     
FITNESS Alexander Technique |Victorious’ breath | Offer: Relaxation Centre | Health tip: Pets
 Alexander Technique for Better Healthby Bethan Evans, MSTAT Everyone can use the Alexander Technique (AT) to help themselves towards better health in many ways. For example avoiding injury, gaining relief from pain, stress or anxiety or just to improve enjoyment and performance of sports, music and hobbies. Whilst anyone can learn the AT on their own (after all, that's what Alexander did), the guidance and support of a properly qualified teacher makes the process easier, faster and infinitely more enjoyable! Here are a few games you can play as you read this - and at any other time - which are often helpful and can be preliminaries to learning the skills of the AT. How are you? Without making any 'corrections' to yourself, take a moment to notice how you are sitting (for example, are you leaning to one side? how have you placed your feet? what shape is your back?). Do you ache at all? Are you twisted up? If so you may, like many people, respond by "sitting up straight". Why not try it now. Again, without making changes, notice how you are - is it hard work? Are there new aches? Many of us spend our lives switching between extremes of tension and relaxation - with stress on our systems in both. The middle ground - where we sit, stand and move in balance with minimum effort - can be rediscovered through the AT. Where are you? We often get so focussed on what we are doing that we almost forget everything else! As you read start to notice your peripheral vision - all the things you can perceive outside the computer screen. Probably you can see some of the wall behind and beside the screen, perhaps your hands and the tops of your legs, possibly part of the floor. Next, remind yourself of the part of the room which is behind you - without looking! And see if you still have awareness of yourself. Alexander discovered that many people create or contribute to difficulties in their lives by subtly 'squishing' themselves. Learning the AT involves finding out our own personal 'squish' pattern and then learning how to not do it (if we don't want to). Remembering both ourselves and our surroundings is a good start. Stop!... Throughout life we develop habits of thought and movement which can be unhelpful, and with the rapid pace of life we are often very quick to react. Introducing a 'thought space' between stimulus and response can ease a lot of tension. And thoughts are amazingly fast! For example, when the phone rings most people automatically reach for it. Next time this happens, see if you can take a moment to acknowledge the sound, choose to answer it (or not!) and then do so without rushing. It's unlikely that you'll miss the call and you'll probably be in a better state to speak with the person ringing you. ...And breathe. Start to pay attention to your outbreath. Of course, as soon as we bring focus to our breathing it changes, but see if you can observe it without setting out to change it. At the start of your next outbreath, let your jaw drop a little bit so that your lips come slightly apart and you breathe out through the small gap. You can do this even if you're in public - no-one will notice! Let the breath return through your nose. This is a step towards learning what Alexander called the "whispered ah". The AT arose in response to his problems with hoarseness and noisy breathing when he performed; and at first he was known as "the breathing man". Now lie down Set up a padded surface on the floor, such as a folded rug or towel, with a pile of paperbacks or magazines (about 5cm high) at one end. Being mindful of how you are moving, lie down on your back on the rug with your head on the books, your knees up and the soles of your feet on the floor. Take a few moments to let go of any muscular tension and really allow yourself to be supported by the floor. This position is called semi-supine and is a useful place to 'practice' the skills learnt in AT lessons so that we can then take them into the whole of our lives: Better health with the Alexander Technique - for life! Bethan can be contacted via her website www.TechniqueForLife.com or on (0117) 924 3628
  Breath for Better Health – Fiona SmithUjjayi Pranayama – ‘Ocean Sounding’ or ‘Victorious’ breath In the same way that the food we eat nourishes the whole of the body, our breath carries our ‘prana’ or energy and directs this life force to every cell of the body for healing, growth and renewal. However, many of us spend a lot of our lives in ‘fight and flight’ mode with our bodies and minds locked into a permanent state of stress. During this time our breath tends to be shallow and this doesn’t direct enough energy to really nourish and heal the body. With the ujjayi pranayama (pranayama means ‘extended breath’) we guide the breath into the body at a calm, fine, even pace and it is here that the body heals, rests and nourishes itself.
See www.bodywisdom.org.uk or www.fionalsmith.co.uk for details of her classes, clinic and workshops.
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JULY OFFER: Better Health Campaign at The Relaxation Centre  One of our partners for the Better Health Campaign is The Relaxation Centre in Clifton, a tranquil oasis dedicated to relaxation and inner peace in all its many forms. As well as a wide selection of holistic treatments and classes, the centre features a day spa with an outdoor hot tub and plunge pool in a meditation garden, indoor and outdoor saunas, steam rooms, flotation tanks and a relaxation lounge where you can recline in a fluffy white dressing gown and slip into a dreamy doze. The Relaxation Centre is offering customers of the Better Food Company a special offer for the duration of the Better Health Campaign - if you visit the spa Monday-Thursday and bring a friend with you, you pay full price and they only play half price. A great offer to take advantage of over the summer holidays, why not try it and see how taking time out to relax can really benefit your mental and physical health. Visit www.relaxationcentre.co.uk for information about prices and opening times. If you want to take advantage of the offer, there is no need to book, just quote reference number BFCS09 when you arrive at reception.
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Why Pets are good for our health? – Part of the Better Health CampaignBy Holly Mash (BVSc MRCVS VetMFHom IVAS) A growing body of evidence suggests that having a pet improves your health and leads to a longer and happier life. That’s why Jamie invited me along as part of the ‘Better Health Campaign’ to explain why owning a cat or a dog is just as good for you as eating organically and drinking herbal tea, and of course is usually a lot more fun! The facts are that pet owners make fewer visits to their doctor each year, suffer fewer sleeping difficulties and are less likely to be taking medicines, and that pets could save the NHS £1bn year. The therapeutic potential and spiritual qualities of companion animals have long been recognized, from the Ancient Egyptians who worshipped cats, even mummifying them and burying them in sacred vaults along the River Nile, to the Ancient Greeks who kept healing dogs in their temples. At the most fundamental level, every day contact with pets and other animals brings us back in touch with the world around us, whether this is just our garden, the park, or a long walk in the hills. This bridge to nature, and their uncomplicated and unconditional love, is a key part of the positive role animals play in giving us better health. We can all appreciate the reduction in stress brought about by simply stroking a cat or dog,(or rabbit), and this is the basis of the popular ‘Pets as Therapy’ (or PAT) animal scheme where animals, (usually dogs), are taken into hospitals and nursing homes. Because people in contact with animals experience a decrease in blood pressure, reduced anxiety, and a general feeling of well being. There are also the ‘Animal-Assisted therapies’ (AAT) where for example a stroke patient may be helped to regain hand-eye coordination through interaction with and stroking of an animal. By observing the behavior of animals, and by having a pet in the family, children learn to be more nurturing, independent and responsible than those without contact with animals. Other studies have shown that in a nursing home, the petting, talking, and walking a pet can be an excellent catalyst for communication among residents, and can provide opportunities for physical and recreational therapy. It is now widely accepted that the physiological health and emotional well being of the elderly are enhanced by contact with animals. There is growing interest across a variety of disciplines in the relationship between pets and health, with a range of therapeutic, physiological, psychological and psychosocial benefits now well documented. The study of the human-animal bond is called Anthrozoology. The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction recently declared ‘It is a universal, natural and basic human right to benefit from the presence of animals’.
She will also talk about her work as a holistic vet and explain how homeopathy and acupuncture are two ways of keeping these important, ‘health-giving’ pets fighting fit! To contact Holly or to find out more, see www.hollymashvet.com.
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To hear more about how pets help our every day health and wellbeing, and also a little about how robotic pets could be the future of elderly patient care, and how living with Alzheimer’s can be improved by exotic fish keep your eyes open for Holly’s forthcoming talk at The Better Food Company