable home front and foreign political battles. It was these decisions that brought him halfway across the globe, following the freedom cry from another people’s land, suffering to be born independently. The country now was of little significance; its birth on the cusp of self-destruction created from the rich natural resources flaunting its existence. What did it matter now? Corporate multi-international economic resources were far superior to all the sources the people could muster to maintain and possess their own culture and lifestyle. The land would die just like the people, but it would be “productive” in the hands of the elite global economists. The frayed flag he wore across his wound was a bandage for his oozing gut that steadily trickled the lifeblood from his veins. Past memories merged slowly with the confusion and suffering of the present. Resurrected in his mind was the echo of the hollow man he once memorized in high school English class, T.S. Eliot’s, “The Wasteland.” “How strange,” he reflected, “at this hour of my life, I recall Eliot: ‘This is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper.’” 3 To him, he was no different than the curdling blood that circled around his coiled body, slipping into the Earth, unceremoniously and in silence. “I am like all that I have experienced, hoped for and now die for. What is my value? Am I more now, than who I was at home in the heartland of my America?” Billie fought to force crimson spattered air into his parched lungs, fighting to hold back the flowing blood that seeped in with each breath. Sorting through his agony, he had to cross one more hurdle. Where was Stella? His lifelong inspiration had followed him through all of his worldly pursuits that craved an end somewhere in the hidden recesses of his mind. There was never a final end, a resolution, a completion; Billie’s life was a tributary flowing from one small stream of consciousness into the global perspective that most people do not perceive or dare to pursue. In America, labels of eccentricity, radicalism, change-maker, and a “free-spirit” was attached to him as he tirelessly followed some brilliant star lighting his dreams. But Stella was not by his side now. She had been disposed of weeks before, shackled to a roadside lean-to, drugged, beaten and used by those who saw fit to do so. They were the people of the land, turned inside out, now wearing crosses of bullets, shields of power, recognition of their loyalty to the juntas that ravaged the Elders’ villages torching the same glorious flag that now held together his gaping wound. “What irony!” Billie mused in the vagary of his cries weaving caustically through the tall arched rainforest. He was majestically reaching again into another time and place, toward the rise of the silver moon. “I am the sentry, standing guard over my life, hanging upon the razor’s edge of death. I only crave life!” Billie screamed, entreating the strength of the jungle on his behalf; after all it was to save these entities that led him to this destiny. But what can the jungle do now; it too was befallen with no rescuer. His thoughts unavoidably raced back to Stella, horrible flashes of memory he tried to expunge from his mind. He watched her helplessly as she fell into the dirty-faced troops harboring steel bayonets that riveted through her sodden clothes, blazoning a sheath through the heart of her tender body that he once held tightly to his bosom. Her intimacy had been ripped open starkly revealing her frail vulnerability taken in pieces over and over again with “honorable” virtuosity by nameless warriors waving their lascivious wands of victory in and out of her lifeless form. Stella’s screams echoed in his head long after her final serenity as the two tattered bodies were flung into a roadside ditch, sealing their fate forever. Stella never breathed life again, despite Billie’s desperate attempt to swaddle her oozing wound with earthen leaves. He clung to her, and him to life. They were left to die. Stella had always worn the valiant courage of a warrior, fighting her prey whether it was ideological, emotional, or physical. This time her meager battle was to no avail. “If only I could have protected her. She died because of me,” as he let go of the tears gushing down his blood-caked face, settling into open lacerations like glue. “I could not save her with my strength, my only weapon. I am a fool. I am not invincible. How foolish… I thought I could protect my love with the shield of this tattered flag. It means nothing, it 4 is no more than a broken lance …. useless, stupid. We paid for their freedom with our own blood. May my God forgive me.” The country had no value to Billie, and even less to Stella, as it was her love for him that led her on the romantic journey into the far corners of the world and his mind. They shared their love, their life and now their death in an insignificant place, in an insignificant time, snuffed out in a world they could not fathom. This lofty cause of liberty carried Billie to his tomb. The tattered flag that once wavered over Billie and Stella’s freedom march amongst warring rebels was meaningless to the world, as it symbolically, was draped without spirit, over the remnants of Billie’s life. The others in their “fight for freedom clan” of the homeland, quickly slipped back into their familiar culture when the time to fight tore away their loyalty as the death march moved stealthy over living corpses. Maybe it was better to exist in hateful destruction and destitution than to fight a bitter war for hopeless dreams, against unfamiliar ideologies, that would eventually absorb the familiar past. There was no saving Billie Sergeant from his Destiny. He sunk deeper into his jungle grave, taken back by the Earth that gently wrapped his wreaking soul in the soothing ointment of Death. He would, alas, find solace in the absence of his dreams. The warm crystal water would cleanse his pain as it carved small rivulets of his blood into the heart of the jungle, a wound that would never heal. Only the Ancient Ones would behold one more secret taken into the solace of their sacred shrine

 

Yoga for Life

By

Nancy Dale, Ph.D.

November 22, 2023

Breaking through a Sedentary Life Style to Improve Health

Literature published by Korean J. Family Medicine in 2020 indicates that a
sedentary lifestyle, which means sitting for an over extended time has potential health risks.  Based on one study, the American adult population spends 7.7 hours in a sedentary position doing office work, watching television, or playing video devices that does not engage the mind/body in physical activity that contributes to wellness.  If you sit in front of a computer for around 10 hours a day, your cardiovascular risk goes up, as toxins accumulate in the physical body.  Relieving stress by moving around for 8 minutes, standing, or walking 1,000 feet are “baby steps” to releasing toxins.  The body requires challenging physical movement for healthy digestion and the flow of oxygenated blood to renew thinking. expel accumulated toxins and replenish the mind/body. 

 

Information from the World Health Organization published in 2020, indicates that sedentary behavior includes playing video games, reading a book versus riding a bicycle. The body also needs a healthy diet to engage the mind/body.  Light physical activity can change adverse effects of sedentary behavior. 

 

What about the term: “Chair Yoga?”   Choose a Yoga practice based on physical mobility to release toxins accumulated in the body.  Consider the purpose of why you choose Yoga as a “practice.”  What health goals have you researched? Experience different Yoga classes, “in person” to evaluate the degree of mental, physical challenge to grow in health consciousness. Experience a Yoga class and assess the physical/mental/emotional goals of the Yoga class as the challenge to grow and rekindle thinking.  If the Yoga class challenges you mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, it may be the place to grow and learn a renewed way of life.  Do the Yoga postures provide you the opportunity to actualize your greatest potential? 

 

Practicing Yoga postures with a purposeful intent is a step forward in improving mental health.  What is purposeful intent?  This is a way of thinking that stimulates unrelenting focus to achieve a healthy body from whatever physical/mental health stage you begin.  You determine your goals based on your present status of mind/body.  The body must move to get rid of toxins accumulated in the blood and determine a mental fortitude to accomplish your mission.  

 

Studies indicate that Yoga improves concentration/focus helping to prevent obesity and heart disease through movement.    More than half of the Americans spend at least 5 hours or more sitting each day, contributing to obesity and other infirmaries such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, and anxiety.   A regular Yoga practice is an intentional pathway to improve flexibility and strength and a choice for health/wellness.

 

A regular Yoga practice releases tension and improves concentration.  Participating in Yoga breaks through a feeling of isolation.  Yoga is a journey of self-discovery.  Yoga transforms the body and mind by learning and actualizing postures, stimulating oxygenated blood flow and awakening creative thinking focused on physical activity. The body thrives when alive with focused movement to accomplish a goal!  Yoga is a health practice to inhale deeply through the nose and exhale through the nose not “panting” like a dog breathing just through the mouth.

 
Yoga is “proactive.”  John Hopkins University studies indicate that Yoga sharpens memory, as well as alleviates pain (Nicol Natale, 2022).   Yoga is a journey to become fit through physical movement and alignment of the spine and body. 

 

Yoga is based on the Indian philosophy of “mindfulness” and physical movement.  “Mindfulness” is an awareness of how the body moves with a purpose of breaking restrictive unhealthy postures which limit the flow of oxygenated blood through deep breathing.

 

Today’s Yoga practioners, Marge Strong, Arline Tosi, Dorothy Evens, Mary Flanagan are lengthening their core by crossing the legs, raising the arms into a circle, and straightening the back.  This seemingly “simple” pose is more than just

sitting.  Moving into this posture is the first challenge!   You initiate the movement by folding the legs into a sitting position and lowering to the ground.  The inner thighs are widened and feet touching as you descend.  The next stage of “alignment” is lengthening the spine upwards and raising the arms into a circle above the head.  Close the eyes as you concentrate on form. Repeat these steps each time you descend into this posture.

 

Yoga is a healthy art form for people of all ages and conditions. Slow, intentional movement when executing Yoga postures is a key to health and fitness.

 

Join the Shield Yoga classes at 4549 Casablanca Way, Sebring, meeting Tuesdays and Fridays 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. and Thursdays, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.  Join the classes and feel the difference in harmony, peace of mind and improved health.  Join with longtime Certified Yoga Instructor, Nancy Dale, Ph.D. who will guide you through the poses, answer questions and help you to achieve a newly evolved physical alignment of the body.  The CLASSES ARE FREE!!

 

Yoga for Life

By

Nancy Dale, Ph.D.

October 18. 2023

 

Fine Tuning the Mind/Body Through Muscle Memory

 

Muscle memory is defined as a “process that allows your body to remember certain motor skills and perform them without conscious effort.”  Through “Iyengar Yoga,” which is the type of disciplined Yoga I teach at Shield Wellness Center in Sebring, poses are precisely learned, initiated, and repeated to fine tune the body for correct movement that contributes to health and wellness.  If a Yoga posture is learned and practiced incorrectly, the mind/body must go through a lengthy process to “unlearn” the postures. 

 

Yoga postures are first, visualized in the mind, then initiated into the body to activate brain neurons connecting the nervous system and muscles creating new neural pathways.  Leaning Yoga poses is not the same process of learning how to ride a bike as Yoga poses begin as a mental visualization, repeated in the mind, then initiated into the body.  Repeating the programmed form takes work and practice but once the body learns the posture visualized in the mind it is recorded in “muscle memory” to actualize automatically.

 

Today’s Yoga pose is considered a Level 3 Posture due to the degree of difficulty.  Practioner, Arline Tossi demonstrates “Modified Uttanasana Boat Pose” which integrates many parts of the core anatomy to form the posture.  First, lie down on the floor and lift the legs into a “V” with a canvas strap extended around the arch of both feet.  Hold the strap extended in both hands, arms bent at the elbows and raise the legs from the seated position, into a straight line with the neck.  Next, bend the legs at the knees still holding the strap.  This posture can also be initiated just hold the form or as a rowing pose, using one leg at a time, extended back and forth from the knee.

 

This pose is a great one for tightening the abdominals, the triceps/biceps in the arms and strengthening the upper/lower back as the pose held for at least 10 breaths, resting, and repeating it at least 3 times.  Yoga postures use your own body weight to move and flow with each repetition to build leaner muscles.

 

Before you work on executing this posture, you first want to warm-up the arms and legs.  Begin the warm-up with standing poses such as “Warrior” and “Side-Angle” then standing tall and bend forward from the waist.  Repeating this warm-up loosens tight abdominal and back muscles to move more easily into this “Modified Uttanasana” posture.  If there is strain when initiating any of these moves, stop and rest before continuing to extend your range of motion.

 

Yoga is slow moving, paying attention to how the body is extended so the muscles can gradually gain flexibility with time and practice.  Eventually, the body will be able to initiate new forms that are recorded in “muscle memory” into the body without forcing movement.  With time and practice, the muscles will move into the “recorded” forms.

 

Once you initiate this posture several times, move slowly back to a seated posture with straight back and legs extended forward. Rest the palms of the hands on the knees, close the eyes and deeply breathe which will renew the mind and body. 

 

Join the Yoga classes at Shield Wellness Center, 4597 Casablanca Circle, Sebring, to participate in various poses that renew and refresh. Also, read the weekly “Yoga for Life” column every Wednesday in the Health Section of the Highlands News Sun.  Classes are held every Tuesday and Fridays 1:2:30 p.m. and Thursdays, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.  at Shield Wellness and they are free for all levels of practioners.  

 

Yoga for Life

By

Nancy Dale, Ph.D.

June 16, 2021

                                                Yoga:  Beyond Perceived Limitations

 

The mind is the key to awakening the body.  Recently, watching Championship Boxing, a very precise dangerous sport that requires a lifestyle of conditioning, practice and dedication, a 33-year-old took up the challenge to regain a national title. Generally speaking, a boxer hits his or her physical prime between the ages of 28 and 35.   However, there are a handful of boxers who are no doubt special in the sense that they defy all logic and actually get better with age.

 

These special boxers use their technique and skill to make up for their physical decline. The older they get, the smarter and more experienced they become as they use their experience to beat younger, physically stronger opponents ( Evolve Daily, 2021). 

 

Unlike boxing champs, Yoga does not take a toll on the body but focuses the mind on mental on breaking through mental/physical limitations imposed by learned and habitual non-thinking lifestyle practices.  Yoga is a journey and exploration into new awareness to break limitations.

 

As the ladies pictured from the YMCA Yoga class, “form” is one of the challenges in performing each posture to loosen tight muscles/tissues with a goal of greater flexibility for enhanced oxygenation of the blood.  With the challenge of moving the body in ways that may be difficult to break limiting factors such as years of ingrained past muscle memory, each person gains personal insight through diligence, patience and dedication to progress with awareness to their own internal workings.

Part of Yoga practice is concentration on holding each posture for several deep breaths, as the body adjusts flexibility to maintain a new posture.  There is great sense of accomplishment when  small gains of breaking through limitations are achieved. The mind imprints a new conscious awareness each time a posture is initiated, held and repeated.  In a Yoga class, each person inspires the other person for inspiration and encouragement.

Today’s posture is “Ustrasana” or “Camel Pose.”  Practicing “Camel Pose” helps relieve lower back pain while stretching the front of the body, including the hip flexors and psoas muscle (the muscle that connects the torso to the legs (Master Class, 2021). In this pose, alignment is essential.  The tail bone is slowly pushed in towards the naval and tightens the pelvic area as the lower abs are lifted to give more space for the spine to ascend, curve up and back.  In order to make the pose more comfortable to practice, take three deep breaths before attempting to lengthen and curve the back while expanding the chest.  The Yoga practioners in the picture are doing various stages of “Camel Pose.” 

 

This posture is considered a base pose to boost energy, hence, it can be included in flow yoga sequences that involve the lower/middle/upper back. The core abdominals are especially strengthened in combination with the neck and psoas.

 

The posture can be practiced in various modifications until the body aligns more easily into a curve. “ Camel Pose” is often part of Iyengar Yoga sequences which stresses correct form for the most benefit.  When you begin to practice “Camel,” be patient and allow the body to awaken and release tension.  It is a great pose to incorporate into any Yoga practice.  You will feel a gradually release of the back to improve overall posture and feel greater flexion in everyday moment.

 

Think of Yoga as a life journey and exploration to ”Realization.”  Practice Yoga in all activities.

 

 

 

YOGA FOR LIFE..WEEKLY COLUMN HIGHLANDS NEW SUN HEALTH SEC. JUNE 19 2019

Yoga for Life

By

Nancy Dale, Ph.D.

June 19, 2019

Yoga – Activating New Neuroplasticity in the Brain to Body

What we desire to learn in Yoga involves facing our personal reality about body/mind/emotions and retraining “muscle memory.”  Scientific research into “Neuroplasticity” or opening new brain patterns with repetition of activities such as in Yoga and strength training, influences the way the body is shaped.  Re-shaping the body begins in the mind, creating new neuron pathways that moves beyond past habit patterns lodged in the brain and activated in the body.

A dedicated Yoga practice opens physical/mental/emotional awareness of external/internal bodies. Initiating change., begins by cleaning out clutter in the mind, directly facing negative habit patterns and replacing negative results actualized in the body.  The first step in overcoming a problem is to recognize that you have a problem. The same can be said of starting a new habit. Positive change is led by awakened awareness and practicing a new way.

 The premise of Neuroplasticity is that the physical body retains a memory of what the mind experiences, and the mind, or brain and nervous system, retain a memory of what the body experiences. Linda Fehr, author of “Muscle Memory” says “it is basically NOT a type of memory which is stored in a body of a person but it is a memory which is actually stored in the brain of a person. Neuro pathways creating old or new ways, are created by repetition. (www.authenticityassociates.com/neural-plasticity-4-steps-to-change-your-brain.

According to Michael Merzenich from the book, “The Brain that Changes Itself” says “practicing a new habit under the right conditions, can change hundreds of millions and possibly billions of the connections between the nerve cells in our neural pathways. The human brain is made up of an estimated 100 billion neurons making a total of 100 trillion neural connections.”

“Neuroplasticity” means that new pathways in the brain are created and through focused practice can change habits, thoughts, routines.  The plasticity in the brain can link neurons together in new ways and create new pathways.”

Yoga practioners in the Gold’s Gym 8:45 a.m. class, Wednesday, demonstrate “Extended Side Angle Pose” to create awareness of lengthening the spine and muscles, breaking old patterns of slumping.  The emphasis in the pose is to extend one side of the body long, reaching the opposite arm over the ear as one leg is bent and the other one stretched out.   Notice the lengthening of the “side body” including the legs, arms and core, then repeat the pose two times or more on each side, holding it for several breaths.

The mind is a magical wand that only needs to be activated in a direction that will improve health and wellness. Practice and repetition with repeated long inhales and exhales with concentration is a beginning.  Join a Yoga class and be a part of the process!

 MORE INFO:  CONTACT nancydalephd@gmail.com

Yoga for Life

By

Nancy Dale, Ph.D.

May 27, 2019

Yoga: Building Resiliency in Mind/Body/Emotions

When we think of “resilience,” we think of “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness.”  Webster’s dictionary adds, “It is the capacity of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress.”  As applied to Yoga, we might further add, it’s “the body’s ability to spring back into shape or elasticity.”  It is interesting that Webster expands the definition of “resiliency” as “compressive stress” response.  When we practice Yoga, we relieve stress recorded in the mind/body/emotions as we align the postures to avoid depositing negative thoughts/energy into the body that can deform and depress.  Thus, Yoga is about prevention and healing through resiliency.

Physics expands an understanding of “resiliency” as the “ability of an elastic material (animal tissue) to spring back to its original shape.”  Author P.G. Wodehouse says, “In certain men there is a quality of ‘resiliency’ or sturdy refusal to acknowledge defeat.”

Our bodies are “flexible,” unless over time, we seal in tightness/negativity and never let it go.  Holding onto past negativity in the mind, changes our body/personality as often revealed in our posture/facial expressions.   When we are stressed, our beautiful smile may disappear into a perpetual frown, the pace of a brisk walk slows down, our shoulders stoop from the “weight of the world” as frustration and resulting irritability take hold of our consciousness. We may not laugh so often, our breath is shortened and subconsciously this absorption becomes our “new normal.”  Our body speaks of negative communication with ourselves and others.

Yoga teaches patience and resiliency in learning challenging Yoga postures that uplift the Spirit and brighten our world.  During a Yoga class, the mind becomes so focused on the poses that no other thoughts enter the mind.  It takes focus and concentration with slow movements aligned with the breath, to awaken a new spirit of Joy from within as we learn Yoga postures.

Yoga postures are challenging.  Isn’t it wonderful to find a new challenge that brings positive feedback and growth!  As we work through the poses within our present ability, we gradually break through long term “muscle memory” and realign the body for positive mental/physical/emotional health. 

Let’s practice new alignment and resiliency through “Eagle Pose.”

Stand in Tadassana or Mountain Pose, feet shoulder width apart in alignment with the ankles. We don’t think of “Eagle Pose” as looking like an Eagle, as Yoga names do not always reflect a “picturesque” image of words but helps to remember the postures.

Stand with the back and buttocks flat against a wall for balance/support.  Gradually, bend the knees, then wrap one leg around the bent knee of the other.  Slowly, move the back away from the wall as the arms are extended forward, crossed inside of the other.  Yoga practioners in the 5:30 p.m. YMCA Yoga class demonstrate how it is done.

“Eagle Pose” works on flexibility of the back, the legs/arms as balance away from the wall is gradually maintained.  “Eagle Pose” releases muscle tension in the thighs, hips, knees, arms as resiliency and flexibility are gained. Concentration and focus are key to moving forward. 

We start every Yoga class with the “beginner’s mind.”  Then, the more we practice postures that require reflection and stamina, our resiliency and plasticity of mind/body/emotions grow.  However, it is more fun to learn for yourself as you observe gradual positive changes in the mind/body/emotions.  Improving “resiliency” is positive feedback for your effort over time.  Yoga is a lifelong practice.

WEEKLY COLUMN IN HEALTH SECTION OF HIGHLANDS NEWS SUN.  If anyone would like to publish this in another publication, please contact me at nancydalephd@gmail.com

Yoga for Life: Pigeon Pose to improve mobility/flexibility

Yoga for Life

By

Nancy Dale, Ph.D.

May 13, 2019

“Pidgeon Pose” - Opening Tight Hips to Increase Range of Motion

“Pidgeon Pose” is encountered with pleasure or reservation for those not familiar with the

benefit of practicing this pose to release tension/tightness in the lower body for a greater range of motion.   “Range of Motion” is one of the limiting factors in enjoying the continued flow of movement throughout our life.  It is important to integrate “Pidgeon Pose” into a Yoga practice and take time/concentration in initiating the posture; the benefits outweigh reservation.

Let’s initiate “Pidgeon Pose”

If you study the picture of the 5:30 p.m. Gold’s Gym Yoga class, you see Yoginis of many body types.  Most of the Practioners in this class have participated in Yoga for several years and have learned a wide variety of poses, some which they like better than others reflecting the degree of difficulty.  However, the Yoga people who attend this class are dedicated to improve their body form, find serenity, physical benefits and enjoy having fun doing it. 

“Pidgeon Pose” takes concentration and relaxation to move into the pose and hold it long enough to allow the muscles to release and relax as the hip flexors open, one leg at a time.  The best way to move into this posture is from “Downward Dog,” pulling the buttocks into the sky and lengthening the legs to the back.  Next, pull the upper body forward as one leg is bent at the knee and pulled underneath the upper body and arms lengthened in front on the floor. The process of moving the arms forward and long and scrubbing the long assists in holding the pose.  No one has to do the full pose in the beginning as the body has to gradually release the hips and allow them to get used to lying flat into the floor with one leg bent underneath the body.  If there are knee problems, it is best to do a modification without stressing the knee and keeping it only slightly bent.  Do this pose slowly as you deeply inhale and exhale.  Once you relax the mind into the pose, the hips will gradually open.  Just say to yourself, “I am working on it at the present,” rather than, “I can’t do it.”  You can lift the front body up if it helps to gradually open the hips. 

“Range of Motion” is important in the way we walk, play sports and move.  When we improve our “range of motion” we have more flexibility and choice in what we do physical.  In Yoga, we do only what we can at the present moment and gradually move further into the posture with modifications.  You can place a blanket underneath the knee/thigh of the bent leg for relief of pressure.   As you master the pose, you can bend and raise the long leg in back up to the sky and grab the ankle for a beautiful curve in the back as you hold the pose.  This last phase may take time, so be patient. 

“Pidgeon Pose” is one of the most beneficial postures in Yoga.  Give it a shot and be persistent; it is a very worthwhile effort!

CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR SEBRING, FLORIDA
nancydalephd@gmail.com

Yoga for Life

By

Nancy Dale, Ph.D.

May 6, 2019

Yoga – Modifications to Learn Posture Form

When initiating a new posture, it is important to slow down and evaluate the pose in the mind before attempting to initiate it in the body.  Yoga postures require thought and correct initiation o to obtain the most benefit.  Rushing through poses just to do “Yoga” defeats the purpose.  All new learning takes time and practice in re-shaping thinking, which over time, will show effects in the body.  Modification while learning postures is a great inspiration to any new practice and brings a sense of accomplishment taking small steps to achieve a goal.  Iyengar Yoga which stresses “form” takes patience and fortitude.  Let’s look at “Revolved Triangle” with the 10:30 a.m. YMCA Yoga class using a block for modification to achieve success.

As demonstrated, the “Revolving Triangle Pose” is a standing posture involving a twist to the opposite side of the leg/body and extending one arm into the air.  Study the posture and see if you can initiate it with a block to support balance.

Yoga involves cognitive functioning and retention of information.  If when taking a Yoga class some postures are difficult to initiate, the teacher may suggest the use of a “prop” like a block for support in a standing pose or placing a blanket underneath a thigh or hip if a sitting pose.  A straight back sturdy chair may also be used as a prop to improve balance and stability.  If the teacher notices a person who is listing or favoring one side, this small almost imperceptible tendency may indicate a weaker side as the body may be compensating for a previous injury.  Thus, when initiating a pose, it may be useful to stand in front of a mirror to observe if the shoulders are even and the hips equally distributing the body weight.

To work on strengthening physical weakness in the body, the Practitioner must become conscious of it then adjust the pose and props to even out weight distribution.   Some new-to-Yoga students feel a sense of overconfidence that they should be able to do all the poses immediately which is a false assumption. The body needs time to adjust and balance out discrepancies such as redistributing the weight of the body, lengthening the spine and breathing deeply and slowly while internally making external adjustments.

Each person adapts their practice to where they are at the present moment.  We are not attempting to look like models in Yoga magazine as we begin and we may not be able to initiate all the poses due to our anatomical structure.  We do what we can do and it will still provide a physical benefit.

The magic of Yoga is that we adapt and learn.  Yoga is our individual path to awareness and expansion.  We learn along the way as we improve the way we walk, stand and even sleep more peacefully. 

NANCY DALE  IS A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND WRITES THE COLUMN PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY IN THE HEALTH SECTION OF THE HIGHLANDS NEWS SUN.  SHE TEACHES YOGA CLASSES IN SEBRING, FLORIDA.  CONTACT:  NANCYDALEPHD@GMAIL.COM FOR SCHEDULE

2019 New Posts to include WEEKLY YOGA FOR LIFE ARTICLES

Yoga for Life

 April 22. 2019

By

Nancy Dale, Ph.D.

Yoga:  Setting Goals

“Relax and renew” is one of the strongest motivations for an individual to begin a Yoga practice.  Yoga is often a new beginning for people on a personal quest to discover serenity through physical/mental/emotional self-actualization.

Yoga is more than what some refer to as an “exercise” or a place to come for  “stretching” or a “workout” which it is, of course,  but in essence it is a philosophy/practice of integrating well-defined Yoga postures, for the benefit of our health, into our daily life functions, such as standing, sitting, walking with a goal to regenerate the mind/body.   Choosing to practice Yoga is learning how to transmute energy through a relaxed mind and manifest it in the mind/body image we project.  The goals we choose to project into reality, requires patience, time, pro-active energy and visualization.  The Yoga journey begins very slowly and simply in the present moment.  

Let’s begin to “Awakening the Body”:   Our first goal in practicing Yoga is to remove tension in the mind/body.  Stand straight in Tadassana or Mountain Pose, back long and straight, balancing with the eyes closed, body in alignment. Lift both arms to the sky, side by side facing each other. Take a deep long breath and turn the palms forward.  Then clasp the hands together over the head, turn them over and slowing bring the arms and body forward into a deep bend with knees slightly bent and a long back. Slowly raise the body and lengthen the arms to the sky, inhale deeply then slowly release the clasped hands and circle the arms back to the sides. Repeat this simple body awakening posture at least 5 times and hold each pose for a count of 10.  This is a basic pose to awaken the body before moving into other postures.

The first acknowledgement in practicing Yoga is very obvious but may be taken for granted.  It is how we breathe.  In Yoga, we use the “healing breath,” to replenish the body with fresh, oxygenated blood through the inhale, expelling carbon dioxide in the exhale, releasing tension, tightness, and negativity stored in the body/mind/emotions.  According to Richard Miller, PhD and Mediation Practioner, “Focusing on the depth and rhythm of the breath turns off the network of shallow breathing, enabling the Yoga Practioner to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, encouraging the mind/body to relax.  Focused breathing is a moment-to-moment flow of sensation, energy and feedback that helps to deactivate the brain’s default network, allowing each person to locate him/herself in space and time.”  

Inhaling deeply through the nose, and exhaling the same length of time, supports the nervous system in establishing an equilibrium or a calming balance in face of stress, moving through everyday challenges.  To deepen the inhales and lengthen the exhales, count how long it takes to inhale through the nose and match the count when exhaling the same breath.

Deep breathing is a central focus of concentration and an early warning of stress if it becomes shorter, quicker and “panting” breathing takes over.  If this occurs, we may want to break away from the current activity.  If we have our Yoga mat nearby or a blanket, we can lie down and close the eyes.  However, Yoga is a practice we can do anywhere. First, we draw our attention inward, begin to deeply breath, gently close the eyes, quiet the mind and let go of the world.

Yoga helps to renew energy and move back into our world, free to laugh and enjoy Life.   We begin our practice slowly with a few postures to “awaken” the mind/body as the frenzied world fades into the background.  It is our time to discover our inner being just waiting to be actualized.   As we slowly evolve, we share our harmony with others.  There are always “trying times” and people who ruffle our serenity but our path is solid as we actualize and put back into the world an appreciation of harmony and an awakened consciousness.  

NANCY DALE  IS A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND WRITES THE COLUMN PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY IN THE HEALTH SECTION OF THE HIGHLANDS NEWS SUN.  SHE TEACHES YOGA CLASSES IN SEBRING, FLORIDA.  CONTACT:  NANCYDALEPHD@GMAIL.COM FOR SCHEDULE

WE ARE ALL EARTHLINGS......

As human beings inhabiting this planet, we need to think about a "collaborative" view of our humanity.  Instead of focusing on "differences,"   i.e. I am yellow, red, white, black or any "race color or nationality"
and adding some disparity, we need to think of ourselves as "Earthlings."

One day we will pro-create in a Biosphere on Mars and Astroid and our children go to school with "Martians" or "Astrodians" so as science moves RAPIDLY forward without regard for any isolated groupings, we need to come together as one planetary humanity.

We need to think of ourselves as EARTHLINGS, ONE HUMANITY on planet EARTH.

THE BEAUTIFUL AND INTELLIGENT FLORIDA BLACK BEAR

THE BEAUTIFUL AND INTELLIGENT FLORIDA NATIVE:

BLACK BEARS

MIKE ORLANDO

ASSISTANT COORDINATOR – BEAR MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Since 1980, Florida’s native black bear population has been expanding, estimated, by Florida Fish and Wildlife to number approximately 4,350.  The same year, the human population in Florida numbered 5 million; in 2016, the population grew to 20 million with an expected growth by 2060 to 36 million people. Today, bears and people are living in close proximity but Florida’s black bears still live in the sand pine wilderness, forests, oak scrub, and wetlands, adapting to the encroachment of humans into their native habitat.  It is not the bears that pose the greatest threat to their survival; it is human behavior.  

After the last Ice Age, eleven thousand years ago, Paleo-Indians occupied much of Florida.  Their descendants, the tattooed Timucua Indians, fished and hunted along the upward flowing St. John’s River on Florida’s northeast coast and inland to the Wekiwa River.  Today, one of the most beautiful bear habitats in Florida is Wekiwa Springs State Park, Apopka, Fl, about 20 miles north of Orlando and the origin of a spring that pumps 42 million gallons of water a day into the Wekiwa River from a deep 15 to 20 foot cavern.  The Wekiwa Springs River runs through Wekiwa Springs State Park and is one of the last remaining wild and scenic rivers in Florida. 

Today, Wekiwa Springs State Park, originally a private Sportsman’s Club in 1941, is a large tourist attraction with camping, swimming, canoeing, biking, hiking and horseback riding through the 100 year old pine forest flats.  As the sun rises and dusk veils the forest, visitors can observe white tail deer, wild turkeys, the little known Sherman’s fox squirrel and the dark profile of Florida’s black bear peacefully roaming through the woods.

Mike Orlando, Assistant Coordinator of the Bear Management Program, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says, “The Park is one of the best protected habitats for the black bear to safely survive.”  He dispels the widely held belief that the growing human population in Florida imperils the black bear, as he says, “they have recovered.  It is not true that as the population grows, natural species necessarily decrease.  Today, better education of tourists, residents and good management practices like habitat management has helped the black bear and other wildlife thrive.

For the past twenty years, Orlando has studied the behavior of the Florida black bear, one of the most curious and wondrous species in Florida.  He says, “The male bears have a territorial area of sixty square miles and females, a smaller range of fifteen square miles.”  

At Wekiwa Springs State Park, a housing development butts directly up to the edge.  Orlando calls this a “transitional zone or urban wildlife interface.”  People who live in the residential community are educated to co-exist with their bear neighbors.  However, Orlando brings up a caveat:  “Bears have a keen sense of smell, so residents not only living directly on the park border but the neighborhood need to follow safety procedures to divert an opportunistic bear hunting for food.   It is important to move any eminent food from the area.  In order to save the bear, humans need to be careful not to create life conflicts.  If a bear approaches a neighborhood, it is likely seeking available unsecured human food,” Orlando clarifies. 

“In January or February,” says Orlando, “Female bears, about 3 years old, usually bare their young.  They may  pull together pine needles or fallen trees, whatever is around to build a den like a bird’s nest, and some even dig a hole.  Females usually have 2 or 3 cubs.  The females protect the cubs, teach them how to survive and find food.  If the mother bear learns there is food available in a neighborhood, she will also teach her cubs where to find it.”  FWC literature says if a bear is eating something on your property, take note of what it is and secure it after the bear has left the area.  In Florida, it is against the law to feed bears.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has developed a “cost share program” to help residents afford bear resistant containers.  Residents can purchase “bear proof dumpsters” for their area like the ones at Wekiwa Springs State Park.  Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring has numerous bear sightings and is also installing the new dumpsters.  However, despite the closer proximity of bears and humans, Orlando says, “Bears usually withdraw from an accidental confrontation with humans; however, they are wild animals and deserve respect. 

“The best precaution to co-exist in a bear habitat,” says Orlando “is to keep attractants away from bears. If a bear is up a tree, usually after dark, it will eventually leave the area on its own when it feels safe.  People sometimes mistake bear ‘posturing’ like standing up on its hind legs as a threat,” he explains.  “The bear behaves like a squirrel. When a bear stands on its hind legs, it is only trying to get a better view or scent.  However, unlike squirrels, bears are powerful.  Males can weigh on an average 250-350 pounds; females, 130-180 pounds.  Because of their power and size, people should respect these animals and stay at a safe distance. 

 Orlando stresses that “pro-active” human behavior is essential to protect bears and all native wildlife.  As people continue to migrate into the sunshine state, bear and people encounters in the woods or in neighborhoods will continue; however, Orlando emphasizes, “People can learn to co-exist with Nature and appreciate the bear.”

“Bears are symbols of the wilderness.  We provide information and teach our visitors about bear behavior, we go to schools and take a bear hide from one accidentally killed on the highway to show children.  We hand out bear whistles and clappers to kids and adults to scare a bear away should there be an encounter.  Most importantly, if we appreciate the natural world and realize we are inherently connected with Nature, we as humans will learn to appreciate the life of wild things in preserving Florida’s wildlife.  We are a living planet and we need to teach a balance of human behavior with Nature exploration.  We have to do our part to save the bear.”

In 2016, FWC provided Florida residents the opportunity for input on the next planned bear hunt.  The Commission was presented with four options to consider as recommended by staff at FWC and biologists.  Each option outlined a different strategy.  Option 1,  was “the same as the 2015 framework with updated hunt objectives;” Option 2 offered more “limited restrictions on hunting bears;” Option 3 offered “a postponement of bear hunting in 2016, creating a zero-hunt objective;” Option 4, opted “to repeal bear hunt rules and not allow bear hunting in Florida in future years.”  The result was no bear hunting for 2016.

Mike Orlando has been studying bears since college.  He earned his BA degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida and later his Master’s in “Forest Ecology” at the University of Kentucky.  At UF his study of alligators migrated to a bear project at Egland Air Force Base when he worked with graduate students placing radio collars on bears.  At Weeki Wachee Springs on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Orlando expanded his focus on bear behavior which led him to his present position as the FWC Assistant Coordinator of the Bear Management Program. 

Dr. Nancy Dale is the author of 5 books on the true stories of Florida’s legendary pioneer “cow hunters.” UPCOMING BOOK:  PRESERVING NATIVE FLORIDA:  THE LEGENDS, THE WILDERNESS AND THE WILDLIFE.  Books are available: www.nancydalephd.com,

Lake Placid: Lake Placid Feed and Western Wear, Sebring/Avon Park:  Sebring Ranch Supply, Pure Grit Boot Company, SFSC Museum of Art and Culture