Breath Makes the World Go Round – Even for Kids!

Children Can Let Go of Stress and Be Happier

Stress can show up in lots of ways in our bodies. As adults we can often see what that looks like and feels like. What’s sad is how many children in our world are experiencing stress. Have you noticed a young person who is experiencing loss of energy, sleeplessness, extreme up and down emotions, chronic illness (even just ongoing colds), or inability to stay on track and focused? THESE are early symptoms of stress. What’s super sad is how many children get so stressed that they end up in the throes of anxiety and even develop respiratory and digestive issues.

I see these early signals of stress in so many of the children I work with. Their parents want to help them change that picture which is why they come to see me. What’s beautiful is that their bodies “decide” they don’t have to create the bigger issues. Instead, their bodies recognize that they don’t have to respond to the stress and the stressful moments that are in the world around us.

So, what to do? The trick is to let go of stress build up and “create” a body that doesn’t experience symptoms of stress. It’s all about getting the energy to flow and helping the breath be open and expansive. When the body is more open to receiving the inhale and letting go on the exhale, there is ability for the body to create the space for a healthier way of being. The children I work with recognize huge changes taking place when they do the Daily Clean Your House Flow. And many of them do it more than once a day — because they notice that their body is happier.

Here are some of the comments that I’m hearing from the children in my life:

“I’m going to sleep as soon as I go to bed.”

“When I wake up it’s easier to get ready for school.”

“I’m not falling asleep at my desk or when I’m studying.”

“I’m not missing school because I’m not getting sick like I used to.”

“I’m getting more done and getting better grades.”

“I’m not getting in fights with my brother.”

“I’m getting along better with my friends and we’re having more fun.”

So, folks — our bodies are hungry to be in balance no matter what our age! And our bodies want breath to be happening — easily, consistently and expansively. Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow whenever your body asks for it. Remember: “There is no such thing as too much self-help!”

Breath Makes the World Go Round – Including Baseball!

I’m a happy girl! Baseball is back! And I love it that it comes at the same time as gardening. Several years ago I was lucky enough to get a Mother’s Day gift of a radio for the outside deck and outside speakers. So when I’m out in the garden, my true oasis, I can also listen to the Giants game. Who could ask for a better way to experience life? My neighbors are even okay with it — they get to listen to the game in stereo. So until I’m told differently, that’s what happens when I’m in the garden. But I do have to admit that my television is set to record every Giants baseball game and many a night is spent watching them — no matter how they’re doing. I just love baseball.

I love watching the players and seeing if they’re in tune with the messages their bodies are giving them. Even if you’re not into baseball, I want to invite you to watch at least one inning of a game and really look at the players and how they “work in” their bodies. Watch them breathe. And think about what YOU are doing during your daily activities. Consider using the baseball game as a lesson in how to be connected to your breath and body movement.

Watch the pitcher and notice whether the diaphragm is open or whether it’s constricted. When the diaphragm is open, the torso easily stretches and the pitching arm seemingly flows through a specifically planned and orchestrated movement. If the breath is “caught up high” you will notice that the torso and arm don’t move as easily together. The dance isn’t there. Do you notice times when YOUR body and breath aren’t moving in an easy, effortless dance? To open up your breath, consider holding your upper arms.

Now notice a batter and how the time at the plate is all about being in breath. Notice the placement of the bat while waiting for the pitch, the flex in the knees, the lumbar curve, the uplifted torso, and even the relaxed jaw. All of these pieces allow the batter to be in good alignment, allow the breath to be fully present, and create readiness to connect with the ball that is coming over the plate. When you see all of these body areas working together you will easily recognize when it isn’t happening. If the alignment and breath are not present you have a batter who is in distress. Do you want your body to be able to always step up to the plate and do what you want it to do? Sit on your hands! That simple “hold” connects with vitality and creates lumbar curve. Then cup the sternum with one hand and with the other, hold your tummy. That opens up breath by relaxing the diaphragm and releases tension throughout the torso.

I love watching the catcher. He’s all about proper body placement. If he wasn’t, we would see him being stuck and not able to stretch and reach for the ball. His position is one I’m often in when I’m in the garden. And if I didn’t have my breath and body ready for that squat and reaching movement, I would probably be a hurting girl. To make sure that I won’t go into reaction when I’m going spend time in a squat, I do these simple energy steps. First I hold by sit bones and then I hold the inside of my knees.

So, folks, learn from the baseball players! No matter what you’re choosing to do for your spring and summer activities, help YOUR body discover alignment and easy movement AND help it be in breath. Prepare your body for what you’re going to ask it to do.  At least one time a day I do the Daily Clean Your House Flow. Off and on throughout the day, you might see me do the first step of the Daily Flow – holding my upper arms by folding my arms across the chest.  THAT opens up breath.  And when I’m in the garden, I’m doing the third and fourth steps — sitting on my left hand with my right hand on the left shoulder and then switching. THAT is helping my body be ready for the lifting and digging and weeding and planting.

Have fun with all you do in your world!

Your Body is Hungry for Balance and Breath!

Our bodies are hungry to be in a state of balance because they just want to be happy! We just need to give to them what they ask for and feed them with moving energy and breath. Maybe you’ve heard me say that we can prepare our bodies for what we’re going to ask them to do and prepare them for what might come at them. It’s actually very easy to do so! There are simple energy balancing points that you can hold in a few short moments to help your body be ready for the activity you’re planning to do.

And when you’re doing that, you’re also making sure that when “whatever happens” your body won’t go into reaction. YOU can make a difference in the health of your body: physical, mental and emotional. So here’s a simple pose: cup your left shoulder with your right hand and hold your left hand at your sit bone. Then switch your hands. You are helping your body “let go and get ready” and allowing your body to step into the activity easily without going into reaction.

To help your body “feel the breath,” all you need to do is help it fully experience the expansion that is possible. Simply hold your upper arms by folding your arms across the chest and then hold the inside of your knees.

My desire for you is to live in a body that is happy, healthy and responsive — ready for all you want to do! I’ll share more energy pointers with you in upcoming posts.

Spring brings magic and smiles

Spring is like a box of chocolates!

You never know what you’re gonna get.” Okay – I love all three parts of that statement – spring, chocolates and the not stated but oh, so awesome Forrest Gump.
Spring is so full of so many amazing and yummy pieces of chocolate – the warmth, the flowers, the bursting of amazing scents, the balmy breezes and rain showers (we hope!), and the long list of activities we want to do. Those first pieces are easy but I can easily get caught up in the last one I mentioned. There always seems to be so much to do. The list is long and I have a tendency to want to do it all and feel like I should do even more. The trick is to pull one piece out at a time, savor the yumminess and get the absolute most out of it. The next trick is to make sure your body and your calendar can thoroughly experience and enjoy all of the pieces of chocolate that are in your box because it’s important to always have that smile!

Spring Energy Tips

Here are some energy tips to help you with YOUR box of chocolates! So you can be in joy and magic!
For clarity about your list (what piece of chocolate to pull out of your box), having the energy to do what you want to do, and enjoying every moment:

For clarity

1. Place fingers on left and right base of skull
2. Left hand: cup back of your head with fingers on right base of your skull
3. Right hand: cup forehead with fingers on left side

For renewing your energy and creating vitality:

1. Hold your hands at mid-back, right fingers on the right side at kidney level and left fingers on the left side at kidney level.
2. Sit on your hands (this energy balance point is all about giving you and your body that extra boost of energy!)

experience spring magic

For helping you and your body KNOW and experience all of the pieces of chocolate that create the magic of spring:
Hold fingers on outside of knees, left fingers on left knee and right fingers on right knee.

Section on Aging

I had the opportunity to be a presenter at a Section on Aging meeting in Sonoma County. The organization’s mission is to share information about how to better serve Sonoma County’s elderly community.  I am so impressed by those who attend and participate in this organization. It shows that these people care and want to make a difference.  It was an honor to be there!

What Is On Your List?

“Making a list and checking it twice; gonna find out who’s naughty and nice.”

I’m not talking about Santa Claus coming to town, making his list OR you figuring out your holiday shopping list! The list I want to discuss is “what pieces and parts of you are talking?” Hopefully, every piece and part of you is “happy and nice” but IF something has been trying to get your attention, are you even aware of it? More often than not, we are so involved in our state of doing and being engrossed in the step-by-step needs of the day, that we’re not aware when our body isn’t in a state of easy balance — when there’s a germ bug that’s ready to latch on, when there’s a muscle that’s tight and ready to create aches, when the stress of the day is becoming overwhelming to the physical and emotional body, when sleep hasn’t been quite as rejuvenating as you need it to be.  The list can go on, and on…like an endless string of holiday lights with multiple bulbs lighting up out of sync with the rest.

Getting to that place of being consciously aware, (which comes from energetic balance), can be an easy, effortless practice. You can put balance and health in your life in just a few minutes a day. When you commit to a daily practice like the Daily Clean Your House Flow, you give a gift to yourself that is  revitalizing, calming, and balancing. Another energy flow that can boost your immune system is the Source of Life. Both of these flows are part of my Energy Balancing Care Guide.

No matter what you choose to do, give yourself the gift of self-care and be a partner with your body! That is how YOU can really BE in touch, know what your body is up to and be able to determine if your body wants some extra special attention. The key: live in a state of balance so your body doesn’t create big projects that you have to deal with later. You’ll be ahead of the game and have a body that is ready to do everything you want it to do. And you won’t have anything to “cry or pout about!”

Peace on Earth and in Your Body

Here’s an easy to-do energy tip that will give you lots of breath and lots of energy, plus clarity and calming, all in one fell swoop.

1. Left hand: cup back of your head with fingers on right base of your skull
2. Right hand:cup forehead with fingers on the left side
3. Right hand: cup sternum directly below the collarbone
4. Left hand: hold fingers on tummy directly below the naval
5. Right hand: hold base of spine

So, Santa Claus is coming to town and checking his list! I hope that ALL of your lists are easy and effortless to move through and check off!  Enjoy your holidays, be IN joy, and be in balance! Happy Holidays!!!

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie 

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

He’s making a list,
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who’s naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows if you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!

O! You better watch out!
You better not cry.
Better not pout, I’m telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town.

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

He’s making a list,
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who’s naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows if you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!

O! You better watch out!
You better not cry.
Better not pout, I’m telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
Santa Claus is coming to town.

Don’t Be a Deer in the Headlights

Have you ever felt like you were a deer caught in the headlights?

Yesterday I walked outside and surprised a deer that was near my garden fence. She freaked out, jumped the deck railing and I thought for sure she had jumped into the garden. But as I walked around the garden, there was no sign of her. That poor girl must have run across the deck and jumped off the high side.
Granted, it was daylight and there really weren’t headlights, but the deer must have felt like her life was in jeopardy. Her reaction was “get out of here fast no matter what I have to do to make it happen.” She also could have gotten “stuck in the moment and not been able to move.”
I know I have had times like that: “needing to make an immediate decision and follow through right now.” It’s real easy at the moment to go into flight or fight mode, or paralysis and not be able to do anything.

Jumper Cables Tame Big Emotions

One of the best ways to tame big emotions is to Jumper Cable each of your fingers, even if it’s just holding the thumbs or index fingers. Spending time holding the thumb is all about letting go of worry and anxiety, the emotion/attitude that our bodies will go to if things aren’t going the way you want or expect. To get the results you want and to “get to success,” hold those thumbs!
Holding the index fingers will allow you to move away from fear and move towards taking action with confidence. When there is no fear present, there is a sense of safety and security and ability to “deal with it” and know that all is well.
So, when you have a surprise that could easily take your breath away and cause you to get caught in the headlights, Jumper Cable! It will work much easier and faster if you’ve already balanced your body by doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Breath: it’s such an important part of living in our bodies. Have you ever experienced times when it doesn’t feel “totally there?” That feeling or realization has happened to most of us off and on throughout our lives. But we often aren’t even aware when it actually started or that our bodies developed consequences of not having total breath available.
So, what happened? I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “it took my breath away.” This has understandably happened to quite a few people in the last few weeks. There have been a few instances that maybe even stopped you in your tracks.

Big Changes

When we lost Robin Williams, most of us felt immediate sadness for his family, but we also felt the sadness for Robin and what he had gone through all of his life. But I think what really created reaction in our bodies was the realization of losing an icon that we saw as vibrant, vital, and so full-of-life. He had a way of being that he shared with all of us. He could make you laugh and laugh so hard you felt it in your very core. The realization that something big is no longer available to us is what “can take our breath away.” And where do our bodies experience that “taking or holding of breath”? Our diaphragms are where we get the reactions, the consequences.
Another BIG incident that was felt by those of us who live in Napa and Sonoma Counties was the earthquake on Sunday August 24^th. The jolt at 3:20 a.m. in the morning was enough to take MY breath away! Follow that with the shaking and rolling that seemed to go on forever and I had a full diaphragm tightening experience.

My BIG Changes

The day before, August 23^rd, was my birthday. I usually love everything about the birthday experience but this year was a bit different. My husband Randy’s birthday would have been the 22^nd. This year I really missed having our birthdays together – I think because I didn’t have anything big planned, so there was the realization that all of the traditions that we had created over the years to celebrate both days were never going to happen again. I felt the loss and the changes. I actually felt like I was floating in a tunnel at times. Follow those feelings with the earthquake and I really had a “taking my breath away” experience.
So, what did I do? I got up on Sunday with the sunrise and took a really long hot tub where I did the Daily Clean Your House Flow, as well as other flows that are all about “getting grounded,” creating vitality and discovering breath and joy. I spent the rest of the day in the garden. I remember feeling thankful and joyful that I had a way to truly be in touch with the earth, the same earth that had jolted me awake several hours earlier. And I left that “tunnel feeling” behind. I felt an awareness that all was right with the world, that there are moments in time that can affect us but we can still be “okay.”

Prepare

If you have had some “projects crop up” in the last week or so, and you don’t know what you did to have it happen, you are not alone. By the way, “projects” is the word I use instead of problems or conditions that are the results of the consequences of an incident, an injury, a trauma, etc.  So, some projects that could easily be results of diaphragm tightness and “loss of breath” are back discomfort, throat tightness, chest and breath constriction, knee soreness, loss of clarity and focus, loss of vitality. The list can be longer, but I’m sure that you get the sense of it. I’ve seen a number of clients over the last few weeks whose bodies are showing up with these projects.
Read on to get some answers for what to do – to open up your breath, to release your diaphragm, to rediscover calm, to find joy, to release constriction, to help your body release discomfort.

For specific project release:

To open the breath, calm the whole being, relieve anxiety:

• Hold thumbs
• Hold index fingers
• Hold upper arms by folding arms across the chest
• Cross hands and hold inside of knees (or upper inner thighs)
• Hold right fingers on base of right ribcage
  and hold left fingers on right chest below collarbone

Switch and hold opposite sides

To release jaw, mouth or throat tension; to create space for breath and strong voice

• Right hand cup the sternum just below the clavicle and
  hold left fingers in a vertical pattern just below the naval

To let go of head pressure, headaches, “mind chatter”, tired eyes; to remove incessant (persistent) mental absorption (often creates forehead and/or eye tension)

• For right side “project”

Left hand – hold forehead with fingers on right side
Right hand – cup back of head, fingers on left base of skull

• For left side “project”, switch hands

To reduce back and neck discomfort, improve flexibility and mobility, improve posture, enhance vitality, experience more gain & less pain in all that you do

• Sit on both hands
• Sit on left hand with right hand on left shoulder (near neck)
  • Sit on right hand with left hand on right shoulder (near neck)

Spring is here!

Is your body on the same page?

Do you have this question brewing? “Why am I feeling punky when I’m supposed to be feeling up?”
If you are feeling confused, see if any of these scenarios fit:

• You don’t know if what you are feeling is an allergic reaction (could be environmental, something you ate, or something you have touched)
• You’re not in the midst of a cold, but your eyes, nose or throat feel scratchy
• You are experiencing muscle soreness or weakness that is unusual for you

If you can’t come up with the cause of your discomfort, you may very well be experiencing a release of toxins. This can happen even if you aren’t doing a seasonal cleanse.
We know that our bodies are miraculous beings, and they innately know when it’s a “good time” to be letting go of accumulated blocked energy. Spring is a time to let go because our bodies are no longer trying to stay warm during winter cold spells. They no longer feel the need to hibernate and we are ready to step into the longer daylight hours, the activities of spring and the joy of living.

Energy Balancing Tips for Moving into Spring

Here are a few suggestions to help your body be in that letting go stage in an easier, more effortless way:

Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow.

In addition, do the following “energy cleanse flow” off and on throughout the day. It is fast and easy. You should feel the benefits right away.

1. Right hand – hold the right mid-back at kidney level
2. Left hand – hold the left mid-back at kidney level
3. Right hand – hold the left base of ribcage
4. Right hand – hold the outside of the right knee
5. Right hand – hold the inside of the left knee

 The body as an energy system

Your body is bilateral so you only need to do the one side, but there’s no such thing as too much self help! How many times have you heard me say that? So, go ahead and do the other side.

Stay Hydrated and Rested

• Drink plenty of good water to help flush the toxins out of your system.
• Make sure you’re getting good rest

Sleep can be tricky during this time because your body wants to be awake and moving and doing. Consider doing the following “sleeping flow”.

1. Right hand – hold right base of skull
2. Left hand – hold left base of skull
3. Jumper cable – hold each thumb and finger for at least several breaths

If you’re not asleep by the end of the second hand, start over. Most people find that sleep comes by the middle of the second time through the fingers. If you don’t know what jumper cabling is, go to my website and I’ll show you!

In Conclusion

Long and short of all of this is to give your body what it’s asking for: space to make the shift into the new season, space to be different, and space to experience flow. THAT after all is what moving energy is! FLOW!!
Enjoy the spring – you deserve it!