Tag: yoga for back pain

Is your PERIOD a SENTENCE?

February 2, 2014
Posted by Sharon
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Is your Period a Sentence

Fertility and Reproductive Health Coaching

 

Your menstrual cycle is unique and I provide individually designed programs that support your optimum reproductive health.  Whether you are trying to conceive, hoping to avoid pregnancy or if you are looking to tame symptoms that are reducing your quality of life, we will work together to bring your moon cycles into harmony with your creativity, intelligence and vitality.

Believe it or not, within six-months, you can be pain free and enjoying predictable periods.  Not only can we reduce your period-related pain and discomfort, you will find at the end of your program that you have a map for taking advantage of the various energies of your moon cycle.  You will know when you are most fertile, turned-on, tuned-in, creative and energetic and when you are most supported with an inward focus and nourishing activities.  Not only will your health improve, but your whole quality of life will evolve for the better as you find yourself more efficient, aware, responsive and confident.

With my six-month coaching program, you will feel completely understood and supported as we work towards radically reducing your symptoms, identifying patterns in your unique cycle and using proven techniques for meeting your personal wellness goals.  Although the transformation you experience will be radical, the work is gentle.  No strict diets or severe lifestyle changes.  We work from where you are and then take you where you want to go.

I know that you may feel right now that it is impossible to even imagine not being in pain or having regular menstrual cycles.  But, I KNOW that it is not only possible, but it is your right to enjoy a healthy, beautiful and pain free menstrual cycle.  I’m so sure that I can help you that I offer a 100% money back guarantee.  Start today with a FREE evaluation and a guided meditation so you can reduce your stress level immediately.  There is no obligation to work with me.

My Story

I’ve been there.  As a teenager, my doctor prescribed birth control pills to “help” correct my irregular and incredibly painful menstrual cycles.  But, taking synthetic hormones so early in my life and for so many years backfired.  By my early twenties I had cervical abnormalities that lead to painful biopsies and was experiencing large ovarian cysts.  Each doctor I would see would say that by taking birth control pills I was already doing what was “best” for my “condition”.  Finally, I had an ovarian cyst that was so large you could feel it through my abdominal wall and a doctor suggested that I have surgery as soon as possible to remove it.

No one ever asked me about my stress level, diet, sleeping patterns, satisfaction in my relationships or how I envisioned reproductive health or how my symptoms impacted my sexuality or ability to be creative and joyful in other areas of my life.  I just kept checking off the boxes “irregular periods” on the forms.

But surgery?  Surgery seemed so drastic that I woke up and started asking around.  In whispered conversations in the ladies room in my office building I heard about an amazing acupuncturist who might be able to help.  And help she did!  Within 4-weeks the cyst that was the size of a tangerine was no longer identifiable on an ultrasound.  The surgeon made me go back for a second ultrasound because she couldn’t believe that a cyst that gigantic had just disappeared.  I am sure that the acupuncture and herbs that I took were helpful, but what I believe to have changed my life forever were the conversations that I had with my acupuncturist.  Was I happy in my marriage?  Did I like my job?  What was I eating for breakfast?  How was my quality of sleep?  And each week, she would suggest that I add a little something new and delicious to my diet—-pumpkin seeds?  Walnuts? Why, yes, I like pumpkin seeds and walnuts!  I could eat more of those.  Try wheat grass?  Why not?  I’ve been pumping synthetic hormones through my body and organs and brain for the better part of 15-years.  Why not wheat grass?

Ovarian cysts–gone forever.  I re-defined what a “regular” cycle was based on my own beautiful body and connection to the earth and rhythms of the moon, oceans and earth itself.  Knowing when I ovulated helped me design a work and study schedule that respected my most creative periods.  When I was more inward focused I knew better than to schedule big presentations or force multiple-deadlines.  And, although many intelligent doctors said it would never be possible to conceive a baby naturally, I had two beautiful children.

 

Imagine

Imagine what it would be like to be liberated from painful periods, heavy bleeding, bloating, moodiness, cysts, infections and irregular cycles that keep you guessing.

Imagine what it would be like to know exactly when you are most fertile and creative.

Imagine what it would be like to look forward to your period.

 

Holistic Approach

Step One: Start Where you are

We start with where you are: your reproductive health as you experience it right now.  I take the time to really listen to your experiences, symptoms, hopes and how you envision what a healthy menstrual cycle looks like for you.  I offer some very simple to implement nutritional advice and teach you how to chart your menstrual cycle, be aware of fertility and ovulation signs and teach you some ways to relieve stress, tension in the body and address specific symptoms (for example: headaches, cramps, back and breast pain).

Step Two: Now We Know What We Know

After you take a couple of months to chart your cycles using my methods, then we have some information to work with.  This information will help you communicate more clearly with your doctors.  For example, just checking off the “irregular periods” box doesn’t help your doctor as much as you saying, “I only ovulate every 40-days.”  You may also notice things that are energy related, but within your control.  For example, you may see that you ovulate on day 20 of your cycle for 3-months in a row, but in the 4th month you have a really stressful presentation on the 20th day of your cycle and you don’t ovulate that month until day 22.  In this stage, we have real information to work with and create goals for working with this information so that we can see change over time.

Step Three: Making Change

Now that we know specific information about your cycle, we can use that information to implement changes at the right times to support you in creating a healthy menstrual cycle and optimum fertility.  Fertility isn’t just about making a baby, it is about growing into your most creative, juicy and sexy self!

Step Four: Optimum Reproductive Health

In the final stage of the coaching program, you find that you are experiencing a great reduction in pain and discomfort.  Your cycles are not only predictable, but you look forward to their arrival.  You marvel at how beautiful you feel around your ovulation and schedule time to be alone and quiet when you approach your time of bleeding.  You see the wisdom in your blood.

Begin Today

The first step towards optimum reproductive health and fertility is filling out this new client form so that I can provide you with a FREE initial consultation and evaluation.  Your response is completely confidential.  Within 48-hours of submitting your new client form, I will send you a personalized e-mail with a link to a FREE 10-minute guided meditation so that you can start to reduce your stress level today.  I will let you know if I feel that my coaching program is right for you and suggest a plan of action based on your symptoms and goals.  The price of your program will depend on the number of sessions that we determine is appropriate for maximum benefit.  Programs range from 3-9 months and payment plans are available to meet your needs.

Pain free and regular periods are priceless!  This is an investment in your health and well-being that will improve every area of your life.  You know how much you’ve already spent on doctors, diets, tests, medications, sick days, missed vacations……….instead of spending money on “something” this coaching program is an investment in YOU and you deserve it!

I believe in you.  I believe that you can feel better and have a pain free and higher quality of life.  I know it is possible for you.

 

What is Restorative Yoga?

December 17, 2010
Posted by Sharon
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Restorative yoga is a practice that brings the energy of the body into balance, releases deeply held tension and calms the nervous system.  In this yoga practice, there are gentle movements, breathing exercises and physical poses that are held for five-minutes or longer with the support of blankets, pillows and other props.  These longer held poses allow the body to release into the pose with support so there is no physical strain or effort.  In this way, the practitioner receives the full benefit of the pose without creating any additional stress in the body or on the nervous system.

This type of practice is counter-intuitive to adults who have come to think that more effort, more work, more sweat and more pain means more and better results.  One of the greatest challenges of restorative yoga is accepting the fact that doing less brings the most significant transformation in the body and mind.  This is not a gentle, wimpy or easy practice!  Restorative yoga is a gentle unfolding of the damage we do to our bodies each and every day through emotional stress, through our repetitive actions and by ignoring the signs of exhaustion, un-ease and chronic pain.  Athletes will find that restorative yoga is the most excellent compliment to their activity as it eases the joints and can help heal chronic and minor injuries that would otherwise prevent a quick return to a favorite sport or activity.  If you tend to enjoy a more athletic yoga practice, such as Ashtanga Vinyasa or power flow practices, then restorative yoga can help deepen your practice.  Yogis of all styles will find that their endurance and strength actually improves through a regular practice of restorative yoga.

At Yoga Matrika, our restorative yoga classes are a combination of mindfulness meditation, healing movement and stretching.  No experience with yoga or meditation in any tradition or style is required.   Beginners are always welcome to this safe, supportive and non-competitive environment.  This is a practice that is equally as wonderful for students with injuries or chronic illness as it is for the healthiest and most robust athlete.   The “results” of a regular practice can’t be predicted, but they will be positive and significant.  It may be that you have had shoulder pain for most of your adult life and, after two months of restorative yoga practices, you find that your pain is diminished and your range of motion increased.  Or, you may genuinely believe that you are a very balanced person without pain, but slowly realize that, with a regular restorative yoga practice, that you lose your temper less often and feel more compassionate towards others—-you might just find that you are happier!

We provide all of the equipment that you need for your practice, but encourage all students in all classes to bring their own yoga mat.  We have mats for you to use if you need one, but mats are really a personal use item.   Try not to practice yoga on a full stomach, but it is fine to have a small snack (banana and yogurt, a bowl of cereal, etc.) an hour or so before practice if you are very hungry.  Wear comfortable, stretchy clothing in layers so that you can wear less when you are moving and put on a layer or two when you are going to relax into a pose for a longer period of time.  You may want to bring a water bottle with you.

Join us at 6:00pm on Mondays, starting January 10, 2011, at Yoga Matrika for this unique yoga practice for all levels.  Your instructor is Sharon Fennimore Rudyk.  If you have questions about this practice or would like more information, please call Sharon directly at (412) 855-5692 or see our New Student FAQ.

This post was written by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, the owner and director of Yoga Matrika, an intimate, community-based yoga studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: https://www.yogamatrika.com/.   For information on prenatal and postnatal programs, please see: http://www.matrikaprenatal.com.