22 minute read
BODY GRATITUDE
Body Gratitude Being Thankful Empowers Our Workouts
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by Marlaina Donato
Exercise is crucial to preventing and managing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and many other health conditions, but staying motivated to maintain a routine can sometimes be challenging, even for fitness devotees. Cultivating an appreciation for the way our bodies carry us through life can turn what may have seemed like a humdrum workout into something special. Research shows that a gratitude practice fosters patience, encourages self-care and nourishes self-discipline, especially when there is temptation to reach for another slice of pie.
Appreciation in Motion
“When we’re appreciating ourselves, we open the floodgates to joyful movement and freedom,” says personal trainer Katie Hunt, in Milwaukee. “What if today were the last day I got to run? This question forces me to appreciate every little thing my body can do and minimizes the focus on what I dislike doing. Suddenly, running feels like a gift instead of a task.”
During pandemic restrictions, a socially distant power walk with a friend can get the blood moving and shift perspective. “Something about feeling my heart pounding, a cool breeze after I first break a sweat and the ability to share authentically with a close friend at the same time reminds me of both my powerful mind and miraculous body. How can I not be grateful?” asks Andrea Stern, owner of the Satori Yoga Studio, in San Francisco. Her thankful intention is carried into each yoga session. “I encourage students to bring a sense of gratitude to the mat with them. Before the class begins, I ask folks to connect with the present moment and to check in with themselves.”
Motivation Through Affirmation
Using daily affirmations—simple sentences written or spoken aloud—is a wonderful way to infuse exercise time with positivity. Leaning into a challenging asana or doing one more lap in the pool with self-affirming intention can snuff out self-criticism. “Moving your body is not a competition. You don’t have to prove yourself or your ability to anyone. Practice feeling grateful for how your body can move, starting with your heartbeat and breath,” says Sofia Angelina Marcus-Myers, an intuitive energy worker and portrait photographer in Portland, Oregon. Healing self-portraiture and dedication to daily affirmations propel MarcusMyers through chronic pain and help her to see the body as a sacred vehicle. “Affirming your body is a practice, and sometimes it will feel awkward, absurd or tedious. Do it
until you feel more comfortable affirming yourself, and then keep doing it.”
Calling a truce with body imperfections can help us feel more comfortable in our skins, something that can go a long way. For Hunt, shifting perspective inward is key. “What if we all stop and imagine being on a desert island? What would your perfect workout, body and life be like if there were no outside influences?”
Pain and Compassion
Living with discomfort makes exercising challenging, but learning to respect the body’s rhythms and limitations can be beautifully empowering. “I love the quote, ‘Unless your compassion begins with yourself, it is incomplete,’” says Stern. “Taking a class together (even virtually) gives us a sense of being in this together. When we breathe, stretch and grow together through our practice, it helps us to appreciate where we are on any given day.”
For Loolwa Khazzoom, a Seattle-based author and musician, it’s all about surrender. “Don’t fight your pain; dance with it— literally and figuratively. Dance from your bed. Dance in your head. Dance wherever and however it’s comfortable.” As the founder of Dancing with Pain, a wellness company that teaches a natural approach to pain relief through movement, Khazzoom says, “Our consciousness naturally goes to the places in pain and overlooks the places that feel good. Those places are quite literally our pathways to wellness.”
She recommends focusing on pain-free areas of the body with the joy, power, harmony and other sensations that come from moving to enjoyable music, noting, “As we inhabit those places with our entire beings, there is less and less room for the pain, to the point that it may vanish altogether.”
Marcus-Myers brings the message home with, “It isn’t your body’s purpose to be anyone’s ideal. Your body is an incredible living thing, worthy of love and gratitude.”
Marlaina Donato is an author and composer. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.
Steps to Building Body Gratitude
Affirmations from Sofia Angelina Marcus-Myers
“When you wake up, take several deep belly breaths. During each breath, acknowledge parts of your body. Imagine sending oxygen to your eyes, nose, lips, throat, chest, arms, fingers, waist, legs and toes. Softly say, ‘I am grateful for my eyes. I am grateful for my hands. I am grateful for my heart,’ and so on. Affirmations to try during exercise or any other time: ‘My imperfections are beautiful and connect me to others. My body is good. I am worthy of taking up space.’ Write or type affirmations on a beautiful piece of paper and put them somewhere you’ll see daily.”
Daily Techniques from Katie Hunt
“Spend three minutes filling a piece of paper with things you love about yourself. Include physical, mental, spiritual and emotional things. The act of writing yourself a mini-love letter every day sets the tone for a day of taking good care of yourself. Listening to the body is a practice. At a minimum, run a daily head-to-toe body scan, taking note of what feels good and what needs extra care.”
Gratitude Yoga Poses from Andrea Stern
Savasana or final resting pose (lying flat on your back with your arms by your side): “Use support (a rolled blanket or pillow) under the knees or thighs if that feels good. I love adding a body scan, sending breath to each muscle or joint, to my savasana, because it allows me to tap into my body and thank all the parts of me.” Ardha Uttanasana (half forward bend): “Place both hands on the kitchen counter or waist-high at the wall in front of you. Walk the feet back, folding at the waist. Press the fingertips into the wall or counter keeping the ears in line with the arms. Send energy up and out through the fingertips and down and out through the legs and heels. Keep the core engaged and the thigh muscles firm. You’ll feel this in your hamstrings, upper back and shoulders. Hold for three to five breaths and take a moment to bring gratitude into the present moment.”
A Movement Exercise by Loolwa Khazzoom
“Get as comfortable as you can—whether lying down, sitting or standing. Scan your body and find both the places that feel constricted and painful, and the places that feel expansive and comfortable. Wave hello to the pain places and let those places know that you’ll give them your full attention in the next 10 minutes, half-hour or hour; however long feels right to you. Then set your intention to focus on the places that feel good.
“Put on some gentle music you love, and fill with that music the places that feel good—even if the only pain-free place in your body is in your mind (imagination). Invite the comfortable parts of your body to move slowly and with a sense of ease when they are ready, moving from the music. Allow your body to make the tiniest of movements and recognize them as valid.
“Be sure to stay within your comfort zones at all times. Keep in mind that you can always move more slowly or gently, with tinier gestures and in different ways. Explore the parameters of your comfort zones and fill them with ease, joy, grace and harmony. If you start to feel pain, back off what you are doing and get curious about how to stay in your comfort zone. As you dance, you may discover that the edges of pain move out farther and farther as you ride the waves of sound and organically expand your happy places until the pain begins melting away as a result of your pleasure.”
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Skin-Soothing Herbs for Dogs and Cats Simple Ways to Reduce Itching
by Greg Tilford
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svvvita/AdobeStock.com From allergies to liver deficiency, many factors can itch, inflame and irritate the skin of our pets. A dog’s or cat’s skin can become damaged or compromised because the skin is the first line of defense against attacks from external substances. Skin problems in pets have many causes, yet a variety of herbs can help a dog or cat feel more comfortable.
While the catalysts of acute-onset skin issues such as insect bites or sunburn are obvious and can be dealt with directly, most forms of skin and coat disease are caused by deeper issues that can be extremely difficult to identify and address. Chronic or recurring skin conditions that cannot be attributed to influences outside the body usually point to deeper health issues, some of which can be serious or even life-threatening.
The greatest mistake one can make when assessing a skin problem is assuming the problem is only skin deep. And while topical salves, liniments, shampoos or lotions can be quite effective in temporarily suppressing itching and pain, they will not likely address the root causes of a dog’s or cat’s skin ailment. For that, the situation must be approached from the inside-out with diet and several key herbs.
Many cases of chronic skin issues in dogs and cats are either directly attributable to or strongly influenced by inappropriate and allergy-inducing ingredients in pet foods. Be critical about the quality of pet foods and avoid those that contain meat byproducts, artificial flavors and preservatives, as well as all grains, especially wheat and corn.
It’s also important to give a good fish or krill oil supplement to dogs and cats. The omega-3 fatty acids in these marine lipids play critical roles in regulating immune system inflammatory response to allergens. More specifically, they inhibit inflammation, while omega-6 fatty acids typically found in grains and vegetable oils stimulate inflammation. Both processes are necessary for healthy body functioning, but an imbalance of too much omega-6 sets the stage for skin allergies, a dull coat and excessive shedding.
Liver deficiency is another common factor to consider. The liver is responsible for producing digestive enzymes and acids needed to break down and assimilate food while also filtering waste from the bloodstream. If the liver is deficient in any of these functions, excess waste that cannot be eliminated via normal pathways will wreak havoc on the body, often manifesting as a skin condition. If this happens, symptoms commonly recognized as pyoderma, eczema or psoriasis will increase as the body tries to eliminate the waste, pushing the toxins outward and away from vital internal organs toward the skin.
In addition to dietary adjustments, liver support is helpful when it comes to skin problems, and this is where herbs come in.
Burdock root (Arctium lappa). This herb has an ancient history as a skin remedy. It contains inulin, an svvvita/AdobeStock.com indigestible polysaccharide constituent that serves as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial microflora in the gut and improving digestion. It also contains a broad variety of compounds that gently stimulate the liver at various levels to help detoxify the body and aid in
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transporting waste out of the bloodstream. Burdock can be found as a tincture or a fresh root at many health food stores. Grate the fresh root liberally onto the pet’s food at each mealtime. Burdock is fairly neutral in flavor and very safe, so there’s no need to worry about overfeeding.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). The roots and leaves are highly nutritious. They svvvita/AdobeStock.com contain a complex assortment of liversupporting compounds as well as diuretic properties that aid the body in eliminating toxins via urination. Red clover (Trifolium pretense), alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and milk thistle (Silybum marianum). These are svvvita/AdobeStock.com well-known blood cleansers worth considering. Look for formulas that contain a balanced array of all three.
Greg Tilford is the CEO of Animal Essentials Inc., a natural pets supplement company. He is the author of five books, including Herbs for Pets: The Natural Way to Enhance Your Pet’s Life. For more information, visit AnimalEssentials.com.
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Topical Herbs that Relieve the Itch
To heal a pet’s skin problems from the inside-out with good food and supplementation can take a few weeks. In the meantime, the itchy misery can be reduced with topical remedies. One of the most effective approaches is herbal astringents that work by quickly tightening skin and subcutaneous tissue, reducing inflammation and redness. n Witch hazel. This herbal extract can be purchased as a clear liquid at any drugstore. It’s also the primary active ingredient in many commercial hemorrhoid ointments, as it reduces inflamed membranes very quickly. A dab or two of witch hazel applied with a cotton ball can work wonders against flea or mosquito bites. It’s important to know that most products are made with isopropyl alcohol, which is quite toxic if ingested in large amounts. Therefore, this extract should be reserved for situations in which only a few dabs are needed (i.e., don’t use it as a rinse). Better yet, look for witch hazel extract made with ethanol (grain alcohol) or vegetable glycerin, an edible palm oil derivative used in natural soaps and cosmetics for its emollient, skin-soothing qualities. n Aloe vera. With its antibacterial properties, aloe vera gel works especially well when spot-applied directly to hot spots or insect bites. However, unless combined with an emollient, the drying and tightening properties of aloe vera could further exacerbate discomfort caused by dry, chapped skin. n Calendula. Calendula officinalis, small marigold, is easy to grow or purchase in dry bulk form at natural product retailers. Cooled calendula tea, liberally applied to an animal’s skin and coat, can bring fast relief to inflamed skin and accelerate the healing of open sores. To make a soothing skin rinse, simply infuse two to four tablespoons of dried calendula flowers into a quart of near-boiling water. Allow the tea to cool completely, drench the pet with the tea and allow it to drip dry. n Tea. Peppermint, chamomile and green teas are great for relieving itchy skin. Infuse four to six tea bags of any (or all) of these herbs into one quart of boiling water. Cool thoroughly and rinse the animal. Not only will it feel better, it will smell great, too.
Yoga Corner
Courage
by Nicole Zornitzer
Several years ago, I read Braving the Wilderness, by Brene Brown. In my quest for continual self-growth, inspiration and motivation during challenging moments in life, this book and its messages have been a blessing and created a platform for me to share with others the idea of braving our own, internal “wilderness”.
A concept that is introduced in this book is the idea of having a strong back and soft front. Brown eloquently presents the idea of us moving through life in a defensive mode versus an open and compassionate manner; most importantly toward ourselves. The question posed is how can we move through life with strength and vulnerability and coexist in the dichotomy of opposing ideas?
The answer is through courage. It requires courage for us to experience life and feel a sense of belonging in our own bodies, all while maintaining a strong back and soft front.
This courage is not like the typical courage we have learned about as a child, rather this courage is finding the means to express who we are, our truest of feelings and acceptance of the revelations about ourselves without judgment. Becoming the most authentic version of ourselves is difficult, it requires being brutally honest with “all that is”—the good, the bad, the challenges, the joys.
When we find this ability to confront our greatest challenges, to stand alone with confidence and security, we are exuding this idea of courage. As one of my teachers says, “It is moving through a situation that provides true growth and evolution, we should not avoid challenges; we must go through them all. To do this, requires tremendous courage and compassion for one’s self.”
This idea can then be related to satya, which is one of the yamas. Satya is one of the covenants of yogic philosophy and translates to being truthful. This challenges us to take bold measures in an effort to find our authentic self, our dharma and our purpose. When one begins to remove the walls of protection that we have created around our energy field, when one becomes vulnerable, when one fully engages in life and all that each new day brings, we are taking appropriate steps to become courageous and exude the true definition of strength.
Braving our own “wilderness” becomes this idea of evaluating our internal and external world. Becoming friends with ourselves and finding the courage at moments to challenge our comfort zone, to broaden our mind, to expand our hearts, to express vulnerability, to admit that we don’t know. Evolving and aging gracefully leads us to ultimately conclude that we are an expansive wilderness, a tapestry of thoughts, behaviors, compassion, love and even forgiveness. How beautiful that is.
Nicole Zornitzer, ERYT 1000, yoga therapist, founder of Niyama Yoga & Wellness Shala, located in Randolph, New Jersey, and Upper Lake Mohawk in Sparta, New Jersey. NiyamaYogaShala.com. namaste
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Whole Body Yoga Studio 103 E Walnut St 215-661-0510 WholeBodyYogaStudio.com
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Inner Harmony Wellness Center Peter Amato, PhD, DNM Board Certified Natural Medicine Two PA Locations 647 Wyoming Ave, Kingston 131 Reynolds Rd, Waverly 570-319-6073 • InnerHarmonyWellness.com
With 25 years of experience, we get to the root cause of your health concerns. Find out what is causing long-standing health issues and walk away with a precise care plan. Today's chronic illnesses are not located in the blood. We test at the cellular level. Our approach merges applied kinesiology, Quantum Biofeedback and (ART) Autonomic Response Testing developed by Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD. See ad, page 17.
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Center for Natural Healing Jeffrey L Griffin, DC Bailiwick Office Campus, Ste 26, Doylestown 215-348-2115 • C4NH.com
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When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in. ~Kristin Armstrong Michelle Christine Sacred Rose Unity Barn, 4000 Sawmill Rd, Doylestown MichelleChristine@SacredRose444.com 215-840-8139 • SacredRose444.com
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A fully organic, holistic, eco-friendly wellness spa featuring an array of detoxification, cleansing and therapeutic services. The spa is one of the only facilities in the area to offer colon hydrotherapy. See ad, page 9.
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Thermography gives an early look at the most important indicator of a potential health problem — inflammation. Earlystage disease screening is an area in which thermography excels. Whether your pain is acute or chronic, or you are merely curious about the state of your health, thermography can help provide answers. Radiation-free breast and full-body screenings for men and women. See ad, pg 21.
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Doylestown Veterinary Hospital & Holistic Pet Care 380 N Shady Retreat Rd, Doylestown 215-345-6000 DoylestownVeterinaryHospital.com
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