Importance of Play & Community: An Invitation on Halloween

I love Halloween. It gives me an excuse to dress up and pretend I'm a kid again. I can so easily get bogged down in the seriousness of life... in the data. I can forget to smell the roses. There's a reason that children and grandchildren keep us young. They can keep us in the moment. They can be pure joy. We forget how important it is to play. Even working dogs, like rescue dogs, can only work 2 hours before they need a break and need to run and fetch a ball for fun.

This is why I love and teach Carpe Diem Dance. It is movement to music that keeps you in the moment. It's playful, fun and joyful. Sometimes I throw in an invitation to explore your emotional and spiritual self along with your physical body.  Otherwise, it's too easy to get stuck in our mental body. When you play, your body emits powerful endorphins of pleasure. This tells your body that it is safe to rest and relax, to rest and repair, and/or to mate and ovulate (depending on your goals).

It's also easy to get stuck in social inertia. If you are self employed or work at a desk on a computer every day, you can easily feel some social isolation. This is a common root cause of dis-ease that is becoming increasingly more common.

You cannot underestimate the power of both play and community. Sometimes our community can keep us stuck too. If you are wanting to create change in your life, your family and friends may be resistant. Especially when it comes to food and alcohol. Food is emotional and it takes courage to be different. This is why it is especially important to create your own community for support as we are doing with the IF Kickstart starting this week.

In yoga, we call habitual patterns, samskara's. These habitual patterns become so ingrained that they can become addictions. These can become our modern day "Ghosts"

So whaddya gonna do about it? Call Ghostbusters!

Please join me on Wednesday morning at 7:30am to dance and play to fun Halloween music. Can you think of a better way to start your day? You can bring a costume or just bring yourself in whatever attire is best for the day.  I'll be teaching my Carpe Diem Dance class at Rise Wellbeing Center. If you've been meaning to check out this beautiful new center then come this week. If it's your first time, the class will be free. Consider joining this community of like minded souls to nourish your mind, body and spirit.

When you surround yourself with healthy people, your health improves. Do you have a community that supports your samskara's or that allows you freedom to choose healthy, food, thoughts and actions?

What ghosts do you need help busting? What do you do for fun? Is there a super power you want to emulate this week?  Happy Halloween!

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

Stress Resilience Strategies

I rolled out of bed at 5:15am this morning full of aches and pains. My 6am class with Jafar Alexander at Beloved Yoga Studio, inspired this post. He reminded me that when we stress a muscle, we can gently find the sweet spot. The spot that needs extra attention; the knot that we’ve ignored. When we breathe into that sweet spot, when the muscle feels it’ safe, it relaxes and allows a stretch. Stretching comes only after recognizing the stress, holding and breathing into the stress, until it’s safe to release and let go.

Forcing a stretch will only lead to injury. Stretching comes after recognizing the stress, holding and breathing into the stretch to the point the muscle will relax and release.

How do we take this physical reality as a metaphor to create stress resiliency?

How do you look at stress, not as a negative, but as an opportunity?  An opportunity to stretch, to grow, and ultimately strengthen the body and the mind and spirit?

Isn’t it a lovely thought that to find optimal health does not involve the no pain, no gain” mentality? Rather, it’s about finding your flow. It’s not about swimming upstream or feeling like the waves are crashing all over you due to uncontrolled stress.

A savvy secret is to go with the flow. Find your natural rhythm. Find what your unique body is whispering (or sometimes screaming) to you.

We can gracefully grow and age without feeling the overwhelming effects of uncontrolled stress. We can create stress resilience at any age.

Three Stress Resilience Strategies:

·      Breathe, Relax and Stretch

·      Remember and practice the power of play. Allow yourself the freedom to fall and gain wisdom.

·      Move from ‘fear and overwhelm’ to curiosity. Come to yoga to reconnect with your physical body. Listen to the aches and pains. Ask yourself what message is being given to you. Ask what’s right with the body, not what’s wrong. Cultivate curiosity by breathing and relaxing into the space. This is a simple way to move from overwhelm to empowered. (Also step three from my Seven Steps to Optimal Health.)

Consider joining me Wednesdays @ Rise Wellbeing Center for the following classes:

1.     10am for Carpe Diem Dance, a fun joyful movement to music class where we practice play to stretch you in multiple ways.

2.     Or the 11:30am-12:00 Street Clothes Stretch Class. Come and stretch, then have lunch in the nature garden and feast off organic raw vegan prepared lunch. Rise has raw vegan healthy nutrient dense gluten free and dairy free sandwiches and salads. You can sit and enjoy lunch (Sign up now so you can be sure to have a spot and plenty of food).

3.     OR join me for a 45 minute vinyasa class at 12:15am- 1pm. This is a perfect amount of time for a practice, so you can return to work renewed, relaxed and refreshed. You can practice without sweating or if you like a more vigorous practice there are showers available. And if your body says, “Not today”, then consider a 20-minute nap on an organic bed in the napping room or practice meditation or breath work.

Carpe Diem!

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and function medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals to heal from within.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Oscar Night Musings & Power of Play

I've been invited to a Red Carpet Oscar Night Party and pulled out an old green sequined evening gown to wear tonight. I've only seen one movie this year that's up for award, Victoria and Abdul. Turns out it was for makeup and hairstyling not even for best picture. No wonder I've been accused, "Oh Mom, you are soooo pop culture illiterate!"

 Nevertheless, in preparation for the party, I asked my husband to rent an Oscar nominated movie Friday night to watch. As usual, I found interesting musings.

First, I'm reminded of the power of personal connection, passion and play. The widowed Queen Victoria was "imprisoned" by pomp and circumstance. An Indian servant looks her in the eye (which was forbidden), then kisses her feet, which sparks a connection. His passion for everything from rugs to poetry and religion is contagious. Soon he is quoting Rumi and the Qu'ran and teaching her about India's rich culture. In spite of the cultural and political divide, they become friends. He encourages her to sing, dance and play. She feels happy and to her physician's delight, things begin to move (literally).

Second, "Isolation breeds Ignorance." She was "Empress of India, yet ignorant to the people, customs, rich history or politics." Through personal connection, she begins to cross this divide.

Third, I'm reminded of the power of play in my own life. When I was first studying integrative nutrition and health coaching, my coach asked me, "What do you do for fun?"

This question literally made me cry. The only thing I did for myself was to sweat for 90 minutes in a 110-degree room. This gave me discipline, helped me physically, and maybe increased some endorphins, but it wasn't what I call fun! 

This started my quest to find a workout for myself that was fun and good for my heart, mind, body and soul. The result is what I am now teaching at Rise Wellbeing Center on Wednesday mornings @ 7:30 am called Carpe Diem Dance. It's movement to music that allows you to sing, dance and play. We mix in a taste of yoga, dance, breathwork and meditation. Come join me to see what moves in your life.

May you also find personal connection and a fun, joyful, physical, practice in your life.

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

PS. Let me know what movie(s) you recommend watching?

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and function medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals to heal from within.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."