Rejuvenation

I'm taking a break from the seven-days-a-week teaching/mothering/partnering/problem-solving schedule that has become my life. Don't get me wrong, I love what I am doing, who I am, and the people with whom I spend my time. But lately I am feeling like I'm wearing coveralls filled with rocks and I need to empty out my pockets, take off the dungarees, soak in tub and walk around without anything on for a bit. Lighten the load, so to speak. 

I'll be heading to one of my preferred healing places, my birthplace, almost literally. I'll be gratefully staying with my parents in their very homey abode, where my son and husband and I will be treated to all the creature comforts family can provide along with a zero-pressure schedule. 

I'll be able to reconnect with childhood, school and college made friends. I'll hug relatives with whom I've shared some familial losses and we can cry and laugh together to heal. I'm looking forward to practicing yoga at some new spaced to spice up the learning and teaching engines as well.

One of the highlights will be leading two demonstrations at the Chicago Abilities Expo on June 21 and 23, which is why I timed this trip so early in the summer. I usually visit the Midwest in August when the moisture level in the air feels a bit more swampy (and does what it wants with my hair). Funny, though, I don't mind it so much when compared to the desert blasts in San Diego, especially when the Santa Ana winds blow mercilessly,  an assault to every mucous membrane.

A dear friend, a teacher, an inspiration, was once told that she needed to take time to restore herself because when you teach, you expend energy from your svadistana and manipura chakras - your power/creative/reproductive energy centers; you are figuratively expending yourself. So maybe that's what's going on; I'm not just physically tired, but energetically drained. So I'll take the advice that I give to everyone, that I know to be so true. I'm going to move outside my usual routine and take a well needed break, not just by physically moving my location, but mentally changing the way I think about what I do. If I over-give, then I am no good to those I wish to serve. I need to find balance and so I look forward to meditating on these thoughts over the next 12 days.

I leave with this sweet prose poem I found today on this exact subject. See you all soon.

Guided Mindfulness Meditations and Yoga Audio and Video from UCSD

Disclaimer/credit: This text and these files have been copied directly from the UCSD website. The direct link is here: https://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/mindfulness/programs/mbsr/Pages/audio.aspx

The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness has prepared a number of practices that are available here in MP3 format. Please feel free to download and/or share these guided practices.

To download one of the files, please right click on the title and select "Save Target As" from the popup selection. This will then prompt you to select a location on your desktop to save the file to.

Please note: These MP3 files are rather large. If you do not have a broadband internet connection, you may not want to download them.

• Guided Audio Meditations
• Guided Yoga Audio and Video

Courses available at the Center:

• COMPLETE SCHEDULE
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
• Navigating Life’s Challenges: A 5-Day Residential Intensive Inspired by MBSR
• Mindful Self Compassion (MSC)
• MSC 5-Day Intensive
• Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)
• Mindful Eating
• Half-Day Retreat for Graduates
• mPEAK
• Mindfulness programs for Teens, Pre-Teens & Kids
• Mindful & Compassionate Parenting
• Mindfulness Meditation & Yoga Workshops (MM&Y)
• The Heart of Mindfulness

ADL Walk Against Hate 2019 @ Liberty Station - JOIN ME!

Sunday May 19 at 8:30 AM I'll be walking with Tifereth Israel Synagogue/Silverman Preschool in solidarity for the Anti-Defamation Leagues' 2019 Walk Against Hate.

The walk takes place at Liberty Station, in Ingram Plaza, in San Diego, CA. Register as individual here: https://support.adl.org/sdwalk2019
or feel welcome to join our team: https://support.adl.org/team/205674

The walk is a 5K loop around Liberty Station and there is a Diversity Expo featuring local San Diego organization to highlight the diverse tapestry of San Diego!

We do we walk? To support the ADL as they defend civil rights, to combat against anti-semitism, to teach students to fight bias, to train law enforcement, to fight extremism, to counter cyberhate, to empower the vulnerable through hate-crimes legislation, to confront disrimination and secure justice, and to work tirelessly for immigrants and refugees!

Can't walk? Donate today: https://support.adl.org/give/211578/#!/donation/checkout

Happy Earth Day 2019

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Kids-Yoga-3104599

Happy Hands for the desktop and mattop

For anyone that frequents a keyboard and mouse configuration, I must recommend an ergonomic mouse. Back in my fully functional technical writing days when I was doing multi-hundred page manual editing and layout, my right hand would frequently experience numbness along the pinky finger and the bone just above the wrist below the left finger (the pisiform) would have a small callous.

My nickname for this syndrome was "mouse-itis" and hand and wrist issues were a running joke in our department as we tried to find the correct keyboards, mice, standing and sitting positions, chairs, footrests, desk heights and physical therapy exercises to help alleviate the repetitive distresses our bodies would experience from 8+ hours a day typing and "mousing."

Anker 2.4G Wireless Vertical
Ergonomic Optical Mouse,

A traditional "flat" mouse caused me to rotate my hand medially (inward toward the thumb) and hurt at the elbow and wrist, but also put pressure on that pisiform bony because I was using it as a lever to lift my wrist up to move the mouse. As a result, I was not only causing elbow and wristing tendinitis, but also pinching the ulnar nerve, causing the numbness in my hand.

With a limited home office budget, I scoured the internet and found this amazing little "vertical" mouse that allows me to rest my right hand on the side and use the mouse itself a support. It glides easily, holds my fingers in a natural position, and I don't have to lift the mouse up at all so I don't have to use my wrist bones as a pivot for lifting nor for rotation. It's an arm-saver.

Which brings my to how it relates to yoga.

When we do downward dog, we might tend to put a lot of pressure to the outside edge of our hands, rotating then out to a more "natural" resting position. The thing is, downward dog, for all that we call it a "resting" position, is a pause in our flow, not an actual position of muscular "rest" especially for our arms and hands.

We need to root through the index finger and thumb to draw the medial (thumb in this position) side of the hand down and root through their knuckles to prevent putting all the upper body weight on that little bone, the pisiform, and the little finger carpal and metacarpal.

The action of hugging the elbows under the body, externally rotating the shoulders to activate the latissimus dorsi should stabilize the arms and shoulders. In contrast to this action we need to root through the whole hand, creating pressure under the fingertips to activate energy across the whole hand (as if it's a foot) and support the bones in the wrist, the elbow joint and alignment all the way  the front off the body.

The wrists should have an open angle, with tops of the hands more than 90 degrees away from the forearms (oblique angle) which is hard for those that have tighter chest or shoulder muscles. So, using an ergonomic enhancement helps prevent the wear and tear, or perhaps "down-dog-itis."  Lifting the wrists is key! A block under each hand will elevate the floor, making the forward folding less difficult.


Position the hands in the middle or further up on the block (not at the closest side - the wrists should never bend sharply more than 90 degrees), with fingers and thumb gripping over the edges,  to give the hand muscles more opportunity to activate and helps prevent the outward roll and lifting of the thumb and index finger. There are many other types of props that can help accomplish this, like the yoga "eggs" or even wedges, but everyone should find the thing that suits their practice. Even a folded edge of a mat with fingers off the far edge.

So, whether it's a desktop or a mat-top, good body positioning habits can be very hand-y.