Date: Fri 27-Nov-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

lunch-learn-Friedman-yoga

Full Text:

Stress, Yoga, And Meditation

(with photo)

BY JAN HOWARD

About 30 area residents learned helpful hints on how to manage stress during a

program November 17 at the Cyrenius W. Booth Library.

"Meditation and Yoga for the Elderly" was presented by Jody Friedman, BS, RN,

at the November 17 Lunch and Learn program sponsored by Ashlar of Newtown and

the library.

Mrs Friedman shared yoga practices and offered strategies for effective

meditation and how it can help manage stress.

She said yoga means union, the bringing together of the elements of the body,

mind and spirit.

Mrs Friedman helped program attendees identify the physical signs of stress

and how to respond to those signs. She demonstrated meditation and breathing

exercises to bring about the relaxation response.

She said while exercise is productive, "Exercise without the right focus is

just exercise." She explained that matching breathing with movement has a

profound effect on the mind.

"When we are able to match movement with breathing, it slows down the mind,"

she said, as well as all the thoughts and anxieties that are constantly going

through it.

"When your mind is thinking and worrying, it has an effect on blood pressure,

heart rate and muscle tightening," she said.

That is why many people have a hard time getting to sleep at night, she said.

"At night, when the environment quiets down, and you're slowing down

outwardly, you are hearing what you have been thinking about all day," she

said.

She said that is the time to relax your mind, "to train your mind on your

breathing" to get rid of that chattering you hear.

Mrs Friedman explained that babies breathe normally from their bellies.

"As adults we have to retrain ourselves to breath from the pelvis," she said.

As tension builds in us, breathing moves up in the body. At that point, she

said, "You are not using all your lungs.

"Notice what happens when you are angry," she said. Breathing becomes quick

and shallow.

She asked the program attendees to sit in their chairs, feet flat on the floor

and to close their eyes, bringing their attention to their breathing and where

the breathing originates.

She then led them in a deep breathing exercise, asking them to inhale a deep

breath through the nose and to release it through the mouth, "with a sigh."

She explained during the meditation they should focus on one thing at a time,

such as on their feet, how they feel as they rest on the floor, and then to

raise that focus to their hands resting on their laps.

"Place your attention there, what it feels like, the sensation of relaxed

hands and fingers resting on your lap," Mrs Friedman said.

She said during the exercise the mind will wander to some other activity, such

as a shopping list or chores that have to be done. "Notice where it has

wandered and bring your attention back to your hands.

"Take a deep breath, exhale with a sigh, and let the tension drain out," she

said.

She said significant things can happen when this exercise is done. Blood

pressure drops, the pulse rate slows down, and breathing becomes deep and

slow.

Certain medical conditions can be helped by this exercise, she said, including

digestive and pulmonary diseases.

"This is something you can do to help you live with your condition," she said.

Yoga, she explained, is being present with what you are doing, even if it's

doing dishes. Feeling the water on your hands, hearing the soft sound of the

dish cloth as it goes over the dishes, and the sound of the dish as you place

it on the counter can be a yogic moment, she said.

Yoga can help bring significance to relationships by allowing you to be fully

aware of that relationship in your life, she said.

"It brings a presence to a task and relationship," Mrs Friedman noted.

Yoga is most beneficial in the morning, she said. The objective is to work

with the mind, she noted. Stretches paired with the mind exercise opens up the

body and the day starts in a balanced fashion.

It can also be beneficial at night to prepare for sleep. It quiets the mind's

chatter of worry and concerns.

"When you focus on the sensation of stretching and breathing, you can't think

about those other things in your mind," she said.

"The body is a tool," Mrs Friedman said. "When you stretch, there is a

sensation. Focus on that sensation. There are layers of sensation in every

move you make."

She said these exercises help you live in a harmonious, balanced way inside.

"You must be balanced inside, and then you can bring it out," she concluded.

Mrs Friedman is a community health nurse with certification in

psychosynthesis, a holistic approach to the care of mind, body and spirit. She

teaches yoga, as well as the Success Over Stress Program throughout the

region.

The Lunch and Learn program is part of a free "Healthy at Any Age" seminar

series for mature adults about living and aging well.

The next program in the series will be "Eating Healthy During the Holidays" on

December 15 from noon to 2 pm.

A complimentary lunch is provided at noon. Pre-registration is necessary with

Hilda Lucia, Community Resources Manager, Ashlar of Newtown, 426-5847.