With this global pandemic, I am frequently catching myself shaming and critiquing how I am not doing enough self-care. I am not getting up early enough in the morning for my self-care routine, I am not as physically active as I should be, I am not doing all of the fun activities with my daughter or not sticking to a homeschooling schedule, I am not super productive enough and I am not doing enough for my business. So many "shoulds" and even more of feeling like I am not "doing enough". Maybe some of this resonates with you, both the internal and external shaming around self-care, but as I came to realize today that as long as I continue to show up with grace and my true self each time and each moment, I am doing enough and that is all that counts.

Share with me if you are experiencing any type of shame around your self-care, I would love to hear how you are navigating changing that dialogue.

This is needed right now, we are in a  global pandemic and what is needed is real self-care. Caring for ourselves so that we can be there for others, whether you are a mother or a healthcare professional or teacher. I have dubbed Jill Miller, one of my first influential yoga and movement teachers, as the queen of self-care, because she has truly helped me bring ore body awareness and self-soothing that my body needed when all I was doing was punishing it. With intuitive self-care, you are introduced to you with the work of self-myofascial release (via Yoga Tune Up therapy balls) as well as many other facets of self-care, both the beautiful and the ugly.     

Instagram: @yogatuneup

Website: tuneupfitness.com

Corona Virus AKA COVID 19 is now a pandemic and self-care and community care are an absolute must right now. We can either continue to hold our selves in a constant state of fear, uncertainty, and anxiety or begin to use the tools of self-care to help us overcome this current crisis. Definitely not going to offer one answer that will fit all needs, but to be aware that if you are taking part in social isolation, that you are still staying in contact with loved ones and people in your community even if not in person. It is very easy to get sucked into all of the news and dig yourself into a deep and dark hole. This can be an opportunity where we can begin to start connecting and reaching out to help others who are in desperate need of help during this dark time. Stay safe, stay healthy, wash your hands and don't touch your face!

Bethany Drohmann is one busy woman, with three kids and a business, maintaining a regular movement practice for a dancer and mover like herself would seem pretty challenging. Listen in on ways that Bethany has been able to find a creative and novel way of integrating movement/self-care into her busy life with kids. 

***Apologies for the sound quality, this was recorded in a cafe last year during the power outages in the Bay Area when I had no power in my home, so I apologize for some of the background noises :(***

Instagram handle: @movementmama

Facebook page: Mama Moves Cards

Website: https://www.mamamovescards.com/

Blog: https://www.mamamovescards.com/blog

How to Walk and Hike With Small Children

7 reasons why a little movement all day is better than only exercising.

Use code CAREFORMAMAS25 for $25 off for course or the cards at mamamovescards.com

https://www.heatherjacksonmovement.com/virtual-prenatal-workshop Discount code is SELFCARE25 for $25 off.

Another episode of Self-Care Practices Gone Wrong and I am talking about hair. If you don’t know me or haven’t met me, I am a woman of color and have loc’ed hair. Growing up, hair has definitely been a big part of my life, which helped me define beauty unfortunately and was also the wellspring for change in my life. How does our hair define self-care for us? Can the damaging effects on what we do to our hair speak to the care and love we give to ourselves if we may actually be poisoning ourselves?

First, I want to apologize about the recording, I had my hair down and it was moving around my microphone and that is the sound you are hearing, sorry ☹, I hope it isn’t too annoying. Help support this podcast so I can start recording in a professional space, right now, it is done in my living room!

Also, I made a faux pas when I talked about my miscarriage, it wasn’t at 20 months! It was actually at 20 weeks.

Hair Dyes and Straighteners Linked to Cancer- https://getwellbe.com/health-news-research/december-2019-january-2020-wellness-news/?ck_subscriber_id=689346042#hair%20dye%20cancer

The WellBe Organic Salon Guide: How to Find Non-Toxic Hair Dye and Protect Yourself From Harmful Chemicals at the Hair Salon-https://getwellbe.com/inspiration/the-wellbe-organic-hair-salon-guide-how-to-avoid-harmful-chemicals-get-natural-highlights-and-stay-safe-at-the-salon

For the 50th episode, I have Dr. Carrie Pagliano, a PT who specializes in women's health come on to the podcast to talk about her own journey through self-care before becoming a mom, as a mom and now as a mom to two children while also holding down a very successful PT practice. We then spend some time discussing how some of the myths that women are fed during postpartum (diastasis recti, prolapse) can actually be damaging and how changing that narrative can be meaningful to how they perceive their own healing. She shares her own journey as a PT while also struggling with her own postpartum diagnosis and how she has gone to overcome them and still move and grow in ways that step away from the norm.

https://carriepagliano.com/

https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

A self-care practice that has been in use for ages and was still done by immigrants to the US and other Western countries but popularized in the last 10 years. We delve into what yoni or vaginal steaming is, the process of this practice, what conditions this self-care practice can help with and some of the theories or claims for and against it.

http://www.rebellesociety.com/2015/07/07/learning-the-art-of-vaginal-steam-healing-an-ancient-tradition/

https://www.mamavation.com/health/first-study-vaginal-steaming-for-postpartum-care.html

http://fourthtrimestervaginalsteamstudy.com/

https://drjengunter.com/2015/01/27/gwyneth-paltrow-says-steam-your-vagina-an-obgyn-says-dont/

https://skeptoid.com/blog/2015/01/18/the-mysterious-origins-of-vaginal-steaming/

Welcome back and welcome to a New Year! As we kick off off Season 4, I am happy to have Sukie Baxter, a posture and movement specialist come on the podcast to discuss various aspects of posturing, alignment, how posturing affects our brain, and her perspective on chronic pain and where the focus should lie. Even though this was recorded in the fall and we talk about the holidays, she shares some great self-care tips that can carry you through all year round.

Website: https://wholebodyrevolution.com/

Perfect Posture for Life eBook: https://wholebodyrevolution.com/perfect-posture-for-life/

Posture Rehab system: https://wholebodyrevolution.com/posture-rehab/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sukiebaxter/