JANUARY FEELS – CONNECTING TO THE BODY AND GROUNDING

Hi all,

It’s Kat. As mentioned in my welcoming post, I started this year 2024 off with a structural back problem. Now, as Felicity discusses in the JANUARY CHRONICLES, everything to do with this month is based on STRUCTURE, solid foundation, slowing down and grounding. So, after a frantic and frenzied end to 2023, I found myself unable to move, which given I had just posted THE BODY MESSANGER post on social, I found utterly ironic and also deeply frustrating as here I am, preaching about how we need to tune into our bodies and find some structure that WHAM – My body tells me “NO MORE” and puts me into a state of FREEZE

Now, if any of you have ever read my book DEAR CHILD, where there is a rather deep emphasis and exploration on THE NERVOUS SYSTEM then you will know that the sympathetic and parasympathetic modes that the body identifies as MESSAGES from the nervous system can show you whether all is balanced or not by providing signals that indicate whether or not you are in a state of FIGHT, FLIGHT, FREEZE OR FAUN. When our body starts to give us these signs they are indicators to us that we need to STOP – REFLECT – LISTEN AND TUNE INTO WHAT OUR BODY IS TELLING US AND THEN – READJUST AND FINE TUNE to get back to a healthy state again

EASIER SAID THAN DONE in most instances because if there was a magic flip switch that aha, just like that flipped us ‘back to normal’ into a healthy state of alignment, well, I probably wouldn’t be writing this post, would I? But, we are ALL subject to enormous amounts of external stresses and pressures: Work, Family, Finances, Health, Sleep, Physical movement etc all grab our attention and often, we simply haven’t got the time in this modern day and age to sit back and ponder on HOW TO BECOME OUR OWN GURU OR HEALER but, THAT is why I’m writing this post: Because actually, we all are our own guru’s and healers. We just need some insights and encouragement from time to time to remember that

I live in a country where I am lucky enough to be able to go see the Doctor without massive delays should I need to but my goodness most of us know that over the last few years, getting an appointment with a Doctor is about as realistic as bagging Taylor Swift tickets – And my Mum will often say, in circumstances such as this with my bad back ‘Why don’t you just go see someone and get a prescription?’ – And my answer to that is, that I do not need to. I am my own Doctor. I just need to re-learn a thing or 2 and that is why, especially over the last few years I have made it my mission to be the messenger and the cheerleader for anyone that also wishes to TAKE THEIR POWER BACK and stop relying on external forces to help them, heal them, save them from something they could very realistically save themselves from because, as we’re all starting to learn, PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE and that with preventative measures and SOMATIC PROTOCOLS in place to help re-align your whole being, you often (not always) don’t need anyone to do the work for you

So, in this series of our NEWSLETTER, there is going to be a big old focus on SLOWING DOWN and making sure that over the colder, darker days of the year, we can keep our bodies warm and strong. Starting with THESE 2 GREAT somatic yoga workouts by James Knight of ‘Gentle Somatic Yoga’:

LET’S HAVE A LOOK

HIP, PELVIS AND KNEE SOMATIC STRETCHING AND PANDICULATION EXERCISES – By James Knight from GENTLE SOMATIC YOGA

And for anyone that is also struggling perhaps with a locked sciatic nerve, James also has this fantastic SHORT VIDEO below that helps to release the TFL muscle so, still in the HIP, PELVIS AND KNEE focus area for this January focus

And for those of you that would just like a quickie printout to stick to the back of the door and follow some gentle yin hip and back poses in your own time, here is a 20 min flow collection that you can spend your own time doing at your leisure and pleasure

We hope you find these fab January somatic practice ideas inspirational and comforting alongside all our other tips for this month, where the focus is on our BONES AND BLOOD

Other tips on how to use your own body to enable BLOOD FLOW:

• DRY SKIN BRUSHING – Flushes the lymphatic system and helps circulate the blood which in turn helps increase the volume and flow!
• LEGS UP THE WALL – For 10 mins before bed, lay with your back on the floor and rest your legs on a 90 degree angle up the wall. If the wall is cold pop socks on
• BODY TAPPING – Every now and then throughout the day, give your pressure points a slight tap tap tap and see how it helps connect the BODY BRAIN and tune you in. GREAT for your CNS
• DRINK YOUR BEETS – What? Yes, when you boil your beets, save the blood juice and warm it up with some ginger and honey! I promise you, it is SO tasty and will get that blood flowing good and toastie

So make sure you keep yourself warm, stretch and move well so that you don’t injure yourself and HAVE A FANTASTIC JANUARY 2024