I have been so impressed with those who are fighting the battle so I thought to share this data. It highlights the fact that it is prevalent among our girl friends, sisters, nieces, aunts, mothers and grandmothers – all women are affected. We are touched by their healing process made possible through early detection. We are the caretakers always giving – but we can only give if we take care of ourselves too. Showing up to yoga class is not a luxury one has to feel guilty about. Caring for yourself translates to caring for others. The recharging and renewal is what makes us, women, recognize the divine light within, enabling us to share and give the gift of life and love:
Q. Estimated number of new cases of breast cancer in the US in 2012?
A. 226,870
Q. Number of women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime?
A. 1 in 8.
Q. The overall five-year relative survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer today?
A. 89%
Q. Estimated number of deaths from breast cancer in 2012?
A. 39,510
Q. Percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer that is herediatary?
A. 5% to 10%
For me, the last Q&A is a surprise. It is not the genes but lifestyle choices that makes the difference. It is believed that practice of yoga can aide in prevention as well as in recovery. Saw this booth at Wanderlust Yoga Festival – was thrilled to see this kind of education.
(date source: Breastcancer.org; National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health)
Back from Wanderlust with a yoga glow (or is it a sun burn? or both:)
all the while vibrations are still reverberating in my head almost “like billions of bees buzzing” to quote MC Yogi again.
To get the idea of the significance of the locale of Wanderlust, here’s an excerpt from Tahoe Social:
“World class athletes call Tahoe home, but so do thousands of outdoor enthusiasts who can’t wait to try something new. Here’s a question you can ask yourself in Tahoe: Mountains, meadows, lakes, beaches, rivers… where do I want to play today?
Have you seen the view from Mt. Tallac? Too steep? Then consider a beautiful walk through Kahle Meadows to the lake shore or an aerial tram ride to the top of Squaw Peak.
Is a paddle wheeler cruise your style, or do you want the adrenaline rush of water skiing? Truth is, the list of things to do in Lake Tahoe is nearly endless.”
***
The Lake is ringed by Sierra-Nevada mountains, tallest of which is Freel Peak, standing at almost 11,000 ft. in altitude. What a rush to practice in the midst of so much magnificence. You get the natural high from mother nature’s high peaks. To me, it’s the Himalayas of the American West. (The beauty is – you can still breathe up on the top unaided, with the best visibility of the Lake!)
Fun Facts:
Highest Peak in Sierra-Nevada mountains = 3,352 meters
Mount Fuji, Japan = 3,776 meters
Aconcagua, Andes = 6,961 meters
Himalayas (Mt. Everest) = 8,848 meters
“Just because I can’t do it today doesn’t mean I’m not going to be able to do it SOMEDAY…”
“Never underestimate what you can accomplish when you believe in yourself!”
A Pro wrestler turned yogi – espousing Yoga For Regular Guys, Diamond Dallas Page. Here’s one of his students, Arthur, the not so regular regular guy:
Arthur:There was a man with a MD behind his name… said that I should pretty much accept where I was at. That I will never walk normally again. At a certain point, I kind of accepted that which is the single biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my entire life. I let somebody else tell me what I couldn’t do.
So Boys and their parents – Yoga is not for girls only. Originally Yoga was intended for boys seeing that they had SO much energy and for some, unable to sit still. All that misdirected energy had to be harnessed positively and channeled to bring about calm so that they can focus better and think clearly with logic and reason. All this talk about ADHD, ADD – or aspergers syndrome these days as though it’s some modern day malaise – it’s nothing new. In the old days they were just called eccentric or full of curiosity and energy… rather than making these kids takes drugs, they should be allowed to try yoga or some form of body-mind-spirit therapy first. They can’t just sit around and play intense stimuli-rich computer games and expect to master focus and concentration! Get Authur or Diamond Dallas to teach them?
Today, looking around at the school aged children, there seems to be a misinformed notion among some that yoga is mostly for girls. Yoga, historically was intended for boys – girls were not even allowed to practice it, much less, teach it. It is said that first recorded yoga by a woman for women was Lady Niguma’s yoga from 1000 years ago and yoga has been around for about 5000 years…Books on philosophy and theories have been around for centuries prior, but it is said that Lady Niguma was apparently the first yogi to actually write down the asanas(poses) for record. I had to chuckle… of course, it takes a woman…apparently she took notes for record keeping to find what works for women( as her husband was a great yogi).
Today, we live in a modern enlightened world where Yoga is for both boys and girls, men and women, young and old, flexible or not, strong or not, healthy or not – to become stronger and healthier. It does not have to be looked at as an ultimate or as end-all. That is, for school aged boys (& girls already know this), it can be looked upon as performance enhancer (academic, sports, dance and more) & injury prevention for competitive sports, preparation and maintenance to stay in shape, injury, illness, surgery recovery, general wellness/fitness program and again, for mind & body awareness and self-knowledge to promote healthy lifestyle. It just lays the foundation you can build upon – It’s not about getting into pretzel poses and if you ever tried Ashtanga or Power yoga, it is not just relaxing and stretching (great benefits to that though). It’s sweaty tough fitness model with the spiritual element tucked in. It can be a very hard workout as any athlete would attest to! The reward at the end being the tension free body, tissues and veins relieved of tightness and blockages… Then comes the clarity of the mind. Some call it a rush of sorts, the natural way…
Plus Restorative yoga for renewal as recommended by Judith…Bliss.
This video is amazing – the power of the mind, the will… very inspirational.