① COUCH WITH AN ARM: $fr€€
Use the arm, not the cushions.
credit: Dreamstime.com
WHY
THIS ONE IS TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR C-SPINE (CERVICAL SPINE). YOU KNOW, THE CHANNEL THAT HOSTS THE NERVE SIGNALS FROM YOUR BRAIN TO YOUR BODY AND BACK. IT’S PRETTY IMPORTANT. AND YOU ONLY HAVE ONE.
THROUGH MY EXPERIENCES IN CHIROPRACTIC AND BODY-REALIGNMENT, I’VE DISCOVERED THAT MANY OF THE ISSUES YOU THINK ARE IN THE LOWER DIMENSIONS OF YOUR BODY ARE REALLY ROOTED IN YOUR NECK.
WHAT
Restore “natural” curvature of your cervical (and entire) spine.
Ignite more openness and confidence for the day.
Release “heady shit” you subconsciously hoard in your head and neck.
HOW
Just like a weight training program, you’ll progress your time spent with the base of your head resting on the arm of the couch with your head hanging off, opening your throat and very much resting in a tilted back position. Begin with 1 min/day, increasing by 1 min a day each day until you reach 10 minutes a day. At this point, you are pretty well adjusted to the input. Feel free to move your arms, legs, eyes, jaw, hips, toes, etc. as you rest, and bonus points if you diaphragmatically breathe while in this position.
② RAD Round/RAD Roller ($5 off your first order with the above link):
ROUNDS $16, ROLLER $24.99
WHY
NEWS ALERT: A LOT OF THE DISCOMFORT THAT YOU FEEL UP THE KINETIC CHAIN CAN STEM FROM THE VERY BOTTOM, YOUR FEET. YOU MIGHT NOTICE A THEME BY NOW.
WHAT
Untie the knots in your arches, inner and outer edges, heels, and toes.
Get yourself to moving more throughout the day. Rolling out your feet first thing in the morning is the cue that triggers your brain to crave ambulation and beyond.
Uplift your mood.
HOW
Start with one minute on each foot, rolling out the arches, inner edges, heels, and toes. If you are using the Roller, you’ll start with what I call a “Search and Scan,” where you cover a broader surface area as you hunt for golden nuggets of tension to release. Then you’ll hone in on the treasure troves. If you are using the Round, pick a spot and give it some TLC. Be sure to explore all of your foot (each one)—no fascia left behind!
③ Acupoint Foot Board: $15.99
why
did you know that each of your precious feet contains over 7,000 nerve endings?! wow! stimulating this plethora of nerve endings does a magic trick: it opens up the pathways that singal between your roots (your feet) and your brain. this leads to better awareness of yourself in space (proprioception) and better awareness of the internal state of processes in your body (interoception).
in my experience stepping on this prickly board each morning, i come more alive, more alert, and more open to the world around me.
WHAT
“To stimulate and activate the left then right brain.”-Outkast
Full brain awake-ness!
Toughen up your feet. Ordinarily, you when you unexpectedly step on something sharp, round, hard, or prickly, it causes a shock incommensurate with your nervous system’s capacity. Condition yourself to make different surfaces feel good for your feet.
Spark your creativity.
HOW
Just like the above two exercise habits, build your tolerance and grow your capacity by doing a little more each day. Start with 30 seconds to a minute, adding 30 seconds to a minute each day. Once you’ve worked up to 10 minutes, your body is super accustomed to the surface. At first, you’ll probably want to stand still because it is so shocking. Try to break through that unconscious freeze response by walking in place. Heck, even dance!
④ Coconut Oil (extra virgin, unrefined, organic = best): $6.39
why
AS THEY SAY, A CLEAN MOUTH means a clean house. well, mabye they will catch on to that 🏃🏻♀️. if we don’t “spring clean” the over 700 species of bacteria that live in our mouths on a daily basis, it can lead to dis-eased gums and teeth, which causes problems in the heart, brain, and all other organs and systems. again, it. is. all. connnected.
in my experience swashing coconut oil in the mornings, i get excited to pull all the crap out of the crevices of my gums and teeth, spit it out, and feel incredibly refreshed once I do. it feels like a spa day for your mouth.
WHAT (just a few of the tons)
Kill bad breath.
Boost your immune system.
Relieve headaches.
HOW
Scoop one tbsp of coconut oil and place it in your mouth. It will begin to melt quickly.
Swish and swash (just don’t splash) for anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Change the patterns of your jaw movement and angles of attack. Get the upper and lower corners of your mouth and spaces between your teeth.
For extra points and extra efficiency, do some neck mobility while you oil pull. Visit my “Nine Minute Neck Niceties” Flow to follow along while you gurgle.
⑤ A Hard Floor: $FR€€ again
why
the floor is your friend. and if it ain’t yet, become acquainted. a hard surface can do wonders for aches, pains, and ailments.
yoga story: one of my yoga teachers once told me that a student of his had terrible menstrual cramps and associated symptoms for months on end. it was near incapacitating. she decided to come to yoga class, but all she could do was lay on the floor. so for the whole class, she just laid on her belly. class by class, her pain and ailing went away.
in my experience, laying on the floor in the morning and after a hard day of work feels amazing. you may experience some natural adjustments of your bones, tension-release of your muscles, and just the right stimulation your gut needs to rest-and-digest when you lay on your tummy.
WHAT
Get a totally $FR€€ Full-Body Massage.
Get a totally $FR€€ skeletal adjustment.
Restore your playfulness. We began moving on the floor as babies, when we first learned to take in our environment, crawl, roll, walk, and so on.
HOW
Infinite options here. Gonna give ya three.
Lay on your belly and diaphragmatically breathe. That is, breathe into the front, sides, and back of your belly all the way up through your rib cage.
Lay on your back and diaphragmatically breathe.
Roll around like a baby. See my post on restoring natural movement after trauma here. Just rolling on the floor—your soon-to-be best friend, can unwind trauma trapped in the tissues of your body and invite you back into a space where it is safe to move freely and playfully.