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...]
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...]
What is the Franklin Method?
Imagine being able to practice anywhere, anytime, no yoga mat required. What if you knew exactly how your body was designed to function, what you need moment to moment, and you could be your own trainer, teacher, best coach? What if you felt confident and felt exactly how you wanted to in your body? Although this is possible for any practitioner willing to embody their chosen modality - The Franklin Method is THE modality that teaches you to yourself. It enhances running, yoga, pilates, dance, daily chores, your drive to work - everything. When you change your mind, you change everything. Franklin Method is a self-generated, embodied, experiential practice - a movement modality to enliven and refine whatever else you practice. What I love about it is the … [Read more...]
PSA: Avoid this Common Lower Back Cue
Hello core training fans! Lower back lovers! Posture practicers! So many people want a 'strong core' and 'good posture' and a 'flat belly'. So they turn to core training, often assuming if they just work those ab muscles enough that it'll do the trick. Sometimes, that works. Many variables are in play when it comes to getting after these goals. The best results come from embodiment -intelligent, functional training with our body, mind and breath - and your overall lifestyle, which includes stress management, nutrition, digestion and more. We won't get to cover all of these aspects in today's post, because I want to focus in on the relationship between the pelvic floor, the lower back, and what NOT to do when you're on your mat if you want your body to last for you with … [Read more...]
How to Kegel The Right Way (and Decide Whether You Even Should)
Kegels often seem like 'the' go-to exercise for the pelvic floor, yet many women aren't sure they're doing them correctly, how many they need to do, and whether they're doing any good. After all, I've heard from a number of women that they've done their duty in the kegel department for a while (sometimes even years) and still have trouble leaking when they sneeze, cough, or run - a sign of continence issues. Or they still have trouble with other pelvic pains or disassociation from their pelvic area. So - What is a kegel? A kegel is a pelvic floor contraction. It's an engagement of the muscles that support and contain our pelvic organs, running between the sit bones and from inside the pubic bone back to the sacrum and coccyx, or tailbone. Sit up well in your chair and see if you can … [Read more...]
EPIC: release your hips and shoulders!
EPIC We all want an epic life, and you're probably here because you'd like to include having epic fitness, an epic mindset and epic health. Today I'm sharing some nuggets from the Franklin Method that have changed my life and improved the lives (and bodies, fitness, etc) of many of my students and clients. The secret weapon? The Franklin Method! In the Franklin Method, we use a 4 step process to break down how we can move from the current state of our body to a better state - like we may notice tension in our lower back and if we take a few minutes to check in and DO something about it, we can experience a loose, open, and relaxed lower back instead. We create a new norm by practicing with this kind of awareness and skill. EPIC stands … [Read more...]
Vagal Tone
"It’s very clear that the human is one entity: mind and body are one. It sounds logical but it’s not how we looked at it before. We didn’t have the science to agree with what may seem intuitive. Now we have new data and new insights." How can we use this information? Meditation, vigorous exercise, and emotional resilience all relate to vagal tone, heart rate variability and deep internal health. Vagal tone might be a hot ticket item right now for teachers and neuro-geeks, but it doesn't help our students if we don't know how it applies to how we practice and live life, right? Basically, we can't do what we've always done the way we've always done it and expect to be healthy, people. Change it up. Take a risk. Get outside more. And move your body, mind, and life in NEW … [Read more...]