The tragedy of broken bones for older adults is one of my earliest childhood memories.
When I was 6 years old, my grama fell, broke her hip, went to the hospital, and the next thing I knew she died. It seemed so sudden and frightening. That’s how my 6-year-old mind connected breaking hips with death.
Most of us never really think about our skeleton, though. Do you?
Even after that happened to my grama I grew up without any real concern over the health of my bones until my dad fell and broke his femur when he was 83. He went into the hospital and then passed away just a few months later in a rehab facility. All that fear of fragile bones came rushing back to me.
Falling and breaking a hip seems like an inevitable part of aging.
But, here’s the thing. Low bone density might be a common condition as we age. Fractures, though, are not inevitable.
A few years after my dad passed away, I had my first DXA scan. I was 53.
My journey into the wily and contradictory world of osteoporosis screening protocols and treatment began that day (see more about that in my blog post Doubting Your DXA.)
Being told I already have osteopenia, scared me knowing I have a family history of advanced osteoporosis (it’s 65% genetic!) But I was also grateful to have the information so early on in my life.
I dove deep into the research on how to preserve my vital bones. (I’m a bit of a geek that way.)
Everyone’s journey with bone health is unique.
For me, the bone health path includes working with my doctor on post-menopausal support and addressing other contributing health conditions that I have (it’s never just one thing, right?)
I’m vigilant about my gut health and refining my nutrition, my exercise focus, and my stress management – factors that have a direct effect on our skeleton as we age.
This sounds simple, but I know first-hand it’s not so easy to make changes to your diet & lifestyle. I lean on some other skills to help with that.
I’m a certified nutrition consultant and National Board-Certified and Functional Medicine Health coach.
I’m also a perpetual student of yoga. Practicing yoga since the early 1990s, and teaching yoga since 2009, I continue to be inspired by and learn from teachers like Matthew Sanford, Leslie Kaminoff, Kristine Weber, and others. I am certified by Dr. Loren Fishman in Yoga vs Osteoporosis, certified in Accessible Yoga by Jivana Heyman, and am currently in a 3.5 year training to be certified as a Yoga Therapist under the guidance of Chase Bossart, Amanda Green, and Jeannie Turner. I am also proud to be a BoneFit™-trained professional and ambassador for Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF).
I teach a weekly online Yoga for Vital Bones class, designed specifically to benefit our bones. And a weekly in person class in Berkeley called Yoga for the Care of Your Spine.
As a yoga teacher, nutrition & health coach, I hone in on the intersection between yoga and nutrition – and, in particular, how it manifests for the bones.
One of my mentors in nutrition instilled in me this mindset:
“when we nourish our bones, we nourish our body deeply”
Since spending the last few years focusing on nourishing myself on all levels, my bones are holding strong.
It will be a lifelong journey.
I am passionate about sharing what I’ve learned and helping women understand their bones, nourish their bones, and build stronger bones so they can enjoy their life!
I firmly believe that the crux of our health care is self-care enriched with collaboration, support, information, and grit.
For my clients I am 100% their ally supporting them on how to develop effective self-care practices, research solutions, troubleshoot obstacles, and feel fully empowered making their healthiest and safest choices for treatment to not fear their bones so they can live their life with confidence and verve.
I know a diagnosis of osteoporosis or being told you have osteopenia can be scary and overwhelming.
And to that I say “don’t panic!” – just B.R.E.A.T.H.E.
I’ve created a guide using the acronym B.R.E.A.T.H.E..
It’s for you if you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, or have a family history of low bone density, and you want to quickly learn what it will take to:
- Remove the overwhelm and fear
- Gain clarity on the steps toward your healing options
- Move forward with an approach that you will follow through with
- Grow your confidence and take charge of your vital bones
The guide breaks down for you the 7 key areas you need to understand to move forward on your bone health journey.
Inhale Inspiration, Exhale Action with my free, easy guide here.
Be well,
mb
Why “3 Green Circles”?
Well, first of all there is indeed magic in the number 3 (I even wrote a blog about it), the color green evokes strength and vitality, and circles indicate totality, wholeness, focus, timelessness, and cyclic movements.
What this image illustrates is how I have come to view my life and my work with clients – whether in classes, workshops, online self-paced courses, or one-on-one.
Empower it
Nourish it
Live it
Bio in brief:
Mary Beth Ray is BoneFit™ trained and has over 30 years of experience practicing and studying yoga primarily in the Krishnamacharya breath-centered lineage. She approaches her daily practice and her 15 years of teaching with an academic mind and a curious heart to better understand and convey the biopsychosocial-spiritual approach to addressing bone health through a focus on whole health. To learn more, visit 3greencircles.com
Professional Bio:
After a 30-year career in educational publishing, Mary Beth Ray dove into her encore career helping women to understand their bones, nourish their bones, and build stronger bones so they can enjoy the life they want.
Through a combination of yoga, nutrition, and health coaching techniques, she weaves together empowering nutrition, mindfulness, and movement practices and helps you create practical, functional changes for lasting impact on your wellbeing as you age. She believes health care is self-care enriched with collaboration, support, information, and grit.
Studying and practicing yoga since the early 90s, she has been teaching yoga since 2009 and is registered with Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT500 teacher and YACEP, a continuing education provider for other yoga teachers. She is currently in Yoga Therapist training in the Viniyoga tradition at the Yoga Well Institute under the guidance of Chase Bossart, Amanda Green, and Jeannie Turner.
Mary Beth is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness coach, a certified graduate of the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, and she has a certification in Holistic Nutrition Consulting from Bauman College. She is a member of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals and the International Association of Yoga Therapists, an Accessible Yoga Ambassador, a BoneFit™-trained professional and ambassador for Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF).
Practicing with Mary Beth you will hone a more graceful engagement with your everyday life. To learn more about MB’s personal journey and how she can help you, visit 3greencircles.com
Yoga Experience:
Mary Beth Ray (MB) has been exploring yoga as a physical practice and philosophy since the early 90s. She studies primarily with teachers within the lineages originating with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Her practice has drawn her deeply into the moving meditation and self-discovery of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Mysore system and more recently into the subtle, breath-centered inquiry of Viniyoga.
She has been teaching since 2009 and is registered through Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500 and YACEP. As a teacher MB shares yoga as a day-by-day, moment-by-moment practice of tuning your awareness to the presence and quality of your breath. In her classes and workshops, she guides you with subtle alignment cues, gentle hands-on adjustments, and suggested variations that will help you develop your own inner and outer strength and flexibility.
MB has been part of the teacher training faculty at both Barefoot Movement and Square One Yoga in the SF Bay Area teaching foundations of asana, Sanskrit basics, introduction to the Yoga Sutra, Ethics, and Yoga through the Lifespan.
MB is certified in Accessible Yoga by Jivana Heyman, has studied adaptive yoga with Matthew Sanford of Mind Body Solutions, Yin Yoga with Devi Daly, and is certified as a Yoga vs Osteoporosis teacher by Dr. Loren Fishman, MD. She is currently in Yoga Therapist training in the Viniyoga tradition at the Yoga Well Institute under the guidance of Chase Bossart, Amanda Green, and Jeannie Turner.
In addition, she is a member of International Association of Yoga Therapists, a certified holistic nutrition consultant and Board Certified Functional Medicine health coach, a BoneFit™-trained professional and ambassador for Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF).
Her passion is to help folks understand and nourish their bones and, most importantly, not fear their bones as they age so they can live their life fully.
Practicing with MB you will hone a healthy balance between effort and ease and discover a more graceful engagement with your everyday life.
