Flowing with Life’s Rhythms

Hi there!

I hope that you had an amazing weekend, and I hope that your Monday is off to a great start!

Before diving into today’s topic, I would like to share a few updates.

Firstly, I released a Somatic Yoga for Emotional Release practice last Monday. You can join me on the mat using this link: https://youtu.be/tIF5kKRbIhg​

Feelings are like ocean waves, constantly rising, cresting, and receding throughout the day. It's said that emotions typically take about 90 seconds to fully process. By staying present with our emotions—observing, breathing through them, and allowing ourselves to experience them—we create space for emotions to surface and release. Afterwards, there's an opportunity for self-soothing through actions like self-hugs, kind words, or engaging in a self-care practice. Repeating this practice helps our brain learn that it's safe and healthy to feel and express a range of emotions.

The second update is that I have an Amazon Store! You can view my store here: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/yogawithrachel​

In the store, you’ll find a collection of self-care essentials, book recommendations, skincare and dental care product ideas, my favorite games to play, yoga props and tools, and more!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you decide to purchase one of my recommended products, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and tools that I personally use, read, and trust.

Third update, I recently released a personal story on my website entitled, My Chronic Pain Story: How the Curable App Changed my Life. You can read it here: https://www.yogawithrachelmarie.com/post/my-chronic-pain-story​

This post is for anyone experiencing chronic symptoms like anxiety, ringing in the ears, vertigo, dizziness, muscular tension, headaches, nerve pain, fatigue, and more.

I was hesitant to share this post because it’s deeply personal, but I reminded myself that even if it helps one person, it’s absolutely worth sharing.

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Let's dive into the concept of flowing with life's rhythms.

As we move through life, we encounter different stages and seasons, navigating ups, downs, twists, and turns.

These are the rhythms of life.

Somatic practices invite us to explore and practice flowing with different rhythms. By doing so, we equip ourselves with the skills to navigate life’s obstacles–whether they’re road bumps, dead-ends, one-way streets, expressways, bumpy country roads, or smooth biking paths–with greater ease and resilience.

“Experimenting with different rhythms through our bodies opens our capacity for wider movements…and reestablishes our innate capacity to feel and respond to life’s ever-evolving, emergent, and changing rhythms” (The Somatic Therapy Workbook, Shapiro, 2020).

On our mats, we can explore different rhythms like swaying, rocking, shaking, stillness, bouncing, pushing, and jumping.

If it feels good, I invite you to take a moment to explore these rhythms. You are invited to observe how your body responds to the movement. In other words, how does the movement feel in your body?

Examples:

1. Sway: Stand in Mountain Pose with your hands on your heart as you explore a gentle sway from side to side.
2. Rock: Explore lying on your back with your knees hugged in towards your chest, and then explore rocking from side to side.
3. Shake: Shake out your arms and hands.
4. Stillness: Relax on your back with your legs extended and your arms resting along your side body, feeling the earth’s support.
5. Bouncing: Explore softening through the joints of your body as you explore a rhythmic bounce (we explore this movement in the Somatic Yoga for Emotional Release practice).
6. Push: Place your palms on a sturdy wall and push against the wall (please ensure that your feet are firmly planted on the ground as you explore this exercise).
7. Jump: Explore hopping to the top of your mat from a downward facing dog, landing in a standing forward fold.

Following your explorations, consider moments in your life when you’ve used these rhythms.

Here are a few examples:

1. Shaking off unkind words.
2. Rocking when overwhelmed.
3. Taking a leap of faith into the unknown.
4. Establishing stability through pressing your feet firmly on the ground.
5. Bouncing back from a setback.

Somatic practices invite us to safely explore and practice important life skills on our mats.

Each rhythm serves a purpose.

These rhythms help us navigate life’s ebbs and flows with greater ease, flexibility and confidence.

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This week’s free somatic yoga practice was requested by a community member!

I invite you to join me on a chair or couch for this Chair Yoga: Somatic Exercises for Beginners practice. You can join this class by clicking on the image or the button below.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter!

I am on vacation this week!!! 🥳

I'm looking forward to slowing down the pace to recharge my batteries as I have some exciting events and professional development opportunities coming up very soon!

I hope that you have a wonderful day and week ahead.

Take good care,

~Rachel