Home » Library

February, 2008

Go Ahead and Laugh!

“Laughter is the best medicine.” We’ve heard the expression time and again. For decades, researchers have explored how humor helps patients relieve stress and heal. Melissa B. Wanzer, EdD, professor of communication studies at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, has taken it one step further with


Stretch or Strength?

Some people believe that stretching before exercise lowers your injury risk. However, research has found that mild stretching can cause damage at the cytoskeletal level of the muscle (Bracko 2002). Static stretching has an analgesic effect, a response that the body uses as a


Guided Relaxation Script: Breathing the Body

When it comes to stress relief, we need all the help we can get. When you are centered, your students and clients also benefit. Whether you teach a group of people or one-on-one, the following guided relaxation is a great way to lead others in a full-body awareness exercise.


Food and Mood

People feeling sad tend to eat more of less-healthy comfort foods than when they feel happy, finds a new study co-authored by a Cornell food marketing expert. However, when nutritional information is available, those same sad people curb their


Feedback From the Field: Yoga Sequencing

In a previous issue of Inner IDEA Body-Mind-Spirit Review, we asked: Do you have your own “secret formula” for creating yoga sequences? Do you prepare your lesson plans before class or do you improvise depending on the collective tone?


Retaining Members, Creating Community

Many studio and small facility owners focus predominantly on recruitment. While this is important, retaining current members is equally essential. Profits from a single customer can increase dramatically over time. A 5-year member can be up to 377% more profitable than a


Horticultural Therapy

“It’s not about how to take care of plants; it’s about how plants can be used to take care of people.” That’s how Tennessee Tech University agriculture professor Douglas Airhart defines horticultural therapy, a medical practice that uses nature, plants and gardening processes as vehicles for providing a wide range of therapy and rehabilitation programs.