When you hear someone mention meditation, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me, it used to conjure up images of Buddhist monks, total tranquility and hours of sitting still. It all seemed too “woo-woo” for me. Besides, who had the time?

It wasn’t until I saw a segment on Dan Harris’ first book, Ten Percent Happier, in which he describes his journey from meditating skeptic to practicing believer. He busted my view of what meditation is and encouraged newbies to start with just one minute. Turns out, like most things in life, there isn’t just one way to meditate.

Meditation Defined

“Meditation can be a confusing term,” says Tom McCook, Pilates education faculty for Balanced Body and founder and director of Center of Balance in Mountain View, Calif. “My experience and understanding with meditation is that it’s really a practice of bringing your attention to the present moment, and your body and your breath tend to be the object of attention. Why? Sensation only happens in the present moment.”

“I hear all the time from clients of mine, ‘I tried meditating, but I can’t seem to slow my thoughts down enough to do it,’” says Amy Vales, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist. “Many people think of meditation as spending an hour in silence, not moving and having a completely empty mind, when the reality is that there are so many ways we can meditate that don’t fit this picture.”

Vales says that she’s not a fan of putting boundaries on what meditation should look like, with clear indicators of success or failure. “Meditation is about slowing down, becoming aware of what is happening in your thoughts and emotions, grounding into what is real, and feeling relief from the experience of racing through life ‘without breathing.’ Anything that gets you to do that is an act of meditating,” explains Vales. “And the good news is this can be done by embedding meditative action into activities you’re already doing.”

Melanie Austin, OTD, associate professor of occupational therapy at New York Institute of Technology, agrees. “Practicing meditation does not have to take large amounts of time or dramatically alter one’s normal daily routine. Even brief episodes of meditation incorporated throughout one’s day may be beneficial for improving physical and psychological health, well-being and quality of life.”

“Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist and founder of Harvard’s Mind/Body Medical Institute, brought meditation into Western mainstream medicine in the 1970s,” explains Patti Ashley, PhD, LPC, psychotherapist, speaker, and author of Shame-informed Therapy: Treatment Strategies to Overcome Core Shame and Reconstruct the Authentic Self, in which she provides meditation scripts. “Dr. Benson’s book, The Relaxation Response, revealed ground-breaking evidence that meditation improves overall health, lowers stress levels and increases well-being.”

Ashley cites a recent Harvard University study that suggests individuals who practiced 15 minutes of daily meditation over an eight-week period actually altered the functionality of their genes. “Dr. Benson’s research reopened a door that had been closed in the West for several centuries. Now that science has the ability to monitor the effects of meditation using devices that measure heart rate, blood pressure and brain waves, these ancient practices are once again seen as valid and beneficial to healing.”

In this particular Harvard study, participants with hypertension who responded favorably to meditation via lowered blood pressure, showed changes in the genes that affect systemic inflammation. Inflammation has been connected to a wide variety of disorders, including cancer, heart disease, liver disease and autoimmune disorders.

Citing a study by Gundel and colleagues, Ashley states, “Using neuroimaging studies, these researchers found that meditation experts exhibit neural changes that persist beyond the meditative task itself, suggesting that consistent mindfulness practice can result in long-term changes in empathy, health and metacognition.”

McCook concurs. “There’s been more than 50 years now of science-based research on the benefits of meditation to our health and wellness and the evidence is very positive,” he says. “It lowers blood pressure, assists in emotional regulation, lowers stress, cultivates resilience and personal responsiveness, and improves perspective. Meditation has been proven to be good medicine.”

How to Integrate Meditation Into Your Life and Coaching Practice

A common misperception about meditation is that it needs to be a separate, deliberate thing that takes up a lot of time. Deliberate, yes. Separate and time-consuming, not necessarily.

“You can incorporate meditation into the things you’re already doing,” says Vales. “Go on a hike and set an intention to notice things that are beautiful, take a walk on the beach and pay attention to how the sand feels under your feet, cook a meal and notice all the colors, textures and tastes that are going into it, or put on a song and allow yourself to express what you’re feeling through music and dance.”

Vales says you can even bring other people into your meditating practice. “Do these activities with your kids, friends and family to make it more of a communal activity. Get creative! If it slows you down, helps you notice what is present and makes you feel a little better, then you’re on the right track.”

“Throughout the day, you can take small, mindful moments to breathe and help calm the mind,” adds Ashley. “Some examples might be to take a minute to be mindful of the way the water feels in the shower, to sit in nature or to pet your dog. Cultivating an attitude of mindfulness by drawing attention to the breath—focusing on each inhale and exhale—helps to let go of worry thoughts and reground in the present moment.”

If you’re ready to get a little more structured with meditation, Austin suggests starting slowly. “The key is to get started with small steps. Start slowly to build new meditation muscles and endurance. There are many types of meditation techniques to choose from. Choose a technique that aligns with your unique self and your goals, and begin with an open mind and positive attitude, situating yourself with a comfortable posture in a quiet location. Try beginning and ending each day with one brief meditation session. Slowly increase your practice to one, three, or five-minute sessions as part of your daily routine.”

“One distinction of meditation that’s important to know,” adds McCook, “is that you’re not attempting to interpret [or judge] your thoughts. Through practice, we can gain a greater understanding of the mind and begin to tame those [thoughts], letting them go and bringing our attention back to the present moment.”

A simple way to introduce meditation to your clients is with a technique called the body scan. “Guide and direct your client in scanning and feeling each part of their body,” instructs McCook. “It’s possible to feel each part of the body when you put your attention on it. This also opens up the possibility to let go of tension and become more internally relaxed and present.”

“As you get to know your clients, start tailoring your meditations to their experiences,” recommends Vales. For example, let’s say you have a client who is an anxious mom who has forgotten how to slow down because she has so many activities going on. She might benefit from a meditation wherein she creates a “container” to place all her “to do” items into. You can be creative when it comes to meditation interventions.

Austin concurs. “Use a client-centered approach for determining what types of meditation may align with their personality and/or lifestyle. Support clients in understanding the benefits of meditation as an added strength to be utilized for eliminating barriers to achieving health success. For example,” says Austin, “when a client presents with challenges for staying on track with their health goals, health coaches can emphasize the importance of mindfulness meditation for achieving greater insight and awareness as to what may be sabotaging or preventing long-term health success. Health coaches can also use these meditation strategies as an outcome measurement tool, thereby monitoring client progress while highlighting the benefits of meditation throughout the process.”

If you’re not already, begin incorporating meditation into your own life before you introduce it into your practice. Experiment with different types of meditation, have fun with it, and tailor the types of meditation you use with your clients to their personalities and goals. Lastly, be careful about placing hard boundaries on meditation, because, as Vales says, “If it’s going to be one more thing that makes you feel like you’re not doing enough or doing it right, who wants that?”

November 30, 2014

— by Richard Scheinin

What yoga can do for men physically and mentally

Jim Scheer used to "hem and haw" at his wife's suggestions that he sit in on her yoga class. "It was kind of like walking into a nail salon or something," he says, recalling how he felt at the time. "There were only a handful of men in that group of 20 or 25 people, so I hesitated. You know: 'Is this a guy thing?' "

That was 12 years ago, and Scheer, 73, now attends yoga classes every week in Capitola and Felton. He takes special pleasure in flying up into headstands and enjoys "the sense of relaxation I feel after the class."

Blake Lueders, 22, describes yoga's benefits in more technical terms: It enhances "functional movement" by building "core strength," says the defensive end for the Stanford Cardinal football squad. "As far as making you a better athlete, and as far as injury prevention goes, you really get the bang for your buck."

Standing at opposite ends of the age spectrum, Scheer and Lueders emblemize the coming of age of the men's yoga movement.

Millions of American men -- about 3.6 million, according to a 2012 Yoga Journal study -- practice yoga. Most have gotten past the attitude that "yoga is a girl thing" to embrace the idea that yoga simply is a good thing: good for destressing, good for establishing balance, strength and flexibility. It can be an antidote to the physical tightness and mental fatigue that plague so many men, often exacerbated by endless hours sitting in front of a computer. And for those who can't yet twist themselves into Cirque du Soleil swami poses -- well, so be it. After all, LeBron James does yoga; he sees value in a good basic stretch, so why not you?

Place to destress

"The first thing guys are looking for is some stress reduction, a place where they can destress from work," says Tom McCook, a yoga teacher since 1995 and director of the Center of Balance studio in Mountain View. "And luckily the information is out there that it's also a solid workout, rather than just some navel-gazing. So they find out that you can do a full-body workout in half an hour, and then they see that it's in a focused environment -- not in some distracting gym where it's just another way of stressing themselves. So there's physical benefit and there's a mental benefit, as well."

Especially for men over 45, yoga "is a way to keep your body healthy, by getting to know your body better," says Myles Spar, a UCLA integrative internist and physician at the Southern California Men's Medical Group in West Hollywood. He recommends that men practice yoga to help relieve chronic lower back and shoulder pain; to prevent injuries when preparing for a triathlon or marathon; and for feeling calmer, generally -- a feeling that can flow out into the home and office. "I truly believe in it. It has so many benefits for the men I see."

The irony is that through the centuries in India, yoga was largely "a guy thing," handed down as a practice from father to son. The Indian innovators who brought yoga to the West -- Tirumalai Krishnamacharya and his famous students, including B.K.S. Iyengar -- were men. Yet in the West, women have dominated yoga. According to that same Yoga Journal survey, men -- even as their numbers increase and their attitudes change -- remain an enlightened minority. Of the estimated 20.4 million Americans who practice yoga, only 17.8 percent -- those 3.6 million -- are men.

"It has become a women's world," says David Moreno, a well-known Bay Area instructor who specializes in yoga for men. He finds that women "have a doorway, a portal, that's much more organic to them about opening to silence, to feelings, to the sensation of their bodies. Women are much more likely to come into yoga as a collective, while men are much more likely to come in alone, or to see it as a sport. Men are from Mars, really. We have different needs."

And the fear factor still can kick in when men arrive for class and look out on what appears to be a sea of supple women on their sticky mats: "Men are traditionally not as flexible. So we're all of a sudden in a public situation where we feel that we're underperforming. And that can be intimidating and can bruise the ego."

Paul Gould teaches a yoga class at Namastay Yoga in Felton on Nov. 19, 2014. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)

Just for men

Which is why Moreno is writing a book on the subject, tentatively titled "Men and Yoga: Stories and Status." And it is why he has established an all-male class at Yoga Tree in Berkeley: One Sunday a month, at 7 a.m., 15 to 30 men arrive for the "Men's Kula," a two-hour session of asana (physical poses), pramayana (yogic breathing) and meditation.

Participants range in age from their 30s to their 60s, and include "a lot of dads who have three daughters and a wife at home, and they just want to be with the guys and have that energy around them," Moreno says. "Just to be in a room full of men practicing together, in a circle, facing one another -- it's powerful."

Instructors collectively guide the men toward "the kind of practice that suits men, that challenges men without overwhelming them." Poses are often modified; no need to stress and strain. Keep it safe. Do what feels right, and do it correctly. Sit on a block or a couple of blankets to help those tight hips to open.

"Someone with huge quadriceps and tightness through their hips -- it's going to be harder for them," says Nanci Conniff, a yoga and Pilates specialist for Stanford University's athletic program whose students have included Lueders, the defensive end. "They simply can't get all their flesh out of the way. There's just more of them to move around. So it comes down to meeting people where they're at. You start at Point A and you build it up. You do a lot of preparatory work."

Calm exploration

"Explore your own edge," suggests Paul Gould, who runs NamaStay Yoga in Felton with his wife, Jenni Fox. Teaching triangle pose -- a classic, Iyengar standing pose that involves extensions of the legs, arms and torso -- he often encourages a male yogi to "do a modified version with his body aligned, and then let's keep it aligned and see how deeply we can get into it." His goal: Bring the student to "a place of calm," while exploring.

Gould teaches men-only classes, too: "What happens is, we have a blast. I don't think yoga should be a dour undertaking. I've been to a lot of yoga classes where it's like, 'Whoa! This is not a lot of fun. Can we smile here?' "

Scheer agrees that he feels freer to let loose among men: "The moaning and groaning is kind of at a minimum in a co-ed class," like the one he attends in Capitola with wife Christa. But at his "all-guy class" with Gould in Felton, the atmosphere opens up: "We were all joking one time that we should make a CD, like the whales singing. We'd call it 'Men Doing Yoga.' "

Macho aspects

Spar, the UCLA integrative internist, finds that men can be drawn to yoga -- and go on to see its benefits -- if he uses "guy language" to describe it. For instance, headstands and shoulder stands -- the so-called inversion poses -- can be understood in terms of gym-rat resistance training, because "you're pushing against your body weight." Likewise, a standing warrior pose "works the quads and the glutes." Sometimes he encourages men to attend Bikram "hot yoga" classes for a sweaty workout that becomes a yoga gateway: "Oh, this is kind of a macho thing!"

Allan Nett, a Napa-based instructor who teaches in San Francisco and the East Bay, has created a class titled "Yoga with Your Boots On." No sticky mats. No lotus poses. A former contractor, he often teaches yoga to construction workers -- at the worksite. He instructs them in standing poses, stretching and pushing against walls to improve balance and alignment, thereby helping to reduce spinal constrictions and the attendant pain.

He teaches co-ed classes, too, but finds that with men he "treats it a little more like we're on a team, and pushes it a little differently. —‰'Come on you guys, you can do it. How come your arms aren't straight? I know you're stronger than that. I can see it!' I talk more personally with a man, in a sense, about what his body is like than I would with a woman."

And he tells the men to remember this motto: "You've got to be out of your mind to do yoga. That's not crazy out of your mind. It's thinking less and feeling more."

Contact Richard Scheinin at 408-920-5069, read his stories and reviews at www.mercurynews.com/richard-scheinin and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/richardscheinin.

March 27, 2014

— by Rosalind Gray Davis

“Pilates has changed,” says Nora St. John, MS, education program director for Balanced Body®. Today, she explains, many Pilates teachers are well educated in biomechanics. “An understanding of both anatomy and the mind-body connection makes you a better teacher and certainly a better problem solver.

“In the best situation, Pilates is taught with the idea of, ‘Who is the client in front of me? What are his or her goals? How can I use this environment to help the client achieve those goals?’ I think this is a good contemporary view of Pilates.”

How are top Pilates educators respecting Pilates principles while allowing the repertoire to evolve in response to scientific findings and new equipment? Learn how present-day Pilates is blending successfully with other modalities, and discover the latest programs that are making that possible.

Support for Change

Sharing St. John’s sentiments about the importance of exercise science and conscious mind-body movement in an evolving Pilates world are Tom McCook, co-owner and director of Center of Balance in Mountain View, California, and a master instructor of Pilates and CoreAlign® for Balanced Body®, and PJ O’Clair, owner of clubXcel and Northeast Pilates, a STOTT PILATES® Licensed Training Center in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.

“Understanding how the body and the nervous system are designed to move gives us the ability to teach our clients how to move better and with less strain and less wear and tear,” says McCook.

“The body is not designed for performance; it’s designed for survival. The joints need to be mobilized before doing anything muscularly difficult. This allows a person to feel safe before performing a movement. We need to show our clients how to let go of excess tension and how to improve their posture and their body mechanics.”

“STOTT PILATES changed the order [of the Pilates repertoire] quite a few years ago because we felt that it was imbalanced,” says O’Clair, who clearly sees science informing the consciousness of the contemporary Pilates community. “Joseph Pilates was a brilliant man, but [based on] current exercise science, we believe [his original sequence included] too much flexion. People are already spending a great deal of time in flexion in their daily lives,” she says.

McCook agrees, pointing to the many hours clients spend sitting, driving a car or working on computers every day. “This makes you question whether or not it would be a good idea to start your workout with a flexion exercise. You are just doing more of the same thing. [We need] to look at the body and find the most functional movement for the person.”

Innovative Programs and Equipment

Over the years, creative instructors have found novel ways to combine Pilates with other exercise modalities. Pilates and yoga have blended well, for example, and less obvious hybrids—like Pilates and indoor cycling—have also enjoyed success. But new programs and equipment are enabling Pilates educators to refine their approach, expand their reach and fill in arguable gaps in the classical repertoire. Among today’s available resources are CoreAlign, ZEN•GA™ and barre workouts.

CoreAlign

The CoreAlign method, according to McCook, is designed to improve functional movement patterns, posture and balance, and to provide a full-body workout. The equipment consists of two tracks and carts that move independently with smooth resistance (assistance) created by six elastic resistance tube assemblies on each cart. Movement is possible in one or both directions. A ladder (wall-mounted or free-standing) is used in most of the exercises.

For more information, please see “Pilates Blending” in the online IDEA Library or in the print edition of October 2013 IDEA Fitness Journal. If you cannot access the full article and would like to, please contact the IDEA Inspired Service Team at (800) 999-4332, ext. 7.

July/August 2012

Coughlin is the poster girl for adding Pilates to your training regimen. “I started doing a kind of hybrid of yoga and mat Pilates as part of my team training regimen,” when she was a freshman at the University of California at Berkeley, Coughlin recalls. “I noticed that it helped me a lot in my swim training, so eight years ago, I started seeing a private instructor, Tom McCook [at Center of Balance studio in Mountain View, CA], one to two times a week.”

Every one of her Pilates sessions is different, she says. “Tom does such a great job of showing me how to apply Pilates principles in the water,” says Coughlin. “And I really enjoy it.”

Without her Pilates training, she might not have been so successful at the Beijing games. “The Olympics are such a stressful time,” she explains. “They’re emotionally stressful and they’re physically exhausting. When I first got to Beijing, I was about a week away from my first swim, and I really wasn’t feeling great in the water. So Tom gave me a 20-minute series of breathing and relaxation exercises to get me aligned before bed every night. I really think that was one of the things that got me in the right mental as well as physical state for my Olympics.”

New Zoning could create a "Castro Street" on Shoreline

January/February 2010 Special Issue

— by Maria Leone

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