Episode 1 - Body Rhythm: Easing into Spring and Embracing Our Natural Flow

Body Rhythm: Easing into Spring and Embracing Our Natural Flow

Welcome to the body rhythm podcast and our very first episode. I am so excited to get this podcast started. This podcast was created to talk about experiences that affect women and hopefully help women find it. their most balanced self to live a more connected and joyous life. In today's episode, I'll be talking a little bit about what the body rhythm is and three quick tips to ease into spring.

Body rhythm is our unique blend of how we are created, where we feel most at ease, Most connected, most joyful, and through our life experiences from the time that we're born to present day, our body rhythm is constantly [00:01:00] changing. So how do we begin to notice when the body's rhythms are off or unbalanced?

How do we begin to notice? what the signs of stress in our body looks like and how can we address those? How can we begin to look at our digestion and nutrition and recognize the signs when those are out of balance and how do we bring ourselves back into balance? That's really what this podcast was created to explore, to bring all of my knowledge from 25 years of yoga and Ayurveda, public health and health coaching, to really explore some of these topics from a more holistic, spiritual point of view.

To blend Eastern philosophy [00:02:00] with allopathic approaches. The body rhythm is meant to provide ways and conversations about how we access the potential of our bodies to be a safe place, a place of pleasure, a place of health, a place of happiness, so that we can achieve everything that we want to achieve.

So that We can recognize when we are a little bit out of sync. And so I hope to bring interesting topics to explore and talk about how can we begin as women to reclaim our bodies as a safe place, as a place of love and pleasure and joy and emotion and feeling instead of, I feel like we continually try to push it down, push it out of the way, not think [00:03:00] about it.

And we do that so that we make it through the day to accomplish all the tasks that need to get done. But do we really succeed in that? Or are we just? Sort of not connected to what's truly happening to us beneath the surface. The Body Rhythm is really a place to explore how the mind and the body are connected to help us feel our most.

Connected self, our most balanced self, our most connected self to spirit and to God and how that impacts our personal health, how it impacts how We show up in the world for ourselves, for our friends, for our family, for our co workers, for those that we come into contact with on a daily [00:04:00] basis, or the clerk at the grocery store.

It's really, the body rhythm is meant to be a journey of self discovery, to talk on a variety of topics that really interest me and I hope interest you. So this is the perfect time to begin a new podcast. It is springtime. There's more daylight, more sunshine, more warmth. And springtime is a time of new beginnings, new creative projects.

Revival, refresh, reconnection to ourselves and to others. Spring is the time of revitalization.

 So we're beginning to move. From the winter to the spring, winter is a time that is darker. It's a time that we've perhaps spent more [00:05:00] indoors, doing less physical activity. And body rhythm is how we feel most connected to nature. If we look at, nature is a mirror of our life. We are experiences.

can mirror what's happening in nature. For instance, we're just moving from winter to springtime. And in winter, the days tend to be darker, colder. We're naturally spending more time indoors. More time with less activity. It's more of a time to go inward. And as we begin to transition to springtime, the days become a bit longer.

There's more light. There's more warmth from the sunshine. And so, the natural inclination is to begin to come out of our winter [00:06:00] cocoon. You might notice that You feel more stagnant or tired. It's more difficult to wake up in the morning, especially if you're like me I'm hitting snooze at least five times Especially with the time change.

The qualities of springtime are water and earth. And when those two qualities melt together, they create mud. This substance that is very viscous. That is heavy and grounded. It's hard for fluids to move through it. And so imagine those same qualities happening in your body. That's what we, that might be what's happening when we develop more sinus congestion in the springtime head cold, more mucus perhaps in the [00:07:00] lungs.

It's because our body is mirroring. What's happening in nature as the body is beginning to come out of its shell and is being more heated by the sunshine, the things and toxins that have naturally begun to accumulate in the be in the body began to be shed. When the wet and cold qualities become too much during the winter time, and then we go outside and the sun begins to melt a little bit, it creates an environment for spring colds and congestion.

So this is a time really when we want to lessen the things that make us more heavy and stagnant. It's time to lessen the ice cream, the milk or dairy [00:08:00] products. Wheat breads tend to be more heavy. Butter can increase the natural feelings of heaviness and stagnation, and it's really a time to tap into more.

Lighter type foods such as the leafy greens of spinach and shard, maybe some beets, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, potatoes. Dried fruits are a great addition to a springtime diet just because they happen to be light and airy in nature, and they lift some of that heaviness that. Might be naturally occurring in the body to help with some of the sinus congestion and allergies that might be going on.

A Neti Pot in the morning is very useful if you can do it twice a day, even better. [00:09:00] But a Neti Pot really will help clear out the sinuses, clear out some of that congestion that might be accumulating in the head.

As we begin to move into spring, there are four tips I have for you to add into your daily routine. These are meant to be. Easy things that you can add as fits most appropriately into your lifestyle. Try them out, see how they feel. Begin to notice if there's a change in the body, if there's a change in the mind, a change in your spirit.

So the first thing is to get outdoors. There is an increase in sunshine, an increase in daylight hours, the sun and. Nature is naturally encouraging us to go outside, to hear the birds sing, to [00:10:00] hear the sounds of nature all around us. This is the perfect time to take advantage of what.

Is around you to take in new flowers, new colors, new vibrations that maybe you missed or haven't noticed as we're coming out of winter [00:11:00] [00:12:00] season.

To feel the warmth of the sunshine on our skin. As we stand in the warmth of the sun, it's naturally encouraging us to go outside, spend a little, bit more time, and naturally begin to shed the pounds that the body may have put on as we cocooned during the winter season.

Number two is get creative. Spring is a natural time of new beginnings it's time to redo the rooms that you've wanted to do spring cleaning. Get rid of everything that [00:13:00] doesn't suit you anymore. It's great time to start new projects, new creative endeavors. The mind might be filled with ideas that maybe have been percolating since the winter time.

So don't be afraid to start. What has been your passion? What's been on your mind? The book ideas, the business ideas, the ideas to make you feel better and to feel safe. This is the time to really start to make the magic happen.

This is a time when the body naturally wants to go and do new things. This is the time that we traditionally plant new seeds. We might plant tomatoes or lettuces or herbs in our spring gardens.

I encourage you if you have a farmer's market [00:14:00] nearby to maybe begin to explore to see what's coming in to season. This

It's a time to tap into your creative energy, the energy of new beginnings.

Number three is get going. This is the time to start exercising. Just a little bit more exercise is a great way to get the body moving, to remove some of that stagnation that may have built up some of that lethargy and. Fatigue that is naturally occurring in the body. Exercise is also a great way to get rid of some of the toxins that may have built up in the body.

 It's a, great time to take a hot yoga class or a more vinyasa style class. These classes tend to have a [00:15:00] bit more movement and you sweat a little bit more, which is releasing some of that toxicity and stagnation that might be in the body.

The body is naturally craving to move, and so whether that's a yoga class or a bike ride, or a lovely walk around the block or along the beach or in the mountains, this is the time to get out there, enjoy nature and get moving.

Number four is dry brushing dry brushing is a type of massage It's not used with oil instead it's used with a dry brush or Garshana silk gloves or a loofah So the massage stimulates the body and helps detoxify the body tissues. The massage works with the three [00:16:00] systems of the body, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, and the nervous system.

And massage really benefits the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system drains excess fluid from the bloodstream. It eases the heart's workload. The lymphatic system is responsible for providing defense for the body against viruses and bacteria.

It has those helper cells to help us combat sickness and disease.

Garshana gloves are silk gloves that you can get. They're a little bit more soothing on the body. They're not as rough as a dry brush and dry brushing can be a little bit too rough for those who have little bit more sensitive skin, drier skin. If you don't [00:17:00] have Garshana gloves, you can use a dry loofah.

And if you don't have a loofah, you can just use the palm of your hand would work as well. We really just want to begin to Invigorate the tissues of the body. So before you jump into the bath or the shower, you'd want to do the dry brushing for about three to five minutes, whatever feels most comfortable.

If you'd like to do it longer, you can. It should be long strokes on the limbs, long strokes on the arms and the legs, and circular motions for all of your joints, like the ankles and the wrists. Massage should be brisk, but you still want it to feel good. You don't want to rub yourself raw, that's, that's not the goal here.

The goal is really just to begin to break up some of that stagnation that may have been accumulating in the body. It's also important [00:18:00] during this time to remember to stay warm, when we see more sunshine, the thing that we want to do most probably is shed all of the sweaters and Put on our cute blouses, our tank tops, and go outside and sit in the sun.

But we have to remember that it's still cold some days here in Southern California. The weather's been a bit wonky. It's rained for a few days and then beautiful sunshine other days and then rain again and beautiful sunshine. Remember to stay warm during this time. It's still very important.

We want to remember to drink warm fluids throughout the day. A nice ginger tea is a great addition to springtime. Uh, Our water should be room temperature, not ice cold. Just keep in mind things as you go throughout your daily tasks. Am I [00:19:00] doing things that sort of add to the feeling of heaviness and fatigue and lethargy?

Or am I doing things that maybe are creating more feelings of lightness and airiness and warmth? Just something to keep in mind as we move through this new spring season.

 Time of the year might be a bit overwhelming anytime that we transition from one season to another. It can be overwhelming, right? It represents another type of change that we have to adapt to.

And if we're someone that doesn't like change, that can be difficult. I have a meditation. for us to do, a short one, to begin our very first episode. Just to begin to take stock of where we are at the beginning of this spring [00:20:00] season. Gently closing the eyes.

Maybe you're sitting or lying down.

Maybe if the eyes are open, there's a soft gaze. Focus.

Putting your hand on your heart. And noticing the five points. Where the fingertips touch the skin.

Noticing how each fingertip feels on the skin.

Noticing if it's a light touch or perhaps the touch is a bit more [00:21:00] forceful. And then beginning to notice the breath, the rise and fall of the chest of the heart.

Noticing if the breaths are. Shallow, more towards the top, or if they're deep, more towards the belly. The body is just giving you information of how it feels in this moment.

No judgment, no good or bad. Just beginning to make connection.

Then notice how the heartbeat feels. Maybe you have to [00:22:00] move the palm of your hand a little bit to feel the heartbeat.

Noticing if the heartbeat is strong or weak.

Noticing the beats of the heart, if they're fast or maybe a bit slower.

Body is just giving you information of where it is now at this moment in time.

And as you feel more connected with the body, Begin to notice if there's any areas of lethargy, of heaviness, of stagnation. And [00:23:00] as you begin to identify those areas, can you direct a little bit more breath?

Can the breath begin to move? Through those areas of heaviness and stagnation. And

as the breath begins to move through those areas, is there a feeling of more room there? More lightness there? More airiness?

And then when you're ready, slowly opening up the eyes, maybe taking in [00:24:00] the sights, the sounds of the space that you're in.

Just beginning to notice and be more connected to where you are as we begin this spring season.

Bring awareness to any areas that you'd like to focus on, whether it's more creativity, or more movement, or more time spent out in nature.

Thank you so much for joining me on the first episode of The Body Rhythm. And I hope you'll join me for the next episode. I'm really excited to talk about things that, are important to us as women, our health, our life experiences, how to feel great in our bodies, how to experience pleasure and happiness and health.

[00:25:00] I wish you a wonderful springtime, a wonderful day. Be well and nourished.