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| Ystan---I will honor "RE" also. Wonderful observation---- reattune, reconnect, retreasure, reappreciate, reenergize, we could write a RE song and sing in unison around the world.....okay, I will stop but you inspired me with your writing. I am announcing that my very best experience of 2006 was my checking out Rodney Yee's Yoga Forum and meeting my wonderful new friends. Our connection was so good that when Rodney announced he was terminating the sight, zzzuluwarrior found Yoga.com and here we are, continuing to continue our journey, on and off the forum. I was explaining to TSSundaram and Ystan in emails that this connection offers right before my eyes, day by day, how peoples all over the world, of diverse Nationalities, Cultures, backgrounds, religions, can come together and care, share, encourage, learn, and grow. It puts this World Peace Picture before me day by day........if I can participate in it here, might it be possible to cause it to grow and expand? A few days back a person here made a statement concerning God. I jumped in with little fore thought and said "MY GOD" is thus and so. The communication stopped and for days I pondered if what I said had caused it to stop. Wars are going on right now because one is saying MY GOD is this and MY GOD is that and I will lay down my life or kill you if you do not agree. My heart was not at peace thinking I was participating in exactly what I was critisizing of others. A lesson profound to me and I hope I learn it well. I want to focus on all of our wonderful similarities and the diverse interpretations of who and what GOD is or is not will settle itself, do you think? Especially this season of diverse celebration..........I celebrate our diversity and honor our freedom of thought. I will imagine a World Peace in the year 2007 and those who will join me are very welcome......we can meet in meditation of Peace as millions and millions are already doing. If we really believe our thoughts can effect the Planet as so many of us do, can we just encourage us all to join our minds and hearts to Peace and Honor and Respect and know we are all simply trying to do our best to make this Human thing work. Okay, I will step down from my soapbox with a wish to all for a New Year of World Peace. Very Namaste with sincerity from the depths of my soul. Juda |
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| Dear Ystan :-I have read your mail 71400. and really appreciate every word of what you have written therein. Only Ystan can do it and nobody else, through her sixth sense. With your two letter trick "RE" you have given a hope to all of us. We eagerly wait for more and more of such writings from you.. |
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| I love reading the writing of my friends. I can feel the effects of everyone's good words and kind thoughts and inspirations. It's an improvement in my life, and I'm thankful. I'm also thankful that my husband went by the spot where I got out of the van to pick up our daughter, and found my glove. How funny, it's kind of a busy street, lots of people, and there was my glove. He said it looked like it was trying to stand up in the street. Haha, stand up and be noticed. So the pair have been united, and are not useless any longer, they will warm my hands again.
This franticness of the holidays is a bit strange. If I were to choose a time for a gift giving holiday, it would be near the end of winter. Then I would have time to make everyone a gift. I would have a list, and make things one by one. The way it is I have time to make one or two gifts, the rest have to be store bought. Oh well, I try to rotate who I'm making things for and spread the love. My poor customer waiting for his quilt, it's on hold once again. I'm glad he's understanding.
So, my new affirmation is It is possible, thank you Judamom, I repeat, it is possible, thank you Ystan, it is possible, thank you Tssundaram, I'm thinking of you, sending my best from my heart, Shelly
Dear Zzzulu, I hope you don't feel forgotten, I'm always thankful to you for orchestrating our move to our new home, and always look forward to hearing from you. I know you're a busy woman and don't want to put added pressures on you. Just know that when you do come back and post, I appreciate it and enjoy reading your writing, thank you, Shelly |
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To all my Friends:- Some time back I had occasion to tell all of you about the series of fall I had, in a span of one year escaping luckly serious injuries, possibly because of my yoga practice, I am not sure. Ystan then adviced me to start having a walking stick as a support --a good suggestion for my age -- , to which I informed her that I am quite shy in using a stick while walking to support my 69 kgs. Another friend from the forum informed me that the frequent falls might be due to loss of balance, because of loss of body strength. Here is an article which I read today, on preventing Falls which may interest you all for one reading.
Exercises to Help Prevent Falls
by Diane Voyatzis, RD
Do you believe falling is increasingly inevitable as you age? It is true that more and more people fall as they get older—and as many as 30% of people age 65 and over will fall. But, did you know there are steps you can literally take to prevent falls?
Impaired balance, a major risk factor for falling, often worsens with age. It may worsen because of decreased strength, agility, and flexibility, or as a result of illness, sensory impairment, or certain medications. But certain exercises—particularly those that build strength—may improve balance in people of all ages. Read on about “balancing acts,” which you may want to try at home to minimize falls and remain independent for as long as possible.
Research: Paving the Way to Steadier Steps
Studies have shown that people who perform regular exercises to improve lower body strength and balance can decrease their risk of falls and fall-related injuries. In addition, some research supports the practice of Tai Chi, a combination of moving yoga and meditation, to reduce falls.
Before Getting Started
Keep in mind that although exercise may reduce fall-related fractures in healthy seniors, it may increase risk in seniors with functional limitations. Therefore, it is important to check with your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program, including the exercises listed below. Assistance during exercise, or an organized exercise program, may be necessary for some people.
Also, be aware that obstacles in the home may contribute to loss of balance and subsequent falls. For people age 65 or older, one-half to two-thirds of all falls occur in or around the home. Start by removing obstacles in your home that may contribute to loss of balance:
Provide adequate lighting, especially at night.
Secure carpet and/or throw rugs to the floor or remove them.
Install handles near the toilet and bathtub.
If stairways are unavoidable, install railings on both sides of stairway.
Balance-Building Exercises
But modifying the home environment alone may not reduce fall risk. After checking with your healthcare provider, you may want to try some of these exercises at home—or find out about community exercise programs—that may help you build strength and improve balance. These exercises were adapted from The National Institute on Aging’s online Exercise Book.
Calf Exercise
Stand with a table or chair in front of you and hold onto it for support.
Start with your feet flat on ground, shoulder-width apart.
Slowly stand on your tiptoes. You may have to start with 15 to 30 seconds and work to 1 full minute.
Slowly return to normal standing position. Rest.
Do two sets (8 to 15 repetitions each) for each leg.
Shin Exercise
Lean your back against a wall, placing your feet about 6 to 8 inches away from the wall.
With your heels firmly set, lift the toes of both feet off the ground as high as possible. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds
Do two sets (8 to 15 repetitions each).
Knee Bending Exercise
Stand with a table or chair in front of you and hold onto it for support.
Start with your feet flat on ground, shoulder-width apart.
Slowly bend one leg at the knee, raising foot up behind you to form 90-degree angle at the knee. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and increase to 1 minute. This exercise may cause cramping of the hamstring muscles at first.
Slowly return to normal standing position. Rest.
Do two sets (8 to 15 repetitions each) for each leg.
Knee Raising Exercise
Stand with a table or chair in front of you and hold onto it for support.
Start with your feet flat on ground, shoulder-width apart.
Slowly bend one leg 90 degrees at the knee, raising knee in front of you toward chest (to form a 90-degree angle at hip and knee joints). Do not bend at waist. Hold 15 to 30 seconds.
Slowly lower leg down. Rest.
Repeat with other leg
Do two sets (8 to 15 repetitions each) for each leg.
Straight Leg Lift Exercise
Stand with a table or chair in front of you (about 12 inches away) and hold onto it for support, with feet shoulder-width apart.
Bend forward at the hips at about a 45-degree angle.
Slowly lift one leg straight back (without bending your knee or pointing your toes). Also keep your back straight and your waist bent at 45-degree angle.
Hold for 1 to 5 seconds and then slowly lower leg. Pause.
Repeat with other leg.
Continue alternating legs until you have done 8 to 15 repetitions with each leg.
Rest. Do a second set of 8 to 15 repetitions with each leg, alternating legs.
Side Leg Raise Exercise
Stand with a table or chair in front of you and hold onto it for support.
Slowly lift one leg out to side until foot is about 6 to 12 inches off the ground. Keep your back and both legs straight and keep your toes pointed forward. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
Slowly lower leg back to normal standing position. Pause.
Repeat with other leg.
Alternate legs until you have done 8 to 15 repetitions for each leg. Rest.
Do another set of 8 to 15 repetitions for each leg, alternating legs.
Increasing the Challenge
As your balance improves, you may want to increase the difficulty of these exercises by making the following modifications:
Hold onto the table or chair with one hand instead of two.
Progress to holding the table or chair with one fingertip.
Then use no hands.
Other Exercises to Build Balance
Walking
If you can, take extra trips up and down the stairs, holding on to the railings and/or wall for safety. This will help strengthen hips and thighs.
If you are unable to handle stairs well, try repeatedly getting up from a sitting position in a chair. This also strengthens hips and thighs. Grip the arms of the chair if needed, or don’t use your hands for a more difficult work out. Soft low chairs are more difficult.
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| Good day to everyone. Ah, a new day, a fresh start. That's how I'm feeling today. I've been thinking about this word god, and what it means to me. I'll tell a little bit on what I think, but keep in mind this is just me. I'm not starting any new religions, or looking to convert anyone, or even change anyone's mind about anything. Like many others I was raised to follow the Catholic religion. I learned how to pray their way as a child. For a while, I might have enjoyed the theatrics that go along with the Catholic mass, but never really had any faith in it. As a teenager I felt they were out of touch with reality, teaching impoverished people not to use birth control, etc. And I stopped going, told my mother not to bother me with it. I'm sure I hurt her feelings, as I did over many things while I was a teenager. I still don't believe in it, and she knows, but she also knows I pray now, and so I suppose she feels a bit better about that. My problem with Catholic prayer is that they teach people to pray to ask for more, ask for this or that. Never to recognize that most of us here have way more than we need, and are never satisfied. Now, when I pray, I thank my creator. Thank you, even if I'm having a hard time, I will be stronger. So, today I am going to enjoy, Hope you are all well, Shelly |
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Expert Yogi
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| BQ - you have hit one big nail on the head for me. When I was a teen there was a Christian prayer group that met several times a week at my high school. I joined because I was looking for spirituality and (to be honest) I had time to kill while they met. Hey, I was a kid! Anyway, I had no problem joining in the spirit of the prayers with the devout Christians and evangelicals. I prayed for peace (Viet Nam was going strong at the time), I prayed for the health of friends and strangers, I think we may have even prayed for teachers. But the minute we started praying for good grades on exams and for athletic teams to win, I was gone, gone gone.. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | I read once that the purpose of prayer was not to influence God to grant you special favors, but rather to remind yourself that you are always connected to God. A famous theologian once said, "Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays." Then another famous poet, Kahlil Gibran said, "You pray in distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance." This kind of relationship with God gives you an indestructible faith to present to all doubt in your life. Faith is the complete reliance on the power and goodness of spirit and that you are always connected to this goodness. Furthermore, to sustain this kind of relationship with God and to remain in faith is really nice to read about, but to practice it daily in ones life is extremely challenging considering how we are blasted with so much BS and negativity. Which is why as yoga aspirants we should stay in Satsanga, good association. It is extremely vital to our practice. |
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| Yes, and a big part of the challenge is to not be a part of the negativity. Before I woke up and snapped out of the angry years, my husband and I were on a vacation once. When we say the pictures later, I was surprised at my image. My expression on my face was like a coldhearted hitman. At the time I would have said I was enjoying myself. I couldn't understand why I was presenting myself this way. Did I look so angry to put people off, or did people put me off and make me look angry. I didn't know, or care. I was tired of angry, I didn't want to look or be that way. Yes, I still feel anger, but no, I will never live that way again. It's not easy to change, but so worth it. Change is happening constantly anyway, so I try to make my changes for the better. Notice I said try. |
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| Good morning to everyone. Yesterday I was rushing around in my house, and twisted my ankle a bit. Not enought to hurt or cause any harm, but I was surprised. I was barefoot on the flat floor, and so had nothing to point the blame to. Immediatly I thought of Tssundaram's list of advise for falls, and that I had to add to it. One really good way to prevent falls, pay attention to what you're doing. I know I should have learned this lesson last summer when I was walking my dog, and fell in a pothole, but apparently not. I'm still rushing around, and I'm still a hazard to myself. So once again I'm reminded to work towards the future, but live in the present, and of course to watch were I'm putting my feet. I'm sending out love to all, Shelly |
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| Hi Shelly and Everyone
I hope Shelly is feeling better in the ankle. Thank you Shelly for reminding me and us about paying attention. Especially during the holiday season, we need to tune up our awareness. So much going on. It's very rainy outside, but reading your posts is like tuning into a bright ray of sunshine. Thank you everyone for your warmth and friendship.
New year resolutions???
Namaste
zzzulu |
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| I love New Years!!! I know, it is actually 'just another continued day' but for me it always feels like a fresh start. I basically want to appreciate exactly what I have, celebrate each day as a gift, smile more, read more and 'continue the journey'. Shelly, so glad to hear you were barefoot.......I think it is so healthy to go barefoot as often as we can. It is an automatic foot massage. I walk my miles at the beach barefoot (six miles at a time).....of course we have white sand here in Florida and my feet cannot bare to have shoes on in it. Be careful and 'slow down, take deeper breaths. I do not celebrate Christmas and every year I watch in amazement at the busyness around me........of course I did celebrate years past and can remember how busy one can get attempting to do everything one chooses to do to make the Holiday what one wants it to be. Now I just baske in the choice of reading instead of shopping and focus my energy on the New Year. Maybe this new year will bring Peace on the Planet. Namaste All Judamom |
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| Shelly, you said “I still feel anger, but no, I will never live that way again…notice I said try”. Perhaps the reason why you are not portraying a happy image was because for happiness to be long lasting, it has to be genuine and illuminates from the heart. You may be asking why you are not showing happiness from your mind, looking for answer to why are you not positive but negative, which may be the reason why happiness works temporary, and chances are you go back to comfort zone after the mind is exhausted in so much trying. You are putting pressure on yourself to deliver happiness and beat yourself up unnecessarily when you don’t. Perhaps you should be more relax and accept yourself without wanting to be the perfect person who never existed? My sincere apology if I said something wrong and out of context. Wishing you success in pursuing your path in growth and happiness. Namaste |
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| Hi everyone, today it's raining here also. One bright side for me to look forward to is that I'm going watch my girl play volleyball later. She practices hard, and so I enjoy seeing her skills progressing, and watching her with her friends. I can see they respect her, and like her, and I like that she's a good sport and a positive influence out there. I'm just all around proud. Proud of both of them of course, funny how very different they are. My older girl is also very busy right now, but in a different way. She has science fair today, she's taking physics and also chemistry at the same time. She's getting a bit stressed from all the work, but I tell her to keep working hard, vacation is right around the corner. I've been helping them out with their chores, just to give them a break. When they're working so hard I don't mind. As for me, my asana practice the past few days has been wonderful. I'm thankful for the yoga. I feel calm and peaceful, and I also feel like I've been strong enough to let a few people rest their heads on my shoulder lately. I feel good about that.
Zzzulu, very good to hear from you, your request for New Year's resolutions will be something for me to think about. I probably should have a long list, but will have to set priorities. Organization comes to mind, but I don't want to aim too high, and dissappoint myself.  Shelly |
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| Hi there, I just wanted to say the volleyball game was fun, and my girls team was so good. I was listening to some boys watching, and they were impressed! Haha, well, today is busy, but no I'm not going to get frantic. Hope everyone is well, Shelly
Ps. Ystan and Judamom, I was only just now able to read your last posts. Juda, I also love to be barefoot. It's too cold outside, but inside there will be no shoes. Ystan, you've given me plenty of questions to think about, but I will say this. Mostly I'm not happy or angry but calm, but I am vulnerable to having strong feelings aroused that affect my mood. Of course when it's happiness affecting me, I'm not upset about it, but anger is still a struggle. I don't mind feeling it, but never want to be affected so strongly that I cause damage or harm anyone, even if it's their feelings. Please don't apologize for asking me questions, I value your insight! Thanks, Shelly
Edited by bstqltmkr 2006-12-14 8:15 AM
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| Good morning to all. Juda, the other night my husband and I were watching a travel channel show all on the beaches of Florida, and I was thinking of you. They were showing white sand beaches, and talking about how they never get hot, even on the hottest of days. Wow, soft white sand that doesn't burn your feet! I'd be out there walking barefoot also, I'm happy for you to be able to enjoy that. My husband had a different reason for watching the show, but I digress. Now I'm wondering about other natural advantadges any of us might have nearby. I'm lucky to be close enough to the Adirondacks to get out there once in a while. Hmm, I'll think of more later I'm sure.
Tssundaram, I see you might be reading on occasion, and that makes me happy. Take care of yourself, I'm thinking only good things for you. Shelly |
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| bstqltmkr. I am happy to read the good words of yours to me through your mail 71743. Thank you very much for the same.
This message is meant for all of you, Ystan, bstqltmkr, judamom and zzzulu warrior.. You may not see me very frequently in this forum for some time to come, till the surgery to my right eye is over, say for the next 3 to 4 weeks. Till such time, I may not spend much time on my pc as I am doing now for obvious reasons.. Before closing this mail I take this opportunity of wishing one and all of you A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2007. |
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| I imagine you all were notified also about Ystan having heart surgery on Monday. Let us all keep her in our hearts for a speedy recovery. Wow, then TSSundaram on the 22nd for his eye surgery. We will be honored to wish these two special ones the best healings ever. In the mean time it is up to the three of us (plus all those who love Ystan and TSSundaram) to send them love and light and all the good things that assist in healing. I am busy at work but with lots of meditation time while I paint to surround them in "get well soon vibrations". Let us try not to send them anxiety as they could have enough of that naturally themselves. Calm, reassurance could be the most helpful we could be. Namaste Judamom |
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| TSSundaram--please, you just relax and be rested for your surgery.......and Thank-you so much for your New Year of Happiness and Prosperity Wish for us all! Wishing you the same back to you. Judamom |
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| Hi there
Getting organized has always been on my new year resolution for the past years. It lasts till perhaps Jan 10th! but being the optimist, I keep trying. I don't even hope to make it through the year, just a bit longer than the year before.
I didn't hear about YSTan's heart surgery. Ystan, did you post that or send out emails?
I wish TSSundaram a speedy recovery and Ystan a successful surgery.
Namaste and much love to all of you
zzzulu |
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| Hi Zzzulu, You must know exacly what I mean when I talk about challenges with organization. Even if I just go for organizing my fabric storage, that would take a major effort, I even have bags of scraps stashed in my daughter's bedroom. I have a plan for where I could fit in new shelves, and I have the wood ready to cut. I have to get some measurements down on paper, and get that project going. The problem with that exact shelving project is that I already know it's not enough. Okay, so I will be more organized than I was before, that will be my perspective with this project. Then I will have to be creative, and find room for more storage. That or use up my fabric stash. Haha, that's not very likely.
I hope everyone is doing well, and all the medical procedures go smoothly. I'm sending love and manifesting peace to the best of my abilities. Shelly |
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| If you want to make a 'resolution', why wait until 1st January. Do it as soon as possible.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | NB, that's a great idea, 
We used to do this New Years eve Burning Bowl ceremony. We wrote down all the things we wanted to get rid of in our lives, things that no longer served us that we no longer wanted or needed, etc. Then before midnite, we would place the papers in a burning bowl. |
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| Shelly I tried to write you via yahoo but my computer is acting strange and I lost it.....unless you ended up receiving it. I do not know anymore about Ystan other than a friend of hers sent me a message saying she was in the hospital and would have heart surgery on Mon. I am going to send this before my computer gets weird again. Namaste Judamom |
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| Hi Juda, I did recieve your short note, thankfully that worked. I'm grateful to you for passing on anything you hear.
Hi Neel, My New Year's Resolution is such a big one, it will take from now until January to build up stream so I feel capable of tackling it. That's my excuse anyway.
Today I thought I might sleep in, Monday morning blues, but my daughter decided to put on her shoes and run up and down the stairs many times. Are you trying to get in a morning workout I asked her. She thought that was funny, and so here I am nice and early. It's for the better really, so I'm happy about it. Later I will dedicate my practice to Ystan, send her my love and strength, and look forward to her recovery. Best wishes to all, Shelly |
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| Has anyone else heard anything from/of her? Let us keep sending her healing energy and love. Namaste Juda Shelly, hope your celebration plans are moving along nicely. I don't know if you recieved much of my correspondence but you mentioned I do not celebrate Christmas. But do remember, I did when my children were growing up and I have so many fond memories that I totally relate......it is not easy to ignor a major holiday that the masses participate in but it is a choice I made a few years back and it does get easier with some practice. The one thing I notice most is everyone seems stressed and I flow along feeling I am all alone in my relaxation. Life's journey...continues on |
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continue the journey
Yoga -> Iyengar Yoga
