Community News
Amazing Yoga Benefits for Children

Just like adults, children live in a fast-paced world with many stressors and expectations. The practice of yoga helps to bring minds and bodies back into a place of harmony and balance. Children classes consist of more than just the physical yoga poses; they also incorporate yoga teachings and traditions in a safe and nurturing environment. Classes are taught in a non-competitive, playful, and vibrant way through games, storytelling, music, and guided visualization. Through yoga, children will physically develop skills such as flexibility, strength, body awareness, balance, and coordination. They will also grow mentally cultivating self-love and respect while learning self-calming and relaxation techniques through breath work, mindfulness, and meditation. All improving attention and behavioral regulation, enhancing self-confidence and social interaction. Through yoga, children become connected; mind and body strong.

Harmony Warrior Kids Yoga, harmonywarrior.com

Dimensions of Anxiety

Anxiety can have two faces; One helps us be cautious in an unsafe situation and the other that can be very crippling. Four personality traits can complicate and increase anxiety: Perfectionism, excessive need for approval, the tendency to ignore physical and psychological signs of stress and the excess need for control. These traits have likely developed in childhood through learned behaviour or developed out of a response to frequent criticisms, according to E.J. Bourne, Ph. D. in the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook. Anxiety can affect us mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. To enable us to grow and recover we have to reduce the physical reactions, eliminate avoidance behaviour and change the negative selftalk. This can be done by learning breathing techniques and expressing your feelings, re-connect on a spiritual level with meditation and by using assertive communication styles and healthy boundaries. Regular exercise and dietary changes can be extremely effective in reducing anxiety.

Patty Parsons, Counselling Therapist, ParsonsTherapy.com

Sitting is the New Smoking

You might have heard the phrase, “Sitting is the new smoking.” While it doesn’t quite have the same meaning, people say it to emphasize the harmful effects of sitting in a sedentary job all day. A sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of developing several serious illnesses like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Stuck in your cubicle? Stand up every 30-40 minutes. Take a 1-minute stroll around the office. Stretch your arms, legs, and back. It will promote blood flow and alleviate pressure on the lower back, which adds up over time and eventually leads to chronic back pain. And if you begin feeling symptoms (stiffness, soreness, pain), it’s a warning sign. Get an adjustment from your chiropractor regularly to help correct the problem and ease the pain, as well as for preventative maintenance. Early intervention and consistency of care are the two keys to a successful outcome and a happy life free of back pain.

Dr. Asim Ashique, CentralChiro.ca

Getting Through Cancer

Studies on MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs) have shown their efficacy in decreasing symptoms of stress, improving mood, sleep, and quality of life among cancer survivors and their partners. Learning meditation or mindfulness is sometimes not easy, however, and requires a lot of personal effort and practice. In this era, when we are accustomed to a quick fix, not many have the capacity or staying power to see lasting results especially when seriously ill or without the social support of a group. Brainwave Optimization is a technology that works to calm the brain down and helps with focus, so meditation and mindfulness are learned much easier. With its proven relaxation benefits, Brainwave Optimization can support the strength and courage needed to cope with the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment.

Joanne Couture, RMFT, RSW, LaLobaTraumaRelease.com

Craving or Clue?

How many rice cakes does it take to satisfy a chocolate craving? About 10 followed by a gigantic chocolate bar. What if cravings are clues that you have a need that’s not being met? That instead of chocolate what you really need is rest, pain relief or someone to talk to? A craving that doesn’t come from hunger can’t be satisfied with food. How to know if you’re hungry for a Mars Bar or a nap? 1. Become aware of a sudden and intense craving. 2. Be curious. What’s going on right now? How am I feeling? Am I actually hungry? How hungry am I? What is my real need here? It may very well be a Mars Bar, but you don’t really know until you ask yourself. If it is, savour it without guilt and congratulate yourself on the mindful decision for real self-care.

Lisa Kehler, OffYourPlateNutrition.ca

Roll Out The Pain

Foam-rolling helps to prepare your muscles for the stresses of physical activity. It is used as a warm-up tool, as well as for recovery. The pressure of bodyweight on the foam roller creates an increase in blood flow. This improved circulation allows all the necessary elements to travel to the area and help the muscle. It helps decrease muscle stiffness and helps break down adhesions and scar tissues that inhibit proper muscle function. It isn’t the most comfortable feeling while using it, but that is expected. You can roll the same muscle from a few different angles to ensure you touch each possible affected area, or you can remain stationary and just apply pressure on the muscle. You will want to spend at least twenty seconds on any one area, while sore or tight muscles will benefit from a few minutes of attention. This can all be safely performed before and following exercise.

Heath Vermette, CAT(C), SouthSherbrook.com

Natural Product Spotlight: Skincerity® by NuCerity

Skincerity is the world’s only breathable facial masque clinically proven to improve the health of your skin. It’s the Breathable Barrier® technology, which seals in your own natural moisture to deeply hydrate your skin that makes the difference. Engineered by biomedical experts and validated by numerous research studies supported by the National Institutes of Health, Skincerity has been shown to be substantially more effective than over-the-counter creams in delivering a higher nutrient content into the skin. Simply roll on before you go to bed, and Skincerity takes care of the rest. While you sleep, your skin remains protected while Skincerity works to restore its natural balance. Vitamin E is delivered to your skin to protect from early stages of UV damage, as well as grape seed oil to repair damaged tissues due to the effects of the sun and wounds. Upon removal, Skincerity exfoliates dead cells from the skin’s surface.

NuCerity, NucerityRocks.com

Put the Spring Back in Your Step with Bowenwork

Lower body pain in the feet, ankles, knees, hips or lower back can really influence a person’s mobility, balance, and capacity to do things in their daily lives. It can also affect the alignment of their entire body, and even be contributing to pain in their upper body. Bowenwork looks at the body as one entire functioning unit. It gently signals the nervous system to reset the tension in the body to a more relaxed, normal resting state. Bowenwork improves circulation of blood and lymph in our bodies. This results in an increase of oxygen, and nutrients to muscles, the release of toxins, and long lasting pain relief. Bowenwork is a newer type of bodywork that started in Australia in the 1950’s and is quickly gaining popularity in Canada. Its primary focus is on the body’s innate ability to heal itself and working with the body holistically for effective pain relief.

Bernadette Kozak, Certified Bowenwork Practitioner, WinnipegPainRelief.ca

Ask The Expert

Dear Optometrist: I’ve been noticing my eyes have been watering lately, what’s going on? Answer: Your eyes produce tears to keep the front of the eyes hydrated and protected from foreign particles, like dust. There are two causes of watering eyes, also known as epiphora or tearing; blocked tear ducts or over-production of tears. Over-production of tears can occur for many reasons including allergies, corneal abrasions, infections, lid problems or foreign objects like eyelashes. Sometimes watering of the eyes can even be a sign of dryness. While in some cases tearing of the eyes may resolve without treatment you should have your eyes examined to assess the cause of your tearing and to determine if treatment is necessary.

Lindenridge Eye Care, lreyecare.ca

Play to Heal

Are you worried about your child or youth’s current behavior or mood? Anxiety, defiance, grief and behavior at school are just a short list of common concerns that parents may have. As a parent, it is hard to see our children hurting, and we may not know where to turn or what to do. Play Therapy is a treatment for children, youth, and families that involve therapeutic elements similar to adult talk therapies with very playful elements such as puppets, dolls, art and sand that allow children and youth to express their inner most emotions. Through play therapy, children and youth can also learn social skills and skills to manage emotions and self-regulate.

Melissa Beer, GrowingRootsTherapy.ca

Get Cranked!

There are a lot of high-protein and energy options in the world today, so why Cranked Energy Bars? Wholesome, quality energy! These freshly made bars are high in protein, made from good ingredients, and come in a wide variety of flavours. Apple Cinnamon, Banana, Choco-Espresso, Chocolate Gluten-Free, Maple Walnut, Mint Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Coconut, Pumpkin Spice, and Vanilla Gluten-Free. One of my favorites is the Apple Cinnamon Bars which are packed full of energy. Ingredients: Peanut Butter, Protein Blend (Whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, whey protein hydrolysate, Bos taurus (milk), Natural flavours, soy lecithin, xanthan gum, stevia leaf extract), granola, honey, molasses, applesauce, oats, chia, chocolate chips, cranberries, puffed wheat, wheat germ, oat bran, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon. Contains: Egg, Wheat, Peanuts, Sesame Seeds, Milk. Approximately 300 calories per bar.

Nutrition Plus, NutritionPlus.com