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Crestwood grad and SWB RailRiders reliever Matt Wotherspoon traded to Baltimore Orioles

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HomeWorks Gifts feels like home

<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; Carol Bell, a clinical social worker from Boston, often sees clients in very challenging situations with understandably problematic responses.</p><p>&#8220;Often people are living in cramped apartments, lacking finances,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They are stressed, filled with anxiety, hopeless.&#8221;</p><p>Bell, who herself has been practicing yoga since her youngest child was 6, wanted to share its benefits with those she served.</p><p>She trained as a yoga instructor and now holds classes for clients.</p><p>A national conference on integrating yoga with mental health held at Misericordia University over the weekend provided an opportunity for Bell to share her own experiences with other mental health care professionals and to benefit from the experiences of others.</p><p>Yoga, she said, is all about being kind to yourself and your body.</p><p>&#8220;Sometimes, it simply means measured breathing,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Sometimes, just being purposefully grateful.&#8221;</p><p>Susan McDonald, chairman of the university&#8217;s Social Work Department, said yoga addressed the physical effects of stress.</p><p>&#8220;In addition to the mind and the soul, we need to address the body,&#8221; McDonald said. &#8220;Trauma is stored in the body.&#8221;</p><p>In addition to learning about the appropriate application of yoga in mental health, about 40 attendees also participated in morning yoga classes.</p><p>&#8220;Corinne Farrell, from Balance Yoga, was nice enough to be here for 7 o&#8217;clock in the morning,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We were really grateful.&#8221;</p><p>McDonald said the conference also provided opportunity to showcase the area a bit to attendees that came from all over the country.</p><p>&#8220;Many had never heard of Dallas, Pennsylvania, before they came,&#8221; she said.</p><p>David Hage, assistant professor of social work at the university and an advocate of healthy living, said he thoroughly enjoyed interacting with like-minded professionals.</p><p>Hage said he was introduced to yoga about five years ago by an occupational therapist.</p><p>&#8220;Yoga improves mobility, strength and relaxation,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a great stress reliever.&#8221;</p><p>McDonald said the conference reflects the university&#8217;s commitment to keeping current with developments in the social work and mental health field.</p><p>She credits Amy Weintraub, the events keynote speaker, with informing and inspiring attendees.</p><p>&#8220;This is a relatively new field,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And the university has been extremely supportive in hosting this conference and making it possible for us to understand how yoga can be used to benefit mental health.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Carol Bell, a clinical supervisor from Boston Health Care, talks about the benefits of yoga to a patients mental health at a seminar at Misericordia University on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL070217YOGA-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Carol Bell, a clinical supervisor from Boston Health Care, talks about the benefits of yoga to a patients mental health at a seminar at Misericordia University on Sunday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL060217YOGA-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Amy Weintraub, a senior Kripalu yoga teacher and author, guides fellow teachers and instructors on some relaxing yoga poses. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL060217YOGA-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Amy Weintraub, a senior Kripalu yoga teacher and author, guides fellow teachers and instructors on some relaxing yoga poses. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL070217-YOGA-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Amy Weintraub, a senior Kripalu yoga teacher and author, guides fellow teachers and instructors on some relaxing yoga poses. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL070217-YOGA-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Amy Weintraub, a senior Kripalu yoga teacher and author, guides fellow teachers and instructors on some relaxing yoga poses. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Seminar pitches benefits of yoga to mental health