Appreciating this sensory feast is part of the digestive process. It really tunes me in and gets me deeper into receptivity mode.
But I realize something is missing…

I go to the fridge. Return with a jar of sauerkraut ~ of the small-batch, organic variety. So very tasty. I garnish with a spoonful.

This completes the picture. Adds just the missing elements. And truly takes it to the next level.

Et voilà. Lunch is served. It’s a simple, edible, masterpiece.

As you read these words, communities of microbes within your digestive tract are engaged in a wild dance of transformation. Extracting nutrients from food. Making energy. Undergoing sophisticated communications with your immune system…

For many of us, it’s strangely easy to lose sight of this staggering level of coordinated, mutually supportive, life-promoting activity taking place within. A good reminder is always in order.

I’ve just finished reading (and rereading) a chapter on fermentation from Cate Stillman’s latest book: UNINFLAMED: 21 Primal Habits to Heal Chronic Inflammation and Restore your Microbiome.

In the chapter FERMENT, Cate leads us on a behind-the-scenes tour of fermentation… and introduces us to the microscopic world of bacteria, enzymes and micronutrients that are at play in the process.

Along the way, she plainly connects the dots between consuming a diversity of fermented foods, nourishing our microbiome, experiencing optimal nutrition, and establishing an internal landscape of efficiency and longevity.

She shares research that underlines our ability to “remodel,” strengthen and diversify our microbiome by introducing an array of fermented foods into our diets.

In these pages, she’s giving us both the keys to the car and the roadmap for fighting inflammation and disease.

When we eat fermented foods, we simultaneously introduce more beneficial microbes into our system AND nourish our existing microbiome.

In short, we take direct action to protect our health.

Here’s an impressive highlight reel:

“Fermented foods kill the bad guys, from free radicals which cause oxidative stress to carcinogens, thus earning the following heavy-weight titles:

1. Anti-oxidant
2. Anti-inflammatory
3. Anti-microbial
4. Anti-carcinogenic
5. Anti-fungal
6. Anti-diabetic
7. Anti-allergenic
8. Anti-atherosclerotic

Those eight anti-pathogenic effects point to how fermented foods benefit you, the host.” (UNINFLAMED p. 93)

Your mission, should you choose to accept it?

Become a better host. Adopt a few simple habits that tip the scales towards greater balance in those microscopic populations teeming within. Help them help you.

So what’s the big deal with fermentation, exactly?

First of all, it’s a process that’s stood the test of time. It’s one of nature’s elegant pathways towards greater efficiency and higher order. A sophisticated form of upcycling.

Microbes have been in the business of fermentation since long before humans arrived on the scene.

Here’s the gist: microbes in our gut direct a process of breakdown. They use enzymes to make it happen. Through this team effort, a transformation occurs. Material we otherwise would not have the means to break down becomes vital nutrients, signaling molecules for our cells AND fuel for their own communities to boot.

The remainder? That’s our poop. Daily evidence of the wild process of fermentation that’s happening within you as we speak. Thanks to bacteria and enzymes. Amazing.

Fermentation is a process that lays the groundwork for optimal nourishment, absorption, and energy production. It supports tissue growth and repair. And it helps fight disease by removing non-nutrients.

Sign me up for that, please!

As Cate explains, making and consuming fermented foods ramps this party up by several notches.

Humans have had their hands in this process for many thousands of years. Fermentation is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. It’s a through-line in culinary traditions across the globe. Every culture, nearly every region, boasts its own special type of fermented food.

Universal themes like these are not a coincidence, folks. When there’s a habit that basically everyone’s ancestors took part in, it’s a good indication to sit up and take note.

If your digestion is not great; if your health is lackluster or worse, it’s time to get involved. The FERMENT chapter lights a path. It’s simple and clear.

How to provide your trusty microbes with what they need to flourish?

Think of it as becoming a 5-star hostess to your invisible guests. Getting plenty of plants in the diet is a major first step. Shifting away from processed foods ~ which lack the magic of enzymes and don’t contain the fiber that microbes require ~ is also key.

And, as Cate inspires us to do in this chapter, ferment!

A.k.a. bring on the culture.

It’s all about the living foods. It’s also about diversity.

Sauerkraut and miso are just the tip of the iceberg. Skip the big-batch, industrial jars. They don’t have the good stuff. Get involved. Read the labels. Go for small-batch, or homemade ferments. Turn the leaves of the humble cabbage into medicinal gut shots in your own kitchen. Cate gives all the deets in this chapter.

It turns out that when we ferment foods, their nutrient content skyrockets. They also boast loads of enzymes. With small amounts of living foods, we introduce “magic ingredients” back into our system. Our inner communities thrive. The lining of our gut restores itself. And we reap the benefits.

The state of our microbiome is the number one indicator of our health. And we have agency to repair; to upgrade; to optimize it.

The more diversified our intake of plants and fermented foods, the more robust our microbiome will become. And that’s our foundation for resilient health.

When the number of species we consume dwindles, our microbiome suffers, along with our health. In a sense, this is akin to our daily interactions. If we’re only tuning into the same few people ~ the same stories on repeat ~ our own development stagnates. Our awareness shrinks.

Interestingly, gut flora populations are completely different for people who live in isolation than for people who are connected to communities. Perhaps these microorganisms are trying to teach us something about the depth of awareness ~ and resilience ~ that’s possible when we embrace diversity. When we honor and lean into our interconnectedness.

The microbiome is now considered an organ in its own right. All wisdom traditions revere the inherent intelligence of our organs. They guide us to learn from and tap into their unique powers. I’ve come to appreciate that the microbiome is an organ that builds strength through diversity. It illuminates how broadening our horizons and broadening our health span go hand in hand.

Research about the microbiome ~ and its malleability ~ is painting a new picture of our health. And it is a fantastically empowering one. The communities of microorganisms to which we serve as host are not genetically determined. They are certainly not set in stone. And they hold powerful keys for developing resilience and longevity.

In looking at the microbiome, there is a beautiful opportunity to retell the story of our health; our communities; our interdependence.

It’s high time to get ourselves more cultured… to “tend and befriend” our invisible allies. May we all embrace the practice of becoming better hosts.

I love seeing connections, I love exploring connections and I love connecting with others. This is what makes my YHC journey tremendously special and inspiring.

Teaching Yoga for close to 20 years has led me to explore different aspects of the art, but I keep coming back to my favourite. Teaching Yoga in combination with Ayurvedic principles to ensure my vinyasa krama (sequencing) is practical, aligned and supportive to those showing up to class. Over the years I realised that my love of the elements and spiralling through them with the chakras is one of my all time favourite places to teach from.

I’ve endeavoured to explore the connection of the chakras to the habits. These are my interpretations for now.

Habit 1: Earlier, Lighter Dinner (ELD) and Root Chakra

Muladhara chakra, the base is all about nourishment, stability, groundedness and balance. I find when I am grounded I am able to nourish myself well. When I nourish myself well I am grounded. Sometimes it’s the energy that needs to shift the physical, and sometimes it’s the physical that helps shift and settle the energetic.

I invite you to observe, test and play with it.

Habit 2: Early to Bed (ETB) and Your Feet Chakras

Habit 1 and 2 work hand in hand. If we have an ELD then ETB is easy. If ELD doesn’t happen, my bedtime takes strain. I relate ETB with the star chakras in my feet. The energy of our feet is directly related to our root centre. On evenings when I do my foot massage I sleep deeply.

I invite you to experiment with massaging your feet this week as you refine your evening routine.

Habit 3: Start the Day Right (STDR) and Sacral Chakra

I relate STDR to the sacral chakra. Physically because it’s got to do with deep hydration, and energetically, because it’s the softer, more gentle feminine energy of creativity and flow. I find when I awaken with the sounds of the birds (not an alarm) I start my day with ease, softness and flow.

I invite you to explore your sacral centre and starting your day well.

Habit 4: Breath Body Practises (BBP) and Solar Plexus Chakra

When I breathe, I ignite the flame within me. I create heat, I create strength, I create power. When I move regularly I feel more toned, more alive, more energised. I have more clarity, purpose and drive. On the days I go into a slump, the mornings I feel like I want to curl back into bed (and trust me there have been plenty of those), I feel heavy and dull. I know that if I move, I can shift the energy and that feeling. Sometimes it’s as simple as a walk, a yoga practice or just dancing.

I invite you to explore, experiment and ignite your manipura chakra as you build on your BBP this week.

Habit 5: Plant-Based Diet (PBD) and Heart Chakra

To have Connection, Compassion and Love for all that is around us, within us and within what we eat is what builds us physically and energetically. When we buy, grow, harvest, prepare and cook food with love, operating directly from our heart centre, it brings forth depth and integrity. It makes us feel whole, content and deeply nourished. When we’re in this space we feel less likely to crave sweet things, snack or feel disconnected from our food, from our community and our relationships/family.

I invite you to explore that feeling of deep love while you nourish yourself this week.

Habit 6: Self Massage (SM) and the Chakras in our Hands

Energetically our heart centre runs the line down to our hands. This is why when we bring forth into the world we should do it with love and when we receive, it should be with gratitude and love. For me, the hands are such a powerful tool, and using them on ourselves in SM brings forth that deep nourishing self love.

I invite you to vigorously rub your palm together to awaken your energy before giving yourself your daily SM.

Habit 7: Meditation and Crown Chakra

Sitting in Silence connects me to my crown chakra, Sahasrara. When I take the time to connect with that which is beyond me, beyond my understanding and beyond that which I think is possible I am often pleasantly surprised by the insights gained, my intuitive words in writing and the advice that arises in coaching sessions.

The more I sit in silence and open up to that which is beyond my understanding the more I feel like I’m doing my dharma. It makes me feel fulfilled, whole and deeply aligned.

I invite you to connect with the subtleness of your crown centre in your meditation this week

Habit 8: Healthier Eating Guidelines and Throat Chakra

Our throat centre of communication is linked to the ether/ space element. To me it’s all about creating space. Key, creating space in our eating schedule to allow for rhythm so that digestion can happen easefully.

When there is rhythmic eating, I find I’m able to communicate with more clarity, purpose and honesty. When I’m cluttered, this centre takes strain and I override my inner voice and knowing. It’s always such a fine balancing act between the two scales.

I invite you to explore your connection with your throat centre, speaking your truth.

Habit 9: Sense Organ Self Care and 3rd Eye Chakra

I love Angela’s article on Aligning Intuition with Intelligence, where she shares that inner knowing needs to be aligned with intelligence. Intelligence comes from learnt experiences, these we gather from the stimuli we take in (yip, you guessed it, stimuli from our senses). When our senses are healthy, vibrant and functioning optimally, the stimuli we take in are pure, honest and not distorted. We see clearly, we hear properly, we taste, smell and feel with satya (truthfulness). When this happens we are able to relate from a more authentic, intuitive space.

I invite you to take extra care in your senses this week and notice what happens when you go into the world with well oiled organs.

Habit 10: Easeful Living (EL) and the Chakras

This is the culmination of all our chakras being in balance, open and aligned so that the energy can flow freely through our Sushumna Nadi (central energy channel). When our chakras are vibrating at their optimal frequencies, all that we do feels perfectly aligned with our dharma and our goals.

In life there are always challenges that tend to throw us off course. When we physically use our habits to bring us back on course, we orientate towards EL. To me, EL is seeing and understanding which chakra is needing attention in the present moment. If I’m craving love, self massage gets upped a notch. If my digestion is feeling sluggish, I address my eating times. If I need inspiration and guidance, I sit in silence. When I need more creativity, I hydrate… It’s really simple. I see where I’m stuck and I use a physical trigger to see if I can move things energetically. It’s an easy, tangible way for me to operate from. I invite you to explore, experience and see which of your chakras and thus habits are needing attention in any given moment so that you too can continue orienting towards thrive.

There is no doubt that screen time is a huge sucker of energy and time. It so easily keeps us from attaining even the simplest things we set out to do. Some vices have more or less power over us. It can depend on mood, history, circumstance and so much more.

Three Big Strategies To Turn Down The Vice: 1. Start with Identifying it and getting support. 2. Trade it for something else. 3. Lastly, protect yourself from it.

#1. Identify it + get support. Ask for help from people that love you, from friends, family and from professionals. You can say: “Hey I’m working on ABC can you help me with it by …( you choose). If, for example, when I arrive home later than usual, say 7 or 8 pm and I start snacking in the kitchen. I’m an early riser so I’m usually tired by this time. I’m eating, not because I’m hungry, and this snack turns into a 3 course meal faster than I can put my fork down. This in turn keeps my digestion feeling stuck the next day. In the morning everything is off. I like to wake up energized and refreshed. But when this happens my morning poop routine is sluggish. So this late night eating would be my vise. I’ve identified it. Next I ask the people in my house to help me out by not leaving food out or offering me any of their late night dinner.

#2. Trade it for something that is better for your body, the people around you, and the planet. The more reason this “something better” hits the brighter it will shine. Bigger bling =easier to spot among heavy clouds and storms of vise. In my evening food binge example an easy trade is warm tea with honey and creme. It’s a simple trade for a pretty small habit to break. There are as many options to trade as there are ideas you can come up with. There are more options for new great habits than there are vises.

#3. Guard. Gatekeep. Fight it like a warrior. You need fences-defenses. Create strong rules and boundaries to keep it from creeping in. For example: Don’t bring it in the house. Lock it away. Spend time with people when they are not doing the thing that you do not want to do because you know it is harming you. An example of guarding against late night snacking turned full course meal would be making sure I get the fuel I need during the day so that I am not ravenous. Paying attention to my food intake requires me to be steadfast and stealth.

Let’s consider another more common vice: my phone. Like eating, it , like Nikki Myers the creator of Y12SR taught me, is a Tiger you need to let out of the cage every day. The phone, however, is not so much of a primal need but a tool of the times. I do need to use it. But how and where do I draw the line when too much is just too much?

1. Identify and seek support: I know that if I am unable to accomplish my day’s list of tasks, if my level of physical activity is less than my screen time, if I am unable to settle in to sleep at bedtime, I am probably stuck in the vice of it rather than the tool of it. Those are my personal identifiers. Yours will be unique to you. Getting support to keep my phone from becoming a vise is fairly easy because the people around me will call me out when they see me hunched in and tethered. About once a month I have to explicitly ask for help around this. Sometimes I just say:” hey take it away from me”. And I have an arrangement with 4 people who have agreed to literally pry it from my hands when I ask them to. Even when I’m saying out loud I need to turn this off- my body actually clings, all fingers and thumb wrapped tightly hanging on for dear life. That’s a seriously powerful vise.
2. Trade it for something better: As a Yoga Health Coach we learn the daily habits of Ayurveda-the science of Robust Healthy Living. So many of these habits are great options to trade in to pull me out the stuck on the screen vise. One habit I’ve slowly developed a taste for is self- massage. In many ways it’s the opposite of screen time yet it has similarities. It’s oppositionional because self-massage requires taking time to slowly carefully pay attention to my body. Different from Screen time because it requires effort. Both have some instant gratification. Self-massage benefits sneak up on you and build over time-subtly. With repetition you start to crave the reward of self-healing those bones and muscles with your own hands.
3. Guard. Gatekeep. Defend: I must face both the phone and the computer as formidable opponents. Always be on guard, aware of its power and might. Many times I fall short. If I’m strict with a time on and time off it helps me tremendously. I have to limit myself to what I can functionally accomplish within a time period. I set my guidelines ahead of time because once I’m in I have hard time gauging.

So best wishes to you in your dance / wrestling matches. You can weed out the ones that are infringing on the goals you are cultivating. It takes time, energy, and attention. Identify them, seek support (you deserve it), trade the vice for something that is better for you, your body, and those around you. Guard, Gatekeep and Defend your goals, hopes, dreams from the habits and actions that sway you away from the paths you most want to tread.

Turn Down The Vise, Go Outside, and Move Your body! I’ll catch you later. Best wishes, Sincerely, Danielle.

My first morning I went outside to give it a try. It had snowed the night before and was a couple degrees celsius below freezing. I looked at the trough after walking barefoot through the snow to get there. It was beautiful, the decision had been made months ago and so without too much thought I broke the ice with my foot, dropped my towel and sat into the freezing cold water. I worked to calm my breath to trust enough to lay back and cover up to my neck. I had started a stop watch just out of curiosity and a minute and a half later I got out of the water. I was cold, but by the time I went back in the house and dried off, the cold was not a factor and it was unquestionably worthwhile as I felt that I truly knew what it meant to be alive. It was like each cell in my body was awake; a very, very different experience than rolling out of bed in the morning.

The after effects of these cold plunges continued to pull me in, I would feel the need to feel awake and alive in a way that I couldn’t by other means. I would be struggling in the morning to make a plan, make decisions, choose what to do with the day. I was at a crossroads and trying to weave my way through an uncertain fog, so I would cold dip and feel a clarity in myself, what I truly wanted, needed, and felt called to manifest. Uncertainty became the trigger for the habit of cold dips. The thought of ‘how does anyone ever make a decision without first going into cold water?’ would come to mind. With a mantra like this, uncertainty feels like empowerment. The world gives us chaos and we plunge it into cold water and come out more ourselves, with greater clarity, direction, calm, and conviction.

I started to look for opportunities to be in cold water. Doing dips a few times a day, trying out when it felt best, what it was like to do it as a bedtime routine and still be able to fall asleep quickly. I went on a road trip into the mountains in spring and wondered how I could bring this forward. There are always cold showers available, but they don’t seem to offer me the same journey as a minute or two submerged. One morning I went for a run on a trail. I planned to return to the house and grab a towel, then go to the boat launch and have my cold dip, being able to scoot back to the house quickly if needed to rewarm. However, the trail ran along the river, was secluded, and had many lookout points with access to the water. On my way back I decided to try a mid-run dip. It was wonderful, much easier when my body was warm before and nice to be able to walk right into a calm river rather than having to sit or lay back in my trough. I returned home awake and inspired by how easy this could be now that I was looking for the opportunity!

The next morning, now in a different town at a different friend’s house, I once again went out for a morning run. I ran up, up, up, feeling the need to push my muscles and stretch my strength. I thought about cold dips and where I could find one. From here I had to go down to the river and then back up to get home. Today I was wearing shorts and a long sleeve rather than the previous day of pants and a jacket. Hmmm…. Once again the opportunity for experimentation. I ran down to the river and went for a skinny dip. It was harder to find a place to fully submerge but the water was very cold and I made it work. I put my shorts and long sleeve back on and felt fine, my legs a little heavy and my body a bit more alive.

As I returned home, my hands were fine. I have suffered from rainoids for as long as I can remember, losing the circulation to at least a couple of my fingers from touching a cold steering wheel or looking at a cold river. But I was fine! Was this just the circumstance of running first and then dipping, or were the cumulative cold dips having a healing and strengthening effect on me? It feels almost too good to be true that simply spending just a couple minutes a day could cure me of this poor circulation disorder, but at the same time it makes total sense. We are training our blood vessels to close and open, like lifting weights. Now rather than my extremities being closed off regularly, my body was strong enough to keep the blood flowing, how amazing! As I reflected on that morning run, I realized that I would have definitely caused rainoids previously by getting cold and keeping my hands uncovered.

This brought the question to mind that I have sat with before as I heal old patterns and injuries. Am I ready to let go of this challenge/disability/injury? If I let go of it, allow it to heal, forget it ever happened, it means I am letting go of the potential attention, empathy, and conversation with others surrounding this topic. The care they would offer when I lose feeling in my hands and my ghostly fingers are not capable of the slightest of tasks. When we let go of these opportunities we let go of the means for connection in this way. Could I connect with others over being healthy, strong, and vibrant? The bigger question: am I open to my identity shifting in a big way through a seemingly small change in my body? That is really what has the potential to ripple out from this recovery. I am becoming a new person, connecting with others in a new way, open to change and growth with the available space and attention not used up by empathy for an injury that is no longer mine. I am the type of person who seeks out new and healing experiences and pays attention to what happens, I am the type of person who cold plunges.

Intro:

Yoga Health Coach, Debbie Grover-Slavin is also a Chef and Ayurvedic Health Counselor who has served as Managing director for big companies.  While she has much success guiding clients through the stages of transformation, she is finding some hiccups guiding potential members through the stages of the Enrollment Process.

Listen in as Cate guides Debbie to get specific in the different stages of Sales, Marketing, and Enrollment and how to create a process for the different needs of potential members.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• How to create a sales process. 
• How to optimize the marketing funnel. 
• How to take the seat as the leader on an enrollment call.

Links/CTA:

• Upcoming Workshops:
  • Yoga Health Coaching – May 4
  • Master of You Workshop – May 12 – 13
  • Body Thrive – May 5
  • Living Ayurveda Course – June 9
• Join Cate’s LIVE Workshops:
  • Lisbon Live Event (Lisbon, Portugal) – June 3 – 5
  • Alta Live Event (Alta, WY) – July 28 – 30
• Debbie’s website: https://www.ayurvedaholisticlife.com/
• Recommended reading: The Introverts Edge by Matthew Pollard

Highlights:

• Cate talks about the Yogahealer Marketing testing process.
• Cate tells a story about interfacing with chronic inflammation.
• Debbie talks about a pilot member getting off medication.

Topics:

• The stages in sales. 
• Building a process built from the result.
• Breaking down beliefs.
• Breaking down symptoms.
• Creating content from beliefs and symptoms.
• Associate with the brand.
• Networking with other doctors as a strategy.
• Defining what they need to believe next.
• Taking the seat of the leader.
• Lead tracking spreadsheet with stages.
• Changing beliefs as different stages in the funnel.
• Intuiting through your own process.
• Getting testimonials for marketing.

Quotes:

• “If you have chronic pain now and you’re 60, let’s fast forward to when you are 75…”
• “The only way we know the process is through testing.”
• “Don’t underestimate care in the day and age that everything is a commodity.”
• “What happens when people go too fast through a sales process is that there is buyer’s remorse.”
• “There is no way you are going to get people across the finish line unless you have a system for it.”

Guest Bio: Debbie Grover-Slavin

Ayurveda Counselor, chef, Life Habits Coach guiding clients through the stages of transformation incorporating Holistic Habits managing director- multi-million-dollar company, board-certified

Ayurveda Health Counselor, Chef, Wholistic Wellness LLC

Questions may arise: Why do I want one? Who is this for? How do I begin?

We gain freedom through structure to bring chaos into order and a manifesto is just that, a structure that connects our vision of the future to our current position, guiding our actions in between. The process of writing a manifesto is the exploration and articulation of what matters most to us, what we believe in and stand for. It is a guiding light that allows us to make decisions easier, to understand ourselves better and when both of these things are happening, we are given a tremendous opportunity for increased freedom.

For example, an opportunity arises, it is shiny AND sparkly. Not only sounds good but tastes good too, yet there is something that just doesn’t sit right. Our normal reaction would likely be some mix of intuitive practice, outsourcing to others for guidance, pros and cons lists, etc. Or if we are more the excitable and impulsive types, it would be to yell “YES” at the opportunity and deal with the consequences later. This all takes time and energy, either before to sort out the clash of feelings for and against, or after to figure out what happened when we threw ourselves at the new opportunity, perhaps to process the emotions of what happened if it was truly misaligned.

Or, a new opportunity arises, we feel it out and check it against our manifesto. Is it in alignment with my stated beliefs and vision for the future? Ah, clarity! Here, on line 6, I can see how it doesn’t fit with my _________ value and thus would pull me out of integrity. I will pass on this opportunity, with gratitude, and seek out another that would align with my vision and create the results I desire. It’s a dreamy process, and it really can happen that easily! Manifestos are for people who want space, freedom, ease, simplicity, or to streamline their approach and who have not yet articulated their vision and values. For folks who want to spend more time in alignment, more time learning from what goes well and being in the joy of who they are and what they do.

Like anything, there are so many ways to do this, here is one way. You can insert coaching and conversations, set it aside and come back to it, do whatever is helpful to you as this is a deeply personal result that deserves your personal process and attention.

Now let’s begin:

1. Get mad. The best place to write from is one of frustration and even anger. Allow your emotions to drive this effort, the goal is to use this frustration as a contrast, when we can see what we don’t agree with through our frustration, we gain clarity of what we do believe in. You can do this in one fiery sitting and/or start a list in your phone and pay attention to what sets you off throughout the day to uncover the belief undercover. Set yourself a time limit, if needed, to sit down again with your ideas, schedule it in. You can freewrite about things and/or move straight to specific points starting with “I believe….”

2. Expand. You can take your beliefs further by asking yourself a series of questions about the important areas of your life as a whole or narrow it down to a specific area of your life like family or business. What is most important to you in relationships? What do you believe about money? What values are important in your family life? What do you believe about time? What do you believe about lifestyle? Work-life balance? Kids these days?

3. Refine. Now you likely have plenty of ideas and it may feel like two steps forward, one step back. Awesome, let’s take another step forward.
   • Read it out loud – notice which ones bring about emotion, feel the most true, and which ones feel fake or like beliefs you “should” have.
   • Look for themes – likely there is some overlap. Look for the words that resonate the most, the 100% must have statements, or any that you can combine and crossout.
   • Rewrite your list – see where you are at. Do you have a vision of how long or short? Likely this will come about naturally. Trying to be as succinct as possible will help to vet your beliefs, they will have to fight for a place on your list and nothing will make the list without it having some true energy behind it.
   • Recycle this process until you have it down to something that feels punchy, strong, and true. It needs to feel like you and it needs to feel powerful.

4. Publish. Share this, publish it, use it as marketing. This is the world you desire to create, no time like the present to start creating it. Feeling resistant? Explore that, likely there is a goldmine in this resistance that when you break through this, you will break through to a whole new level of action and authenticity in your business and life. Perhaps you wrote your goals, or your future selves’ manifesto rather than your current one. What you want to believe rather than what you actually do, and it feels hard to share. Or, you are being called out of hiding, to live your dharma in a big way and the way forward is the way through the resistance. You get to choose how you want to go about moving through!

As an example and for further accountability to share my Manifesto, created at the Mexico 2022 Yoga Healer Retreat, here is mine:

FREEDOM MANIFESTO

• I believe personal wellness is foundational.
• I believe in taking the time to clarify desired results first.
• I believe in Deep Work, the Focus Question, and being unavailable.
• I believe structure brings ease.
• I believe in my worthiness, the unique value I offer and the power I have to redefine cultural assumptions.
• I believe in exposing my frustrations, failures, and regrets to learn my most powerful lessons, stand in my convictions and BEST effect change.
• I believe in conversing with God.
• I believe nothing happens in isolation and investing in strategic community and reciprocal relationships is essential.
• I believe in returning to and collaboration with nature and receiving guidance in these rhythms.
• I believe there are opportunities for joy, beauty and adventure available to us at all times and that it is right for us to embrace them wholeheartedly.
• I believe there is always more available to me. I believe the time is NOW.

If we don’t understand how the body works, how do we know whether it is working properly or not? What is normal? When I was in my 20’s, after having a child of my own and plenty of experience in the realm of sex, I was practicing for my midwifery skills exams. I was surprised with how little I actually knew about my own body. As the years passed, I forgot that I knew these things and assumed that others did understand the intricacies and importance of the pelvis as a bowl. As far as knowing whether things are normal or not, as long as everything “feels fine” you probably don’t really think about it or consider how your pelvis is functioning. But when the pain starts, that’s when you have no choice but to pull in all the tools and maybe even reach out for help.

  Now, working closely with individuals from all walks of life, I see how actually most people are not really sure what is going on down there. There are patterns that are helpful and some that are harmful.  What happens at the pelvis affects everything below and above it. Every joint below and above, muscles surrounding it, and even the throat and breath also affects the pelvis. You can have pain at the tail bone in the back, or the pubic arch in the front, at the back in the hips where the spine and sacrum meet or at the crest of your magic powerful bowl that your spine sits on. It even controls neck and head movement.

Key lessons from the Pelvis:

1.The Hips are the crossroads of spine and legs, upper body and lower body. The glutes are their King, the transverse abdominals (TVA) are their Queen and what happens or doesn’t at glutes and TVA will absolutely determine pelvic and back health. Let’s say the pelvic floor muscles are the Earth that the Queen and King work with, stand on, and preside over. And for the most part, you don’t want the earth to be like pavement or concrete.

2. It moves with the chest and neck. Pelvis, head, and chest move together. Consider your heart an Alter to God. Allow for your chest to lift high. Not necessarily out but high towards the heavens: strong, open, courageous, and warm. Now connect it to the EARTH. Your breath is the key to doing so. Having strong rhomboids, lower traps, and serratus anterior muscles at the back keeps this natural. This is shoulder girdle stability. The golden strands weaving these all together are your breath, your intentions, and connection to the Crowned Queen-TVA and other working muscles.

3. Your feet matter. You want to have diversity of use and whole integration. Footprint and Hip Action are inseparable. How you use and move your feet will absolutely affect your hips and of course the knee too. If your pelvis is the earth, the glutes the King and your TVAs the Queen then imagine the feet and legs as roots or pillars. They create the foundation for everything above the waist to function and expand.

Conclusion: What is going on at the pelvis will directly and indirectly affect pain in the front, back, upper, and lower body. The huge impact that the pelvis has is often ignored. You could say: it’s a bowl; it is the earth; it is the foundation; it’s a ball; a heart shaped bone; a diaphragm…the entrance/exit to/from another world? One thing is for sure, though, it should be strong, but it should also be fluid and moveable. The pelvis deserves attention and care because it is amazing and beautiful. Pelvis health is fundamental to pain-free movement.

WHY Pelvis, Pain & Pleasure? Because I’ve had so many clients with hip pain, pelvic floor issues, labrum tears, sciatica, low back or SI joint pain. This is important body information that everyone should know. It is basic whole body integration. I’ve found many friends, and colleagues who need to know mind, body, and soul. I created the program for them. Women, men, my children, and their partners. I wish it were taught in school. But it’s not.

Bio

I’m a personal trainer and group fitness instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE). I practice the ACE integrated model of stability and mobility as a key tool for pain-free movement.

I took my 1st belly dance class 22 years ago at St. Clair College when I was 6 months pregnant. About 5 years later, taught my 1st belly dance and health education class at the Asheville library while studying to become a Midwife. Later, in Bellingham I taught it as an adjunct to doula care because it is so valuable for pregnancy, birth prep, and recovery.

In 2013 I began facilitating belly dance, Tai Chi, and boot camp at a residential treatment center for substance use disorders where 30-60% of the participants were coming from jail or prison. At first, I was terrified-crazy nervous. I was incredibly intimidated. Now, finally I am much more comfortable and have taught movements to prevent back pain to 1000+ men and women of all ages and backgrounds. I realize how beneficial simple practices can be for every body.

I facilitate programs that encourage people to move their bodies outside with nature. There are many names for describing this, like: recreation counselor or fitness instructor. I work in the fields of outdoor behavioral health, ecopsychology, and lifestyle medicine. Regardless of what it is called, we use nature as therapy, or for growth, or leisure, because of course, we are deeply wholly connected to it. Regular doses of nature are the remedy. It contributes to our health and to that of our planet. People who live and work outdoors become stewards and take responsibility to conserve and regenerate our ecosystem.

We can use outdoor programs of all kinds as a health prevention tool for humans and for our ecosystem. Exercising, working, and healing outdoors does however present many challenges. It helps to have guidelines for decision making, a compass so to speak. My profession has morphed and shaped through many forms, from midwife to farmer to personal trainer, to emergency medic, to adventure guide, and to health coach. I would like to share with you the systems model for decision making that I use. It is the Wise Woman Steps of Healing that I learned from my teacher Whapio Diane Bartlett when I was training at LaMatrona Holistic Midwifery.

The Tao of Midwifery was our mantra: when the midwife’s work is done it disappears. Success in contributing to empowerment means that the client will be able to say, “I did it” not “I couldn’t have done it without you”. That’s how the midwife’s work is supposed to disappear. I see how this fits with adventure programming leadership, being a mother, being a personal trainer and in all the work I do.

Really the Wise Woman Steps of Healing can be applied to anything. The steps are first: Do Nothing; next Gather Information; then Work with the Energy; Nourish and Tone; Stimulate and Sedate; last only when necessary is Break and Enter. Each of these steps can have actions or medicines that are used for each purpose to activate and bring safety and wellness as much as possible. We rely mostly on the first four steps, resorting to the last more in crisis situations. Explained in the next section are the first four: Do Nothing. Gather information. Work with the Energy. Nourish and Tone. If we always promote the first four in the beginning, we safeguard the process. It is always important to set up the first steps. The last step is rarely necessary or helpful.

By Do Nothing, we mean be mindful, be at peace. Let the mountain speak for itself. Have faith in an outcome that is greater than you can direct or ever imagine. It also means having faith in the ability of the people around you. This is always the first step. The second step is Gather Information. Here we find out what the group and individuals’ goals are. It’s active listening. What medical needs or physical handicaps do they have. Only after letting go completely of your control over a situation and then finding out what they want, and need can you then begin to put your ideas or your will/mark on it. This is at the heart of empowerment I believe.  Also within the Gather Information step is to learn about your client population in general as well as about terrain and technical skills that overtime enable you to improve your judgment. Nourish & Tone is taking the time to meet people where they are, giving what help is needed and asked for. In outdoor adventure programming it’s sequencing for optimum safety and building on their strengths. Making sure people don’t go beyond their learning zone into the terror zone, however pushing them gently into their learning zones outside of their comfort zones but only for their benefit.

Stimulate and Sedate takes challenging to another level. This could be where you may or may not breach your scope of practice. And regardless of your field, your profession or your title, you should always be careful not to overstep the line. Stimulate, at one end of the spectrum is where you’re challenging people to their maximum capacity. I’ll use the example of a healing strategy used at Shunda Creek Treatment Center, where I interned.  Clients are welcomed with rhythms and rituals of love and support specifically organized to dispel shame. They are given personal time and space to feel safe and talk when and how they are ready. Playful games and activities create a nest. Clients choose which modalities they will focus on for creating their own recovery plan. Only in the last weeks of an intervention, once participants have had a solid 10 weeks or more of care, of skills learning as well as many small challenges building up to this bigger peak challenge, does it start to have the full look and feel Stimulating, in the sense of the Wise Woman Steps. They are brought to the deepest challenge, so that they are triggered but still within an emotionally safe setting. On the opposite pole within this same step is Sedation. By Sedation we mean: bringing people back into their comfort zones, even going so far as numbing them even. TV or funny cat you-tube-vegging out without having any physical or mental effort is an example of sedation. It is important to take down time for recovery especially in a therapeutic setting. Stimulating and sedating can be used interchangeably in long outdoor expeditions or intense settings for therapeutic purposes. Sedation is used for basic recreation too, in that we use entertainment as a form of recreation. It can be used by giving individuals time away from the group. Or taking down time after a long demanding week of work. Meditation, prayer or sitting in silence is an important aspect of all forms of recovery. This is different from sedation in that it also includes attention and connection to something greater but it does share some flavors of sorts.

The last step, the one least often necessary and most often not recommended is Break and Enter. Itis the idea that we force people to do things they don’t want to do. Crossing the line from Stimulating and Sedating to Break and Enter is not always clear and obvious. Consent is a strong determinant. As a leader sometimes, usually for safety, it’s necessary to make that call. It’s definitely an action you want to refrain from if at all possible.At the same time it’s common that people have doubts and we’re to encourage them. There is a place for all of these steps in leadership. And most importantly actions can fit in different steps depending on Attitude, Intention and Dose. Different trades, roles, or ranks have more or less license to use tools of Break & Enter, and of all the steps for that matter  in their scope in the proper circumstances. An herbal medicine could fall in Nourish and Tone, or Stimulate and Sedate, depending on its chemical properties and biological effects. Same with giving advice: using or recommending drugs, over the counter, prescription or recreational,  and self-medicating could fall into any of the steps. What it is matters but so does who you are, where you are, and the person in front of you. Surgery of all forms usually fits into this category but getting consent gives it some Nourish and Tone like qualities. In emergencies, there are times where we’re not able to get true consent.

And sometimes we defer our own authority. Sometimes it’s taken fairly, other times unjustly. In counseling or in coaching will there be feedback? Are people correctly understood? Are we pathologizing? Is it helpful, as in: if I say this, will it be Nourishing? Toning or am I pushing into Stimulating/ Sedating or could this be a Break and Enter?

Telling someone something they don’t want to hear can have a little or a lot of the spice of Break & Enter. On the other hand sometimes our own denial can be harmful and it helps to trust an outside source over our own judgment. Other times we might be getting help for people we care about who don’t want it, but we fight for them anyway we can because we have hope for something better. There are many of wise women who’ve navigated these choppy waters. They play the balance between Doing Nothing-trusting, Gathering Information -listening, Nourishing, Toning and moving carefully, stealthily, and briefly into Stimulate, Sedate, Break & Enter– in order to overcome obstacles.

Whether we’re talking about defense, combat, positive psychology, religious debate or medical advice: fighting, challenging & pushing is tricky, that’s why we use a compass and guidelines. Finding that balance can be messy. We may have to fight for ourselves, advocate within systems that don’t always have our best interest or haven’t fully understood what we do. And then there’s mistakes of course, which we all make.  Miss steps of all kinds: misunderstandings, mislabeling, misdiagnosing, or wrongfully interpreting. Can land no matter which one of the wise woman steps. It is important to ask for help. Use referrals and seek allies. The steps are fluid. The wise woman is careful. She uses the Wise Woman Steps as a safety web to question all of her actions. 

Thanks for reading my blog. Please let me know what you think. In comments or elsewhere. Love, Danielle 12-7-2021.

References

I would like to honor here more of my teachers.. Firstmost my wise mom Lori Gouin.  Earth angel Grandma Emilia Chevalier. Whapio Diane Bartlett for sharing the Wise Woman Steps when I was a wee baby midwife.  She built on these from Susun Weed’s original and  I have continued to weave into them my own personal professional guidelines as a member of American Council on Exercise, American College of Sports Medicine, and Association for Experiential Learning. I’ve added what I’ve learned from Keith Russell and my professors at Recreation WWU, Randy Burtz, Jasmine Goodnow, Melissa D’Eloia and Lindsay Poynter, from yoga + movement healing arts: Beth Collins health and Fitness Program chair at Skagit Valley College, Niki Meyers and Y12SR, Scotty Lewis and 5Rhythms,  Michelle Thielen Sozo & Somatics and Cate Stillman’s Body Thrive and Yoga Health Coaching.

Becker, S. P. (2010). Wilderness therapy:ethical considerations for mental health professionals . Child Youth Care Forum, 47-61.

Blanchette, A. W. (2010, Sept 14). The clinical theory and practice of outdoor behavioral healthcare. Regent University. Virginia Beach,VA.

Brymer, E., Davids, K., & Mallabon, L. (2013). Understanding the psychological health and well-being benefits of physical activity in nature: an ecological dynamics analysis. Ecopsychology, 189-197.

Dawson, & Russell, K. C. (2012). Wilderness experience programs state of knowledge.

Ewert, A. (2014). Military veterans and the use of adventure education experiences in natural environments for therapeutic outcomes. Ecopsychology, 155-164 .

Exploring the foundation of nature’s role in adventure therapy. (2011).

Greenway, R. (1995). The wilderness effect and ecopsychology. 123-135.

Jelalian, E., Mehlenbeck, R., Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Birmaher, V., & Wing, R. R. (2006). ‘Adventure therapy’ combined with cognitive-behavioral treatment for overweight adolescents. International Journal of Obesity, 31-39.Moote, G. T., & Wodarski, J. S. (1997). The acquisition of life skills through adventure-based activities and programs: a review of the literature. Adolescence, 143-177.

1. Do what is easy: What habits are naturally supported by your current situation? 

For example, when traveling in a foreign country, it is often recommended not to be out after dark alone. So when I travel alone, it is really natural for me to eat early and go to bed early because it is not the best time for me to be out exploring. This also sets me up to rise early and start the day right, which I LOVE in general, but especially in a celebratory/party culture like Mexico and in a hot country. To be up early seeing the city as a totally different place, see who is out working at this time, enjoy the cool air – it is when I realized that running would totally be a great thing for me here and there is a huge community of people that are running and walking on the beach in the morning. What’s the ‘low hanging fruit’ for you when you are traveling? 

2. Do what is necessary: Which habits do you really miss when you don’t have them, likely the ones that set your trajectory away from how you want to feel. 

I realized after a day or two how necessary it was for me to have some hot water to drink in the morning to help clear the channels. I didn’t know how to source this, but it came up as very important for me to have the best day. I thought of buying a thermos but instead moved into a place with a kitchen, which solves the challenge for now! Recognizing that some habits that are so easy to have happen at home are still very much worth the payoff of the extra effort and perhaps extra expense. Maybe there are certain foods, types of movements, quiet spaces, or little luxury items that are worth carrying around. I brought a light sleeping bag, which seems silly in a hot beach town but it was so nice for the a/c on the plane here and will be for other bus rides! 

3. Leverage the opportunity to learn and uplevel from the challenge: These experiences give us the opportunity to adapt, to grow, and to learn in a new context that we don’t get when we dial in a system and only use that system. This is true in many aspects and maybe one of the reasons you are away from home in the first place. Leverage it with your habits and your own personal evolution.

For me, here and now, it is giving me the opportunity to experiment with food. I had it dialed in that I like oatmeal with some toppings, I can feel it when it is time to switch them up, and I like a black or spicy chai with it. I hate paying for oatmeal at restaurants so it is giving me the opportunity to try something else. Longer fasting times, fruit in the morning, two meals a day rather than three. I was so patterned into my craving for oatmeal in the mornings at home.  It was really challenging to get out of that. It’s easy here, easier than eating it most days! Having habits that support us is an adventure in refinement and evolution. We can get focused on the perfection of it or the attachment to what has worked for some time and accepting the challenge of wanting to be on the road and feel good is a wonderful way to embrace the adventure, and it has the potential for huge payoffs! Happy adventuring!

There was a period when I was a frequent visitor of my acupuncturists, Ross and Andrew. However, my acupuncture visits have stretched further apart. This has been especially noticeable since I have more fully embodied the 10 Body Thrive habits. On this occasion, Ross was in session and he quickly got down to examining my pulse with rapt attention. When he was done, he opened his eyes and said, “On an energy scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, how much power do you think we should put behind our efforts to drive our every action?”

As my visits were for recharging my drained adrenals, I admired yet another way Ross had found to deliver his imminent lesson in energy management. I had an urge to say 10 or a cheeky 11, but managed to keep my old identity and propensity for wanting to pack every moment of life with excitement and intensity, in check.

“Between 7 and 8” I replied zenly.  “No”, Ross said, “it’s 6.2 – a very exact number. I found it in an ancient Chinese poem when I was researching for my book. The number is exact because it’s intended to highlight the close attention we must pay, to be in the sweet spot for operating our energy system at optimal efficiency”.

I looked at him doubtfully.  He continued, “It’s what I do and have been doing for decades. Before I moved my practice to this area, I ran a much busier clinic. By keeping myself at a 6.2 level of exertion, I never burnt out.” As he carried out my pulse reading and placement of needles, I judged by his equanimous air that he was probably operating at a ‘6.2’.

As I settled into my treatment, I contemplated what brought me here, and why I had been unable to notice and heed the signals of overwork until I had hit the proverbial wall. I had clearly slipped out of alignment with the tenth and overarching habit of Body Thrive, ‘Easeful Living’.

My teacher and author of Body Thrive, Cate Stillman, says ‘when you notice stress, flip the switch to ease’.  I had an aha moment when I realized I had been pegging stress at an energy exertion level of 7 to 8, which is too high to be sustainable. If I pegged stress at a ‘6.2’, I could flip the switch to ease earlier, and carry on at a steadier, more productive pace in the long run.

It doesn’t mean that you can’t exert yourself occasionally to meet inescapable deadlines. But if you do have a tendency to overwork, look into consciously dialing back your exertion level to a more sustainable one. Consider the metaphor of a battery – if you want your phone, laptop, or another device to be continually working, you wouldn’t allow it to drain completely before plugging it into a charger, would you?  

You may be thinking – but what if I can’t achieve all I want to at an exertion level of 6.2? The solution and path of growth is to build up the size of your metaphorical battery. The way to do this is by cultivating an abundance of “Ojas”, which is a Sanskrit term for “vigor” or “vital energies”. When your battery gets larger, it follows that you’ll deliver a greater impact at your expanded 6.2 exertion level.Best-selling author Seth Godin says, “What you measure usually gets paid attention to, and what you pay attention to, usually gets better. The next time your mind is running ahead of your body which it loves to do, remember to check-in and ask yourself if you’re running your energies at a 6.2 out of 10.