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EMBRACE THE DARKNESS DURING THE WINTER SEASON

EMBRACE THE DARKNESS DURING THE WINTER SEASON

For us in the northern hemisphere we are entering our winter season. This brings shorter days of daylight, colder temperatures, outdoor gardening ends, and many animals will hibernate during this season. It is a time of year where the natural world slows down and goes dormant. The winter season is an invitation for us to pause, get more sleep, conserve energy, and nestle into our homes. This period of stillness may be considered a mini-hibernation for humans, a time for us to settle into physical and mental rejuvenation. It is important for us to embrace this time, tap into our para sympathetic nervous system and relax. We use this time during winter to recharge and restore, to support us to grow in the upcoming spring season. Be kind to yourself and allow your body and mind to rest, take the days a little slower. This is a time of opportunity to travel inward for deep reflection, goal setting, and personal growth. These sort of things tend to be overlooked in the warmer months when we are busy doing all the things. This is a great time to process emotions, let go of baggage, and gain self-awareness. I enjoy the short, cozy winter days even more as every year goes by.

TIPS ON HOW TO EMBRACE THE DARKNESS

Shift your mindset

Create cozy rituals

Prioritize rest

Yoga and breathwork

Engage in creative activities inside

Enjoy the outdoors mindfully

Volunteer in your community

       

 

Activities and rituals that I personally love to incorporate in my days:

a cup of tea with a good book

meditation and breathwork in an inviting, safe space

epsom salt and cbd baths by candlelight

journaling

enjoy a fire in our home

winter walks

skiing, snowshoeing, sledding , ice skating

puzzles, cards, and board games

crafting

cooking and/or baking nourishing meals and treats

incorporate social engagement via phone calls and zoom, invite a friend over to bake/cook with or play a game

 

What is your morning routine?

What is your morning routine?

Even if you are not a morning person, it is important for numerous reasons to find yourself a morning routine that works for YOU. Treat your morning as your sacred space, your temple, your church. Lucky for me I am a morning person, always have been besides those early school mornings as an adolescent. Morning routines help to increase productivity and focus, encourage healthy habits, and reduce stress. Incorporating mindfulness first thing in the morning allows you to connect with yourself giving you a confident mindset of accomplishment for the day ahead.

Discovering a morning routine also allows you to practice consistency. This type of daily routine will support habit formation for achieving goals. Consistency provides stability and predictability. How would you like to greet your day? How do you set yourself up for success for the day? It may be a meditation practice, a walk or jog outside, reading a book with a cup of tea or coffee, stretching and/or yoga, a breath technique, a fitness session. I understand not all of us have the luxury to start our day exactly how we would like every day. We can create more time for ourselves in the morning, even setting your alarm 15/20 minutes earlier than it currently is to have a moment for yourself before the rest of your household wakes up. I challenge you to not sign on to social media, or check your email/texts, be with the quiet before the hustle of the day begins, take this time for YOU.

Currently my morning routine consists of starting with attending to my personal hygiene, I LOVE using my stainless steal tongue brush to remove bacteria and plaque that accumulates overnight on my tongue. Next, a large glass of water with my two Good Phyte Immunity capsules (enzymes and iron) and 2 Seed capsules (pre/probiotic). On to my meditation practice, welcoming my mental self to the day and focusing on my breath. After meditation it is to time to welcome my physical self to the day with a light practice of yoga and stretching. Many days I will practice an additional yoga session focusing on power/strength or a relaxing/restorative practice before bed. Once I have connected with my self; body, mind, and soul, I move on to greeting the day of all my loving beings. This consists of opening up the chickens and feeding them, feeding all 3 pups, Sophie, Suzy and Sally, our cat Oscar, attending to the mules Missy and Blondie year round. In the warmer months we are blessed to have a magical garden! I get to attend to my vegetables and plants during the summer months, how lucky we are! Once I come inside to start a protein, veggie rich breakfast for my husband and I, I make myself a hot matcha tea with collagen peptides. I look forward to this every morning!

 

 

The Beauty of Yoga On and Off the Mat

The Beauty of Yoga On and Off the Mat

Over the years I have incorporated yoga into my daily life, it truly is nonnegotiable. I LOVE yoga for many reasons. Yoga is an incredible and beautiful practice. I look forward to starting my mornings with a meditation and yoga practice. I enjoy connecting with my body, turning inward before entering into the day. The flexibility, strength, and balance that I find from my yoga practice sets me up strong for the day. Yoga allows my body, mind, and spirit to connect, to feel grounded. I have noticed the difference in the past when I was not consistent with my yoga practice. Yoga supports me to live my life with intention. This intention is important for me to show up in life for myself and to the world in a loving and compassionate manner.

Living with multiple sclerosis, it is always important to me to strengthen my balance and work on neuroplasticity, yoga has been a great tool for this. Days and weeks where I have not been physically or mentally well I still turn to yoga. There are so many poses and practices that one can incorporate even if the traditional flows are not in your wheelhouse. Floor poses and stretches are just as important as advanced moves, they build your foundation. In order to remain consistent with my daily practice of yoga, I do not expect myself to complete a 30 or 60 minute flow to feel successful. Instead, I commit to at least 10 minutes of yoga every morning after meditating. If the day allows for me to have a longer session, or incorporate a second yoga session later that day, awesome, and if not I am grateful that I was able to fit in at least ten minutes for the day. Trust that you are exactly where you need to be each moment.

I go back and forth to attending yoga classes in studios. It can be wonderful to practice with other like minded students and feel the energy that exists in a class. I also struggle with making it to a scheduled yoga class at times.  These days I find myself having a home practice and working with teachers via Peloton or YouTube, this allows me to fit classes into my schedule. In the warmer months I love to practice outside. We live on a beautiful farm in the foothills of Colorado, and the peace I feel when I practice outside with the sun shining on me, birds singing, the breeze blowing is incredible. In stillness and peace we are able to reconnect with ourselves

As I dive deeper into my yoga practice, I have learned that yoga is more than a pose, it inspires life. Conscious living is a way of life that I strive for everyday through intentional breathing, expressing compassion to myself and others, mindfully eating, and responding to life vs. reacting to life. I have never gone through yoga teacher training, though I have taken yoga education classes to support my personal training certification. As I continue to expand my yoga practice, I would like to dive deeper into understanding yoga philosophy, this incorporates the eight limbs of yoga.

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that originated in India thousands of years ago. The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning “to yoke,” or “to unite”. The practice aims to create union between body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual self and universal consciousness. Such a union tends to neutralize ego-driven thoughts and behaviors, creating a sense of spiritual awakening. Give yoga a try if you haven’t already. If you are already a yogi, continue to expand your own practice in ways that you did not imagine were possible.

STRETCHING – what you may be missing out on!

STRETCHING – what you may be missing out on!

Stretching regularly should not be overlooked by any individual at any age. It is an important factor that many people do not consider unless they are recovering from an injury, or are participating in instructed led activities. Stretching is a wonderful thing for your body, mind and soul to stretch any time of the day.

Upon waking – helps alleviate morning stiffness and centers your mindset for the day ahead

Mid day – helpful for those spending their time at a computer, in high stress jobs or on your feet for long periods of time

Evening – a wonderful time to unwind and relax and allow the body to restore from the day. Whatever time of day you choose to stretch, taking five – ten minutes is essential to maintaining a strong, flexible body.

I suggest holding each stretch for 10-30 seconds. Feel free to stretch for longer period of times depending on how your body feels and the types of activities you are participating in.

Stretching is key for maintaining mobility, flexibility, and overall well-being throughout our lives. Regular stretching helps increase your range of motion within your joints. It can also alleviate muscular imbalances and tightness to improve your posture. Pre-activity stretching routines help prevent muscle strains and sprains by warming up the muscles for movement. Athletes can benefit greatly from daily stretching by improving muscle coordination, balance and reaction time. Stretching stimulates blood circulation throughout the body improving the overall health and function of tissues,  joints, and muscles by delivering oxygen and essential nutrients to these areas. A final note in regards to daily stretching are the emotional and mental benefits that it provides. It can help improve focus, reduce mental stress and promote a sense of calmness and well-being. Stretching provides an opportunity for us for mindfulness and self-care. There are many stretching exercises available for you to do at home, the gym, outside, and even when traveling! Yoga is a wonderful modality for stretching as well. Check out local studios near you and also search for free classes via YouTube.

As with any new routine or habit, start with a small goal and gradually build up. Start with a goal of stretching 2-4 days per week, and you can add more stretch days in the future as you see fit. Hopefully you’ve taken away the importance of stretching from this blog! Not only will you feel more flexible, you will notice improved overall health from regular stretching. If you are looking for more tips to promote your general health and well-being, please reach out to me for coaching support!