Indigo Wellness Center

Changes to Debbie’s Downtown Yoga Classes!

Schedule Changes
New Class Time! Friday mornings All Level Hatha 9:00-10:15 AM
This is an all levels, fun energetic class with a focus on alignment and heart opening.

Canceled Classes:
Wednesday and Friday 7:30-8:30 AM
Wednesday 6:30-8:00 PM

Salem Arts Building Open House

Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009
4:30 pm-7:30 pm

Join us at Indigo Downtown for raffles, refreshments and fun throughout the Salem Arts Building (155 Liberty St NE, next to the Reed Opera House).

Congrats to Leah Fish

Congrats to Leah Fish, she won the drawing for $30 in Indigo Dollars by participating in our Yoga Client Survey. We’ve compiled everyone’s responses and we are working on a new and better schedule that will launch January 2, 2010. Thank you for your input.

Got Furlough? Get Free-Lough Yoga!

State of Oregon employees may have one less day of pay this month, but we want to give them the gift of health.

Fri., Oct. 16 through Thu., Oct 22, 2009 Indigo Wellness Center is pleased to offer a Two-for-One FREE-LOUGH Yoga Special to all State of Oregon employees (must show ID). Drop-in rate is $12, multiple class packages and memberships are also available. Please share this offer with your friends!

Downtown Grand Opening Party

Thanks to everyone who helped make Indigo’s Downtown Grand Opening and 5th Anniversary party such a success! The Salem Chamber of Commerce joined in the ribbon cutting ceremony, and so many friends — old and new — dropped in for a look around, accompanied by a beverage, a quick chair massage and the purchase of a greatly discounted yoga class pass.

Salem Breakfast on Bikes also rolled up to our grand opening and thanked Roy John for downtown Salem’s newest bike rack, which is conveniently located just outside our door.

And did you know we now offer Monthly Yoga Memberships with unlimited yoga for as low as $75 per month? Check out our Pricing page for details.

Raja Yoga Workshop! Deepen your knowledge and practice….

RAJA YOGA Workshop with Elizabeth @ Indigo Downtown (155 Liberty St. NE). Deepen your practice. Explore the art of Raja Yoga and the philosophy of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras with yoga therapist, Elizabeth Connor in a 3-part series from 1:00 pm -3:00 pm on Saturdays. Oct 10th: #1 – The Heart of Raja Yoga; Nov 7th: #2 – The 8 Limbs of Yoga; Dec 5th: #3 – Pranayama and Meditation. Pre-registration required: $25 for each individual session, or $65 for the set.

Grand Opening Party – Indigo Downtown

Join the team from Indigo Wellness Center for food, wine and jazz at our new Downtown Salem Yoga Studio,  155 Liberty St NE (behind Cherry Redd, MAP).

Friday, October 2, 2009 from 4 pm until 7 pm

LMTs will be available for chair massage, plus live music from All in Perspective and the Salem Community Drum Circle.

Special grand opening discounts and a raffle will be held for a chance to win one of three prizes:
* 10 yoga class pass
* 60 minute massage
* 30 minute private yoga class

Bike Commute Challenge Kick Off Party at Indigo!

Ready for the September Bike Commute Challenge? The 2009 BCC Kick-Off Party will be Thursday, August 27th, from 5 to 7pm! Meet fellow commuters, get tips and information, and plot schemes to encourage and make biking easier! Free beer and pizza for Bike Commute Challenge participants. Find more info here:
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/08/bike-commute-challenge-kick-off-next.html

The Language of Pain

An interviewer approached Tiger Woods after he won the 2008 US Open golf tournament. Tiger rested with his weight on his right leg, favoring the left. Tests would show he had played the five-day tournament on a broken leg.

“How could you play well when you were in so much pain?” the interviewer asked.

Tiger shrugged. “Pain is just pain,” he replied with a stoic gaze.

As an athlete and a warrior, Tiger’s feat was amazing. It was legendary. It is one of the reasons golf fans genuflect when he comes on the T.V. screen.

As a health care professional, I winced at Tiger’s ability to ignore pain.

The reason I winced is because pain has a useful purpose. It is the body’s attempt to communicate with the brain. After a hard workout, the ache of muscles lets you know to take it easy for a day. The pain of a sprained ankle warns that the healing process is not yet complete.

The problem is that the brain and the body speak different languages. While the brain speaks with logical thought, the body speaks only in elemental sensations and caveman grunts. The ability to recognize these messages and translate them accurately is a learned skill. When we first feel pain, the intellect takes note. But not hearing anything resembling language, the tendency is to tuck the sensation of pain into a corner of the mind and ignore it.

In American culture this ability to ignore pain is considered admirable. A soldier who fights wounded is heroic, and a football lineman who plays with a broken thumb is tough. But consider how the body reacts when chronic pain is ignored.

Imagine an American faced with a foreigner who doesn’t speak English. Instead of seeking a common language, this American simply speaks louder and louder in an attempt to communicate. This is the same reaction the body has. Ignored pain returns with increased intensity until it demands to be heard.

Even the great Tiger Woods ignored pain to the point where his body was pushed into crisis. After he hoisted the silver trophy into the air in victory, the doctors took over. Tiger had surgery on his broken leg, months of daily physical therapy, and was not allowed to touch a golf club for more than half a year while his leg healed.

Ignoring chronic pain may work for a day or a month or a year. It may even help you win the US Open. But over time, routinely dismissing pain will result in your body being pushed into crisis. The prudent thing to do is to listen when your body talks.

My goal is to help you pay attention to your body so that when it speaks the language of pain, it need never do more than whisper.

Tracy Snyder is a licensed massage therapist at Indigo. She specializes in Shiatsu, which is a combination of stretches and acupressure. The client remains fully clothed throughout the session.

Indigo In the NEWS!

WOW! Did you know that Indigo was on KATU channel 2 news yesterday?!

Check out the feature “One business’ alternative to a health plan” at KATU.com………VERY COOL