I had one of those weeks that is full of all the things and where my brain is questioning all the things and where everything is perfect and tricky and also not so smooth and really it's all good. It's amazing how just a little bit of change in routine but when it's a little change in routine on multiple levels and areas of your life it feels like everything you look for is not in its normal spot. This is when you have a chat..with your body. 

You lay on the foam roller to let it go. Yes, the fascia AND the day. You let go of your thoughts of how it should or could be. You lay on that ball to bring more movement in those sticky hip joints, AND the whirling thoughts and feelings. You create a witness as you watch yourself, feel your body and get out of your head...you give it a place to go. Anyone spinning out there? 

 Your routines of self-care, the benefits of your beautiful work, and dedication show up when you are "in it". The vagus...

I love my car. It's a Mini Cooper and it just fits my body so. As a lady at 5'4" the Chevy Equinox I had before was way too much car for me AND backing up that beast was a bit of a looky with a prayer. I'm old school as far as driving and I am not a fan of the backup camera in the dash. In that SUV, I felt like there was an acre of view that I was missing that could include puppies, tricycles, or curbs. 

You might not realize that you can't turn your neck until you can't turn your neck. It can be years in the making but you're gonna want to pay attention because rotation is the fountain of youth!

I can't vouch for the puppies or the trikes but I definitely made friends with a few curbs. Hey, no judgment as I live in the city and get home a little later than the rest of the block so my parallel parking has got to be spot on. 

That means that I am looking over my shoulder, which means my rotation, the ability to turn my neck and really my whole spine without a...

This is some fake spring behind me. We are still getting some cold along with the rain so it makes ya wonder when it's gonna get warm already and I can finally put my plants outside to soak up some sun. So I grab a sweater as I head out the door along with my raincoat. The warm weather is taking its sweet time getting here but you know and I know, sunny, warm days are coming.

Ya know when you get that little injury and ya have some pain and you're doing all the things and maybe could do some more things (like rest baby) but it's still there? Like when I have a new client at the clinic, and they wanna know when it's gonna start working...and then sure enough around that 3 - 6 session mark they are all about it and are amazed like the rest of us at how the body heals and this myofascial stuff is the bomb-diggity! Warmer weather is coming AND your body is healing!

Keep up the good work! Gentle, sustained compression and elongation without going past your edge is...

You know that part of life when things are really going and it's all falling into place AND you notice? All is well and even magical how it all works out and the ebb and flow is just so and the pancakes turned out just right. Often before that little jaunt of all is well is that sticky, icky, crunchy part that could be called WTH:-D Not very clinical but as I type it I just laugh and it makes it a little less daunting which is key because that part before the ahhh or ahhh hah, the ick, the crunchy, the "nothing is working", is just as important as the yum, and can be a real bump in the road of life that can side-track the best of us.

What if instead of thinking your body is broken you notice the ick, the observer in your mind that comments on how "nothing's working", and in that moment you reframe? Instead of "my body is broken" you reframe it to..."my body is healing". 

If you have a body then you know about the ebb and flow AND the...

This is the glow of a mom whose kid is home for a week. At twenty-five years old she is hardly a kid and yet the sense of ease, play, banter is all there as if time doesn't matter and just sharing space fills me up. We are keeping it low-key and just hanging out, puzzling, watching old movies, and sometimes just sitting around without even talking and it is so comfortable and so easy. 

When I describe to someone what I do, helping people at my myofascial release clinic get out of pain and get back to doing what they love, coaching women online and helping them to reclaim their body after breast cancer, teaching my Myofascial Stretch Method classes for weekly self-care, what I am really doing is helping people get more comfortable and feel at ease in their body.

Whether you have tight, painful scar tissue, a frozen shoulder, reconstructive surgery that is still painful to the touch a year later, you can work towards that same comfort and ease you feel when...

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...

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...

 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...