ALZHEIMER’S HOW MEDITATION WILL
HELP WITH THE LONG GOODBYE
the power ofMEDITATION
i n t e r v i e w s e r i e sHEIDI KRISTOFFER
10 POSES YOURbody & soul will love
Erin, from Naturallyella.com, has finally found the tastiest grilled cheese ever, the Pistachio-Parsley grilled Talleggio Cheese sandwhich.text Erin Alderson photography Erin Alderson
Heidi Kristoffer is a yoga teacher in New York City. Her yoga is about laughter while challenging yourself. She was a blog where she posts vegan recipes.text Jane McCoy photography Jim Arnold
Join the movement with everyone else to take the challenge. Engage communities throughout the world to raise awareness and donations.text Jenny Memmot photography Canden Schow
National Parks are the jewels of the United States. Getting outdoors will rejuvenate your spirit and enlighten your soul.text Marsha Newns photography Nicklaus Pipit
2 MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM
table of contentsFeatures12 The Long Goodbye
06The Perfect Grilled Cheese
10interview: Heidi Kristoffer
08Off the Mat Into the World
18Rejuvenating National Parks
The story of how Alzheimer’s has stolen Sarah Mar-tin’s mom and how meditation has helped cope with the loss and heal her soul.text Jerald Winakur photography Tiff Sherwood
11In celebration of the all great work the Alzheimer’s Association has done. Moksha featured one of their stories for our feature. For more information on Alzheimer’s please visit www.alz.org.
MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM 5
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14 Reflection of PeaceThe guided meditation practice yoga nidra can help you come back to center in 10 easy stepsBY KATERINE GRIFFIN
36 Flowing PracticesA daily practices of Sun Salu-tations connects you with the world and lets peace and well-ness radiate from withinBY KYLEE COPELAND
36 Flowing PracticesA daily practices of Sun Salu-tations connects you with the world and lets peace and well-ness radiate from withinBY KYLEE COPELAND
54 A Beautiful MindWant to find inner calm? Choose the right mediation technique for you. BY ADRIENNE SCHOW
58 Calm Your SensesPeace is yours when you draw the senses inward.BY BONNIE HUTCHINGS
65 Calm Your SensesPeace is yours when you draw the senses inward.BY BONNIE HUTCHINGS
62 Rethink YourselfLink poses to positive thoughts, and see real changes in your life.BY SHIVA REA
67 Rethink YourselfLink poses to positive thoughts, and see real changes in your life.BY SHIVA REA
46 Catch the WaveLet your body and mind flow like water, always seeking the path of ease. BY KAREN MINSHALL
42 Moon ShineGet your glow on with a gentle lunar flow.BY ERIN SIEBENHAAR
42 Moon ShineGet your glow on with a gentle lunar flow.BY ERIN SIEBENHAAR
50 Grounding GroovesSound and motion come togeth-er to help you move toward your center. BY ERIN SIEBENHAAR
34 Grounding GroovesSound and motion come togeth-er to help you move toward your center. BY ERIN SIEBENHAAR
18 Full BloomTake root in Lotus Pose to settel your nerves, quiet your mind, and let your energy blossom.BY NORA ISAACS
27 Nerve CenterConnect to the earth stay groundedBY ELISE LORIMER
31 Steady as She GoesStrength and stability can be yours, even when stress rocks your world.BY COURTNEY SCHOW
[ juh-nah-nuh]
In Every Issue08 Founder’s Notes
10 Editor’s Letter12 Contributors14 Our Picks
table of contents
On The CoverEstiam inctaspe cupisciet eum repudam ni-hitiore optur, voluptate eatem nesequi ipsam dolo digenim nos dMinihit quid magnimpos
3455
11
18
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6 MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM
THE PERFECT Through years of tasting grilled cheese sandwiches Erin, from Natrallyella.com, has finally found the tastiest grilled cheese ever, the Pistachio-Parsley grilled Talleggio Cheese sandwhich. text ERIN ALDERSON photography ERIN ALDERSON
MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM 7
PISTACHIO-PARSLEY PESTO AND GRILLED TALEGGIO CHEESE SANDWICH
MAPLE-CINNAMON QUINOA GRANOLA
IngredientsPesto:2 tablespoons shelled, roasted pistachios1 clove garlic1½ cups packed parsley2 tablespoons lemon juice2 tablespoons olive oil¼ teaspoon salt
½ small red onion, thinly sliced3-4 ounces taleggio cheese, sliced4 slices whole wheat or multigrain breadOlive oil for brushing
Instructions1 In a food processor, pulse pistachios until resembling course meal
2 Add garlic and parsley, run processor until minced
3 Drizzle lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Run food processor until
pesto comes together, adding more olive/lemon juice as needed.
4 Preheat grill pan or regular pan over medium-low heat.
5 Brush sides of bread with olive oil. Place on piece of bread, olive
oil side down, in the grill pan and smear on 1 tablespoon of pesto.
6 Layer with sliced red onions and cheese.
Ingredients¾ cups quinoa (red, black, yellow, or a mix)½ chopped pecans½ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds2 teaspoons cinnamon¼ teaspoon sea salt¼ cup maple syrup2 tablespoons walnut or coconut oil
Instructions1 Preheat oven to 250˚. Rinse quinoa and spread out in a thin layer
on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Bake until liquid
has evaporated, 15-20 minutes
2 Raise oven temperature to 350˚.Combine quinoa with pecans,
seeds, cinnamon, salt, maple syrup, and oil. Stir until
3 Spread in a thin layer on a tray.Bake for 20 minutes, stirring one
to two times. Remove from oven and let cool until clumped. Store
in an airtight container.
[kahr-muh]
BRIEKnown as a smooth or flowing melting cheese, brie adds smoothness and
richness to any dish it is melted into.
Nothing is better than a good grilled cheese. Not all cheeses melt into yummy goodness.
Let us help you pick the best one for your meal.
CHEDDARKnown as a smooth or flowing melting cheese, brie adds smoothness and
richness to any dish it is melted into.
GRUYÉREKnown as a smooth or flowing melting cheese, brie adds smoothness and
richness to any dish it is melted into.
FONTINAKnown as a smooth or flowing melting cheese, brie adds smoothness and
richness to any dish it is melted into.
OFF THE MATINTO THE WORLD
The challenge engaged communities throughout the world. The 113 men and women that participated raised $524,000in donations for the CCF and generated awareness.
text IAN WHITE photography RYAN SMITH
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8 MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM
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IN ADDITION TO the tremendous financial
resources that were cultivated through
last year’s Seva Challenge and Bare Wit-
ness Humanitarian Tour, the Seva experi-
ence inspired participants to take action
in their own communities. One group
fundraising effort and three individual
projects were put into place. In addition,
many participants and their families
chose to sponsor children in Cambodia,
furthering the mission and work of the
Cambodian Children’s Fund. Empowered
by the impact of this transformational
journey, the team left a lasting legacy in
Cambodia – life changing for most.
THE TRAILBLAZERSAbby Weis, Adi Carter, Andrea Curry,
Angela Herlofsky, Angelika Holtzbrinck,
Annalise Oberts, Blair Vaughn, Bobbie
Sterbins, Brittany Policastro, Jennifer
Wagner, Jennifer Steinwurtzel, Jude Mon-
teserrato, Karen Johnston, Laurel Hicks,
Lea-Rae Belcourt, Linda Kraulis, Lisa
Palumbo, Nancy Spooner, Shiya Mangel,
Suzanne Cary.
OUR PARTNERThe Seva Challenge 2008 benefited just
one organization, The Cambodian Chil-
dren’s Fund (CCF). CCF provides educa-
tion, shelter, food and services to over
450 children who live and work in the
Steung Meanchey garbage dump. These
children are horribly abused and exploit-
ed, often dying of disease, malnutrition
and t verei hintrente audam de ego cris
eo, consum potatum inte co viriocus ad
fur hilininte, quam ne vide commolturnic
reviliu conentilla L. Arius con ignonihicit
res opulicia vilibus pro vis. Do,
Lerfec itabus fintem te tam pora,
pultiamdii si perum virio prareor ublicie
ntientemque it, pora ium milic forum o
et aucteatin vis apeconveris videlles es
es pernina turenihilis actus per hicibun
tretife ntemqua L. Vivatuam miurs consu
maximus, simove, sili percerum pra
vivesen dienat inatora a etilicibunum sum
poribulis senam moves im telint. Toriam
egit, maximacchi, morterebus alibute
rvidi, te, ficis; ince cressim corudes ce-
pondi entensi mactoriam es publii peris,
que oporum nostuid ac vivast prarterit.
mactoriam es publii peris, que oporum
nostuid ac vivast prarterit.
BARE WITNESS TOURThe Seva Challenge 2008 was an incredi-
ble success! It was a life-changing jour ney
for all who participated and truly left a
legacy of support for Scott Neeson and the
Cambodian Children’s Fund. The twenty
participants heard stories
From survivors of the Khmer Rouge
Genocide, went on educational trips to
the Killinalso encompassed hands-on
work at the CCF vocational center, bperi-
busdae. Am enditio. Itate non nat ad que
nus intest aci dolut mil inullab illecte,
asit ut eiumquae sequiatur aliquis dolum
volupta sperum quasperrum eosanim
renis volendissum hicab is voluptat offic-
tur, etAgnatincto odit aute nonsequis is
moloreped molupti atusaperunt autempo
restore et vollace rionsecae labore nonse-
quatur sequidendae. Tior re, odicitatus.
The Cambodian Children’s FundV. CCF
provides education, shelter, food and
services to over 450 children who live and
work in the Steung Meanchey garbage
dump. These children are horribly abused
and exploited, often dying of disease,
malnutrition and
t verei hintrente audam de ego cris eo,
consum potatum inte co viriocus ad fur
hilininte, quam ne vide commolturnic
reviliu conentilla L. Arius con ignonihicit
res opulicia vilibus pro vis. Do,
TESTIMONIALS“We worked and visited places that really
awakened my eyes, my spirit and my soul.
Every moment was price less. The smiles
and generosity from the CCF children will
forever remain in my heart.” Blair Vaughn,
Denver, CO
Off The Mat Into The World was able to raise $524,000 furthering the work of the Cambodian Children’s Fund.The team left a lasting legacy in Cambodia life changing for most, if not for all.
MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM 9
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INTERVIEW SERIES:HEIDI KRISTOFFER
Heidi Kristoffer is a yoga teacher in New York. Her yoga is about laughter while challenging yourself. She runs a blog where she posts recipes and her reflections on yoga.
text HANS WAITE photography JESSIE ADAMS
10 MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM
HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOGA?I moved to the far west side in NYC, and googled
gyms in my new neighborhood. A yoga studio
came up in my google search, and with much
grumbling, I decided since everyone said it would
be so good for me, I would try it out. I feel head
over heels in love with my first class, and have
practiced yoga every day since.
YOU ARE NOT ONLY A YOGI, YOU ARE ALSO A VEGAN. HOW DID YOU BECOME A VEGAN? I was born allergic to seafood,
shellfish, and dairy. When I
moved to NYC I was trying to
save money, so I decided not
to buy any red meat. After not
eating it for six months or so, I
went home and ate some. The
result was pain in my stom-
ach; I was curled up in the fetal
position of my childhood bed for
hours. It seemed to me that my body
was trying to tell me something, and so I
stopped eating it. Gradually, my
body stopped wanting chicken or any other
kind of animal, so I stopped eating them.
WHEN DO YOU PRACTICE YOGA?Oh, wow! Every day is so different! Every moment
is a new one. I like to wake up early, take a few
deep breaths and stretch out in bed. Then, I eat
some breakfast (maybe tofu salad on a whole wheat
pita or oatmeal or a pea-protein filled smoothie.)
After breakfast, I will drink some Yogi Tea, digest,
and do my best to respond to emails. Then, when
I am all digested, I will do my yoga practice. I like
to light some Nag Champa incense, roll out my mat
and move around for at least 75 minutes, and then
meditate for at least 15 minutes if I can. After all
of that, I usually clean up and head over to Strala
to lead a class. After hanging out with everyone at
Strala for a while.
YOGA COMES IN VARIOUS TYPES. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF YOGA?I like to move around and connect my movements
with my breath. I like anything that doesn’t make
me feel stuck and allows me to move with ease is
great in my book.
YOU OFTEN TALK ABOUT YOUR INJURIES. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOGA HELPED YOU HEAL?When I was 18, I was in a serious car accident
that let to what I was told would be “permanent
damage” to my neck and cervical spine. My doctors
at the time told me that I would never regain full
mobility in the movement of the neck. I had her-
niated discs in different parts of the spine as well as
two broken vertebrae in my lumbar spine. Because
of these injuries, when I approach the physical
postures of yoga, it has always been extremely
important to me to, seeing as the alternative was
surgery, which was not something I was interested
in. Recently, I went in to get a check-up MRI on
my cervical spine. When I went to go see my doctor
for the results, he informed me with incredulity
that the herniation in my neck was gone! I had
successfully re-lengthened my cervical spine
through all of the yoga.
WHICH POSES ARE YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY DOYOU LIKE THEM?
I love being upside down! In handstand and
forearm stand mostly, but I’ll hang out in
supported headstand for lots and lots of
breaths – anything to flip perspective
without compressing my neck.
Plus, all of the blood rushes to
your head, and it makes you
happy!
WHAT IS YOUR DAY AT STRALA AND WHAT ARE THE PRACTICES YOU HAVE
LEARNED THERE?I am the General Manager as well as
part of the creative team at Stra-
la Yoga in NYC. I am there pretty
much every day, which is awesome,
because I love, love being there! I
lead a bunch of classes and I take a
bunch of classes. At Strala, we all
move and breathe with ease. It is
amazing to see how strong and
capable everyone there is, and to
be surrounded by such posi-
tivity.
IS THERE A STEREOTYPE OF YOGA THAT YOU FIND TO BE IN-ACCURATE? WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA LIKE?Yoga has changed my
life, in every possible
way, for the better. If
there are stereotypes
about yoga, I don’t
pay attention to them.
I focus on the positive
in everything.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSEINTERESTED IN YOGA AND ANY FIT-NESS?Do it!
Move,
breathe,
[ juh-nah-nuh]
THE LONG
GOODBYE
As a physcian,I have spent
the past thirty years battling
against the decline of my
Alzheimer’s patients. Now the
disease is stealing my
own mother.text JERALD WINAKUR
photography TIFF SHERWOOD
THE LONG
GOODBYE
F ebruary 24,
2006, is my
parents’s six-
tieth wedding
anniversary.
My family plans
a brunch for
them in their
home. We are keenly aware that this may
be the last anniversary my parents will
celebrate together. It won’t be an elabo-
rate party, just a bitter-sweet one. Seven
years earlier, my father was diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s disease, and he has gone
steadily downhill. At 87 years old, he is
now a prisoner of his mind. His agitation
and paranoia arise from distorted memo-
ries, nightmares he can no longer sepa-
rate from reality. A few days before the
brunch, my mother calls me in a panic.
My dad is bellicose and paranoid, accus-
ing. Summoning Yiddish profanities he
has not uttered in 75 years, he curses at
Yolanda, the caregiver who holds every-
thing together in my parents’ household.
He will not be bathed or shaved. He will
not eat, refuses his medications.
He is raving.February 24, 2006, is my
parents’s sixtieth wedding anniversary.
My family plans a brunch for them in their
home. We are keenly aware that this may
be the last anniversary my parents will
celebrate together. It won’t be an elabo-
rate party, just a bitter-sweet one. Seven
years earlier, my father was diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s disease, and he has gone
steadily downhill. At 87 years old, he is
now a prisoner of his mind. His agitation
and paranoia arise from distorted memo-
ries, nightmares he can no longer sepa-
rate from reality. A few days before the
brunch, my mother calls me in a panic.
My dad is bellicose and paranoid, accus-
ing. Summoning Yiddish profanities he
has not uttered in 75 years, he curses at
Yolanda, the caregiver who holds every-
thing together in my parents’ household.
He will not be bathed or shaved. He will
not eat, refuses his medications.“You go
to hell! You’re in with them!”
There is no walking away now. He is an
abandoned child. He searches for his
boyhood home on Boarman Avenue, in
Baltimore, or perhaps our first family
home there, on Forest Park Avenue. He
hears voices but can’t decode what is be-
ing said, and his mind assumes the worst:
My mother is insulting him, planning to
run off; his sons are belittling him, his
mother scolding him, his older brothers
and sisters teasing him. He is lost, with
no father of his own to turn to. I see that
he has wet himself; a dark ring marks his
place on the couch.
As a geriatric physician in San Anto-
nio for the past thirty years, I have been
through this before. I have been cursed,
spit on, bitten, and punched by demented
old folks over the decades. A poor woman
threw a shoe at me when I stepped inside
her hospital room. The day before,she
thought she thought I was the devil.
As a doctor, I know what to do; as a
son, I am uncertain. So I assume my doc-
tor role, retreating into the armor of my
starched white coat. I walk to the kitchen
and check his daily pill slots to make sure
he’s been getting his regular medications.
Sometimes my mother, unable to see due
to macular degeneration, inadvertently
leaves pills in the plastic containers I fill
every couple weeks. seems in order.
The pills are often as much a part of the
problem as the cure. My father takes eight
medications a day; my mother, who is 82,
fourteen. They are both on vitamins and
minerals, blood pressure medications,
diuretics, and cholesterol-lowering drugs.
My father also takes two pills for his heart.
My mother takes drugs for her diabetes, a
thyroid disorder, osteoporosis.
Big PharmaI spend my doctoring days prescribing
medications for my patients, reshuffling
the ones they’re on--a tiny dose change
here, a retiming of administration there.
By now I have written or refilled hundreds
of thousands of prescriptions, but my
constant goal is to cut back on medica-
tions, stop them altogether if I can: Less
is usually more. Every geriatrician knows
this. Looking through my father’s pills,
I recall a patient of mine, Lilly, a wom-
an who first came to see me carrying a
brown paper shopping bag crammed with
pill bottles--at least forty different drugs
prescribed by a dozen physicians.
“This one’s for the high blood,” she had
said, “and this one’s for the sweet blood,
and this one’s for the low blood. These
three are for my bad knees, and this one’s
‘cause I’m sad a lot, and this one’s ‘cause
I don’t sleep too good, and this one’s
‘cause I’m tired all the time. I can hard-
ly keep’em straight, but I got a biglist at
home tacked to the wall, over the phone
in my kitchen. Last month the company
cut off the service when I couldn’t pay the
bill. All these medicines and still I feel so
bad. That’s why I come to you now. That
and all these other troubles.” She had
handed me a list of symptoms.
I spent two hours with Lilly, hearing
one story after another: bad marriages,
kids in jail, ER visits, surgeries, strange
diagnoses mostly self-made. I knew what
was happening to Lilly, what happens to
many people like her in a medical prob-
lem. The physician begins to drown in
a sea of conflicting information, feels
powerless to alter the circumstances of
this person’s life. A wave of helplessness
washes over doctor and patient both, and
he reaches for his prescription pad. “Here,
try this,” he says. “I think it will help.”
Then he steps into the hall, picks up the
next chart, and moves on, the drug he
has prescribed helps but doubtful it will.
I could not change the circumstances
of Lilly’s life, couldn’t make up for her
poverty or lack of education or the poor
choices she had made. But she improved
significantly when, after some lab work
and many more hours of listening, I was
eventually able to whittle her medication
list down to three.
14 MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM
Meditation has been the foundation I have been searching for. It has helped me cope along with providing the patienceI have needed with the slow deterioration of my mother.
8SIGNS OF
ALZHEIMER’S
1
5
2
6
3
7
4
8
memory changes that disrupt daily life
challenges planning and solving problems
changes in mood or personality
difficulty finishing familiar tasks
trouble understanding visual & spatial relationships
new problems with words in speaking & writing
misplacing things & losing ability to retrace
decreased and poor judgement
16 MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM
If you are a success-seeker, you really DO
need to know more about stress and how
it impacts your brain. Does stress kill brain
cells? The scientific evidence is yes!
Although many high-power business peo-
ple and success-seekers say they LIKE the
sensation of high-stress thinking, it is actu-
ally both non-productive and unfocused.
What Does Stress Do in The Brain?
You can read elsewhere in this site about
brain waves and what they are. So let’s will
focus on exactly what occurs in your brain
when you are stressed. Stress is a mental
and physiological state that occurs when
you interpret something as a threat to your
well being. This can be something as real
as jumping out of the way of a speeding
bus — or as non-obvious as worrying about
getting to the post office before it closes.
When you interpret something as a “threat,”
your brain creates a cascade of biochemi-
cals designed to prepare you to either fight
or run from the threat. Your hands and
armpits start to sweat, you tend to hold
your breath, your digestive system shuts
down, your heart pounds, and your large
muscles contract.
Fast multi-tasking, for example, has been
tied to high stress. Studies have shown that
although people “think” they are getting
more done while multi-tasking, the quan-
tity and quality of their output is actually
reduced.
MEDICINE FOR THE EDERLYPrescribing for the elderly is complex.
They don’t metabolize drugs at the same
rate as younger, healthier patients. The
main workhorses of drug excretion-the
liver and kidneys-decline in function
with age, as do all our organ systems.
The elderly, like my parents. are often
on multiple drugs (including over-the-
counter preparations the doctor might
not even know about), and the incidenc-
es of unforeseen interactions begin to
mount. We know so little about these.
Indeed, the pharmaceutical companies
are infamous in geriatric circles for not
including our elderly patients in drug
trials.
These days, between the Food and Drug
Administration and Big Pharma, I hang
suspended in a netherworld of prescrib-
ing angst. The FDA has pulled more than
twenty drugs off the market in the past
two decades, drugs they first assured
me were safe to use but then ended up
hurting livers or kidneys or hearts. I have
always tried to protect my patients, wait
if I possibly can for aftermarket stud-
ies to bring more data to light. It is one
thing, I tell my patients, to judge a drug’s
benefits and risks after it has been given
to a few thousand patients in clinical
trials; it’s quite another after it has been
prescribed to hundreds of thousands.
In the parlance of the technology and
pharmaceutical industries, doctors like
me who are cautious, who do immedi-
ately jump on the company bandwagon
every time it trumpets its “latest and
greatest” product, are known as “slow
adopters.” Now these industries have
figured out a way to circumvent my
judgment should I fail to join the chorus
of cheerleaders for their newest break-
through. On the television, in magazines,
they promise an end to arthritis pain, a
good night’s sleep, a cure for inconti-
nence, a firm erection, My phone rings off
the hook. Patients who worry that I may
have blocked their path to the Fountain of
Youth when I decline their drug requests.
THE MIRACLE OF MEDITATIONPrescribing for the elderly is complicated.
They don’t metabolize drugs at the same
rate as younger, healthier patients. The
main workhorses of drug excretion--the
liver and kidneys--decline in function
with age, as do all our organ systems.
The elderly, like my parents. are often
on multiple drugs (including over-the-
counter preparations the doctor might
not even know about), and the inci-
dences of unforeseen interactions begin
to mount. We know so little about these
interactions. Indeed, the pharmaceutical
companies are infamous in geriatric cir-
cles for not including our elderly patients
in drug trials first assured me were safe to
use but then ended up damaging livers or
kidneys or hearts. I have always tried to
protect my patiore data to light. It is one
thing, I tell my patients, to judge a drug’s
benefits and risks after it has been given
to a few thousand patients in clinical.
I settle on the bottle of risperidone.
Although I am reluctant to use this drug-
-any drug in treating my father, I know
that he has taken it before with success.
It has worked. It has settled him down,
albeit with an added degree of cognitive
impairment. My hope is that by con-
tinuing to use this drug judiciously, I
can maintain the status quo and keep my
father at home for a bit longer, delay the
decision to relegate him to a long-term
facility where I know he will only deteri-
orate faster.
I bring my father a bisected tablet and a
cool glass of his nutritional drink.
“Here, Dad, take this. I think it will make
you feel better.”
His eyes, still wild, stare at me. “What’s
this for?”
“Dad, you’ve got shpilkes,” I say. I use
this Yiddish word, retrieved somehow
from my own memory, because my father
has lately been interspersing his speech
with snippets of this language, his moth-
er tongue--the mamaloshen--the first
words he ever heard and therefore the
last ones to abandon him.
He smiles. “Az ich habe shpilkes,” he
says. And he swallows the pill. “For the
shpilkes,” my mother and Yolanda tell
him when it is time for the next dose. Be-
fore long he is back to his usual demented
but pleasant self. This time I have made
the right decision.
Three days later, on my parents’ anniver-
sary, those of us who love them assemble
in their home, My wife brings a dozen
yellow roses and arranges the table. My
brother stops at the grocery store for
a side of sliced smoked salmon, some
IS STRESS KILLING YOUR BRAIN?text DHARMA SINGH KHALSA, M.D.
MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM 17
National Parks are the crown jewels of the United Stated. Getting out doors and experiencing what mother natures has to provide will do
wonders for your soul. Here are our top 4 most rejuvenating places on the American
continent. text Marsha Newns
The Most
RejuvenatingNational Parks
National Parks are the crown jewels of the United Stated. Getting out doors and experiencing what mother natures has to provide will do
wonders for your soul. Here are our top 4 most rejuvenating places on the American
continent. text Marsha Newns
20 MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM
Though Native Americans live in the park area today, archaeological study shows they arrived in the area as far back as 3,000 years ago. Modern day Native groups such as the Yurok, Tolowa, Karok, Chilula, and Wiyot all have historical ties to the region. An 1852 census deter-mined that the Yurok were the most numerous, with 55 villages and an estimated population of 2,500. They used the abundant redwood, which with its linear grain was easily split into planks, as a building material for boats, houses, and small villages.[9] For buildings, the planks would
be erected side by side in a narrow trench, with the upper portions bound with leather strapping and held by notches cut into the supporting roof beams. Redwood boards were used to form a shallow sloping roof.Previous to Jedediah Smith in 1828, no other explorer of European descent is known to have thoroughly investigated the inland region away from the immediate coast. The discovery of gold along the Trinity River in 1850 led to a minor secondary gold rush in California. This brought miners into the area and many stayed on at
the coast after failing to strike it rich. This quickly led to conflicts wherein native peoples were placed under great strain, if not forcibly removed or massacred. By 1895, only one third of the Yurok in one group of villages remained; by 1919, virtually all members of the Chilula tribe had either died or been assimilat-ed into other tribes. The miners logged redwoods for building; when this minor gold rush ended, some of them turned again to logging, cutting down the giant redwood trees. Initially, over 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km2) of the California and
Redwood National Forest
Drive your car through a redwood tree or over a fallen redwood log. The Shrine Drive Thru Tree has been attracting visitors for years. Located in Myers Flat, four miles south of the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center, it’s an easy stop right on the Av-enue of the Giants. There is a minimal fee to drive through the tree.
13708 Ave of the GiantsMyers Flat, CA 95554707-943-1975
Shrine Drive Thru Trees
MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM 21
Havasu Falls is a waterfall in the Grand Canyon located 1½ miles
from Supai, Arizona, USA. It is arguably the most famous and most
visited of all the falls and consists of one main chute that drops over
a 120-foot (37 m) vertical cliff into a large pool. Due to the high mineral
content of the water, the falls are ever-changing and sometimes break
into two separate chutes of water.The falls are known for their natural
pools, created by mineralization, although most of these pools were damaged or destroyed in the early 1990s by large floods that washed
through the area. A small man-made dam was constructed to help restore
the pools and to preserve what is left. There are many picnic tables on the opposite side of the creek, and it is very easy to cross over by
following the edges of the pools. It is possible to swim behind the
falls and enter a small rock shelter behind it. Havasupai is a dialect of
the Upland Yuman language spoken by fewer than 450 people on the
Havasupai Indian Reservation at the
bottom of the Grand Canyon. It is the only Native American language
in the United States of America spoken by 100% of its indigenous
population. As of 2005, Havasupai remained the first language of
residents of Supai Village, the tribal government seat. Colorado River
in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is contained within and
managed by Grand Canyon National Park, the Hualapai Tribal Nation,
and the Havasupai Tribe. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it
on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery. It is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders
of the World. For thousands of years, the area has been continuously
inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon
and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Can-
yon (“Ongtupqa” in Hopi language) a holy site and made pilgrimages to it.[8] The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon
Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World re-nowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America’s most visited national park. The Great Smoky Mountains are among the oldest mountains in the world, formed perhaps 200-300 million
years ago. They are unique in their
northeast to southwest ori-entation, which allowed species
to migrate along their slopes during
climatic changes such as
Havasupai Falls
Great Smoky Mtns
22 MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM
Kenai Fjords National Park sits at the edge of the North Pacific Ocean, where storm patterns develop and feed a land of ice. The Harding Icefield crowns the park and is the source of at least 38 glaciers that flow over the land, sculpting as they go. These gigantic rivers of ice have shaped the terrain and are now receding to reveal their work.
As ice melts, rock is uncovered and the
process of suc-cession begins to take place. Scientists in the
park investigate such diverse topics
as newly colonized nunataks, black bear genetics, and the reproductive success of shorebirds. At the edge of the Kenai Peninsula lies a land where the ice age lingers. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords’ crowning feature. Wildlife thrives in icy waters and lush forests around this vast expanse of ice. Native Alutiiq relied on these resources to nurture a life entwined with the sea. Today, shrinking glaciers bear witness to the effects of our changing climate. River otters defecate in certain spots to mark their territory. Researchers in Kenai Fjords National Park have discovered that these “latrine sites”
Kenai Fjords National Park
MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM 23
Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina
and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World re-
nowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient
mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America’s
most visited national park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
preserves a rich cultural tapestry of Southern Appalachian history. The mountains have had a long human
history spanning thousands of years-from the prehistoric Paleo In-dians to early European settlement in the 1800s to loggers and Civilian
Conservation Corps enrollees in the 20th century. The park strives to protect the historic structures,
landscapes, and artifacts that tell the varied stories of people who
once called these mountains home. Biological diversity is the hallmark
of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which encompasses over
800 square miles in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. No other
area of equal size in a temperate climate can match the park’s amaz-ing diversity of plants, animals, and
invertebrates. Over 17,000 species have been documented in the park:
Scientists believe an additional 30,000-80,000 species may live here.
It’s wonderland. Old Faithful and the majority of the world’s geysers are preserved here. They are the main reason the park was established in 1872 as America’s first national park—an idea that spread world-wide. A mountain wildland, home to grizzly bears, wolves, and herds of bison and elk, the park is the core of one of the last, nearly intact, natural ecosystems in the Earth’s temperate zone. The human history of the Yellowstone region goes back more than 11,000 years. From then until to the very recent past, many groups of Native Americans used the park as their homes, hunting
grounds, and transportation routes. These traditional uses of Yellow-stone lands continued until a little over 200 years ago when the first people of European descent found their way into the park. In 1872 a country that had not yet seen its first centennial, established Yellowstone as the first national park in the world. A new concept was born and with it a new way for people to preserve and protect the best of what they had for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations. Please visit the links below to learn more about history and culture in Yellowstone National Park. With half
of the earth’s geothermal features, Yellowstone holds the planet’s most diverse and intact collection of geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles. Its more than 300 geysers make up two thirds of all those found on earth. Combine this with more than 10,000 thermal features comprised of brilliantly colored hot springs, bubbling mudpots, and steaming fumaroles, and you have a place like no other. Geyserland, fairyland, wonderland--through the years, all have been used to describe the natural wonder and magic of this unique park that contains more geothermal features than any other
Great Rocky Mountains
Yellowstone National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the few places remaining in the eastern United States where
black bears can live in wild, natural surroundings. For many, this famous Smokies’ resident is a symbol of wil-
derness. All black bears in the park are black in color, but in other parts of the
country they may be brown or cinna-mon. They may be six feet in length and
up to three feet high at the shoulder. During the summer months, a typical male bear weighs approximately 250
pounds while females are generally
Be Bear Aware
YOGA IN THE U.S.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA
YOGA PRACTITIONERS DEMOGRAPHICS
PRACTITIONERS THAT LIVE ON THE WEST COAST 20%PRACTITIONERS THAT LIVE IN THE NORTHWEST COAST 30%PRACTITIONERS THAT LIVE IN THE MIDWEST 30%OTHER PARTS 20%
AGEBETWEEN THE AGES OF 18-34 BETWEEN THE AGES OF 35-54 OVER 55
40.6%41%18.4%
GENDERFEMALES MALES
72.2%27.8%AMERICAN’S WHO ARE INTERESTED
AMERICANS WHO PRACTICE PRACTICERS WORLD WIDE
18.3 M21 M300 M
POPULATION
BETTERZZZZZZ’S
MOODIMPROVES
BLOOD PRESSURE
DECREASES
WELL-BEINGINCREASES
RESPIRATORYEFFICENCY INCREASES
MEMORYIMPROVES
STRENGHTINCREASES
LEARNINGIMPROVES
POSTUREIMPROVES
PAIN DECREASES
DEPTHPERCEPTION
IMPROVES
ATTENTIONIMPROVES
4 YOGA POSES TO INCREASE METABOLISM
Most Westernized yoga classes focus on learning physical poses, which are called asanas. They also usually include some form of breathing technique and possibly a meditation technique as well. Some yoga classes are designed purely for relaxation. But there are styles of yoga that teach you how to move your body in new ways. Choosing one of these styles offers the greatest health benefits by enabling you to develop your flexibility, strength, and balance.
Indicators of a slow metabolism include a poor digestive system and a lethargic liver. When these two organs are not functioning properly, the whole body suffers, including your metabolism. Because both organs are located in the abdomen, yoga exercises focusing on your core are a great solution.
BOW POSE BRIDGE POSE LUNGE POSE HEAD POSE
21 MILLIONAMERICANS CURRENTLY PRACTICING YOGA
Yoga came to the attention of an educated western public in the mid 19th century along with other topics of Hindu philosophy. The first Hindu
teacher to actively advocate and disseminate aspects of yoga to a western audience was Swami Vivekananda, who toured Europe and the United States in the 1890s. The reception which received is inconceivable without the active interest of, and others who found Vedanta in agreement with their own ideas and a cherished source of religious-philosophical inspiration.
24 MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM
YOGA IN THE U.S.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA
YOGA PRACTITIONERS DEMOGRAPHICS
PRACTITIONERS THAT LIVE ON THE WEST COAST 20%PRACTITIONERS THAT LIVE IN THE NORTHWEST COAST 30%PRACTITIONERS THAT LIVE IN THE MIDWEST 30%OTHER PARTS 20%
AGEBETWEEN THE AGES OF 18-34 BETWEEN THE AGES OF 35-54 OVER 55
40.6%41%18.4%
GENDERFEMALES MALES
72.2%27.8%AMERICAN’S WHO ARE INTERESTED
AMERICANS WHO PRACTICE PRACTICERS WORLD WIDE
18.3 M21 M300 M
POPULATION
BETTERZZZZZZ’S
MOODIMPROVES
BLOOD PRESSURE
DECREASES
WELL-BEINGINCREASES
RESPIRATORYEFFICENCY INCREASES
MEMORYIMPROVES
STRENGHTINCREASES
LEARNINGIMPROVES
POSTUREIMPROVES
PAIN DECREASES
DEPTHPERCEPTION
IMPROVES
ATTENTIONIMPROVES
4 YOGA POSES TO INCREASE METABOLISM
Most Westernized yoga classes focus on learning physical poses, which are called asanas. They also usually include some form of breathing technique and possibly a meditation technique as well. Some yoga classes are designed purely for relaxation. But there are styles of yoga that teach you how to move your body in new ways. Choosing one of these styles offers the greatest health benefits by enabling you to develop your flexibility, strength, and balance.
Indicators of a slow metabolism include a poor digestive system and a lethargic liver. When these two organs are not functioning properly, the whole body suffers, including your metabolism. Because both organs are located in the abdomen, yoga exercises focusing on your core are a great solution.
BOW POSE BRIDGE POSE LUNGE POSE HEAD POSE
21 MILLIONAMERICANS CURRENTLY PRACTICING YOGA
Yoga came to the attention of an educated western public in the mid 19th century along with other topics of Hindu philosophy. The first Hindu
teacher to actively advocate and disseminate aspects of yoga to a western audience was Swami Vivekananda, who toured Europe and the United States in the 1890s. The reception which received is inconceivable without the active interest of, and others who found Vedanta in agreement with their own ideas and a cherished source of religious-philosophical inspiration.
MOKSHAMAGAZINE.COM 25
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