Long before chairs were invented humans took a load off in a natural seat. Our ancestors and many people all over the world today use the resting squat as a position to rest, eat, wait, and well you know, relieve themselves. Squatting is a fundamental human position. It’s hard wired into your DNA. I love watching kids squat without even a thought or a struggle. Unfortunately many people loose the ability to squat as they grow older. Have you ever thought about why? If you guessed that one sitting in chairs is one of the reasons you were right! When you sit in a chair your body stays flexed 90 degrees at the hips and knees. Some of your muscles turn off because they don’t have to work to hold you up, the chair supports you. Other muscles end up over-stressed. Over time your hips and legs become weak and tight and you […]
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Gentle Restorative Inversions
It’s Summer Solstice! As I reflect on the first half of the year these are my go to restorative poses. You can use these beneficial poses any time of the year but I have been enjoying them this last week. Both poses are comfortable enough to stay in for long periods of time. Whether you hold them for 5 or 20 minutes they are deeply restful and rejuvenating. They have helped to recharge my batteries, balance my system, and harness the extra energy the summer sun has brought to support me through the second half of the year. Give them a try! Straight Leg Bridge Pose: This pose is enough of a backbend in the upper back to open your chest and lungs. But because the legs are straight it should not pinching your lower back. And it’s an inversion because your head is lower than your heart so you get the benefits […]
Continue ReadingBreak Up With Stress – Part Three – Release Tension & Relax
Pandiculation, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, and Guided Savasana: Besides being a new word you can impress your friends with, pandiculation is good for you! It’s like nature’s reset button to relax your muscles and reboot your brain. I imagine you have seen a cat or a dog jump off the couch and do what looks like a full body yawn. It’s a simple move that we humans and nearly all animals have been doing since the beginning of time. It results in more relaxed muscles while having greater muscle control and coordination. There are three steps to pandiculation: 1. a voluntary contraction 2. a slow lengthening 3. complete relaxation So what does this do? It resets the length of your muscles, not just in the muscle fibers but also at the level of your brain. It’s different from stretching because it is active, not passive. Lengthening a contracted muscle sends a […]
Continue ReadingBreak Up With Stress – Part Two – Abdominal Breathing
Break Up With Stress Week Two, Abdominal Breathing: In order to release stress you must turn on your parasympathetic nervous system so your body can down-regulate. This is often referred to as “rest and digest.” There are several ways to dump stress, this week we cover one of them, abdominal breathing. These days most people live with their system on overdrive. One reason is the tendency toward quick, shallow breathing, primarily in the chest area. This elicits a “fight or flight” response. You can you learn to use your diaphragm to slow down and deepen your breath and stimulate the “rest and digest” response. Anatomy of the Breath: Your diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that lives in the base or your rib structure. It separates your heart and lungs from your internal abdominal organs. When you inhale your diaphragm is supposed to move down into your abdomen. This causes the […]
Continue ReadingBreak Up with Stress – Part One – Soften Your Eyes
Did you know that your body responds to stress involuntarily by tensing your muscles? Over time tightness builds up, restricts your movement, and causes you not to feel free in your body. Holding on to that stress around for a while starts to wear on your nervous system. It’a a heavy load for your body-mind to carry around. It affects your breathing pattern, your mind’s ability to focus, and your ability to sleep soundly. All these things inhibit your health and well-being. The good news is that you can teach your body to unwelcome stress from sticking. Welcome to my four part series, “Break Up With Stress.” Each week I will share techniques you can use to discard stress and improve your health and well-being. This newsletter series leads up to my annual Summer Solstice workshop, Dynamic Rejuvenation. Join me for a practice of active restorative poses on […]
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