October is Here: Time to Celebrate!

October is my favorite month!  I have a couple of personal holidays, i.e. anniversary and birthday and a family fun holiday:  Halloween!  The weather is usually good for outdoor activities and even with living in the suburbs, I can get back to my farming community roots with harvest festivals taking place all over.  So I LOVE October.  And since I celebrate the entire month, I thought it would be good for you to find reasons to celebrate too!  

Research on mood and brain activity tells us that we can create positive changes with intention.  I believe that we hard on ourselves.  Most of us create impractical "to do" lists and are disappointed at the end of the day.  But instead of looking back and thinking of all the things that you "should" have done, celebrate what you accomplished.  

You've heard, "don't sweat the small stuff".  But sometimes it is hard to take your mind off of your worries.  The practice of meditation or mindfulness seems daunting because your mind is attending to all that you need to do or your thoughts turn toward worry, regret, sadness, shame, etc.  So let's create positive change with this intention:

CELEBRATE!  

I am sure you can find something each day to celebrate.  Here are some ideas to turn those negative thoughts into positive.

Human Connection: Our deepest desire as a human is to connect with others. What interaction lifted you up? Maybe it was a kind word or a smile from a stranger.  Even that brief conversation with your child or spouse counts!

Nutrition:  I am sure you dodn't eat junk all day!  Look back and celebrate the healthy choice (or choices) you made each day.

Physical Activity:  I don't have a physical activity tracker, but I know that many of you do.  Make sure that the goals you set are realistic.  And then pat yourself on the back for any of the steps that you took to meet those goals.  Make sure to give yourself credit for those times you stood up from your desk to stretch!

Rest:  This includes sleep which everyone seems to be lacking these days.  But what are some other ways that you physically or mentally rest?  When do you feel your body let go of tension and relax?  Pause and take a moment to breathe.  If you haven't already, sign up on my website to receive a 5 minute breath and gentle movement video to ease muscle tension.

Spiritual Connection: We each have unique ways to connect to our spirit.  Explore ways to do this on a daily basis.  Nature is a great way to connect to the spirit and mine is the sunrise.   As we move into autumn, sunrise is more accessible to all of us. The light of the new day brings possibilities.  Rise to celebrate those possibilities!

I would love to hear how you celebrate each day!  You can use the various social media sites so that I can find you!

Tag me in Facebook on my personal page, Stephanie Carter Kelley, or business page, Yoga Physical Therapist.  I'm also on Instagram @sck.yogapt

Just remember to Celebrate!

Cleaning out the Junk

Autumn for me is a time to clean up!  Maybe it is all of the signs of change.  I just noticed the first signs of autumn in the trees.  After careful inspection realized that the color is from our buckeye trees!  I guess I feel this need to clean because summer was a time to play as much as possible.  So the clutter accumulated in more ways than one!  For some of you, the clutter may accumulate during holidays when you are living a life of excess.  But this summer was especially disorganized for me and now I am surrounded by junk inside and out.  

A few years back, I was prompted to read Marie Kondo's book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  In this book she provides strategies for reorganizing your stuff.  But the secret she reveals is that tidying up is really about getting rid of junk you don't need or junk that is not serving you any more.

So how do you do this?  I used to be able to spend a day or weekend at least once a year going through closets and drawers to get rid of junk.  But now, I find doing a little each day serves me better.  And then to create habits of getting rid of junk as you come in contact with it.  So here are some ways to start.

Mind: Yes, your mind can be full of junk too!  Realize that what you are putting into your mind mostly via media these days, is what fills you up.  You might ask, "what junk do I have in my mind?" You would be surprised!  If you feed yourself negative information, that just means negativity is going to come out.  And what about the negative stories we tell ourselves about ourselves.  You may not even realize how many times to tell yourself: "you're not good enough", "you can't do that", "you're not smart enough, tall enough, pretty enough, etc."  Limit your exposure to negative media and people (i.e. the news and a few of those Facebook friends).  Create a regular meditation or mindfulness practice to create space for more positive.  Even just 10 minutes a day creates a mental hygiene practice so helpful for cleaning out the junk.  

Body: Your body cannot heal or even function well in a cluttered junked up environment.  I love a good detox diet for getting my body unjunked.  Some signs I needs to detox are: bloating and other GI symptoms I won't mention, joint pain, poor sleep (i.e. waking up each night at 3am), fatigue, and headaches.  I recommend Alejandro Junger's book Clean (he also has a website but don't think you need to buy anything!).  This is a serious detox, so you will need some time to study and prepare.  But for me, it was life-changing.  This diet highlighted foods that I can tolerate and taught me about foods that promote inflammation.  You may only need to do the full diet one time, but I still do a short or modified version when I feel the need to de-junk a bit, like after a weekend of excess.

Along with promoting an optimal environment inside with nutrients, physical activity is necessary.  But rather than that sweaty, almost dying, beating ourselves up exercise experience, gentle movement may be more of what you need.  Walking, slow yoga, tai chi or another mindful type of exercise would be best, specially at a time when you feel "off" emotional, mentally or physically.  If you engage in vigorous exercise to just "escape" you current situation, I believe that you are setting yourself up for injury.

Environment: I admit it:  I create piles of "stuff" that I think I will eventually get to.  It results in piles of stuff around the house.  (I am not the only one that does this in my house). But by the time I get to it, due dates and significance of the item has been lost.  I need to get back to creating the habit of touching it once and either deal with it or get rid of it.  For example: as mail and papers and artwork from school land on the counter, decide immediately what to do with it. 

It is time to change your closet from summer clothes to fall and winter clothes.  In doing this, GET RID of several items.  You know you didn't wear it this past season, so GET RID of it!  I tell my daughter as she is in search of something to wear, "if you touch a shirt and you know you're not going to wear again, GET RID of it!"

Email: I love to go through my emails and instead of just deleting all the unwanted solicitation, open it, scroll to the bottom and UNSUBSCRIBE!  Only keep emails from people (or retailers) that you consistently read.  If you have saved several emails/newsletters from the same person/organization and have not read them, then UNSUBSCRIBE.  That includes me!  It won't hurt my feelings if you unsubscribe from my email list. The last thing I want to do is to clutter your life in any way.

But if you enjoy my emails, you may also enjoy a workshop or class.  Autumn brings change to where you can find me and my schedule.  I would love to see you this Autumn!

Namaste, Stephanie

Come Play with Me

I think of my yoga class as play time.  We pause, breathe and always laugh a little.  As I lead the class, I let myself be creative.  I am inspired by my own yoga practice, observations of participants on that day, or by something that I have read.  Some of the class is almost like "free play".  If you have watched kids play freely, you can see this perfect blend of creativity and play.  

From what I read, kids don't have enough of this unstructured free play.  But I would have to say that adults don't get enough either.  We were all meant to play and it is through play that we tap into our creativity.  When we get stuck in the schedule of daily life: wake up, eat, go to work, attend meetings, email, and the never ending "to do" list, even our opportunities for play and creativity are squelched because of time constraints.  We schedule our exercise into 30-60 minutes and either mindlessly watch TV or let someone else lead us through movement (yoga included!).

Play is important to tap into the creative mind.  If we don't play it begins to take a toll on the body.  The work/play balance in life is related to the 2nd chakra of our body's energetic system.  This energetic center is located at the level of the lower belly, low back, and hips.  An imbalance in life between work and play can result in dysfunction to any of the body regions of this area, for example: constipation,  hemorrhoids, low back pain, or hip pain.

Creativity is also related to the 2nd chakra, but the expression of our creativity is more related to the 5th chakra.  This energetic center is located at the level of the neck and throat.  A block in this area, i.e. not freely expressing your creative side, can result in reflux, thyroid imbalance, or neck pain. (Anatomy of the Spirit, Caroline Myss)

Do you have symptoms of "not enough play"?  How can you insert a little play time into each day?  If you haven't played in a while, you might forget how.  If you resist your regular exercise because it seems like work, turn it into playtime.  Allow your self some freedom of movement.  If you need some help in getting started, check out my friend Lindsay's blog for activities in central Ohio:  http://www.findwhereyoufit.com/.  Or look for my friend @charlesgibsonfitness on Instagram.  He records fun videos of Adult Recess!

Let your weekly yoga class inspire you to try the movement at home.  Throw perfect form out the window and just pay close attention to what your body wants to do.  It will lead your through new movements and I know you will feel better.

So tell me, how do you play? What play have you given up because of time or performance expectations ("too old" or "not good at it anymore").  Please share so that we can all be inspired more and tap into creativity.

From the latest 21-day meditation series, Desire and Destiny Day 18, with Deepak Chopra and Oprah: "When we are engaged in play, we connect with the heart".  My bet is when we play with others we make a heart to heart connection.

Regular classes are back on the schedule starting tomorrow August 10: Tuesday 1pm for Gentle YPT and 5:45 for Ongoing YPT where we focus on spine safe movements.

Namaste,

Stephanie

#workplaybalance #yogaphysicaltherapist #desireanddestiny #21daymeditationexperience

When One Door Closes...

another door (or two) opens!  ***ANNOUNCING A LOCATION CHANGE***

For all of us, when the door closes we experience sadness, hurt, and frustration.  And when you are wallowing in those emotions, it is hard to see the opportunities behind the other doors.   I have been through these types of transitions before and spent much more time sitting in the hurt of past events and worrying about the future.  The result would be layering on of neck pain and back pain and probably a few headaches. But the Meditation and Mindful practice that I have developed, helped me to feel those emotions but also move through them. Moving past those emotions with Mindfulness gives clarity to choose the right opportunity.  

When you really get to the deeper emotion under the sadness, hurt and frustration you find FEAR.  I have had a book beside my bed for a while by Pema Chodren:  When Things Fall Apart.  It obviously caught my eye a couple of days ago and so I picked it up.  Just the first two chapters spoke volumes about how to move through fear and realize its value.  Yes, Value!  If fear really is that deepest emotion, then it provides a window into our spirit.  We all have the experience of fear in common.  We all feel it, but how we react to and use that experience is what defines who we are.  Here's a quote from her book that I love:

"Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth."

So while I am sad to say that I will no longer be teaching at beYoga and Wellness, I am also so grateful for my time there in developing and building my gifts as a Physical Therapist using Yoga.  I have watched clients also develop and progress and it has become clear to me that I'm not just a yoga teacher.  Many of my clients tell me this too.  My years of experience as a Physical Therapist and all the research I have and continue to read and are intertwined into what I do.  This move will give me more freedom to continue on that path.  I have changed the name of my classes to just say what I do.  The content will be the same but it also invites anyone with pain or mobility limitations to join.

Starting Tuesday June 6, I will begin teaching 2 classes at the Center for Wholeness in Clintonville Located at:

4041 North High Street | Suite 100 | Columbus, OH 43214

It is a beautiful space in a room with only 4 corners!  It also has a Yoga Wall in the main classroom, so we will be able to utilize it during all classes and private sessions for modifications.

Tuesday 1-2:15 Gentle Yoga Physical Therapy (June 6, 13, 20; July 11, 18; and August 8, 15, 22, 29)

Tuesday 5:45-7 Yoga Physical Therapy(June 6, 13, 20; July 11, 18; and August 8, 15, 22, 29)

Private session availability: Noon and 2:30-5:30.

Given it is summer and activities were already scheduled in this space, the dates are a little intermittent.  But I hope to see you soon.  In some ways I feel like I am going home.  My first house in Columbus is just up the street.  My favorite spot in all of Columbus is the Park of Roses which is just over the trees of the parking lot.  This area of Clintonville has developed with new shops and restaurants.  So come for yoga and stay for a walk or for dinner.

Namaste,

Stephanie

P.S. I'm still at Balancing Owl Yoga in Dublin.  Join me for 2 Free classes June 23!

5 Reasons Why Your Pain is Not Just About Your Back!

Most people that come to see me believe that their low back pain is related to an old injury or pathology that was shown to them on X-Ray or MRI.  But research tells us that chronic back pain is not a result of an old injury or pathology.  Let me repeat…chronic back pain is NOT the result of an old injury or pathology in the spine such as a disc herniation or arthritis. 

I know you’re thinking: “Wait! What?!? My physician (chiropractor, physical therapist, or other healthcare provider) showed me the X-Ray or MRI!  Were they lying to me?”

No, but they may not be keeping up on current research in chronic pain.  Recent research shows that addressing the brain, and not the body, leads to a decrease in pain (see Why Things Hurts on my Resources page).  Research also shows that people without pain have the same pathology of the spine as people with pain (see another blog post: Why Yoga for Back Pain?). 

So why the difference?  Why do some people have chronic back pain with degenerative discs and joints and others do not?

The reason lives in the brain, i.e. your beliefs about pain; how you responded emotionally to your original injury; how you respond to your pain; how your loved ones responded to your injury and your pain.  Just as we develop habits of thought and behavior, we can develop habits of pain.

Now this doesn’t mean that you don’t also have physical impairments associated with pain.  Your pain has limited your movement and physical activity, so now you have stiffness and weakness.  I also believe we have both physical and psychosocial triggers to “incite” pain.  So an approach that includes BOTH physical function like movement and strengthening AND brain training like mindfulness and motor imagery is the right choice for people with chronic pain.

My approach to Yoga for a Better Back uses the biopsychosocial model of health for healing chronic pain:

·        Bio: learn how to move and increase core strength with respect for the pathology

·        Psycho: learn how your thoughts and emotions keep you in pain

·        Social: Learn how your patterns of communication and engagement with others affect your pain

Just to further elucidate that chronic pain is NOT only physical, here are 5 Things that I hear from clients that tell me that their pain is NOT just physical (maybe you’ve said it too!):

1.      "I don't have pain when I am on vacation." I had a client with a very stressful job tell me this several times.  He now uses deep breathing as a method of pain management.

2.      “I injured my back in high school”.  For most of my clients, high school was over 20 years ago.  Unless you have a condition that hinders the healing process, the tissue that was injured has healed.  The original injury resulted in “acute” inflammation which lasts about 7 days during which you were really limited in your motion.  The tissue continues to heal for another 14-21 days during the “subacute” phase of inflammation.  During this phase you only felt pain if you “did too much”.  But after 28 days or about 1 month, the injured tissue continues to strengthen and return back to the original state or actually a little stronger.

3.      "I handle stress well".  One symptom of chronic stress is muscle tension.  So that constant tightness you feel in the low back or across the shoulders may actually be a symptom that you don’t handle stress well.  You’re not yelling, screaming, or crying because you have yet another task added to your “to do” list, but your body may actually be screaming at you to pay attention to the accumulation of stress by slowly increasing the pain.

4.      “I don’t know what I did, but my back just went out”.  The brain changes to chronic pain by becoming more sensitive. Less stimulus is needed to induce pain.  So sometimes you didn’t do anything PHYSICAL, like bend or twist the wrong way to increase the pain.  Pain can be triggered by just thinking about bending and twisting.  It can also be triggered by having a difficult conversation, working toward a deadline, or planning for a family event or holiday.  Yes, even "good" stress can take a toll on the mind and body.

5.      “My pain keeps moving around”.  If your pain was truly related to the pathology of your body, i.e. disc, muscle strain, or joint; it would be consistent.  But if one day you have buttock pain, then another day your have back pain, and another day you have hip pain; the pain is not physical.  Widespread pain is also a symptom of changes in the brain.  More areas of the brain related to the body become active, therefore the experience of pain moves around to more areas of the body.

So what is the answer?  I use Mindfulness, aka Guided Meditations with a specific focus shown from research to manage, reduce and yes, even eliminate pain.  This process trains the brain out of old pain producing habits.

Want to learn more? Your brain IS capable of training and change!

Namaste, Stephanie

Thoughts from Meditation

I started the Oprah and Deepak Meditation series on April 10th.  Not all, but many mornings my meditation leads to insight.  I have been posting on Facebook, but in case you don't follow me there (YOU know who YOU are!!), I decided to write them here too.

Enjoy!

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"I'm a mess." So many say this to me as they tell me about their aches and pains. But if you believe in God, this cannot be true. He/She made you in His/Her Image and therefore you are Perfect. The pain we experience is here for a reason. A belief in perfection moves you to understand what that reason is. As you understand, you heal.

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Perfect. In this moment...
You
Are
Perfect.

It is your ideal of perfect that creates the struggle and pain. You set your sights on some internal judgement of what perfect is and berate yourself when it is not achieved.

Instead today, let go and know that you are Perfect in this moment.

And in this moment.

And this one too...

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Judgement. Mindfulness is being in the present moment, without judgement. That may be the most difficult part for some. Observing your thoughts, allowing yourself to feel both emotionally and physically without judging whether the thoughts and feelings are "right" or "wrong". Just allowing yourself to be. And then extending the practice of non-judgement toward others. This takes work, but when you observe without judgement you open to compassion.

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We all make mistakes. And yes, many times we deal with the external consequences of those mistakes. But there should NOT be internal consequences; i.e. that inner voice that says, "you're stupid", "you're not good enough", "how could I have done that", etc. Develop compassion in your mistakes. Just as you would have compassion for a child making a mistake, so too, have compassion for yourself. "It's OK. You'll do better the next time".

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More on Judgement and Compassion. We are all just doing our best, right? If I feel like I'm doing my best right now with what I have, then you must be too. Yes, even you who takes too long to make that right turn. And you, who is taking forever to check me out at the grocery. What is my hurry? Breathe. Smile. Wonder, rather than judge someone else's circumstances. This. Will. Lead to Compassion. Try it and let me know how it goes.