Gratitude in Action by: Shauna Greeson

 As leaves turn to gemstones outside my window and the air becomes electric I associate the season's change with gratitude. It's such a simple concept to be thankful for what I get given... Air, food, water, shelter, love ... But to practice gratitude in action is a whole other thing. When I do, the payback is endless. It requires my intention, daily maintenance, dedication and even at my best I fall short of the desired outcome of undisturbed.

For me, an attitude of gratitude is a healer of all sorts of things from doldrums to chronic pain, be it in my body, mind or spirit. A spiritual guide once suggested that I write a gratitude list every day for 30 days - 5 things I am grateful for, no repeats. After the first few days, once I got all the things vital for survival down, I found myself having to really think about it. This was where the magic happened for me. It wasn't then and there as I wrote. It was later on when I noticed a light heart eager to burst into laughter, a better night's sleep, relaxed muscles in my tension lines... It was then that I made the connection: My peace and serenity on a daily level are directly proportionate to my level of gratitude. I have yet to experience a thankful heart that is full of fearing the future or regretting the past. Gratitude brings me in the day, in the moment, in the right now.

Without fail gratitude is something I feel close to when I am of service to others. Maybe not in the moment of talking a friend off an emotional cliff or helping someone with their burden - be it a heavy door or a heavy situation. It's afterward, later on, I find myself noticing the little gifts each moment has to offer... A break in the clouds allowing sweet sunshine on my cheeks. It stops me in my tracks and I whisper 'thank you, thank you, thank you'.

No Shame in Pain

I am currently reading anything I can get my hands on by Brene Brown.  I feel her work is a portal for healing. For some, tying shame and vulnerability to chiropractic care might be a stretch, but I find that asking for help is one of the most vulnerable acts we can perform.  It is not uncommon when someone comes into the clinic, they are searching for the reason why the pain happened, wanting answers and placing blame on himself/herself for getting hurt. They ask: Why do I have this pain?  What is the quickest road to recovery?  Personally, I think pain is here to teach us.  With most things I have experienced in life, when I’m down, not only is it going to take a little time and work to get back up, it often requires help from someone other than myself.  

There is no shame or blame in having back pain or sickness.  It is the most common reason people seek medical treatment. 3 of the top 10 reasons people visit a doctor are pain related (joint pain, back pain and migraines), all things that chiropractic care help combat and prevent.  

One interesting thing Brene mentions is how differently women and men organize shame differently.  For women, it is summed up by “Do it all, do it perfectly and never let them see you sweat.”  It is a web of unattainable, conflicting/competing expectations.  For men, it is “Do not be perceived as weak.”  No wonder I hear almost daily from my female patients, “I have been trying to get my husband in here.”  We have created  a culture where it is not safe for the man to ask for help, because he will be perceived as weak.  I hope this TedTalk sheds some light into your life the way it has mine...

I will leave you with the Theodore Roosevelt's quote:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Thank you for joining me in the arena.

-Dr Allison Kennemar

Yamuna® Posture Restoration

by: Michelle Arington

After reading Jana and Leah's posts about my favorite subject, posture, I thought I'd add an effective Yamuna® Body Rolling routine to restore and maintain effortless posture and shoulder alignment. All you will need is a Pearl Yamuna® Ball and a little bit of time and space.

Recently, I had the pleasure of sharing Yamuna® Body Rolling with the dance students at the UGA Dance Department. We worked on areas that are often a challenge for dancers. Hamstrings, calves and hip flexors are common areas of tension and tightness, which can lead to injury. A large number of the students wanted to know how to work on their shoulders in order to improve posture as well as take the stress, strain and tension out of their necks and upper backs.

Yamuna® Body Rolling is a cutting-edge, one-of-a-kind, and therapeutic self-care technique that empowers you to cultivate immediate and sustainable change in the body. Yamuna® Body Rolling allows you to release retracted muscles, restore function and wake up under used muscles while creating alignment and space in the joints. A specially designed Yamuna® ball is used to apply traction with your body weight and roll out muscles in the direction of its muscle fibers from origin to insertion. Unlike other popular foam rolling or tennis ball muscle release techniques, Yamuna® Body Rolling follows the natural order of alignment and structure in a methodical way. This method trusts and honors the innate logic and intelligence of the body to self-correct and self-heal. Dedicated practice quickly restores balance and stimulates muscle memory for positive and permanent change. Yamuna's method allows for a complete release of muscle while also stimulating bone. This direct bone stimulation takes impact and trauma out of the bone and creates both bone density and flexibility.

Below is one simple and effective 15 minute routine to help restore posture. This routine works by lifting the sternum up and out of the diaphragm for easier breathing, releasing tight muscles across the chest and encouraging external rotation of the humorous for optimal shoulder alignment.

First, place a Pearl Yamuna® Ball at the center of your sternum. Take several slow, deep breaths, and allow the ball to melt and sink into your sternum. Relax and surrender your weight to the ball. Exhale, sink deeper into the ball and slide it up a little higher. Take several more deep breaths and melt into the ball a little more each time. Next, exhale and slide the ball up slightly higher. Lift your sternum and sink into the ball. Continue with the same breath and focus until you reach the notch at the center of the collarbones. Once you reach the center of your collarbones, drag the ball down with your hands into the notch between the clavicles as your head looks up. Gently stretch the skin and muscles of the front of your neck. Relax your jaw and breathe. (As demonstrated by the dancer in the upper left corner)

Next, extend your right arm out to the height of the shoulder, sink into the ball, and shift your body weight to the left, so the ball slides off center to the right.

Place your left hand on the ball, sink your weight into the ball and press the ball in the direction of your right shoulder. Do this while turning your head to the left. Continue to sink and slide the ball along the bottom edge of the collarbone. Take your time and breath into each point along the way, until the ball reaches the front of your shoulder.

With the ball now firmly underneath your shoulder and your weight in the ball, press your left hand into the floor and twist your body as you lean into the ball. Allow the ball to press your shoulder back. You should feel your right scapula press into your back. Also, you may feel a sight pinching in between your shoulder blades. Continue to twist as you move the ball down into the arm. Release the arm out of shoulder joint and externally rotate the humorous into a more neutral position. Roll about 2/3 of the way to the elbow and then come off of the ball.

Lie on your back in a balanced position and breathe. Notice what you feel. Become aware of the difference between each side.

Now, stand up and take a look at the differences. Chances are one shoulder and side of your body will look, feel and move entirely different than the other.

Can you tell which side of the sternum and shoulder this dancer just worked on? Which side looks like it has more space?

Now, complete the routine by returning the ball to the center of the clavicle once again. Follow the same order, sinking into the ball and sliding it along the bottom left edge of the collarbone. Assist traction by pressing your right hand into the ball and twisting your body when the ball reaches the shoulder. Continue to roll out into the left arm. Take your time and breathe into each point along the way.

Finish by lying on your back once again. Enjoy your breath and the expansion of the body. Stand up and observe how you look and feel.

If you'd like to try this out, contact Thrive to purchase a Pearl Yamuna® Ball and reach out to me for more personalized instruction!

Thank you and Roll On!

Michelle Arington

NOOOOOOO! NOT TEXT NECK AGAIN!!!!! by: Leah McKellop

On a recent flight from Chicago to Atlanta, I sat on my phone, browsing photos of the wedding I had just been to. Before we had taken off, I texted family and perused the web for the hour or so we spent waiting to take off. Before that, I had attentively watched our progress to the airport on Google Maps, waiting to announce the next exit. Without much thought, I had spent almost 4 hours looking down at my phone. As the plane descended towards the runway, I swallowed a few times to adjust my ears to the changing pressure. When swallowing wasn’t successful, I opened my mouth to let out a big yawn. As I stretched my tongue and opened my jaw, the floor of my mouth and the hyoid muscles when into spasm. It hurt to swallow, it hurt to stick out my tongue and it hurt to lift my neck. Luckily I had another Rolfer sitting next to me, and with a little work the spasm released. But, it got me thinking...

On phone-heavy days, especially when traveling, a few simple exercises would do wonders to combat the oh-so-common “text neck”. As you pier down at your screen, the front of your neck shortens and the back of your neck (all the way down between your shoulder blades) lengthens. To get into prime texting position, you might lift your phone towards your face, thumbs at attention and shoulders rolled forward. In an ideal world, we would not be so dependent on phones for daily tasks and we would have the self-control not to reach for it in times of boredom. But until I no longer use my phone for email, scheduling, banking and cute baby animals, these simple exercises can be great damage control.

The main idea is that you want to balance muscles’ time between shortening and lengthening. If they stay too long in either state, you start so see dysfunction and may start to feel pain. So here’s what you can do:

A. Chin Lift: Bring your palms to the base of your neck and drag the skin downward. Keeping the skin taut, lift your chin straight up towards the ceiling. Make gentle side to side movements. Scope out tight areas of your neck and stretch there.

B. Side bend: Keeping the skin at the base of the neck taut, bring one ear to your shoulder. To pinpoint the stretch into the “side” neck muscles, you may need to slide your pinning palm to the opposite-side collarbone.

C. Pin and Turn: Pinning the skin at one collarbone, turn your head slowly to look to the opposite side. You may move the pinning palm higher up onto the front the neck to ensure a stretch in the Sternocleidomastoid muscles.

Get those Posterior (Back) Neck Muscles to shorten!

A. Head Retractions: Interlace your fingers and place your palms on the back of your head. As you press your hands forward into your head, press the back of your head into your palms. Do this in a pulsing motion, pressing actively and then trying tocompletely relax those neck muscles. Continue until you feel the muscles at the base of your scull beginning to tire. If you text a lot, do quite a few.

B. Shoulder Blade Dips: Locate the lower tips of your scapula (shoulder blade). With arms relaxed, pull those tips down and in as if you are drawing two lines that meet around your back-center belt loop. If you text or type on a computer, this is greatto do daily.

Un-hunch

A. “Pec” stretches: Stand in a doorway and place one palm at head height with your elbow bent (to avoid nerve aggravation). Press the palm into the wall and slowly turn to look over the opposite shoulder. This is an active stretch, so for some people it may feel more like strengthening than stretching. The point is to train your Pectoralis muscles to stay long as they contract.

Take a moment to sense what’s around you at 360 degrees. Use more senses than just your eyes. Feel what the air is like behind your head. Get a sense of what the wall behind you is like, or the world outside of that wall, or the weather above you. Instead of crunching all your awareness into a tiny little screen in front of you, see if you can spread out and take up a little more of your “back-space”. Your body enjoys a little extra wiggle room, both physical and mental.

The Posture Awareness Challenge by Jana Galis

The reluctant blogger here. Blogging. Reluctantly. Again.

(Audible Sigh...)

I conveniently forgot the last two times it was my turn. But now there are schedules posted around the office, AND emailed, AND I was personally reminded yesterday that it was my turn. Gig’s up, I guess.

The good news is I’ve learned that a Blog should be short enough to read at a stop light!  (Which is actually kinda what I want to blog about. You know, if you count being practically forced to Blog as “wanting.”) So I’ll keep this short. That green left arrow is coming soon.

First, I am going to admit that I actually do check my phone at stop lights for emails (and texts, and my calendar, and my ever present list)... And I check before getting out of the car... And after getting in... When waiting for my daughter’s Trapeze lesson at Canopy to end... Sometimes even in the bathroom! 

I wasn’t really aware of how often I look at my phone for one thing or another until last week when I went into the woods for 3 days, and... No phone. And here’s where it gets interesting; I also had no neck or upper back pain. Even though I was carrying a 40 lb backpack for hours every day. You see I have this kind of chronic neck/upper-shoulder/back pain thing. Not disabling, but constant and annoying.  I’m lucky to work in a place where I can get a variety of treatments whenever I want. And it helps for a while but the pain comes back. I have seen countless patients and talked to countless friends who experience something similar. WHY? Because of the constant and insidious nature of the reason for the pain.  And that reason is:  Posture. Wait! Don’t stop reading! OK OK, you can stop if the light changed, but come back at the next light. Even though you know you need to sit up straight and all that....because I’m going to make an offer.

Well, actually first I better do some explaining. The reason that poor posture causes pain is because the spine is meant to stack in a certain way. And when it is out of optimal alignment it puts stress on the area, which is measurable as pounds of pressure. The position your neck is in when you swipe your phone to check a text? 60 pounds of pressure. That’s almost twice as much as my huge backpack! OUCH!

When I was a student in California a Practitioner who specialized in Orthopedics showed me a trick to help “remind” patients to have proper posture. You quite simply have the patient stand in good posture (cervical spin neutral, shoulder blades squeezed together. solar plexus lifted, tail bone slightly tucked) and make a big X on their back with athletic tape. Then for the remainder of the day whenever the inevitable draw of habit pulls those shoulders forward and the chest collapses, the tape will gently pull,ever reminding the shoulders to roll back and the head to lift. 

So. Here’s my offer: For the next 4 Mondays come by Thrive from 10a-4p and I will tape you.

Here’s the small print: there’s no charge. It’ll be a fun experiment. Will you take the posture challenge? So that’s September 21 and 28 and October 5 and 12. Call ahead to let us know you’re coming. It’ll take about 10 minutes. Alright I reckon the people behind you are honking by now, so: Chin Up! Drive on! See you at Thrive!

- Jana Galis

The Four Agreements

 "In the best selling book The Four Agreements don Miguel Ruiz gives four principles to practice in order to create love and happiness in your life. Adopting and committing to these agreements is simple. Actually living and keeping these Four Agreements has been one of the hardest things I've ever attempted to do. It is also be one of the most life changing things I have experienced - in my own life and the lives of others." ~ Shauna Greeson

The Four Agreements are: (short form)

1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Click the link below for more information and teachings.

How do YOU meditate?

I frequently get asked about meditation techniques.  In my experience, the most important consideration is to find something that is sustainable for you. A practice that you can incorporate into your day without it being a chore.  For instance, sitting in silence for 5 minutes daily.  That is truly all it takes.  

Be on the lookout for some new ongoing Saturday classes starting this Fall at Thrive. We are excited to host a Yoga class taught by Deana Shuman with a mindfulness prospective that includes a lead meditation by Dr Jeffrey Henderson focused on acceptance and mindfulness. More info coming soon

If you would like a guided meditation, I enjoy Gabrielle Bernstein.  Below is a link to some of her free meditations.

http://gabbyb.tv/kundalini/my-favorite-kundalini-meditations?inf_contact_key=67c7914edb8d243517c4cab258449ea73e66fe01b61da43ea6c45aa04c8a4947

Cheers,

Allison

Breathe in Breathe out

Post by Michelle Arington

“When the breath is unsteady, all is unsteady. When the breath is still, all is still. Inhalation gives strength and a controlled body. Retention gives steadiness of mind and longevity. Exhalation purifies body and spirit.”

~ Rishi Goraksanatha

Breathing is crucial to your well-being. Maybe even more crucial than you think. Dr. Andrew Weil says, “If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly.” Yogic breathing, or pranayama, is a unique breathing practice that can balance the autonomic nervous system and influence psychological and stress-related disorders. Integrating a practice of pranayama into your daily life can help relieve depression and anxiety, increase energy, lower blood pressure, relieve muscle tension and even be used as a fitness practice.

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Repeat

I invite you to take a moment and check in with your breath…. Close your eyes for 30 seconds and just notice your breath….
 

What did you observe? Did it feel short and choppy? Long and smooth? Could you feel it in your belly? Is it mostly in your chest? Do you breathe through your nose? Your mouth? Or maybe a little of both? Is one nostril dominant over the other?

Noticing the way you breathe is a window into how your nervous system is responding to physical, emotional or mental stress. It is also a key for unlocking the secret to managing your body and mind’s reaction to stress. 

Sighing, feeling breathless, or feeling unable to take a full, deep satisfying breath are all signs that the rhythm of the breath is out of balance. When you breathe shallow breaths, mostly in the chest, or if you can’t breathe all the way in or all the way out, you are both responding to and triggering the fight-or-flight response - the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system.

Disordered breathing interferes with the carbon dioxide balance in the blood. As a result, the flow of blood is interrupted to various parts of the body and physical symptoms of anxiety and panic can result - mental fog, dizziness, chest pain, racing heart, numb lips, tingling fingers, muscle aches and weakness, and a sense of feeling out of control.

Chronic disordered breathing keeps you in this state of fight-or-flight. It raises your adrenalin and cortisol levels and decreases blood flow to your digestive and elimination organs. Higher levels of cortisol increase inflammation, chronic pain, insomnia and anxiety, and can contribute to belly fat and inability to lose weight.

“When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace.”

I invite you now to close your eyes and take a moment to draw your awareness within. Feel your feet firmly planted on the floor, relax your shoulders and breathe through the nose into your belly in a patient, steady count of 4….. Retain the breath, without straining, for a count of 4…. Then empty the breath completely for another count of 4. Practice several rounds until your breath becomes smooth and comfortable. Then allow your breath to settle into a natural flow and notice how you feel.

Do you feel a little calmer? A little lighter? Or maybe even a little more awake and energized?

When you learn to train yourself to breathe smoothly and evenly, it shifts you into a rest-and-digest state, triggering the parasympathic branch of the nervous system to become the dominant state, giving you a sense of emotional and physical balance and control. When you are in this state, your digestive and immune systems become more efficient, and high cortisol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels decrease. Efficient breathing even helps to balance hormone levels by balancing the adrenal and thyroid glands.

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Be Fit

Learning how to breathe efficiently is not only a relaxation practice, but it can also be used as a daily fitness practice. Most people keep their lungs and chest in contraction, using only 25% of their breathing capacity. When you begin to train your lungs to function at 80-90%, this becomes a very powerful workout. You can do a breath workout almost anywhere. No equipment needed.

The breath alone can build up heat and cause you to break a sweat while in training. Your entire body is getting nourished and oxygenated while toxic waste, like carbon dioxide, is being released. The deeper you inhale, the more oxygen you take in. The deeper you exhale, the more effectively you release toxic wastes. Believe it or not, 70% of our toxic waste is eliminated through respiration.
 

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Be Om

As you can see, a daily breathing practice has many benefits! It improves posture, tones abdominals, and increases circulation and brain function. It boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, increases energy, decreases anxiety and depression, relaxes the body and mind, and contributes to better sleep.

I hope you will consider setting aside the first 10 and the last 10 minutes of your day for this life affirming practice and observe the personal benefits to you. Take a deep breath, let it go and keep practicing, one breath at a time! The time is worth the effort!

~ Michelle Arington

Camp Amped

Before I get going about Camp Amped I have to introduce Nuçi’s Space to those of you who may not know what a life saving resource we have here in Athens GA. Nuçi’s Space is a non-profit health and music resource center in Athens, GA. The aim of the organization is to prevent suicide by providing obstacle free treatment for musicians suffering from depression and other such disorders as well as to assist in the emotional, physical and professional well-being of musicians. This short documentary says it better than I can.  https://youtu.be/SGo4cKQxH0s 

I am a musician that is here today and peacefully thriving because Nuçi Phillips lived. I will forever be grateful for the loving care I've received over the years at Nuçi’s Space.

What is Camp Amped?

Camp Amped is a summer day camp for youth ages 11 to 17 (middle and high school students) which supports the mission of Nuçi’s Space by serving as an outreach program to young musicians. There are two sessions each summer, one in June and one in July.

For two magical weeks 20 kids, 8 instructors, a slew of volunteers and the Nuçi’s Space staff have the adventure of a lifetime making music, new friends and life changing memories. Each day of camp is different that the one before and is action packed with much much more than Rock and Roll. Students begin the day with some form of getting grounded and setting an intention for the day with activities like Taiji, Qi Gong, Yoga and Meditation. Students have two different bands that rehearse daily as well as a whole group song that serves as the Grand Finale of the big show. After lunch, the Instructors and Campers spend time talking as a group about Survival Skills for the Creative Mind. Those talks include a broad range of topics ranging from performance etiquette, life on the road, music as a hobby, how to treat a sound engineer to mental health awareness, suicide awareness/prevention and drug and alcohol abuse. Afternoons are spent in a 2nd rehearsal and the campers get either a music related workshop or a  private performance to close the day. (Patterson Hood, Jonathan Byrd, Kenosha Kid, other local favs as well as touring bands).

Between band rehearsals there are snacks and lunches provided by local businesses and volunteers : The Grit, Mamma's Boy, White Tiger, Trader Joe's and many more.It takes donations from people like you and businesses in our community to make Camp Amped and Nuçi’s Space a reality for all of us to experience. From the bough of my heart...THANK YOU. Every donation helps be it your time or your financial support.

Nothing excites me more or brings me more joy than the privilege of being a Camp Amped Instructor. I consider it to be a true honor to give back to a place that has given so much to so many. For every person helped, countless others benefit. Hundreds of lives are saved every year.

So...You won't see me behind the front desk for a few weeks in June and July (Thanks to my supportive Thrive family). I'm counting down the days for Camp Amped 2015 to start... Only 18 days to go!!!! The big show takes place at Nuçi’s Space Saturday, June 20th at 7pm sharp and is FREE. Please, come support our future music scene and experience this beautiful-face melting-rock and roll-lifesaving awesomeness with me!

Shauna Greeson

Further information on Nuçi’s Space and it's offerings at www.nuci.org