This is one of my absolute favorite ways to wake up my diaphragm and get into a liberated, expansive, easeful breathing pattern. We breathe around 20,000 times each day, so we may as well maximize that automatic effort and make it as natural and full as possible, right? We get better at what we practice, and giving yourself this 5 minute reset could just work wonders for you. Too much time sitting at your desk? Driving in traffic? Emotional stress? Pregnant and baby's getting all up in your lung's business? Try the video below and practice with me! Post a comment or email me to share how it feels for you after making this part of your daily routine. You deserve it, and your lungs and posture will thank you. ;) Love, Cheri PS: My online program for pelvic health (and by now you've … [Read more...]
3D Breathing Inquiry with Self-Feedback
I shared this to my newsletter subscribers recently, and didn't want you to miss it! Take an elastic band or a yoga strap and bring it around the back of your ribs, and follow along with me to bring focus and breath movement into new parts of your torso. If you've been taught belly breathing is where it's at, you may be missing essential real estate in your lungs, diaphragm and breathing capacity. After you practice with me, make this part of your daily routine. You can even place your hands on your side or back ribs for feedback if you don't have a strap or band. I prefer the band because it's a variable resistance tool - it moves with me as I breathe - versus a yoga strap which feels more static, but can get the job done. Enjoy, and tell me what you think or how your breathing … [Read more...]
Embodiment: A Practice of Tangible Spirituality
Hey all! I just wrapped an interview with my lovely friend Jo, whom I met in Bali, for her online summit called Sharing Soulful Stories. It'll be out next month (I will gladly post links!) and I share basically my life story, so buckle up. Some of it I've never shared publicly before, and I trust the great Goddess of vulnerability will wrap me in her arms in gratitude for allowing myself to share it. Prepping for this interview had me journaling and reflecting on my early church going years, the greater mystery that unfolded after my divorce and miscarriage, and the pure magic of being present now in this life, rather than waiting for Sunday morning or a crisis or when I'm knocking on death's door. Spirituality to me means being embodied, reverent care for our own needs as a devotional … [Read more...]
Strengthen Your Sixth Sense
We're all pretty familiar with, and convinced of the importance of our 5 senses: Sight Smell Hearing Taste Touch When someone loses or is born without one of these senses, their brain develops to compensate by heightening their skills of perception. Our bodies rule that way - they want us to survive and they're really good at adapting to make sure we can survive. Intuition isn't a new thing - it's been around as long as we have. Yet in our fast-paced technosociety, many people have lost their ability to feel clarity and ease in daily life, and struggle with making decisions that meet their highest good and goals. Doesn't it stink when you end up feeling like you failed yourself, yet again choosing something that left you feeling sluggish, heavy, disconnected instead of … [Read more...]
Why I really went to Bali
Hello loves, Allow me to unfold, to unfurl. You're welcome to do the same, so get comfy. This is a tender little telling of my mothering journey. Thank you for being here. Bali rekindled power and magic within me that was lost when Fern was born (more writing on that to come in the future). I hold this photo near and dear to my heart because it reminds me of how important it is, and how soul-level nourishing it can be, to make space. To practice being fully present.To be able to hear our own inner voice amidst the noise.To be able to sense and feel ourselves, in a chaotic world. Can you find that for yourself right now?What helps you be fully present, alive, aware?It made me curious to hear so many interpretations of why I went to Bali. Most people assumed that I went … [Read more...]
Leadership means Love (and sometimes offending others)
I used to try to not get political on my social media accounts, and lately it feels so wrong not to share when human rights are clearly on the line, especially here in the US. When we're embodied, it means we feel more. I realize this can be quite...hard. Especially at first. Our practice helps us sit with that discomfort, digest what's happening in the world and take right action. We can learn to be with more suffering, more muckiness and find our way back to our core truths and step forward. Embodied practice is my jam, and enables us to lead skillfully, wholly. If we're privileged, we have even more responsibility to act. Leadership is love in action. Using our voices and behavior to create a world the feel fair and free for everyone. I want my work to reach more … [Read more...]
3 Tips You Need To Stop Peeing All. The. Time.
In my work with women's pelvic floor health, many people first inquire with me because of their peeing habits. Stress incontinence is that annoying, sneaky moment we leak a little when we sneeze, cough, laugh or run. An increased momentary demand on our body, called intra-abdominal pressure, sends contents out the bottom (we leak pee) instead of regulating that pressure through the top exit point (the exhale of a cough or sneeze out our mouths). Oops. Urge incontinence happens differently, although these two types of symptoms can co-exist, and often do. For example, when we have awareness of little stress leaks, we might alwayssssss stop and use the restroom before leaving a restaurant, before leaving the house, around every turn at the park before we drive home. We end up creating a … [Read more...]
3 Quick Tips To Keep You Regular
Nature has cycles. Our body has cycles. Each day cycles through waking and sleeping, and even through our waking hours we have cycles of productivity and required rest, called ultradian rhythms, which last about every 80-120 minutes for productive focus before we need to 'check out' from work and switch gears - play, rest, get outside. This is about honoring biological rhythm and energy instead of managing our to do list in spite of our energy and body's needs. We work, then we rest. Or, we don't, and we bring on a host of habits that work against our health and happiness. Culturally, we could be better about allowing the fallow, dark season of fall and winter to help us rest and turn inward. The pace of our day, and our life directly impacts our health. We're heading into … [Read more...]