A scoliotic curve and fusion ALWAYS affects the position of the shoulders. Not only is one shoulder usually more twisted, lower, or rolled forward than the other, but more often than not, the shoulder blades lose their ability to slide up and down over the ribs - causing stiffness, pain, and dysfunction.
Read More“It takes 21 days to make or break a habit.”
REALLY? I’ve heard this phrase used many times in my life. Amusing that it comes from a 1960s self-help book by a cosmetic surgeon! Quite a few years have passed since then and more research shows that at the minimum, 21 days in a row of ‘something’ allows for the creation of new neural pathways. These are composed of neurons, connected by dendrites, which are created in the brain based on habits and behaviors. As we participate in new activities, our brains are being trained to create new pathways (habits) which start to be developed in 21 days. The longer you continually practice, the more neural pathways. Thank you, Doctor Google!!
Read MoreBringing the element of writing into the workshop enabled us to think about fusions metaphorically: how, for instance, do we integrate mind and body in a way that feels holistic? When writing our own stories, how do we incorporate memory in a way that fuses what we remember with what we can no longer recall? Participants wrote their own stories using workshop prompts and shared these stories with each other.
Read MoreIntroducing "Back Stories", our TOPS Guest Blog Series. In our second guest blog, Deborah Wolk, a Yoga for Scoliosis specialist based in New York City, details the incredible experience shared by all in attendance at her Yoga, Scoliosis and the Organic Body retreat for TOPS on Salt Spring Island, BC, this past July, 2018.
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INTRODUCTION
We live in a time when the earth is stressed: fires blaze along the West Coast, resources are dwindling, and the ocean and its inhabitants are diseased by plastic. The state of our planet raises questions. How does our own condition reflect this?
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