5 Tips for Staying Balanced in the Holiday Season

We all know the holidays can stir up a lot of emotion. Some good, some not so good, but all the same, no one can argue that most of us are feeling A LOT this time of year. 

I don’t know about you, but when things get busier and end of the year to-do lists pile up, the things I tend to let slip are the things that would usually help me the most: self care, time with friends, yoga, reading a good book--all the small, good things that keep my soul healthy. They easily get replaced with holiday shopping, and baking, and decorating… 

Don’t get me wrong. These activities all have their place and bring a little joy to my heart in their own way. But you get what I’m saying, right? It’s like all of our “regular routines” fall away, we lose our structure, and sometimes with that goes our grounding. 

In order to get through an emotionally challenging time of year for many of us, it is crucial that we have a firm foundation. Following are 5 tips that help me during the holidays. As always, you will need to find what works for you, but hopefully these give you a little bit of a jumpstart in the right direction!

1 - Gratitude

One of the most grounding and resetting activities I’ve found is to write in a gratitude journal. This is a simple task I do right before I go to bed. I either write a simple list of what I am grateful for, or I think of an event that went well during my day, why it went well, and why I am grateful to myself for orchestrating it in a positive way. 

I’ve read and concur that putting more specifics and feelings into the lists makes the activity even more powerful. An example of this is, rather than writing “I’m grateful for my family” but writing instead, “I’m so grateful for my father, he makes me laugh and he has such a kind heart.” This simple task that takes no more than 5-10 minutes carries so much power.

2 - Love

Take some time out and do something that you love. This time of year, our focus tends to be on others constantly, and oftentimes ends up being very materially-focused. I believe this is a big player in what contributes to us feeling so unsettled during the holidays. 

I encourage you to look deeper into your heart and ask yourself what YOU love about this time of year. If that is ice skating, take yourself ice skating! If that is binge-watching the Hallmark channel and drinking gallons of eggnog, do that. (Well, maybe not gallons...) The holidays were magical to us as kids for a reason. Look down deep and find what it is that little inner child used to love doing or maybe has always wanted to do, forget about everything and everyone else for even as little as an hour, and do your thing!

Acceptance

Things change. Financial burdens arise; loved ones are lost; deadlines and stress loom at work--not to mention all the things on the news that are gut-wrenching. It can be excruciatingly painful during times of joy and celebration because we cling to “what used to be.” 

Trust me, I am a very “feeling” person, and I tend to hold tightly to the memories that came before. A simple activity I’ve found that helps me a little is taking some time to myself and giving myself the gift of walking down memory lane. 

Sometimes I like to do this on a literal walk in the woods. I let myself cry, feel, laugh, and acknowledge whatever it is that comes up. Sometimes the walk is enough for me. Other times I need a little follow-up, usually journal writing. Either way, I give myself the space to feel, and then I come back to the present and do one of the things listed above such a writing in my gratitude journal or doing something that I love to remind myself of the goodness still around me.

Joy

Connect with others! I have been feeling so compelled to curl up in a ball and sleep the holidays away this year. But you know just as well as I do that this life of ours is all about connection. No matter how introverted you may be, spending time with a loved one can without a doubt lift your spirits. It can be as simple as grabbing a cup of tea, going for a walk, or taking a yoga class. This is so easy, yet oh-so powerful.

Compassion

Yes. Yes. Yes. A must-have to finish off the other 4 powerhouse ideas for grounding during this busy, emotion producing, time of year is compassion. Compassion that you WILL feel lots of things, you WILL get sad, you WILL feel stress, but you WILL also feel JOY. 

Developing compassion for yourself can be extremely difficult. I like to do this by starting out in the morning with a small routine that resonates with me; I find I can foster more compassion for myself throughout the rest of the day when I stick to a particular exercise.  

Lately, my favorite exercise has been to stand in front of a mirror in “superhero pose” (hands on hips, chest lifted high) and repeat the mantra: “Everything happens for me, not to me.” I do it in front of the mirror because the connection with my eyes brings me back into my heart, but it can be done anywhere. 

This is just a suggestion. The key is getting into your heart. Some patients tell me they do this by watching YouTube videos of cute animals; some do it by going for a walk outside; some look at old photos. Once again: whatever resonates for you. When you are in your heart, you will know it. You soften, and you can go forward in the world with much more compassion. Compassion for others begins with yourself!

This time of year is challenging in so many ways, all of which are deeply personal and specific to each one of you. I hope some of my gentle suggestions can help you find some peace. I wish for you a season filled with whatever it is that comes up - and the compassion for yourself to know that you are doing your best. 

Warmest thoughts,

Warm Winter Drink Trifecta

In honor of the frigid temperatures creeping in and settling upon us, I've compiled 3 of my most favorite and easiest recipes for drinks that will warm you deep down to your soul. They are super easy and really fun to make! I hope you enjoy! 

1. Golden Milk Latte

1 cup raw milk (my preference but any sort of milk or nut milk will also work) 

4 slices raw turmeric 

2 slices raw ginger

4-5 peppercorns 

1 cinnamon stick 

1 big scoop of coconut butter 

* This little cup of happiness is super easy to make! Simply put all ingredients in a saucepan and heat up gradually, stirring occasionally while it is warming. 

Why it’s good for you? 

For a more detailed description of the herbs, you can refer to this previous post where I wrote a breakdown of their actions in both eastern and western medical thought. If you just want the short of it, this delightful golden milk latte is extremely warming and nourishing. It contains herbs that are anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting. It will warm you right down to your toes during the cold winter months! 

Who is it good for? 
Those who have a lot of chronic pain in the body or who struggle with frequent colds or upset stomachs. It is also amazing for those of you with poor circulation resulting in frigid extremities, especially in the winter. This is good for anybody looking to improve their energy and nourish their soul!

Pumpkin coffee

1 cup regular or decaf organic coffee

½ tsp. cinnamon 

½ tsp. nutmeg 

½ cup raw milk (my preference but any sort of milk or raw milk will work) 

1 hefty spoonful of pumpkin puree 

1 Tbs maple syrup 

1 tsp butter (my preference is Kerrygold unsalted) 

1. Brew up your coffee any way you like - french press or traditional drip, adding the cinnamon and nutmeg to the coffee grounds 
2. While that’s percolating, combine the rest of the ingredients, the milk, pumpkin, maple syrup, and butter in a saucepan and gently warm on low heat 
3. When coffee is brewed and the pumpkin mixture is warmed, pour both into your blender and blend for a few seconds. (This creates a latte consistency. If you don’t have a blender or are short on time, this step could easily be omitted. Simply stir the pumpkin mixture into your coffee mug and you're good to go!)

Why it’s good for you? 

When you add fats to coffee, your system absorbs the coffee more slowly, so you do not have as intense highs and lows when drinking it. The butter in this recipe helps with slow absorption. Pumpkin is loaded with antioxidants and fiber, and can greatly help improve immunity. Raw milk is fabulous in that you get so any nutrients from it that are harshly stripped away when it is pasteurized. Cinnamon and nutmeg taste great and help warm the extremities, and maple syrup is a nice natural sweetener. Plus? It makes you smile, because you’re drinking a pumpkin latte that has actual, real ingredients, instead of the sugary, chemically mixes you usually get when you order out. 

Who it’s good for? 

You can refer to my previous post for more detail about if coffee is something that would harm or help your health. The biggest takeaway is that nothing is either completely good or bad, what’s really important is how it makes you feel!

Chase that cold out elixir 

1 cup water 

4 thick slices of ginger

4 thick slices of turmeric 

2 cinnamon sticks 

5 black peppercorns 

1 lemon 

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (ACV) 

1 tbsp honey 

* This is very quick and easy... exactly what you need when you’re sick!

1. Boil water in your tea kettle or on the stove
2. Slice up your ginger and turmeric, and gather the rest of the ingredients 
3. Throw everything in a cup and juice 1 whole lemon into it 
4. Add the hot water 
5. Allow to cool slightly. Then sip just like a tea and REST. (I keep all ingredients in, they sink to the bottom so it’s not a huge deal- if you prefer, you could let it steep and then strain out the ingredients but it will not be as potent this way) 

Why it’s good for you? 

You’ve got a smorgasbord of some really heavy hitters when it comes to colds: lemon, ACV, and honey are all fabulous. Then, of course, you’ve got my favorite and extremely versatile herbs in there: ginger and cinnamon that function to powerfully help your body fight the virus if you're under the weather. 

Who it’s good for? 

This can be used in the winter to warm up the body and help boost the immune system, or it can be used when you have a full on energy-sucking, head-pounding, nose-blowing cold. The ingredients are great to help you heal, they are also all quite warming which can help knock the cold out of you quicker. My “go-to” when I’m sick is to make this decoction and then cover up under a pile of blankets with a scarf and hat on my head. I even add garlic on my feet and in my ears if they are also sore (I know, seriously attractive). Then I let myself quite literally “sweat it out." If you can catch it at the first sign of the cold, this method can be extremely effective and you might avoid getting sick all together! 

I hope you enjoy these drinks as much as I do!!  XO,

Is Acupuncture Right for You?

One of the most common questions I get after I tell someone I am an acupuncturist is, “Can it help with (insert any condition or ailment here)?.This is because the majority of us suffer from something we wish we didn’t have to. The reason most of us suffer is that we have been taught only to receive medicine and health care as a means of fixing something which is already broken; we do not think about creating and maintaining a healthy body before malfunctions start to occur. But what if we could change our way of thinking?
As a society in general, we tend to be hyper-focused on fixing problems. When we shift our focus back a bit, we can usually see how problems come from preventable causes, and that it is the causes, not the problem, that need to be addressed. When it comes to the human body, we all ought to be able to recognize ourselves in the following scenario:

Imagine a time where you had an injury or felt pain somewhere in the body. You may have noticed that you quickly developed a very intuitive way to relieve the pain; perhaps you shifted your bodyweight to avoid an achy foot, or used your non-dominant hand to pick up something heavy, or placed a pillow below a sore hip in the car. Whatever the situation, I’m sure you instinctively and creatively found a way around worsening your pain. 

At first, these adjustments may have been just what you needed to allow some part of your body to rest and heal. Sometimes, however, circumventing pain can cause prolonged unnatural use of your body in other areas; and when you strain one part of your body in order to avoid strain on another part of your body every day for a week or a month, or in many cases even years, you will without a doubt begin to feel pain somewhere else. The body has a way it is supposed to move, and when you move in a way that is contradictory to it, you incite a domino effect.

The entire body is interconnected. Every system, every organ, and every cell that is out of balance has to pull from reserves somewhere else. Simply put, the sick robs from the healthy. This is how imbalance forms in the body, and it is the reason unpleasant symptoms begin to manifest. Symptoms of imbalance can be subtle--they may show up in the form of dry mouth, a slightly aching head, or difficulty sleeping. Every person has a different chemical makeup, and therefore these imbalances will show up differently in everyone. It takes an in-tune and aware individual to begin noticing these changes in their body, and an even more proactive and intelligent person to decide to do something about them when the first signs arise.

 At last, we come to acupuncture and its role in all this. Acupuncture is part of a holistic medical system that originated in China and dates back thousands of years, and its entire motivation is to restore balance anywhere in the body. That means that in a roundabout way, acupuncture can really work with anything, although its strength is with preventative and early-onset illness. This is why acupuncture is fantastic for children and adolescents, because the majority of their imbalances are fresh and new, still close to their root cause, and relatively easy to reverse. It becomes more difficult when we keep ignoring the subtle changes that show up in our bodies, because they continue to get more numerous day after day. This then leads to a very deep, systemic malfunction in the body, which in turn takes longer to treat with any form of medicine.

When explaining this to those who are new to acupuncture, I often get follow-up questions about whether or not acupuncture can cure things such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimers, and other extreme ailments. Without a doubt, there are some very debilitating diseases that are best managed with a combination of pharmacological treatments and acupuncture. Until you begin getting treated with acupuncture and seeing how your body responds, it is nearly impossible to determine the level of imbalance in the body. What I can say with clarity and assertion is that acupuncture will most definitely help in some area of a person’s life. When dealing with chronic illness, there is such a deep imbalance in the body that the person’s main concern may not be transformed in the way that they hope. In these individuals, although their illness may not be cured, their quality of life will almost certainly improve and many symptoms will be managed with acupuncture included in their care.

Because acupuncture works with such a variety of individuals with drastically differently manifesting symptoms, it is challenging to specifically say what changes you will see after beginning your course of treatments. Following are a list of benefits I have found to show up in almost everyone I treat, regardless of primary concern:

• Improved and more stable mood
• Stress reduction and the body’s ability to handle difficult situations 
• Better and more sustainable energy throughout the day  
• Deeper and more quality sleep 
• Appetite regulation- more or less depending on what the individual needs 
• Overall increased feeling of well being 
• Decrease in pain and inflammation in the body 

There are many lists out that there have been approved by the FDA detailing specific ailments that “acupuncture can treat” and they can be helpful, but just remember that looking at the benefits of acupuncture in that way minimizes the vast comprehensive approach that it actually has on the body. It is a much more holistic medicine that can positively affect many individuals. 

Here's to healthy and balanced bodies, 

3 Easy Steps to Prevent Burnout

Congratulations! You’ve found the section of my blog where we are going to get very real. I wholeheartedly promise to highlight my deepest regrets, failures, mistakes, and saddest of times. 

Why would I do this? Because it is in these times where transformation happens; it is here where our souls grow in ways we never thought possible. I’ll start small, of course; after all, I don’t want to scare you. I merely want to share with you some of the valuable lessons I’ve learned and some of my most treasured experiences, in the hopes that some of my stories may help you in the future. 

I also want to remind you that although we as individuals of a specific culture create images on the web of what our lives are like, often using only beautiful pictures, carefully edited words, and strategically chosen brands, there is a very real side to each and everyone one of us. Every single one of us will fail, lash out, cry heavily, say things we don’t mean, and feel defeat many times throughout our lives. The goal of this section in my blog is to help all of us accept that this is normal, and this is where the beauty lies, this is the truth, this is where real change and growth happens. 

BURNOUT is REAL! My 3 Very Simple Tips to Avoid (or correct) Burnout 

I have a tendency to overload myself in life. I work too hard and create so many unrealistic goals that would never, ever be possible in a million years. Since as far back as I can remember I’ve been working at least 2 jobs at a time, studying something or other, attempting to exercise, and trying desperately to take care of myself (and I wonder why I get headaches or feel exhausted!). Needless to say, I have burnt the candle at both ends and have nothing left to burn. I had an intense breakdown the other night where I cried my eyes out in front of my wonderful, loving, and ever-patient roommate. What about? I had no idea. I just knew that every other sentence ended in: “I’m just so exhausted.” 

After spending some time journaling to follow my massive waterworks, I realized that something had to change. I had started in a situation that I absolutely loved: I’m a practicing acupuncturist and, in my totally biased opinion, there is no better job out there. I have an extremely loving support network, I live in a beautiful area, and I have so many wonderful ideas for the future. The problem? I often had no energy to enjoy any of it. 

I realized I was beginning to feel burnout. If you’re not familiar with burnout, the term is used to describe fatigue, high stress, and impossible standards that are specifically related to your job. The major downside of this, in addition to the toll it plays on your overall health, is that many people begin to dislike their jobs. 

Burnout was originally referred to as an issue affecting medical health professionals, but today, with our high-stress, high-speed lifestyle in any first-world nation, it can be seen in almost every profession. Imagine my immense panic when I started to feel burnout in my acupuncture job? Literally, I love acupuncture. I think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Since my cognizant, rested mind knows this, I knew I NEEDED to do something to make sure my fire for the medicine kept alight. 

Following is my attempt to reverse the burnout I’ve been experiencing in myself, and hopefully help prevent it in some of you! 

1 - Have at least 2 days off a week. 

If you’re lucky enough and it’s financially accessible to you, I highly recommend taking 3 days off. Operating on 1 day off is literally impossible. That day ends up being everything but a day off. It is spent doing laundry, grocery shopping, meal prepping, exercising, doing bookwork, and trying to prepare for the week ahead. There is absolutely no way around it. You need (I need) one full day to do nothing. NOTHING! Or at least whatever comes up, be it hiking, Netflixing, reading, or sleeping. Trust me, adding extra jobs, working overtime, or offering to cover coworker’s shifts may seem like a wonderful idea at the time but this is not sustainable over time, and what good will the extra money be? You’ll be too tired to do anything with it! 

2 - Schedule in lunch breaks. 

Lunch breaks, doesn’t that sound so simple? Well, let me tell you when it’s NOT so simple…when you’re fresh out of graduate school and you feel like you need to cater to your every patient’s optimal schedule or they won’t see you, they’ll find someone else, and you’ll never make a dime. It would probably be better to just call your whole degree a wash, declare bankruptcy, and hide under a rock. If this sounds familiar to you, you are not alone. It is EXTREMELY difficult to advocate for yourself when you own your own business. More often than not, your needs get pushed behind those of your clients. Once again, this is a completely unsustainable lifestyle. You are NOT a better person if you put everyone else’s needs before yours, you are just a more tired person with a whole bunch of resentment. When you begin to skip things like lunch, I’ll tell you what happens. You send the message to your body that you are not important. So not only will you get moody, light headed, irritable, and over tired from lack of nutrition, you will also begin to lower your self worth and importance. This leads you to become short and frustrated with those around you, and you won’t be able to show up in a present way for your clients, patients, colleagues, and loved ones. Here’s hoping you have a job that schedules this time in for you, but if not and you are a small business owner- please, please, please make this a priority for yourself. Even if you work from home, make a healthy lunch every day, eat it without distractions and optimally take half an hour to get out of your place of work to change up the scenery a bit. Things that especially help me regroup are: short walks, deep breathing, yoga poses, meditation, and journaling. 

3 - Make “me time” a priority. 

Get it in your head that your “me time” is just as important as a business meeting with the head of the company. Schedule in time for whatever makes you tick. For me, it is meditation, yoga, and/or getting outside. I find that my days are so much more pleasant (and I am more pleasant) when I do these things for myself. This all circles back to the idea that we have to show our “innerselves” that we are our number one priority in life. And, as an added bonus: when we take time away from work, it will be that much more enjoyable to come back to it later feeling refreshed. I have an abundant history of using so many excuses on the reg: “I’m too tired”, “there’s not enough time”, “if I cut out my yoga, I can schedule one more patient on that day.” No, no, no, honestly you can make an excuse every single day of your life to avoid “me time”, it gets pushed aside SO OFTEN. Just think, you wouldn’t miss a meeting with your boss would you? By missing out on your quality time with yourself,  you rob yourself of your importance and you will start to skimp in other areas of your life. This is simply crucial, you need to know that you are taking care of yourself, it gives you grounding, stability, and confidence. So, start blocking off time in your day to do something that brings you joy. If you don’t start looking out for yourself, who will? It is nobody’s job other than your own. 

Take it from me, burnout, even at the early stages is no fun. Please don’t let yourself get there, look out for yourself from day 1. Make yourself your biggest and best priority in life, and everyone else will respect and honor you. It is so easy to pick out the people who take care of themselves in a crowd, be one of those radiant, shining humans who everyone wants to be like. 


Mad love to all you hard working souls, 

How to Make Easy and Really, Really Yummy Chai Tea

Why am I blogging about chai in the springtime when everybody knows chai is a fall drink, you might ask? Well, for 4 simple reasons: 

1. I love chai year round! Yup, can’t get enough. 
2. Many of the herbs in chai tea are great immune system boosters. Spring comes with rapidly changing temperatures, inspiring people to dress unseasonably, which can lead to colds and flus. If you want to enjoy both health and your spring wardrobe--even a little early--chai is a great recipe to have at the ready. 
3. You might be in the midst of a spring cleanse right now (it’s quite common; we all want to clean out the gunk we’ve been eating all winter during our mini hibernation), and this cleanse might include food and drink wouldn’t eat normally, such as cold or raw produce. Chai provides a healthy balance for these foods, with warming herbs that will soothe your tummy after the cold foods found in most cleanses. Chai is perfectly acceptable in most cleanses, considering it is just a hodgepodge of herbs! 
4. Truth be told--I can be a slight perfectionist (Type  B ½ as one patient so eloquently put it) and I began working on chai recipes in late February but I just wasn’t happy with how they turned out. Now that I’ve nailed it, I couldn’t resist sharing with you, even though it’s a little out of season. 

So, let’s get started. The recipe is simple, and oh-so healthy. AND, in order for it to make an appearance on this blog, you know there has to be some connection to Chinese medicine! (I can’t help it.) Below my recipe is the list of ingredients with their uses in both Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and in Western medicine, as well as some notes on my measuring system.

Ready? The process has been boiled down (pun intended) and made super simple because let’s face it, we all have busy lives.

Ingredients:

•  5 Cinnamon sticks

•  A sprinkle of cardamom

•  A generous sprinkle of nutmeg

•  A sprinkle of allspice

• 10 slices fresh ginger

•  2 star-anise, broken into pods

•  6 whole cloves

•  4 slices fresh turmeric

•  6 peppercorns 
•  5 tea bags ( I used black tea- PG tips) 

Preparation: 

• Bring 5 cups of water to boil in a large saucepan. 

• Once boiling, add 6 cloves and allow to cook for 2 minutes 

• Add the rest of the ingredients except the tea; reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. 

• Turn off the heat, add in the tea and let steep for 2 minutes. 

• Strain ingredients

Optional serving suggestion: 

My favorite way to have this Chai is to take 3 parts tea, 1 part milk. Coconut milk, almond milk, or cow’s milk all taste great in my book. 

I also like adding a tsp of maple syrup and a dash of vanilla extract.*

* If you are cleansing you may want to omit these suggestions, I tried my batch just for you and still liked it plain!   

There you have it, my version of a perfect chai. I love sitting with my journal in the morning and sipping my chai. It tastes just like a chai latte you’d purchase without all the added sugars and preservatives (and for far less money).  I have found that while making many different versions of chai this winter, my preference is for a more subtle flavor. If you want it to be stronger, you can reduce the amount of water used from 5 to 4 cups and measure the herbs generously. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Happy springtime, everyone!

Breathe Easy During The Holidays; 2 Simple Breathing Techniques Anyone Can Do

The holidays are amazing, right?  No one can argue with the joy that comes from the smell of gingerbread baking, hot chocolate drinking, Hallmark channel watching, winter walk taking, and of course starry-eyed gazing at the multitude of sparkly decorations that light up the city streets and stores.

Are you with me? Super duper great right?

Or….  (cue whomp, whomp, whomp music)

Do any of you also have a bunch of other feelings pop up around the holidays?

Maybe a little stress,

                                        anxiety,

                                                        depression,

                                                                                or sadness? 

If so, you’re not alone. These are perfectly normal feelings that can creep into your lives when your regular routine is thrown a little of kilter. You are not wrong or bad in any way if you are a little stressed about going home to visit family for the holidays. Feelings are feelings. We have them, and they are real. Someone wise once told me,

“feelings are not facts, but it’s a fact that we feel them.”

Wow.

So, so true. We’ve got these feelings; what do we do about them? One thing we can do is develop some simple coping mechanisms for times of increased stress, including the lovely, glittery, fairy dusted holidays.

One of my favorite tools, because of its simplicity and effectiveness, is pranayama or breath-work. Below I’ve detailed two of my go-to breathing exercises that have proven to be the most spirit calming and mind settling time and time again. I have probably and without meaning to shifted them slightly from how they are traditionally meant to be practiced, but this is what I have found works best for me. I encourage you to also feel what works in your own body and play around with the exercises or make up some of your own!

Happy breathing. 

CV-GV connection

There are many meridians that run through the body; this is a core concept in Chinese medicine. Two of them run vertically straight down the middle of both the front and the back of the body; together they work to create a circuit of energy. This exercise aims to connect these two meridians. I like to do this particular technique during meditation or when I am lying down getting an acupuncture treatment of my own; I find it easier to visualize and feel when my body is in a straight line. I often give this as an option for many of my patients during their treatments or for “homework”. It is best suited for those who are feeling a lot of stress and/or having digestive difficulty- it has a great effect at getting the Qi (energy) to circulate in the right direction.   

The Ren Mai or Conception Vessel (CON in the picture) runs along the front of the body, while the Du Mai or Governing Vessel (GOV in the picture) runs along the back. They are both represented in the above picture by purple lines. 

Alright. Here we go. On the inhale, send your breath down the front of your body, the CON line. In my mind, this looks like, all of my racing thoughts and energy that has accumulated in my head, chest, throat, and heart going downward. Some days I picture a color with this but not always, it depends on how I am feeling that day. I usually feel a big relief as I imagine these excess things that are not needed at the time descending. 

On the exhale, send your breath up the back, the GOV line. I imagine purity and clarity rise up my spine, following the meridian and bringing peace of mind to my brain. In the image provided above, you can see where the two meridians connect. One connection is on the chin, and the other the pelvic floor/perineum. If you are familiar with the chakra system you can make a general connection to the Root Chakra and the Throat Chakra here. These are powerful areas, visualize them and change your intention at these spots as you alternate between descending what you want to get rid of and ascending more of what you need.

As mentioned above, I’ve heard this exercise explained a couple of different ways. As someone who tends to hold a lot of stress and tension in her chest, this way works best for me. The relief is almost instantaneous and as I breathe, I begin to feel my breath nourishing my brain and spinal cord. This allows my body to be open to a more peaceful and relaxed state of mind.

Remember, don't get too caught up on the visualizing or if you are doing the exercise "right", there really is no right or wrong. The overall goal is to de-stress while letting go of things you don't need to be holding on to.This will naturally redirect the energy flow in your body.  

 Stomach-Heart connection  

This one is super easy and can be done pretty much anywhere; my favorite place to do it is lying in bed at night. This can also be a great way to reconnect, get grounded, and open up your hips after sitting in the car, bus, train, or plane for an extended period of time.

Start by lying on your back and putting the soles of your feet flat on the floor. Then, bring your soles to touch as you gently open your knees out to the side. There are many ways to modify this pose but to keep it simple and easy to recreate, I am going to suggest putting yoga blocks in the creases of both your hips (as seen in the image below). This modification can be done with anything in the place of yoga blocks- pillows, blankets, rolled up towels, or books also work great. As you are getting into this pose, listen to your low back, knees, and hips closely and see if you need more height under your legs, the higher you stack your blocks the less of an intense stretch this becomes. Remember, this is a breathing exercise and commonly used in restorative or Yin styles of yoga, meaning this is gentle and relaxing and should not strain your muscles. The goal here is not to get your knees to touch the ground, it is to get your body into a comfortable position so it can relax and be fully open to the breath work.

I chose this pose in particular because it brings me to my happy place and it also has some great health benefits that also help bring stress levels down.

Benefits of Supta Baddha Konasana (reclined bound angle pose):

            -helps reduce and relieve symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression

            -Stimulates the heart, kidneys, and digestive organs

            -improves circulation throughout the body

             -eases menstrual cramps

            -stretches the hips and groin

So, you’re in the pose and you’re probably already smiling and breathing a sigh of relief. Now to add the breath, simply place one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart, sit with that feeling for a minute. Then, begin focusing your attention on the hand that’s on your belly, try to inflate your abdomen first and when that is full move your intention up to your other hand, over your heart. Then, try to inflate the chest and the ribcage. Hold your breath when you are full to the brim. Then, exhale in the same way- try to deflate the abdomen first and then finally feel the collapsing in your chest along with the release of any tension you may be holding. Pause after your exhale and repeat.

It can take a while to learn how to direct your breath in this way and fill up and deflate certain areas of the body. If this is not easy to you, maybe practice it a couple of times and then just breath regularly focusing your attention on each of the hands to keep your mind from wandering and to bring some extra added love to your heart and abdomen.

Happy holidays everyone,