“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”

Edith Lovejoy Pierce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Do you want my one-word secret of happiness?
It's growth: mental, financial,
you name it.”

Harold S. Geneen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Play reaches the habits most needed for intellectual growth”

Bruno Bettelheim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Another fresh new year is here...
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest...
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”

William Arthur Ward

 

 

 


Welcome to the next edition of Wellness Notes!

Click here to go directly to the Wellness Concept

Upcoming events:
(Check out the complete class schedule by clicking here.)

FELDENKRAIS® FOR HEALTH! (for Adults 18+)
with Allison Suran, PT, GCFP
Tuesdays: 5:10 - 6:10 pm
2 Sessions of 6 classes each:
Session 1: January 15th - February 26th, 2008
Session 2: April 8th - May 20th, 2008
Held at: Bend Senior Center
Register through Bend Park & Rec by calling 388-1133
Learn simple movements that can release tension, stress and pain. Learn to focus your attention and expand your potential for improvement and enjoyment in many areas of life...click for more info about this class.

PHENOMENAL BACK Class:
Wednesday January 16th, 7:30am - 10:30am
with Nancy Hartung, MS, LPTA, Held at Healing Bridge PT
Healing Bridge Physical Therapy offers our patients a 3-hour body mechanics class. This class is designed for current patients to obtain the needed self-management tools for back or neck recovery and preventing future injury or pain. ...click for more info about this class.

Starting in February! We'll present the Back Class in a new format. Attend all three 1-hour classes or just the one that you need most. New convenient time:Thursdays 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

10th Anniversary Community Appreciation Day!
February 23rd, 10-6pm
Free: Wellness Classes • Screenings • Tours • Refreshments
Visit us during our celebration and open house...and bring friends for lots of fun learning and my presentation in the afternoon: Understanding the Body/Mind and Learning to De-stress. More info coming soon!

NEW! SATURDAY WORKSHOP:
FEELING TIPSY? Get Into Balance!
 with Allison Suran, PT, GCFP
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 pm
Held at: Bend Senior Center
Register through Bend Park & Rec by calling 388-1133
By learning to connect through your feet, and improve movement in your pelvis and ribcage, you will begin to feel more grounded and flexible at the same time...click for more info about this class.

PRACTICAL TIPS TO DE-STRESS YOUR LIFE!
 with Allison Suran, PT, GCFP
In 2 hours, learn simple techniques that can be used any time to bring moments of peace into your busy life.
Register through Bend Park & Rec by calling 388-1133
Thursday, March 20th, 2008 • 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Held at: Bend Senior Center
 ...click for more info about this class.

TAI CHI: with Paul Benton LMT, DMD
Cost is $100 for 8 weeks.
Mondays: January 7th to February 25th
at 7:45 - 9:00pm for beginners, and at 6:30-7:45 pm for intermediates
Held at Healing Bridge Physical Therapy, 404 NE Penn, Bend
REGISTER by calling Paul Benton LMT, DMD 771-4802.

Wellness Concept

Make your New Year FUN, CURIOUS, and DIFFERENT!
By Allison Suran, PT, GCFP

"The difference between
a rut and a grave
is the depth"
- Gerald Burrill -

Make this a NEW year. A year of curiosity and change. No one wants to live their life in a rut. And staying in a rut can be detrimental to your well-being.

How might you go about getting out of your rut? Start doing things DIFFERENTLY. As neuroscience catches up with the wisdom and foresight of Moshe Feldenkrais, scientists are discovering that the brain is indeed malleable into our adult years. These changes can happen with a variety of brain exercises, and the exercises proven to make the greatest difference include physical movement.

So as my parents play crossword and suduko to challenge their brains, they are missing the most significant components to facilitate brain change: MOVEMENT. As we enter the new year, I'd like to propose a number of ways for you to bring variety to your everyday movements.

Not only does adding variety to your habitual movements help the brain organize and problem solve differently, but there are added benefits as well. When the mind pauses to focus on doing a "new" task, it stops habitual thinking patterns. Many habitual thinking patterns are not useful. One might be thinking over and over again about an argument, or the crazy driver who pulled in front of him. We might be planning the same dinner and shopping stops over and over, or worrying about vacation plans that are months away. A pause in these repetitive thoughts gives our mind a break -- like a rest, or a brief nap. Our minds are then more available and fresh to think creatively in new situations or for problem solving.

After reading and trying some of these new and different ways to engage in your life, I would like to invite YOU to send me any of your own ideas that you find yourself experimenting with so that others might benefit from your creative ideas.

1 Dress differently:
If you usually put your right sock on first, or your right pant-leg on first, try doing the left side first once in a while. Same with your shirt.
If you usually dress your top half first, try dressing your bottom half first.
If you button or zip with your dominant hand, try using the other hand.
What other ways of dressing "differently" can you think of?
2 Drive differently:
Have several different routes to choose from for driving to work or your favorite grocery store. Pick a different way each day.
Open your car door with the non-habitual hand.
Turn the radio off, look around, and appreciate the scenery in a new way.
3 Walk differently:
Whether you're out on a walk for exercise, or walking around your home or at the store, play around: Turn your toes in, out, both to the right, both to the left…walk on your toes, your heels…look down at your feet, up at the sky…walk sideways, or backwards….PLAY like a child.
4

Exercise differently:
Whether jogging, biking, swimming, or skiing; going to the gym, doing aerobics, yoga, or any number of healthy activities, find a way to alter it just a bit. (See #3 above) Play with the direction and angle of your legs, feet, arms, hands, head, eyes….the variations could go on and on…and do. By bringing variety to your exercise routine, the time will go more quickly and enjoyably as well.
5

Shop differently:
If you usually shop at the same store, try another store.

If you usually start your shopping on the right side of the store, start on the left side, or in the middle. Try a new brand, a new flavor, or a new recipe.

The other bonus of doing things differently in the new year is that not only do you develop more balance in you mind, but in your body as well. All of us tend to use our habitual side (usually our right arm) to do most of our activities. By engaging the non-habitual side more, we become more balanced physically.

I look forward to hearing from you about your own experiments and I wish you a healthy, happy, and DIFFERENT NEW YEAR!

We appreciate your confidence and support of Healing Bridge Physical Therapy and hope you will continue to tell your friends that if they are in need of physical therapy to...

Sincerely,


Allison Suran, Owner

Healing Bridge Physical Therapy
404 NE Penn Street, Bend, OR • 541-318-7041
www.healingbridge.com

This email has been sent to %BASIC:EMAIL%. You are being sent this email
because you requested health information and notification of
wellness events from Healing Bridge Physical Therapy.
 
Rest assured that your e-ddress will never be shared or sold
to any other business or marketing company.
 
If you are not interested in receiving future email notices,
please let us know by clicking here, and we will
immediately  remove you from this list.