I created this short post as part of my Awaken Your Pelvic Floor Program and Pelvis & Sacred Sacrum Program. Although it’s a quick look at some of the anatomical relationships between the pelvic floor and foot, I encourage you to use it as inspiration to explore those connections. Remembering the anatomy isn’t essential. But sensing the relationships and expanding your capacity to embody your anatomy will change everything!

A healthy lifestyle can help curb chronic inflammation and be a crucial part of managing chronic pain. But I don’t want you to treat “inflammation” as a four-letter word —it exists to help us. It’s a crucial part of the body’s natural healing system. Unfortunately…

The psoas (pronounced so-az) has come up a few times in our live classes in the last several months. Really, it was just in passing as we looked at anatomy related to the tongue, pelvic floor, diaphragm, and heart.

But it sparked some curiosity.

In fact, I had three members reach out to request a series on the psoas. So I chucked March's arches & waves series and started prepping for the upcoming Hips + Psoas series.

I have to admit. I'm pretty excited about it. The psoas is a fascinating muscle... and some would say not just a muscle.

 One thing we can do for our loved ones, community, planet, and social change is to understand how we can be health and wellness warriors from our own personal emotional and physical well-being. So let’s start with what everyone on the planet does. Poops! 

Your poops are an excellent indicator of your total health. Your gut and brain are in constant communication via the amazing Vagus Nerve, which I LOVE to talk about. If you are feeling depressed, experiencing mood swings, and all digestive issues, your communication between the brain and gut are not getting along and this disruption is the beginning of many symptoms and diseases. 

I recently created a short movement practice for a student titled, "reConnecting The Pelvis & Jaw." I’m sure that you know that the jaw impacts your teeth and other mouthy parts. But did you also know that the jaw and its movements play a pivotal role in balance — physically and emotionally?

The upper jaw, part of the cranium, connects most intimately with the spine and back of the body. Every movement the upper jaw makes reverberates through the spine. One of the best ways to feel this is to sense the connection between the pelvis and the jaw. Once you've made the connection, you can refine your ability to feel how the jaw movements transmit down the spine.

A few weeks ago, I went on a relatively short and easy hike in the woods, a trail I had been on before. It led to a beautiful watering hole where a stream became a waterfall, ultimately flowing into a large pool for swimming before continuing onward. The trail was quite wide and did not have many obstructions to deal with; it was also relatively flat.

Along I plodded, anxious to reach the water to cool off as it was an exceptionally hot and muggy day. Halfway there and my feet and back were already tiring. By the time I reached all the action, which was only a mile in, my feet had moved past tiring to aching.

What is this one single thing that profoundly impacts your brain and body, both in the short- and long-term?

It's simple: sleep.

Would you be shocked to know some researchers say that "good sleep guarantees well-being and mental health"?(1) 

Why is sleep so crucial? What is sleep, and how do we do it? How much is "enough quality sleep"? How does it do these incredible things for health and wellness? And, most importantly, how can you get better sleep?

Sleep is an active process. Your body might be still, but your biology is bustling with activity. All of that internal nocturnal activity is crucial for living well.

Sleep also plays a massive role in detoxification. Your body has been using sleep to recharge and repair itself since before you were born. It’s no surprise that many sleep disorders are now linked to chronic pain, decreased cognitive function, depression, chronic pain, and neurological diseases, like Alzheimer’s.

Did you know that the most abundant tissue in the body, is none other than “connective” tissue?

Your lifestyle can drastically impact your fascia. But for this post, we’ll focus on nourishing our tissues with our fork because we all want to be continually supplying our joints (and the rest of our bodies) with ample nutrition to make them as robust as possible!

Chronic inflammation has been on mind. Why? Because recently, I’ve been working with A LOT of people who are struggling with chronic pain and depression. No surprises that those two who up hand-in-hand. But the truth is, they’re not alone.

Mental health issues have a significant impact on society. Some suggest that their influence is more significant than any other chronic disease, including heart disease or diabetes. And if you suffer from persistent pain, then you're four times as likely to have depression or anxiety than those who are pain-free.

There are so many factors involved in complex conditions like mental health issues and persistent pain. But today, we're going to look at just one of these factors — inflammation.

The video, Understanding Pain + What To Do About It In Less Than 5 Minutes, offers an excellent overview of understanding pain, especially chronic pain. I help people with complex pain implement the lifestyle changes necessary to help them to move beyond pain. 

Most people who experience complex pain do best when addressing their pain on many fronts — most of which are in this video. This video highlights many of my professional perspective on working with pain. It's spot on with a Feldenkraisian approach to moving, learning, growing, and healing.

Blood sugar is literally that: the sugar in your blood. Your blood contains all kinds of important nutrients and other substances that you need to be healthy, including glucose (i.e., sugar), a crucial energy source for your brain and your red blood cells. Blood is the liquid transporter that distributes these compounds to all parts of our bodies.

Sugar (a type of carbohydrate) is one of our body’s main fuels. The other two fuels are fat and protein. I call it “fuel” because our cells literally burn it to do work. It’s this “biochemical” burning of fuel in all of our cells that is our metabolism.

So, How Does Blood Sugar Get Too High? 

I am intrigued by how we develop our self-image over our lifetime and how we can consciously choose to shift that image.

I am currently on my fifth read of Awareness Through Movement by Moshe Feldenkrais. I read this book for the first time nearly fifteen years ago, and I am in awe as to what shifts in perspective and what stands out whenever I return to a great book.

The brilliance of w-sitting and learning how to play for another way.

I have come across several articles recently that suggest that you tell your child NO or that you insist your child sit differently every time you find her sitting in the “W” position. But I am here to say that the No-No approach deprives both you and your child of valuable learning.