Post-traumatic stress disorder causes those afflicted by it to re-experience  a terrifying event over and over again. Flashbacks and nightmares lead to difficulty concentrating, sleeping, and to feelings of isolation and detachment. In 1994, Rwandans suffered a great genocide that claimed over half a million people, and today, almost one in three Rwandans suffer PTSD, according to an article on...

Writers love lists – 10 tips for new yogis; 5 exercises to get a flatter tummy; 15 recipes for healthy meals; 20 trips you MUST take at least once in your life, etc. etc. While nothing can take the place of a good, long book or article, lists do make sense in today’s hectic world. We at enCORE love lists too (have you seen my posts on Twitter today?); we just try to use them as they...

We’ve all felt it: the tingle as we begin to move our fingers and toes again after Savasana; the contentment that washes over as we turn to our side and sit up slowly; the feelings of accomplishment and delight as we realize that we did it. We breathed and twisted and stretched our way to calm and health. New research from Ohio State University gives scientific backing to it all. The study, published...

Here it is: bridge with stability ball and pilates ring (from Tobie Hall of Pilates Wellness Studio). If you don’t have a ring, use a pillow folded in half. Step 1: Lying on your back, inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth, contracting the abs and pulling them tight into the body. Place your feet flat on the stability ball, slightly higher than your knee level. Place the Pilates...

It is no doubt that our adaptation to bipedalism many many years ago was a huge plus for the human species. We wouldn’t be who we are today if we still walked on four legs. However, positive changes still have their challenges.  Standing upright means that our joints are forced to support more weight, which contributes to the back pain felt by 80% of the population. So, knowing this, how...

We recently blogged about how yoga helps relieve the pain of chronic headaches.  Just today, I came across a blog on Yoga Journal’s site by Kelly McGonigal, PhD about her own experiences with this and thought I’d share it with you. McGonigal used mindfulness meditation and yoga to greatly lessen the pain of her daily headaches.

When Canadian hockey player Cassie Campbell retired, she found pilates. Campbell fell in love with the practice, and says that she wished she had discovered pilates and all its benefits before she left the rink. Pilates is a profound healing and strengthening tool for so many of the issues faced by hockey players.  For example, some of the most common injuries happen in the groin. Campbell’s...

Given that the world is so much more accessible these days, it’s easy to convince ourselves that happiness depends on outlandish or expensive vacations, spa treatments, fame, money, etc. etc. It’s out there and we know it, so why shouldn’t we have it?  Well, keep working toward that golden ticket, but don’t  forget the little things. Yoga and pilates and New York Magazine...

Just came across a great article on The Patriot-News about how yoga can help those with chronic stress and/or headaches. The article offers first-hand accounts from local practitioners who say that yoga helps them ease migraines, manage stress more effectively, heal injuries, and quiet mental chatter. Whatever reasons we go to yoga, our benefits will be thoroughly individual and powerful.

This is an incredible story! Jodie Beckner was involved in a harrowing and debilitating car crash in 2003 that left her comatose and unable to recognize her family for three weeks. Through intensive physical/occupational therapy and true grit, Jodie battled back, eventually juggling a full load of college courses and a full-time job.  She now teaches pilates at Pilates Plus in La Jolla, and is planning...