By Lisa Collier Cool

May 07, 2013

 

Up to 80 percent of Americans are jeopardizing their health by failing to get the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of a mineral that protects against heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, and other dangerous disorders. In fact, this essential nutrient—required by every cell in your body—is so often overlooked that it’s been dubbed “the forgotten mineral.”

 

Skimping on this crucial mineral—magnesium—could actually be fatal, a new study suggests. The researchers checked the magnesium levels of 7,664 initially healthy people (using urine tests), then tracked the participants for an average of 10.5 years. Those with the lowest urinary levels of magnesium were 70 percent more likely to die from heart disease, compared to people with higher levels, even after other cardiovascular threats were taken into consideration.

 

The researchers report that low magnesium levels are an independent risk factor for heart disease, while a diet that’s rich in this vital mineral may be protective.

 

Yet most of us eat a dangerously unbalanced diet that’s too high in calcium and too low in magnesium, a combination that may actually boost risk for heart attacks and strokes, according to another new paper.

 

Low Magnesium & Heart Disease Risk

 

The paper, which analyzes decades of peer-reviewed science, reports that low magnesium levels—not cholesterol or saturated fat—is the leading predictor of heart disease. The paper argues that medical research took “an early wrong turn” by ignoring studies dating back to 1957 showing that lack of this essential mineral may actually cause plaque buildup in arteries.

 

“This means we have been chasing our tails all of these years going after cholesterol and the high saturated-fat diet, when the true culprit was and still is low magnesium,” study author Andrea Rosanoff, Ph.D., Director of Research & Science Information Outreach Center for Magnesium Education & Research, in Pahoa, Hawaii, contends in a statement.

 

“It should be obvious that cholesterol isn’t the cause, since heart disease remains the leading killer of Americans, despite two decades of statin use,” adds Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, author of The Magnesium Miracle (Ballantine Books). Indeed, a 2009 study of more than 136,000 people hospitalized for heart attacks found that nearly 75 percent of had LDL (bad) cholesterol levels considered normal under national guidelines, and close to half had “optimal” levels.

 

A Potentially Lifesaving Heart Attack Treatment

 

“Magnesium deficiency is the missing puzzle piece that explains why people with normal or optimal cholesterol—as well as those being treated with drugs to lower cholesterol—suffer heart attacks and strokes,” reports Dr. Dean.

 

“Not only is there very solid scientific evidence that magnesium helps prevent heart attacks, but there is also research showing that if one occurs, immediate treatment with magnesium can actually stop cell death and save lives,” Dr. Dean adds.

 

In a randomized study of 194 heart-attack patients, those treated with IV magnesium had one-fourth the in-hospital death rate compared to those who received a placebo, and also had lower rates of irregular heartbeats and congestive heart failure. A follow-up study by the same researchers also found that five years later, nearly twice as many in the placebo group had died from heart disease or other causes and those who survive had higher rates of impaired heart function.

 

Magnesium Helps Protect Against Chronic Disease

 

Magnesium plays a key role in more than 300 biological functions of the human body. It helps maintain healthy muscle and nerve function, supports the immune system, keeps bones strong, and aids regulation of blood sugar levels and blood pressure, reports the NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS).

 

Potential health benefits of magnesium include:

 

Reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, according to data from very large studies. That’s because magnesium plays a key role in carbohydrate metabolism and may influence the release and activity of insulin, according to ODS. Low levels of magnesium are common in diabetes and may also contribute to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the root cause of type 2 diabetes and implicated in 70 percent of heart attacks.

Protection against osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease that leads to fractures, deformity and disability in older people, particularly women. Several studies suggest that taking magnesium supplements may boost bone density.

Maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. A diet that’s high in fruits and vegetables, both of which are good sources of magnesium, has consistently been linked to lower blood pressure in large studies, including the well-known DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study.

Reduced risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). Several studies have tied higher levels of magnesium to lower risk for CAD—clogged arteries that can lead to a heart attack. There is also evidence that getting enough magnesium may help prevent stroke and heart arrhythmias.

How much magnesium do you need?

 

The RDA is 400 to 420 mg. daily for men, and 310 to 320 mg. daily for women. For pregnant women, the RDA rises to 350 to 400 mg. daily, according to MedlinePlus. In the UK, the RDA is 700 mg. daily, the amount that Dr. Dean recommends to her patients.

 

Foods that are rich in magnesium include leafy green vegetables like spinach and beans, fruits like bananas and apricots, peas, nuts, seeds, whole grains, soy products, and some types of mineral water.

 

It is extremely common for Americans to have low levels of magnesium because most don’t eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. These foods are also lower in the mineral than was the typical in the past, since today’s produce is often grown in magnesium-depleted soil.

 

What are the warning signs of deficiency?

 

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include chronic fatigue, weakness, insomnia, poor memory, mental fog, nausea, muscle cramps, tingling, and numbness. In more severe cases, people can experience seizures, abnormal heartbeats, and heart spasms.

 

Because these symptoms can overlap with those of other conditions, if you think you might be deficient, consult a healthcare provider, who can order tests to check your levels. Also talk to your provider before taking magnesium supplements, which can interact with certain medications.

 

If a supplement is advised, one type Dr. Dean recommends is magnesium citrate powder, such as Natural Calm (sold at most health food stores). However, the powder can have a laxative effect if you take too much at once, so she advises spreading the dosage through the day. If you prefer to take a pill, magnesium dimalate is available as a sustained release pill.

 

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.

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Enough Said…

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. Chicago Chiropractor

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The other day my friends kids and I were playing an educational game called Noun or Verb? During the game, my friends son noticed that some words could be both a noun and a verb like water, step and love. That was when we decided to think of as many noun-verbs as possible. After the kids went to bed, I started thinking about a phone call I had with a chiropractor in New Jersey last week where we had been discussing the definitions of many words, including the word health.

 

Most people define health mainly as the absence of some form of dis-ease. Darkness is not the presence of something, but it is in reality the absence of light energy. Coldness is not the presence of something, but the absence of heat energy. Similarly, any manifestation of dis-ease (whether pain, spam, inflammation, cancer or ANY other “illness”) is not the presence of something; it is simply the particular and specific way that a decrease in the expression of your Life Energy has shown up in your body.

 

Having now reviewed this idea with you, I would like to take it a step further. In school, you may have learned about the word homeostasis. This describes how our bodies are constantly adapting in order to deal with changes in our environment and keep functioning at a normal level. The word homeostasis can be misleading because of the “stasis” part. Stasis literally means to stay. But the definition talks about how we are constantly changing. The truth is that health is not the absence of something; in fact, it isn’t a physical state at all!

 

Health is the ability to adapt to most of the stresses you encounter each day and maintain your NATURAL state of EASE.

 

This discrepancy between the word homeostasis and its commonly accepted definition has led to one of the world’s biggest misconceptions about health; namely that it is actually possible to be either healthy or sick. The truth is that we are continually dealing with changes in our internal and external worlds, and we are never the same from one moment to the next.

 

The fact that we are changing in every single moment means that it is not possible to be either healthy or sick! The truth is that in every single moment, you are either getting stronger and moving toward health, wellness and wholeness; or you are getting weaker and moving away from them. And, in order to continually get stronger and move in the direction of health and the full expression of Life, you need three things;

 

1) A Deliberate Focus on moving toward what you want (as opposed to trying to move away from what you don’t want).

 

2) A Healthy Lifestyle that supplies all of your cells with everything they need to function properly, heal and continue growing.

 

3) A Clear Neurological CONNECTION between you and your body. Because your nerve system is surrounded by and intimately connected to your spine, it is necessary to keep your spine aligned and functioning properly to allow this clear neurological connection. This is the true purpose behind a program of regular chiropractic care – to keep you fully connected!

 

There is one more noun-verb that we need to look at in order to tie this all together; the word is LIFE. Most people believe that life is a noun – a thing; but the truth is that all of life is continually changing – Life is a verb! And, since all of life is constantly changing, and because health is a PART OF life, that means that HEALTH is also a verb! Make sure you are taking care of all three things necessary to keep moving toward the full expression of Life, and always be ready to express your Light. That way you’ll always be ready to write, direct and star in your own life story…lights…camera…ACTION!

 

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

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Probably one of the most common questions I get as a Chiropractor is the knuckle “cracking” causing arthritis question.  I remember my Uncle George telling me it didn’t and I believed my orthopedic surgeon God-father.  For others, even with the  popularity of this practice, most known knuckle crackers have probably been told by some expert—whose advice very likely began, “I’m not a doctor, but …”—that the behavior would lead to arthritis.  Scientific America has taken on this age old question very scientifically.  Enjoy! Dr. Steph

One M.D. convincingly put that amateur argument to rest with a study published back in 1998 in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism entitled “Does Knuckle Cracking Lead to Arthritis of the Fingers?” The work of sole author Donald Unger was back in the news in early October when he was honored as the recipient of this year’s Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine. The Igs, for the uninitiated, are presented annually on the eve of the real Nobel Prizes by the organization Improbable Research for “achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.” In Unger’s case, I thought about whether his protocol might be evidence that he is obsessive-compulsive. From his publication: “For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving those on the right as a control. Thus, the knuckles on the left were cracked at least 36,500 times, while those on the right cracked rarely and spontaneously.” Unger undertook his self and righteous research because, as he wrote, “During the author’s childhood, various renowned authorities (his mother, several aunts and, later, his mother-in-law [personal communication]) informed him that cracking his knuckles would lead to arthritis of the fingers.” He thus used a half-century “to test the accuracy of this hypothesis,” during which he could cleverly tell any unsolicited advice givers that the results weren’t in yet. Finally, after five decades, Unger analyzed his data set: “There was no arthritis in either hand, and no apparent differences between the two hands.” He concluded that “there is no apparent relationship between knuckle cracking and the subsequent development of arthritis of the fingers.” Evidence for whether the doctor himself was cracked may be that he traveled all the way from his California home to Harvard University to pick up his Ig Nobel Prize in person. Actually other scholarly studies of the phenomenon had been done. Responding to the Unger paper, Robert Swezey, M.D., wrote to the journal to report that his own 1975 study—co-authored by his then 12-year-old son in an apparent attempt to get the kid’s grandma to stop the kvetching over the cracking—also found no crack case for arthritis. Swezey further consulted Rand Corporation statistician John Adams, who noted that “it appears that the [Unger] study was not blinded. Blinding would only be possible if the investigator didn’t know left from right. This is not likely since studies indicate that only 31 percent of primary care physicians don’t know left from right.” The knuckle kerfuffle reminded me that Stanford University bone development expert David Kingsley got dragged into this field a few years back when his son’s fourth grade class asked him if cracking was bad for you. He challenged them to come up with ways to find out while he searched the medical literature. “One kid said that we could divide the room in half,” he recalled, “and some of us could really crack our knuckles a lot and the others couldn’t, and we could see whether we end up with arthritis—an intervention experiment. I said that this was a great idea. The only problem was that it might take 20 years.” Or even 50.

Crack Research: Good news about knuckle cracking.  One man’s long, noisy, asymmetrical adventure gets him a high five By Steve Mirsky  | December 15, 2009 | 30

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

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To learn more about how exercise affects the brain, scientists in Ireland recently asked a group of sedentary male college students to take part in a memory test followed by strenuous exercise.

First, the young men watched a rapid-fire lineup of photos with the faces and names of strangers. After a break, they tried to recall the names they had just seen as the photos again zipped across a computer screen.

Afterward, half of the students rode a stationary bicycle, at an increasingly strenuous pace, until they were exhausted. The others sat quietly for 30 minutes. Then both groups took the brain-teaser test again.

Notably, the exercised volunteers performed significantly better on the memory test than they had on their first try, while the volunteers who had rested did not improve.

Meanwhile, blood samples taken throughout the experiment offered a biological explanation for the boost in memory among the exercisers. Immediately after the strenuous activity, the cyclists had significantly higher levels of a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which is known to promote the health of nerve cells. The men who had sat quietly showed no comparable change in BDNF levels.

For some time, scientists have believed that BDNF helps explain why mental functioning appears to improve with exercise. However, they haven’t fully understood which parts of the brain are affected or how those effects influence thinking. The Irish study suggests that the increases in BDNF prompted by exercise may play a particular role in improving memory and recall.

Other new studies have reached similar conclusions, among both people and animals, young and old. In one interesting experiment published last month, Brazilian scientists found that after sedentary elderly rats ran for a mere five minutes or so several days a week for five weeks, a cascade of biochemical processes ignited in the memory center of their brains, culminating in increased production of BDNF molecules there. The old, exercised animals then performed almost as well as much younger rats on rodent memory tests.

Another animal study, this one performed by researchers in the Brain Injury Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and published in September in the journal Neuroscience, showed that if adult rats were allowed to run at will for a week, the memory center of their brains afterward contained more BDNF molecules than in sedentary rats, and teemed with a new population of precursor molecules that presumably would soon develop into fully functioning BDNF molecules.

Perhaps the most inspiring of the recent experiments is one involving aging human pilots. For the experiment, published last month in the journal Translational Psychiatry, scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine asked 144 experienced pilots ages 40 to 65 to operate a cockpit simulator three separate times over the course of two years.

For all of the pilots, performance declined somewhat as the years passed. A similar decline with age is common in all of us.

Many people find it more difficult to perform skilled tasks — driving an automobile, for instance – as they grow older, says Dr. Ahmad Salehi, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford and lead author of the study.

But in this case, the decline was especially striking among one particular group of men. These aging pilots carried a common genetic variation that is believed to reduce BDNF activity in their brains. The men with a genetic tendency toward lower BDNF levels seemed to lose their ability to perform complicated tasks at almost double the rate of the men without the variation.

While the pilot experiment wasn’t an exercise study, it does raise the question of whether strenuous exercise could slow such declines by raising BDNF levels, thereby salvaging our ability to perform skilled manual tasks well past middle age.

“So many studies have shown that exercise increases levels of BDNF,” says Dr. Salehi. While he notes that other growth factors and body chemicals are “upregulated” by exercise, he believes BDNF holds the most promise.

“The one factor that shows the fastest, most consistent and greatest response is BDNF,” he says. “It seems to be key to maintaining not just memory but skilled task performance.”

Dr. Salehi plans next to examine the exercise histories of the pilots, to see whether those with the gene variant, which is common among people of European or Asian backgrounds, respond differently to workouts.

In people who have the variant and less BDNF activity, “exercise is probably even more important,” he says. “But for everyone, the evidence is very, very strong that physical activity will increase BDNF levels and improve cognitive health.”

From NYT http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/how-exercise-benefits-the-brain/

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

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A quiet explosion of new research indicating that meditation can physically change the brain in astonishing ways has started to push into mainstream.

Several studies suggest that these changes through meditation can make you happier, less stressed — even nicer to other people. It can help you control your eating habits and even reduce chronic pain, all the while without taking prescription medication.

Meditation is an intimate and intense exercise that can be done solo or in a group, and one study showed that 20 million Americans say they practice meditation. It has been used to help treat addictions, to clear psoriasis and even to treat men with impotence.

The U.S. Marines are testing meditation to see if it makes more focused, effective warriors. Corporate executives at Google, General Mills, Target and Aetna Insurance, as well as students in some of the nation’s classrooms have used meditation.

Various celebrities also are known meditators, including shock jock Howard Stern, actors Richard Gere, Goldie Hawn and Heather Graham, and Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer of the band Weezer.

In one study, a research team from Massachusetts General Hospital looked at the brain scans of 16 people before and after they participated in an eight-week course in mindfulness meditation. The study, published in the January issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, concluded that after completing the course, parts of the participants’ brains associated with compassion and self-awareness grew, and parts associated with stress shrank.

Recently, the Dalai Lama granted permission for his monks, who are master mediators, to have their brains studied at the University of Wisconsin, one of the most high-tech brain labs in the world.

Richie Davidson, a PhD at the university, and his colleagues, led the study and said they were amazed by what they found in the monks’ brain activity read-outs. During meditation, electroencephalogram patterns increased and remains higher than the initial baseline taken from a non-meditative state.

But you don’t have to be a monk to benefit from meditation, which is now gaining acceptance in the field of medicine.

Physicians have increasingly started prescribing meditation instead of pills to benefit their patients. A Harvard Medical School report released in May found that more than 6 million Americans had been recommended meditation and other mind-body therapies by conventional health care providers.

Perhaps the most mind-bending potential benefit of meditation is that it will actually make practitioners nicer. Chuck Raison, a professor at Emory University, conducted a meditation study in which he hooked up microphones to participants who had been taught basic meditation and those who hadn’t. He then recorded them at random over a period of time. Raison found that these newly-trained mediators used less harsh language than people who had no meditation experience.

“They were more empathic with people,” Raison said. “They were spending more time with other people. They laugh more, you know, all those things. They didn’t use the word ‘I’ as much. They use the word ‘we’ more.”

However, even the Dalai Lama admitted that meditation is not the silver bullet cure-all for every ailment or emotion.

“Occasionally, [I] lose my temper,” he said. “If someone is never lose temper then perhaps that may come from outer space, real strange.”

The Dalai Lama also cautioned that meditation takes patience, so new mediators should not expect immediate results.

“The enlightenment not depend on rank,” he said, laughing. “It depends on practice.”

Some scientists believe that in a generation, Americans will see meditation as being as essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle as diet and exercise.

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

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Finding a daily routine to include yoga in your life isn’t always easy and excuses can sometimes prevent you from creating a healthy and habitual yoga routine. This article focuses on the ways to ensure that yoga becomes a daily routine for you that is both enjoyable and beneficial, and in particular, that fits in with your life rather than feeling like an enormous burden.

Short and simple should be your focus instead of not at all…

Steps

1

Set aside a regular time for yoga. Once you make a decision to do something, you’re telling yourself that it is going to happen. If you’re new to yoga, it may not be a practical idea to practice yoga daily, especially while you’re getting used to yoga in your life. Instead, aim for at least one practice a week outside your regular class (if you attend a class), and gradually increase the days you’re practicing until it becomes daily without you finding this a hurdle. As you become more aware of the philosophy behind yoga and find yourself more attuned to it, daily practice will soon become part of who you are; there is no point rushing this natural realization – as yoga instructor Christina Brown says: “First, it becomes habit; then it becomes a lifestyle; then it becomes who you are.”

Some people find that keeping to a routine of the same time and same place each day is most beneficial. Your mind and your body will associate that time and place with yoga sessions, which can serve as great internal motivation. Be sure to pick a time when you know there will be no interruptions or distractions, such as early in the morning or late at night. The best times to practice yoga are considered to be sunrise and sunset.

2

Be kind to yourself when you practice yoga. Go slowly, especially in the beginning, and listen to your body. It knows what it can do. If it says “stop,” then stop. Don’t push it. Yoga is not a competitive sport; indeed, if you feel that way about it, you will not progress. If you push too hard, you probably won’t enjoy it, and you may hurt yourself.

Whenever possible, work with a teacher, and use books, videos and websites to supplement your classroom instruction. Most of all, stick with it. If you practice, you will improve.

Choose routines that work for you now. If you try to do yoga positions before you’re ready or keen to do them, it’s likely that you’ll set yourself up for a fall. Keep in mind that a little done often is always best for you and your body and giving 15 minutes of your time a day soon adds up over a week. Eventually you’ll be able to do more difficult routines as time goes on.

3

Be regular, not rigorous. It is far better to practice a little on a regular basis than to push yourself into a long practice on an irregular basis. It doesn’t matter if you can’t do certain poses for now. Do the ones you can do; better still, do the poses you enjoy. Perfect those before moving on to the ones you experience more difficulty with. Remind yourself that it is better that you’re doing some yoga than none at all.

Avoid adopting a negative mindset in which you tell yourself you “can’t” do certain poses. You can, it just may take some time and you may need to practice a great deal on the build-up poses that lead in to the more difficult ones. Practice does help!

4

Prepare well for each yoga session. Part of the comfort factor of yoga will be derived from how you prepare for it. Ensure that you have comfortable clothing that allows for freedom of movement and leaves the abdominal area and ribcage free to expand; avoid tight clothing. Make the area where you are practicing comfortable as well. Lay down a sticky yoga mat or a folded blanket and have a cushion handy to support your neck if needed. Ensure that the practice space is warm and quiet but well ventilated.

Practice yoga on an empty stomach. This is the best time for yoga practice, and it is a good idea to allow the digestion of a meal to be done before practicing yoga, so leave 2-4 hours between your meal and yoga practice.[3][4] Yoga before breakfast is an ideal option.

If you feel hungry prior to a yoga practice, drink a little diluted fruit juice or warm milk with honey.[5]

If you feel the cold easily, have a blanket to cover yourself for the relaxation phase of your practice.

5

Study each posture. The practice of yoga exercises or Asanas can improve your health, increase your resistance strength, and develop your mental awareness. Doing the yoga poses requires you to study each pose and to execute it slowly as you control your body and your mind. Read widely online and in yoga books so that you can understand both the mechanics behind the poses and the philosophical underpinnings of yoga.

Maintain full awareness when practicing poses. It is far better to stay aware and take it slowly during a pose than to hurriedly proceed through a whole group of them without pausing to reflect.

When you’re starting out in yoga, choose the easier exercises indicated by your yoga book, DVD, or teacher. Find the ones that fit with your physique naturally and perfect the basic instructions before moving on to the more challenging ones.

6

Decide on your best starting position. This may change over time depending on what you’re most comfortable with but it is important to have a starting position that grounds you and prepares you for the rest of the yoga session. A starting position is best when it helps you to focus awareness on breathing and the body, helps strengthen your lower back and opens the groin and hips. Here’s an example:

Sit cross-legged with hands on knees. Focus on your breath. Keep your spine straight and push the sit bones down into the floor. Allow the knees to gently lower. If the knees rise above your hips, sit on a cushion or block. This will help support your back and hips. Take 5 to 10 slow, deep breaths. On the next inhale, raise your arms over your head. Exhale and bring your arms down slowly. Repeat 5-7 times.

7

Rest between poses. Again, nothing should be rushed in yoga, and resting in between poses gives you time for reflection and your body a chance to take a break. Keep all movements slow and breathe calmly.

8

Fit yoga into your daily life. As well as dedicated yoga time, practice small elements of yoga throughout the day where possible. There are yoga moves you can practice using your office chair, simply standing, or while waiting. Practice inhalation and exhalation exercises anywhere at anytime. Close your eyes and do a few minutes quiet reflection amid the busyness of everything else going on around you.

9

Expect gradual improvement, not miracles. Daily practice will start to flow through in evident changes in your life but it won’t happen immediately and sometimes you might feel things are not happening at all. Give it time and suddenly you will realize that your daily practice is beneficial and is having a positive impact on the rest of your day. The body is happiest with regular practice and will respond well to your daily efforts.

10

Balance your routine. As you get more used to yoga and you’re into the swing of daily practice, aim for a balance of yoga exercises. Yoga expert Christina Brown recommends including at least one exercise from each of the following categories:[6]

• A flowing activity that increases your awareness of breathing
• A standing posture
• A side stretch
• A forward bend
• A backbend
• A twist
• An abdominal strengthener
• A balance
• An inversion
• Another forward bend

Final relaxation (Pranayama and meditation). You can choose to spend as long as you like in this final step.

11

Remember that time is always on your side in yoga. The more you practice, the better you will get but at your pace, not any pace set by a training manual or coach. Yoga is a journey, not competition or expectation of achievement. The great thing about yoga is that you continue to improve through life, and age has nothing to do with ability in yoga. Indeed, practicing yoga daily into your senior years is a goal to aspire to as it will keep you fit, confident, strong, flexible, mentally and physically balanced, and self-disciplined.

Don’t make a huge issue out of missing a day here and there. It happens, just pick up from where you left off. Body memory is powerful, so let your body ease back into it without allowing your mind to infect it with anxiety over missed practices!

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

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