Join Kim and Tonya as they discuss slowing down, taking a breath and finding your JOY! Breath is our life force and our anchor.Cheerful is not happiness. Happiness is an emotion in which we experience feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction.Sitting in stillness with your breath can allow you to hear the quietest voice within it is often simple things like the sun shining, breakfast, meditating, someone smiling at you, seeing a butterfly, mediation, gifts to yourself.Set a joy reminder on your phone and spark joy in yourself in the present moment.Focus on the breath- are you breathing up high, in your chest or deeper, in your stomach? Allow the breath to grow with each cycle and imagine a big smile on your belly that grows with each breath until they hole body is smiling.You are responsible for your own happiness- What are you doing to bring yourself joy? Remember happiness is an experience and not found in stuff.Daring to be happy takes guts!Happiness is a choice and you are responsible for your own emotions (no blaming) -When you allow someone else to determine your happiness you are being depends on them and giving away your power. Sometimes our ideas on what happiness should be, get in the way of happiness.Deeper inner contentment comes from the inside and in order to feel it, you have to allow yourself to open your heart and soul.Life is not perfect, it is not in our control, life is difficult and uncomfortable when you learn to accept light and dark we can learn to embrace life the way it is, and allow sour energy to be lighter

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Today, Kim & Tonya discuss Low Back Pain.LBP (Low Back Pain) is the most common pain related issue for individuals seeking movement therapies. Common causes and conditions include week core, improper use of lower back, disc herniation, disc rupture, scar tissue buildup, and stenosis, to name a few. We look at Basic Back anatomy/ function, 3 natural curves (cervical, thoracic, lumbar) - specifically, lower back pain typically concerns the lumbar and sacral spine. After the age of 25 the intervertebral discus no longer receive direct blood supply and the lumbar region has lots of space between the spinous processes and thick juicy disks that we want to keep them juicy through movement. The lumbar spine is designed to function best as weight bearing structure when the lumbar spine is in its neutral position.Yoga and other exercise therapies strengthen muscles for support, increase flexibility, re-education posture/ movement techniques, increased body awareness, decreased pain/increased understanding when working with pain.The lower back carries all the weight and responsibility of being human. It supports the weight from above and just as as we care the weight of responsibility of our world. This area also has to do with survival, security and self-support.Have you tried asking for help? Do you want to curl up and hide?Do you doubt your ability to support yourself?Yoga is a terrific tool for low back pain, understanding your anatomical needs and moving accordingly can change your life. It is also valuable preventative medicine.Find more detailed notes and resources at our website: www.wherethelotusgrows.com

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Kim and Tonya discuss different types alternative medicine, mind/bodywork and how different forms tie into current forms of integrative medicine and the allopathic model. They discuss various experiences with modalities including: Yoga Therapy, massage, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, muscle activation therapy, Thai massage, Rolfing, Hellerwork, reflexology, nutrition, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, nutrition, intuitive eating, holistic dentistry, reiki, past life regression, NLP, naturopathic doctors, cranial sacral work, hypnotherapy, herbal medicine and essential oils. There is a diverse complexity to yoga therapy and alternative modalities, Kim and Tonya tease out layers throughout their podcast progression.

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Life moves so fast, yet time is a luxury and it is enough ?Back to our essence; allowing our massive egos to become a little smaller.Daily gratitude for visceral change.Basic human needs (food, shelter, clothing, education, sanitation, healthcare) and what is YOUR enough? The Heodonic Treadmill/ Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

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What is it?How Can we better live with age related frailty, serious illness and approaching death?Why do we resist our lifecycle?Why not enjoy it?Rooted in Vedic Literature and developed in UpanishadsMonier Williams Describes it as “To go around, revolve, pass through a succession of states, to go towards or obtain, moving in a circuit.”Why is Savasana so hard?Can you see samsara in your own life?

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Kim and Tonya discuss the energy body; specifically the breath, its purpose outside of respiration, enhancing breath efficiency, and pranayama (breathing techniques) for a variety of situations.

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A small step may be the beginning of a great journey. Where did our journey begin?An introduction of your hosts: Kimberly Searl MS, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP and Tonya Drew, MS, C-IAYT, ERYT 500 • What is Yoga Therapy?/What is its role in health care? • Why does it work?• How is yoga therapy different from a yoga class?• Where does yoga therapy fit in the allopathic treatment model?• What are the Kosha’s and why do yoga therapists use them?• Panchamaya Healing model relates back to the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model: What is this and what does it mean?

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Yoga Therapy can support a variety of disease conditions, while we cannot diagnose or fix/reverse a disease condition.• Staying with body sensations rather than shutting them off or numbing out is the first step to creating healing. Learning to honor this natural system is key to reducing suffering.• According tho American Psychological Association (APA) 75% of disease is a chronic illness and stress is the cause of chronic illness. Stress seems to worsen or increase the risk of conditions like obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, depression, gastrointestinal problems and asthma.• Harvard Health’s website notes the two most common physical conditions to benefit from yoga to be back pan and arthritis. This same article notes the growing research suggesting yoga benefits those with migraines, balance and mobility issues, MS, IBD, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis and more.

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