Tuesday, June 11, 2013
As Father's Day approaches, consider honoring the men most influential in your life by sharing their stories in Local Voices on South End Patch.
Father's Day is right around the corner, and the sale signs and circulars are everywhere promoting gifts like ties, electronics and other gadgets for Dad. But this year Patch invites you to gift your father, stepfather, uncle, grandfather or any other man that has been influential in your life with a unique tribute: share his story. What are some of your fondest memories with Dad? What advice has he offered you that has helped you the most over the course of your life? Why is he so special to you? Why does he deserve recognition? (You can also take the opportunity to brag on your husband about what makes him an amazing father.) Tell us about your Dad and share photos through our free Local Voices blogging section. Then you can surprise…
Monday, May 27, 2013
Hunching over your desk? Pain in your lower back? Improved posture, through yoga, may be just what you need!
When I began practicing yoga, I already had pretty good body awareness through my background in physical therapy and my love of running and exercising in general. But it was only through yoga that I was able to develop a deeper understanding of anatomy, body mechanics and greater awareness of the unhealthy habits in my own body when it came to how I stood, walked, sat, lifted things and moved in general. In my work with people in yoga classes and private sessions, I am able to see how stress, the effects of sitting, hard work, raising kids and just overall sensory overwhelm has affected people’s bodies. There are several things I usually see: tight shoulders, lack of overall strength, tightness in the legs and an overall lack of …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
District 5 City Councilor Rob Consalvo is a candidate for Boston mayor.
The following is an op-ed piece from City Councilor Rob Consalvo. Last Thursday, when I officially announced my candidacy for Mayor of Boston, I called for reviving the Boston Compact to bring back businesses, colleges and universities, unions and non-profit organizations as partners in our efforts to improve the Boston Public Schools. The first Boston Compact was signed in 1982, back when the Boston public schools were facing a clear-cut crisis of confidence. Today, the schools are stronger and enrollment is growing. But the last Compact was signed in 2000 – 13 years ago. A lot of things have changed since then in Boston and in the world. Thirteen years ago, the city’s labor force was 20% smaller, jobs required less technical skills, and…
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Can't work your way out of a problem? Here are some fresh ways to find new perspective.
We’ve all experienced times where we feel stuck. We struggle to find a new way to approach a problem. It could be about money, relationships, career, family or even our schedule. In situations like this, we need an infusion of fresh energy around the issue as well as a new way of thinking. There is no way out of approaching a problem from the same perspective unless something shifts. Einstein said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” So, how do we find a new way of thinking? 1. Exercise. When we feel stuck, we need to refresh our brain and move the stuck energy of feeling defeated through the body. The best way to do that is to move. Walk, run, practice yoga, hike or…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
After Boston comes face to face with terrorism, mental health professionals say not to worry if your children aren’t as concerned as you are. By Angela Wang.
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Thursday, April 25
Never was Boston so grateful for a Monday: Back to work, back to school, back to routines, after a five-day ordeal shook the city and the world watched. Gone are most of the satellite trucks, the clusters of reporters and cameramen, the strands of law enforcement officers for every street on our normal path. By Wednesday, barricades and memorials for the victims of the April 15 bombings, bookending Boylston St., were moved and the street reopened. One week ago, my innocent concern was for the magnolias on Commonwealth Avenue, and whether they’d be at their showy peak when 23,000 marathoners rose up out of the underpass to greet the last six-tenths of their 26.2-mile race. Last year, the trees bloomed pink and white in March, and Patriots …
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Research published this month by the Journal of Pediatrics found no relationship between autism and the increasing number of recommended vaccines. But skeptics still aren't buying it.
For parents concerned about vaccines and the possibility of harm they may do, the newest research tests the “too many, too soon” theory, and encourages us to put it to rest. Today the central worry questions the large number of vaccines given, and how many are given at one time, especially when they’re being administered to the vulnerable bodies of very young children. The new study, published online April 1 in the Journal of Pediatrics, found no relationship between the increased exposure to vaccines and autism. As the number of recommended childhood vaccinations has grown over the decades, so have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses – and in the public mind, the two have been difficult to separate. Fifteen years ago, a now-…
Saturday, February 23, 2013
In a tribute to everyday kids and teachers, Amika Kemmler-Ernst takes her camera into Boston's classrooms to make images of kids hard at work.
“A student has to be a valedictorian – or bring a gun to school – in order to be considered newsworthy,” says Amika Kemmler-Ernst. An educator for more than 40 years, she’s talking about our tendency to focus on either the great or the horrible, while paying less attention to everything in between. A teacher of children and a mentor to teachers, Dr. Kemmler-Ernst is now officially retired. But in an ongoing visual ethnography project, she’s been visiting Boston Public Schools (BPS) and taking pictures of normal kids in action, learning at school. It’s a passion she’s indulged in throughout a career teaching in Brookline, Boston, around Africa, and in Italy. Shelved at her Jamaica Plain home, bulging albums hold photos of kids at work, in…
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Injured but looking for a road back to wellness? Yoga's benefits are plentiful. Check out how to use this healing practice to manage pain, build strength and flexibility.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been approached or have had conversations with people in class about how to best get started back with yoga after an injury. This also applies to starting yoga for the first time after an injury. I thought this would make a good topic for my next column. Maybe you’re reading this and like one of the people I spoke with, you’re afraid you’ll get hurt again. Maybe you have a memory of how fit you once were and now, faced with your injured body, you’re frustrated and feel there is no way you’ll be able to taste that feeling of strength and flexibility again. Maybe you have “good days” and “bad days” and have just given up on the idea of doing anything physical. The good news is yoga is the perfect exercise to do …
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Do you agree with the governor's decision or was it too drastic?
All non-emergency drivers were ordered off the roads on Friday when Gov. Deval Patrick issued an executive order banning travel during the blizzard. (Editor's note: The ban is lifted statewide as of 4 p.m. Saturday.) Patrick's executive order is being praised by some and bashed by others, reported The Boston Globe. While former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, who was in charge of the commonwealth during the Blizzard of ’78, praised the governor’s move, others called the order “tyrannical” and say the strict ban and hefty fines were too much, according to The Globe. Those caught violating the ban would face up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. What do you think? Do you agree with the governor’s decision or do you think the travel ban …
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Feeling like your healthy goals for the New Year have slipped away? Here are tips designed to get back on track.
Around this time of year, people start re-evaluating their New Year’s Resolutions. They either are still on track and feeling great or they’ve lost their resolve and are feeling frustrated and defeated. One of the common goals set at the beginning of the year is around weight loss. As a yoga teacher, I get questions about yoga’s effectiveness for weight loss. People want to know how many calories they’ll burn, is hot yoga more effective for weight loss than unheated yoga or how many times per week do you need to do yoga to lose weight. I usually say something like this: “Yoga, done regularly can be an effective tool for managing your weight. If you can get to a studio class three times per week and supplement that with 20 to 30 minutes at…
Liesl Trimnell
8:16 am on Thursday, April 25, 2013
Angela, what a lovely essay. Your experience and view mirrors that of my own family; living in the city with young children, trying to make some sense of it all and watching, gauging our children's reactions. Liesl Trimnell/South End more ›