Like every other working female out there, my life is stressful. We try to pile too many activities into every day and don't always do what we need to do to take care of ourselves. With a ridiculous travel schedule, frequently in hotel beds and cramped airplanes, the life of the glamourous road warrior had given me chronic neck and back pain.

I don't like medication of any type and really prefer a holistic approach to taking care of oneself. My mother suggested that I invest in myself, and specifically into massage. I was looking for the right place. I tried one of those chain massage studios, it was noisy and impersonal, the massages were okay. I tried the high-end spa type of places, they were very time consuming and I wasn't really looking for the all day spa experience with luxurious robes and lemon water. Again, the massages were okay and they were pricey. I wanted a place that would be "my place."

A referral from an area businessman who had been to Niyama Yoga peaked my curiosity. I made an appointment, and I was hooked. Mitra is, now four years later, a friend and "My Massage Lady," as I tell my friends and family. I often give gifts of her massages to friends, co-workers and family, I think it is an incredible gift!

What I enjoy about Mitra is that she is exceptionally talented, she can feel the

areas in my neck, back and legs that are causing the problems and she is able to fix them for me. She understands my body, can identify the area triggering the issue and then work on the area to resolve it. The experience is always very personal, professional and entertaining.

She is constantly going to classes to learn additional techniques, as though she

needs more certificates on her wall! I think that her continually learning how to help people in pain and her relieving stress is refreshing. Mitra truly takes an interest in me as a person.

Mitra also gives some of the responsibility back to me so that I know what to do to stop the problem. I believe that is healthy, my body is my responsibility. Her coaching me on stretching techniques for sciatic issues has been enormously helpful. Suggesting that those cute and high heels, aren't the best selection for my back reinforces my purchase of new shoes and the infrequent wearing of the stilettos.

I am fortunate to have found Mitra. I only wish that I had found her sooner and that I went as frequently as I should. My mom suggested several times a month, and now I am old enough to know, Mom is usually right. Stacy is Regional Sales Manager, West for Grainger Alliance Dedicated Team, Schneider Electric

Detoxification - Why Is It Necessary?

living in a chemically-based world has made toxicity a much greater concern for the 21st Century. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that the average American consumes four pounds of pesticides each year and has residues from over 400 toxic substances in their body. More than 3,000 chemical additives are found in the foods we eat.

In 1982, the EPA sampled the fat cells of 30,000 individuals and found that over 167 synthetic chemicals and carcinogens are now found in the average human body. It also found that 100% of those sampled contained plastics, solvents and dioxins and 83% also contained PCRs (all toxic chemicals). The incidence of many toxic diseases has increased as well, with cancer and cardiovascular disease at the top of the list. Arthritis, allergies, obesity, and many skin problems occur as a result of toxicity. In addition, a wide range of symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, pains, coughs, gastrointestinal problems, and problems from immune weakness can all be related to toxicity.

Toxicity can occur on an internal and an external level. We are exposed to toxins daily and can acquire them from our environment by breathing, ingesting, or coming into physical contact with them. Also, most drugs, food additives, and allergens can create toxic elements in the body. Poor digestion, colon sluggishness and dysfunction, reduced liver function, and poor elimination through the kidneys, respirator tract, and skin all add to increased toxicity.

A normal functioning body was created to handle certain levels of toxins; the concern is with excess intake, production of toxins, or a reduction in the processes of elimination. Toxicity occurs in our body when we take in more than we can eliminate. A toxin may produce an immediate or rapid

onset of symptoms or cause long-term, negative effects. If our body is working well, with good immune and eliminative functions, we can handle our basic everyday exposure to toxins. Through detoxification, we clear and filter toxins and wastes and allow our body to work on enhancing its basic functions.

Our body handles toxins by neutralizing, transforming, or eliminating them. The liver helps transform many toxic substances into harmless agents, while the blood carries waste to the kidneys; the liver also dumps waste through the bile into the intestines, where much of it is eliminated in the stool. We also clear toxins when our body sweats. Our sinuses and skin may also act as accessory elimination organs, whereby

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excess toxin containing mucus can be released.
Detoxification is the process of clearing toxins from the body by neutralizing or transforming them and clearing excess congestion. Detoxification also involves dietary and lifestyle changes that reduce intake of toxins and improve elimination. Avoidance of chemicals (from food or other sources), refined food, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and many drugs help to minimize the toxin load. Drinking extra water and increasing fiber by including more fruits and vegetables in the diet are steps in the detoxification process. Almost everyone needs to detoxify. We detoxify to reduce symptoms and prevent further problems. We also detoxify to give our overloaded digestive organs a rest.

Everyone is different, so no two people have exactly the same response to detox. Generally, people lose 10-20 pounds of excess body fat and excess water if they are overweight to begin with. Most people have increased energy throughout the day, enjoy more restful sleep, have less joint pain and stiffness, have much better mood and mental clarity, improved digestion and clearer skin from performing Doctor Webster's detox. After the detox, craving for sugar, processed food and sodas are reduced and eating habits tend to improve for life, so improved health is both achieved and maintained.

Most people can perform one form of the detox or another. Dr. Webster will evaluate everyone individually to determine what steps need to be taken in order for detox to be successful. People with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, arthritis, auto-immune disorders, allergies and many other diseases or symptoms typically have very good results on the detox program. Often, they become healthy enough that their prescribing physician may choose to reduce their medication or remove them from medication completely. Always talk to your prescribing physician before changing the dosage of any medication.

You will receive a complete instruction manual detailing every aspect of performing the detox, all of the supplements required for detoxing, as well as any needed support, by being guided through any difficulties you might experience while on the program. When you are finished, you will receive follow-up suggestions that will help you maintain all of the great results.

As teachers, we can heal our students' nervous systems by giving them concrete tools to cultivate peace on the mat. The nervous system is our communicator with spirit, our connection with the inner world, and a gateway between the physical and spiritual. An agitated nervous system fails to receive the spirit's guidance, just as a warped antenna cannot receive television signals properly. That is why, in yoga and in life, we must protect the nervous system and ensure that it lives in a state of equanimity. Similarly, we must create an experience for our students that soothes, rather than irritates, their nerves.

The nervous system is a transmitter as well as a receiver. It is an electrical system emitting powerful electromagnetic waves and transmitting impulses that connect and harmonize all aspects of our being. The nervous system feels joy and sorrow and initiates laughter and tears. However, when agitated, it fumbles through its job, and so do we.

In our society, we are always being hurried along, running from one task to another like frustrated rats on an eternal treadmill. Our poor nerves rarely get a chance to rest or breathe. Yoga classes should be an antidote to the feverish fervor. They should give our students time to pause, feel, and tune in. Let us not reduce our classes to one more hectic episode in a student's day or one more unrelenting blur of intensive activity.

When I first taught in America in 1980, I was astonished to see that many

students would shut their eyes while doing asanas in an effort to relax. Yet, they would lie down in Savasna with their eyes wide open. When it was actually time to tune in to the trauma and tension in their nervous systems, they were afraid to face the demons within and could not let go. This highlights the challenge facing us as yoga teachers. Peace comes from being completely present and feeling what is going on in the now.

But how do you create peace as a teacher? During class, frequently remind your students to pose and feel what they are doing, and then use their breath to initiate the next move. As your students pause after each pose, encourage them to bring awareness into their bodies and create equanimity in their minds before proceeding. Shutting the eyes creates calmness because the body responds by moving the nervous system from its active, sympathetic state to its quiet, parasympathetic state. Opening the eyes reverses that.

Encourage your students to always be conscious of their breathing, and work with their breath, especially when working at their edge. Slow, deep breathing is the nervous system's best friend. The breath is directly connected to the heartbeat and, as we breathe faster, the oscillations in the nervous system increase in intensity. Teaching students to slow down their breathing will slow down their heartbeat and calm their nerves. There are other ways to harm our students with the practice. For instance, the nervous system is agitated by jerky movements. This includes

trembling during a pose by working too hard. Remind your students that there is no virtue in holding poses too long. There are a number of specific techniques I recommend for bringing peace to students who are particularly scattered. Have your students do suspended inversions such as hanging on a pelvic swing or Adho Mukha Savanasana (Down Dog) with wall ropes around their thighs. In these poses, the spine can release and the nerves in the spine can relax. This creates a sense of calmness as the body moves into its parasympathetic mode. Another way to create this effect is to have your students do Savasana with a head wrap. This contains the scattered waves of the brain so that, when the student removes the wrap, the brain waves are more coherent, focused, and calm.

When we take the time to be peaceful and calm we are given more time in return. Calmness grants us focus, and with this we accomplish more. Indeed, great focus comes from great calmness and not from great fervor. When calmness and peace is ours, we are receptive to our soul. We allow ourselves the imminence of bliss. This bliss is one of the greatest gifts we can share with our students.