There seem to be a lot of muscle strains and sprains going around these days, not unusual for the end of summer when many of us have been more active than usual.  In response to concerns about tight calf muscles, here are a couple of great stretches.  The first is for the larger muscle in the calf, the area that bulges a few inches beneath the knee called the Gastrocnemius.

Notice that the back knee is straight and the heel is reaching toward or pressing into the floor.  Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.  Take some long slow complete breaths and imagine the muscle filling up and expanding on the inhale and releasing and lengthening on the exhale.

The second stretch is for the lower calf  muscle, the Soleus.  The Soleus is a much overlooked muscle that often causes problems with the Gastrocnemius above it or the Achilles Tendon below it.  The following picture shows an excellent Soleus stretch.

In this stretch, the back knee is bent forward and the ankle is slightly flexed.  Be careful not to bend the knee too far.  It doesn’t take much of a bend to feel the Soleus lengthening.  Again, hold this position for 20-30 seconds, taking long slow relaxing breaths.  Imagining muscles filling and expanding on the inhalation and softening and relaxing on the exhalation  is a great way not only to lengthen muscles (the whole point of stretching), but to slow ourselves down.  It’s really a meditation for the body and the mind all at the same time!

 Doing these stretches regularly is great for preventing night cramping.   If you ever wake up in the middle of the night with a cramp in one or both of your calves,  place the heel of both hands on either side of the calf and press in.  This ”compression” relieves cramps as it forces blood into the muscle. If your calves remain tight, try soaking the lower legs in warm water before stretching or have your legs massaged by a professional massage therapist.    If night cramps persists, consider seeing your doctor, as they may also be caused by circulatory problems.

Making Peace with Your Body:
Finding Peace with Yourself

Do you have a hard time feeling good about your body? Unfavorably compare yourself with others? Has stress, aging, or other factors led you to struggle with your weight or maintaining healthy eating habits? Is it difficult to appreciate who you are beyond your physical appearance? This course is an invitation to finally take the time you deserve to make peace with your body and find peace with yourself.

Join Corinne Petersen and Carol Friedman for six very special sessions and heal the old patterns of body, mind, heart, and spirit that have kept you from fully embracing your body and your life.

Topics to be addressed include:

• How we learned to negatively relate to our bodies and what we can do about it.
• Healing through mindful self-talk.
• Kindness; the healing power of opening our hearts to ourselves.
• Easy and practical ways to transform the way you eat and relate to food.
• Mindful movement and rest.
• Giving Thanks for all we are, have, and do.

Each session will include gentle movement, yoga, relaxation, and meditation exercises specially designed to release old patterns and integrate the day’s new learning. You will leave awakened, refreshed, renewed, and ready to live a healthier and happier life.

Location: Heartwood Center for Body, Mind, Spirit, 1599 Maple Avenue, Evanston, Illinois

Sundays 2:00 - 4:00 pm: Oct. 18, 25, Nov. 1, 8, 15 and 22.

Space is limited, early registration is recommended.

For registration or information contact:

Corinne: corinne.peterson@gmail.com or 773. 562.5933.

Carol: info@happyhealthywhole.com or 847.866.9692.

About the instructors:

Carol Friedman has been a teacher and workshop leader for over 20 years. She holds a master’s degree from The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, is certified in Psycho-Spiritual Integration, is a certified personal trainer and teaches Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful eating.

Corinne Peterson has been teaching yoga since 1994. She is a certified as a yoga instructor by the Temple of Kriya Yoga and as a yoga therapist through the American Viniyoga Institute. Corinne has a gentle teaching style influenced by 23 years of study in Viniyoga, Kriya, and Iyengar yoga. She holds a master in public health and has been a nationally certified massage therapist since 1997.