Free to YMCA members and non-members, including all members of the public.

Please come to class at least 15 minutes before start time to present your proof-of-vaccination and the YMCA will give you a card to use for future classes. Masks. Distancing. Ventilation. Hand sanitizer, hand-washing.

Hosted by the Stonestown YMCA, funded by the SF Department of Disability and Aging Services through the Dignity Fund.

Each weekly Mind-Body Health class usually includes:

• A short talk of 5-10 minutes on a subject of interest to students

• A variety of mindful, gentle physical movement forms that can be done in a chair and/or standing. Includes chair yoga, standing yoga, tai chi chih, and other modalities.

• Breathing Exercises

• Meditation

 Weekly Topics for Short Talks:

Based on feedback collected from class members. Be sure to let me know if you have something you would like to know more about.

Each Month 

• • Week 1: Sound Bath, Sound Meditation, Sound/Music Therapy

  • Week 2: Components of Fitness, Fitness Planning for Yourself, Warm-ups, Routines

  • Week 3: Sleep, Nutrition, Creativity, Lifestyle

  • Week 4: Yoga Nidra/Relaxation, Breathing, Meditation

  • Week 5: Open to suggestions

Most forms of movement offer an opportunity to practice mindful awareness and attention. 

By participating in physical activities we positively impact our minds and all systems of our bodies, increasing health, vitality, and quality of life. Focused physical activity trains our bodies and minds so that we can function better in our daily lives.

The systems of the body do a better job of keeping our bodies and minds functioning well when we exercise regulary.

These systems overlap and work together, and include:

•  The skeletal system (bony framework)

• The muscular system (muscles pull on bones to create movement)

• The nervous system (communication between the body and brain)

• The respiratory system (breathing)

• The cardiovascular system (heart, veins, arteries)

• The digestive system (food and fluid in)

• The excretory system (food and fluid out)

• The endocrine system (hormonal)

• The immune system (surveillance/defense against infectious intruders like bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses)

• The integumentary system (skin, hair, etc.)

• The reproductive system

20 Common Benefits of Daily Physical Activity - 

1. Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. Improves blood pressure.

2. Facilitates healthier aging.

3. Reduces chronic pain.

4. Builds stronger bones. Helps prevent and treat osteoporosis. 

5. Better stress management. Cultivates a sense of peace.

6. Improves mood, confidence, self-esteem.

7. Enhances the immune system.

8. Improves brain health. Enhances mental function. Improves reflexes.

9. Activates energy. Helps with chronic fatigue.

10. Reduces risk of cancer.

11. Promotes healthy digestion, prevents and relieves constipation.

12. Battles some kinds of diabetes.

13.  Can help with Parkinson’s disease.

14. Facilitates healthy weight management.

15. Improves sexual desire and function.

16. Improves sleep, lessens insomnia.

17. Improves balance, coordination, posture, agility.

18. Great way to meet new people and expand your sense of community.

19. Great way to spend time with friends and family, your current community.

20.  Provides for mindfulness, creativity, fun!

In general, any kind of physical activity is good as long as it doesn't hurt during or after exercise. 

Consistent exercise over time enhances health at any weight, ability, or age. The most benefit is achieved by participating in a variety of exercise that includes training for aerobic endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, balance, coordination, and mindful attention. Including relaxation, breathing, and meditation exercises further assists with stress reduction and may enhance our performance in the physical and mental activities we perform each day.

It's best to participate in a variety of activities that you enjoy on a daily basis! The variety is good for our bodies and brains, so try new things. This includes daily chores (cleaning, gardening, puttering around), movement classes at home or in gyms/studios, and other outdoor activities (biking, pickleball, surfing, tennis, hiking). Walking is an excellent activity to include in a daily routine.

Additionally, sitting for long periods of time is not beneficial to our bodies or minds. Frequent breaks, or "exercise snacks" (5-10 minutes of some sort of movement) do wonders for the body and mind. Also, try to do some computer/desk work standing at a counter or elevated desk instead of being seated.

How Much Movement Each Day?

Start where you are and gradually build up to a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise per day for adults and 60 minutes for children, including both low-intensity and high-intensity activities appropriate for the individual. These times are what I consider the barest minimum. Really, 2-4 times that amount of time on most days is not a bad goal, spread out over the day. Be sure not to over-do the high-intensity activities, to gradually build up over time, and to have 3 "easy" days each week when less exercise is done so that the body can recover and grow stronger.

Reminder

Check with your doctor or other health professional before beginning a new exercise program.

• Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years - Annie Delany, Sarah Delany, Amy Hearth

• Live Pain Free - Lee Albert (He also does a PBS show!)

• Yoga for Pain Relief - Lee Albert

• Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition - T. Colin Campbell

• Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg

• Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind - Shunryu Suzuki

• Food Rules - Michael Pollen

• Keep It Moving - Twyla Tharp

• The Creative Habit - Twyla Tharp

• Museum Exhibit: Diego Rivera's mural, Pan American Unity (1940), is at the SFMOMA! The exhibit has been at CCSF since 1961. The mural is in a free exhibit hall at MOMA, where members of the public will get to see the restoration process and attend other related events.

• Article: What Are the Benefits of Sunlight? 

• Website: Anti-Racist Resources from Greater Good

• Website: What is Mindfulness? Why Practice It? How Do I Cultivate It?

• Website:  Are You Feeling...Stress?...Depression?...Anxious?...Sleepy?  (From SFSU, designed for students, but applicable to us all! Includes national crisis and suicide prevention contact information.)

• Website: 1degree (Free community resources - food, housing, emergency services, etc...)

• Website: Low Blood Pressure (hypotension)

• Website: High Blood Pressure (hypertension)

• Article: 10-Day Loving Kindness Challenge with Sharon Salzburg

• Article: Love and Survival - The Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy

• Article: Love and Support from Ornish Lifestyle Medicine

• Article: Lifestyle Choices and Brain Health

• Article: 12 Ways to Keep Your Brain Young

• Article: Putting Feelings Into Words Produces Therapeutic Effects In The Brain

• Research Article: Putting Feelings Into Words - Affect Labeling as Implicit Emotion Regulation

• Article: Emotion Classification (a variety of systems that address this topic)

• Article: Label Emotions to Improve Situations (for self, in therapy, in negotiating)

• Poem and Article: Ode to My Socks, Pablo Neruda (Gratitude)

• Infographic: 6 Benefits of Gratitude

• Article: 6 Ways To Use Your Mind to Control Pain

• Article: SF State Psychiatrist Shares Pandemic Mental Health Tips

• Article: 8 Ways to Care for Your Amazing Brain

• Article: Teen Brains Found in Elderly Dancers One more reason to put on your dancing shoes!

• Article: Cognitive Decline Precedes Physical Decline in Older Adults

• Worksheet: Emotions - Language, Signs, Behaviors

• Article: 18 Science-Backed Reasons to Try Loving Kindness Meditation

• Article: 10-Day Loving Kindness Challenge with Sharon Salzburg

• Article: Loving Kindness Meditation

• Article: A Beginner's Loving Kindness Practice

• Article: Greater Happiness in 5 Minutes a Day: How to Teach Kids Loving Kindness Meditation

• Article: Getting Started with Mindful Movement

• Article:  Tai Chi Chih: Six Healing Sounds

• Article: Nose Breathing vs. Mouth Breathing (Information and breathing exercises)

• Article: "Exercise Snacks" May Be As Good As (Or Better Than) Traditional Workouts

• Article: Ostopenia: When You Have Weak Bones, But not Osteoporosis

• Website: Exercising with Osteoporosis: Stay Safe

• Website: What is Osteoporosis and What Causes It?

• Article: 6 Ways People Around The World Say Hello Without Touching

• Video: Cooling Breath - Sitali Breath, the Yogic Way to Cool Down

• Website: The Benefits of Tai Chi (Research. Tai Chi consists of up to 108 movements.)

• Website: 108 (The significance of this number in math, religion, art, sports, cards, and more!)

• Website: Tai Chi Chih

• Website: The Benefits of Tai Chi Chih (Testimonials. Tai Chi Chih = 19 movements and 1 pose.)

• Video:  Tai Chi Chih - Joy Through Movement, Carmen Brocklehurst

• Website: PurpleAir (Check air quality by zip code, more local than AirNow)

• Website: AirNow (Check air quality by zip code, city or state)

• Article: Preparing for Wildfires

• Article: Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke

• Article: SF NERT (Neighborhood Emergency Response Team) 4 min. video about

• Article: Wash Dishes, Sweep Floors - Housework as Meditation

• Article: Exercising to Relax

• Article: The Benefits of Walking Meditation

• Link: Walking Meditation

• Links: Dance = Fantastic Mind-Body Experience! Links to Beginning Folk Dance Class, Videos

• Link: Outdoor Routes of the Week: Run, Walk, Bike

• Video:  Aging Backwards I with Miranda Esmonde-White

• Video:  Aging Backwards Workouts with Miranda Esmonde-White

• Article:  How to Meditate Through Exercise, Laurie Cameron

• Website: Explainer: Why Does Our Balance Get Worse as We Grow Older?

• Video:  Chair Mindful Yoga: A Complete 15-Minute Practice, Corey Roos

• Video:  6 Steps to Prevent a Fall, National Council on Aging

• Handbook: Fall Prevention Conversation Guide for Caregivers, National Council on Aging 

• Report:  US Center for Disease Control (CDC) Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd ed.  (Ongoing interest!)

This is a long report. I recommend you read the sections for adults, older adults, and for special conditions. Look at the table of contents to see what pages to go to. The report is loaded with useful information that is not only beneficial for our own health, but also for those we care about---friends and family. Exercise is key: Maybe you can get someone to exercise with you on Zoom, or, in a COVID-safe manner as restrictions lessen.

• Do Some Physical Activity Everyday - Guidelines for a Weekly Workout Plan (7 days)

  • • Check-in with your healthcare providers about your plans, and ask them for safe guidelines.

    • HEHEHER: Over the 7 days of the week, alternate Hard Easy Hard Easy Hard Easy Rest Days (A good starting place)

      • 1. Provides for variety, recovery, relaxation, focus, playfulness

        2. Refers to all forms of exercise

        3. Refers to all body parts

        4. Rest = Still move but take it easy

    • Be mindful of the breath and body, learn from them and adjust your activities accordingly.

    • Take note of your body's needs: If you need 2 easy days for each hard day be sure to schedule your week accordingly!

    • Use any activity that you enjoy: walking, cycling, dancing, swimming, classes, garden, clean house

    • Fartlek (Speed Play) - A Swedish training technique, mixing slow/medium/fast movement in an unstructured, playful way.

    • Week 1 - An example for a true beginner, based on walking:

      • 2. 1. H Walk 20 minutes (2 sessions of 10 minutes is good) & flexibility exercises for legs

           2. E Walk 10 mins, strength/flexibility for arms and back

           3. H Walk 20 minutes (2 sessions of 10 minutes is good) & flexibility exercises for legs

           4. E Walk 10 mins, strength/flexibility for arms and back

           5. H Walk 20 mins, flexibility exercises for legs

           6. E Walk 10 mins, strength/flexibility for arms and back

           7. R Clean house, do laundry, walk dog, do errands, movement-based hobbies

      • Week 1 - An example, for a moderately active adult, based on walking:

        2. 1. H Walk 1 hour (using speed play Fartlek, Swedish training technique) & flexibility exercises for legs

           2. E Walk 20 mins, garden, strength/flexibility for arms and back

           3. H Walk 1 hour, using speed play (Fartlek, Swedish training technique) & flexibility exercises for legs

           4. E Walk 20 mins, garden, strength/flexibility for arms and back

           5. H Walk 1 hour, using speed play (Fartlek, Swedish training technique) & flexibility exercises for legs

           6. E Walk 20 mins, garden, strength/flexibility for arms and back

           7. R Clean house, do laundry, walk dog, do errands

      • Week 1 - An example, for an active adult, based on walking:

        2. 1. H Walk 2 hours (using speed play Fartlek, Swedish training technique) & flexibility exercises for legs

           2. E Walk 20 mins, garden, strength/flexibility for arms and back

           3. H Walk 2 hours, using speed play (Fartlek, Swedish training technique) & flexibility exercises for legs

           4. E Walk 20 mins, garden, strength/flexibility for arms and back

           5. H Walk 2 hours, using speed play (Fartlek, Swedish training technique) & flexibility exercises for legs

           6. E Walk 20 mins, garden, strength/flexibility for arms and back

           7. R Clean house, do laundry, walk dog, do errands

• "Cheatsheet": 5 Basic Moves for a Physical Warm Up...Make it Your Own! 5-10 minutes 

Reminders: Easy does it, awareness of body and breath, make movements larger/smaller according to your needs. No pain.

Add arm movements of your choice. If needed, hold on to a wall, table, or chair for balance.

 The  moves: 

1. Walk

2. Shallow knee bends. Both feet stay flat on the floor.

3. Knee lifts. Alternate legs. 

(Substitute tapping toe on floor in place of knee lift if needed.)

4. Reach leg out to side/bring it in. Alternate legs.

5. Safe squat. Knees track over feet. Not too deep - mindful of back, knees, ankles.

• Cardio Explorations

  • • Be mindful: Do what is comfortable for you without pushing too hard or creating pain, or even a hint of pain.

    • Consult with your doctor in general about doing cardio exercise. Follow recommendations for managing cardio exercise, especially if you have a chronic condition, or are recovering from illness or injury.

• Start with a warm-up for about 5 minutes, then try 5 minutes of cardio, then "cool down"  for 5 minutes with easy leg motion.

• What to do: Dance to your favorite songs, and do moves from the warm-up list above--faster and with arm movements over your head...that will make your heart rate go up.

• Goal: To breathe heavily, but still be able to carry on a limited conversation.

• Safety:

  1. Clear obstacles out of the way in your house, patio, or yard.

  2. Let someone know what you are doing...just in case.

  3. Don't do too much too soon. Gradually increase the length and difficulty of your cardio.

  4. Be sure to hydrate before and after a workout, and throughout the day.

• Article: 7 Rules for Eating - About Michale Pollen's Book, Food Rules. "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.")

• Article: Foods That Fight Inflammation 

• Article: Better Heart Health in 8 Weeks? Double Down on Fruits and Veggies!

• Article: Guide to PFCs - Environmental Working Group   PFCS are toxic synthetic chemicals used to make things repel water, grease, and stains. Examples: fast-food wrappers, teflon pans, carpets, jackets. How to avoid them?

• Article: Can You Overdose on Vitamin D?  Includes what this does for the body, sunlight and food sources.

• Article: Blue Zones Food Guidelines  Plant slant: What the world's longest-lived peoples eat.

• Article: Probiotic and Prebiotic Foods.pdf

Volunteer

Volunteering to help others is a valuable way to spend your time. You can help family, friends, neighbors, neighborhood organizations, political causes, schools...the list goes on and on. You can help by doing a variety of things, from making phone calls to helping in person at a food bank or tutoring someone who is learning to read...and there is a lot more. Stay safe, ask a lot of questions before committing yourself, and consider volunteering with a friend. "Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits" describes the mental, physical, and social benefits of aging and outlines ways to find a volunteer setting that suits you.

Donate

Be sure to thoroughly check out organizations before donating any money. Be clear when you donate that you indicate whether you want to make a "one-time donation", or, an "ongoing monthly donation". 

Below are some organizations that I trust. Let me know if you have information that indicates that any specific organization might be untrustworthy. Most of them have opportunities for you to volunteer or make donations. If you have any suggestions regarding other organizations, let me know!

Organizations

• American Red Cross

"Red Cross volunteers and staff work to deliver vital services – from providing relief and support to those in crisis, to helping you be prepared to respond in emergencies."

Story: American Red Cross donates $10 Million Dollars for Ukraine Crisis Relief

• Heifer International 

"We’re on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way by supporting and investing alongside local farmers and their communities."

• Institute on Aging Friendship Line. Here's information on volunteering.  

"We support individuals who find connecting within the community challenging. Institute on Aging’s 24-hour toll-free Friendship Line is the only accredited crisis line in the country for people aged 60 years and older, and adults living with disabilities. We also make ongoing outreach calls to lonely older adults. While there are other organizations that respond to the needs of people who may be contemplating suicide, none provides the type of services that IOA’s Friendship Line offers to respond to the public health problem of suicide among the elderly. Knowing that older people do not contact traditional suicide prevention centers on a regular basis even if they are considering suicide, we created the only program nationwide that reaches out to lonely, depressed, isolated, frail and/or suicidal older adults. Our trained volunteers specialize in offering a caring ear and having a friendly conversation with depressed older adults."

 TOLL FREE - 800.971.0016

• The San Francisco Botanical Garden, in Golden Gate Park.

• SF-Marin Food Bank 

"Now, more than ever, it’s critical to get food out to the community. Being an essential service provider, the Food Bank is fully operational. We can’t do it without your help..."

• The Trevor Project 

"As a volunteer you are on the front lines; working one on one with LGBTQ young people to help them navigate tough times and to prevent suicide."

• Volunteer Match 

"Explore hundreds of virtual volunteer opportunities in cause areas like health and medicine, education, and community building that you can do from a computer, from home or any other preferred location."

• Unicef

"Over eight decades, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has built an unprecedented global support system for the world’s children. UNICEF relentlessly works day in and day out to deliver the essentials that give every child an equitable chance in life: health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world’s most vulnerable children. Together, we have helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization."

• Report:

 US Center for Disease Control (CDC) Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd ed.  

This is a long report. I recommend you read the sections for adults, older adults, and for special conditions. Look at the table of contents to see what pages to go to. The report is loaded with useful information that is not only beneficial for our own health, but also for those we care about---friends and family. 

Exercise is key!

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.

Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.

Because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

— Jelaluddin Rumi 

(1207-1273, Persia)

translation by Coleman Barks

• Video: Reading of The Guest House by Ayse Dumush

• Article: 10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Rumi 

Over the years, this poem has inspired me to keep moving forward in life, to keep hope, to keep creating, to keep loving, to remember that life is so very full, and to do the best I can with whatever comes my way. I always laugh at the second line, “Every morning a new arrival”, because, in my life, there seems to be a new arrival every few hours!

• Video: The Vagus Nerve

• Article: The Vagus Nerve - Your Secret Weapon in Fighting Stress

• Video: Tai Chi Chih with Carmen Brocklehurst

• Article: Power of Music on the Brain (better w/Movement/Dance, Singing!)

• Article: Keep Your Brain Young with Music

• Article: Favorite Music Improves Brain Function in Alzheimer’s Patients

• Video: Why Music Has Such Profound Effects on the Brain

• Article: Best Exercises for Bone Strength

• Articles: Getting Started with Mindful Movement

• Website: Women's Health Network

• Video: Why Pronouns Matter, from Columbia University

• Webpage with Article & Video: Good Practices - Names and Pronouns, University of Maryland

• Webpage with Articles & Video: Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement, UC Berkeley

• Article: Spiritual Fitness Reduces Alzheimer's Risk.

• Article: Coping Strategies of Ocean Castaways Hold Lessons for the COVID Pandemic - Shipwreck victims cast adrift for weeks or months exhibit a resilience that serves as a model to weather any extended crisis, Scientific American - Behavior and Society

• Video: The Raft of the Medusa

• Article: Relaxation Response Induces Temporal Transcriptome Changes in Energy Metabolism, Insulin Secretion and Inflammatory Pathways. Research indicates that the Relaxation Response (RR) causes healthful changes at the gene level related to energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, insulin secretion, telemere maintenance, inflammatory response, and stress.  By promoting "mitochondrial resiliency", practices that elicit the relaxation response may have diverse powerful impacts on wellness. What does all of this mean? I'll talk about it.

• Article:  Tai Chi Chih: Six Healing Sounds

• Article: The Neuroscience of Singing

• Article:  The Uses and Benefits of Sound Therapy

• Article: Healing Frequencies of the Human Body - Full List, Benefits, Examples

• Article: What is a Sound Bath? Everything You Need to Know

• Research Article: Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-Being: An Observational Study

• Music/Video Link: 528 Hz Energy Cleanse

• Music/Video Link: 528 Hz Powerful Euphoria Boost

• Music/Video Link: Gregorian Chants @ 432 Hz

• Music/Video Link: Sound Healing Symphony live at Grace Cathedral 

• Music /Video Link: 6-Hour Powerful Tibetan Bowl Music 

• Website:  A Good Night's Sleep, National Institute on Aging

• Article: How Exercise Affects Your Sleep

These newsletters contain interesting and useful free content for mind-body books, music, workshops, and classes. If you care to have the extra email and information, you can register by giving them your email address.

• SF Public Library Newsletter: At the Library. Monthly themes. Lots of activities, videos, reading suggestions, for kids and adults!

• National Council on Aging (NCOA). Newsletter and informative website: Healthy Living, Healthy Aging, Fall Prevention, Chronic Disease Management, Hunger & Nutrition, Economic Security, Public Policy.

• Healthbeat, Harvard Medical School. Articles on a great variety of mind-body issues. Lots of advertising.

• Sounds True, online community. Free gifts when you sign up: Mindfulness Practices and Meditation Music. Lots of advertising.