As many of you know, Adyashanti has been my primary spiritual teacher over the past several years, and I revere him greatly for his deep insight into the nature of reality.  I was excited to have discovered that he has created a free video summary of his basic teachings, available here: Cafe Dharma.  Also available from his site are many free talks on meditation, awakening, and reality.  I encourage you to take advantage of this invaluable resource.

If you are one of my existing patients, you most likely already know that I am a strong proponent of Iyengar yoga as a means to rehabilitate injuries, reduce pain, increase functionality, and promote overall wellness.  A recent study by the NIH supports my opinion.  Below is a portion of the article, the rest of which may be found here:

A study just published in the journal Spine found that a group of low back pain sufferers who regularly practiced yoga postures had less pain, improved function, and a better mood. What's more, they were far less likely to take drugs for their back problem than a matched group who received standard medical therapy.

"Proponents of yoga have long described its benefits in reducing back pain," researcher Kimberly Williams, Ph.D., of West Virginia University's Department of Community Medicine said in a statement to the media. "But not everybody was convinced. This is a much bigger, much more rigorous evaluation than had been done before."

The $400,000 study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), covered three years and involved 90 people. All had mild to moderate functional disability from their back pain. Half were randomly assigned to study Iyengar style yoga and half received conventional medical therapy. Those practicing yoga took 90 minute classes two times a week for 24 weeks, working with postures targeted to relieve chronic low-back pain.

The classes were taught by certified instructors of Iyengar yoga. Iyengar yoga. One of the world's most widely-practiced forms of yoga, Iyengar yoga emphasizes individualized asanas (postures) to build strength, stamina, balance and flexibility. Classes also typically end with a deeply relaxing asana.

Yes, that's right. I finally overcame my dread of health insurance red tape, and took the plunge into the world of billing insurance for my patients. Stillpoint actually began processing insurance back in February of this year, but we waited to work out all of the kinks before making the formal announcement. This is great news for those of you with acupuncture benefits on your health insurance policy. If you are not covered, remember that we have very reasonable rates.  Please give us a call or drop us a line and we will verify your coverage, free of charge. Many patients are surprised to discover that they do in fact have acupuncture benefits available to them. So, please let us check to see if we can put your insurance premiums to work for you, and help you to maintain and improve your health. Please visit our insurance page for complete details.

President Obama publicly voiced his support of acupuncture at his town hall meeting April 29, 2009. I am optimistic that this declaration is a harbinger of positive changes in our country's health care policies.  Please click here to watch his statements regarding the role of acupuncture in American health care.