Stillpoint Wellness Center wishes you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2012.
After the rush of the holiday season, start the new year off right by resolving to take great care of yourself! To help you get started, Stillpoint Wellness Center is offering some special savings for you in January.

JANUARY SPECIALS:

FACIAL & MASSAGE

This service has become a client favorite. Schedule a 60-minute massage and a 60-minute facial back-to-back on the same day for only $160. (Save $30) Expires January 31st

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SKIN CARE

A big welcome to our new esthetician, Beth Morse. Beth is offering 20% off all services at your first appointment with her (cannot be combined with the facial/ massage combo). Expires January 31st.

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ACUPUNCTURE

• Acupuncture Package: Series of 3 40-minute acupuncture visits for $240 when purchased in January. (Save $30)
• Kim Peireno is offering $45 “emergency wellness visits” to help you the through the cold and flu season. Schedule a 30-minute acupuncture appointment with her to address a specific condition such as congestion, cough, sneezing, body aches, immunity, etc. Expires January 31st.

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PSYCHOTHERAPY

Susanne Babbel is offering free 30-minute consultations to all new clients. To schedule an appointment with Susanne, please visit her website or phone her at 415-373-5625. Expires January 31st.

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NUTRITION

In-house acupuncturist Bria Larson and guest advisor Shanti Pappas are teaming up to present holistic nutrition workshops this winter.

Holistic Nutrition Series Workshop: Winter Nourishment

The holistic nutrition series presents practical, delicious tools for balanced eating and living. Rooted in seasonal, whole foods and Chinese Medicine theory, these workshops promote harmony between mind, body and environment.

When: Friday, January 27th 6:30-8pm
Where: Stillpoint Wellness Center, 1996 Union St, Third Floor
Cost: $35 for lecture and tasting
RSVP: Register on-line by Monday January 23rd. Space is limited, so we encourage you to sign up early.
For more information: please contact Bria Larson directly at larsonacupuncture@gmail.com or (415) 658-5871

Stillpoint Open House

Friday, November 18, 2011 from 7-9pm

In celebration of the abundance of autumn, Stillpoint Wellness Center cordially invites you to an OPEN HOUSE on Friday, Novemeber 18th from 7-9pm, featuring sessions with Stillpoint practitioners Susanne Babbel, PhD; Brooke Mayberry; Alicia Cobb; and Loren Hadassah:

• Complimentary mini-acupuncture, somatic counseling and massage sessions
• A lash tint raffle
• Yummy snacks and refreshments

Free and open to all!

On the same evening, from 6-7pm, Stillpoint will also host a seasonal nutrition workshop:

Balance Your Turkey: A Holistic Approach to Holiday Nutrition

Friday, November 18, 2011 from 6-7pm

Join Bria Larson, Licensed Acupuncturist, and Shanti Pappas, Certified Holistic Health Counselor, for a seasonal nutrition workshop to learn about resources for mind, body and nutritional balance during the holiday season. Shanti and Bria will be presenting a lecture and food-tasting exploration of balanced eating and living amidst the craziness of the holidays.  The event will emphasize:

• Strategies for healthy, balanced eating and living over the holidays
• An introduction to the 5 flavors according to Chinese Medicine and how to incorporate more flavor diversity into your culinary world
• Recipe ideas for balanced holiday eating
• A tasting experience of the five flavors

This will be a tasting workshop with limited seating. Be sure to register by November 11th so you won’t miss out on some turkey equilibrium. 

Cost: $25 for workshop

RSVP: To register for lecture and tasting or to RSVP for open house email Bria Larson at: larsonacupuncutre@gmail.com

Lung Love

By Bria Larson, L.Ac.

You know that dry, lingering cough you’ve been hearing in the office, on MUNI, at the grocery store, perhaps even coming from your own body?  Here’s an easy home remedy to soothe dry, irritated lungs this season:

Quick Pear Sauce

Pears are renowned for their lung-moistening function in Chinese medicine.   Make some simple kitchen medicine in less than 20 minutes for a dry cough.  You will need:

• 1 large ripe pear
• ½ cup of water (or apple cider)
• 1 teaspoon of honey

Chop pear. Simmer pear and honey in water in for 10-15 minutes until soft.  Eat warm or room temperature to nourish and moisten the throat and lungs.  Serves one.

I have worked closely with Metagenics—the best high-quality nutritional supplement company in the industry, according to many alternative healthcare providers—for many years to provide my clients with the best advice when dispensing recommendations. The following is an excerpt from an article by Cynthia Zurolo, my contact at Metagenics and a highly informed source on the subject of toxicity and our bodies.

I thought this would be a timely read as we all wind down from the holidays and get ready to make our New Year’s Resolutions.

And great news—there is now an easy way to purchase Metagenics products directly through me and over the Internet.

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By Cynthia Zurolo

In recent history, mankind has managed to drastically change the chemistry of the environment in which we live. To compound the problem of our toxic environment, we have refined away much of the nutritional value of our food and replaced it with artificial colorings, preservatives, flavorings, conditioners, etc.

This poor quality diet—combined with extensive use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture—may have predisposed many of us to experience a kind of “internal” pollution. Internal pollution occurs when toxins enter the body from the environment or are produced by unhealthy bacteria in the intestine. Internal pollution negatively impacts many aspects of our overall health.

Eating Right to Eliminate Toxins

It is very important to eat a good diet with plenty of fresh, wholesome foods.

• Avoid eating excess fat, refined sugar, and foods high in additives and preservatives.
• Eat moderate levels of protein (approximately 15% to 20% of your calories) and fat (approximately 20% of your calories), while increasing levels of complex carbohydrates (approximately 60% of your calories).
• Consume meats from organically raised animals and select organically grown fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
• Drink plenty of purified water (ideally, eight 8-ounce glasses a day).

Complete Support for Detoxification

The clinical approach to detoxification is to nourish the body thoroughly, fueling its natural detoxification mechanism with the nutrients needed to achieve optimal detoxification activity. By providing high quality protein, complex carbohydrates and essential fats, the body gets what it needs to prevent muscle and organ breakdown and depleted energy resources.

But that is just the beginning. Nutrients are needed to support and protect the function of the organs directly involved in detoxification: the liver, the intestinal tract and the kidneys—which measure out the chemicals to keep in the body and the ones to excrete through urine. Intelligent application of nutrition may help in the following ways:

Intestines:

The intestines support regular bowel movements, eliminate the build-up of unhealthy microorganisms and internal toxins, and provide a strong and intact barrier to prevent the leakage of toxic materials from the intestines into circulation. The nutrients zinc and pantothenic acid, the amino acid L-glutamine, carbohydrates known as fructooligosaccharides, and beneficial microorganisms known as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are a few of the substances that support the health and integrity of intestinal function.

The Liver:

The liver filters out and transforms toxic substances that have entered the blood into harmless substances that can be excreted in the urine. Vitamins A, B3, B6, C, and E, beta-carotene, the amino acids L-cysteine and L-glutamine, along with compounds known as glutathione and phospholipids, are some of the substances that support liver function. Also, it appears that the ratio of dietary protein to carbohydrate may be a very important factor in determining the ability of the liver to detoxify certain substances.

The Kidneys:

The kidneys are a vital component in detoxification of metabolic waste received from the liver and provide a route for toxin excretion via the urine. Vitamins B6, B12, and folates (including folic acid and L-5-methyl tetrahydrofolate) support folate deficiencies and lower homocysteine levels typically found in patients with considerable renal concerns. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is an amino acid derivative that is well known for its highly potent antioxidant activity in reducing free radical activity to support the structure and function of the kidneys.

SPECIAL OFFER: Purchase the Metagenics detox kit recommended by Andrew and Cynthia and receive 10% off.

The first signs you are getting sick—sneezing, itchy throat, body aches, and a lack of sweat—are all warning signs that it’s time to step up your immunity defense. Look to nature for your first clue. This time of year, most animals start to slow down or even hibernate. We can’t expect to be able to keep up the fast pace of summer and maintain the same energy levels. It’s natural to sleep more this time of year. Your immune system really needs it. After all, we are animals too.

Once you’re sick, there’s no turning back. At this point, the ideal scenario is that you stay home, with the windows and doors sealed, and turn up the heat. Staying home serves two purposes—it forces you to slow down and warm up your body, and it keeps germs from spreading to others. Staying warm helps the body to fight illness (that’s why a fever works to kills pathogens). If you have a cold, you literally want to warm up the body to push the “cold” out. Heat helps kill viruses.

If you feel a cold coming on, try the following remedies ASAP:

• A hot bath with Epsom salts or mustard seeds is a great way to warm up and draw out toxins.
• Avoid eating sugar. Sugar tonifies the system and gives you an artificial burst of energy that counteracts the immune system’s ability to slow you down so it can heal you.
• For the same reason, avoid caffeine or other stimulants.
• In Chinese medicine we suggest that you avoid eating meat and animal fats when you are sick, because they are more difficult to digest and take the body’s energy away from healing you. However, chicken soup is another old wive’s tale that really works—it’s a magical elixir that provides easy nutrition and lots of nutrients for your body. If you can get your hands on homemade chicken soup, even better.
• Spicy food is great because it heats you up and makes you sweat.
• Garlic is a natural antibiotic.

Orange juice? Surprisingly, not so great. It basically just converts to sugar in your body and will produce more phlegm. You’re better off eating a real orange, which contains fiber, which slows down the digestion process and keeps sugar from entering the bloodstream as quickly as it does in juice form.

Western remedies like NyQuil and Theraflu won’t heal you directly. They just mask your symptoms and palliate your discomfort. But, there is a benefit to them: they can knock you out, which provides your body with much-needed sleep. Especially if discomfort or coughing is keeping you up at night, consider taking these over-the-counter medicines (as directed, of course) for some relief.

And again —I cannot emphasize this enough— stay home! Do not try to “power through.”

And call us at Stillpoint so we can treat you with acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Both will work to get rid of lingering cold symptoms like a cough and nasal congestion.

This is the time of year when it’s easy to get sick. The change in seasons means a shift in the very air. It’s no wonder that we commonly say: “It smells like fall!” Temperatures start to shift, light wanes, and our immune systems have to work overtime to keep a balance in our body. It’s easier for us to “catch a chill” in the late fall months.

In Chinese medicine, summer is a time when our energy stays on the surface of our bodies. In the fall, our qi settles a little deeper. And while summer is a heart season, fall is all about the lungs. Lungs are susceptible to colds and flus. The chill of early morning air can sneak right in and infect us, if we’re not careful.

Prevention is the key when it comes to avoiding the plague of the change in seasons. Your first line of defense is to slow down and be mindful of taking better care of yourself. Consider that you might need more rest this time of year (and all through the winter), and you might notice your appetite start to rise as your body works harder to maintain the right internal temperature.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine are wise modalities for “building up” the body and avoiding illness. Those who regularly employ acupuncture as a means to stay healthy do sometimes get sick. But in general, they don’t stay sick for quite as long. That’s because acupuncture gives a boost to the body’s own ability to take care of itself.

Vitamin C is always a good preventative nutritional choice. Probiotics (“good bacteria”) also help promote good immune response. Vitamin D provides a boost to the immune system and is great for people that tend to get a little depressed in the winter months from a lack of sunlight. Zinc is beneficial for the immune system and for swollen glands and sore throat.

Metagenics makes some wonderful immune system-boosters:

• Echinacea Synergy
• D3 1000
• Ultra Potent-C 1000 tabs
• Ultra Potent-C powder
• ImmuCore (great for prevention)
• Multigenics
• Zinc A.G
• Ultra Flora Plus DF capsules(non-dairy)

We sell many of these products here at Stillpoint, but we also have a new web site where you can automatically purchase Metagenics products that I recommend: www.stillpointsf.meta-ehealth.com

And of course, many traditional words of advice are actually quite true when it comes to staying healthy in the respiratory system:

• Washing hands frequently
• Not touching the face
• Never leaving the house with wet hair
• Staying bundled up in chilly weather

It’s particularly important to keep the upper back, shoulders and head warm and dry when braving damp Bay Area weather. The expression “catch a cold” can be taken very literally in Chinese medicine. When you catch a cold, that means that cold air or wind has invaded your body—mainly through your upper back and neck—and preyed on any deficiencies that you already have in your immune system, based on being out of balance. Acupuncture can help bring your body into balance so that you are less susceptible to those insidious winds.

In Western medicine, of course, we refer to a pathogenic factor invading our system and making us sick. Either way you look at it, the key is better care and prevention up front.

In our next blog, we’ll talk about what to do when, despite all your best efforts, you do get sick.

Our nutritionist friend Ali Aiello—who works down the street at Aha Yoga—gifted us with a great blog post about Fall nutrition and seasonal cleansing. Read on for Ali’s advice on how to detox your body and start winding down for winter (hard to imagine with the warm weather we’ve been having, but it’s right around the corner).

Almost October already? Isn’t it funny how even if you’ve been out of school for ages, or don’t have kids going back to school, that “back to school” feeling is still in the air? Fall suddenly feels like a time for a fresh start, to get going on those projects, and  to get things done.

While this feeling can be great motivation, it also can be a jolt out of our lazier summer ways, kicking us into high gear and into stress mode!  My best advice for the fall: slow it down.  From here on out, things are going to be building as we approach the holiday season; there’s no point in rushing out the gates!  Slow and steady always wins, in my book.

Slow and steady is such an important concept when it comes to our relationship with food.  How often do you eat standing up, in your car, at your desk, or while walking in the street?  Have you ever noticed that if you sit and focus on one activity, you’re much more productive? Well, your body works the same way.  If you’re asking your body to walk, talk, read, and move, it can’t focus on digesting food.  And if you’re not digesting the food, you’re not getting the nutrients or the energy, and likely causing discomfort and disruption from within. If things are not flowing smoothly within, they’re stagnating—allowing for toxins and irritation to disturb the digestive tract.

Here are three simple strategies for slowing down your eating (and your mind), allowing for easy digestion and calm thoughts:

1. Sit down when you eat.
2. Remove all distractions (yes even reading… though soft music can be nice).
3. Take 30 minutes for each meal. (That means you have to chew! Chew even your liquids —see delicious Fall Smoothie Recipe below.)

Looking for more support in slowing down and finding your balance before the holidays take over?  Join JUST BE WELLNESS for a 10-day Fall Cleanse. This is a great way to hit the refresh button after your summer fun (bbqs and beers), and set the tone for a clean, healthy season.

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

(Just one of the yummy recipes included in this cleanse!)

Ingredients: (organic is best)

• 1 c. almond milk
• 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
• 2 tbsp flax powder
• 1 tbsp vanilla whey
• 1/2 tsp mix: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg?optional:
• c. ice
• 1/2 banana

Blend all together. Enjoy ASAP.

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Ali G. Aiello is a Holistic Health & Nutrition Coach.  She supports clients in bringing compassion and awareness to their relationship with food, so that they can move from mindful eating to mindful living, and toward a vibrant and happy life.

For a free consultation contact: ali@justbewellness.com, www.justbewellness.com

Simplify Your Food, Simplify Your Life.

By Dr. Susanne Babbel

We are so excited to welcome Dr. Susanne Babbel, MFT, Ph.D. to Stillpoint, where she is now seeing patients in our private back room. Dr. Babbel currently writes regular articles about trauma and depression for Examiner.com and Women’s Radio Network, as well as her own blog on trauma and depression: Growing Beyond Trauma. The following is an excerpt from an article that Susanne wrote on recognizing your own internal alarm signals:

Learning to recognize and respond to our internal “alarm signals”—which assess every situation and inform us about appropriate reactions to follow—helps us to let go of grudges and to forgive people.

A woman who I will call Laureen expressed in one of our sessions that she noticed herself getting upset at her friend’s comment—made a day ago. Time had passed, and rehashing their conversation did not seem to be the right solution. She believed that her friend had no intention of hurting her, yet her anger would not subside. Laureen explained to me that she just wanted to forgive her friend, but did not know how.

Forgiveness is accepting what happened in the past and what someone did; not holding on or dwelling on it anymore. Forgiveness does not mean denying important feelings such as anger or sadness. In fact, in order to access forgiveness, connecting and paying attention to anger is often a necessary step. Yet people who have been abused or had poor role models in their lives are often not comfortable with their own anger. Because anger was not safe to express and may have been necessary to suppress during their childhood, feelings of anger were avoided. Not showing anger can also be a conditioned cultural response.

Ideally, Laureen would have felt comfortable to talk to her friend and express her feelings, if not immediately, a short time after their encounter. However, she wanted to look at her anger and her difficulty in forgiving. Forgiveness is not an act of kindness for others; it is coming to peace for ourselves. According to Frederic Loskin’s research, holding grudges can negatively impact one’s health, whereas forgiveness has beneficial health effects.

With a method called Somatic Experiencing, Laureen discovered that her friend’s comment had triggered childhood memories where danger was a reoccurring theme. She discovered that holding on to her anger was a subconscious survival method—an attempt to prepare her for a possible reoccurring “attack.” She noticed that her state of anger put her into a fight mode, whereas forgiveness would have meant being relaxed and not ready to act. Her session revealed that because her “alarm sensor” did not indicate her hurt and anger immediately, her subconscious decided to hold on to her delayed emotions so that next time she would be ready to protect herself.

Everyone has a built-in alarm system, monitored by the limbic brain, that indicates when we might be in danger or not. This alarm system prepares us to react quickly with a fight, flight (escape), or freeze (shutting down feelings) response. When the situation appears to be danger-free, we go back to our “base” state. Over time, our experiences form associations so that we can analyze new situations even faster. However, psychological trauma or conditioned cultural responses may result in a delayed reaction of our “alarm sensor.”

People can find themselves reacting hours or days later rather than reacting in the moment. Because it was always dangerous, or they were not allowed to express their emotions, they might have learned to suppress their own alarm system. On the other hand, with repeated trauma, the limbic brain might just habitually overreact and perceive a threat when there is not one. For example, a combat veteran might jump into a bush when he/she hears a car backfire, even though there is no current danger.

Laureen realized that she needed to recognize her alarm signals so that she could react in the moment.

To read the full text of this article and find out about the four steps you can take to tune up your own internal alarm system, visit Dr. Babbel’s blog.

In my work as a body-centered therapist at Stillpoint Wellness Center, I often draw on my multi-faceted background in Somatic Psychology, massage and yoga. I believe that all of my various areas of expertise contribute to making me a more perceptive and effective therapist. In my work with clients, I help to loosen the impacts of physical tension, anxiety, and depression, as well as heal trauma.

Here’s a breathing exercise I often give my clients as “homework” to help them increase the beneficial effects of their treatments with me, and to empower their ability to relax and access their own calming and healing powers. The exercise itself is basic (simply exhaling twice as long as inhaling), but remembering to practice it in times of stress, anger, or other intense negative emotions can take some practice.

When you find yourself succumbing to stressful sensations, take a moment to get still. Sit in a chair with both feet on the ground.   Allow a few natural breaths in and out.  Then begin to draw out your breath. Inhale for a slow count of three (you can pick any number that feels right to you), and then exhale for a count of six (twice as long as the inhale, in other words). It helps to start with a short count and then increase it—if you desire—as your “nerves” begin to settle.

The reason that this simple breathing exercise is so effective: breath is intimately connected to the autonomic nervous system and the mind. Slowing the breath with long exhalations causes carbon dioxide levels to rise in the blood.  The blood’s pH then changes to a less alkaline state, activating the parasympathetic nervous system (the part of our nervous system that functions automatically to heal us). This calms us in a variety of ways, including telling the vagus nerve to secrete acetylcholine, a substance that lowers the heart rate. The message? That it’s okay to calm down.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the same part of the nervous system that kicks into action while we sleep in order to heal any damage done by the day’s wear and tear. The opposite of the parasympathetic nervous system, of course, is the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our “fight or flight” response. Andrew wrote a great blog recently about how living in fight-or-flight constantly can eventually bring on sickness and injury.

If you come see me at Stillpoint for a body-centered therapy session, I’ll coach you in person on how to most effectively draw on the breath in times of stress.

Enter Vitamin C. It protects your skin against free radicals in much the same way that eating the right fruits and veggies protects your body. As a potent antioxidant, Vitamin C works well in conjunction with sunscreen to create a force field on your face that combats invasion by nasty free radicals. Vitamin C also helps repair damaged skin cells, so it’s both an offensive and a defensive attacker. Of all skincare products available to my clients, I most often recommend that they invest in a high-quality sunscreen and Vitamin C serum. (Well, after they get a good cleanser and moisturizer, that is.)

When we get to about the age of 25, our skin stops producing collagen, and that means it loses elasticity and rapidly starts to age. Although this process may not become obviously visible for years, the key to retaining your beautiful skin is to practice prevention from age 25 on. I recommend a sunscreen/Vitamin C regimen as a crucial first step to protecting your skin.

The trouble is, Vitamin C is a highly unstable substance and is thus inherently difficult to deliver to your skin cells. Most over-the-counter Vitamin C products are a big waste of money, in my opinion, because Vitamin C breaks down so quickly—even while still in the bottle—that its benefits are gone long before you ever squeeze it out. Even more expensive products from department stores and skincare outlets aren’t worth it.

And then we have SkinCeuticals. This innovative skincare company invests its time and money in science—not branding—and they’ve done the legwork to come up with Vitamin C products that actually perform. In fact, SkinCeuticals has patented a formula for delivering Vitamin C to the skin in its intact, potent form. They have cornered the market on Vitamin C skincare products.

I am always happy to make recommendations, whether you visit me for skincare treatments or simply stop by Stillpoint for a quick chat. I know I’m biased, but I heavily recommend asking an expert esthetician for skincare recommendations rather than relying on advertising or the advice of a Sephora employeWhen you go directly to an esthetician for your skincare needs, you’re getting the benefit of someone who is not only properly educated in the various options e. available to you, but who makes it their job to stay on top of the latest products and technology!

Take care,
Charis Castellanos

(SkinCeuticals web site)

It’s a fact of Western living that we all deal with stress on a pretty constant basis. Acupuncture is great for treating stress, and is one of the reasons why it has become such an effective and popular medical modality in the U.S. It’s no secret that stress is responsible for many of our physical ailments. Stress and anxiety can manifest in many ways, but the bottom line is that most afflictions ultimately can be traced back to stressors that adversely affect the body and mind.

When it comes down to it, 90% of the healing work I do addresses stress, regardless of the actual issues that my patient’s come to me with. Most dis-ease is caused by an imbalance in the body. We get out of balance because of stressful situations we are in-pressure at work, dealing with a divorce, worrying about our kids.

We live in a state of constant vigilance and low-grade anxiety. Our sympathetic nervous system-which is supposed to kick in for emergencies only-is on alert all the time. Let me put it this way: when we step off a curb and almost get hit by a speeding bus, we get an instant adrenaline rush that allows us to save ourselves. Physically, we feel our heart rate go up, our pupils dilate, and blood shoot into our muscles in order to protect us and allow us to act fast. This is a vital physiologic response and one that our very survival depends upon. However, most of us are under so much stress in our daily lives that we keep this constant low-grade state of adrenaline and anxiety running through our veins at all times.

The problem is, when we are in this sort of “fight or flight” mode, our body isn’t functioning at its fullest. During an emergency, our sympathetic nervous system has no use for our digestive system, sexual organs, or our immune system. Those future-oriented systems get shut down in favor of immediate survival mechanisms. So, when we exist in a prolonged state of sympathetic nervous system functioning, it stands to reason that our digestive system, sexual organs, and immune system don’t get a lot of love. Over time, this manifests as chronic issues with the ignored systems and they start to deteriorate. This is why certain disorders are so common in our Western culture: insomnia, ulcers, infertility, even cancer.

We are not meant to be in fight or flight mode 24/7.

The most important thing that acupuncture does, and does so effectively, is to turn the sympathetic nervous system functioning off so that the body can relax and begin to heal itself.  Once the body is allowed to take a chill, the parasympathetic nervous system has a chance to kick in and start the healing process. Acupuncture turns on the parasympathetic nervous system, calms the mind, and brings us into a highly relaxed state of being.

Through acupuncture treatments, I help my patients get back in touch with balanced emotions, channel blood and energy back into their digestive tracts, release tense muscles, stimulate their immune system, and enhance reproductive and sexual capability. It’s amazing how clearing away stress and anxiety can actually start to heal physical ailments. I use massage in my treatments for this same reason: relaxing the body begins the healing process.

Unfortunately, in real life, my patients always have to go back to work. So, a crucial part of my treatment sessions is to council my patient’s on making lifestyle choices that will enhance their ability to get in touch with their parasympathetic nervous system on a daily basis. This might mean making time for a bath at night, sleeping more, making wiser food choices, or doing yoga.