Last time we talked about how yoga can help manage stress & improve our mental functioning & wellbeing. We also talked about the delicate balance of the autonomic nervous system. Let’s take this a little further.

Relaxation occurs when our body & our mind is in a state of balance. Yoga helps create space in both our body & our mind which encourages balance & relaxation, creating inner peace, contentment, happiness & self awareness. It helps to reduce blood pressure & heart rate, increase oxygen utilization, improve digestion, the immune system, hormone balance & better neuro-muscular coordination.

If you practice yoga, you will know this just from stepping onto your yoga mat: a sense of peace & calm begins before you even start practicing as your body & mind are aware of what is to come.  The physical poses (asanas) in yoga all have different benefits, stimulating different systems in the body: standing poses strengthen leg muscles, open the hips, flex the back & improve circulation; forward bends are calming & restorative; backbends increase flexibility & mobility in the spine, stimulate the central nervous system & may help deal with negative emotions (possibly because we are opening the heart chakra – research into the chakras is still in its infancy so I’ll leave it there for now).

Do you remember at the beginning of the piece last time I was challenged about my claims regarding inversions? Let’s explore the claims behind the benefits of inversions. Dr. Fishman (remember him from part 1?) notes that inversions improve bone density which he attributes to the muscles working against gravity. Reversing the effects of gravity on the body has a profound physiological effect on the body. In 2000 NASA reported that when humans enter zero gravity it causes severe biomedical problems: the sense of balance is destroyed, blood floods upwards speeding up the heart, muscles waste & bone mass drops.

On earth, gravity weighs us down & as the years progress so does the damage: varicose veins & hemorrhoids, the heart falters & more. The ancient yogis called gravity ‘the silent enemy’.  So by inverting ourselves, we reverse the effects of gravity. Our body is made up of 60% water, when we upend ourselves, the tissue fluids of our lower body drain more effectively helping to clear congestion.

David Coulter who taught anatomy at the University of Minnesota said, “If you can remain in an inverted posture for just 3-5 minutes, the blood will not only drain quickly to the heart, but tissue fluids will flow more efficiently into the veins & lymph channels of the lower extremities & of the abdominal & pelvic organs, facilitating a healthier exchange of nutrients & wastes between cells & capillaries” Couldn’t have said it better myself.

There are 4 major systems in the body: cardiovascular, lymphatic, nervous & endocrine. Inversions give the heart a break but also challenge it in the opposite way to how it usually works. This means we are benefiting the circulatory system but in a very gentle but very effective way.

We used to think that inversions flooded the brain with freshly oxygenated blood but we now understand that the brain is protected from an influx of blood which would overwhelm its delicate structures. However, we now believe that inversions could affect the movement & production of cerebrospinal fluid which is the juice of the nervous system.  The lymph system, like the heart relies on muscular movement & gravity to facilitate its performance. When you are upside down the lymph system is stimulated which strengthens your immune system & starts to drain more effectively.

The effect of inversions on the endocrine system is the least well documented or understood. Some believe that the shoulder stand helps regulate the thyroid gland but it has not been proven; whilst the benefits to the pineal & pituitary glands from headstands have also not been confirmed…yet.  At the end of the day, a lot can be gained from being upside down, simply because by having a different physical view of the world can change our mental & emotional viewpoint too.

I think the important thing with inversions, whether you believe in their physiological effects or not, is not to rush into them. Take your time & only work with a good teacher who can guide you safely into & out of the poses. There are plenty of other ways you can practice inversions: legs up the wall (viparita karini) is deeply restorative & doesn’t tax the spine or the neck. Same with bridge pose (setu bada), downward dog, standing forward fold.

So there you have it, the science (in very lay-man’s terms!) behind the enormous positive effects practicing yoga can have on your body, brain, nervous system & immune system. Whilst we may not have ‘proved’ that yoga slows the aging process, if you stack up all the positive impact it does have it certainly suggests it could very well do so.

If you would like to put some of these scientific benefits to the test & practice yoga with Alex her YouTube channel offers free short classes for everyone & is available here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlKZJ7MeyYc6lqkv6seISw

Alternatively all of her classes are streamed on live on Zoom, for more information message her at alex@alexbannard.com   Free resources are also available on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AlexBannardYogaMindfulness   And her website is www.alexbannard.com

Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for almost a decade, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a more mindful way of living & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices for a happier & healthier way of being.

Check out this Uplift video for more information:   https://uplift.tv/2017/watch-science-behind-yoga/

Or these articles for more science based facts:   https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/everybody-upside-down    https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/the-science-behind-yoga   https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-benefits-of-yoga#section13

Do you feel compelled to start Christmas shopping in October, due to a recurring dream that it’s late on Christmas Eve and you’re buying your loved ones ‘gifts’ from the local garage because everything else has shut and Christmas had completely slipped your mind? No? That’ll just be me then, and I’ve probably over-shared.

Whatever the reason, I make no apology for enthusing about ARRAN Sense Of Scotland’s amazing new Home Fragrance Set – which make a perfect Christmas gift for that special someone.

ARRAN Sense Of Scotland products are all made with top-quality ingredients, reflecting the three generations family-run company, based on the Isle of Arran, and Frost has featured them on previous occasions.

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating, ARRAN Sense Of Scotland really does bottle the wildness and beauty of the Scottish Isles, and their room fragrances transport you to the mountains, or a cosy log fire in a woodland cottage. They are pure luxury and simply rather special.

The new Home Fragrance Sets are great, because you get a reed diffuser – a blend of oils in a lovely clear glass bottle with natural wood reeds, plus two luxurious 8cl candles in glass holders, each with up to 12 hour burning time. The set comes in a very attractive gift box, featuring a map of Arran. The choice of fragrances reflects the company’s respect for nature – personally I love After The Rain – lime, rose and sandalwood, and also Bergamot and Geranium, but they have some fabulous limited edition fragrances too, such as Mountain Lavender (great for the bedroom) and special Christmas fragrances. They each cost £40 from the website.

If you love this company as much as I do, you may want to look at their full range of candles. Besides the gift sets, they have larger (35cl) candles in a beautiful glass holder, which come in different unique fragrances, and their mixed boxed sets of four 8cl candles make a lovely gift too.

Once you’ve tried ARRAN Sense Of Scotland I fear you won’t want any other make – I know I’ve been spoilt for life.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

From the respected to the disrespected, though perhaps not in his own lifetime. Certainly, though, following Cook’s exemplary research ,respect is not the word that springs to mind.

Dr Gramshaw was a successful familly doctor in Yorkshire for 35 years, which is when his professsional and personal life crashed down around him, and not before time, one can only think.

As Cook explains, it was Easter 1908 when he attended 19 year old Margaret Brown who had been his patient before, and who wanted his advice again.

Oh, oh, Margaret… By the end of the month, Margaret was dead and a Cornoner’s inquest was peeling back the layers of information regarding the young governess and the doctor.

In The Crimes of Dr Gramshaw , Cook explores the crimes, the lies, the success and deceit… Shall I go on? Oh, all right then: the adultery, bigamy, insanity.

These events are reconstructed meticulously, using public records and as the truth emerges one cannot but  ask: could no-one have guessed, suspected, even known the truth?

Should his family have had an inkling? And why, why, why when his behaviour was exposed did 1000 people attend his funeral?

The Crimes of Doctor Gramshaw follows hot on the heels of The Nightingale Shore Murder,  Rosemary Cook’s first venture into  crimes with a nursing or medical connection. There will be more.

The Crimes of Doctor Gramshaw by Rosemary Cook available from Amazon.co.uk

www.rosemarycookauthor.co.uk

Joffe have shared the news that the DETECTIVE MATT BRINDLE DOUBLE-BOOK BOX SET by #1 bestselling author Helen H. Durrant is available as their Book of the Week  If you missed the Matt Brindle mysteries the first time round, now’s your chance to catch up. Discover two crime thrillers in one really good value box set — double the books, double the fun – or is fun the right word??   99P / 99C

Roper and Hooley are called into a top-secret meeting with MI5. Someone is trying to smuggle a dirty bomb into London.  Now the detectives are in a race against time to find the bomb before the people of London are put in mortal danger. Leese uses a fear that is under the surface of many of us – could they, would they?

Get THE CASE OF THE DIRTY BOMB by Michael Leese today for half price 99p/99c

Nick Shannon is investigating an insurance company who are ripping off their customers. Then David, one of the company directors, dies in suspicious circumstances.  Meanwhile Nick’s lover, Arlene, needs his help. She’s caught up in a property scam and wants to use his skills to bring down the conmen responsible.

Can Nick scam the scammers? Or will his plan backfire? And who hasn’t wanted to spank a scammer. 00p/99c

Joffe Books welcomes Kate Lyall Grant to the team. Severn House publisher Kate Lyall Grant is joining Joffe Books as publishing director in November.

Lyall Grant said of her new role: “Having worked closely with Jasper Joffe and his team on some of our backlist series in the past year, I have been blown away by the passion, vigour and expertise with which Joffe Books have reinvented authors for the digital market, transforming their fortunes and selling their books in breathtaking quantities. The opportunity to join such an innovative, far-sighted young company at a key moment in its development was one I simply couldn’t turn down. I am so excited to be joining the team.”

Says it all really, about Joffe Books. Bravo, well done. You can read the full Bookseller article here.

Tune into BBC Radio Berkshire next Tuesday the 12th at 3 p.m. for an interview with Joffe author Susanna Beard.  Susanna will be talking about her latest book, The Perfect Neighbour, which came out on 30 September.

If you haven’t read this excellent psychological thriller yet, grab your copy today

The first retrospective of the CWA’s Dagger Award winners gathers rogether some of the greatest names in crime fiction – get ready for blood on the floor scenarios, serial killers, world weary detectives, drug dealers, maybe forgers – yeah, let’s collect them all. Not sure a launch party would be a good idea though – all these fertile imaginations in discussion.

Ian Rankin  is there, within the covers, manipulating a Senior Curator at the Tate Gallery into constructing the perfect crime, or is it? Stella Duffy’s souring romance becomes a deadly obsession under her incisive pen. And what about parents who discover their child has committed the unthinkable or at least in Denise Mina’s imaginagion., and those are just a few.

I am beginning to like crime short stories – is it because the mystery is wrapped up quickly and satisfactorily, so one can get some sleep, with another to read tomorrow night? A well written sharp, incisive crime story (much like a dagger thrust should be) is a thing of beauty. There are many in this anthology.  Read and enjoy.

Edited by Maxim Jakubowski,  the well respected anthology editor with over 70 volumes to his credit – so applause to Maxim.

Daggers Drawn Edited by Maxim Jackubowski – 19 CWA Dagger Award-winning short stores from the best of best in crime fiction.

HB £17.99 Pub. Titan Books.

Anyone who has been to one of my yoga classes, will know that I do like to wax lyrical about the benefits of each of the poses. One of my clients called out on me on this, saying, “How do you actually know inversions slow the aging process?” Hmmmm, good question.

Let’s begin with some basics…

Firstly, yoga is ancient practice which is thousands of years old. Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit ‘Yuji’ which means union. By uniting the body with the breath, we can help to clear the mind. Since yoga incorporates breathing exercises (pranayama) with physical poses (asanas) and conscious relaxation techniques this can lead to significant physical, mental, emotional & spiritual benefits.

Interestingly, what the ancients & we who practice yoga ‘know’, science is beginning to confirm. Michael de Manincour, a Psychologist at the Yoga Institute quotes a study done with a group of people suffering from clinical depression & anxiety. They practiced yoga everyday for 6 weeks versus the control group, also suffering with their mental health, who did not practice yoga.

The yoga group recorded a 33% reduction in depression & anxiety, reduced emotional & mental distress, increased resilience & an increase in the number of positive experiences they recorded along with a reduction in the negative experiences. The control group did not record the same benefits. What is even more staggering, is that those who practiced yoga did so for only an average of 12 minutes a day.

And this is not the only study: try typing ‘scientific benefits of yoga ‘into google & you will come across scores of studies reporting similar results.

We are not only beginning to understand the enormous benefits from yoga but why.

Dr. Loren Fishman explains, ”It (yoga) thickens the layer of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain associated with higher learning & increased neuroplasticity, which helps us learn new things & change the way we do things.”

Yoga not only benefits our mental health but it also helps us manage stress. There is no doubt we are living in increasingly stressful times. Our neuro-endocrine system has inbuilt mechanisms to help us fight stress. But if we are constantly triggered & not given the opportunity to reset ourselves, then stress hormones flood our system affecting our physical & mental health significantly.  Our automatic nervous system has 2 parts: the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for our fight, flight or freeze response & the parasympathetic nervous system which controls the activities our body does whilst at rest including digestion, healing, sleep, sex, learning & creation.

When these complimentary systems work in harmony, alignment & balance we feel great, harmonious & balanced. When the sympathetic system is overused, the balance is upset which creates dis-ease: illness & disease. Yoga helps us to restore balance because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, balancing the hormones of stress, allowing our body to heal.

In yoga we work with our body & our breath to restore calm in our minds. This works on many levels. First the breath. It is one of the most powerful ways to impact stress. Longer smoother breaths send a powerful message to the brain & balance our automatic nervous system. We can also reduce our blood pressure by slowing the rate of our breath.  But yoga also helps to bring our mind into focus & coherence. Try standing on 1 leg if you are thinking about something else. Indeed, you can often tell how much someone has going on in their mind, by how easily they can stand on one leg. Try balancing on your hands and arms, which is almost impossible if your mind is wandering or ruminating. By focusing on what we are doing physically, this focuses our mind & this helps to change our brains. It’s called neuroplasticity. And this focus & coherence is incredibly healing.

Advances in science & the advent of MRI scanners have enabled us to see how meditative practices (& yes yoga is a meditative practice) can change the structure & activity within the brain.

By using MRI scans, we can monitor the activity in our prefrontal cortex. When we are balancing, we can see on MRI scans that redirecting our thought patterns helps to create new circuits in the prefrontal cortex, which helps us access these in times of stress, when we need them.  Not only are we beginning to be able to actually see the changes in the brain from practicing yoga & meditation but advancements in molecular & cellular biology & science are beginning to show biomedical changes in our neurons & the functioning of the body at both cellular & molecular levels. Almost every week there is a new body of evidence being published about how yoga impacts our body at this micro level.

And since there is so much to share regarding the science behind yoga we will expand upon this next time.

If you would like to put some of these scientific benefits to the test & practice yoga with Alex her YouTube channel offers free short classes for everyone & is available here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlKZJ7MeyYc6lqkv6seISw

Alternatively all of her classes are streamed on live on Zoom, for more information message her at alex@alexbannard.com

Free resources are also available on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AlexBannardYogaMindfulness

And her website is www.alexbannard.com

Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for almost a decade, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a more mindful way of living & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices for a happier & healthier way of being.

Back in the late 1990s, Valerie Williams began selling traditional tarts and cakes at local farmers’ markets around Lancashire. They sold like hot cakes,  (sorry about that) and never one to stand still, Val developed a more extensive range of traditional homemade biscuits , based on local recipes. These continued to gather fans , so much so  that very soon farm shops and garden centres were asking to stock her range. Steadily,  like Topsy, Williams’ Handbaked  ‘growed’.  Now their Eccles and Chorley cakes, Goosenargh Biscuits and Lancashire Parkin are a by-word in the area.

As the team has expanded, so too has the bakery’s reach: exhibiting at food festivals and events across the country, and now  it’s good to know that their online wing is growing fast.

Situated on the Docklands in Preston, Lancashire, in the very same spot where Val began it all, the bakery is still very much a family affair, though now the day-to-day running of the business is  the capable hands of the next generation,  Val’s son Thomas, with help from her daughter-in-law Katie. Though it has to be said, Val is still in evidence.

       Val- Director                                                   Tom – Director                                               Katie – Operations Manager

As Val told Margaret,  ‘Williams Handbaked will continue the same principles instilled from the start. Our focus will always be on quality. All our products are still made and packed by hand with the utmost care and attention by our small but beatifully formed bakery team(!) using only the finest ingredients.’ 

So let’s meet the Williams’ team:

                             Rachel                                                         John                                                                    Julie

Rachel  – head baker – joined Williams as a modern apprentice, and they wouldn’t let her leave. A very talented baker,  she is always to be found experimenting with new recipes. John has worked for Val since he was 16. He’s responsible for logistics, making sure every single order is packed and shipped correctly and on time. The team always know when baker Julie is in the building as they’ll most likely hear her before they see her, and quite frankly, they wouldn’t have her any other way.

Tom has been selling Williams’ biscuits and cakes at events and shows for over ten years, and, says Val, he has the market trader banter to match.  Rory is responsible for the Williams brand, incorporating the website, packaging, point of sale, social media and photography. Bringing a wealth of experience to the role Tim manages the dispatch warehouse and ensures every order sent out is spot on.

                  Sheryl                                                        Vicky                                                         Toby

Sheryl , bakery assistant, has been with Williams for twenty years, and has a keen eye for detail. Sheryl is currently working on her piping technique. Vicky .also bakery assistant says it’s been ‘a joy joining the Williams family‘ Vicky always arrives with a positive attitude, and will do whatever’s needed. Toby’s been baking cakes since he was 12. He first joined the team on work experience and is now working on his Apprenticeship.

Jesse is the newest recruit and has jumped in with both feet. He’s a fast learner and enjoys testing out recipes with his young daughter. Megan is John’s little cousin, and in between her studies at college, Val tells me you  can find her packing our biscuits and cakes. Ben is currently working for his Warehousing Apprenticeship and is Tim’s assistant in our dispatch unit.

So there we have it, Margaret’s curiosity is satisfied. Somehow it makes the hampers even more delicious to have met the team, all exuding enthusiasm, and comradeship, just as a family should. I do wonder what the Christmas hampers will look like. Seems likeChristmas presents for my family  is pretty much sorted

https://www.williamshandbaked.co.uk/