Reflection

Who is this person staring back at me? Her hair has soft tints of grey. There are wrinkles forming where soft firm skin once existed. Her butt is staring to droop even though she works hard every day at the gym. Her skin is beginning to drape. Gravity is taking over. She can feel herself being pulled closer and closer to the earth. Is she shrinking? She looks tired even when she is not. She feels tired even after a good nights sleep. Her energy is not what it used to be...for that she sometimes feels frustrated. And her mind...some times there are little gaps. Who is she? OMG...it's me! Nevertheless as Jimmy Buffett once sang - in my life I've seen tragic and magic, but it has been a good life all the same. And I plan to ahve a lot more fun.
Damn it, I've still got a few good years left and I'm going to climb as many mountains as I can, travel to far away places and laugh every chance I get. And be grateful for my health, my family and all my good friends. That person staring back at me is just a reflection. Inside I am still thirty-five, feisty and looking for fun!

You are only a young as you are flexible - so keep bending, twisting and moving!

Doctor Lynn

A Moment of Thanks

Every year, I teach a yoga class on Thanksgiving morning. The class is usually small, but the group is always grateful for the time we spend relaxing and focusing on what is really important in life. We take a moment to give thanks. We work on gratitude by giving thanks for our health, our prosperity and our families. I remind my students that although this is a day for giving thanks for all our blessings, every day we should take a moment and give thanks for all that comes into our lives. For everything has an element of good and an opportunity for growth. Sometimes, however, gratitude gets lost in the stress of the Holidays.

Thanksgiving is a time when Americans give thanks for family, food, safety and health. It is time of gathering for the sole purpose of giving thanks and celebrating with family and friends. It is about breaking bread and sharing a meal.  But it can also be a time of strife, anger and confusion. Families after all can and sometimes do, bring out the worst in all of us. Stress becomes the watchword of the day.

Stress affects us all. One of the things I learned early on in my studies was that stress is a perceived notion. This simply means that what may be stressful to me may not be stressful to you because the level of stress is measured by the perceiver. Yes, illness, divorce, money problems, work problems and family can bring on stress; but it is how we view these events and how we react to them that will determine the level of our stress. One of the best ways to manage stress is through the practice of yoga. Why? Yoga teaches us to quiet our minds and when we quiet our minds things take on a level of clarity. Clarity reduces stress.

When the mind becomes quiet the autonomic nervous system gets a moment of balance. Somewhere between passivity and agitation we experience an opportunity to observe without judgment. It is known as the middle way.

The middle way means to not become identified with anything; love or hate, happiness or depression, attachment or detachment, but simply to come back to the present moment putting aside all attachments to any position.  When we take a hard and fast position we slip from the sharp edge of the moment and risk hurting or getting hurt.  Right now one thing may be important, but circumstances will change and in a moment what seemed important may lose its significance.  Stay present and in the moment – that’s the middle way.

Sit quietly, close your eyes and take in three deep breathes. Then sit for a moment and observe what happens to your body-mind. There is stillness and a balance. This is the middle way.

So when that weird relative shows up uninvited, the dinner is so, so, someone is in bad mood, the turkey is dry, your sister and her husband are fighting, dinner is late or whatever, the family drama might be, remember to take a breath, step back into the middle way, observe without judgment and smile as you give a moment of thanks for the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself…gratitude.

If you need a little help with stress - go to the doctor Lynn Face book page give us a like and view the free five minute meditation and yoga videos.       http://www.facebook.com/DrLynnAnderson

Happy Thanksgiving!

Namaste

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

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The Fading Bloom

I started this book a year ago. Not sure what I wanted to do with it - here it is; each week I'll post a new chapter...

The Fading Bloom

Introduction-2012

Here I sit at the computer just a few months away from turning sixty.  When I finish this short book I will be well into sixty.  Hard to admit there are probably more years behind me than in front of me and even harder to know those years are now the fading bloom.  Seems like just yesterday I was a young budding girl full of adventure, enthusiasm and sex appeal.  Now it’s about being careful not to hurt myself, being much more reflective than enthusiastic, and my sexuality is more un-peeling than appealing. It’s a b---- getting old!

One of my favorite authors, Nora Ephron passed away this year at the age of 71.  She was far too young to go.  Her book, I Hate My Neck left a lasting impression on me. She wrote a candid and hilarious book about women, aging and dealing with all the tribulation associated with moving past their prime.

She opens the book with a look at our necks and all the things we women do to hide the fact that our neck is beginning to sag.  It’s the beginning of the return to turtlenecks, scarves and high collared shirts. In her hilarious way she reminds us that growing old is no fun, and anyone who says it is wonderful is downright lying.  Sure we may be wiser, have more money and don’t have the stress of youthful competition, but we also don’t have that lovely long neck and smooth firm cleavage.

All of my close girlfriends range from age fifty-five to seventy-five years old.  Now we may think we’re still hot and in sense we are, but the tell tale signs of aging are something none of us can hide.  I can tell you these women have depth, wisdom and are beautiful, and this is all true, but the facts don’t change; we’re getting older and sometimes the wisdom and the depth doesn't seem like quite a fair exchange for the perky tightness of our youthful bodies and sexy attitudes.

I have to agree with Norah.  It’s no fun getting older.  There are some parts I like, but for the most part the body is a little more tired, the mind is a little less competitive and the mirror a lot less forgiving.  But there are also many things about being younger that I would not want to relive. I ask myself,” Does this make me caught in some kind of a time warp where I can’t go back because it’s too much work and I don’t want to go forward because it’s too easy to slip into the aging process of becoming a senior?”

 No, it’s made me pause and decide that how I want to spend my time is not looking back and not fearing the future, but with a reflective eye on what I wish I had known then and what thoughts, experiences, observations and wisdom I have gathered when it comes to being a woman and aging…Yes it’s called aging, and we can give it all the other names we like, but let’s face it ladies…our bloom is fading, but that doesn’t mean the flowers dead!

Boring Boron

Pears are a great source of boron - a mineral that supports bone strength  From my book Recipes for Health, Sex, Happiness and Love

To Health, Sex, Happiness and Love We Dine

The table is set, the candle is lit, the wine is corked – it’s time to dine.

Begin with dessert which needs to be prepared at least three hours ahead of time. This dessert can be made up to three days ahead.

Poached Pears for two – double recipe each time you add two more persons to the meal

¼ cup dry marsala wine

¼ cup water

 2 Tbsps of sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1/3 vanilla bean split

4 long strips of orange peel

1 Bosc pear peeled sliced in half and cored

*** Optional a small scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream

Combine wine, water, sugar, cinnamon stick vanilla bean and orange peel in a heavy small pan. Bring to a boil over high heat stirring to dissolve sugar. Add pear halves. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer until pears are tender, turning pears occasionally – about 35 minutes. Use slotted spoon to remove pears to a serving dish. Remove orange peel and place two strips on top of each pear half. Chill for at least three hours. Serve with a side of vanilla gelato. Make sure and eat the orange peel – it’s divine.

Curvature of the Spine? Shoulders rolling in?

When we’re young and beautiful, living free and easy and here without a worry we dance in our bare feet all summer long. You’re still young and beautiful, so if you are not barefoot and dancing, you’re hiding your beauty and you’re overdressed. (LAA. Summer 2012.)
Health Tip- ETK or excessive thoracic kyphosis is an excessive curvature of the spine.  It is cause by skeletal issues, environmental factors, exercise/activity choices and psychological issues. Muscular imbalance anywhere in the body can contribute to ETK. Excessive bike riding, driving, playing computer games or any activity where we have a tendency to sit hunched over will add to ETK. Here are a few exercises that will help will ETK.
Using a stability ball you can rest your shoulders onto the ball, lift your arms to the ceiling, drop the shoulders back into the ball and then drop your hands down toward the floor. Take a couple of breathes and then repeat several times. This exercise, as well as, other exercises for balance and strength can be found on Doctor Lynn’s Ball Class available on the website. http://www.doctorlynn.com
Here is an easy breathing exercise that will also help with ETK – breathing from the diaphragm can also help to decrease stress and mobilize the spine. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place your hands just below the rib cage where you’ll find your diaphragm. Try to keep the shoulders onto the floor. Breathe in and out through your nose. Focus on the expanding and contracting of the lower rib cage. Hold the breath for a few seconds and then slowly release. Do 10-15 breaths every day.
Posture is essential to both looking younger and strengthening the shoulders and upper back. Stand with your feet slightly apart. Pull your abdominal muscles in and lift your chest. Lift your chin up looking straight ahead with your arms at your side palms out. Now close your eyes and stand still for about 10 seconds. This will strengthen your spine, improve posture, improve balance and help to combat ETK.
Or you can do as my mother made me do – walk around with a book on your head and don’ let it fall off! You must stand tall and roll back your shoulders to accomplish this…
Nothing ages a person like poor posture and a hunched back. Practice Standing Mountain and other yoga poses to improve posture and keep you young and flexible! Yoga and dance will improve posture, so…
Let’s Go! Take off your shoes and dance.


Playlist Aero*boga™

1.      Active Yoga

2.      Katyia’s Dance

3.      Pink Flamenco

4.      Love Shack/B-52

5.      Kiss on My List/Hall & Oats

6.      Dance/The Rolling Stones

7.      I Can’t Go for That/The Bird and the bee

8.      California Dreaming/remix dance party

9.      Moves Like Jagger/Maroon

10.  Cherish/Cool and the Gang

11.  Yoga Meditation

12.  Theme from Silk Road

13.  Brother Sparrow/Agnes Obel

Yoga Moments- mind the mind
The body, although complex is really very simplistic. Each part has a job to do and given we stay healthy all the parts work together. The heart pumps the life current through our body. Its only job is to keep life flowing. Likewise the liver works to detoxify the body. Its only job is to cleanse and purify. But the mind is a bit different. The mind likes to mind itself, its body and the minds of others.
The mind is constantly moving, but what is it really doing? Does it keep the body alive and healthy?  Yes and no. It is not necessary to sustain life, but it is an essential part of living a full and conscious life.
In yoga mind stuff is called chitta. It is the accumulation of your sensory experiences, your intellect and your ego all coming together to create what we call the mind. Yoga teaches us to slow down and become aware of how the mind works and how we can learn to control it. Not control by force, but control through relaxation.  This creates a stage for peace of mind. Peace of mind is one of the ultimate aims of yoga. Mind your mind. Pay careful attention to how your senses affect your thoughts, how your intellect interprets information and what your ego chooses to do or not do.
Namaste
Doctor Lynn
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A Recipe for Health - Dig Deep

If you want to stay healthy dig deep down into the roots of your being- circulation.  A sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to our health. Everyone knows we need to move the body to insure proper circulation, maintain strength and stay flexible but did you know that many food s can also help insure proper circulation? What’s so important about circulation?

Blood circulates throughout the body carrying nutrients to the organs, muscles and bones. This fresh blood is needed by the body to maintain health. When circulation is compromised parts of the body suffer. That’s why it is good to dig deep into your body and keeps the blood throughout the body moving. But this blood moving around the body also needs to be supplied with nutrients.

Some foods that we eat enhance circulation and some foods like heavy fatty foods inhibit circulation. One simple food that is good for circulation is full of nutrients and is very cheap to buy, is radishes. Yes, those little bunches of red roots (and sometimes black) you see in the grocery store or are so easy to grow in your garden, are packed full of nutrients.

I am one of those people, who love a fresh radish. Its peppery clean taste seems to excite the taste buds while cleansing the palette. Bite into a radish and you can feel the slight jolt of heat. That’s the radish going to work to create circulation throughout your body.

The radish is a root vegetable. It’s very low in calories; about 16 calories per 100g. However, they are a great source of anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber. Radishes are low in saturated fat and cholesterol. They are an excellent source of fiber. Radishes are an excellent source of copper, manganese and potassium as well as calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and sodium.

They also provide a very good supply of vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water soluble antioxidant required by the body for the synthesis of collagen and collagen is needed for healthy glowing skin.

B6 is an essential vitamin that has been found to help with carpel tunnel, skin problems, nervous disorders and mucus membranes. It also has been shown to help improve depression.

Folate is another important nutrient is found in radishes. A 2010 opinion article in the New York Times states that folate may be helpful in treating Alzheimer’s disease

In one of the earliest of myths, the hero Gilgamesh goes out in search of a plant that promises to give him immortality. It is the radish that he finds. Buddhism also references the radish as a food that has deep roots. The roots of the radish are like the feeling you get when you are inspired from some deep place within to make a move within your life or to create an object of beauty.

Perhaps may-be the meaning of life lies hidden within the vegetable section of the grocery store where little radishes await to bring forth nutrients that will fire up your salad and bring goodness to the body, the mind and the soul.

Doctor Lynn

 

 

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Unique Valentine Ideas

Start the meal with cold strawberry soup – good for the palette with a hint of love and sex.

Cold strawberry soup recipe – strawberries, long known as the fruit of lovers, are high in fiber and vitamin C. They are an excellent spring tonic, meaning they help to tone and strengthen the system. Because of their high sodium content they are consider, “a food for youth”, building strength and vitality. Strawberries are chock full of erotic vitamins such as iron and niacin.

Cold Strawberry Soup

Makes 4 Servings

1 quart of fresh or frozen strawberries

1/3 cup of orange juice

1/4 cup of cranberry juice

1/2 cup of yogurt

1 teaspoon of lime juice

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

Whipped cream or yogurt for garnish

A slice of strawberry and a mint leaf for garnish

Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Mix all ingredients (except garnishes) together and puree in food processor or blender. Chill for several hours to allow flavors to blend.

Garnish each serving with a dollop of whipped cream or yogurt, more cinnamon if desired, fruit, and a mint leaf.

Doctor Lynn

From Sex Matters so Get Sexually Healthy the Natural Way http://www.doctorlynn.com

Unique Valentines Ideas

 

 

Valentines play list -Tues

 

It has been theorized that the sound of the mother’s heartbeat, being the first sound a human hears, is the doorway to consciousness. Sound is the first sense to awaken. The rhythmic beat of drums has been used to induce transcendental states. Ticking alarm clocks are sometimes used to sooth puppies that have been removed from their mother. Sound, of course, brings us music, and music, it seems, is more than simply a distraction. Studies show that music can actually give you a better aerobic workout and a better strength-training workout. Those working out to music pumped more iron and burned more calories than a study group that exercised without music. Sex matters http://www.dctorlynn.com

I hope you enjoy the following playlist. Among the songs pay special attention to the Hunchback of Notre Dame singing to Belle. You can feel the love. When you hear Love Shack you’ll feel yourself want to get up and move. Watch for the sensual undertones of I Got a Thing for You. Love story makes you want to lose yourself in the beat and Van Morrison still amazes us with the magic of Moondance.

1.       Real Real Gone/Van Morrison

2.       Burning Love/Elvis Presley

3.       I Wanna Be Your Lover/Prince

4.       Love Away/Capital Cities

5.       Superlove/Avicii & Lenny Kravitz

6.       Lovesong/Adele

7.       Tripped and Fell in Love/Yacht

8.       Notre Dame de Paris(hightlights)

9.       Love Shack/ The B-52’2

10.   I Got a Thing For You/ Jim Bianco

11.   Love Story/Violet Light

12.   Cosmic Love/Florence + The Machine

13.   Cherish/ Kool & the Gang

14.   Moondance/Van Morrison

Doctor Lynn    http://www.doctorlynn.com

Unique Valentine Ideas

 

 

 

 

Dance  Because– the British Medical Journal notes that a healthy lifestyle and exercise enhances performance in the bedroom. Healthier people have more and better sex.  Check in tomorrow for a great Valentines dance play list.

Doctor Lynn

 http://www.doctorlynn.com

Unique Valentine Ideas

 

 

 

 

Magical herbs- Basil has long been a traditional herb for love potions and meals. When magically charged, the herb’s aura produces a loving sensation within the human body. An hour before your lover comes home, or if by yourself, take two goblets, line them with fresh basil leaves, and then pass a silver coin over the top of each cup, focusing your mind on your lover. Pour a small amount of wine into the cup and let sit for one hour. When your lover arrives, greet him or her with a small sip of love wine.

Unique Valentine Ideas

 

 

 

 

The colors of love are pink and orange. Pink and orange align with the sacral chakra or the seat of our sexuality. Pay careful attention to the colors you wear and the colors you are drawn to – set your table with pinks and oranges to create a love fest. When you feel the pinks and oranges drawing you in you may begin to feel a sensual glow. Pink is the color of Venue the planet of love. Make a centerpiece of roses, poppies and bunches of hibiscus- the flowers of love

Doctor Lynn

From Sex Matters so Get Sexually Healthy the Natural Way http://www.doctorlynn.com

Unique Valentine Ideas

The Scent of love – a natural love potion- use this potion to scent you home, put a few drops on your lover’s pillow, a doorknob or a chair. Simmer in a cup or two of natural spring water, a tablespoon of salt, apple peelings, a sprig of clove and a cinnamon stick with a drop or two of patchouli oil and let the aroma fill your home. The scents of apples, cinnamon and cloves stimulate parts of our brain that have to do with love and sex. Patchouli oil is well known as a scent that reduces anxiety, increases energy and is an aphrodisiac. Drop a few drops on a green tourmaline stone and it will draw money into your life.

Unique Valentine ideas

From my book    Sex Matters so... Get Sexually Happy the Natural Way
http://www.doctorlynn.com

February is the month of love. It can bring such pressure and make some people feel like they are alone and without a valentine. According to legend Valentinus a priest was imprisoned for marrying and protecting Christians. In jail he healed the jailer’s daughter and upon his execution he sent her a note signed “from your Valentine.”

So perhaps instead of feeling lonely or sad we could use this time to reach out to others with a loving hand and celebrate the real meaning of Valentine’s day which is to heal and protect. Happy Valentine’s Day!