The theory is genius in its simplicity, but then again, isn’t that the basis of all great ideas?

It’s no great revelation that the mind and body are intimately connected. So if the mind is suffering, the body can’t help but share the pain. Doesn’t logic therefore dictate that equal attention must be paid to the body when releasing the mind? That is the idea behind Yoga Psychotherapy.

Danielle McDermott discovered in a yoga class at age 19, that certain stretches and poses induced unexpected emotional releases. Realizing that body movements can help release pent up feelings, she knew this discovery was worth exploring, and so began a path that would lead to her present career.

To get a strong footing in the understanding of psychology, she set out to get her Masters in the field, which she then followed with a certification in yoga therapy to develop her own unique approach to counselling.

What this entails is traditional talk therapy coupled with certain yoga techniques. When we experience emotions, we experience them with our whole body, so it holds a lot of tension. Think of how tight your neck and shoulders get when you’re under a lot of stress. Those with anxiety or anxiety disorders chronically hold a lot of tension in these areas and the buildup often manifests itself as indigestion, back pain, and other “psychosomatic disorders.” The benefit of yoga psychotherapy is that in addition to addressing the underlying emotional or psychological issues through talking, it also helps release the physical tension with concurrent stretches and poses.

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As you learned in Part I: Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Cure for What Ails You, Chinese herbs are very rarely taken as single herbs. As Dr. Maryam Mahanian explains in this video, they are taken as combinations of many different herbs. Sometimes you’ll have up to twenty or so herbs in one prescription to treat a single ailment.

To give you an idea, we take a look at the common cold. In Western medicine, there’s actually no treatment for it, even though it’s the most common illness in the world. Western medicine relies on antibiotics, which don’t treat the virus and can actually weaken the immune system even further. It may surprise you to find that there are dozens of Chinese herbs with antiviral properties. This segment introduces some of them.

The second concoction Dr. Mahanian introduces is recommended for people with eczema and psoriasis. Those who suffer from such a condition know very well that finding a cure for this problem is very rare. If this is you, then you may be happy to find out that you don’t have to resort to taking cortisone (a steroid hormone) creams to relieve the symptoms. Click on the image above to learn more and read on for further details!

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Everyone’s passed a Chinese herbal medicine shop and wondered what all those bizarre ingredients were. Well, wonder no more! Dr. Maryam Mahanian from The Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Clinic of Vancouver took me on a field trip to the Sunny Day Herbal Store in Chinatown to help demystify them. In the first of a two-part series, Dr. Mahanian shows us some commonly prescribed Chinese herbs. She explains what they look like, what they do, their benefits, how to use them, and the disorders they are used for.

There are about 5,000 different species of herbs and of these, about 2,000 are used as medicines. Some are more frequently prescribed than others and a typical dispensary will stock about 500 herbs.

Chinese herbs are very rarely taken as single herbs. Dr. Mahanian presents individual ones in this segment to simplify the introduction of this type of medicine and will explain in Part II how they are combined together in a synergistic way to treat a specific ailment.

Safety Precautions: Consult a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor before taking herbs. It is advisable to get a prescription and not to self-prescribe. Even though it is “natural medicine,” it doesn’t mean that there are no side effects or contraindications. Don’t exceed the started dose for the herbs; start with a small dose and work your way up.

For a detailed summary of the featured herbs, read on… Read the rest of this entry »

Pole Dancing. Put together, these words are bound to raise some eyebrows. Once the exclusive domain of exotic dancers, you wouldn’t be going around telling people you spent last night spinning around a brass pole. Then there was the introduction of pole dancing as a fitness category and it sent everyone abuzz with excitement at the possibility of a merger between two very different worlds. The adventurous jumped at the opportunity to try something new but it was more giggled than bragged about between close friends. Now, only a few short years since its creation, pole dancing has evolved into a legitimate form of exercise and recognized by the North American business world.

Aradia Fitness is the innovative product of two friends, Christine Boyer and Tracy Gray. Perpetually bored of going to the gym, they decided that there had to be a more interesting way of staying in shape. Pole dancing came to mind but they couldn’t find a single facility that offered any classes. Immediately recognizing the appeal of such an option, they set out to create the first Canadian pole dancing studio. Skeptics brushed the idea off as another fad that wouldn’t catch on but boy are they eating their words now. Since opening up their first location, the two entrepreneurs can’t seem to meet the demand. There are now 17 locations across north America and with professionally trained instructors like Caroline MacGillivray, Aradia has taught over 20,000 women of all ages, sizes and professions.

I sat in on one of Caroline’s advanced level classes and I have to admit, Christine and Tracy have achieved the goal they set out to accomplish back in the summer of 2003. There are plenty of women eager to learn and you may be pleasantly surprised how down-to-earth all the students are. I have to admit I anticipated finding model thin types with a lot of attitude but I got none of that. This class proved to me that every woman has a sexy side that they have yet to unleash. You don’t necessarily need to be an extrovert or have an unbelievably out-there personality to appreciate pole dancing. You’re just as likely to be in a class with a 20-year-old student as you are with a 50-year-old engineer or lawyer. All these women are after is a fun way to work out.
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Aradia Fitness is located at:

#1 – 3195 Granville St (at 16th ave)
Vancouver, BC V6H 3K2
Buzz 0001 to get in after 6 PM
Paid parking at back

Tel: 604.731.8070 or 1.866.731.8070
Email: vancouver@aradiafitness.com

Check www.aradiafitness.com for more locations

Next series of 6 week classes start the week of June 25

For a complete list of classes and prices, read on… Read the rest of this entry »

I renewed my yearly gym pass in February and I’ve hauled my ass to class all of three times since then. Does this sound like you? The cacophony of agreement is overwhelming. If you get bored easily and are as lazy as me when it comes to physical activity, this might just be the thing for you. What if I told you you could lose weight and tone those nonexistent muscles just by doing what you do every day? Walking is probably the last thing you would think of to help get rid of those love handles but then again, you probably haven’t heard of Nordic Walking.

Are you envisioning those people that walk madly past you on the seawall with their arms flinging all over the place? That’s a whole other kind of walking. Nordic Walking, also referred to as Pole Walking or Ski Walking, is something that evolved, as you may have deduced by now, from cross-country skiing. In the mid 90′s, competitive skiers in Finland were looking for a way to train in the summer season and realized that this type of exercise served their particular needs. Since then, its popularity has grown dramatically and millions of people all over the world have taking up the poles. The Vancouver Sun Run this year was the first Canadian road race to include Nordic Walking when they teamed up with SportMedBC and Exel to launch an InTraining Program with Nordic Walking clinics. North America is a little late in the game but then again, aren’t we always behind Europe? (why IS that!). Here is Donna Hutchinson of On the Edge Fitness Educators with a quick 101 on Nordic Walking.

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Even though Nordic Walking is a widely accessible sport, there is a proper technique that you have to get used to if you want to reap the physical benefits. Make sure you keep the poles close to your body and take long strides, ensuring that you use your entire foot, from the heel when you step to the toe when you alternate legs. Maintain a good posture and keep your arms straight but not locked. As you plant each pole, make sure to apply pressure to them to create back, core, arm and shoulder resistance. Apparently the biggest mistake people make is using the poles as walking sticks. Instead of swinging them in front of you, the feet (or ‘booties’) should be planted behind you. Watch Donna Hutchinson as she demonstrates.

If you’re interested in learning more about this, contact our very own trainer Donna Hutchinson at:

On the Edge Fitness Educators
1542 Westover Rd
North Vancouver, B.C. V7J 1X5
t: 604.985.7410 or 778.231.7410
e: edgefit@shaw.ca
i: www.edgefit.ca

If you need more incentive, Urban Poling from North Vancouver is offering some FREE demonstrations on June 24th. The space is limited so call 604.733.1173 or email info@ladysport.ca for further details.

For retailers, visit their website here. Exel is the original Nordic Walking brand so if you want a comparison for your shopping, check out their products here.