We’re going to work with a more subtle awareness and bring our attention to the energies flowing through us.
Expansiveness and flow increase when we invite a higher volume of subtle energy into our bodies. Experience this subtle power in a simple round of Sun Salutations, awakening deeper to the energies that flow through you in every moment.
Awakening is the goal, awareness is the process, yoga is a tool…
How we habitually align our shoulders and hips has profound ramifications for overall health. Slouching forward with our shoulders for hours everyday puts a lot of strain on our neck and upper back, and overtime can result in chronic pain up and down the chain.
Becoming aware of how we move, how we align ourselves as we sit, stand, walk, sleep, etc. helps us increase awareness of our habits… The first step to change.
In this short practice, we dive deeper, guiding you through noticing your current alignment as well how to move towards your perfect alignment in every pose.
Enjoy! Elena
Hello Beautiful Souls, I’m on a pilgrimage in Cathar Country, southern France for three months, and I’ve promised myself to post a yoga video every week while I’m here.
So here we go… a short practice to start us off… a single round of Sun Salutations focusing on lifting and aligning the body from arches to crown – from the inside – using gentle muscle contraction. This practice gives you a nice way to play with alignment on and off the mat. May it give you something new to play with throughout your day.
Note, you need basic familiarity with yoga in order to follow this practice. I’m assuming that you know how to do Sun Salutations already (downward dog, plank, cobra, etc.). Also, apologies for the need to turn your volume way up. I’ve got new sound equipment that worked better during the sound checks than the full recording. Heh. I’ve got some trouble shooting to do.
Happy My 51st Birthday!,
Elena
5 January, 2024
Quillan, France
Your lymphatic system, an important part of your immune system, is passive, meaning that it does not move itself.
Instead, it moves when you do. That also means that if you aren’t moving it isn’t either.
Movement is important for keeping your lymphatic system functioning: flowing and flushing out toxins, infections and disease.
Since you have concentrations of lymph nodes in your neck, armpits and groin, walking, which moves all of these areas, is a simple, effective way to get your lymph moving.
If you’re bedridden, do your best to move your neck, arm pits and groin.
Otherwise, get up and walk, run, dance, do yoga, etc. everyday!
Enjoy moving!
One thing that most of us don’t do enough of is move.
And if we do move, we don’t necessarily move those parts that are most effected by our modern, device using lifestyles… like our shoulders.
Why is movement important?
Many of the functions of our bodies depend on movement, some directly like the flow of lymph, which only moves when we move, and some indirectly like the flow of nutrients to cells which slows down in areas where the interstitial fluid becomes viscous… due to lack of movement.
*(If you want to get geeky, there’s an excerpt below from Anatomy Trains on how movement, nutrition, strain, etc. effect the facia, intercellular fluids and cellular nutrition.)
Basically, if we’re not moving all parts of our bodies regularly our bodies aren’t functioning optimally. The parts that aren’t moved will get tight, weak, constricted, congested and clogged.
And thus undernourished.
Not a pretty picture.
On the other hand, our bodies love to move! It feels great to stretch and wiggle and flex and sigh.
That great feeling is our bodies saying, “Thank you! I loved that!”
Movement helps the body open, decongest, strengthen and flow.
And nourish itself optimally.
Along with eating and watering (!!), resting, sleeping and exercising (to get all systems flowing), movement is crucial to your cellular wellbeing.
One area I don’t move and stretch as much as I could is my upper torso. I spend a lot of time on my computer with my shoulders slightly hunched forward, like right now as I write, and not as much time moving, opening and stretching.
If you feel the same, I encourage you to take a moment right now and stretch out wide, roll your shoulders, head and neck and let yourself sigh with pleasure.
I just did, and oh, is my body happier!
I’ve included in the video above an exercise I learned recently for moving the shoulders in their full range of motion. I really enjoyed playing with it because my body understood immediately though my brain was lost. I was moving my body in a new way, one that my mind didn’t follow, so was in kid-like wonder… “This is great! Can I do this with my other arm, too? Wait! What am I doing exactly?! I don’t know! How fun! Can I do both arms at once? How about in reverse?! Whee!”
Or if you’d rather do some more traditional stretches for upper torso, I highly recommend Andrey Lappa’s passive shoulder asanas. They are some of the most effective upper body stretches I’ve ever done.
Amazing constructions. Beautiful yoga.
Know that they are intense. Definitely warm-up well first!
Or just move instinctively! Right where you are! It’s easy to just stretch any way you like. And breathe. One of the best thing we can do is simply incorporate a bit of movement everyday for those parts that aren’t getting enough attention.
Check-in… where ever you feel tight, restricted and blah, get your wiggle on.
Your body will thank you.
Hope that Helps and Happy Moving!,
Elena
*Excerpt below from Anatomy Trains by Thomas W. Myers
(Bolding and items in [brackets] are mine. -EF):
“How easily the nutrients make it to the target cells is determined by:
1. the density of the fibrous matrix [the facia];
2. the viscosity of the ground substance [intercellular fluid].
If the fibers are too dense, or the ground substance too dehydrated and viscous, then these cells will be less thoroughly fed and watered. It is one basic intention of manual and movement interventions – quite aside from the educational value they may have – to open both of these elements to allow free flow of nutrients to, and waste products from, these cells. The condition of the fibers and ground substance is of course partially determined by genetic and nutritional factors, as well as exercise, but local areas can be subject to ‘clogging’ through either of these two mechanisms when excess strain, trauma, or insufficient movement has allowed such clogging to occur. Once the clog is dispersed, by what-ever means, the free flow of chemistry to and from the cells allows the cell to stop functioning on metabolism-only ‘survival’ mode to resume its specialized ‘social’ function, be that contraction, secretion, or conduction.
‘There is but one disease,’ says Paracelsus, ‘and its name is congestion.’ “
And why should you care?
Processed food is food that’s been….
… wait for it….
… processed!
(Ok, ok, I know. But when else was I going to get to make that silly joke?)
For example taking a tomato off the vine (it’s natural state) and cooking it and turning it into tomato sauce.
Usually processed foods are marketed as a convience for you. The idea given is that it is faster and easier for you to buy that jar of sauce than to buy tomatoes and make it yourself.
Because when companies process these foods they often add things that are more for THEIR convenience than your health! The additives might be easier to store and less expensive to obtain, such as adding artificial tomato flavor and color and less actual tomato.
The problem with processed foods is that many of the ingredients are lower quality than you would use yourself in your food, such as low quality oils, starches instead of real potatoes, corn syrup to add flavor in place of fruits and vegetables, etc. Some of the additives aren’t even foods (!!!) like chemical preservatives, flavors and colors.
Suffice to say, making your own foods is often a much healthier than buying them ready-made. The time and money spent on natural ingredients is worth it when you consider how much MORE time consuming and expensive it is to be sick!
Happy (Cooking and) Eating!
Elena
ElenaFoucher.com
Super easy!
Put about 2 table spoons of white clay in a small bowl, and mix in water a teaspoon at at time until you get a toothpaste consistency.
Before adding in the water you can add any number of optional ingredients.
One great idea is tooth and gum supporting spices or essential oils (a sprinkle or few drops of) clove, cinnamon, lemon, any mint, etc. Registered Ayurvedic Practitioner, Chara Caruthers, says to have an “astringent (for tightening the gums), pungent (for its cleansing qualities), and bitter (for its antiseptic qualities)” (and someday I’ll even know which spices correspond to which quality!). :)
I like to add in coconut oil and sometimes finely ground sea salt.
Many people like baking soda. I put it in my deodorant, so I don’t want it here, too.
Store it in a small glass jar, one jar per user. Dip your wooden toothbrush in and away you go!
Enjoy and happy brushing!
Getting it all together: ingredients, options, kitchen tools & containers
2 Ingredients (Everything else is optional.):
Oil Substitutions: Any oil you like such as almond, avacado, jojoba, etc. Because these oils won’t be solid at room temperature, to help keep your deodorant solid, consider adding organic, non-gmo corn starch (or agar agar?) and/or a creamy natural moisturizer such as shea butter.
Baking Soda Substitutions: Apple cider vinegar, diluted lemon juice
Optional Niceness: Essential oils (mint or tea tree, etc. for antibacterial properties and/or choose one you like for it’s wonderful aroma)
Kitchen Tools:
Deodorant Containers:
Next you’re going to mix equal amounts of the two main ingredients together and/or mix in any optional ingredients you prefer. Then you’ll pour the mixture into your mould(s) and put it somewhere to cool.
Note, for the substitutions, if using the optional oils, use less oil and consider adding a thickener such as organic, non-gmo corn starch and/or an organic creamy natural moisturizer. This will help the deodorant stay solid at room temperature. If using apple cider vinegar or lemon juice you can reduce the amount of these liquids relative to the coconut oil. I haven’t used any of these substitutions, so play around with them and see what works best for you.
Method:
Mine lasted in my bathroom drawer for 6 months. If you’re concerned that the coconut oil might melt, you can also break your deodorant into pieces, put one in your bathroom and store the rest in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
The up-cycled deodorant container worked! Yippee!
This is a practice I’m sharing in my Mindful Movement classes this winter.
Winter is a time of year to go in… to hibernate a bit, to focus in. A time to evolve, cultivate and fuel your inner fire.
Your inner fire is your inner power, your unique essence, that part of you that burns bright and strong and makes you uniquely you. Taoists refer to it as your Tian Tien, a place just below and behind your navel.
The rest of the year, we more actively take that flame out into the world and share it. Winter, according to Ayurveda, is the time of year to focus on it, to fuel it with what you’ve learned from the past year and to clean and clear away everything you’re ready to let go of…. It’s time to brighten and polish your shining winter star.
Start by reflecting on what you’ve learned this year that is helping your best self. And also on what you’ve evolved past and are ready to let go of. In short, what’s helping you burn bright and what’s blocking the light at bit.
Then sense, imagine or intend to bring those helpful lessons into your body as you inhale. Sense, imagine or intend to fuel your inner fire, deep down in your belly, with this chi or pranna that you’re inhaling. Inhale in and fill yourself with that knowledge, feeling or sensation. Fuel your fire to overflowing and fill your whole body with this knowledge, feeling or sensation.
Then as you exhale, sense, imagine or intend to let go of all of those things that you’re ready to let go of. Sense, imagine or intend that they flow down and out of your body and into the Earth, where she will recycle them.
Do this cycle of breath as many times as you like, inhaling the clean and clear fuel and exhaling (down) all that you don’t need anymore. When you feel complete, be still for a bit and settle into this feeling of being clean and clear, bright and shining – beautifully powered to be you.
Now that you’re clear on what you’re currently wanting to cultivate and clean, you can easily do this practice anytime you want to power up your evolution this winter. Part of the evolution is that every time you do it, you take the time to reflect again, realizing that your knowledge and understanding will shift and grow. This will help bring to conscious awareness how you and your knowledge and understanding are transforming over time.
Doing this once a week is a nice amount of time to allow for personal change and to still be able to remember clearly where you were the week before. The evolution that I’m suggesting is less about noticing improvement and more about being aware of where you are this week (relative to last week), and cultivating where ever you are NOW by bringing it more clearly into conscious awareness.
It’s not so important that you think that you’re improving since last week (your conscious mind may not be aware of all that is happening inside of you nor judge accurately what real improvement is anyway), it’s more important that you bring to conscious awareness what powers you today. What helps you burn bright right now. And comparing that to last week is a nice way to notice how you’re changing (vs improving).
We are incredibly bright and powerful beings and I notice that more clearly the more I do these kinds of practices that bring it to my attention!
So, take some time to go in this winter. Use the natural urges of the season to focus in, to fuel your fire, to burn brightly, to cherish your light.
Enjoy.
Move your lymph!
In winter we tend to move less, which means our lymphatic system, which only moves when we do also moves less.
Also, according to my understanding of Ayurvedia, our lymph gets thicker in winter (a Kapha season) making it even slower! Yikes.
This is a great recipe for colds and flus!
One easy way to get the lymph moving is to move the parts of the body with lots of lymph nodes… Make circles with the head (to get jaw and neck nodes flowing), shoulders (for armpits and chest), and hips (for upper inner-thigh and groin).
Do a little bit every day for best results. Drink water to help your system flush.
If you do a lot at once you may flood your body with (previously) stagnant lymph and feel dizzy. This is due to the sudden release of toxins which were stuck in the glands. Sit down, and drink lots of water.
I learned this one the hard way. What I did was stop circling and invite the excess energy to move down and out my feet (and into the Earth for recycling), which works, too.
Happy moving!
