
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
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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.
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|
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!
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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
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