What would the world be like if we all felt powerful... as in empowered, full of self, confident in our choices and in our bodies' ability to heal and move and do all the things? When I used to think about strength I thought of me pushing that crossbar with weight high in the sky at the gym. That feeling where you moved all your plants inside for the winter, the dresser to the other wall, and didn't ask for or need any help. I think of strength and power differently now.

What if power was resilience and our ability to get back up after being knocked down? That to ask for help and to honor our body by not pushing to the limits all the ding dong day was where that light that feeds our heart and soul was built from... that empowered space of knowing oneself. 

You don't need a lifetime or a big setback or even age to show you that. Nope...just a few moments of your time. Moments...small moments of undivided attention where you quiet the chatter and sit in...

This is a tribute to your beautiful hands that build, weave, and dig in the garden. This week's technique is in honor of your arms full of strength, grace, and celebration as you whoop it up at your kid's basketball game, and play cat ninja warrior with the laser pointer. These are my arm warmers that I knit over the weekend, all to add a little cozy and a little love to my hands. I love them so:-)

  The nook and cranny of your shoulder joint all lead to the ease and grace of your arms, your hands, and how long you can play guitar, knit, lift that crossbar, and wave at your favorite person as you meet them in the airport. (Travel is coming:-)

In this week's Stretch of the Week, I'm sending you your own little cozy and maybe a little edgy so mind that edge and modify so you can melt without cussing and keep that movement and swing in your shoulder, which is best friends with your arm, who is all about reaching and hugging (don't forget the hugging), so your hands can...

I made the most amazing birthday cake for my husband. His birthday was a Saturday so when I finished teaching the Myofascial Stretch class, editing, and posting, getting the dogs, and all the things it was 4:30pm. That is not a lot of time for birthday cake mishaps. Even cakes made from a box. You gotta have a layered cake cuz that makes it extra special and yet there are two of us. I don't want to eat a whole cake and so I thought about cupcakes...and then I saw the waffle maker. 

Can you make a birthday cake in the waffle iron? Yes You Can! I googled it and all ya do is add an extra egg and another 1/4 cup of flour. Then waffle iron it up and we had a six waffle layered yellow cake with chocolate icing all spread out in between each waffle and the icing was all in the waffle crevices! Jim said it's the best cake he ever had! My brain was coming up with ideas for opening a waffle cake restaurant...This cake was done, iced and ready to be oooed and ahhhed and then eaten...

Remember restaurants? I'm still not there yet. Not really. Not in the carefree going out on a date and lingering while I had the eggplant parm, that salad that I love with artichoke hearts that I push to the side, the gluten-free fettuccini, the flourless chocolate cake, and a little decaf coffee...the loungy, life is grand sort of dinner. That feeling though...that full of life (not pasta) feeling is available right now, right there on your mat. Imagine you're taking yourself out on a date. Getting to know yourself, what you're thinking, what you love, and even what you might be struggling with. Your body is a doorway into your innermost feelings and your big beautiful heart.

If laying on the mat is taking too long and your brain is telling you all of the things you should be doing instead...sit with that and watch what happens. Remember the days of loungy dinners and relish in the get to know you phase as you woo your body with myofascial release. Maybe even add...

Sometimes it's the tiniest thing that can inspire and transform the simplest moment. Like when a memory comes through...my most recent wave was when my daughter, Emma, and I drove down Highway 1 to Santa Cruz. The rental car lady and I bonded and she ended up giving me a souped-up Dodge Charger. I can feel the freedom and love from that ride. It lifts me up and fills my heart, my body, my everything. Just like the sun when it peeks through your windows on its way down. The air sparkles and you can ride the wave.

Trauma is often a "big event" while healing happens under the radar and then shows up in those little, tiny moments that stop time as you are reminded of your beauty, your light, and your joy. 

In my Myofascial Stretch Method classes, I talk about bringing your attention down into your body. You can use your ball or noodle or your favorite prop and as you lay there for your 2-5 minutes you do the time, yes, AND you also feel consciously and with curiosity,...

 When people start to work with me, they want to know how long it's gonna take...for the pain to go away. I gave a talk to my Beloved Bust group about intimacy after breast cancer and we spoke about scar release, fight or flight, and specific ways to reconnect with yourself and heal after trauma and someone asks..."Isn't there a pill for libido?" There are...and pills for pain and all the things which are great...but the long-term relief that you are looking for is not gonna be found in that pill. My practice, both online and at the clinic is full of people that want more than a pill or another surgery. As the saying goes...

"Healing is not an event but a journey" and sometimes that journey is longer than we think and the wins can be overshadowed with doubts, self-sabotage, and all the things...but know that you are on your way! It can be so subtle as that chatter of pain softens and makes room for more dreaming and more heart in your everyday. So ponder...

New Year's Eve and I am lounging in pj's and sipping my coffee and thinking that this upcoming year is gonna be...hmmm. My brain comes up with so many things. This year is gonna be full of healing... where I feel full of light and love. This upcoming year is gonna be full spaces where I sit by the fire or on my mat and I just let the thoughts swirl until they are all swirled out and the quiet brings an alert softness that calls in trust, connection, and peace. AND I'm gonna bask in some joy! 

No Pressure 2022, but I've got a few things on my dance card, and at the top of the list is self-care. Bring on the self-care! 

What's it like to walk around on the planet and feel taken care of? What if your body felt heard, and those little inklings of maybe's weren't put off for later? Another day, another week, another year. Baby, this is your year!

You get to create and design and explore...and sometimes you might not know what you want or need but no...

I miss the travel. The quirky shops in Portugal, the chocolate in Spain, and the warm hugs and deep conversations of Greece. I miss the cathedrals. I was amazed and awed by the ancient architecture and how brilliant humans can be. It seemed that new ideas were celebrated and then made into a play, a poem, and then had their own version of a dance-off. 

Though I won't be traveling overseas, I have found a bit of refuge and even more of a journey in front of the fireplace. I have declared forty days in front of the fire.

I have missed a few days and made sure to light a candle but most nights I'm sitting in a low to the ground camping chair right in front of the flames with my journal, knitting, and a book or two. I've pondered and sifted through the many thoughts and paused to simply watch the flames. I set out to remind my body that it's safe. That I can heal from long haul covid and my nervous system can relax and get back on board. But what is showing up along...

She also had the knack for not putting up with any shenanigans which I don't think I appreciated until now. Lula grew up with a dirt floor and 10 siblings and was so country and soooo cool! An independent lady that family members wouldn't dare miss a get-together. And who would? It was sooo fun! (and pecan pie, right?) 

I wonder if Grandma Lula stressed about the house and cleaned all crazy and hoped the gravy was gonna turn out right?

 I never saw that part but I'm feeling it now as I have my Mom and Dad coming over tomorrow. With covid, it's been a while for guests of any kind and I'm just watching and wondering when did that become a part of holiday get-togethers? In fact, as I sit here I now declare that it will not be a part of my holiday. I can be the cool lady that followed her heart until she found what she was good at...helping people get out of pain, how to take care of their body, to listen, soften and feel. And that lady bought a cooked...

I don't know if you knew this, but I grew up with horses. My dad not only worked at the factory for Chrysler but my dad trained horses. Western mind you... all cowboy or cowgirl if you will. I loved hanging out in that old barn and helping my dad feed the horses. Now I don't remember stretching or thinking about fascia or how the body works back then, but I do remember jumping out the hayloft, falling off the fence(practicing cartwheels:-), and crashing into trees while swinging on vines in the back pasture. 

When you're young like that you still bounce. I would stand up and brush it off and then get back to what I was doing. 

Now picture me in high school, running track. I was a really fast, middle distance runner but I wasn't consistent. Sometimes when I ran it felt like I had a different shoe on each foot. I lost my ZIP! Now when I look back...MY HIPS WERE OUT! Tight on one side and not on the other. Sometimes fast and sometimes not so much. Guess who landed on her hip...