First, a sad paradox. Medical research has become more laboratory oriented in the last fifty years. To be sure, this shift has produced some impressive results. But at the same time, human biology is not exclusively mechanical, and there are limits to what the laboratory can accurately study. ☥ The laboratory study of infectious diseases has been magnificent—it is very straightforward. But its very success has deflected attention from the influence of emotions. As a result, medical research has failed abysmally in many areas. ☥ ☥ John E. Sarno
Decades ago, Dr. James Levine coined the term "Sitting is the New Smoking." I was so thrilled to adopt his catchy mantra to help inspire people to stand up and stretch after 30-40 minutes of sitting that I began to repeat it while referencing him ad nauseam to attempt to trend it in Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant Communities. Then the pandemic forced us into our homes for extended periods of time with no real self-care plan. Inspired by National Public Health Week (the second week of April each year), I was determined to inspire clients, family members and friends to keep moving. I invited my chiropractor, Dr. Marshea Evans to share some strategies for caring for ourselves while sheltering in place and working remotely. Check out our interview here:
In addition to the strategies listed in the video, I recommend stretching the pectoral (chest) and supporting muscles to increase the flow of oxygenated blood to our muscles, tissues and joints. Stretching improves posture, reduces pain and prevents disorders of the neck/arm/back. It increases energy, circulation and oxygenated blood flow to the brain and helps calm and clear the mind. Self-awareness and slow-motion movements are our best defense against unnecessary injury. There is no finish line to cross. Breathe slowly and deeply ☥ move in slow-motion. The slow-motion movements will give our body enough time to let us know if we are about to injure ourselves so that we can self-correct on the spot. Let's take a pictorial journey through some healing movements that are especially beneficial to remote workers, gamers and residential couch potatoes.
A Simple Stretch for the Pectoral Muscles to Prevent/Relieve Back Pain
☥ Stand with the feet shoulder width apart and slightly bend the knees.
☥ Tuck the tailbone under and gently pull the shoulders up, back and down. Relax
the entire body.
☥ Place the hands at the lower back and relax the shoulders down. Then pull elbows
in towards each other as pictured above.
☥ Take a slow deep breath in and out.
☥ During each inhale, attempt to lift the chest upward towards the nose. Move in
slow motion without forcing the body.
☥ During each exhale, attempt to pull the elbows in towards each other a little more.
Move in slow motion without forcing the body. Honor your body and respect its
limitations which will help you to build a bond of trust between your mind ☥ body
and will prevent injury.
☥ Repeat this process for 3 breaths. Slowly work up to 9 breaths.
There is an underlying issue that is connected with pain that arises in the body. As we consider the following quote, let's ask ourselves what underlying unprocessed emotions may be lingering in the background of our lives.
... I suggest to patients that when they find themselves being aware of the pain, they must consciously and forcefully shift their attention to something psychological, like something they are worried about ... for that sends a message to the brain that they’re no longer deceived by the pain. When that message reaches the depths of the mind, the subconscious, the pain ceases. ☥ John E. Sarno
Epilogue ☥ Your Treasure Map For Self-Care
Thank you for taking the time to actively engage in your own self-care. If you have ever spent time at a hammam ☥ steam room ☥ sauna, you will notice that it is a comfortable space because you are wearing minimal or no clothing and you can just be yourself. However, after a short time, it starts to get hot, and you begin to sweat. This is a good thing because you are helping your body to eliminate toxins. If you want to detoxify your body correctly you will:
☥ Breathe slowly and deeply to help your body adjust to the intensity of the heat.
☥ Sip water every 15 minutes to stay hydrated.
☥ Have a piece of fruit ☥ pumpkin seeds ☥ favorite healthy snack available.
☥ Take a shower after excessive sweating.
☥ Go into a cold room/take a cold plunge/cold water rinse off to cool down before doing
another sweat and to stimulate your lymphatic system.
☥ Go for a walk in nature, spend time in meditation ☥ contemplation, have a healthy meal
and give your body some time to complete the healing process (which could include
sending you messages through your intuition about your next steps).
As you journey through ☥ interact with the blogs ☥ other content on phyllishubbard.com, you might have an insight that causes you to suddenly feel mentally ☥ emotionally “hot” -- which could show up as:
☥ “Ah-ha” moments
☥ A hop-in-the-bed-and-cry-yourself-to-sleep or fetal position crying time of intensive
self-care
☥ Intense feelings of anger/regret about something in your past
☥ Disorientation caused by the realization of truth
☥ Strong reactions such as heightened senses, vomiting; an urge to release emotions
such as yelling/screaming, going outside for fresh air/to take a walk, punching a
boxing bag/pillow; a feeling of tightness in the chest, etc.
If you find yourself having a strong reaction, I encourage you to flow with it while helping your body to release mental ☥ emotional toxins by using the same five self-care strategies listed above for releasing physical toxins. Your body talks to you all the time, but unconscious adherence to social conditioning can mute its messages.
Strong reactions are your body’s way of letting you know that there is a deeper issue requiring your attention.
Keep revisiting the content ☥ utilizing the five self-care strategies until you no longer experience the strong reaction, release fears and have identified ☥ transformed ☥ removed the root cause of the issue. You will find additional strategies throughout this website that you can add to your mental health self-care toolkit.
Self-Care Sustainability Suggestions
☥ A Cross-Cultural Healing Haven – read this blog to understand the purpose of
phyllishubbard.com and the meaning behind its organization ☥ symbols.
☥ Revisit the content periodically and make a note of if/how your perceptions have
evolved. Check out our blog page for an experiential healing journey.
☥ Check out the other pages on phyllishubbard.com:
☥ Home - watch the videos. Click on the images in the Spiritual Guidance
section. Each image has a story that might assist your self-care journey. Learn
about other spiritual practices.
☥ About - Learn about my background ☥ reasons for co-creating
phyllishubbard.com
with Spirit. Explore healing through the image carousel and videos.
☥ Shop ☥ Kamitology - Purchase and download vital tools for your personal growth
☥ development.
☥ Reclaiming Our Humanity - Help us develop and disseminate video courses.
☥ Rise TV - Practice breathing and movement exercises and deepen your
understanding of healing through the experiences of community members.
Check back periodically to discover new/re-experience the content.
☥ Journey - This is your invitation to own the journey to radiance. Experience the
journey and download healing resources to share with your friends, family and
community.
When you share healing, healing comes back to and flows through you.
About Sharing ...
During my first presentation to an all-Black audience, I introduced 20-year-old research on the hazards of sitting. I presented the research because I noticed that people sat for way too long at convenings and realized that the information was not disseminated to Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant communities. I was determined to intentionally include this research, often surprising participants by getting people up to stretch. After more than 13 years of intentional work, Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant People are just barely beginning to normalize conscious movement. We still have a long way to go, and it is important that we share what we know as much as we can to prevent the disenfranchisement of wellness information to Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant communities.
Please do not keep phyllishubbard.com to yourself. We will not co-create a better world until we heal our current, past/childhood traumas. We will not love others until we learn to love ourselves.
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