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When you need to get focused, grounded, and ready to perform at work or for sports, one of the most powerful breathing exercise you can do to prep your Body & Brain is called: Breath of Fire. This Breath Work not only helps boost performance but gets your blood flowing, turns on your nervous system, breaks through emotional blocks, and stimulates your pituitary gland. Your pituitary gland secretes hormones that impact many body functions like:
Excellent reasons to add this one to your REST Toolbox. Please note: this breathing exercise should not be done while you are pregnant or bleeding during your cycle. BREATH OF FIREHow to do it:
Move with it: Once you have the breath work down, add it to a Yoga Pose. Breath of Fire + Yoga Pose for 1 minute = the same benefits as holding that pose for 1 hour with a normal breath. Boost confidence with it: Breath of Fire + a Power Pose will boost your confidence AND your focus before a Performance! Strike a Power Pose for 2 minutes (think Wonder Woman- feet apart and hands on hips) while doing the Breath of Fire. Then go for it. You'll be UNSTOPPABLE! Start practicing Breath of Fire slowly (during the daytime). If you get dizzy, go slower. It's not one to do before bed. It's to help you get ready to perform. The more you practice Breath Work, the faster you'll feel the benefits in your Body & Brain.  P.S. Want to get stronger with less effort? Download this 3-minute Active Recovery Yoga Routine to help you train smarter, it's free!
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If you've ever taken a yoga class, you're gonna be familiar with this yoga relaxation pose: CHILD'S POSE. What you may not realize is how many benefits it provides besides being calming to your nervous system. It's a great Rest Move to add to your REST TOOLBOX for breaks during the day, recovery after a workout, or before bed for better sleep.  BENEFITS OF CHILD'S POSE1. The forward folded position cues your nervous system to calm down which can help with pain and stress relief. 2. The pressure on your forehead can help with headaches, eyestrain, and allergies. It also activates your endocrine system which releases hormones to manage metabolism, energy, reproduction, growth and development as well as your bodies response to injury, stress, and mood. 3. The leg position helps open up your hips, pelvic floor and low back muscles. 4. The chest position helps expand the diaphragm and rib cage which encourages calming breaths. HOW TO DO CHILD'S POSE
If you've got issues with your pelvic floor like pain or tightness, add Child's Pose along with Happy Baby to your daily stretch moves. HOW TO MODIFY CHILD'S POSEIf getting on the floor isn't an option due to back or knee issues, you can do Child's Pose seated in a chair.
Always modify as needed depending on your particular health conditions including pregnancy. The seated version of Child's Pose is a great way to take Rest Breaks during the day when you can't get on the floor or if you have a headache or eye fatigue from work on the computer. Day or night, Child's Pose will help trigger your Relaxed Body so you can feel more grounded, calm, and centered. Give it a try before bed tonight to see how your body responds.  P.S. On the verge of Overwhelm & Burnout?
Calm your Brain with the 12 Days of Bliss Challenge- ONE simple REST Move in just 5-10 minutes a day to help you Recharge & Reset. Let the Adventure to a Peaceful, Playful, Powerful Body Begin- Download the FREE Challenge here. Do you have some "ME" time scheduled for this Valentine's weekend? It's a great weekend to tap into some "guilt free" rest & pamper yourself energy that our hustle culture encourages around the festivities. The challenge is to give yourself permission to slow down and prioritize yourself and your daily rest practices EVERY day. So tap into that energy this weekend and keep it going because you deserve to be first on your list before nurturing everyone else. If you're not used to slowing down, you might not know what Rest Move to choose. The cool thing is your body will tell you IF you're listening. Here's a simple breathing & short meditation exercise (Cherished Body Exercise) to help you tune into what Rest Move your body needs today: LISTEN HERE Or you can read it to yourself below: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Hand on your heart or over your belly if you have tight shoulders. Close your eyes. Inhale through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Relax your shoulders. Inhale through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Soften your arms. Inhale through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Let go from head to toe. Inhale through your nose. Exhale. Ask yourself “What would I do if I cherished myself?” Inhale through your nose. Exhale. Listen to your body. “What would I do if I cherished myself?” Keep breathing. "What would I do if I cherished myself?" Keep listening. "What would I do if I cherished myself?" When you're ready. Open your eyes. What came up (a thought, a word, a picture) when you asked your body the question? What does it need to feel cherished or nourished today? How can you schedule that into your day or take one baby step toward adding that to your day? If you didn’t get an answer right away, don't worry. Tune in throughout the day as it'll probably come to you later. You can repeat the Cherished Body Exercise daily to help you tune into what your body needs each day to feel more energy, ease, & flow. Your body knows best so make sure to check in daily. It’ll tell you what it needs to feel, move, perform better. Indulge in the chocolate & flowers but also pick one thing to refresh your body & brain this weekend. Let it be the start to cherishing yourself every day. Be kind to yourself!  P.S. Need ideas on how to cherish yourself daily? Take the 12 Days of Bliss Challenge- ONE simple REST Move in just 5-10 minutes a day to help you Recharge & Reset.
Let the Adventure to a Peaceful, Playful, Powerful Body Begin- Download the FREE Challenge here. Do you wake up feeling well-rested and pain-free on most days? Did you know that’s even possible? It is. You CAN be active & agile at any age. You’re not destined to a life of being exhausted, stiff & sore and eventually falling and breaking your hip. Stiff joints, sore muscles, and fatigue are all signs of over-training (or over-doing) and not giving your body enough rest or recovery time between your workouts and activity. Slowing down with REST gives the body time to work its MAGIC… to heal itself and get stronger. The catch... You only have so much energy (i.e. brain power) in a day. You can’t sleep your way out of exhaustion and chronic pain. It’s about knowing what types of rest to target and how to pace yourself. The first step is learning how to calm your nervous system so you can go from Stressed to your Relaxed Body. We’ll show you how in the Relaxed Body Toolkit. You’ll learn:
PLUS it includes a Bonus MINI Moves Daily Energy Planner! It’s never too late to break the habit of going too hard, too fast- THE recipe for inflammation, injury, & burnout... If you're willing to sprinkle some Rest & Relaxation Moves into your day. Let’s calm your body with daily Rest Moves so you can feel more energy, ease, & flow. Download the Relaxed Body Toolkit to help you get started.   P.S. Ready to be active & agile at any age? Download your FREE Relaxed Body Toolkit to get started here.
Do you have a Meditation practice?
If not, have you tried to Meditate but gave up because you felt too restless or anxious? Meditation is exercise for your mind. You're training your attention muscle. It's a form of Mindfulness or being present in the moment. If 10 minutes a day can sharpen your thinking, decrease your blood pressure, and boost your creative flow, doesn't it seem worth it to find a meditation exercise that works for you? The good news is sitting still is not the only way to meditate. You actually may have developed some meditation skills that you didn't realize you had. Have you ever DOODLED? You know those shapes and patterns you scribbled in a notebook or on paper while in class or on a Zoom call? Turns out it's a form of art therapy or creative self-expression that calms your nervous system and turns on your Relaxed Body. Those repetitive moves signal to the brain and body that you’re safe now. It’s OK to calm down. Besides being a relaxation exercise, Doodling also stimulates blood flow to the prefrontal cortex and reward center of the brain just like chocolate and dancing. Hello Happiness Hormones! Doodling is a form of Mindfulness- it helps you be more in the present moment. It also supports memory, comprehension, and problem solving. Makes me realize why I have a tendency to doodle when I listen to lectures or trainings. It helps me stay focused. One of the coolest things I find about Meditation is that it doesn't have to be perfect. Just the intention to meditate lights up the brain and starts to rewire the brain for better learning, memory, and attention. Obviously the more you attempt to meditate, the more you'll reshape your brain. Other health benefits of meditation include improving your immune system function and sleep, reducing anxiety and depression, decreasing blood pressure, and increasing creativity. Are you ready to bust out your Doodling skills? Here's how you can get started. HOW TO DOODLE:
It's super simple so no excuses. Give it a try this week. Doodling is a MINI Rest Move that you can do anywhere at anytime to help you turn on your Relaxed Body, manage stress, and start to become more mindful. The Practice of Mindfulness helps us get into alignment, calmness, clarity, and improves our emotional regulation so we can be productive, focused, and ready to work/learn/communicate better. Take baby steps. Go for progress not perfection. It all adds up. Doodle your stress away! Mollie P.S. Ready to experience more Energy & Flow? It's almost time for our FREE Summer Workshop & the inside scoop on our next REST Camp: SHINE™! Get on the interest list here. Did you know tight hips can make it harder for your core muscles to fire properly? Here’s a stretch to release your low back, hip, and pelvic floor muscles. It’s actually a yoga relaxation pose that is calming to your nervous system. HAPPY BABY STRETCH HOW TO DO THE HAPPY BABY STRETCH:
Make Sure You Avoid:
How To Modify:
How To Intensify:
PRO TIP: Add the Happy Baby Stretch to these 3 Moves to Prep for Better Core Workouts. Staying flexible in your hips will help you have a stronger core which helps improve your posture and performance. The Happy Baby Stretch is a great one to do daily at the end of a workout or your day. Go ahead and add it to your Rest Toolbox. To Happy Hips! Mollie P.S.EXCITING NEWS- our next round of SHINE™ & opportunity to be a part of Rest Crew #2 is coming up soon- get on the waitlist here. Even though I've worked in health care for over 30 years and know the importance of self-care, I didn't truly become proactive with my own rest "care" until I was introduced to Yoga Nidra in 2018.
At the time, I was struggling with the physical, emotional, and mental demands of being the primary caregiver for my father who had a stroke in 2015 that left him with memory and vision issues. He went from living on his own and Commander of the VFW in his retirement to living in an assisted living facility and needing help with everything. I was managing his medical care and life. After his stroke, he had multiple health conditions and cancer diagnoses that had to be addressed. Just when we got one area under control another would pop up. Before his last cancer surgery, we weren't sure if he could get strong enough for surgery or have to go into hospice. For years I'd help patients and families through the similar situations, but when I got on the other side and became the caregiver for the "patient" I experienced a different level of exhaustion and stress. I needed to ramp up my rest care toolbox for sure as my normal coping strategies and mind body practices weren't enough to ride out the waves of his medical crises while juggling a career at the same time. I was at the peak of my caregiver fatigue after helping my dad through 3 cancer surgeries in a year when I was introduced to yoga nidra. That ended up being a turning point in my own self-care journey. It's when I truly started to prioritize rest. It was simple so I could stick with it. I just had to close my eyes and listen to a meditation for 15 minutes. I would get the rest medicine I needed that day. Nothing helped me feel as refreshed, re-energized, and back in balance than those nidra naps. It quickly became a non-negotiable and daily practice for me. Even though my caregiver journey with dad has ended since he passed away last year, I'm passionate about sharing the powerful rest tools I've found over the years with the helpers & healers of the world. They're some of the most high risk groups for exhaustion and burnout. In a culture that values busyness and views rest as lazy, it takes courage and support to prioritize having a Rested Body & Lifestyle. I recorded a podcast with Genevieve Richardson, a Speech Pathologist and owner of Life Speech Pathologies, to share a little bit of my rest story and burnout prevention strategies for caregivers. Genevieve works with and has the Listen For Life Aphasia Podcast for stroke survivors that have aphasia and their families. We discussed Rest and Relaxation Practices to help manage the stress and fatigue associated with caregiving as well as how to set yourself up for success by shifting your mindset around rest, prepping for rest, and building a rest support team. Anyone, not just caregivers, can benefit from the rest tips we shared on this podcast episode (episode 37). The good news is it doesn't take hours and hours of resting or meditating all day to feel more energy, ease, & flow each day. It's all about resets and reps when it comes to calming your nervous system & turning on your bodies healing powers. Listen to the podcast to find which rest move you want to add to your rest toolbox today. Please share with any of the nurturers, caregivers, or stroke survivors in your life. To A Rested Body! Mollie P.S. Want to experience yoga nidra with me? The wait list for our NEW Rest Camp: SHINE™ is open. You know how much I love simple yet powerful moves to help our brain & body perform better.
Here are 2 moves to help you reset & have more energy in less than 2 minutes: 1. Brain Reset: Use this breathing exercise (a "physiological sigh") to reduce stress in the moment.
2. Body Reset: Follow the Head To Toe Posture Checklist to turn on your core stabilizers & reset your posture during the day, to prep for workouts, or after sitting long periods. These tiny muscles need reminders and better posture helps light up your brain. This FIT Blog shows you a simple routine to find them. Both of these moves are most powerful when you do them for a few reps each day. Reps help your brain rewire for healthier thoughts & better movement patterns over time. Stress & poor posture won't be as draining on your energy levels. Set an alarm to remind you to practice throughout the day when you're first getting started. Enjoy the energy boost! Mollie P.S. The Waitlist for our NEW Rest Camp: SHINE™ is OPEN. Has your sleep routine gotten off track now that Summer is here? Longer days, travel, school breaks make it easy to get out of your sleep routine. How about pillow fights at night? I'm still on a quest to find the perfect pillow for side sleepers. If you’re not waking up feeling refreshed or well-rested, it’s time for a Sleep Check Up. Sleep is when our body & brain restores, heals, and balances the cells. There are 4 stages of sleep, and you need stage 3 or 4 to wake up feeling refreshed or rested. Stage 3 (Delta) recharges your battery and is the primary time for our growth hormone production. Growth hormone helps repair damaged cells and our body makes less as we age. It’s the most natural anti-aging and restorative process for the body. If you’re exercising and eating well but not getting enough sleep or quality sleep, you’re actually aging yourself faster and lowering your immune system. Sleep is the foundation to any workout recovery program. Exercise causes stress on your body. You’re damaging tissue. Your body only gets stronger during the rest time after you’ve stopped working out. Not enough rest equals higher risk for injury. Studies show athletes are more likely to get injured when they are traveling for competitions. The #1 reason is poor sleep due to not being in their own beds. The general rule: MORE STRESS = MORE REST It doesn’t matter if that stress is physical, emotional, or psychological in nature. Stress is stress. The more active you are and the more impact your sport has, the more rest or recovery time you need. This is particularly true if you’re nursing an injury. Sleep is your best medicine. I’ve had to do some tweaking of my sleep routine/prep these past few months due to hormonal changes as it’s really messing with how deep my sleep is. I’ll share some Sleep Moves I’ve been testing to address my issues that are helping but it’s definitely a work in progress as my body is still changing. Let’s start with research supported Sleep Recommendations. 7 HEALTHY SLEEP MOVES
6 PERSONAL SLEEP MOVESHere are some personal Sleep Moves I’ve added to my monthly acupuncture and regular Yoga Nidra naps to improve my quality of sleep (& balance my hormones):  1. Morning Sun- I’ve intentionally worked on making sure I get sunlight first thing in the morning even if it’s just a few minutes to help my circadian rhythm. It’s led to my new obsession – hanging out with our hummingbird friends not just in the morning but when they come by at sunset too. Their movements are fascinating to watch & bring me so much joy as I try to get a good photo which gives me a bonus boost of happy hormones. 2. Screens- I'm avoiding screens an hour before bed or Blue Light glasses if I can’t turn off the damn show or find myself scrolling mindlessly- it happens despite my best efforts. 3. Melatonin PR- Traded in CBD chews for Melatonin 3mg Prolonged Release (Douglas Laboratories) a few hours before bed. My functional medicine doctor added this a few months ago and it’s been a game changer for getting deeper sleep. 4. Magnesium Glycinate- Traded in Natural Calm (Magnesium Citrate) for Magnesium Glycinate (Pure Encapsulations) before bed- another addition from my FM doctor. 5. Cut Down on Caffeine- I’ve cut way down on caffeine as I’m more sensitive to it now and I’ve connected the dots to how much it can mess with my sleep. Bonus from this change is having less afternoon energy slumps! 6. Breathwork- I've added a few Breathing Exercises in Bed to relax my body & calm my nervous system. Part of my sleep prep is still a few massage & stretches with my Rollga foam roller but that’s before I head to bed. I do the breathing exercise once I’m comfortable in bed. OVER TO YOU Hopefully you’ve got some new sleep moves to help you get more of the restorative, deep sleep your brain & body needs each night or to help you get back on track with your healthy sleep habits (especially if you’re traveling a lot this summer). Let me know if you've got a go to tip for better sleep especially if you're dealing with hormone issues as well or have found the perfect pillow! To Deep Healing Rest, Mollie P.S. Ready to go from Stressed to your Relaxed Body? Download the Relaxed Body Toolkit & Daily Energy Planner here. We do not provide medical advice. Always consult a physician prior to starting a new fitness or wellness program.
It's time to prep for Summer and start planning as many outdoor water activities as you can.
It's a necessity if you're going to be in the 100+ degree Texas heat but also to take advantage of the power of water to heal, calm and refresh us. If you can't get near a body of water, here are 3 exercises to help you experience the power of water no matter where you are. They'll help release toxins, recharge your energy, and even get your creativity flowing. 1. Water Meditation: lie down in a comfortable position and visualize a waterfall pouring over you. Inhale In the good healing powers of the water. Imagine absorbing all the “energy” or “power” of the waterfall. Exhale and release anything you want to let go of (i.e. toxic thoughts, pain, etc). Continue for 3 minutes or longer if it feels good to you. You’re letting the water refresh you and wash away anything you no longer need deep into the ground below you. Pro Tip: if you have a hard time visualizing, try this version in the shower. Close your eyes, get present with a few deep breath and feel the water as it flows over you from head to toe. Imagine all the toxins, negative feelings, or events from your day washing down the drain. 2. Soak in the Tub: take an Epsom salt bath with lavender to release toxins and relax your body and mind. 3. The Fountain: this is a great Qi Gong moving meditation to help you get in the flow and “just be water.” It can be done in sitting or standing. Kids love it. It’s a fun one to do when you need a quick break to clear your mind, calm your body, or recharge. Just 7 reps can make a difference and help you find your flow. Watch this short video below to learn how simple it is to do. Find time to get outside & refresh near water as much as possible this summer. Use these exercises to fill in the gaps when you can't get outside. Which one feels best in your body? Make sure to schedule regular "water" breaks into your day. Go Find Your Flow! Mollie P.S. Ready to go from Stressed to your Relaxed Body? Download the Relaxed Body Toolkit & BONUS Daily Energy Planner here. |
Mollie, Ender, Ty & Teddie
Mollie Miller, PT
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