From Stress to Bliss

by Shubhra Krishan

Stress, said a wise man, is the common cold of the psyche. How true! Only, while the common cold strikes twice – or at the most, thrice – a year, stress has become a constant presence in our minds and bodies.

How deeply stress has penetrated our psyches is evident when you consider this image. Imagine yourself standing eyeball to red eyeball with a giant Rottweiller dog.

Psychology tells us that in life-and-death moments like these, the body prepares for a “fight or flight” response. In just about thirty seconds of panic, look what happens to your body. Your palms tingle. Your hair stands on end. Your temples start to sweat. You break out in gooseflesh. Your spine shivers. Your eyes dilate. Your heartbeat quickens. Your blood pressure rises. Your stomach turns an angry red, and digestion switches off. Your bladder loosens. A prominent nerve stands out on your forehead. The blood drains from your face. Your body releases dozens of emergency chemicals to deal with the situation.

Now imagine something even more frightening. Imagine your mind trapped in this situation for a whole waking day. Hour after hour, day after day, year after year. Through your lifetime. The fight-or-flight developed as a sudden response to a life-threatening situation. Not a constant state of mind–and body. But unfortunately, that is just what is happening in the modern world.

How Ayurveda Looks at Stress
Ayurveda, the 5000-year-old system of healing that originated in India, advocates some very common-sense ways of dealing with stress. To treat stress, an Ayurvedic physician, known as a vaidya (literal translation: one who knows), will first try to get to the root cause of your stress. This he will do by asking you questions about your diet, sleep habits and general lifestyle. Vaidyas are trained in pulse diagnosis – just one minute of silently holding your wrist, and they can glean a wealth of information about the inside story of your body, and mind.

Though vaidyas recommend stress-busting measures based on your individual body-type (Ayurveda believes that every individual is a unique combination of three doshas or body types: Vata, Pitta and Kapha), there are some general guidelines that will benefit just anyone, irrespective of body type.

Start Your Day Right
Even if you are terribly rushed, don’t miss breakfast.

Don’t go Hungry
As always, thin is in, and stout is out. But in your zeal to shed weight, don’t go empty-stomach. A hungry body leads to all sorts of problems: disturbed digestion, restless sleep, mental fatigue. In fact, eating your meals on time is a must, say Ayurvedic text-books. Stress does slow down the digestive fires, but if you persist in your efforts to keep to regular meal-times, your system will be back on track. Lunch, say vaidyas, should be the main meal of the day, for that is when the body’s digestive fires are at their peak.

Work Toward a Good Night’s Sleep
Sleeping on time every night is perhaps the biggest favor you can do yourself, say Ayurvedic physicians. When you give yourself eight full hours of rest and rejuvenation, you set the body’s natural clock in harmony, regulating digestion and allowing the heart and the mind to function at full efficiency. If you are a late sleeper, try shifting your bedtime half an hour earlier each night, until you begin sleeping before 10:00pm. Shift gears into calming activities as bedtime draws near. One good indication that you are getting your full quota of rest: you should feel hungry enough to want a good breakfast.

Heal Your Heart
Ayurveda believes that humans actually have two hearts: the physical heart that works as a pump, and the emotional heart that feels joy and sorrow. For holistic heart health, it is very important to look after both hearts.

Reconnect with Yourself
Just twenty minutes, twice a day, snap your connection with the outside world and tune in to yourself. This is a major part of holistic healing the Ayurveda way. Transcendental Meditation in particular, the relaxation technique introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, has been found to be extremely effective in healing stress and leading people to realize their full physical, mental and spiritual potential. Do whatever works for you, but yes, do find a few minutes to get in touch with yourself. Within days, you will find yourself going from stress to bliss.

Moderation is the Key
Avoid anything in excess, advise vaidyas. Eat well, but not too much.  Realize that exercise is essential for a healthy heart and a more resilient body, but they wouldn’t want you to overdo it. Use up only half of your total energy and conserve the rest. This concept is called “balaardh” (bal: strength, aardh: half of ) in Ayurveda.

16 oz / 450g extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry

3 medium cloves garlic
scant 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 small/medium shallots
3 small serrano peppers, minced – optional
1 bunch (about 4 handfuls) of cilantro, stems trimmed
1 teaspoon natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3/4 cup / 180 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, then cook the soba noodles per package instructions, being mindful to not overcook them. Drain, run under cold water for a minute, shake of as much extra water as possible, then toss well with the olive oil. Gently work the olive oil through the noodles. Place the soba in a large plastic bag and refrigerate overnight, or until you’re ready to use them – up to a few days.

Make the dressing using a mortar and pestle OR a food processor. I used the m&p which takes a while (and provides quite the arm workout), but I prefer the end result. Pound the garlic and salt into a paste, then work in the shallots one at a time, then the peppers. Then the cilantro a handful at a time. The mixture should be quite smooth. Add the sugar, then the lime juice before stirring in the olive oil a bit at a time. Taste and adjust the flavors if need be – more salt, sugar, lime juice, etc. using the processor? Just blend it all together, then tweak the flavors a bit if needed.

Cut the tofu into slabs (see photo), rub gently with olive oil and place on a medium-hot grill. Cook until golden brown on one side, flip, and grill the other side as well.

To assemble, toss the soba noodles with a good amount of the dressing, reserving enough to drizzle generously on top of the tofu. Place the tofu on top of the noodles, and drizzle with more dressing.

1.  Emphasize foods that require little to no cooking like fresh fruits & vegetables, cold salads , nuts and seeds.

 2.  Get inspired by raw foodists – people who live a lifestyle where most, sometimes all, of their food is uncooked or not warmed above 115 degrees.  Why?  All raw foods contain enzymes, the energy of food, that are important in the process of digestion and absorption of nutrients.  Over heating and over cooking foods destroys these enzymes, preventing your body from getting the maximum benefit from the foods you eat.  There are many websites online where you can learn more about the importance of raw foods and find recipes.

 3.  When cooking indoors, cook during the coolest part of the day : early morning and at night.  If you need to cook during the day cook foods that are quick, like steamed veggies, and make a large batch so you don’t have to cook again.

 4.  Cook foods outdoors on the grill, or use your cast iron pots/pans as you would indoors.

 5.  Invest in a toaster oven: they are smaller and generate less heat.

 6.  Use your blender for smoothies, blender drinks, popsicles, and raw soups.

 7.  Learn how to ferment foods.  buy the book, wild fermentation: the flavor, nutrition and craft of live culture foods, sandor ellix katz.

“I can garden now pain free. I have learned how to actually move my shoulders down!” 

“Personable, enthusiastic, helpful instructors…a great place to learn Pilates.  It’s been a life saver for me!” 

“I can touch my toes easily now and sit cross-legged without pain. I am more flexible than I have been in 15 years. I love Pilates and the instructors and physical therapists here are wonderfully supportive!”

It is hearing experiences like these that give us inspiration and motivation.  All of us working at All Wellness feel that what we offer (Physical Therapy, Pilates, Yoga, and Health Counseling) can help people find greater ease and enjoyment in life, at any
stage of health or illness.  We dedicate ourselves on a daily basis to serving our community holistically, and we therefore offer many different approaches to experiencing wellness and vitality.    If you have come to our studio before, we would love to hear about your experience—the things that you have appreciated and also any places that you feel could be improved.  If you are new to All Wellness, we welcome you and hope you enjoy the process of deepening the connection to your own center.

This recipe is from Cooking Close to Home by Diane Imrie & Richard Jarmusz.

Arica Bronz, Lena Cannizzaro & Laura Savard

As some of you know, All Wellness celebrated its two year birthday last week.  It has been quite a whirlwind for the three of us, as new business owners.  It seems the moment you get one thing figured out, the next challenge is standing there to greet you.  I’m learning to not only ride the waves of challenge, but to expect them, and perhaps even to embrace them as I know they will bring me to a place of deeper understanding and growth.

One of my great joys in owning this business is coming to work and being greeted enthusiastically by you, our clients, who are eager to experience the ever-deepening exploration of physical therapy, pilates, yoga, and nutritional counseling.  Watching bodies, minds, and hearts transform inspires and uplifts me, and I feel honored to share in this journey. 

 Thanks to all for a great 2 years—here’s to many more!

Watch our new video about core stabilization on Facebook!

What is the so-called “Core”?

Over the past 11 years, while training to become a Physical Therapist, working as a Physical Therapist, and more recently as I have built upon my knowledge of teaching Pilates, my definition of  The Core has evolved, as has my amusement with the term.  What is the core?  It sounds so finite; so strong.

In recent years, the core has been thought of synonymously with the abdominals, namely the rectus abdominus – those longed-for 6-pack abs.  The truth is, the core is a group of muscles which, when strong, can’t even be seen on the outside of a person’s body.  Core conditioning and training involves many muscles that not only help to prevent back, shoulder, and neck injuries, but help aid in the overall function of the body.  The purpose of core strengthening is to give the trunk, including the spine, pelvis, shoulder girdle, and hips the support and stability it requires during movements of the extremities.

The core muscles include:

Transversus abdominus – this muscle is the deepest abdominal muscle and acts a corset to support the spine.

External and internal obliques -  these help with rotation and flexion of the spine.

Multifidus – tiny muscles which connect from one vertebrae and attach on the 2^nd or 3^rd vertebrae below. A stabilizing muscle, when the spine is fixed, and muscles that extend and rotate the spine when the spine is in motion.

Gluteals: maximus,  medius, and minimus - these are those targeted muscles during our lovely sidelying exercises! The medius and minimus particularly help to stabilize the pelvis during gait. If these muscles are strong, they can also help to stabilize flat feet (low arches) and knees.

Adductors –  inner thighs.

Lower trapezius, Middle trapezius, Latissimus Dorsi, Diaphragm

As a physical therapist, I document core training as trunk stabilization, lumbopelvic stabilization, or scapular stabilization.  The exercises are about stabilizing the spine statically and dynamically, which will allow for increased efficiency of energy expenditure, efficiency of movement, and distribution of forces throughout the joints.

So, the next time you say, or hear someone say, “I want/need to strengthen my core,” consider asking what that means to them—you better believe I will!

Cleansing can be more fun in a group.

Much of the nutritional counseling I do is one-one one, but lately I have been running a group cleanse (started 4/6 and ending 5/4), based off a book called Clean, by Dr. Alejandro Junger. The book is mainly about how toxicity builds up in the body through the foods we eat (i.e. Unhealthy foods, chemicals, artificial crap) and through our environment (external world and the things we put on our body).

It’s important to cleanse the body of these things periodically. The book takes you through a 3 week program to help you do this. Basically you have two liquid meals and one solid meal a day, with your solid meal at lunch. You cut out wheat, gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine, some fruits high in sugar, and a few veggies (nightshades – tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers).

I have a group of about 15 people – including myself, Lena, and another staff member – on this cleanse. Ages range from 24 – 70!

Tonight at 7:15 the group is getting to do a conference call with Dr. Junger! He’ll be speaking about the cleansing process and we’ll have a Q&A.

Dr. Junger’s website is a good source of information.

There is more to health and nutrition than just garlic. Learn the essentials this weekend at the Vermont Women's Expo.

Yes! It’s simple and not even too risqué. It’s the Vermont Women’s Expo at the Sheraton. Health Counselor Laura M. Savard, of All Wellness in Burlington, presents “The Seven Essentials of Health And Nutrition” at Noon, April 10th at the Sheraton in Burlington.

Good nutrition is a key to good health. Learn more at the VT Women's Expo.

Laura Savard a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City is a certified holistic health counselor. Her focus is whole foods nutrition.

In her seminar, you’ll learn that health involves discovering what nourishes us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Topics will include: learning what it means to eat a whole foods diet, the importance of learning to eat intuitively and listening to your body, getting rid of that sense of restriction and guilt, and giving attention to the other aspects of your life that impact your health.

Walk away with tools, new recipes, and inspiration!