Yoga Master

Twenty million people practice yoga in the United States. William Broad, a Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer for The New York Times, is one of them. Broad started doing yoga as a freshman in college in 1970 and has been practicing ever since.

"I can't imagine doing [my] job without it. It's an excellent means of stress management. Yoga helps me relax. And that's the thing that most yogis swear by. No matter how poorly you do it or how stressed you are, you're going to get this guaranteed de-stressing, relaxing, anti-civilization effect of yoga — which is wonderful."

Broad's new book, The Science of Yoga, investigates both the risks and rewards of yoga. Using the latest scientific research, Broad explains the benefits of yoga, while debunking the myths surrounding it and explaining why certain yoga moves can even be quite dangerous

"There are [poses] that really bend your neck a lot," he says. "The shoulder stand, the plow, those kind of things. You're rotating your neck around 90 degrees, and it turns out that there are delicate arteries that run through your neck called vertebral arteries. And if they get tweaked around too much ... and you're unlucky, you can tear the lining of the arteries, you can have clots, and you get up from that pose or you're in the middle of a pose — and those clots move into the brain, and you've got brain damage. Some people even die."

Those extreme injuries are rare, says Broad. More commonly, people hurt their lower backs, shoulders, knees and necks.

And some yoga poses can be extremely beneficial, he says. Scientific studies have shown that yogis have more spinal flexibility and show some improvement in cardiovascular health markers.

"There's been study after study after study that says you do not get your heart pumping in the way you do in aerobic sports like running, swimming and spinning," he says. "On the other hand ... yoga has this remarkable quality to relax you, to de-stress you. That means your heart rate goes down. That means if you're prone to hypertension, that lowers. There are all these wonderful cardio effects that come from the other end of the spectrum: the relaxation of the heart, rather than the pumping-up phenomena that you get from aerobic sports."

Broad says there's no consensus yet on how many yoga classes you need a week for maximum health benefits, but there is agreement that a little over a long time goes a long way.

"The benefits start to accrue," he says. "It's like putting a little bit of money in the bank every day or every month. The payoff comes as these things start to multiply."

Yoga also has emotional benefits, he says. It can enhance moods and increase sexual feelings and pleasure (so noted).

So get out your yoga mats and get into it, personally I will settle for a round of golf, a steam and a shot of Gentlemen Jack.

WWII ANNIVERSARY - Seventy years ago this past Wednesday, 80 Army Air Corps crewmen flew 16 B-25 bombers on a secret mission to Japan. The World War II attack became known as the Doolittle Raid, and this week, four of the five remaining Doolittle raiders will be gathering in Dayton, Ohio, to remember the mission.

BASEBALL ANNIVERSARY - To Fenway Park (Boston) on its 100th anniversary this past week as a ball park; the next oldest active are Wrigley Field (Chicago) 98 years, Dodger Stadium (LA) 50 years, Angel Stadium (Anaheim) 46 years, Oakland Coliseum (Oakland) 46 years, and Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City) 39 years.

It also would have been Tiger Stadium’s (also known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium) 100^th anniversary this past week. The Michigan and Trumbull site in Detroit was torn down in September 2009.

BUFFETT HAS CANCER; PROGNOSIS GOOD - "Warren Buffett said ... he has Stage I prostate cancer but that his condition 'is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way.' In a press release addressed to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. shareholders, Buffett, 81, said he would begin a two-month course of daily radiation in mid-July that would restrict his travel during that period, 'but will not otherwise change my daily routine.' Buffett said he received the diagnosis last Wednesday and had a CAT scan and a bone scan on Thursday, followed by an MRI on Tuesday.

"'These tests showed no incidence of cancer elsewhere in my body,' he said ... The American Joint Committee on Cancer says Stage I prostate cancer does not cause symptoms and often is undetected but becomes more frequent among men as they age. ... Berkshire's A share price closed at $121,310 per share, up $1,785 or 1.49 percent for the day. In after-market trading, the price of Berkshire shares fell $1,596, or 1.32 percent."

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to: Herm Edwards (58), Meadowlark Lemon (80), Jay Leno (62), Elisabeth Rohm (39), Bobby Rydell (70), Jerry Seinfeld (58), Barbara Streisand (70), Uma Thurman (42).

WORDS OF THE MONTH –

eschew \es-CHOO\, transitive verb:

To shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful).

“In high school and college the Vassar women had enjoyed that lifestyle, but afterward they had eschewed it as shallow.”


viejo, adjective
old

Like old, the adjective viejo can be used to describe things or people.

“Estos zapatos ya están muy viejos.”
These shoes are very old now.

“hacerse Viejo”
to get old

TOP LAWYERS: $873 PER HOUR – To ease the pain of the bar review: "The priciest lawyers in the U.S. are getting even more expensive, but those at the opposite end are getting left behind. Partners in the top 25% of hourly billers boosted their average price to $873 an hour last year, up 4.9% from 2010, according to a report being published [last week]. The country's lowest-billing partners struggled to keep pace with inflation, meanwhile. Partners in the bottom 25% charged an average of $204 last year, up just 1.3%, according to the report by TyMetrix Inc ... and Corporate Executive Board Co. ... On the whole, lawyers last year pushed through the biggest overall annual rate increase, 5.1%, since the recession, when many firms froze prices or scaled back increases to keep clients happy. The slow growth at the low end shows that clients who pushed back on legal bills during the economic downturn are continuing to hold the line"

DEAR RINK RATS –

I am an executive constantly under pressure from my job, my friends, my ego, and my hair color. How can I relieve this stress and pressure I place on myself?

Signed,

Thirty Hours a Week and Still Over Worked

Dear Thirty Hours a Week and Still Over Worked –

May I suggest yoga; I find the following two positions especially helpful for ego and hair color stress:

Downward Facing Dog or commonly called Adho Mukha Svanasana; in this yoga position your hands and feet are roughly four or five feet apart. The hips rise up and you become very popular.

Relaxation or Savasana; yoga students practice savasana at the end of yoga class. In savasana, students learn to relax the entire body, as well as the mind.

Good luck and remember a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Signed,

Rink Rats


RINK RATS TMZ.COM – Seen this past week at a local fitness club a popular college administrator posing a Uttanasana. Note: she did not fall over. But we did notice some tears flowing.

SPORTS BLINK - "2012 NFL schedule announced" - NFL release: "The opener on September 5 on NBC (8:30 PM ET) will feature the defending-champion New York Giants hosting the division-rival Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. ... NBC's Sunday Night Football will get underway on September 9 when the Denver Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20 PM ET) in a rematch of last season's Wild Card playoff thriller. ... ESPN's Monday Night Football doubleheader [on Sept. 10] will feature the AFC North's Cincinnati Bengals at the Baltimore Ravens (7:00 PM ET) followed by the AFC West's Oakland Raiders hosting the San Diego Chargers (10:15 PM ET). ... The 2012 season concludes on Sunday, February 3 when the NFL will crown a champion at Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans (CBS).

"Thanksgiving will feature an NFL tripleheader . The early game will send the Houston Texans to Detroit to face the Lions (12:30 PM ET, CBS). The late afternoon game will feature the Washington Redskins visiting Dallas (4:15 PM ET, FOX) in an NFC East showdown. The holiday concludes with an AFC East matchup as the New York Jets will host the New England Patriots on NBC (8:20 PM ET). ... On October 28 at London's historic Wembley Stadium, the league will resume its international series of regular-season games when the St. Louis Rams host the New England Patriots (1:00 PM ET, CBS). Then on Sunday, December 16, the Buffalo Bills will venture north to Canada for the fifth consecutive season when they host the Seattle Seahawks in Toronto at the Rogers Centre (4:05 PM ET, FOX).

"NFL Network will now feature 13 games - all on Thursdays - from Weeks 2-15 (excluding Week 12 on Thanksgiving night). The NFL Network slate will start on Thursday, September 13 (8:20 PM ET) with an NFC North showdown featuring the Green Bay Packers hosting the Chicago Bears."

--"Monday Night Football" schedule announced - ESPN release: "AFC Bengals-Ravens, Chargers-Raiders Division Matchups in Season-Opening Doubleheader on Sept. 10 ... Appearances by both Super Bowl teams - New York Giants at Washington Redskins (Dec. 3); and New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans (Dec. 10) ... Chicago Bears lead all NFL teams with three MNF appearances. Eight teams (49ers, Broncos, Chargers, Eagles, Falcons, Jets, Lions and Texans) have two appearances each."

Next week, restaurant review and year number three of Rink Rats begins (ugh).

Until Next Monday, Adios.

Jackson, Michigan

April 22, 2012

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