Grace Lutheran Communities Adult Day Services featured in Queen of the Castle Magazine
Grace Lutheran Communities Adult Day Services - Chippewa Falls clients were featured in the March Issue of Queen of the Castle Magazinefor their practice of SuperBrain Yoga.
Waking Up Your Brain SuperBrain Yoga and You
As seen in Queen of the Castle Magazine.
Linda Foster, New Day Yoga teaching a SuperBrain Yoga class
She’s no stranger to yoga of all kinds, but on this day, Linda Foster with New Day Yoga was teaching a new skill to her students, one that is becoming more popular. “This super simple practice is short and sweet,” Foster said.
She gently encouraged her clients as she explained how they can wake up their brain with something called “SuperBrain Yoga,” made popular by the book of the same title by Master Choa Kok Sui. Basically, you cross your body with your arms and squeeze your opposite earlobe while doing a squat and breathing exercises. Foster added, “SuperBrain Yoga incorporates acupressure, breath and movement, ultimately creating an increase in mental energy.”
Her students at Grace Lutheran Communities – Adult Day Services (adults with developmental, cognitive and memory impairments) enjoyed learning the new technique, even if they were in a chair, and their caregivers said they are more relaxed after yoga. Melanie Miller, the director, said, “Staff members say our clients are moving more easily and are happier after class.”
Sandra Sunquist Stanton, author of “Max Your Mind: The Owner’s Guide for a Strong Brain,” said it’s great for all ages. She said by crossing your body’s center line, you are “…effectively linking the right and left hemispheres of the brain.” Often, she added, we operate heavily on one side. She said the technique is “…giving the brain and body access to the whole brain rather than tapping only one or the other.”
Grace Lutheran Communities - Adult Day Services SuperBrain Yoga participants
Foster said in addition to the brain benefits, the breath is key. “Most adults spend approximately 95 percent of their waking hours dwelling in the sympathetic nervous system, which is directly related to the "Fight, Flight, or Freeze" response. When we know how to work with the breath, we are accessing the parasympathetic nervous system, which elicits more of a "Rest and Digest" and "Feed and Breed" response. Movement ties it all together. Most Americans are fatigued, which makes us feel tired; however, most of us don't move our bodies enough on a regular basis to actually be tired.”
Foster said if you’re interested in SuperBrain Yoga, you can come to one of her classes or try it on your own. She recommends doing it for 21 days, because some of the effects are cumulative. “Why not start your day off on the right foot by jumpstarting your brain with simple acupressure, breath and movement?"