Did you know that slowing your breathing helps you calm down, and that taking a few minutes to do breathing exercises can help relax your mind and body, making it easier to cope with stress and anxiety?
There are two main branches of your autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. Ideally there is a healthy balance between the two.
On a daily basis, we’re triggered by other people and situations, and often, this reaction is based on our amygdala innately and vigorously attempting to protect us from what it perceives as danger.
Self-empathy, or being capable of having empathy for yourself, helps you calm yourself during conflict or when you’re feeling stressed, angry, frustrated, anxious, afraid and other strong emotions.
The knee is the most commonly injured joint and this is especially true in sports. But, unless there’s been an injury directly to the knee, like a torn ACL caused by impact or an accident, it’s unusual that a knee problem originates in the knee.
Pain is your body’s way of communicating with you. It’s a signal in your nervous system that something may be wrong.
A couple of weeks after spraining or straining an ankle or knee, it’s likely you’ll begin to feel a little better. At this point, you might be tempted to resume your regular activities. But here’s some advice to consider when moving forward.
The first 72 hours after an injury like a strain or sprain are critical for healing. Here’s a simple guide to ensure you’re doing all the things during that time frame following the incident.
Havening is a psychosensory technique that calms the nervous system and help you feel grounded, calm and peaceful.
Havening is a psychosensory technique that calms the nervous system and can help you feel grounded, calm and peaceful.
Doing this practice regularly not only shifts your mood, but it actually changes the neural pathways in your brain.
Chances are, you’re already including some self care practices in your daily or weekly schedule, so you can stop panicking or feeling like there’s one more thing you’re not doing!
One of the first questions new clients have is “how long will this take this Feldenkrais to work?”
THE BRAIN CAN CHANGE ITSELF. It is a plastic, living organ that can actually change its own structure and function, even into old age. This breakthrough in neuroscience is called neuroplasticity, and it’s changing the centuries-old idea that the brain is fixed and unchanging.
There are a number of myths surrounding the concept of “good posture” and it’s especially important to recognize these myths when sitting.
Two of the most common activities so many of us do for hours each day are sitting at work and driving.
Many people experience discomfort when we sit for extended periods of time. And most of us have tried a variety of different things to remedy this discomfort — whether it’s back pain, neck or shoulder pain, hip pain, or sciatica.
One of my favorite restorative yoga poses is Supported Child’s Pose! This restorative pose allows you to stay in it for a bit longer than the version without props, and provides all the amazing benefits of the more athletic version without any discomfort.
It’s often overwhelming to figure out the next steps to take to recover and restore yourself. Now, over 3 years later, I recommend a triad approach that includes emotional/mental, medical/functional medicine and physical/nervous system repair.
All of these therapies are amazing and all of them help us feel better … temporarily. But addressing chronic muscle tension via the muscles is like trying to clean a dirt spot off your face by wiping the mirror.
Are you feeling tight in your legs, hips or back? Do you feet hurt? Maybe you pushed a bit too hard on that run or sat at your desk longer than usual.
80% of adults experience low back pain sometime in their lives. According to physical therapist, Dr. Tim Sobie, the most common treatments include prescription medicines, chiropractic treatments, or physical therapy with a focus on what is called “core stabilization.”
Most of us believe that when we finally leave an intensely stressful situation, life will be so much better in all the ways. And while it’s true that it’s a relief to not have the original stressors to deal with on a daily or hourly basis, the journey has, in some ways, only just begun.
When I was younger I was able to power my way through anything — I was physically strong and was proud of this quality. I was mentally strong and when challenges arose, I met them head on. I started 3 separate businesses–two while raising 3 children and taking care of my family while my husband at the time traveled internationally frequently for his job.
We lie down in a comfortable position, close our eyes and for many humans, this is sufficient to create the internal and physical conditions necessary for sleep.
What you eat makes a difference in your mood.
If you’re stressed or anxious, then it’s even more critical to nourish yourself in a healthy way. But unfortunately, many of us use our chronic stress as an excuse to overindulge in foods we know are bad for us.
It can take less than 20 minutes to feel calm, relaxed muscles, easy breathing, calmer mind, at peace, and balanced emotionally.
Stress and anxiety are completely normal. The universal response to a difficult situation or to perceived threats are common to every person.
We have two main aspects of our autonomic nervous system that both perform very different functions.