I am very honored to have had the opportunity to do a Webinar with Wendy Murdoch on Fascia and Perception! I hope that you enjoy it!

With Gratitude,

Lauren

Let go of what’s not serving you so you can embody your brilliance

#instillharmony #embodyyourbrilliance #embodiedequestrian #embodiedequine #horseslovebodywork

We have the capacity to connect to nature when we transition from a human doing to

a human being

~A message from Nature

If you never leap, you will never know what it is like to fly!

~Leap

Photo Credit David Hofmann

Your hands are an extension of your heart space so treat them well!

You need a bouncy ball like you would get out of a gumball machine and a table!

1. take a walk and just notice how your neck and shoulders feel.

2. Take a bouncy ball and place it under the palm of your hand and then rest your hand on the table.

3. Roll the bouncy ball under your hand for a minute like you rolled the tennis ball under your foot. You want to feel each finger with the bouncy ball and the whole surface of the hand. Remember it is the sensation of the slow conscious movement that creates there patterning of the nervous system so that your body is more aware of where your hand and arm are.

4. While doing this be aware of what the ball feels like on your hand and make sure to take deep breaths. Also watch that you’re allowing your shoulders to rest and your armpits to relax!

5. Be careful to be very light near where your hand and wrist meet as this is where there are nerves.

6. Do one side and then take a walk. See what the whole arm, shoulder and neck feel like then do the other side!

This is a great way to warm of the shoulders especially before/after an arm workout!

The tennis ball is to start bringing awareness to your feet which in turn will loosen the body up all the way into the hips and low back.

1. Start off by taking a walk and get a baseline for how your feet feel when you walk and what your knees, hips, back and shoulders feel like as you move.
2. Then standing or sitting(supported sitting) with bare feet roll the tennis ball under one foot very slowly and gently. It isn’t about putting a lot of pressure through the tennis ball but about feeling the sensation of the tennis ball on the bottom of the foot. In fact if you are standing most of your weight should be on the foot that isn’t on the tennis ball. You want to do this slowly and be conscious of what you feel. This sense of sensation work to repattern the nervous system and teaching it where your foot is. That is why it is important to get the whole foot including all the toes! Do this for a minute.
3. When finished take a walk before doing the other foot so you can feel what has shifted then do the other side! This can be done throughout your day and even while sitting at your desk to keep you back loose during the day!

Increasing awareness of our feet gives us a better sense of grounding and support from our lower body allowing our upper body to be able to rest and not try to hold us up so much! When we can connect to our feet we can also access more power from out lower body which is important when doing your workouts. Think about the way you do squats and notice next time if you are using your whole foot to do the movement! If not then you lose some of the power. Try doing to the tennis ball exercise before doing squats and see if you notice a difference in the way you do them!

Since most people spend a lot of their day sitting this article will be focused on how to sit in a supported way which protects the back maintaining a lumbar curve in your lower back and helps maintain range of motion in the hips.

Find a chair or bench to sit on! You want to find one that has enough height to have a slight downward angle in your thigh.

Step One: Find your seat bones!

What are your seat bones you ask? Sit on your chair and let your body rock side to side as well as forward and back gently and feel the bony part of your pelvis on the chair. These are your ischial tuberosities.  If you are not feeling two bony points then tilt your pelvis back and forth gently until you can feel connection with the chair.

Once you find the seat bones continue to rock back and forth until you find a happy medium between leaning backward and forward. This should be a place that feels comfortable and easy in the body.

Step Two: Thigh angle

While sitting on your chair you want a slight downward angle in your thigh. This means that your knees should be slightly lower than your hips. If the chair you are on is too short to do this and can’t be changed add a folded towel or blanket to raise the seat. If the chair is too high for your feet to touch the ground then use the towel or blanket for under your feet (phone books work too for under the feet)

Step Three: Foot Position

Once you have the right angle in your leg the next alignment to look at is your foot position. You want to line your ankle bones up under your knees. This means that the leg will be in a little bit bigger than a 90 degree angle. You want your foot to lay flat on the floor. What I mean by this is you want weight through the whole foot. For example you wouldn’t want to put weight just in your toes but feel your heels as well.

When your feet are in a good position, gently press your feet into the floor. You will feel a slight lift in your body activating your core and decompression in the low back. This connection into the feet helps create support for the upper body and takes the load off the low back. You do not have to push hard with your feet at all times just keep an awareness of the bottoms or your feet.

Side Notes:

• If pushing into your feet creates tension in your body imagine that the floor is coming up to support your feet instead of pushing into the floor.
• If you are having trouble finding the lift, have a friend gently put their hand on your lower back then press into your feet slowly. This will help you feel the lift as you connect with their hand.
• If you want to deepen that connection from your feet to your core put a pillow between your knees and bring the knees towards one another slightly as you press into your feet

Take your time with this exploration as it is meant to be felt at your own rhythm

Find a place where you can be comfortable and imagine you are being embraced by the darkness that this time of year allows us to be cloaked in

Start to observe your breath and letting yourself settle into your body

Allow the breath to go where you need it, wherever you feel a desire for more expansion in your body

With each breath Embrace the darkness for it is a space of profound beauty, a sanctuary for the energy of creation

Let yourself drink in this creative force and be nourished by the darkness

As you feel this nourishment imagine it starting to spark of light within you

Let that light grow brighter and brighter…   filling your heart 

Take a moment to fully witness the light within and let that light imbue your whole body

Then gently ask that light to enhance your cells with power to more fully embody the light

Let yourself take a few more deep breaths to really let this settle in.

When you feel complete, take a moment to express love and gratitude for all that you are

Deep Gratitude,

Lauren Harmon

here are some ways to go about it that are sustainable and help nature!

There are certain areas of the local forest where you can get permits to cut down a tree and in doing so you help you keep the forest healthy by reducing overgrowth. It has to be done in a certain way though and each forest area has its requirements so make sure to check in with your local forestry service.  You will need to get a permit from them any way which from research I have seen is about $10.

Some of the the guidelines for choosing a tree are as follows

• Only cut trees the are 6 inches in diameter or less in the areas that are designated to need thinning (there are certain areas where you can’t cut like near wetlands)
• Choose ones that are in a cluster and leave the “perfect” ones and gor for the charlie brown tree!
• Don’t just cut the top off the tree
• Take bows from your own tree not ones you pass on your journey
• Be prepare for the elements and have supplies with you to nourish you
• Make sure to tell someone where you are going as you might not have service
• As a bonus you will get in some dynamic movement and be in nature!
• Bring something hot to drink and a beautiful spirit!

Always remember to give thanks to the forest! 

Happy Holidays and Deep Gratitude to the Forest for its Beautiful Gifts to us each season!

Find a comfortable place sit and check in with how you feel

Feel your sits bones and take a few deep breaths into your belly exhaling through your sits bones

Let yourself feel your seat expand giving more support to your spine

Find a neutral position in your pelvis by gently allowing it to tilt forward and backward until you find a place of ease between the two. You may feel a gentle lift through your spine as a result

Then take a few deep breaths into your heart space and allow yourself to exhale through your fingertips

Next breath into your heart again letting love fill the space you just created with your breath and then let it spread throughout your being

Take a moment to let that settle in…

On your next few breaths hold yourself in gratitude and compassion. Let this gratitude fill every cell in your body

Meet yourself where you are at with your compassion and gratitude

Take as much time as you need to really soak this up

When you feel ready allow yourself to come back to the space and start to move your fingers and toes and gently move in your body

Check in with how you feel and let the love and gratitude that you cultivated enrich your day

Deep Gratitude,

Lauren Harmon