Where's My Pelvis?
This week I've got a *30 second video* introducing you to your pelvis! I'm 52-years-old and have birthed four children, yet I had minimal pelvic awareness when I did my first yoga teacher training back in 2016! Your pelvis holds so many important organs, is the starting point of your spine, and is one of the most stable parts of the body!
Check out this super-short video and let me know what you learn!
Hope you can take a little time to notice what's going on in your body this week!
Happy Hips
Do you enjoy going for a walk?
Maybe you're an avid hiker or runner. Or perhaps your hips just feel tight a lot of the time (hello Zoom calls that seem to last forevvvvvvver.)
If you relate to any of the above, your hips could benefit from some rotation. Circling the femur (hip) bone in the hip socket is an important movement for good hip mobility. Kate -- one of my dedicated students -- takes the below movement after every walk or hike. She has noticed a marked improvement in her hip pain as a result!
Click below and see if your hips are a little bit happier afterwards!
Just Show Up
Aaaaand, it's November: the holiday season has “officially” begun. Shopping, cooking, entertaining (maybe), wrapping gifts, houseguests (possibly), travel (who knows), social engagements (am I ready for that yet?).
Do you feel your blood pressure rising or your breathing becoming short? Same here. I'm going to set one goal for the next two months: just show up. Just Show Up. It really doesn't matter if you've bought the perfect gifts, cooked perfect food, or bought the perfect outfit. What does matter? Your presence. Being there for friends and family (even if this year it is -- again -- over Zoom).
Maybe this month is when you finally decide to carve out (pardon the turkey pun!) some time to take care of yourself for just a few minutes a day. Like five minutes. I would like to invite you to Just Show Up -- in your comfy bed, on the couch, in a chair, next to the kitchen counter, wherever! Here are some ideas:
1. Before you stumble out to the kitchen to make your coffee or tea in the morning, can you sit up in bed, re-close your eyes, and take five mindful breaths?
2. Before you pour that glass of wine and fire up Netflix in the evening, can you sit on the couch and take a few side body stretches?
3. Is it a chilly Saturday morning, your body is stiff, and you can't seem to get going? Come to your hands and knees and take a few rounds of Cow-Cat (you can also do these seated).
4. Maybe it’s Sunday afternoon and you are starting to stress out about the week ahead. Take your legs up the wall or settle into child’s pose for a minute or two. Breathe.
Just. Show. Up. You'll be glad you did!
Want some more suggestions? Contact me at jennie@jenniemacgoyyoga.com. I’ve got a gigantic list I’d love to share!
You Do Not Need Fixing!
“You don’t need fixing.”
-- Greg Lehman, physiotherapist, chiropractor and strength and conditioning specialist
I studied with Greg Lehman as part of a yoga and strengthening course I took with Kathryn Bruni Young. I learned so much about pain science!
How often have you struggled physically (or mentally) and thought, “My body (or brain) has got to get fixed!”? I’ve been there many, many times.
Now obviously, if you have a broken bone, tear, or severe sprain, you’re gonna want to get that fixed! Likewise, if you are dealing with mental health issues, please see a qualified therapist. But once you’ve done those things and have them under control, what if you are still struggling a little bit? Your yoga practice can help you build resilience to a variety of physical and mental challenges.
How, you might ask?
Well, a thoughtful, mindful, slow-paced physical practice can help you gain greater body awareness and truly learn what movements make your body feel good. This awareness can perhaps help you better manage persistent pain. For example, when trying a variety of yoga poses, you might discover that folding forward really helps with your low back pain. Or that externally rotating your shoulder is what hurts your arm. And if you are truly present in your body physically, your mind focuses on that instead of some of the intrusive thoughts rattling around in your head!
Breathing techniques and meditation are also forms of yoga: it’s not just the warrior poses and slow stretches! Calming breathing techniques help settle the body and the mind, activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Meditation takes practice, but over time can truly help you pause an unhelpful train of thoughts. Meditation does not have to last for several minutes to be effective! Focusing on your breath for five seconds is a great place to start. You can always build up to longer periods of time.
So please remember that you do not need fixing. You are a perfect human being who just might benefit from some yoga to help live your life to its fullest!
Me? Meditate?
I’ll admit it: meditation did not initially appeal to me. When I heard the word, I pictured a person sitting with a very straight spine on a cushion, eyes closed, chanting, and in a trance. I would think to myself, “I’ve got no time for THAT!”
But as I started to practice the physical side of yoga, I began to explore the mental aspect. Yes, meditation can look like the image I described above. But it doesn’t have to.
Want to know what my meditation practice looks like? Well, it looks different every time! Sometimes, I wake up, make my coffee, and sit for a minute on my sofa with my eyes closed. I start the Breathe app on my Apple watch and try to keep my attention on my breathing for one minute.
Other days, I do a walking meditation. Whether it’s around the neighborhood or along the shore, I try to spend several moments noticing each time my foot connects with the ground. Or I stand gazing and the waves and try to keep my attention on them. Or I walk on a nature trail and try to keep my attention on the sounds of birds singing.
All of this is meditation: anytime you can interrupt your thoughts, or tune into your body or breath, you’re meditating. Does it have to last 30 minutes? Heck no! Sometimes my meditation practice lasts only 1 minute: it still “counts” and it still helps me calm down, redirect my thinking, or just pause and breathe.
Want to give meditation a try? We can spend part of a private yoga session learning how. I’d love to introduce you to this type of yoga (and it is yoga!)
