Resolutions

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I’ve had a few resolution free years.  Last year I deconstructed the whole process and rather than pre-determine resolutions on the last day of 2009, I took note throughout 2010 whenever I accomplished something that moved my life forward.  A good example is rising above my fear of driving with a solo road trip to Reno.  Abandoning my routine and everything familiar to spend two weeks at Yin Yoga Training is another example.  There were changes I wanted in my life that weren’t realized as well.  After several failed attempts I still do not have a regular meditation practice.  And I still haven’t managed to make climbing The Dish part of my fitness regime.

Nevertheless, I’ve always been a fan of setting resolutions.  They help me picture what I want my life to look like. And so, without further adieu, and for the whole world to see (which means I better manage to achieve at least one of them):

MIMM’S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2011

The Ridiculous Stuff that Means a More to Me than it Should:

Lose Ten Pounds.  Yes, this old chestnut is back.  I’ve been on a two-year-long Rumspringa that began the night of my fiftieth birthday celebrations in November 2008.  It’s time to return to the fold.

Join a Gym.  See above.

The Less Ridiculous Stuff

Remember that friends I can share a meal with and look in the eye are more important than Facebook friends. Sorry, Facebook friends…but really…who are we kidding?

Sing at an Open Mike Night.  As part of my continuing attempt to regain the confidence I lost during the disaster that was the years of 2006-2008, I want to re-acquaint myself with Fearless Mimm.

Remember that as much as I would like to be James Franco, earning multiple graduate degrees at multiple institutions of higher learning simultaneously – while holding down a full-time job – I am a mere mortal.  Seriously – the guy is a freak AND a geek:

“Franco reportedly has “an unusually high metabolism for productivity…a superhuman ability to focus”.[1] Dissatisfied with his career’s direction,[1] Franco reenrolled at UCLA in the fall of 2006 as an English major with a creative writing concentration. Having received permission to take as many as 30 course credits per quarter compared to the normal limit of 19[59] while continuing to act, he received his undergraduate degree in June 2008 with a GPA over 3.5.[59][1][60] For his degree, Franco prepared his departmental honors thesis as a novel under the supervision of Mona Simpson.[1][61] He moved to New York to simultaneously attend graduate school at Columbia University‘s MFA writing program, New York University‘s Tisch School of the Arts for filmmaking,[62][63][64][65] and Brooklyn College for fiction writing,[59] while occasionally commuting to North Carolina‘s Warren Wilson College for poetry.[1] As of 2010, Franco is a PhD student in English at Yale University[66] and will also attend the Rhode Island School of Design.[1]”

The Important Stuff

Submit to The Sun’s Reader’s Write.  Every month.  Without fail.

Remember:  Every word counts.  Set goals.  Submit queries.  Take a page from Barney Stinson’s notebook and believe in my own awesomeness.

Don’t say “yes” when your gut says “no”.  And remember there’s a difference between gut instinct and nausea from a bad shrimp.

Floss Daily…ok…try to floss a few times a week.

The Most Important Stuff

Contribute.

Teach.

Learn.

Give.

Be Gracious and Grateful.

Don’t Yell at Bicyclists that Run Stop Signs.

How to Give: Heifer International

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Irish Goat

Image via Wikipedia

I have the best clients.  In the world.  Ever.  Each and every single one is generous, compassionate, funny.  They all have fascinating life stories.  Many have been to war, some have handled life threatening illnesses with grace and humor and one even received a Congressional Gold Medal.  So to say that I am grateful they are in my life seems inadequate.  Let’s put it this way – they’ve taught me more than I’ve taught them.  I’ve learned how to share, how to tread lightly, how to rise above.  I’ve learned how to dream.  I’ve been encouraged, taken on adventures and, when I’ve felt out of my depth and overwhelmed, I’ve been comforted.

And today two of my clients gave me a goat.

They could have chosen water buffalo, camels, beehives or bunnies but settled on a little goat.  My Christmas goat will provide nourishment to a family in need. Some of her offspring will be given to other families in need, to offer them nourishment, too.  So my one special little goat is a true perpetual gift.

Until this morning I had never heard of Heifer International.  Established in 1944, the organization ‘has provided livestock and training in environmentally sound agriculture to those with genuine need.  Recipients also agree to Pass on the Gift of one or more of their animals’ offspring and training to others in need, creating an ever-widening circle of hope.’

You can find out more about Heifer International at www.heifer.org or by calling 1-800-422-0474.

 

Peri-menopause is Not for the Faint of Heart

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Looking back, I showed considerable restraint.

“Why don’t you just go to a doctor and get a pill?”

This coming from a man who has never been and is never going to be the poster child for good health.  Besides, what does a man know about it anyway?

Some women flush, some sweat.  Others deal with insomnia while some unfortunate souls juggle all three with swinging moods thrown in for good measure.  For me, peri-menopause – otherwise known as the “Transition” seems to be all about my mood.

Life was so simple just a few short years ago.  How I long for the time when I enjoyed seven simple days of general malaise followed by my flow – and the wonderfully manic high that followed as my hormones swung in the opposite direction.

But my formerly light yet lengthy pre-menstrual tension had, over the past twelve months, boiled itself down like an over-reduced sauce to forty-eight hours of mournful hell.   Seriously. You really did not want to be a bicyclist running a stop sign during those two days if I was on the road.

Yet my body had one more trick up its sleeve.  Just as I was growing accustomed to Mimm’s Evil Twin making an appearance every thirty-days she was traded in for a hormone storm of such ferocity that I could not fathom there would ever be an end.  I fell into Alice’s dark rabbit hole.  I fell and fell for days until a breakdown during my writer’s group (we’re talking mild hysteria, twitches and unstoppable tears) made it clear to me I needed help.  I was losing my peri-menopausal mind, and I wanted to find it again.

This is usually the moment when one of my wonderful, older clients chimes in with, “Menopause?  I sailed right through menopause.  Don’t even remember it.” Of course she doesn’t remember.  It was thirty years ago.  While she was peri-menopausal, the rest of the world was watching Dallas and trying to figure out who shot J.R.!

I guess the truth is, some women do ‘sail through’.  But not me.  It’s embarrassing.  I’m a yoga teacher, for Pete’s sake.  Things like a few hormone fluctuations shouldn’t bother me.  I wish. Even though I have a reasonable diet and a daily yoga practice I know that it will take more to manage my symptoms.  But hormone replacement therapy is a last resort.  For now, I have a three-point plan of attack:  acupuncture with Chinese herb chasers, Rolfing and, of course, Yoga.

I have another ten days before my hormones take a swing toward the dark side and so it is too soon to know if my complementary approach is useful.  I can tell you that, for now, the black mood is gone.  This post is proof that I’m writing again – I’m functioning.  But will I crumble again on December 20th?  I’m not planning on it, but the truth is I just don’t know.

 

And now, the disclaimer.  I’m single and childless and can indulge my whims.  If you’re suffering – see a doctor.

 

 

A Little Inspiration

During my evening round of procrastination – the one where I promise myself to pound out a thousand words before bed, I stumbled upon this great article on Huffington Post written by Susan Piver about teaching yoga.

And then, during this mornings round of procrastination – the one where I promise myself to pound out another thousand words before breakfast – I discovered an email from a friend linking me to yet another Huffington Post article about yoga.  This one is a video interview with 92-year-old  Tao Porchon-Lynch.  An amazing woman.

I know that while circumstances may change, I will always teach yoga.  I’m happy there are women in the world like Susan and Tao.  Their words and their practice lift me, inspire me.  They open my heart.

 

 

 

My Holiday Class Schedule

Here is an update of my class schedule for the holidays.

California Yoga Center

There is NO CLASS on Friday, November 26 from 9:00-10:00 AM.

There WILL be class on Christmas Eve, Friday, December 24 from 9:00-10:00AM

NEW YIN CLASS:  My Totally Yin Class will begin on Monday, January 3rd from 7:30 to 8:45.  Yin work takes the body through a series of floor postures that deeply stretch and release tight connective tissue.  Stronger than restorative work, Yin practice is mentally and physically challenging and yet profoundly settles the spirit.  A wonderful way to end the day.  This class is DONATION BASED. Normal drop in fee is $17 but, in the words of student Kellie McKeown, “I think the world would be a better place if more people got into Yin Yoga.” To that end, please, pay as little or as much as you can afford up to the amount of the standard drop-in.

Avenidas Senior Center

The 10-week Autumn Session has ended.  Registration for Winter Session begins the first week of December.  You can register in person or on-line.

There WILL BE Friday classes on December 3 at 10:30 and 11:45 to make-up for the classes missed in October.

The 10-week Winter Session begins Monday, January 3rd.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Adventures in Rolfing

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Time to man up.  Today is the day. Two hours from now I’ll be in Michael Murphy’s Los Altos office for my date with destiny. I based my thoughts on Rolfing in the post Healing Trauma on reports I’d read and anecdotal evidence.  Is that any way to write an informed blog?  Until today the closest I’ve come to being Rolfed has been watching this man play this instrument on television.

Kidding aside, I don’t know what to expect, and I’m more than a little nervous.

Twelve Hours Later

Here’s what I now know about Rolfing.

  • Each therapist is different.  Some keep the traditional “you must have ten treatments to be fully integrated” and some, like Michael, take the “two visits or ten, it’s done when it’s done” organic approach.  Veering from tradition does not concern me.  The Reiki technique I use no longer follows the traditional hand positions of my Usui lineage.  And my yoga teaching has certainly moved away from the strict alignment model I once adhered to.
  • It is not painful unless you want it to be.  We focused today’s treatment on two issues – the discomfort in my arms due to compressed nerves in my neck and a recent knee injury.  Sure, sometimes Michael manipulated areas with a firm pressure that was less than pleasant, but neither was it painful.  Strong, sharp or tender?  Maybe.  But not painful.
  • Rolfing may not be for the modest.  The session began with a postural assessment.  This involved a visual analysis of my spine and pelvis while I stood in my underwear. But Rolfers see plenty of bodies – I felt completely comfortable – this was no big deal.  It was made clear that I was the boss.  Besides, an experienced practitioner can make an assessment quickly.  In the future, though, I may try to get away with a sports bra and shorts.

What Does Rolfing Feel Like?

Michael did not use oils or creams.   There are no long, sweeping strokes.  Rolfing is more an intense and precise manipulation of the connective tissue.  There was pressing, squeezing, pushing and pulling, but no effleurage or petrissage.

How Did I Feel After the Treatment?

Alive.  I was surprised to feel a post-massage glow that is typical of more mellow treatments.  Rolfing is meant to structurally integrate the body and the spirit.  I’ll be the first to confess there is a gaping disconnect between my spiritual self and the Mimm I present to the world.  I’m guessing my spiritual side was happy to be out in the sunshine for a few hours.

How Do I Feel Now?

Tired.  Maybe a little achy.  It’s early on a Saturday night – not even half past nine – and yet I’ll be in bed as soon as this is posted.

Will I Do it Again?

Yes.  Absolutely.  Rolfing has a remarkable effect on the body.  And maybe – just maybe – it will have a remarkable effect on my spirit, too.  I’m off to bed – it’s been a big day.  A new day.

Pain is a Squeaky Wheel

As I was leading my Tuesday evening class towards Savasana I had a brilliant flash of unoriginal thought:  Pain is a spoiled brat – a squeaky wheel that rattles and drags and pokes until it has taken over. It’s the child constantly tugging at our shirt tails – distracting us and pulling us away from our authentic selves. Yep.  Pain – physical or emotional – is a brat.  It always wants to be the center of attention.

And there we are, giving pain permission to tap dance across our shoulders, pound on our lower back or punch it’s way through our digestive system. How can we say ‘no’?  After all, it’s always there – always shouting – always demanding attention.   (And I guess this is where I should clarify – I’m not talking about the pain of illness, symptoms of disease or broken limbs – anything that means a visit to our primary care physician or – God forbid – emergency room.)

Pain loves being center stage.  But I believe, within us all, there’s peace waiting in the wings. I believe that there is a place in our body that is tranquil and quiet.  Calm.  It makes no noise – it doesn’t squeak or make a show of itself like pain does.  Sadly, while we’re giving all our attention to pain, we turn our back on calm. If pain is the toddler tugging at our shirt tails then calm is the quiet child we forget exists.

We need to listen.  Not to the squeaky wheel – at least not all the time – but to the silence.

Let’s find some time this week for stillness – to find the place within that holds our ability to be centered, calm and tranquil. Let’s breathe in peace and create the clarity and balance we crave.

Everyone is different, but this is what works for me:

  • My place of calm is my solar plexus, the hollow just below my breastbone.
  • When I imagine my breath moving into that space – my heart center – perspective returns.
  • To see the breath moving more clearly I’ve given it a color (yellow).
  • As I breathe I visualize calm filling my entire body until there is no room for discomfort or anxiety.
  • Finally, I see my breath, in my mind’s eye, moving outside my body, wrapping around me like an aura, protecting me.

Paying it Forward and Other News

I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be teaching an evening Yin class at the California Yoga Center beginning Monday, January 3rd.

What makes me even more excited is that from January 3rd through February 21st the class will be donation based.  That means you – yes, you – pay what you can afford. The normal drop-in fee is $17, but if that is out of reach for you then you are welcome to contribute what you can, when you can.  Seriously.  No questions asked.

I have always wanted to teach a donation based class and I am grateful to California Yoga Center for allowing me to do so.  I’m also grateful to them for adding this Yin class to their solid Iyengar schedule.

If you’re unfamiliar with Yin you can out more about it here and here.

If you’ve never been to the California Yoga Center studio in downtown Palo Alto you can find out more about it here.

I hope to see you in January.

In Other News:

In between yoga classes, blog posts and weekly word count goals I still have a thriving massage practice.  My training is in Sports Massage, Holistic Massage and Reflexology.  I am also a Level III Reiki practitioner.  I combine these techniques to offer strong yet soothing work that calms the nervous system and facilitates deep relaxation.

I’m happy to announce that I am now offering Assisted Yin as part of my massage work.  Think of Assisted Yin as one part Thai massage, one part Shiatsu, two parts facilitated stretching. We work on the floor and you remain fully clothed.  While you relax I take your body through a series of deep stretches held for three to five minutes.  The treatment lasts between 45 minutes to an hour.  The technique moves through muscle fiber to stretch deeply into our connective tissue.  The effect is profoundly relaxing.  If you’re interested and are in the Palo Alto area, contact me at mimmp@mac.com.

And that’s all the news fit to print!

 

Dealing with Trauma

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Last night I had dinner with friends.  One was recovering from a bad motorbike accident a few days earlier that left him bruised, with several broken bones. My friend was particularly agitated because he had only just begun a new fitness regimen – and now all that hard word would be lost.  He was in pain, frustrated, impatient and determined to heal.

We discussed his options.  He understands muscle ‘memory’ and is concerned that ‘memories’ of the accident will make it difficult to regain the strength and flexibility he had prior to the accident.  My friend isn’t certain what sort of physical therapy he’ll have – he’s still waiting to find out if he’s going to have to undergo surgery – but he’s anxious to do whatever he can to encourage healing.  He wondered if body therapy in the form of Rolfing might be of benefit.

I had two bits of contrary advice:

Rest. Give the body time to process. The physical trauma is recent – only days old – and the body is still trying to figure out what happened.  That’s true on an emotional level as well.  When trauma occurs we need time – at least seventy-two hours, longer depending on the injury – for our physical body and our spirit to process what has happened and how our life might change.

Keep moving. The longer he stays still, the more time his connective tissue has to tighten.  So move.  Even a little.  And as silly as it sounds, the more you move, the more you’ll move.  (If you want to know more about connective tissue and why we must include a flexibility practice in our fitness regime watch The Fuzz Speech.)

My third bit of advice falls between the first two:

Multi-task. I told my friend that as soon as he can climb on a table, to book a massage appointment.  A soothing massage will rest the nervous system and manipulate the muscle fibers – it will increase circulation and help break up forming adhesions and scar tissue.

And Rolfing?

Funny enough, when I woke up this morning I saw an article posted on Facebook by my friend and Rolfer Michael Murphy.  You can read the article here.  And you can meet Michael here.

One paragraph stood out:

In that regard, he said he viewed the treatment as an extension of practices like yoga, which also offers relief without drugs. “Yoga is in many ways analogous to Rolfing because it takes tendons and it stretches them into a position of discomfort,” Dr. Oz said. “They’re just doing it for you without your doing it yourself.”

So true!  Especially considering practices that include a Yin or Assisted Yin element. Assisted Yin combines yoga with massage.  Think slow motion Thai Massage.  The practitioner supports the client in Yin derived positions for up to five minutes.  The effect is a profound stretching of the connective tissue that breaks up scar tissue, dissolves adhesions and deeply soothes the nervous system.  The work can be challenging but is not painful.

Disclaimer:  I’ve never been Rolfed.  I don’t have an informed opinion.  My ideas regarding Rolfing are based on anecdotal evidence. I have, however, experienced the trauma of being thrown twenty feet off my bicycle by a moving vehicle.  Would I want to be Rolfed after that?  No thank you. Still, Rolfing appears to be an intensely powerful experience – one that I think I’d like to try.  But as far as my friend is concerned, my advice is for him to wait until his bones have healed and the bruising is gone.  The best thing he can do right now is practice gentle, mindful patience.

Come On, Everyone, Get Happy!

I am getting tired of people confusing the hope and optimism I experience on a daily basis for naivety.  Seriously.  Get over it.  I can’t help myself.  I’m a happy person.  A few years ago I had a roommate who enjoyed calling me a ‘Pollyanna’ whenever I expressed any positive thoughts about – well – about pretty much anything. And then, over the weekend, my Mom said to me, “I was naïve like you are.  I trusted everybody.  I believed in love…but you can’t trust anyone.”

It must be very sad to wake up every morning believing there isn’t one soul in the whole wide world batting for you.

Listen, it’s not like I spend my days skipping through imaginary fields of flowers, the air filled with birdsong and woodland creatures gathering ‘round to bask in my glow of giddy positivity.  It’s not like that at all.

Anyone who’s been near me when I’m pre-menstrual knows I have a fierce snark streak.  Traveling companions know that I throw f-bombs at bicyclists who run stop signs (not directly at them, of course – I wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings). And don’t get me started on people who bring more than fourteen items to the Express Check-out line at the local Safeway.

Like everyone, my moods vary.  They can cover the gamut of the Seven Dwarfs in the time it takes you to watch an episode of the Big Bang Theory.  But underneath it all is the knowledge that everything will be all right.  This isn’t a ‘hope’ or a ‘wish’ – it’s a knowing.  I know.  Some people wear their bitterness and cynicism as if it’s something to be proud of.  But if I didn’t know there was good in the world – or the potential for joy in every moment – I would lose my mind.

Opening Your Heart

The truth is, while I believe it’s possible for individuals to have a predisposition toward being either preternaturally happy or melancholy, it’s yoga that elevates my mood and keeps it elevated.

Of course there are other mood enhancers, but why would we choose a cheap, processed sugar-filled meal over a fresh, organic feast?  The first might provide a fast high, but it’s inevitably followed by a mighty crash. A regular yoga practice sustains me.

Let’s Get Physical

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that the asanas in yoga have a physiological effect on our body.  We can feel the stretching and strengthening, the twisting and the rush of blood.   But the poses have an emotional effect as well.  For instance, forward bends tend to be calming while backbends are heart-opening energizers.  And that’s pretty much any forward bend or back bend.   As you might have guessed – I’m a big fan of the back bend.  My favorites?  Simple, supported poses that utilize props to protect the lower back:

How simple is this?  Nancy has used Three Minute Egg blocks to arch her spine and support her head.  But the same effect can be achieved with a bolster and pillow.  And you can see the lift in her chest as well as the way her shoulders open back.  Her legs are straight, but knees can remain bent or placed soles of the feet together in cobbler’s pose.  Come out of the pose when your body tells you to (although I wouldn’t hold the pose longer than ten minutes – but that’s just me).  Follow the pose with knees to chest.

Not only will opening the heart energize and enhance your mood, it will reverse the chronic rolling forward of shoulders computer work and driving encourages.

Go ahead – get happy.