Supported Child's Pose

This is one to leave you feeling SOOOO nurtured and is another favourite of mine!

This pose is a lifesaver during times when I feel:

+ Exhausted
+ Fatigued
+ Stressed
+ Anxious
+ Overwhelmed
+ Emotionally fragile and tender
+ During my moon cycle

In no time at all I have quickly dropped back into myself and feel soothed and nurtured.

What are the Benefits?

+ By triggering the ‘relaxation response’ it deeply soothes the nervous system.

+ It provides support, comfort and nurturing during stressful times.

+ It elongates the lower back and sacrum; and opens the hips and inner thighs.

+ It can calm a busy and scattered mind.

+ It allows one to more easily turn the focus inwards.

+ It invites the breath to explore the back of the body.

+ As a grounding pose it can help calm anxiety.

+ It supports digestion by allowing the abdominal organs to soften.

How to practise?

+ Come to kneeling on the mat with the buttocks resting on the heels.
Now take the knees apart - not to wide - and keep the big toes touching.

+ Bring your bolster (or stacked pillows/blankets) in between the thighs and close to the groin. Make the stack quite high to start. You can adjust the height later if you need to.

+ Bring the hands to the floor on either side of your support, breath in and expand into the chest.
As you exhale gently lower the torso onto the support, keeping the front of the body long. The buttocks should ideally stay connected to the heels and the whole torso will be resting over the bolster.

+ Adjust the height as necessary. You don’t want it to be so high you are missing the forward bending aspect of the pose, but equally you don’t want to be straining to get to your support.

+ Let the palms rest on the floor face down and allow the elbows to bend slightly away from the support to release the shoulders.

+ Rest the head to one side and stay for as longs as feels comfortable, making sure to be kind on the neck and turn the head the other way half way through.

+ Whilst in the pose focus on surrendering into the support and letting go of tension as you bring awareness to the breath. Let the breath explore the back of the lungs, ribs and heart space, lower back and sacrum. 

+ To release, gently push through the hands and mindfully bring the torso upright.

Variations

 + If the buttocks won’t rest comfortably on the heels (it’s floating in the air), then place some support in between (a folded blanket is good).

+ If turning the neck to the side is uncomfortable, place an extra blanket, folded towel or pillow at the top of your bolster - the forehead can be placed here to keep the neck in line with the spine.

+ If the ankle is tight, place a rolled towel between the floor and the top of each ankle.

+ Like in the picture above, some extra weight over the sacrum can help release the lower back - and it feels SOOOO good! I use a sandbag, but an extra blanket also works well.

+ Some knees just won’t like this pose - no matter how many adaptions you try. Pain is an indicator that something is NOT right, so please honour the message and come out of the pose straight away.

***

I do hope you enjoy this delicious and nourishing pose. 
Let me know how you go!

Much love,
Star xxx

Brahmari - the humming bee breath

Brahmari is one of many ancient yogic pranayama breathing practises with a long list of wonderful benefits for the whole being - physically, emotionally and mentally.

The practise of Pranayama in it's many forms assists in cultivating a deep connection with the flow of prana (life force) within the body.

One thing I love about this particular practise is it's immediate effect on the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
When the exhale is lengthened in relation to the inhale, the calming parasympathetic branch of the ANS is activated.

Far too many of us are in a constant state of stress, or 'flight/fight' response, which is reeking havoc on our sensitive nervous systems.

For those who suffer from stress, anxiety or depression, this practise can very quickly begin to calm the mind chatter, all within a few breaths.
The noise of the humming which is done on the exhalation is a focal point and gently begins to 'drown' out the noise of a busy mind, which if persistant and unrelenting can cause quite a lot of emotional suffering, so this practise can be the perfect place to start for those who find quietening the mind for meditation a real challenge.

Benefits of Brahmari

This amazing practise can:

+ Reduce anxiety, agitation and stress.
+ Quieten the mind.
+ Soothe the nervous system by triggering the parasympathetic 'relaxation response'.
+ Enhance mental focus and concentration.
+ Ease fatigue.
+ Reduce anger and frustration.
+ Help reduce blood pressure.
+ Elicit feelings of joy.

How to Practise

There are a variety of different ways to practise humming bee breath.
We are going to explore one of the easiest and gentlest (I love making it as simple as possible!)

+ Find a comfortable seated position - use whatever support you need to ensure that the spine stays erect and the hips are higher than the knees.
A cushion or blanket under the buttocks will help with this. Alternatively use a chair if you need a little extra support.

+ Take a moment to settle into the posture, allowing the tail bone to lengthen down into the earth and the crown to reach for the sky. Connect in with the natural breath and close the eyes so that the focus turns inwards.

+ Take an inhalation in through the nostrils (keeping the lips closed together) and as you exhale make the sound of the letter Mmmm - like a buzzing bee.

+ Continue to breath in through the nose and allow the out-breath to be a humming Mmmm sound.

+ Keep up the practise for a few minutes or as long as it feels good.

+ If at any time you begin to feel any discomfort or strain, then release the practise and return to the natural tidal breath.

+ Take some time after you have finished to sit quietly and notice how you feel from doing the practise.
Has the mind quietened? Is there less anxiety or frustration? Do you feel more relaxed?

I can rattle off a whole list of reasons why the practise might be beneficial, but you are the expert on how something effects you, so take the time to reflect.

This truly is a calming and soothing way to spend a few minutes, and a fairly effortless way to move out of overwhelm, anxiety or stress.
The key is that you can gain all these benefits from just a few dedicated minutes, so even those of you who are stretched for time and super busy can easily slot this into your day!

Enjoy, and let me know how you go!

Blessings,
Star xxxxx

Constructive Rest...

Constructive Rest is a practise that first came onto my radar about 5 years ago.
It has been a regular part of my daily practise (most days anyway) for the last 3 years and has been a PROFOUND tool on my healing journey.

So what are the benefits of Constructive Rest?

+ It helps to restore the length of your spine by letting your back and neck muscles release into their natural resting length.

+It allows for your intervertebral discs (the soft cushions between your neck and back bones which absorb shock) to re-hydrate to their optimum thickness (this too lets your spine get back to its resting length).

+ It passively releases the psoas muscle, a chronically overused and tight muscle at the front of the thigh that can cause all sorts of issues from lower back pain through to anxiety and digestive disorders to name just a few.

+ It allows your breathing to return to an easy, natural and well-functioning state.

+ It helps to soothe the nervous system, clears and centres your mind and brings you back in touch with the present moment.

+ It can help to decrease stress and relieve anxiety.

+ It can help to relieve chronic pain in the physical body

+ It helps you to become better aware of your habits of tension.

+ It puts you into a state of calm alertness.

+ It helps with fatigue by revitalising the whole system.
 

Who's it for?

Everyone!
Seriously, this pose has a reach that is wide!
If you sit all day, stand all day, doing any movement repetitively, drive a lot, suffer from chronic pain, stress, anxiety, fatigue, digestive issues, nervous system disorders, sleep problems, back pain etc etc!

The list goes on!
This truly is an ideal practise for just about anything.

How to practise

+ Find a place on the floor to set up - preferably on a carpeted area or use blankets to create a comfortable place to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Have another folded blanket close by on the floor.

+ Come to lie on the back with the feet on the floor and the knees bent. Ensure that the feet, knees and hips are all in alignment.

+ Play around with the placement of the feet - you don't want them so far away that they start to slide out, but equally they aren't right up against the buttocks either (check out the picture above)
Ideally you want to get a sense that the legs are holding themselves up (I like to think of the lower and upper leg bones like 2 playing cards leaning against each other - effortlessly when in the right position)

+ Once you have found the right spot with the legs, start to become aware of the rest of the body.
If the neck is feeling uncomfortable a folded blanket or towel can be placed underneath for support.

+ Connect in with the breath and slowly begin to explore all the sensations that are arising.
Feel where there is tension in the body, notice any emotions or feelings that arise, watch for any associated thoughts or stories.

+ Slowly the body will begin to unwind and the 'relaxation response'  - an aspect of the parasympathetic nervous system - will be triggered, soothing the whole system.
Stay with the breath and your experience.

+ If the knees start to shake or feel like they want to drop out to the side then a folded blanket can be placed on top to help contain them and facilitate the deep psoas release we are desiring.

+ Stay for as long as it feels good, a minimum of 5 minutes though to really glean the benefits.

Simply lying in this position for 10 -15 minutes at a time can work wonders for you.

Can you commit to a daily practise of 10 minutes for a week?
I truly believe you will be amazed at the results!

Be sure to let me know in the comments what you discovered!
Enjoy!

Star xxxx

Magical Meditation

So I am guessing you probably know that meditation is a great practise to include into your day right? What I want to share is what I get out of it and how you can easily bring this beautiful gift into your life too.

***

When I commit to a daily practise of stillness and presence, life looks a lot different then when it falls away for a time.
What unfolds isn't the bit that looks different though. 
Life will continue to do what it does whether I sit every day or not.

No attachment - life just flows.
What is different however is how I show up and approach each and every moment that life presents me.

When I create space to allow for some spaciousness , I experience more patience, presence and peace with each moment.

I am more able to surrender to all that the moment brings and am less attached to outcomes.
This may sound simple enough - but trust me - when you have spent years fighting the moment, to feel a bit of peace is pure bliss!

When I sit, I am more resilient to the ebbs and flows that life throws my way.
I notice the joy as equally as I witness the suffering -  the beauty is staying in the place of observer and not being caught up in the 'story'.
This in itself is magic...

When the practise has waned a little, I notice I am more reactive to life and less able to soften into the moment. I am easily shaken by my expectations of how things 'should' unfold and from here it just goes from bad to worse.

Attachment, resistance, irritation - all come to play.

***

It is crystal clear to me why I choose to cultivate a daily practise, but what's in it for you?

You can scroll the internet and find a plethora of articles and research about the incredible benefits of meditation, but to truly experience this for yourself you need to embody the practise.

So, below I will share one simple way to practise the ancient art of mediation.
There are of course many ways, but today I am sharing my practise with you...

Meditation Practise 

+ Find a comfortable upright position for the body - this may be on the floor using whatever support you need under the buttocks to ensure that the knees are lower than the hips.
You may even choose to use a chair and/or wall with a pillow for support.
The crucial thing here is comfort so you aren't distracted when it't time to practise, but also I am not into being a martyr! If you feel pain, then move until you feel more at ease!
(I do practise lying down too but for this practise we will be seated)

+ Once a comfortable seat is found, begin to connect into where the sit bones are resting and anchor down into this point. Ground your self into this moment.

+ Use the breath to connect inwards - take a few slow and long exhales, letting go of the past and future. The breath will also act as an anchor to bring you back to the present moment when you notice you've wandered.

+ From here start to notice the mind space. Become aware of the thoughts that are coming and going and how easily it is to bee drawn out by the thoughts.
The goal is not to try and stop the internal chatter, but instead to witness your experience without attachment, judgement or the need to label or change it.

+ Simply observe the thoughts drifting across the mind-space like you would witness clouds drifting across a blue sky. Notice them, and then bring your full attention back to the breath and the sensations on the body. Keep doing this over and over and over...you get the drift right?

+ Stay for a little as 5 minutes to begin with. Make it doable and slowly increase the time spent in meditation when you feel comfortable to.

That's it!! Simple yes?

I get that it sounds simple enough in theory, but the practise itself takes patience and practise.
It takes compassion and dedication.
Devotion...

But...I assure you that given the chance, this divine practise will change your life if you allow it to!

All you have to do is show up, sit, get up, let the practise go and get on with your day.
The benefits will begin to creep in without you even knowing it!
YUM!

Enjoy sisters!

As I said, this is one of MANY ways to practise meditation.
I will be exploring more later in Self Care Sweetness.

Star xxxxxxx