Radio School in Minnesota in 1944 - Telegraph operator

Radio School in Minnesota in 1944 - Telegraph Operator.

 I went to Minneapolis in 1944 to go to radio school and learn some things so I could get a better job. My Mother went with me and my friend Myrtle Olson came along and she was going to find a job and I also needed a job so that I could support myself and go to school. 

   We went up on the train and then I think my Mother rented a hotel room and the next day we went down to the radio school and paid them the rest of the money and then we went out for a job search.  There were jobs all over town and my friend got a job at a defense plant running a machine and I go a job at at cafe  located at 6th and Hennepin right down town.  We then found a place to room at on the third floor of an apartment house.

     The room had a bed and a closet and a hot plate.  The bathroom was down on the second floor and the washing machine and iron was down in the basement.   Myrtle's job was at night and we did not see each other very often.  I went to radio school from 9 until 3 and then I came home and changed clothing and went to work at the cafe from 5 to 10 in the evening. I caught the street car home and the apartment was just a block from the street car line.

     The cafe work was quite interesting as it was located in the entertainment dist of Minneapolis.  There were movie theatres close and the men who ran the projectors would come in to get a bite to eat.  Upstairs was a bowling alley and the guys would come down a get a cup of coffee and sometimes pie a la mode.  I also had a couple of women who worked for the CNW railroad that would come in on their break and get a bite.  There were also people that worked on the newspapers that would come in. 

     I had a bartender that came in every night and ordered a chicken sandwich.  We always saved a piece of chicken for his sandwich.  The cafe was also a tobacco store and outside the cafe was a newstand.   I can still hear the man who owned the newstand saying  Extra Extra Read All About It.  He was of the Jewish faith and he ordered a milk shake with a raw egg in it.

     The cafe was close to the street car line that went to St Paul and so would get some people waiting for the street car and they would come in for coffee or cherry cokes and we also had ice cream and I made sundaes and milk shakes.  I also washed the dishes as they came off the counter.

     I went to a movie one time with friends and Duke Ellington had a show there.  Think it cost about 50 cents.  Minimum wage at that time was 40 cents an hour.  I could live on what I made at that part time job and was able to save about 40 collars in 9 weeks. We would some times get on the street car and go over to St Paul as it cost about 15 cents.  We would get a transfer ticket and ride all over on Sunday afternoon and see the sights.

     I left Minneapolis the first part of October as had secured a job on The Santa Fe Railroad. I had learned to type much better at the school and also learned how to use a teletype machine which came in hand on the railroad.

They also taught us radio theory and I got my amature radio licence.  We had to go to St Paul to get that at a court house.  Never did use it but that was one of the requirements and we had to pass that test.

     Was an interesting time in my life and helped prepare me for the business world.

My thoughts on the 1918 Flu.....

My parents were alive when the 1918 flu hit near the small village of  Ellendale Minnesota.  I do not believe that they had the flu but a lot of the neighboring  farmers did have it..  I was born in 1927 and people were still talking about it when I was young.

     Dr  Erytl was the Doctor living in Ellendale at that time and he was a young man.  Bear in mind that in 1928 people were not using cars and it was the dead of winter.

 Dr  Erytl would start out in the morning with his horse and sled and he would stop at every farm that had a case of the flu.  There was very little medicine at that time and some of the farmers developed pneumonia.  The Doctor would stop by every day and cup the farmers on their backs to loosen the congestion.  When he had finished his rounds he would tie the reins up and go to sleep and the horse would carry him home.  Then he was up the next morning doing the same thing.  He did not lose one patient. 

     The same thing happened in 1936 to my sister Daisy.  She developed pneumonia at the age of 17.  I was 8 years old and my little brother Richard was about 6 months old.  My folks sent me over to my sister Dorothy who was married and richard and I stayed with Dorothy until Daisy was well.  She ran a 105 fever for a long time and she said Dr Erytle cupped her on the back to loosen the congestion.

     When I went to work for the railroad in 1944 the telegraph operator who were working in 1918 said that they sometimes had to work around the clock as so many people were sick.  The ones that were well stayed in the depot and the dispatcher would tell them to take off and go to sleep and he would call them when he needed them. 

We are facing a worse case now and we need to isolate ourselves as best we can. 

The Winter of 1936

The Winter of 36

I was 8 years old in 1936 and I want to tell you some things about that winter.  My oldest  sister Dorothy was married on Dec 28 1935 and that memory stays in my mind after all these years.

We had lost our farm located 3 miles west of Geneva Minnesota  in 1935 and so we were forced to move and rent a farm about 10 miles from where I was born.

That winter we had an unusual amount of snow in Minnesota and my brother Don and I had a ½ mile hike to school.  Don had to break the snow drifts ahead of us as he was 12 and I was 8 years old.  We also skied to schools some days.  We had skies that fastened over our overshoes and we just kind of walked them to school over the snow.

That winter my sister Daisy contacted pneumonia and ran a fever of 105 degrees for quite some time.  The Doctor came out from Ellendale and cupped her on the back every day and he came with a horse and sleigh as they could not get the roads plowed out until we had another storm.

My little brother Dick who was 6 months old and I went over to my sister Dorothys and spent 6 weeks while my Mother was taking care of Daisy.  I missed that much school but did not seem to hurt me any.

Dick was a good baby and I remember teasing him a little and he would get so mad.  He knew I was fooling with him and he was so small.

My brother Lawrence and a neighbor boy and girl went to High School in Geneva and they had to go in a sled driven by one horse.  They parked the sled and hose in a livery stable in Geneva and then had to come on back home.  It was about 3 miles to Geneva and they had one teacher that taught all the subjects.  The students had to go to High School the last year in Ellendale to graduate by state law.

We moved to 2 miles south of Hope Minn in March and the neighbors came with their sleds and horses and moved us.  They had to dig out the last quarter mile so that the Model A Ford could get through.  I remember my Mother holding the mantle to the Alladin lamp in her hand all the way to Hope.

Don and I then started school in our local district and when the spring thaw came about it was another mess.  My Dad met us down by the creek one day and the water was running over the road.  He told Don and I to walk back to the railroad tracks and come through the field.  We had to walk the barb wire fence for about 10 feet as there was quite a bit of water in that field.

We started in the new school and did all right.  I think Lawrence walked across another field and caught the bus into Ellendale.  He was in 10th grade at that time.  The next year my dad bought a Model A Ford and the boys drove to Ellendale and took about 5 other young people going to High School.

That was a very different time and people cooperated more and helped out more with their neighbors than they do now..

Getting to High School in the 20's and 30's (yes, that is 1920s and 1930s folks)

Getting to High School in the 20’s and 30’s

My sister Dorothy  was born in 1930 and she started grade school 3 miles west of Geneva when she was 5 years old.  She would have started High School in 1926.  We lived 5 miles from the nearest High School which was located in Ellendale Minnesota.  So my folks paid Arthur Muri  five dollars a month so that Dorothy  could stay in town and go to High School.  She did help around the house  and would come home on week ends.  I supposed my Dad drove the Model T Ford in and got her on Saturday and they probably did the shopping then.  I do not know if they took the horse and buggy to get her when the weather was bad or if they used the sled and horses in the winter time.  But they probably did as they were still using the sled and horses to go to town when I was a small child in the thirties.  

Dorothy did not get to finish High School as my Mother had TB and she had to leave in her Junior year and come home and take care of the rest of us children  as my Mother went to the TB sanitorium when I was two and a half years old.

My sister Daisy was born in 1918 and she would go to the same grade school and then she would have started High School in  1932.  She did not go to Ellendale for the first 3 years as they had a High School in Geneva which was 3 miles from our farm.  She did not stay at home either and she lived with a Jensen family on a farm about one half mile from the Geneva school.  I do not know what my Father paid them for keeping Daisy but suppose about five dollars a month.  My Mother was home from the TB sanitorium at that time.  

Daisy had to finish her last year at the High School in Ellendale and I do not remember ifshe stayed with some one in Ellendale or if the school bus came close enough to the house that she could catch it.  Geneva just had one teacher and he taught  Latin and English and all the math courses for students for 3 years and then they had to go to Ellendale to get their diploma.  I think that the state had test to see if you had passed your subjects.  Daisy graduated from Ellendale in 1936.

Lawrence  started High School in 1934 and he also went to Geneva for 2 years.  I think he must have either driven the Model T to school or rode horseback when the weather was good.  I do remember in 1936 that he and the oldest Paulson boy and May Vogt took the horse and sled to school in 1936 when we had such a terrible winter and lots of snow.  We moved in 1936 to a farm 2 miles south of Hope and Lawrence and Daisy caught the school bus  across the filed about one half mile south of us. Daisy went an extra year to Ellendale and took the business courses offered at the High School in Ellendale   By that time we had a Model A Ford and I think in 1937 that they drove the car to Ellendale to School.

Don started High School along with Lawrence in 1937.  They drove the car to Ellendale and they took Helen and Violet Olson and Barbara Webb and Robert Bedney to school with them and I think they paid my Dad some money for doing that.  Lawrence graduated in 1938 and he was 4th highest in his class.  Daisy was 3rd highest in her class.

We moved in 1940 to a farm 5 miles south of Owatonna and Don stayed on the farm we left and worked there for 2 years so that he could finish school.  By that time the school bus came about one half mile from the farm and he caught the bus to school .  Donald also went to the school west of Geneva and then we had moved to the school south of Hope.  Don was in 8th grade and I was in 3rd grade when this happened . Don was born in 1923.

I started grade school in the school west of Geneva and we had to walk about a half mile to school.  My Dad lost the farm in 1936 and we moved to the rent farm 2 miles south of Hope.  So I got to start a new school. I started 4th grade the next year and the the teacher skipped me a grade as I was on the same reading level as the fifth graders.  In 8th grade we moved again to a farm 5 miles south of Owatonna and by that time in 1940  we had a New Plymouth car.  The school was located 2 and ½ miles from our house and so  the neighbors took turns taking the kids to school.   There were 7 kids in the car besides the driver. And I was the oldest one.  I probably held one of the younger ones on my lap.  I just went to that school for 3 months and then I was ready for High School.  My folks decided to send me to Ellendale for one year so I stayed with Iver and Dorothy and Warren and went home about once a month.   I caught the school bus right outside  from the house  and went into Ellendale to school.  The next year I went to Owatonna and Lawrence drove 3 of us to Owatonna  every 3 days.  Sometimes Elaine drove the car and we would disconnect the odometer and put some gas in and drive around during the noon hour.

The next 2 years I stayed with the Supt of our High School and did house work for my room and board.  Got to come home every two weeks.  I brought eggs in to sell to Mrs Burt and that was my spending money.  Think I took 3 dozen eggs back every two weeks.  Probably got fifty cents for the eggs.  My Mother had been a school teacher and my folks insisted we all get to High School and at that time we were rent farmers.  Many of the kids whose folks owned farms did not get to High School but my parents valued an education.

My brother Dick started school south of Owatonna and then he went to a school over by Meridan and then he went to Hope school and ended up in Willow river Minnesota where he was a star basketball player.  That is the way we got to school back in the dark ages.

Tall Grass Prarie, near Bartlesville Oklahoma. Telegraph Operator promotion.

Recently I made a trip to the tall grass prairie which starts about 40 miles from Ponca City Okla. A friend and I ate at the senior center in Kaw City Okla and then we drove east to Shidler Okla and north to just south of Foraker Okla.  

We went in the back way as usually you go through Pawhuska Okla to get to the reserve.  This reserve was started in about 1989 when the Barnard Ranch was sold for the reserve.  It was made so that the native grasses of the southern part of the flint Hills would be preserved.  Buffalo were also brought in to the reserve about this time.

     This year the rain has been plentiful and the grass is green all over Osage County.  The reserve starts about 7 miles east of Highway 18 just south of Foraker..In other words you go 7 miles before the reserve starts. There were numerous cattle in the pastures and also a lot of horses.  I think the ranchers are taking care of those horses for the government.  We saw a herd of buffalo going into the headquarters but they were not close to the road.

    We went to the headquarters and two docents were there and they did not have any other people looking that day.  We started talking and the man was related to the people that sold the ranch to the tall grass preserve in 1989. He said that they also had all or part of the Kings Ranch close to Corpus Christi Texas .  Then I started to tell him about how the cattle used to be shipped from many places in Texas to Osage county to be fattened for market.

     The first job I worked after being promoted to telegraph operator was the third trick operators job at Ralston Okla.  The trains came into Ralston from Texas via South Shawnee Okla which was a watering stop for the cattle as they had to be unloaded and watered every 36 hours.  The docent said the ranch in Osage county had a siding where they unloaded the cattle. The railroad had a branch line coming off the Santa Fe old second dist which connected with the main line that went into Tulsa.  This branch also went through Pawhuska and Bowring.  The railroad kept the stock trains off the main line which went from Arkansas City to Ft worth.  They cut off on the second dist from Pauls Valley Okla and then hit the main line again at Newkirk Okla.

   A little more about the stock rush.  In 1946 I was second trick operator at south Shawnee Okla during the stock rush and were we ever busy.  The Fort Worth relay office would send me consists of the trains and where the cattle were going and if they needed to be watered.  The section foreman would be called out and they would unload the cattle to be watered and then load them up again in the same stock car.  After the cattle were taken care of we would call the train crews get the orders ready and send them on the way through Cushing and up the second dist to Ralston or Arkansas City.  We had cattle on the  trains going into the flint hills in Kansas and some of the towns were Burden, Cassoday, Matfield Green, Cottonwood Falls and other stops in Kansas.

    Everything had to be organized so that there would be a crew ready to take these cattle to their destination, so it had to be coordinated by telegraph or message phone.

     Enough about that.  We toured the Ranch headquarters which had been nicely restored and then came on back and visited some more with the docents.

     We then left to go back home and the buffalo were close to the road and there were several calves.  they were close to a pond and some were in the pond.  I have lived in this part of the country for almost 70 years and it is more beautiful this August 2014 than at any time that I can remember.

     Osage County is at the southern end of the flint Hills and I understand that there is no other place like it on earth.  The Flint Hills cover a large amount of ground in south central Kansas and I would encourage you to take a good look at them if you are ever in this part of the United States.

Hot Flashes, Menopause and Yoga

Are you having hot flashes? Heart palpitations? Maybe yoga can help. I know I'm going to start doing this sequence as recommended by De-Stress Yoga with Mimi, and from "The Women's Book of Yoga & Health" by Linda Sparrowe and Patricia Walden, to help me with my issues. Here are the sequences.

1. Bound Angle Pose (Seated Butterfly). May be upon a block or folded blanket. This pose increases circulation to your abdomen and pelvis, toning and improving function in your reproductive organs. Stay in the pose about a minute.
2. Wide-Angle Seated Pose I (Seated Letter "V" Legs). Legs wide apart, flex feet, may be upon a block or folded blanket. This pose helps increase circulation to your pelvis, stimulate and improve circulation to your ovaries, and lift and tone your uterus. Stay in the pose about a minute.
3. Head on Knee Pose. Seated, bring right leg to the inside of the left leg, hinge forward, optional place chair at the end of the right leg, hinge forward, placing forearms on the seat of a chair. Stay in the pose 1-2 minutes, switch sides. This pose helps revitalize your adrenal glands, which can help mitigate hot flashes.
4. Wide-Angle Standing Forward Bend. Standing, bring feet wide, hinge forward, with a blanket folded place your head upon the blanket as you hang upside down. Stay in the pose one minute. Great inversion! This pose helps calm your mind and relieve the stress that can cause hot flashes.
5. Downward Facing Dog. With a folded blanket or block to rest your head upon. Try this pose to relieve anxiety, tone and relax your nervous system, and to relieve hot flashes.
6. Headstand. Only do this one, if it is already a part of your practice and you can so the headstand safely. This pose helps stimulate blood flow to your brain. Many women find standing on their heads helps relieve hot flashes. Do this one caution, especially if you already have neck or back problems.
7. Shoulderstand. Only do this one if it is already a part of your practice.Caution, if you suffer neck or back problems, skip this one. This pose is calming and soothing for your nervous system and excellent for relieving hot flashes.
8. Half-Plough pose. Again, with caution, and no, if you have neck/back issues. This pose helops calm anxiety and nervousness and relieve hot flashes.
9. Bridge Pose with a bolster/folded blanket under the back and hips, and a bolster/folded blanket underneath the feet. This pose is great if you're trying to cool down your hot flashes and re-balance your thyroid and parathyroid glands.
10. Reclined Butterfly (Reclined Bound Angle Pose). Bolsters underneath the low back, running up the spine and past the head. Optionally binding the legs with a yoga strap. This pose is comforting, cooling, and supporting when you have hot flashes.
    
11. Legs Up the Wall Pose. If you experience a jittery feeling with your hot flashes, this pose may be all you need to feel more balanced and in control. Remain in this position, breathing normally for 3 to 5 minutes.
12. Corpse Pose. Final Relaxation. Close your eyes and let everything relax. Visualize heat rising up and out of you with every breath you take. An eyebag draped over your eyes will help quiet external distractions. Remain in this pose for 10 minutes, breathing normally.

1. Bound Angle pose (Butter fly) - Rachel my second oldest.

2. Wide Angle Seated Pose I - Grace my youngest.

3. Seated Forward Bend with a chair.

4. Wide-Angle Standing Forward Bend.
With a block or pillow/blanket to actively rest your head

5. Downward Facing Dog.

7. Shoulderstand in its
traditional format. Can be done
with a chair

8. Half Plough Pose. Can be done
with chairs/bolsters.

9. Bridge Pose. With Bolsters
underneath the hips/legs and feet

10. Reclined Butterfly Pose

11. Legs Up the Wall Pose

12. Corpse Pose.

Yoga for MS, Tuesdays at 10 a.m. at Wesley UMC/Nederland Texas

Adaptive Chair Yoga for MS at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3515 Helena Avenue, Nederland, Texas 77627. Sponsored by the National MS Society, free for attendees and their support people. 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

OM in the Heart of Texas - Texas Yoga Conference 2010

Texas Yoga Conference
Unity Church, 2929 Unity Drive, Houston, TX
February 19-21, 2010

I'm excited about attending

• Freedom Yoga with Carrie Garrett
• Cultivating Extreme with Robert Boustany
• Functional Yoga for Athletes with Julie Downey
• Tracie Brace's Five Effective Qualities of a Yoga Teacher
• Hips, Knees, Ankles & Toes Lotus Workshop with Ricky Tran
• Yoga for Seniors with Gudran Danburg
• Also, Rainbow Kids & Family Yoga with Gopala Yaffe Amir
• and then either American Power Yoga or Anusara Yoga....can't decide

Yoga Kit for Kids -- Cards, Music and Booklet

Yoga Kit for Kids. A set of cards, Music for Yoga in two tracks of 20 minutes. A handbook telling about the poses, the benefit of yoga for kids. This Kit is setup for one to take to a school environment.

I tell you, Grace and I had fun with this. Can't believe she is only 3 years and 10 months old. Take a look!




Here is grace doing Shark Pose (like in the yoga card demo).

And another in Frog Pose...

Then another in Lion.....

And here are a few other poses that Grace enjoyed!!

Butterfly, Candle, Cat, Fish, Cat with raised leg, Flower, but looks like Turtle and Down Dog!

Discover how to: lose weight, eliminate your stress, increase your flexibility, build your strength through Yoga with Gaileee

Discover how to: lose weight, eliminate your stress, increase your flexibility, build your strength using Yoga

• Help you lose weight: Many forms of yoga raise the heart rate into the aerobic range. But you don’t need to exert yourself to lose weight with yoga. Some studies show even gentle yoga and breathing techniques rev up your tired metabolism so you can lose weight.
  
  
  
  A study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle linked yoga and weight loss. This study of over 15,000 men and women showed people who did yoga lost weight while the control group gained weight.
  
  
  Another study presented last year at the America Heart Association found yoga helped overweight high school students lose weight while the control group gained weight.
  
  And the famed Dr. Dean Ornish encourages his patients to practice yoga to help ensure weight loss. When you do yoga and make it part of your lifestyle, you’ll soon discover it’s power for weight loss.
  
  Yoga helps you to lose the weight in varied ways. It helps you build muscle mass. When you increase your muscle mass, you boost your resting metabolism -- and that makes your body burn more calories. You strengthen your body from tip to toe with a regular practice. The thyroid gland normalizes your weight without you having to be in the gym 4-6 days a week. There are a number of factors involved in the normalizing of the weight. Some of the poses in a practice stimulate sluggish glands to increase their hormonal secretions. The thyroid gland, especially, has a big effect on our weight because it affects body metabolism.
  
  Yoga goes even deeper by changing the relationship of mind to body, and eventually to food and eating which can have tremendous impact on weight loss.
  
  
  
• Eliminate your stress: Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body. By encouraging relaxation, you help on lowering your levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is the chemical that is linked to increased belly fat. Big bellies are linked to insulin resistance-a precursor to Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes - and heart disease. By combating stress, yoga helps to normalize cortisol levels and keep belly fat to a minimum.
  
  Related benefits include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system as well as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and insomnia. Your lung capacity will improve, and so will the quality and depth of the breath. People who practice on a regular basis, will notice that they will have less upper respiratory infections, this is thought to be because of the quality of your breath one practices in a yoga practice.
  
• Improve your flexibility: Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement and reducing aches and pains. Many people can’t touch their toes during their first yoga class. Gradually they begin to use the correct muscles. Over time, the ligaments, tendons and muscles lengthen, increasing elasticity, making more poses possible. Yoga also helps to improve body alignment resulting in and helping to relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems. Many people think that they need to be flexible or need to be able to touch their toes to do yoga. Not so! You come to yoga with however your body is at the moment, and with working through your practice, work towards a more flexible body!
  
  
• Build your strength: Yoga postures use every muscle in the body, helping to increase strength literally from head to toe. When I restarting taking yoga about 8 years ago, I could only do one pushup. After being in a regular practice for three months, I could at the end of those three months do 19 pushups! I was truely amazed at this feat, and was hooked on yoga from that point on.
  
  While the different poses in a practice can strengthen the body, they also provide an additional benefit of helping to relieve muscular tension. Lots of people have upper body tension, due to being at a desk or car or at the computer for a lot of the day. Coming to a session, helps to build the upper body strength, and to relieve tension being held in the body, so you get benefit of increasing strength and easing body tension.
  

Remember, you don't have to be flexible, or in shape to do yoga. If you can breathe you can do some form of yoga. The more out of shape that you are, the more you'll see immediate results in a regular practice.

Please join me in a gentle beginning yoga class. What happens in a class is for the first time, you'll register and sign in, I'll discuss with you any body issues that you may have (back, carpel tunnel syndrome, balance, surgeries, high blood pressure, etc.), Class is typically 60 minutes in length. Each class will begin with warm-up and stretching. The warm-up is then followed by focused breathing, then a series of poses that gently work the entire body. After the exercises there is a period of physical and mental relaxation and reflection.

Participants do not need any prior experience (I love beginners!!) to attend. All skill levels are welcomed. You may borrow a yoga mat, but I encourage you to purchase a yoga mat of your own. Blankets, blocks, straps are provided for you to use during your practice.

Where? At Wesley United Methodist Church in Nederland, Texas on Monday & Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. and childcare is provided (with 24 hour notice please). More questions? Please email YogaWithGaileee@gmail.com or call at 409.727.3177.

Start or Re-Start your Yoga Practice --- It Does a Body GOOD!

Count on Yoga. Looking for a reason to start practicing (or restart your practice)?

1. Flex Time.

Improved flexibility is one of the most obvious benefits of yoga. During your first class, you probably won't be able to touch your toes, never mind do a back bend. But if you stick with it, you'll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. You'll probably notice that aches and pains start to disappear. That's no coincidence. Tight hips can strain the knee joint due to improper alignment of the thigh and shinbones. Tight hamstrings can lead to a flattening of the lumbar spine, which can cause back pain. And inflexibility in muscles and connective tissues, such as fascia and ligaments, can cause poor posture.

2. Bone Zone.

It's well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. Many postures in yoga require that you lift your own weight. And some, like Downward- and Upward-Facing Dog, help strengthen the arm bones, which are particularly vulnerable to osteoporosis fractures. In an unpublished study conducted at California State University, Los Angeles, yoga practice increased bone density in the vertrebrae. Yoga's ability to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol may help keep calcium in the bones.

3. Worry Thwarts.

Yoga lowers cortisol levels. If that doesn't sound like much, consider these facts. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If your cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. Plus, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. In rats, high cortisol levels lead to what researchers call "food-seeking behavior" (the kind that drives you to eat when you're upset, angry, or stressed). The body takes those extra calories and distributes them as fat in the abdomen, contributing to weight gain and the risk of diabetes and heart attack.

4. Breathing Room.

Yogis tend to take fewer breaths of greater volume, which is both calming and more efficient. A 1998 study published in The Lancet taught a yogic technique known as "complete breathing" to people with lung problems due to congestive heart failure. After one month, their average respiratory rate decreased from 13.4 breaths per minute to 7.6. Meanwhile, their exercise capacity increased significantly, as did the oxygen saturation of their blood. In addition, yoga has been shown to improve various measures of lung function, including the maximum volume of the breath and the efficiency of the exhalation.

5. Pain Drain.

Yoga can ease your pain. According to several studies, yoga postures (asana), meditiation, or a combination of the two, reduced pain in people with arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic conditions. When you relieve your pain, your mood improves, you're more inclined to be active, and you don't need as much medication.

6. Connective Tissue.

As you read all the ways yoga improves your health, you probably notice a lot of overlap. That's because they are intensely interwoven. Change your posture and you change the way you breathe. Change your breathing and you change you nervous system. This is one of the great lessons of yoga: Everything is connected - your hipbone to your anklebone, you to your community, your community to the world. Such interconnection is vital to yoga. This holistic system simultaneously taps into many mechanisms that have self-perpetuating and even multiplicative effects. Synergy may be the most important way of all that yoga heals.

7. Joint Account.

Each time you practice yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by "squeezing and soaking" areas of cartilage that normally aren't used. Joint cartilage is like sponge; it receives fresh nutrients only when its fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without proper sustenance, neglected cartilage can eventually wear out like worn-out brake pads, exposing the underlying bone.

8. Flow Chart.

Yoga gets your blood flowing. More specifically, the relaxation exercises you learn in yoga can help your circulation, especially in your hands and feet. Yoga also gets more oxygen to your cells, which function better as a result. Twisting poses are thought to wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. Inverted poses, such as Down Ward Facing Dog, Standing Straddle Splits, Headstand, Handstand and Shoulderstand, encourages venous blood from the legs and pelvis to flow back to the heart, where it can be pumped to the lungs to be freshly oxygenated. Yoga also boosts levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the tissues. And it thins the blood by making platelets less sticky and by cutting the level of clot-promoting proteins in the blood. This can lead to a decrease in heart attacks and strokes since blood clots are often the cause of these killers.

9. Heart Start.

When you regularly get your heart rate into the aerobic range, you can lower your risk of heart attack and relieve depression. While not all yoga is aerobic, if you do it vigorously or take flow or Ashtanga classes, it can boost your heart rate into the aerobic range. But even yoga exercises that don't get your heart rate up that high can improve cardiovascular conditioning. Studies have found that yoga practice lowers the resting heart rate, increases endurance, and can improve your maximum uptake of oxygen during exercise - all reflections of improving aerobic conditioning.

10. Strength Test.

Strong muscles do more than look good. They also protect us from such conditions as arthritis and back pain, and help prevent falls. And when you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you just lifted weights, you might build strength at the expense of flexibility.

11. Spinal Rap.

Spinal disks - the shock absorbers between the vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves - crave movement. That's the only way they get their nutrients. If you've got a well-balanced asana practice with plently of backbends, forward bends, and twists, you'll help keep your disks supple.

12. Standing Orders.

Your head is like a bowling ball - big, round, and heavy. When it's balanced directly over an erect spine, it take much less work for your neck and back muscles to support it. Move it several inches forward, however, and you start to strain those muscles. Hold up that forward-leaning bowling ball for 8 or 12 hours a day and it's no wonder you're tired. And fatigue might not be your only problem. Poor posture can cause back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems. As you slump, your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.

13. Sugar Show.

Yoga lowers blood sugar and LDL ("bad") cholesterol and boosts HDL ("good") cholesterol. In people wit diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss, and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. Get your blood sugar levels down, and you decrease your risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure and blindness.

14. Space Place.

Regularly practicing yoga increases proprioception (the ability to feel what your body is doing and where it is in space) and improves balance. People with bad posture or dysfunctional movement patterns usually have poor proprioception, which has been linked to knee problems and back pain. Better balance could mean fewer falls. For the elderly, this translates into more independence and delayed admission to a nursing home or never entering one at all.

15. Loose Limbs.

Do you ever notice yourself holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip or scrunching your face when staring at a computer screen? These unconscious habits can lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue, and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, which can increase stress and worsen your mood. As you practice yoga, you begin to notice where you hold tension: It might be in your tongue, your eyes, or the muscles of your face and neck. If you simple tune in and pay more attention to these areas, you may be able to relieve some tension.

To see all 38 ways yoga can improve your health and well-being click on over to the Yoga Journal Website. http://www.yogajournal.com/health/1634

Gentle Beginning Yoga at Wesley United Methodist Church in Nederland, Texas, 3515 Helena Avenue on Monday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Come early if it is your first time! See you in 2010!

Dr. Oz's Seven Minute Yoga Workout

So what exactly is Dr Oz's 7 minute Yoga plan? Here is the youtube demonstration and then, I've listed the yoga pose breakdown of what he is doing!
Enjoy your seven minutes! Gaileee

Dr. Oz's Seven-Minute Workout

---

Celebrity Trainer, Joel Harper (Come help me Mr. Harper!) and Dr Oz on their Seven Minute Yoga Plan.

• Deep Inhale and Exhale Breath
• Mountain
• Forward Fold
• Plank, one left leg lift, then 10 push ups
• Updog (Cobra)
• Down Dog
• Three Legged Dog - Left Leg
• Swing Left Leg into Warrior I
• Transition into Warrior II
• Windmill arms to floor, into Pyramid Pose
• Move from Pyramid Pose into Triangle Pose
• Square the body into Airplane Pose, arms out to the sides of the body
• Back to Plank, one right leg lift, then 10 push ups
• Updog (Cobra)
• Down Dog
• Three Legged Dog - Right Leg
• Swing Right Leg into Warrior I
• Transition into Warrior II
• Windmill arms to floor into Pyramid Pose
• Move body into Triangle
• Square the hips into Airplane Pose
• Back to Plank, left leg lift, then 10 push ups
• Updog (Cobra)
• Down Dog
• Three Legged Dog - Left Leg
• Warrior I
• Warrior III
• Standing Splits
• Transition into Half Balanced Moon
• Forward Fold
• Then back to Plank, Right Leg lift, with a set of 10 push ups
• Updog (Cobra)
• Down Dog
• Three Legged Dog with Right Leg
• Swing leg into Warrior I
• Shift into Warrior III
• Standing Splits
• Transition into Half Balanced Moon
• Forward Fold
• Back to Plank, Left Leg lift into 10 push ups
• Updog (Cobra)
• Down Dog
• From Down Dog, bring legs to floor easy seated, then immediately transition to
• Boat Pose, alternatively, do 20 jack knives (a Pilates move)
• Boat again,
• Cross arms, lower extended legs to hover the floor, along with upper back /chest hovering for 10 breaths.

The ending comment was to "Get to work!" along with Joel Harpers website of www.fitpackdvd.com

Enjoy!
Gaileee

Yoga Classes by Gaileee

Yoga Classes from Gaileee - 2010 - Find Upward Bliss with Downward Dog
New Yoga Class Schedule Starting January 2010

• Mondays at 6:30 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3515 Helena Avenue, Nederland, Texas. Gentle Beginning Yoga. Excellent for easing back pain, losing weight, building strength and balance. $5 for Members (Methodists), $8 for non-members.
• Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. at Port Arthur YMCA. Hatha Flow Yoga Class. Beginners Welcomed! Free for members, $10 drop in fee. Mention Gail Pickens-Barger to attend the class.
• Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3515 Helena Avenue, Nederland, Texas. Gentle Beginning Yoga. Excellent for easing back pain, losing weight, building strength and balance. $5 for Members (Methodists), $8 for non-members.
  

Dr. Oz's comments about realistic resolutions and Yoga!

Dr. Oz has some realistic resolution comments, I'd like to share, but particularly, the comments about yoga.....

2. Do seven minutes of yoga a day. “I tell most folks that if you haven’t tried it, at least do one class of yoga to understand what it’s about,” Dr. Oz said. “The most important thing about yoga isn’t about how loose you are. It’s not about showing off how you can get into pretzel-like poses. It’s about focusing on the breath while you get into those poses and the relaxed state of mind that goes into it.” Dr. Oz said he commits to just seven minutes of yoga each morning that includes a variation on the sun salutation, a flowing series of 12 poses. He adds 20 push-ups between each stage and ends with jackknife sit-ups. “It centers me and allows me to loosen my limbs up so I don’t have nagging small injuries,” he said. “Most people aren’t brazen enough to admit they can’t carve out seven minutes in their schedule.”

Here is the link to the rest of the article.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/29/realistic-resolutions-from-dr-oz/

See you on Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3515 Helena Avenue, Nederland, Texas for Gentle Beginning Yoga!

Yoga in America-Study by Yoga Journal

Yoga in America - study by Yoga Journal
The number of people practicing yoga in the US has reached nearly 16 million and is expected to continue to grow steadily.

The latest "Yoga in America" study, just released by Yoga Journal, shows that Americans spend $5.7 billon a year on yoga classes and products, including equipment, clothing, vacations and media (DVDs, videos, books and magazines). This figure represents an increase of 87 percent - almost doubled compared to the previous study in 2004.

Yoga Journal also reported that the2008 study indicates taht 15.8 million people, or 6.9 percent of the US population, practice yoga. Of current non-practioners, nearly 8%, or 18.3 million Americans, say they are very or extremely interested in yoga. And 4.1 % of non-practioners, or about 9.4 million people, say they will definitely try yoga within the next year.

The study also collected data on age, gender and other demographic factors:

* 72.2% are women, 27.8% are men.
* 40.6 % are 18 to 34 years old; 41% are 35 to 54; and 18.4% are over 55.
* 28.4% have practiced yoga for one year or less; 21.4% have practiced for one to two years; 25.6% have practiced two to five years; and 24.6% have practiced more than five years.
* 71.4% are college educated; 27% have postgraduate degrees.
* 44% of yogis have household incomes of $75,000 or more; 24% have more than $100,000.

The 2008 study indicated that almost have (49.4%) of current practitioners started practicing yoga to improve their overall health. In the 2003 study, that number was 5.6%. And they are continuing to practice for the same reason. According to the 2008 study, 52% are motivated to practice yoga to improve their overall health. In 2003, that number was 5.2%.

"Yoga is no longer simply a singular pursuit but a lifestyle choice and an established part of our health and cultural landscape," says Bill Harper, publisher of Yoga Journal. "People come to yoga and stick with it because they want to live healthier lives."

One significant trend to emerge from the study is the use of yoga as medical therapy. According to the study, 6.1% of nearly 14 million Americans, say that a doctor or therapist has recommended yoga to them. In addition, nearly half (45%) of all adults agree that yoga would be beneficial if they were undergoing treatment for a medical condition.

And what about those Baby Boomers?

In just a couple of years, according to recent statisitcs, the number of Baby Boomers-aged adults participating in yoga classes increased by three million. Attend a yoga class and you'll find that it's not exclusively populated by younger women. Older women-and many older men-are also attending yoga classes.

According to the National Institutes of Health, yoga:

* Improves mood and sense of well-being
* Counteracts stress
* Reduces heart rate and blood pressure
* Increases lung capacity
* Improves muscle relaxation and body composition
* Helps with conditions such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia
* Improves overall physical fitness, strength, and flexility
* Positively affect levels of certain brain or blood chemicals

"Yoga as medicine represents the next great yoga wave," says Kaitlin Quistgaard, editor in chief of Yoga Journal. "In the next few years, we will be seeing a lot more yoga in health care settings and more yoga recommended by the medical community as new research shows that yoga is a valuable therapeutic tool for many health conditions."

The Yoga Diet from Body and Soul Magazine - A Martha Stewart Company

As we get into the "over-eating" season, ponder this article from the latest Body & Soul Magazine from the Martha Stewart Company (who herself is an avid yoga practioner).

The Yoga Diet.

Taking up yoga could help reshape your eating habits, which may help you lose weight. In a Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study (see my side bar for the entire article on the research), of 303 adults who were physically active, researchers found a link between doing yoga and eating mindfully: yoga practicing participants reported focusing only on their food while eating, for instance, or ceasing to eat once they felt satisfied. No such link was found among those who did other forms of exercise.

"Since yoga heightens your awareness of your body in general, it makes sense that it would hlep you to pay more attention to your eating patterns and appetite", says J. Adam Rindtleisch, M.D., of the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Clinic. Many other mind-body methods--including meditation and tai chi--can also deepen your body awareness and motivate you to eat more consciously he adds. Those practices can also reduce stress, which could help you savor your food rather than frantically speed through each meal.

For a head start on becoming a calmer, more mindful eater, take a moment before your meal to breathe deeply and offer gratitude for your food. As you eat, tune into the sensations you experience with every bite. "When you're aware of how each morsel of food affects you." says Rindfleisch, "you're more likely to feel full not only physically, but also mentally." - E. B.

10 Best Yoga Poses for Women An Article on Yoga from the Women's Health Magazine

And now a interesting article from the Women's Health Magazine.

Start yoga, stop snacking

It's no news that yogis are typically hotties. (okay, well they aren't talking about me....) But science is showing there's more behind the enviable yoga butt than chair pose.

A study in August's issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that people who practice yoga regularly also eat more mindfully. That essentially means they eat when they're hungry (as opposed to sad, stressed, or bored), focus on their food while eating (instead of the TV or Web browser), and stop when they're full. The study showed that these habits are also associated with a lower BMI (Body Mass Index).

Similarly researchers in Australia published results of a study that showed a home yoga practice reduced the severity of binge eating disorder.

Try this sequence

10 Best Yoga Poses for Women - Practice these 10 poses in this order at least 3 times a week for optimal overall health.

Child's Pose
Stretches hips, quads, back

Downward Facing Dog
Stretches spine, hamstrings, glutes, calves; strengthens deltoids, triceps

Warrior II
Stretches hips, inner thighs, chest; strengthens quadriceps, abdomen, shoulders

Plank Pose (Modified Plank shown- full plank, knees lifted)
Strengthens arms, back, shoulders, core, quadriceps

Fierce Pose (otherwise known as "Chair Pose")
Stretches spine; strengthens quadriceps, ankles, back

Tree Pose
Stretches hips, inner thighs; strengthens legs, spine, core

Garland Pose (Sumo Squat - Mongolian Style!) - Not shown
Stretches low back, groin, hips, ankles

Boat Pose
Strengthens core, psoas, quadriceps

Bridge Pose
Stretches front of body; strengthens hamstrings, glutes

Half Lord of the Fishes
Stretches hips, shoulders, back, neck; strengthens spine

Neti Pot vs the Flu. What shall I do?

A friend of mine posted this, and I thought it was worth sharing!

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS, DRM, DNB (Intensivist and
Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has
worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Saifee
Hospital, Tata Memorial etc.

Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department
and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad
(W). The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot
of sense and is important for all of you to know.

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and
mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost
impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all
precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much a problem as
proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any
symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation,
aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some
very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official
communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock
N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or sleep).
3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. Drink as much warm liquids as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
   

Here is what Dr. Oz recently said...

"Nasal cleansing using a well-designed Neti pot can help you:

• Clear your nasal passages
  
• Remove excess mucus
  
• Reduce dust and pollen by cleansing nasal passages
  
• Relieve nasal dryness
  

Further, Dr. Oz said in an interview with Healthy Living Magazine:

“When you use it [a Neti pot] properly, it reduces dust and other contaminants in the nose, and it’s a very effective way to clean the sinuses. Modern studies are showing that it’s as effective as drugs for preventing sinus infections. Regular use of a neti pot is also hugely beneficial for people with nasal allergies and headaches. It just takes all the gelatinous goo out of there.

What a lot of people don’t know is that the sinuses are linked closely to lung health. The sinuses are a major source of nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide opens things up: the blood vessels, the airways. When we intubate a patient through the nose, we always worry about how that will affect their breathing -- because it can reduce the lungs’ content of nitric oxide. So, it follows that keeping the sinuses healthy also keeps the lungs full of fresh, clean air.”

Gaileee