With Thanksgiving approaching I thought it would be a good idea to prepare myself for the tryptophan tiredness eating turkey brings on. Although I am grateful for the wonderful families we share special memories with, getting together with everyone can be draining, especially when you go from house to house eating big meals! I put together this flow with a number of back bending postures to help bring energy to my body in its time of need. After a gentle warm up of some cat/cow postures and 4 slow moving sun salutations, I will move into this slow flow. Please feel free to join me on your own, attending to what your body needs this Thanksgiving, meditating on gratitude for all the positives in your life. Let go of the negativity and remember to breathe. I am grateful for this moment, my healthy family, my body's ability to move in this way, and living in a beautiful place. Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!
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When I decided to begin a yoga and wellness brand, I wanted something that would portray my perspective. The reason I decided to become a yoga instructor was to help people live their best life. A few years ago I was not living my best life. I was over worked, over tired, and OVER IT. I constantly pushed myself until I couldn't take any more and then I would crash. I would cry, question myself, and usually become sick. When I met my husband (who is a chiropractor), things began to shift. Through him, I became educated on what it means to be well. Wellness is not a lack of illness. Wellness is vitality, life, harmony. I didn't know too much about chiropractors when we met, but I did know they were controversial. Often times people view chiropractors in a negative light because there is a lack of understanding about what they do, and different chiropractors do different things. Others may be scared to hear popping or clicking in their body when their bones and joints are manipulated and fear they might be hurt. This makes sense without an understanding of what is happening. From what I have learned from James (my husband), when your body is out of alignment your muscles begin to work to even you out, often times causing pain, spasm, or inflammation. With movement, your bones can be put back into their proper place. Sometimes this happens naturally, and other times your body needs some help to do this (which is what a chiropractor can do for you). The popping or clicking you hear is simply your bones shifting back to where they belong. When your body is out of alignment you are often cutting off nerve channels that allow signals to pass from your brain to your body. If you are out of alignment for a long time, your body begins to compensate to try to realign itself and if it cannot, you begin to cause wear and tear over a long period of time creating degeneration of bones or tissues necessary for proper functioning. There is so much information I have learned from James I would like to share, but am afraid I wouldn't communicate it well so please visit his website for more information on the different types of therapies he offers to help people get out of pain: www.allenchiropracticmv.com. It is all very interesting stuff! I became a believer in chiropractic and its benefits when my headaches went away after a neck adjustment. I used to get tension headaches toward the end of the day after work. I would live with the pain and often self medicate with a glass of wine, not even knowing what I was doing. James then told me I should strengthen my neck and back muscles and gave me exercises to do. I was not good about doing my exercises. What I found kept me interested in strengthening and an activity I enjoyed was doing yoga. I had done yoga off and on for a long time but my focus was on staying fit, not staying aligned. As my focus shifted in my yoga practice, my body began to feel better and I began to manage my stress levels much better. With my body aligned, I found it easier to align my mind. I started to take care of myself and set healthy boundaries in my work and personal life. I took time to cook, jog, hike, and read, which fed my mind and soul and helped me bring balance to my life. This continues to be work for me but it gets easier with time and practice just as yoga postures become easier with practice. There was a time not long ago, I never thought it would be possible to do a headstand without assistance. Now all I need to focus on is aligning my body and I can come into salamba sirsasana with little effort. I hope to inspire you to be aligned in your life. When you begin to align your body, mind, and spirit, you will find greater peace and wellness in all areas of your life. When you get to feeling out of control, remember to look at your alignment and adjust. |