{Recipe} Eggs & Kale with Meyers Lemon Mustard Sauce

This is wonderful recipe for a quick Sunday brunch! Just perfect for Mother’s Day…hint, hint, wink, wink. Plus its a great one for cooking with the kiddos.

For the Ladies: Kale has many benefits for women. It packed for of antioxidants which help to ward off many forms of cancer, including breast cancer.  One cup of kale contains only 36 calories,  and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6, 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K (one of the key players in thwarting off cancer). It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. With high calcium and magnesium, kale also  helps protect against osteoporosis, arthritis, and bone loss.

Here is what you will need:

1 Pinch Cayenne or Chipotle

1 Dash Braggs or Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 Lemon Juiced

2 Tbs. of Brown Mustard

1/4 tsp. Honey

How To Put It All Together:

1. Clean and chop Kale (tear the  kale from the stems if you have little finger helpers)
2. Slice tomatoes and avocado.
3. In a small bowl mix together lemon juice, mustard, and honey and set aside (perfect job for a munchkin)
4. Toast the Sourdough Bread (if it’s joining the party)
5. In one pan add a bit of oil, kale, cinnamon, Cayenne and Braggs. Let cook until kale is cooked to your liking. I like mine still deep green but kind of crunchy.
6. In another pan cook the eggs.

Once the eggs and kale are cooked you are ready to assemble this little beauty. Simply layer toast first (if you are having it) kale, tomatoes, eggs, then drizzle with mustard sauce and serve with avocado on the side. Then again, you can always arrange the veggies in any way you like.

EGG TIP: To use less oil while ‘frying’ your egg, simply add a little oil to the pan and cook the eggs until the white begins to solidify. Add a little bit of water to the pan (maybe a teaspoon) and help it to find its way under the whites. Cover with a lid and let steam. Your eggs will be cooked in no time and with less grease.  And you can always add a pinch of Rosemary to the yolk as the eggs cook for an extra hint of Yummy!

{Recipe} Eggs & Kale with Meyers Lemon Mustard Sauce

“Our most creative inspirations are born of a changed perspective which follows from a time of emotional upheaval, a period of creative stress…Birth is a natural stress.” -Gayle Peterson, Birthing Normally

{Video Share} Sylvie’s Birth

I love this recipe because it makes the simple feel fancy.

I serve this often for dinner parties when I have minimal time to prep, and though it’s my default, lifesaver, fire-escape or crisis management plan, it still feels like I am spoiling my friends with something really special. And I am. It’s really, really delicious.

Here’s the approach: chop, oil, and throw in the oven. The trick? My pans might have magic. But I suspect some of yours do too.

Ingredients:

1. an onion.
2. some garlic- perhaps a quarter bulb.
3. tomatoes- either half a package of sweet cherry tomatoes, or the 2 or 3 you have on your counter that are getting too soft for sandwiches, cut into 8ths or big chunks.
4. fresh herbs- like rosemary, thyme and marjoram, OR fresh chopped basil, OR dried herbs de provence.
5. potatoes, scrubbed quickly and cut about the same size as the onion pieces.
6. 2-4 chicken thighs with skin, cut between the thigh and the drumstick (you can ask the butcher to do this and he should happily oblige).
7. Salt and pepper the side with skin. If using dried herbs, pull back the skin a bit and put the herbs underneath.
8. olive oil
9. salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the onions into big pieces by slicing off the root and top ends, cutting across the equator, and then further dividing through each end into 8ths. Throw these pieces into a big mixing bowl.

Add your tomatoes and potatoes to the mixing bowl.

Peel the garlic cloves, and either leave them whole, or cut them just a bit smaller. Into the bowl.

Add olive oil generously to the bowl and toss vegetables until well coated. Add a generous pinch of salt and some fresh cracked pepper. Set bowl aside.

In either a large cast iron pan, or a roasting pan that can move between the stove top and the oven, start the chicken. Add olive oil generously (or some olive oil and a little butter) to the pan and heat on medium high but do not let the oil overheat or smoke. When the oil seems hot, place the chicken thighs skin side down and sear them until the skin is golden brown. Now salt and pepper the exposed side. Once browned, the chicken will be easier to pull away from the pan. Use a spatula to separate the chicken from the pan without losing the skin in the process. You may mess up a couple! Flip them. When the other side is also browned, take the chicken off the pan and put it aside on a plate.

Add the oiled vegetables to the pan, and let brown (without stirring). When you’ve lightly browned one side, use a spatula to stir the veggies a bit, taking care to keep the browned side attached to the veggie and not to the pan. Tuck the chicken pieces in between the vegetables and bury your fresh herbs under and around the meat. Put the whole pan into the oven and bake until everything is nicely browned and caramelized, about 40 minutes. Check the chicken carefully; smaller pieces will be ready in less time. Check that the meat is no longer pink, or remove when a meat thermometer reads 150-160 at the bone.

If all goes well, and you have used enough olive oil, your onions, tomatoes, and garlic will be sweet, mellow, and caramelized and your potatoes will be nice and browned. You can make this recipe in much larger batches for a big dinner, or in a small cast iron pan for two. It helps to scale up your pan with your portions so the ingredients are always nestled closely together, but still make some contact with the pan.

While this is in the oven, make something green. Broccoli, broccoli rabe, or green beans are perfect with this dish. You can also make a quick pot of rice or even faster and better for you, quinoa. The grains will absorb the juices from the chicken and vegetables and all the flavor will come with it.

If you are eating family style, put everything in this pan on one central platter and lift the chicken up a bit above the roasted vegetables. You can even put your green vegetables to the edges of the same plate for a stunning and mouthwatering centerpiece.

Food for Thought

So, is this healthy? My philosophy for a healthy diet prioritized two considerations before all others: the quality of the whole, unprocessed ingredients, and the proportions in which you consume them. You’ll notice I did not avoid fat in this recipe, but I place utmost importance on the quality of the oil and meat providing the fat, because high quality fats are essential for digestion and the body’s assimilation of nutrients even in other parts of the dish, like the vegetables. The fat helps you make the most of the nutrients in those vegetables. To avoid overdoing it, make sure you have more green and vegetable on your plate than protein, starch, grain, etc. This is a very low tech explanation, but it is really my essential rule of thumb.

You may have trouble sticking to that rule with this dish- I always go back to the pan for one more bite!

{Recipe} Roast Chicken with Caramelized Vegetables

For all the LADIES out there…this was just too good not to share. I have met the founder of Essentially Pink, based out of San Diego, and I have to say I LOVE what she is up to! She is putting the S.E.X.Y. back into breast health.

Here is just an itsy-bitsy peek into what she is up to. To find out more you can always visit her website!

“S” = Self breast massage & Tulip Tap

“Breast health is movement.  Moving your lymph tissue, moving your body’s energy and blood flow.” This part is simply delicious! In the video above Lara  guides you through a quick Self Breast Massage and the Tulip Tap. As you integrate this into your regular routine, see if you can utilize this time as a time for growing your awareness and loving all of your SELF. Spending time consciously sensing ourselves, without judgement, through movement and touch is crucial for enhancing our self-awareness and self-image.

“E” = Environment and Emotional

“Both our health and illness has been linked to the mental and emotional patterns that create these implications in our physical body over time.” Many of us know about the impact that environmental stressors, such as toxic waste and pollution, can have on our health. But have you considered the toxic waste of your thoughts?  More and more studies are showing that ’happiness’ can not only circumvent the negative aspects of stress, but can actually improve your health. So what to do? Well you could check out the Healthy Child Healthy World website for some easy ways to clean and green your home. And the next time your Itty-bitty-shi*$y committee is running a muck…give them some love and a quick thanks, take a deep breath of fresh air, and think about something positive (a mantra, a loved one, the earth under your feet, what ever inspires and moves you)

“X” = X-Out Stress

“If handled the right way, stress can become a way for our bodies and minds to grow stronger and more resilient.” You probably know that chronic stress can have a poor impact on your health−cardiovascular disease, increased risk of cancer, etc. But do you know what to do about it? Well there are lots and lots of options in today’s world. Personally, I say have fun with that and explore them until healthy stress is fully integrated into your life, and the baseline for what feels good. At Essentially Pink, Laura recommends utilizing acupuncture, exercise and meditation. I couldn’t agree more! But I would add a few things. First, think movement vs. exercise. Movement is so important to thriving as animal and a living being, why compartmentalize it to ‘exercise’? How about cartwheels in the yard. Or whistling a tune while you hang your laundry out to dry…whoot! whoot! Then you get to save a bit on those environmental pollutants, squat up and down and bring your arms above your head (yeah breast health movements) and breathe in fresh air all at once! Or try a stroll out in Mother Nature…a walk in a park, a hike on a trail, skipping on the beach.  There are lot’s and lot’s of things you can do that are free, fun, and get you moving. Or how about ART? Painting? Sculpting? Cooking? Those creative juices definitely reduce stress!

“Y” = Yes Foods!

Ahhhh….yeah! Love me some whole food goodness! Lara has as short list on her site of recommended foods for breast health and she totes the eating local bit. I have to admit I LOVE the farm to table movement! Even in cold environments there are many ways to grow fresh foods–from winter harvest to hot houses. Even if you don’t have access to a lot of local produce, you can still shop for quality food. Visit the EWG Food News website to find out more about what foods are most important to eat organically. Then when you shop, you can decide when organic trumps local or vice versa. Finally, feel free to peruse through the Conscious Eats area of this site for tasty recipes. We add a new one each Friday for your weekend eating pleasure.

This post is in memory of Dana ~ an amazing woman and beautiful spirit, the first midwife to cross my path and transform my life,  and the first friend that gave me the gift of celebrating both life and death with her.

{Video Share} Essentially Pink – Tulip Steps for Breast Health

Beet Soup

This is such a simple and delicious recipe!  Recently I invited my partner’s mother over to teach me the ins-and-outs of making this classic Polish Soup. It is so good, I make a big batch of this wonderful soup and sip a cup of it each day. It’s my new tea time

Beets and Pregnancy: Beets can help prevent birth defects. Pregnant women are recommended to consume appropriate dosages of folic acid during their childbearing period. Folic acid or folate is essential for DNA and RNA production during cell development. If a deficiency in folic acid takes place, this can trigger defects in the growth of the fetus. Now get this, a cup of beets contains 136 grams of folate! Wow! Plus beets are a rich source of calcium and magnesium.

Here is what you will need:

1 Bay Leaf

1/2 tsp. Thyme

1/2 tsp. Parsley

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 tsp. of  Raw Sugar

2 Tbs. of  Lemon Juice

Splash of Vinegar

How To Put It All Together:

1. Chop Carrots, Celery and Onion. Place them in a large pot with a little olive oil. Cook on low heat for 2-5 minutes or until they sweat.
2. Add 4-6 cups Water, Garlic, Mushrooms, Cloves, Bay Leaf, Thyme & Parsely, Salt and Pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Wash, peel and grate the beets. Add the beets, sugar and vinegar to the stock with another cup or so of water. Let cook for 15-20 minutes.
4. Strain and add the lemon juice.
5. Eat and enjoy!

You can top this with fresh Dill and sour cream or sip it as is. You can also serve this tastey treat warm or cold.

LEMON JUICE TIP:  You can buy lemons when they are on sale or in season. Then grate the rinds, juice the fruit and then freeze the rinds and juice together for future use. Zest the fruit and place a bit of the zest in each section of an icecube tray. Pour the juice of the zest and freeze. Once it is frozen take the lemon juice out of the tray and store it in airtight container. When a recipe calls for the juice just grab a cube or two. Each ‘traditional square’ cube is about 2 Tbl. of juice.

{Recipe} Red Barszcz
a.k.a. Beet Soup

This is a wonderful short video by Russell Delman. I simply love his work. He has an incredible sense of presence! If you ever have the opportunity to take a class, do a workshop or attend a retreat with Russell..do it! Especially if you have an affinity for Somatic Practices or meditation.

This video is a short story of two clients and the impact of attention on their perception. Enjoy!

To find out more about Russell’s Embodied Life Program visit his website: http://www.russelldelman.com/

{Video Share} Russell Delman on the Movement of Attention

“Throughout our day we can pause, take a break from our usual thoughts, and wake up to the magic and vastness of the world around us.” —Pema Chödrön

I have often been asked “What brought you to this practice.” My honest answer? The proper amount of dysfunction and an eternal search for freedom! Yes, like most people I began this journey with my personal history on my back and the ity-bity-shiddy-committee standing in solidarity at my side. Eager to escapes the weight and noise, I began with desperate faith to ‘find a way’ OUT.

What I found was a way IN.

Most of us live in the presence of a habitual mind that dominates our experience and our life. My own experience with becoming more mindful was truly uncomfortable. My committee was in full force and every single thought seemed to echo in my physical being. I was amazed to find out how my perception and my sensation was completely ruled by unconscious conditioning. I decided very early on that working directly with my mind through mindfulness and mediation, was just as important as working with the history trapped in my physiology—this I did (and do) through awareness and movement.

What I quickly realized is that taking time for my own mindful hygiene not only changed my life, but changed the lives around me. And that ity-bity-committee, well they didn’t go away but they are a little kinder now.

Six Ways to Move Into Daily Mindfulness

1. When You Awake: Sense Your Senses Listen as if you just arrived on the planet. Every sound is brand new, coming straight from the heart of mystery. Look with your eyes closed. Sense the light coming through the flesh of your eyelids, see it get brighter as you attend to your sense of sight. Feel, as if for the first time—the texture of the sheets, the coolness of the air, the heat of your partner. Come into that proverbial sense of yourself. Scanning yourself with your sensations from the soles of your feet up and through to the top of your head.
2. With Your Child: Create a Mindful Ritual There are many ways you can create conscious time with your child. If you familiar with the RIE Method, you are already on your way. They recommend utilizing every day activities like changing diapers and feeding What is important is that you create the time and space to be mindful with your child each day, in what ever way is meaningful for you.
3. In Every Day Tasks: Find the Power of Three As an adult there are lots and lots of places in life that invite a pause or give you a chance to explore just one thing. Stop lights, grocery lines, going to the toilet, brushing your teeth. You get my drift. If life gives you a pause…play with it. Take a moment to sense yourself:  your breath, your thoughts, how your moving or posturing. Then take a moment to play with yourself. Can you find three other ways to do the task at hand? Maybe shift your intention, your focus, or explore one sensation at a time. Brushing your teeth? Try using your other hand. Simply waiting in line? Find three ways to shift your weight.
4. On The Road:  Think “HOLY HORIZON!” That’s right shift your gaze! The horizon is beautiful thing. So the next time you are out and about take a moment to look past the cars, down the street, over hills and into the horizon. Notice how just shifting where you look changes the way you sit, transforms you breath, and expands your internal sensations.
5. When You Fade: Investigate Your Distraction As one of my Feldenkrais Teachers said:”if you’re board, you just not paying attention!” Okay, so sometimes we check-out because we are just too full. If that’s the case thank your wise nervous system and carry on. But notice it.  Give some attention to when it happens. Are you in unfamiliar territory? What’s going on with you physically? Do you have a stance or movement pattern that you assume every time you check out or fade away?
6. When You Experience a Negative Emotion or Physical Pain: Play the Name Game As an adult chances are the way you experience your reality is through language. So why not go with the flow. Every feeling generates a sensation — that lump in your throat, the butterflies in your stomach, the empty experience in your belly.  Allow the sensations to come to you. Then speak the truth to yourself, plain and simple, about what is happening. Some of the things you may be able to name are tingles, warmth, coolness, pressure, restlessness, agitation, throbbing, tickles, aches, tightness, tenderness, or sharp pain. Stay with the sensations just for a moment or two, naming all the different sensations you are experiencing. Notice, what does shining the light of awareness shift?

Okay, now because I am who I am with the practices I have…I must make two more recommendations. First, find a way to start doing a little bit of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement each week. Soon there will be a regular podcast here at Conscious Movements to help with that. But also, find a class! Learning with other is important. Having a community of like-minded people is important! Second, start a meditation practice. Even 5 minutes a day can add up over time. So no excuses…take five and thrive! Better yet, have a local mediation group? If so expand your daily 5 to include sitting with others once a week or once a month. Their practice will help support yours. Promise.

Well that’s all for now folks. If you have any feedback I would LOVE to hear it. If you have a daily mindful practice of you own, please share it.

© Buffy Owens 2012, All Rights Reserved (Links are welcome. If you’d like to share my post in your blog or materials, please ask permission.)

{Move Into Mindfulness}
Six Simple Daily Practices

Curried Pumpkin Salmon Soup

This is one of those recipes that come to you in a dream. Literally, I dreamt about this soup for two nights in a row. Finally, I could wait no more to experience it in the waking world. This soup is now a favorite in our home. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

A quick note for Mommies-to-be: There are mixed opinions on eating Turmeric during pregnancy. This recipe calls for only a small amount of curry powder and extra ginger, so it should soothe your tummy rather than aggravate it. Personally, I think it is great to eat as many delicious flavors as possible while we are pregnant as our babies’ taste buds are already blossoming and developing preferences. So you can start encouraging your child to enjoy a variety of foods later in life now. That said, listen to yourself — if it doesn’t sound good, taste good or make you feel good then don’t eat it. Your body and baby know best and if you are listening, you will know what is right for the both of you.

Here is what you will need:

1/2 to 1 lb. of Salmon (depending on your budget and your Salmon needs)

1 Kabocha or Small Pumpkin

1/3 Small Rutabaga

1 Pablano Pepper

2 Carrots

2 Sticks of Celery

1 Onion

1 Inch of Fresh Ginger

1 Can Coconut Milk

2-3 Cups Vegetable Stock

3-4 Cups Water

Coconut Oil (if you don’t have it then Olive Oil will do)

Spices:

1 tsp. Curry Powder

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1/8 tsp. Chipotle Powder (if you have it)

A Small Pinch of Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Hint of Sweetness: Pinch of Raw Sugar or Dash of Rice Vinegar are good options

Squeeze of Lemon or Lime & Gamashio  (to finish off at the end)

How To Put It All Together:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss peeled and cubed squash with a bit of coconut oil and sea salt. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring at least once halfway through.

As the Kabocha is roasting, chop the rutabaga, carrots, celery, onion and pablano pepper. Once they are chopped, begin to cook them in a pan with coconut oil. Let them cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until the onoin is translucent and the rutabaga is cooked.

NOTE: chop the rutabaga into smaller pieces so that it cooks through with the rest of the veggies.

Once your base veggies are cooked, add in the curry and ginger and let cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring. This is an important step — if you don’t open up the spices of the curry your dish will be bitter and will lack the depth of flavor available in the curry. Add the other spices and cook for another minute or two.

Add the Vegetable Broth, Water and Sweetness. Let simmer for another five minutes. Then blend it all together. I like to use a hand held blender and do it right in the pot. If you are going old school, don’t add the Veggie Broth and Water until you are at the blender with the cooked veggies. You can do it in steps and empty each blender full back into the pot.

Cut the Salmon into 1 inch cubes and add it to the pot. Cook until Salmon is cooked through.

Turn the heat to low and add the coconut milk. Once it is heated through-and-through you can serve up a delicious bowl full. Top with a squeeze of lemon, a bit of  Gamashio, and a hint of love. Enjoy!

GINGER TIP:  Peel your fresh ginger with a spoon and then freeze. This is the easiest way to peel the flesh while preserving the meat of the ginger. Freezing it will help it to last longer and make it easier to grate. Then again if you use your ginger as quickly as I do (Yummy ginger-lemon tea) then you can skip the freezing and keep it FRESH .

{Recipe} Curried Pumpkin Salmon Soup

I have come across several articles recently that suggest that you tell your child NO or that you insist your child sit differently every time you find her sitting in the ”W”  position. But I am here to say that the No-No approach deprives both you and your child of valuable learning. 

First, let me remind you that your child is simply brilliant! If she could sit comfortably in other positions — she would, and telling her not to do something that feels safe and comfortable only undermines your child’s sense of self. So, let’s see if we can learn why she is sitting “W” style and use that knowledge as a foundation for understanding, connecting and empowerment.

Second, you probably know the old adage by Lao Tzu When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!’ Well, as a parent and teacher it is sometimes your role to lead in the dance of development. It is up to you to help create a space and pace for your child to experience the joys of learning — learning that allows the higher levels of organization that are important for coordination, balance, and attention to unfold naturally. Taking time to explore with your child will empower both of you for a lifetime.

What is W-sitting?

“W-Sitting” or ”W-Sit” is referring to the position of a child’s legs when they sit on their bums with their knees bent and their feet out to either side of their hips. I know you have seen this somewhere before. Perhaps you thinking it looks a lot like the vajrasana pose you do in your yoga class. Maybe you did it as a kid or know someone who has. Perhaps you have even seen it in your own munchkin.

When is it ok?

Children often move into and out of this position during play or when transitioning from crawling to sitting, especially before 11 months.  It temporarily widens the base of support, giving the child a greater sense of stability and balance during exploration and play. You may even see your older child coming in and out of this position from time-to-time while playing on the floor. W-sitting is perfectly normal and a brilliant strategy for freeing the arms and hands for play when used in this way.

What if my child is older and mostly sits the “W” way?

First give that child a HUG! Isn’t it fantastic that she was able to find a position that felt safe and allowed her to delve into more complex explorations like reaching for a toy or finger painting. Okay now that you acknowledged her brilliance, let’s see if we can help her discover that same sense of stability and comfort in other positions. Chances are she hasn’t fully integrated the Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) and is overcompensating. Whew! That was some serious developmental jargon. So let’s see if the following sounds familiar: maybe she wasn’t comfortable on her belly as an infant or skipped the creeping and crawling phase — bunny hops and bum scoots are popular strategies that keep them moving.

A lot of people go through life just fine skipping over these developmental phases. Many of them find ways of integrating later on…but some don’t. Below are some of the side effects of having a ‘retained STNR’. Remember, it is a reflex, which is neurological. The reflex impacts action, which in turn influences muscle development, which then makes changing a habit more challenging. So the earlier we integrate the easier it is. But we are human and most of us have an incredible capacity for learning, growing and integrating throughout all the phases of our life.

Effects of Retained STNR

• Poor upper and lower body integration
• “Slouching” posture, particularly when sitting or standing
• Poor hand-eye coordination when movements toward and away from the self are required — tendency to be clumsy while eating or difficulty playing catch
• Larger movements that involve upper and lower body coordination (swimming, somersaults, etc.)
• Can’t sit still — legs wrap around the chair or prefers to stand
• Difficulties copying

Integrating Through Play

GET OUT AND CLIMB!

Get Out & Climb!

A teacher once told me that climbing is the big-kid version of crawling. You get to play with cross-lateral movements (opposite arm and legs), side-bending, extension in reaching up, and so much more. Plus, it’s fun!

Many of today’s parks offer a variety of climbing structures — everything form rope ladders to climbing walls. With a variety of climbing structures, comes a vast array of climbing options. Yippie! See each climber encourages or requires a child to engage in specific types of climbing behavior. These can include use of both hands and feet, use of feet and lower body, use of hands and upper body, use of equipment in multiple ways, and balancing the body on moving equipment. The slope of equipment, types of handholds, distance between components and various other features contribute to these different patterns of use. All of this is good news — because when we are trying to shift a habit, adding in variation (with fun) is important.

MOVE LIKE AN ANIMAL

Stephen Rosenholtz’s Move Like the Animals & Monkey Moves DVD Set is a fantastic and fun resource for all kids. I highly recommend ordering a copy. You can also use your imagination and inspire your child to explore the moving like the animals below. You can even make a mask for each animal and enjoy the wonders of Arts and Crafts.

Frisky Frog

The Frisky Frog RIBBIT! Knees bent, arms straight is exactly what the STNR is. So if you got it, flaunt it. Squatting down with her arms on the inside of her legs like a little leaping  frog will help to open those hips while honoring the wisdom of the reflex. So clear some space, jump around, and remember that RIBBIT is the sound.

Silly Salamander

The Silly Salamander Here is a playful opportunity to revisit the creeping phase. Lie on your tummy and lean on your elbows and forearms. (Now it’s time for your singing voice) You bend your leg to the side and look around…..sssssss that’s the sound. Now slide it back down. Bring the other knee up and look around…..sssss that’s the sound. Now slide it back down. See if you slither and slide all the way across the room and back.

Pouncing Tiger

The Pouncing Tiger One of the way that infants utilize the STNR reflex and begin to integrate it is by rocking on the hands and knees. This weight shifting helps balance the muscular systems of the upper and lower halves of the body and play a role in improving the visual accommodation.  You can encourage this by playing the Pouncing Tiger. The two of you can get down on all fours and ROAR as loud as you can as you shift your weight from knees to your hands. Roar and rock. And rock and roar.

The Curious Cat  Just think about all the things a little kitty-kat does. Meow meow your way onto your side, then curl-up into a ball and try to hide. Roll to-and-fro from side-to-side. Then rest on your back and stretch your hide…reach, reach your paws in all directions. Then meow and roll, meow and roll. Then up on all fours to roam around we go. Shhhhh….what’s that you hear? Round your back and show your fear. Oh and now to your delight, there’s a small ball in your site. So hunt it down, and bat it around with front paw left and front paw right. Ahhh…and now it’s time to curl up again and say good night.

The Curious Cat

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© Buffy Owens 2011, All Rights Reserved (Links are welcome. If you’d like to share my post in your blog or materials, please ask permission.)

RESOURCES

Books & Audios

Find a Practitioner

If you don’t see changes, feel that your child is past the point of playful home-intervention, or unsure then please seek a movement specialist. I would recommend finding a practitioner that will work with your child as a whole, taking into account both the physical body and the innate capacity for learning. Below is a short list of people I know and Methods that I respect. All of which I believe can be a powerful asset in enhancing development.

• The Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education
• Upstate New York: Buffy Owens (That’s Me here at Conscious Movements)
• NYC: Sheryl Field (The Field Center)
• NYC & Baltimore: David Zemach-Bersin (Feldenkrais Institute of NY)
• Lancaster, PA:  Donna Bervinchak (Feldenkrais Blog)
• Santa Fe, NM: Diana Razumny (Movement Educators)
• Huntsville, AL: Nancy Harden
• Salt Lake City, UT: Dan Schmidt (SomaDan.com)
• San Diego, CA: Elizabeth Beringer (Feldenkrais Resources)
• San Diego, CA: Kristi Drullard-Kohn (Moving To Learn)
• Cardiff by The Sea, CA: Donna Ray (The Feldenkrais Way)
• San  Francisco, CA: Arlyn Zones
• Feldenkrais Guild of North America (find a practitioner near you)

• Child’Space
• NYC: Dan Rindler (Child’Space NYC)
• San Diego, CA: Shivani Jane (Attune to Move)
• Child’Space WordPress Website (find a practitioner in the US)

• The Anat Baniel Method
• Anat’s Website

• Neuro-Physiolgical Psychology
• INPP Website (United Kingdom)
• Sally Goddard Blythe’s Website (United Kingdom)

Have a practitioner or method you love? Leave it in the comments area for others to see.

The Brilliance of W-Sitting and Learning How To Play for Another Way

This is a wonderful video that gives a great overview on chronic pain and how to address it in a holistic way. While the majority of my work is with pregnant women and children who are experiencing developmental challenges, nearly a quarter of my clients have also been adults who have found relief from pain. In my experience, most people who experience chronic pain do best when address their pain on many fronts, most of which are listed in this video. Although this video wasn’t designed with the Feldenkrais Method in mind per se, ALL of the highlights of this program resonate with my professional perspective on working with pain.

Here are some of the highlights:

Most things in the body are healed after 3-6 months.

Chronic pain that is experienced after this time is often a result of sensitivity (i.e. nervous system) vs. structure. In Feldenkrais we might think about it in terms of how has pain become part of your self-image at the neurological level. Does your system anticipate pain? If so what patterns of movement or organization trigger the ‘anticipation’ and how can we shift it. We might also look at the habits of movement you have developed in response to the pain. These response patterns may have been beneficial at one point in time, but may also be contributing to your pain now.

Medications only help to a certain extent but a more ACTIVE approach is better

Medications can be great for getting you moving by interrupting the pain response. However, if don’t change how you move chances are good you won’t change the way you respond to the movement (i.e. pain).

DIET and Lifestyle can have a huge impact on pain.

Diet can contribute to the inflammatory process. Sometimes doing something as simple as keeping a log of what you eat and when you experience different levels of pain can go a long way in shining the light on what helps and hampers. Same goes for lifestyle. Does sitting in front of your computer for two hours without a break have an impact on your pain? Maybe its 40 minutes. Keeping track can help. Having a mini Awareness Through Movement (Feldenkrais) lesson, taking a short walk, or shaking your booty to your favorite song during that break can be enough to shift your attention, your ‘posture’, and your pain.

Thoughts, emotions, and beliefs can contribute to pain. What is your personal story with pain? How is it part of your self-image?

Mindfulness practices such as meditation and Feldenkrais can go a long ways towards bringing awareness to and then transforming your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs about pain. Your story can be intertwined with your pain at a physical level. Shift your story, shift the way you respond to pain and to life. The way you respond is absolutely a physical action—shift your physical organization and help to shift your story. PSST….Feldenkrais can help with this.

Physical activity and improved function can help reduce chronic pain!

Physical activity and Function? Now you’re really speaking my language…can I just say FELDENKRAIS!

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Related Reads:

{Video Share} Understanding Pain – What to do about it in less than five minutes

“The mind was dreaming. The world was its dream.” -Jorge Luis Borges

For a moment let your mind drift off in to never-never land. There you are in an alternate universe riding your favorite bicycle through the dreamy blue skies of what could be southern California. Your mind seems to move in rhythm with the sounds your bike, the soft hum of the city, and the far off sweet beat of a festival. Cottony clouds slowly drifting in the sky above you.

The music gets louder, your heart beats faster and the lands seems to ripple in front of you as swarms of smiling, quirky folk move about. Its a CARNIVAL!  Women with bright red dreadlocks swinging to-and-fro performing marvelous and daring aerial acts.  Young men dressed in pinstriped suits wavering high above you on giant wooden legs. You feel yourself get lost among the masses in the pulse of creativity.

You hear your name being whispered in the wind. Summoned by a whimsical voice to a delicately graffiti-adorned tent.  Slowly parting the silky material that shields the entrance, you move inward. Immediately you are greeted with a sparkling glass of mystical wine. You reach for the glass, you hand bigger than life. As soon as the your fingers embrace this divine challis it shatters embedding shards of glass in your finger. Throbbing pain marching to the rhythm of your heartbeat.  All you can do is stare at your hand perplexed by the immense sensation.

Suddenly you hear the far off cry of you phone…what my phone? Yes your phone is calling you into the world of the waking. As you roll over, rub your groggy eyes and say hello — you are startled to feel a sharp pain in your finger. The throbbing of the reality you were just jolted out of.

Welcome to my morning! This little scenario was exactly what happened to me this morning. I could hardly believe how real the pain was as I awoke. I had  no real trauma. But there I was, staring down at my own fingers feeling the very real sensation of glass embedded in my flesh and the pulsing of a dreamed wound still fresh.

So it got me thinking. How much of our experience of pain and pleasure is the result of what we believe to be — conscious and subconscious?

Okay. Okay. Perhaps this isn’t the first time I have explored this question. But the experience certainly brought it into my mental radar and inspired me to revisit a few wonderful readings on the subject.

Feel free to leave your thoughts or share your experience on how the mind and body dance their way to pleasure and pain.

© Buffy Owens 2012, All Rights Reserved (Links are welcome. If you’d like to share my post in your blog or materials, please ask permission.)

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Related Reads:

A Dance with Pain

“Cardiovascular exercise is now known to be essential for health and well-being. If exercise is your only form of movement, however, it is not a very balanced diet. There is mounting evidence that slow movement, with body sense awareness, has astounding health benefits by itself and in combination with regular exercise routines.” -Fogel

With an opening like that…I just knew it was going to be a fantastic article! In his article, Slow Movement with Awareness: Better than Exercise? How you move is as important as how much you move, Joe Fogel discusses pain management and Awareness Based Movement Methods. I know, I know you looking back at the title and saying something along the lines of “But what about exercise, I’m not in pain.” That thought crossed my mind as well. But I got to say, this is still a great read.

Fogel touches on the impact that mind-body practices have on improving stress reduction, and this is a point that shouldn’t be overlooked.  Many, many people operate with a consistent level of stress. Although, appropriate stress is healthy, chronic stress can have a huge impact on your health—including a decreased immune system, increased systemic inflammation (think impact on arthritis, pain and even cardiovascular disease) and negative impacts on fertility. YIKES!

“…links between parasympathetic and immune systems are amplified and strengthened via neural circuitry that connects peripheral sensors and effectors in the body with brain-based limbic-prefrontal-sensorimotor networks for embodied self-awareness (body sense) and self-regulatory prefrontal areas.”

What is that you say? You don’t have pain and don’t feel stressed? Well you can still benefit from adding an awareness practice to your movement repertoire. See all that technical  talk above about the peripheral sensors and effectors and the limibic-prefontal-sensorimotor networks…well they are also important for mastering movement preventing injury. Basically the more your self-image (neuro-geek speak might say sensory motor cortex & motor cortex) is in align with what you actually do, the better your performance.

So you see, pain or no pain, you can always benefit from expanding your exercise palate to include a variety of movement experiences.

What to do next?

If you live in the area come join me for a Feldenkrais Class. If you don’t live in the area contact me here and I will help you find a Feldenkrais teacher near you.

Read Fogel’s article by clicking here.

Information feen? Here are some books you might like:

If you haven’t read The Body Has A Mind of Its Own, well it is a great publications. There many more, but this is definitely a good start.  I am also a self-proclaimed learning freak…so if you have a book suggestion you think I might like feel free to give me a cyber shout.

{A Look at Article} Slow Movement with Awareness—Better than Exercise?