Blog - 8 limbs Holistic Health, LLC

Is today THE day?

12/14/2020

I take after my Dad and love doing jigsaw puzzles. It's a great way to change the way I'm using my brain in the middle of the day and the focus feels relaxing and meditative.

A neighbor gave me this one below and, as you can see above, written on top of the box was “missing 1 piece”.

As I made the puzzle, I thought it was really interesting that every time I couldn’t find a piece (after really really searching for it), I decided that it must be the piece they're referring to that's missing. Eventually, though, I found the piece. Ugh.

It reminded me of what typically happens when we create new habits. We're all in but, when it seems a little hard or the conditions don't seem right, we might give ourselves an out... aka "Just this one time". It's our missing piece.

Unless we commit 100% of the time, every day can act as the missing day. Living in the 99% can be burdensome because it creates a need for constant decision-making about something we've already decided. As Jack Canfield says, 99% is a bitch; 100% is easy. There’s nothing to decide when you’re committed 100%.

So, as you approach the inward time of winter, take a step back to see what healthy habit would be beneficial for you to install 100%? How might you mix up your exercise routine, get more sleep, or commit to one part of a healthy food plan? It's the perfect time to re-assess our self-care routines, especially as we're still in the continuation of this pandemic.

And by the way, whatever you commit to doesn’t need to be hard or huge. It's actually best if it isn't. In my Habits Made Easy program, I highly recommend that you make your new habit silly small - so small it's impossible to not be done every day. For example, commit to having one more glass of water, go to bed 10 minutes earlier, walk around the block as a mid afternoon break, end the day with a gratitude reflection. Simple and small.

Regardless, it’s your choice. It’s always your choice. My recommendation is to make it 100%, otherwise the question “Is today the day?” will loom over you and you'll never have your puzzle being complete.

100%: This is when change really happens.

Sending you lots of Peace and Love
Shanti

Simplicity is Needed!

10/15/2020

In and of itself, life is complex. There are a stream of moving parts, going in many different directions, and it can feel like herding cats to get clear and find clarity. Things are complicated.

The one word that jumped out from the feedback of my just-finished Creating Coherence with Heart: HeartMath Experience program was “simplicity”. The simplicity offered by the HeartMath tools and techniques made coming into the heart accessible. It's a non-complicated process that “really gets to the heart of the matter and cuts through the huge mess I feel sometimes”.

Isn't that what we all need right now? Uncomplicated clarity and coherence.

Coherence is a real, measurable state characterized by increased order and harmony in our physiological (bodily) and psychological (mental) processes. It’s an optimal state for health and wellbeing and for building deeper connections with others.

The simple tools and techniques we practice in Creating Coherence with Heart offer this… in a kind and gentle way…without diminishing the complexity of your life. Gratefully there's real change to the dynamic nature of the complexity, leaving you with more energy and vitality to attend life as you ultimately prefer.

If any of this sounds good to you, please check out program details HERE. The next 5 week session of Creating Coherence with Heart begins Wednesday November 4, 7:00pm via Zoom.

Initially I was going to wait until after the upcoming holiday season was over to start the next session but my gut is telling me that we need these tools now. With Covid continuing, the celebration and togetherness time that we're a custom to will be very different this year and staying in the heart in a new way can be just what we need. I hope you'll join me.

Sending you lots of Peace and Love
Shanti

Got Stress? Power that down with Heart

8/19/2020

Did you know that 90% of your physiological functions are automatic… and that what happens in the body directly impacts what happens in the brain? That's right!

Physiology drives psychology.

Just because things are automatic, though, doesn't mean you can't influence or change them. You just need the know-how.

Right now, stress, anxiety, overwhelm, and uncertainty are prevalent. The level of unknown and destabilization in the world around us, even just from Covid, is continual and unnerving… and that naturally creates underlying stress. A lot of it. At this point, it's become chronic. :(

When stress is prominent, nothing seems to come together well. You can't think straight, your body is tired and hurts, emotional eating is rampant, and the creative desire to push ahead has left the building. It doesn't feel or look pretty.

Did you also know that 90% of the signals from the heart go to the head with only 10% in the reverse direction? 90%! This means that the heart is a HUGE influencer of the brain… Really important to know as you seek to manage or remove the stress response that’s often automatic and unconscious.

Remember the heart rate variability pictures I showed a few weeks ago? Which signal would you want your brain to receive? The right is right. :)

Want the quickest ways to chill and stabilize the brain?

Breathe deep and slow to rebalance the autonomic nervous system.
Come into the heart and generate a heart-quality feeling sense… the qualities we talked about recently.

Interesting? Want to learn more and activate heart in your brain? Creating Coherence with Heart begins Sept 9. Free registration is HERE. Check it out. What stress have you got to lose?

Sending you Peace and Love
Shanti

Technology... Friend or Foe?

8/10/2020

How much of your daily routine is dependent on technology? What would happen if you didn’t have it? How much pain or angst would you feel? I was a little surprised.

As I’ve shared before, I completely unplug on the weekends. OK, perhaps the occasional Netflix show as a resting place at the end of the day, a quit check for texts, or to post my latest activity on Facebook (‘cuz ya know, the world really wants to know what I’m up to - haha) but, beyond that, no work = no need to be on.

So I thought.

Last night, at the end of a hot and muggy day, I went to chillax and watch my new favorite show “Love on the Spectrum” (I love people in love) when Netflix wouldn’t connect. Checked a few other things including my laptop and nothing. No wifi connection. Very calmly (so proud of myself), I unplugged and plugged the cable connections back in several times. Nothing. All the lights are on, though. Hmmmm.

I won’t bore you with my next hour+ of time but, after calling Comcast, the reveal is that my modem is kaput. Complete connection just not being made. Nothing for me to do but wait until the fixer-dude can come out today between 2:00 and 4:00pm. (By the way, I’m giving myself high 5’s and am seriously proud for the no freak-out, gratitude, and pleasantry I had with the Comcast rep. In my olden days, I wouldn’t have been so gracious. Yay me and growth!) I figure out a work-around for the 2 hour on-line training I’m giving this morning (fingers crossed that my phone works as a hotspot).

In the meantime, since I’m my own science experiment, it’s really interesting how many times I reach for my laptop to check this or that; to look up the foods that provide zinc, my desire to watch YouTube conversion van videos, use Dictate to write this blog post instead of typing, and just basic Facebook scrolling and email responding. None of it’s possible without this internet connection… well, at least not without using my precious phone data that I need for my morning training.

Looking at the positive, here’s a few benefits I’m noticing from this little blip:

I went to bed earlier to read and ended up asleep earlier since reading at night zonks me out.
More meditation time this morning.
A sense of leisure and spaciousness… although my Monday morning energy is usually go-go so I did feel twinges of impatience in the background.
Awareness of how much I really do rely on this piece of technology, not just in big blocks and obvious ways like on-line trainings but the little things like looking up a recipe or seeing what little animal eat my garden tomatoes (argh).

It’s not a total surprise at how much I rely on technology for life and it’s been interesting to feel the pull towards it for the 12 awake hours I’ve been without it…. or maybe it felt more because I couldn’t have it (you know how much you want something you can't have). Either way, it makes me want to unplug from this tether even more.

How about for you? What would your day look like without the ‘net? Unplug that modem and find out for yourself (haha. I just so LOTS of eyes bugging out of heads). It’s an interesting experiment to see how patience and creativity rises… or doesn’t.

Sending you Peace, Love, and a technology perfect day,
Shanti

P.S. And for curious minds, the AM training went without a hitch and Comcast came at 2:31 and was done by 2:45. Righto!!

Coherence... from the Heart

8/4/2020

Would it feel helpful to feel grounded and more coherent, to have a sense of stability during these changing and uncertain times, to feel ease more often? I’m raising my hand to that and I‘m sure you are too.

Change is constant right now… in a big way! Changing conditions, uncertainty, and a constant stream of information can have you feeling worried, anxious, fearful, and dysregulated. Inherently, these stress energies fuel even further intensity of the emotions you most want to stop.

Coherence can have you “flow with” versus “charge against” what’s happening. Coherence is stability in action… feeling grounded, centered, aware, non-reactive, insightful, flowing with, and strong.

I've just put together a program I hope will lift your energies and your spirit, give you a sense of hope, peace, and calm, as well as continue to build resiliency. It's called Creating Coherence with Heart: Experiencing HeartMath®.

I’ll share specific HearthMath® tools and techniques that will support you to not only adjust more positively to the ever-changing conditions you're experiencing right now but to thrive and feel personally empowered. With education, guidance, and heart-centered support, you'll be practicing healthy stress reducing and life-affirmingtechniques that will create health well into the future. You’ll also have the chance to meet other heart-minded folks and create a cohesive community of togetherness… a bonus during this time of isolation.

The program starts after the rush of end-of-summer activities on Wednesday, September 9. You can pre-register now (yay!) and find out more at https://www.8limbsholistichealth.com/creating-coherence-with-heart1.html.

Sending you tons of Peace and Love,
Shanti

Heart... for more than just heart health

7/29/2020

Last week I spoke about the qualities of the heart. Did you notice which qualities were more prominent for you as you went about your day and week? Did anything change from just noticing?

This week I want to share a bit more about the heart and how the heart can actually show us much more about ourselves, including overall health and wellbeing.

Take a look at the 2 pics. What do you notice about them? Which one would you rather have?

Without even knowing what they are, you’re probably picking the one on the right. The smooth wave pattern just feels better and easier. Right?

These pics are actually of different heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is a measurement of the changes between heart beats and is an accurate indicator of health and wellbeing, both in the moment and over time. It’s an output of the autonomic nervous system’s response or reaction to life (rest-renew-recover or fight-flight-freeze) and indicates the level of connection or disconnection a person is having to a particular situation at hand.

As you can probably guess, the left one is someone not feeling at their best… agitated, stressed, overwhelmed. The right one in someone feeling at ease and appreciative.

HRV also translates into how the brain is able to function since 90% of the signals between heart and brain are afferent, meaning the heart sends much more information and data to the brain than the brain to the heart. In the left pic, the signals are jagged, translating to incoherent thinking; not clear, creative, or high quality. Compare this to the coherence of the right pic and the preferred choice is clear. I don’t know about you but I want to have that smooth wave pattern, all another reason why it’s important to activate heart qualities as much as possible.

If you think this is important, especially now during this time of major change, stay tuned for next week as I’ll be sharing an upcoming program that will help you stay more deeply connected to heart so you (and your family and community) can reap the many benefits throughout your whole mind and body.

Peace and Love,
Shanti
HeartMath is a registered trademark of Quantum Intech, Inc

What qualities do you associate with Heart?

7/21/2020

If you were to offer three words to describe what it feels like when you’re fully in your heart, what would they be?

A recent gathering of friends shared inclusive, understanding, forgiving, tranquil, confident, validating, grateful, comfortable, at ease, learning to be myself. Pretty great... and I made a pretty picture with all of them.

If you were to offer three words to describe what it feels like when you’re in your head, what would they be?

While I didn’t ask this of my friends, I might say intense, analytical, focused, confused, constricted, indecisive, judgmental. While not all bad, that’s a lot of mixed messages.

An obvious difference between the heart and the head, at least for me, is the quality of presence I have when I’m in my heart. I’m present to whatever or whomever. There’s openness, flow, receptivity, and trust. I’m not hooked into my agenda of task mastering one thing so I can jump to the next, excluding data that doesn’t meet my standard of what I want or really like (a.k.a. judgment), or flipping back and forth trying to make the best and most perfect decision.

With heart, things in life just are and I meet them where they are just as I am. It’s a refreshing way to live and each moment feels alive. It's pretty darn wonderful!

So how to live more fully in the heart, especially during these ever changing and disruptive times? (2020 has surely been the biggest convoluted mess I’ve ever experienced!) How do you come into heart? What are some activities or intentional ways of being that help you to be there more often? It’s different for everyone and I’d love to hear what it’s like for you.

For me, it’s setting the stage with morning coffee time on the back porch, eavesdropping on all the chatty birds. It’s purposefully tuning in to my heart and what’s alive for me there, meditating on spaciousness and acceptance so I can bring that intention and energy for forth. Heart is also pausing periodically throughout the day to rest and offer space as a transition in between different work activities (slow to know). And then, of course, my end of day gratitude and appreciation practice – what worked well, how did I contribute, and what does my body and mind need to rest.

Living from heart builds awareness, inner strength, personal choice, fortitude, intuitive connection, and resiliency... all desperately needed as we're experiencing these magnificent societal changes.

Over the coming weeks I’ll be sharing more about the heart and its transformational qualities. Stay tuned. Stay connected. Stay in heart.

Sending you a ton of Peace and Love,
Shanti

Take a Moment for Calm and Ease

3/25/2020

I'm sending you and all of your loves ones many blessings for continued health and safety. I'm here for you and what you may need. Just reach out by replying to this message and let's talk. I have SO many tools to support you in reducing, managing, and even thriving with stress. Let me be a resource!

Every day you're facing new and unknown challenges from a variety of different sources and directions. With all of the changes, it's easy to feel disheveled and anxious. Navigating those emotions, and the effects they create, takes diligence and practice. In the beginning, it can take the strength of heart to stay in the heart.

As such, I thought you might enjoy a peaceful pause with this Come to Calm & Easy ocean meditation. The visual is from Jenness Beach in Rye this past weekend. It was very calming and peaceful to take in the negative ions from the ocean, to look out over the expanse and feel Oneness, and to gaze upon the beautiful and amazing blue sky that is bright and fresh. Enjoy!... and please share.
I'm also sending along a Ted Talk from Amy Cuddy. She shares the research around the Power Pose and how we can shift from a position of weakness to strength simply by standing in Superwoman or Superman pose for two minutes. It decreases our cortisol level and increases testosterone, offering a sense of empowerment, control, and strength to do what's right and needed. Enjoy this as well.

Peace and Love to you!
Shanti

March 23rd, 2020

3/23/2020

If you’re like most folks right now, you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by what's known and unknown with the COVID-19 virus, about the best approach to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy, and how to support the larger society. We are, for sure, in this together, making it important for each one of us to get back to what we can control and how we can contribute in a positive way.

On that note, I’m not going to talk about safety precautions and sanitation. Please check out https://www.cdc.gov for expert advice on that.

What I would like to offer, though, is some expert stress relief. Uncertainty, even under normal circumstances, doesn’t feel good and can have us reacting in ways that are atypical to our practical and proven stress reduction habits. Right now, you might be experiencing sleepless nights, excessive worry, agitated response to others in neutral situations, or a sense of confusion, frustration, or anxiety.

Calming the autonomic nervous system is one of the best things you can do - both in the moment and long term - to help reduce the stress response. It helps rebalance and re-harmonize all of your body and mind systems, allowing you to be more fully present and insightful to what is needed. Uniting body and mind into more a coherent state allows you to calmly respond to your child’s questions, reschedule your day for priorities when working at home, sleep soundly, have natural energy without artificial additives, and regain a silver-lining perspective (there are many appreciations to be had).

To rebalance and re-harmonize, you’ll need to:

Pause and find a comfortable place to sit (you can also stand). You don’t need to close your eyes (perfect for when you’re in conversation) but you can if you’d like (not when driving, please).
Bring your attention to the area of your heart, the center of your chest.
Start to take some deep, slow breaths, in and out of your nose. Slow the breath down to a perceptual level, perhaps to the count of 4 or 5. Take your time.Breathing might feel more hurried at the start but soon the gentle connection with the slower and deeper breaths will work its peaceful magic.
Keep breathing like this for a few minutes or as long as it takes to feel more grounded and calm. Don’t worry about the busy mind… just keep a focus on the breath and body. It’s also nice to let your body relax every time you exhale… it’s a natural letting go.
When you feel complete and balanced, begin to integrate back to your surroundings, asking yourself What’s Important Now (remember WIN from a few weeks back?)
Do this several times as day and keep the practice going.

And if you could use additional support, please reach out. I’m here and available for a connected conversation, two ears and a big heart to listen, and specific tools that will support your specific needs. Don’t shy away and try to hold it all on your own. This virus requires a community to eradicate it so please reach out.

Sending you lots of Peace,
Shanti

Here for the WIN!

2/27/2020

Want some big wins every day? Pause periodically and check in with your WIN - What’s Important Now.

We all want more time. How to not fritter the precious moments on things that don’t really matter and just lead you down a path covered in shiny objects that are costly to productivity and skillful attention?

We all want to feel accomplished. How to stick with the priorities, stay energized, and not use a boat-load of motivation and willpower to get things done?

We all want the feeling of flow. How to adapt easily, instead of resisting hard, to the changes that invariably take place throughout the day?

You got it! By keep WINning.

Instead of trying to cram the day into the way you think it should go (aka creating more stress and tension), take a moment to pause so you can re-assess and decide what the next most important thing to attend to is. Oftentimes it’s not what you had initially planned but it does keep you ahead of the change game.

I check in with my WIN every time I’m done with a deep work block, complete a task or set of emails / phone calls, come back to my desk, or take a mini ultradian body break. It makes a huge difference!

Try it on and see how you can win with your WIN.

Sending you lots of Peace,
Shanti