Qi Gong+ For Bones and Core - April 1 - April 29, 2024, continuing in June
Veterans's Memorial Park, Under the awning of the main building
Mondays 11:30 am - 12:30 pm .
Ready to try something new? Combining the movement principles of Qi Gong/Tai Chi with the standing poses of Dr. Fishman, for more variety and to take advantage of more ways of stimulating your bone building cells, postural muscles, and core coordination.
Traditionally, Qi Gong exercises have been used for strengthening bones and muscles. Clinically proven Yoga poses for safely improving balance, core, hip, and leg strength. and stimulating bone building cells. Loren Fishman MD has shown in clinical trials that 80% of daily users of his method build bone and improve function. Poses are modified depending on individual ability and health. See Blog #2 for more info on movement and bone health, and Dr. Fishman's clinical trials.
Please note: Consult your physician to be cleared for isometric exercise with good posture; and call me at 352-281-1048 for a health questionnaire before starting classes.
Price: $20 per person per class. Email me for the course brochure and to sign up. You can use the following link to pay (copy paypal.me/mkampnylmt into your browser), or bring cash or check to first class.
YOGA FOR SCOLIOSIS SUPPORT - 5 Class Series
Private and group classes available. Email me at mkampnylmt@gmail.com to sign up and for more information..
Please note: Consult your physician to be cleared for isometric exercise with good posture; and call me at 352-281-1048 for a health questionnaire before starting classes. Zoom links are emailed out the evening before each class.
Empower yourself - improve body awareness, and use targeted strengthening exercises to increase symmetry of spine and hips. Develop core and spinal strength for better breathing, taller posture, and more comfortable movement. Why "hang around" collapsing into gravity when you can float elegantly through life? Learn easy, safe strengthening and lengthening techniques, and keep spine and ribs mobile.
Price: $100 for 5 one-hour group classes or $70 for 1 private one-hour class.. Includes illustrated class summaries. You can use the following link to pay (copy paypal.me/mkampnylmt into your browser), or email me (mkampnylmt@gmail.com) for an invoice with Paypal/Venmo/Credit Card buttons.
CHAIR YOGA and QI GONG for Balance, Mobility, and Strength for Everyday - ongoing classes
Zoom classes for seniors, the sedentary, or for post-rehab - all exercises can be done as mini-movements or stronger poses. What you can do on this day, with this body, that is your yoga!
I send out a link the evening before each class, with a preview of what's planned for the next day. Never the same class twice - I set a theme and then mix and match exercises.
Yoga classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays, Qi Gong classes Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 - 10:45 am ET.
Yoga classes consist of a seated warm up, mobilizing joints and increasing body and breath awareness; followed by a standing warm-up and stretching, as well as balance and hip strengthening exercises; then a selection of classic standing yoga poses (pose and hold with breathing), with modifications for reduced strength or mobility; and finishing with a seated cool-down.
Qi Gong classes are mostly standing repeating movements in time with breathing, mobilizing the whole body and training balance. Classes can also be taken seated or alternating standing and seated. Verbal cueing encourages good posture, breathing, and (through awareness) circulation in limbs and organs.
Price: $5 per person per 45 minute group class. You can prepay for 2 or 4 weeks - unused classes roll over. Pay by check in the mail, or use the following link to pay (copy paypal.me/mkampnylmt into your browser), or email me (mkampnylmt@gmail.com) for an invoice with Paypal/Credit Card buttons.
(Photos by Jonathan Evans Photography and Maggie Kampny, demonstrating yoga and qi gong)
YOGA FOR BONE HEALTH - the Dr. Fishman Method for bone and muscle support
In Person - on the terrace of our office backyard, surrounded by trees
Six Week Course - Call me if you have a group of people interested!
Building your knowledge and strength of Dr. Fishman's 12 safe Yoga poses to stimulate bone building cells, by attending our weekly class and practicing 15-20 minutes daily from illustrated homework sheets. Please see below class summaries for more information on movement and bone health.
Price: $96. Includes illustrated class summaries. Ask your physician to clear you for gentle exercises, and email me for a health questionnaire before joining class. You can use the following link to pay (copy paypal.me/mkampnylmt into your browser), or email me (mkampnylmt@gmail.com) for an invoice with Paypal/Credit Card buttons.
More Info on Movement for Bones and Core
Exercises follow Dr. Fishman’s proven principles and some of his standing poses, combined with the teachings of Qi Gong teacher Lee Holden, with a bit of martial arts attitude! from Shotokan Karate!
Tissue Stimulation vs. Bone Loss?
Traditionally, Qi Gong teachers recommend movements with good posture and controlled impacts to strengthen bones. More recently, physician and long-time Iyengar Yoga teacher Loren Fishman MD selected a series of Yoga poses specifically to safely stimulate the body’s bone building cells. In clinical trials over the last 13 years, participants practicing his 12 isometric poses daily for 6 months showed significant bone density increase in spine and legs (improvement of hips varied, from little to considerable). Also, bone quality (functional architecture) appeared improved, without any serious injuries. (Cf. www.sciatica.org).
Osteoporosis affects 55 million Americans; a sedentary lifestyle has been shown to be a major factor in developing the disease.
Calcium supplements need to be combined with exercise to stimulate your cells to actually use and keep the minerals. And the most commonly used medication for osteopenia and osteoporosis – Fosamax – is associated with gastrointestinal and gastroesophageal pathology, osteonecrosis, slowed healing, atrial fibrillation, and pathological fractures – actually causing spontaneous fractures, which the medicine is taken to prevent!
Also, falls are a major cause of fractures; medications and supplements alone do not improve balance and coordination.
Qi Gong and Yoga do!
Qi Gong and Yoga grew out of a common root of exercises to improve strength, flexibility and overall health.
We will begin by establishing good vertical alignment, both to improve posture and thereby prevent falls, and to make transmission of bone-stimulating signals possible.
Our next focus is developing core coordination and strength, for safe whole-body movements in all your everyday activities.
Once we have established our stable center, we can progress to more strenuous isometric exercises which give more encouragement to the bone building cells, as well as further strengthening muscles and tendons.
In the Qi Gong course, we will be putting all our progress together by performing a martial arts form (series of practice movements) with confidence and strength.
Safety:
Yoga for Bone Health has been found to be very safe – Dr. Fishman’s patients and study participants have had no serious injuries in over 100,000 Yoga hours. He recommends that patients with severe bone loss (lower than -3.5 score) take medications temporarily and start careful Yoga. Most medications inhibit the cells that take down bone; since Yoga stimulates their counterparts, the cells that build bone, it does not interfere with the medications.
Qi Gong and Yoga are not competitive sports– what you can do with this body on this day, that is your practice for this day.
Please move mindfully and do not force a pose – none of this is supposed to hurt! We are trying to move into poses carefully and then use vigorous isometric muscle use to stimulate the bone building cells as much as possible.
The greatest chance of injury is from over-enthusiasm! So please follow instructions, and at the same time, listen to your body.
Prevention:
The risk of fracture rises with risk of falls and lack of balance, posture, and strength – even with the same bone mineral density or DEXA score. We will improve strength, balance, posture, range of motion, and coordination in addition to stimulating bone building. And improve our mood!
Dr. Fishman’s publications on Yoga and Osteoporosis:
Fishman LM. Yoga for Osteoporosis – a pilot study. Topics Geriatr.Rehabil. 2009. 25(3):244-250.
YI-Hsueh Lu PHD, Bernard Rosner PhD, Gregory Chang PhD MD, Loren Fishman MD. Twelve-minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss. Topics Geriatr.Rehabil. 2016. 32(2):81-87.
