This is a basic quick gentle yoga sequence focused on the torso. Remember that each person is different. If something doesn’t feel right, it isn’t. Go slow and FEEL your way through these poses.  Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I want to know….did you enjoy it? Are there any videos or Blog article topics you want to see? Let me know in the comments!

I look at scheduling things like this (as well as the boring stuff) as creating my life.  I don’t look at it as a burden, limiting or lacking spontaneity. This allows me to do the things I enjoy and make them a priority.  

Most of us have a desire to do something creative and fun but are stop ourselves for a few common reasons:

• I don’t have time for it, and if I can’t dedicate lots of time, it’s not worth it. (Unrealistic idea of time)
• I am not “good” at it or, I don’t have the time to be “good” at it. (Perfectionism)
• My family’s needs come before my desires. (Making some time for your creative endeavors nourishes your soul therefore makes you happier and in turn directly affects your family life)

A lot of this boils down to unrealistic perfectionism. (perfectionism is never realistic) We think we have to be “amazing” at this thing that we enjoy and then take the joy right out of the actual DOING of it!

So is there a creative outlet that you really enjoy and haven’t done in a while? Are you looking for a new creative outlet? Are you waiting for the best/right time to start? Are you wanting to be perfect at it?

How bout doing it anyway, and enjoying the doing of it….let it nourish your soul.

• It is a transitional season and many of us feel the energy of change, hence “spring cleaning”.   It is a desire to get rid of things that are cluttering up your home, and bring new things in. This can translate to “getting rid of the old and bringing in the new” in your body.

• It is a warmer season, which can make it easier to eat less and lighter foods while detoxing.

A detox can be done in many ways. There are endless ways to detox and it doesn’t have to be difficult. I personally find it totally worth it.  Detoxing can be a physical, mental and emotional experience.  The amount of time that you detox, the food you eat, and other external things you do can be catered to your lifestyle.  Each person is different, and therefore your detoxing experience will be different too.

Why would you want to do a detox you might be asking? (here are just a few reasons)

• Creates a “clean slate” for any new dietary lifestyle changes you want to make. It can  really help you get an accurate idea of what you body feels good eating.  As you introduce different foods into your diet when the detox is over, you will be able to tell more clearly what feels good and what doesn’t.  Basically Intuitive eating!
• Can help to move feelings of sluggishness out of your body.
• It is a yearly “tune up”!

My Mom is teaching a detox workshop this Friday. She is a Wholistic Nurse Practitioner with a wealth of knowledge about health and well being of the body and mind.  She teaches this yearly in the spring and it incorporates diet, yoga to assist in detox, mental detox and endless options to modify to your lifestyle.  
This class will be held at Yoga Anand Ashram, which is on the 2nd floor of the building where my office is.  If you are interested, please feel welcome to come. You can just show up!

Spring Detox Class:
Friday 7pm
42 Merrick Road
Amityville, NY 11701
Cost: $20

When you feel off, you’re off.

When something feels “not good” for you, it isn’t at that moment.  

When something feel “right” it’s right.

What is your well being gauge telling you right now?

Tune in to your well being gauge…..and ask what you need……

The healing process is not linear, meaning you don’t always get better and better one step at a time.  It is more like waves and spirals, things change and move, and overall change is GOOD!

So I tell everyone who I treat for the first time that you could be sore or flared up later that day or the next after treatment. Not everyone experiences this but it is a good thing to know in case it does happen.  This same thing can happen during the course of many treatments. As things change and shift, restrictions are released and you are feeling different and discovering how your body feels and moves in this new found freedom.

I want to put this in perspective for you. I call it the closet metaphor:

Let’s say you have a messy closet with lots of stuff unorganized and piled up.  You want to clean it out but you have company coming over so you just shove the last few things that are hanging around into the closet and shut the door quick! No one wants an avalanche right before hosting a party.
On the outside, the closet looks neat. All appears well but, underneath the surface it is not. No one can see inside and that is a good thing temporarily while you are entertaining.  

The next day, after having company, you have time to clean the closet. The best way to do that is to take everything out, lay it out, rearrange things, get a good look at what you have, maybe throw some things out, and add some new shelving even, and then piece by piece put it back into the closet.
So if a friend came over in the midst of this cleaning process, they might say
“WHOA, what a mess! What’s going on here? “

You say “Well just wait, I am cleaning out the closet and it is going to look and function better then ever when I am done! Come back in a few hours, you will see!”

(Note: I am not the best story teller or metaphor creator, but I am very visual as most people so I hope it helped! Hopefully next time the metaphor will be shorter, and so will this note.)

In the midst of a healing process, it can sometimes seem chaotic, but it is best to look at the big picture and not just a small snap shot along the way.

Treating the cause of pain is a process that is sometimes chaotic, sometimes calm, sometimes fast moving and sometimes slow. Overall change is good. As areas that have been restricted for a while get released, your body has to readjust to the new found movement and freedom. Sometimes areas that are less tight might come to the forefront of your sensations.  Sometimes you feel more aligned, yet areas are sore. There are many possibilities and everyone is different. Not one of us has functioned and moved about life the same way as any other.

This non-linear healing process is common in many things we do, for example:

• Working out: we get sore after a workout as our body is adjusting to change.  
• Changing a habit: Can seem hard until we are used to it.
• Doing a Detox: When you begin a detox, your body is cleaning out/releasing everything it was holding on to and you are flushing it out. Sometimes you feel not so good the first day or two.
• You decide to stop eating chocolate every day (how dare you). The cravings can be intense for a few days to weeks before it feels normal not to have it as often.  

The great thing is that during the healing process MANY things are happening. Some of these things are:

• Your body is releasing restrictions

• You gain more sense of body awareness

• You are getting used to new found alignment in how you walk around and function in everyday life.

• You might start to notice how you move through daily activities and modify things that don’t feel good.

• Certain areas that are no longer restricted change how every thing else in your body feels.

• Certain areas of your body might get sore or flared up as you adjust to the changes.

• Insights can occur.

And the list can go on.  

I know that when you are in the middle of a healing process, it is not always easy to recognize.  Also we don’t always fully embrace the process. I know because it took me some time to flow with it, and my understanding deepens and deepens. Also sometimes we forget how far we have come.

Not everyone will love MFR or the healing process, but I wanted to open the door to understanding of how the healing process really is.  Our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal. I only facilitate your body’s natural healing process with the work I do, which is why I love it!

I am sometimes asked what music I use, and I am glad to share. So here is a short list of some nice music you could use for anything from meditating, to sleeping, and just overall quiet time (or anything else you can think of).  

There is soooo much to choose from once you start looking!
Some categories and types of music to look for are: relaxation, yoga, new age, spa, Native American flute, nature sounds, solo guitar, Tibetan bowls……

Here are just a few of the many albums that I have:

Inner Voices- R.Carlos Nakai (R.Carlos Nakai has many wonderful albums)

Mountain Meadow Meditation- Dean Evenson & Scott Huckbay (Dean Evenson has many wonderful albums)

Namaste- Various Artists

Oasis Spa:Yoga- Various Artists

Under An Ancient Sky- Coyote Oldman

Sacred Spirit Drums- David and Steve Gordon

Chakra Healing- Dean Evenson & Sounding Ensemble

Colors of the Mind- Steven Gorn

Shanti Guitar-Steve McNamara

Ocean Waves- Echoes of Nature (I use this at night a lot when I am drifting off to sleep)

Now you can create a sanctuary of your own with just the touch of a play button!!!

Being centered is being in your physical body. What that means is, being in the feeling awareness of your physical body. Everyone has experienced this before. One of the easiest ways to get there is to take some deep breaths and feel how that feels.  You can then settle into your body even more. You more you practice, you more you will be able to stay there for longer periods of time.

You might be wondering how we aren’t in our bodies to begin with. Well many times our thoughts pull us out of this natural awareness. Being centered doesn’t mean NOT thinking. In fact you can do everything you normally do and be centered while doing it.  

How to practice centeredness:

You can decide to notice throughout your day if you are feeling your body or not. When you notice you aren’t there, you can sink back into feel.  We are not just thinking beings, we are feeling beings more then anything. Take notice if how you are sitting/ standing/moving.

Another way or layer of noticing your body throughout the day is to be in your senses. You sense of sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch/feel.  Noticing a sound, or how the breeze feels on your body…..

Meditation on your body. Even though you can essentially meditate on anything, I choose to meditate with a feeling of centeredness.  I usually sit, or lay and close my eyes and feel my body, taking gentle deep breaths and softening.  

This is a process and at times will feel easy and at times not so easy. This relates to everything I have talked about and will talk about.  

From this place of center:

• You can notice how your body feels throughout the day, and readjust to a better posture.  

• Your treatments and self treatment/ stretching will be more effective. You will feel the releases more and know how far to go and not to go when self treating.

• You will feel what you need in any moment, whether that is rest, play, work etc.

• You will learn to quiet your mind naturally.

• You will decrease burnout, stress and everything else that causes you to feel drained…you are more aware and know your boundaries.

I could keep going but I think you get the point.  If this feels right to you, and you want to give it a try, go for it.  If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear them.

I was assisting at a Myofascial Release seminar this past weekend and the teacher (Scott) said something that I want to pass along.
You  should drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example if you weigh 200 pounds, you should drink approximately 100 ounces of water daily. This will vary depending on how much physical activity you do as well as how much caffeine or other beverages you drink. Of course this is a general guideline.

Remember we are more fluid than anything else! Hydrating is as natural as breathing!

Now I know you are cringing at this idea if you are someone who doesn’t drink any water. If this is so, start small. Make it gradual and enjoyable, or at least tolerable. Have water readily available whether you are working or lounging to make it easier to hydrate.

Remember, that sugary soft drinks and coffee are not the same as pure water.

If or when you have been treated with Myofascial Release, you know that I might have mentioned drinking a little more water than usual after treatment to hydrate.  Tighter, more restricted areas of your body that are softer,and more fluid after treatment can now be replenished and hydrated with water.

So cheers to hydrating our fluid systems!

No I don’t mean sunburned. I mean Burned out!  know I talk a lot about self care and wholistic living, and maybe you are wondering why I am so passionate about it….Well one big reason is that I used to be the queen of BURNOUT! I cycled through burnouts many times…and finally there was one burnout that finished it all. I was done…cooked actually….and that was it. I finally admitted to myself that I was burned out and it wasn’t ok and I didn’t need to maintain or sustain it.  Since then I haven’t used the word burned out to describe myself at all. ( well just once, but I realized I was heading towards burnout after just one day.)

Anyway, in my “professional experience” as a retired burnout queen, here are some signs that you might be burned out:

• You feel overall BLAH most, if not all of the time.

• You don’t have any passion or excitement for the things you normally would, like your favorite hobbies, work or activities.

• You have zero desire and passion for life overall.

• You rather stay in bed hiding under the covers.

I could make this list longer and you could also fill it in with your own personal things that you have experienced.  Sometimes we might be burned out and not even realize it. Once you start to be aware of the signs of burnout you can catch it sooner and sooner.

The awesome thing is that self care prevents burnout! Taking time for fun and play and time for yourself to do the small things that I have talked about before, are all part of that burnout prevention. Everyone’s self care practices will be different since we are all unique. They will also change over time as you need more of something and less of something else.

So are you burned out? If so what do you feel you need to recover and then prevent future burnout?  Ask yourself, you have all the answers.

• 5 minutes or less of meditation- set your alarm on your cell phone- morning, at lunch, or evening

• 5-10 minute walk – maybe on a lunch break- nature time, light exercise and deep breathing

• yellow ball self treatment- while doing work at a desk, right before bed, 10 minutes or less

• call a friend that lifts you up- have a fun enriching conversation ( 10 min or less) and make a date to see each other

• if you sit a lot, get up every hour and stretch, or take a couple deep breaths to clear your mind and move your body, take a lap around the office or house

• sit outside at lunch- now that it is getting warmer a little sun and air can feel refreshing

• listen to your favorite music in the car and sing!

Get creative and try new things for yourself!!! When you do these things, see if you can really get into them, and disconnect from everything else.

I was talking to a friend the other day and he told me that he sits in his car during lunch and listens to his favorite music. He’s a lover of music and he totally feels decompressed afterwards.  When he goes back into work, he feels refreshed and equipped to handle the rest of the day.

Self care is not about lengthy processes or burdens. It’s about doing things that enhance your life, allow you to feel more whole, healthy and centered. This translates into more joy, feeling better, more inspiration and fun…
So if you are starting from “zero” then try small things that can easily and realistically be integrated into your life. I talk more about this in a previous post “Make it Enjoyable”.  

Once you start doing little things that you enjoy and don’t feel obligated to do, you end up wanting to do more things because it is a positive experience. Then you can add more things, or create more time. Ultimately it is up to you and it is not about striving for hours of self care a day. It is about making it a part of your life and doing what you need when you need it.

Try something today not because you have to but because you want to!