DAILY Extended Puppy Pose Like Cat-Cow on all fours, check that shoulders are over wrists, hips over knees, then walk hands out. Take a breath and on exhale, pull hips back toward the heels, toes turned under. Keep arms straight, extending fingers wide. Forehead to floor, neck long and relaxed, enjoy. Make puppy noises if you feel like laughing. Health Notes: This is a good beginning warm up and or closer. It gently stretches spine, and shoulders. Mainly it feels good, like Child’s Pose and Happy Baby; simple, sensory, and stretchable.
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Remarkable Love/First of a three part Valentine
If I have any chance at all in becoming remarkable, it is through and by the people who love me. I grow from the gift of their generosity, their open-eyed non-judgment, and their ability to see inner lopsidedness and move beyond it. They may not always like my behavior. I do not desire or expect them to, but they do and will stand fast, allowing me to explore, fail, grow, and love. This remarkable love sees me as I would wish to be viewed, perhaps as they hope I will see them. Together we grow toward some strange unconditional loving, and love of self through the other. We become each other’s pets, warm animals, there when we need them, without judgment, barking when we get out of hand. Present society tells us we must be remarkable to be seen, to be heard, to have any presence. It says things like, “We are only excellent. Are you excellent?” How can I possibly answer that other than by, “No.” Hopefully I will laugh, but a voice inside niggles, “why aren’t you excellent? Why aren’t you somebody?” These days, everybody is somebody. It is a tough and true friend/lover/mate who loves you when ain’t an excellent somebody, and your run of the mill-ness often runs to mule-ishness. I so appreciate being loved in spite of myself. It makes me possible. It makes life excellent. Pose With Seasonal Notes Asana: Uttana Shishosana/Extended Puppy Pose. Come to hands and knees, as in Cat-Cow. On exhale, pull hips up and back toward heels, toes flat, fingers extending, extend until forehead comes to floor between arms. Make puppy noises of contentment if it increases your pleasure of relaxation. Health Notes: This is a good beginning warm up, and- or closer. It gently stretches spine, upper back, and shoulders. It… Read more »
Read moreHeadaches
The common, miserable, achy-breaky headache is almost always stress-related. Therefore read notes for Anxiety & Stress as well. Astrologically, headaches come under the rulership of Mercury, thought process, as well as Mars, which rules the head. Mars is a fiery, hard-driving, take no prisoners-planetary energy. Headaches occur more often for Aries and Ayurvedic Pitta types as they tend to have a fierce life force. Headaches are the gift to bring bodies back into balance when over-thinking, over anxiousness, and over-criticalness make us feel less-than, and fearful. I am not addressing migraines here, other than to say that if the fundamental biochemistry of the body can be improved, very often the migraines disappear. Some wonderful work with increasing levels of serotonin, (This is the neurotransmitter that fights pain, by exploring ways and means of expanding blood vessels, has had success. If you are at the mercy of too many headaches, start by changing your diet. Duh. The health of the digestive system leaves you less vulnerable to the ‘Sirene’s call.’ Stabilize blood sugar levels. Low sugar or hypoglycemia triggers migraines in some. Stop and eat if you are getting tired and run down. Don’t eat sugar or caffeine. Eat foods with magnesium, and take vitamin supplements of the same. The magnesium improves the flexibility of blood vessels and supports the function of serotonin receptors. This is particularly important if you do have migraines. Partake of more B’s, especially B2- riboflavin. It mitigates headaches because it facilitates oxygen use by the tissues, especially skin nails and hair. It helps with eye fatigue and helps prevent cataracts, It aids in the metabolism of carbs, fats, and proteins. B2 is found in poultry, spinach, yogurt, asparagus, avocados, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, nuts, eggs, fish, meat, and currants. Sometimes you can abort a headache if you take… Read more »
Read moreInsomnia
Sleepless nights stalk the body in many ways for many reasons. Primary issues are stress, hormonal imbalances, and depression. Not getting enough sleep affects the brain, the body, and emotional well being. It’s serious when it is on-going. Sleep apnea, the absence of breathing several times a night, is a disorder that affects a good night’s sleep, which will not be addressed here. Go see a good sleep doc. Make sure you are getting enough Calcium, especially Calcium Lactate or Chelate, 1,000 to 2,000 mg daily, along with 1,000 mg of Magnesium. If you fall asleep then wake later in the night, often the lack of Calcium contributes to this pattern. Get enough exercise during the day. Even a short walk can make a sleep difference. Do cooling Yoga Poses in the evening-see suggestions below. Eat foods high in tryptophan at dinner: turkey, figs, dates, yogurt, tuna, bananas, grapefruit. Avoid caffeine, especially after 12:00 PM. Avoid or reduce high protein meals in the evening. This includes beans and tofu. They block serotonin production. Avoid or reduce alcohol. It is not a sedative, despite what you think. The body converts it to a chemical, acetaldehyde, which is a stimulant. This wakens you in the early hours. And it builds up more in men than women. Try to eat earlier which helps the digestive process. Avoid or reduce the following foods in the evenings: sugar, cheese, chocolate, sauerkraut, wine, bacon, ham, sausage, potatoes, spinach, and tomatoes. They contain tyramine, which increases the release of norepinephrine, a brain stimulant. Helpful herbs to take as a tea or extract before bed: valerian root, skullcap, catnip, hops, lady slipper, passionflower, and chamomile. There are several good homeopathics, one is simply called, ‘insomnia.’ If you can have a sample of your hair analyzed for copper or… Read more »
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