Wellness Warrior and Cancer Thriver Kris Carr kicks off the Wanderlust SPEAKEASY video series with this fab chat about wellness and diet. She talks of how to tap into your “Inner M.D.” and taking a personal hypocratic oath of “first do no harm” through what you eat, drink and think. I especially like her closing comments, “Change your plate and you will change your fate.”

Find Kris at crazysexylife.com or crazysexycancer.com.

Watch for more inspiring weekly releases from Wanderlust on their YouTube Channel.

Kris Carr is a New York Times best-selling author, motivational speaker and wellness coach. She is the subject of the inspirational documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer, which she wrote and directed for TLC, and the author of the award-winning Crazy Sexy Cancer book series. Kris’ third book, Crazy Sexy Diet is the ultimate diet and lifestyle game plan for wellness warriors seeking vibrant health, spiritual wealth and happiness. Carr regularly lectures at medical schools, hospitals, wellness centers, corporations such as Whole Foods and Eat Right America, and Harvard University. She is a Contributing Editor for Natural Health Magazine and writes for many online publications including Psychology Today. Television appearances include: The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, The Early Show, Today Show, Access Hollywood, Good Morning America and The Oprah Winfrey Show. As an irreverent foot soldier in the fight against disease, Kris inspires countless individuals to take charge of their well-being by adopting a plant-based diet and improving lifestyle practices. Kris lives in Woodstock, NY with her husband Brian and their rescue pooch, Lola. Her motto: Make juice not war! Visit Kris’ website, crazysexylife.com for daily tips, articles, inspiration and upcoming events.

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San Quentin Prison is not the typical locale for a yoga class. James Fox, founder of the Prison Yoga Project,  however teaches three classes a week here in an effort to bring the rehabilitative benefits of yoga to inmates. For the past decade James has dedicated himself to at-risk populations in detention centers, residential treatment facilities and prisons. He is a firm believer in the power of yoga and mindfulness to assist in working with emotional and psychological issues. Incarceration leads to severe mental, emotional and physical distress with many suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Helping prisoners learn non-reactivity, self-control and self acceptance is key. Join James as he shares his extraordinary experiences and compassionate insights. Your yoga practice may never be the same.

Original Air Date: October 28, 2011

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Learn more about the Prison Yoga Project on their website, Facebook and Twitter @PrisonYoga.

You can also access a 4 part series of articles regarding yoga for prisoners on Elephant Journal.

1. Do Prisoners Deserve Yoga
2. Know about yoga & mediation for at-risk & incarcerated youth
3. Yoga at San Quentin: Prisoner Interviews & Photos
4. Interview with San Quentin Yoga Teacher

Watch for our upcoming interview with Still Quiet Place founder Dr. Amy Saltzman. Download any of our extensive repertoire of interviews from Yoga In My School on  iTunes includes conversations with Leslie Kaminoff, Shakta Khalsa, YogaDork, Anna Guest Jelly and more.

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Stephanie Gottlob and Yuji Oka are on a mission. These two are the creators of Movement, a physical re-education program for children and teens with special needs. Their unique training program includes an holistic somatic approach including adaptive yoga. Their goal is to teach a core physical vocabulary of 12 movements through creative play. They join us to talk about their innovative approach and its incredible success in helping youth with ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, hyperactivity and emotional disturbances. Youth in their program learn not only physical skills but self-confidence, social skills and control. Based out of the Spiral Movement Centre in Toronto, Canada, Stephanie and Yuji transform lives one spin, hop and breath at at time.

Original Air Date: October 3, 2011

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Connect with Stephanie and Yuji at Movement for Kids with Special Needs or the Spiral Movement Center on Facebook

Access our extensive library of interviews with leaders in the yoga and mindfulness community on iTunes. Guests include John Friend, Elena Brower, Cora Wen, Waylon Lewis, Sydney Solis, Sadie Nardini and many more.

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Guest post by Jillian McKee

It is heartbreaking when children are diagnosed with cancer. The treatment affects not only them, but their families, doctors and communities as well. The treatments for cancer exhaust the body and it is difficult to watch as children become ill and bed-ridden from cancer treatment, when they would normally be out growing, playing baseball, having sleepovers and painting nails. During this treatment, both the minds and the bodies of children take a toll. They become exhausted, lose muscle, have stunted growth and  high levels of stress. For these reasons, many doctors have started recommending yoga as a therapy along with the normal cancer treatment regimen.

The breathing and meditative practices utilized in yoga are especially helpful to children, both physically and spiritually. On a spiritual level, it reduces the amount of stress and anxiety for both the children and their families. When we breathe, we breathe in prana, or life energy. By breathing slowly and deeply, children can learn to rid themselves of excess anxiety and emotions. It is also a way for parents to learn to remain calm and stress-free. When the parents are calm and reassuring, it allows for a better experience for the children.

Using breathing techniques also helps on a physical level. The body is able to eliminate more toxins and work more efficiently as more oxygen enters into it. The treatments for cancer are extremely toxic, which makes this technique beneficial. A breathing practice is also very helpful to children suffering from cancers that can inhibit their breathing, such as rare aggressive disease mesothelioma that is triggered from asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma can cause shortness of breath, fatigue, and wheezing. When breathing deeply using techniques taught through yoga, these symptoms can lessen.

During cancer treatment, children are often bed-ridden and hospital-bound. Their muscles deplete, and they are not engaging in the normal play that enables them to gain muscle and flexibility. Practicing asanas can help children gain back muscle strength, balance and flexibility. Asanas can also help children to gain more energy, which is something that many families say is an incredible benefit of yoga during cancer treatment.

A recent study completed by the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has shown that yoga is a positive experience for both children and their families, and it can reduce anxiety in adolescents and adults. Yoga has proven to be an enjoyable practice for both children undergoing cancer treatment and their families. It can help to improve their physical health, energy levels and stress levels. Doctors, families and children have reported immense benefits from this treatment. After cancer, yoga gives children the techniques to live a more fulfilling and aware life.

Jillian McKee is a yoga enthusiast and cancer activist. She works as the Complementary Medicine Advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Her time is spent mostly on outreach efforts and spreading information on complementary and alternative medicine use in cancer treatment. You can contact her at jilliansmckee@gmail.com and check out @CancerAlliance on Twitter and the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance on Facebook

Watch this video of a recent CBS report on alternative therapies which assist children diagnosed with cancer.

Photo from Crochet for Kids Cancer.

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guest post by Barbara Jolie

It can be very difficult for parents to remember what it was like back in the day when they were teens, so if you have a teenager or two in your household, they may seem like aliens from another planet. The biggest problem with teenagers, the problem from which nearly every middle and high school kid issue arise, is their inherent lack of self-confidence. And while self-esteem usually comes with time, it must absolutely be actively built. Here are some easy-to-follow tips to better understand your teenager, and to help her grow into a mature and confident adult.

1. Remind yourself that there is a physiological reason for lack of confidence in teens.

One of the primary problems that causes adults and teens to clash so harshly and so often is that we and our teens are in completely different stages of life, both emotionally and physiologically. Teens so often lack self-confidence because their hormone levels are fluctuating constantly and they are usually going through some physical and psychological growing pains that initiate the proverbial “awkward phase.” As such, it is important to be understanding of this before you try to help your teen build self-confidence.

2. There is a big difference between building self-esteem and over-praising. Do the former.

One big mistake that many parents make is that, in their anxiety to help their teen emotionally develop, they praise every single good deed that their teen accomplishes. While praise is absolutely instrumental in building confidence, when given too much, it completely loses its value. Subsequently, over-praised teens will be the diametrical opposite of self-confident adults. They will never learn to accept criticism, work out their own problems, or deal with failure, all of which are necessary components of healthy self-esteem.

3. Solid diet, hygiene, sleep and exercise habits play a much bigger role in naturally building self-confidence than you think.

If you are a consistent practitioner of yoga, then you probably understand the importance of developing good health-related habits. At the same time, however, teens will often not be as interested in maintaining a good diet, sleeping regularly, and engaging in a consistent exercise routine. As a parent, it is vital that you establish and enforce a daily schedule that emphasizes a holistic and healthy lifestyle. Teens are most able to build their self-confidence when they’ve slept and eaten well. Rigorous exercise is not a must, but engaging in light but, most importantly, consistent exercise, like yoga, swimming, or simply walking, does wonders in regulating mood and performance.

4. A healthy social life is absolutely instrumental. Help your teen build a close-knit network of friends and family.

Especially in modern and developed countries like America, many other things in life take priority over strong social relations. Whether for good or ill, we are an isolated society. Many of the developmental problems that teenagers undergo arise from a sense of isolation. As a parent, you are often charged with the task of guiding your child’s social life. While you can’t necessarily pick your teenagers friends, encourage your child to participate in activities that foster a sense of community and togetherness. Spend quality time with your family, even if your teen doesn’t appreciate it at the moment. They’ll thank you later.

Raising a self-confident teen obviously does not happen overnight. It can be a very exasperating process, but emphasizing the right habits and principles will reap plenty rewards, the dividends of which you will still see once your child becomes a full-fledged adult.

This guest post is contributed by Barbara Jolie, who writes for online classes. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.

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Guest post by Jennifer Bell

Yoga: Good for Body, Mind, and Social Life

The ancient practice of yoga has been shown to have numerous biological and psychological benefits. For instance, by decreasing psychological stress and developing a more balanced and wholesome approach to the body, blood pressure is also lowered. For these reasons, yoga is useful for children and adults.

Childhood Social Benefits

Beyond the individual, yoga continues to develop complexity and nourish inter-connectedness. By dissolving some of the unnecessary barriers between the body, the mind, and the world, yoga can also increase social skills, social abilities, and the quality of a child’s social life.

It can be very difficult for a child to break the ice around his or her peers and engage in conversation, play, laughter, and all the little intricacies that blend into even the smallest and most insignificant social situation. By enhancing consciousness of oneself and the world around oneself, yoga can improve the ability for a child to jump into this very complex world without becoming fearful, distracted, or unnerved.

Why Childhood Yoga is Becoming Essential

Just as it is important to start schooling early in life so that a child can grow up to master a wider range of skills in a more thorough way, so is it important to start yoga early in life. This allows a child to develop a strong base as quickly as possible so that they can weather the potentially traumatic phases of life that occur while growing up. With this early and vital boost in self-confidence, self-awareness, and social consciousness, your child can go on to greater and greater things in being sociable.

Important Other Benefits

Don’t forget that these aren’t the only benefits to yoga. There are still the hugely important physical and psychological benefits. The mind can be a very frustrating place, hyper-charged, and capable of running in circles for hours and hours. Yoga gives people the tools that allow them to calm their mind and be here, in the moment, right now. By improving blood flow, mood can be increased, which improves energy and so on. All of these factors are interconnected and circle back upon each other in feedback loops, improving all aspects of a person’s life in a comprehensive and holistic way.

There was a time when yoga was considered optional for even adults. Since then, time has gone by and the technological media through which we interpret our lives, form our opinions, perform work, transport ourselves, chat with friends, entertain ourselves, and much, much more has become more complicated and breathlessly fast. Because of these developments and the general quickening of life, yoga is becoming essential for both adults and children if we are to flourish in this constantly changing and potentially stressful world.

This guest article was contributed by Jennifer Bell from Health Training Guide. Jennifer is a freelance writer and mother of 2 based in Los Angeles, CA.

Check out her site to learn more about medical assistant training and other exciting health careers.

Above Photo Credit: Axel Buhrmann

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