Yoga & Meditation Classes Offered For Community Veterans At MCCC

Blue Bell, Pa.—Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) is offering free yoga and meditation classes this fall for veterans in Parkhouse Hall room 128 at its Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The classes are open to all veterans in the community.

“Research shows us that mindfulness-based practices, like yoga, have many benefits for veterans. These include increasing one’s ability to focus, improving sleep and managing stress,” explained Dr. Deb Greenspan, associate professor of psychology at MCCC.

Greenspan facilitates the sessions along with Sara Erlbaum of Still Warriors. Together the two lead veterans through a combination of yoga and iRest®, a guided meditation practice designed to heal and provide coping mechanisms for stress.

This fall, classes will be held on four Mondays, Oct. 12 and 26 and Nov. 9 and 23, from 12:30-1:15 p.m., and on four Saturdays, Oct. 10 and 24 and Nov. 7 and 14, from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

No prior yoga or meditation experience is required, and yoga mats and blocks will be provided. Veterans are welcome to attend one or all classes, as their schedules allow.  

For additional information, contact Deb Greenspan at dgreensp@mc3.edu.

Gallup: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Well-Being Could Be Worse, But Not Much

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton area’s overall well-being could be worse, but not much.

The metropolitan area ranked 94th overall out of 100 communities in the U.S. in Gallup opinion poll “State of American Well-Being: 2014 Community Well-Being Rankings.”

The survey issued Tuesday compares how people feel about and experience their daily lives in five areas:

■ Purpose: Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goal.

■ Social: Having supportive relationships and love in your life.

Read more:

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gallup-scranton-wb-well-being-could-be-worse-but-not-much-1.1860711

Poll: Those In NEPA Among Most Miserable In U.S.

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Lancaster, PA ranked 21st on the list 🙂  The happiest of any Pennsylvania Metropolitan Area.  Hey now!

People in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area are among the most miserable in the nation, according to a report that ranks the area 177th out of 189 it surveyed to gauge residents’ sense of well-being.

Their continuing economic downslide, bad memories, misperceptions and even a lack of sunlight may play a part in Northeast Pennsylvanians’ gloomy outlook, some local experts say in commenting on the State of American Well-Being, the report released last week by Gallup and Healthways.

The highest-ranked area was Provo-Orem, Utah, and the lowest-ranked was the Huntington, W.Va.-Ashland, Ky. area. More than 178,000 people across the country were interviewed last year, including a sample size of 1,092 from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.

The survey asked people to rate their life evaluation – a combination of current situation evaluation and the anticipated situation in five years – emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors and basic access to health care and other necessities.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/poll-those-in-nepa-among-most-miserable-in-u-s-1.1663838