Stay Fit and Healthy
Stay fit and healthy while you are at home. Searching for an outstanding fitness class? Here are my recommendations:
BikerBarre Fit
BikerBarre Fit is located in Santa Rosa and offers virtual classes accessible anywhere you live. It is your one-stop-shop for strength, flexibility, and fun fitness. Someday soon, I’ll be back there in-person. Until that happens, I love their live stream classes. Check it out! And my daughter Nicole is an instructor.
Blue Door Yoga
Blue Door Yoga in Penngrove is an impressive yoga studio. The studio focuses on health, flexibility, and spirit and specializes in creating safe classes for all levels of yogis. They are offering a variety of online yoga classes. Be sure to check them out no matter where you live! My daughter, Nicole, is likewise an instructor at Blue Door!
Enjoying Mother Nature
Being in the outdoors can feed your soul. Whether you wander, hike, bike, ride horseback, garden, stroll in the sand at the beach, climb a mountain, or sit and listen to the birds singing, allow yourself time to soak up the environment. It’s one of the best ways to discover breath, be in joy, and relax. Mother Nature will assist you to have a perfect meditation.
Energy Tips for Getting & Staying Calm
Breath is the key! When we have full expansive inhales, our breath feeds us. And those inhales allow us to have full purging exhales.
So much of what has been going on the last four-plus months can affect our breathing. Stress causes us to hold our breath, to wait with bated breath, expecting the next shoe to drop. When our bodies are dealing with stress, anxiety, frustration, sadness, or fear your nervous systems can be on edge and fired up. Heightened arousal = burnout, irritability, fatigue.
Super easy energy tips for ease and calm:
- Hold fingertips on opposite upper arms and feel your breath (first step in the Daily Flow)
- Hold right fingers on right base of skull and left fingers on outside of right wrist
- Hold left fingers on left base of skull and right fingers on outside of left wrist
- Cup right hand at sternum below collarbone and hold left fingers on tummy.
- Hold right fingers on outside of right knee and left fingers on outside of left knee
Check out my Deborah Myers Wellness Facebook Page for videos of some energy tips while I give you a tour of my garden.
See the animated video of the Daily Clean Your House Flow, an Easy Self-Help Acupressure Flow that both kids and adults love and practice to create a foundation for health and wellbeing. Go to DeborahMyersWellness.com/covid19. It’s available to watch and use at no charge.
Creation from your garden’s bounty or from the farmer’s market
Grilled Summer Vegetables
You’ll need a good-sized grill pan coated with a bit of olive oil.
Coat chunks of onions, zucchini, green beans, garlic, peppers, and whatever else you have with oil. (I enjoy using large slices so everything stays firm).
Season with salt, pepper, and any seasoning that complements the other dishes you’re serving. Then place them into the hot grill pan.
In a separate pan, have a single layer of mushrooms and dry grill (they’ll stay firm and are easy to mix with other veggies).
When veggies have finished cooking and still firm, dump into a large bowl, incorporate sizable chunks of fresh tomatoes and basil. I also add basil salt that I made from last year’s crop.
Stay fit and healthy
It is easy to do. Mind, body, spirit in harmony.
Finding Joy and Ease Amid Our Topsy-Turvy World
Topsy Turvy
It is not unusual to discover new crisis announcements every day during these troubled times. Dire proclamations provoke deep unease and may put you in a state of hyper-vigilance. And repeated disturbing news may create a sense of anxiety that takes your breath away. What happens if you burden yourself with anxiousness and dread? The trick is to acknowledge the sentiments that come up for you and help your body let go of harmful reactions.
I want to give you some of my favorite self-help acupressure tips to do that!
These easy-to-do acupressure movements will:
- expand breath
- let go of anxiety
- reduce stress reactions
- help you sleep even with so much on your mind
- and boost your immune system.
Energetic Balance
Your body prefers to be in energetic balance. You need to help your body experience balance and harmony. You are training your body what it feels like to be in balance. When you do, your physical, mental, and emotional bodies will take better care of you.
Help Your Body
A daily practice of easy self-care acupressure helps your body. A balanced immune system can fend off anxiety and stress despite what is happening in the world.
Hold your fingertips on the following acupressure points with a light and gentle touch for several good breaths:
- Open up your breath. Give yourself a hug by holding your fingertips anywhere on your elbows or upper arms. You’re holding energy points that connect with lung and diaphragm breath. This will expand your breath. You will experience a full inhale followed by a purging exhale.
- Bring on better sleep! Hold your fingertips on the base of your skull and you will connect with a “sleep center.” Follow with jumper cables—cup and hold each thumb and finger with a light touch.
- Boost your immune system and it will better be able to take care of you!
- Right hand—cup right shoulder with fingertips where neck and shoulder come together.
- Left hand—hold fingers at left chest immediately below the collarbone.
- Switch hands.
Prepare your body for difficult times
Make the Daily Clean Your Houseflow your go-to daily practice for balancing your energy. A daily practice makes your system more receptive to nurturing. Many of my clients start and end every day doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow—a 9-step self-help acupressure flow that provides your body with a firm foundation. The flow supports all the organs and systems of the body. You are preparing your systems for performing at optimum levels—bringing stability, strength and vitality to your entire body.
You can find the Daily Clean Your House Flow on my website, deborahmyerswellness.com. Click on the purple button “Learn the Daily Flow” and you’ll get a PDF of the 9 steps, and more energy tips.
I encourage you to view the animated video of the Daily Clean Your House Flow. I created it for kids, and adults love it as much as any kid. Watch it in its entirety on my website at deborahmyerswellness.com/covid19at no charge. I want anyone who is searching for a way to let go of stress and anxiety to enjoy free access during this distressing, unnerving time. Do your body a favor and check out the video. You’ll see why kids, parents, and teachers love this 6-½ minute video for helping to create a more carefree and happier body.
Spending time every day taking care of YOU assists your body to get to that place of balance and harmony. Your body will know you are taking care of it. A daily practice might include self-help acupressure, meditation, exercise, walking, enjoying Mother Nature, gardening, singing, dancing, resting when you need to, reading, writing. The list of what could be part of your daily practice is up to you. Choose the activities that help your body feel better and more vital, including what brings a smile to your face.
My desire for you is to experience joy and ease!
Catch Your Breath
Time to Catch Your Breath
Considering our recent wildfires in Sonoma, Napa, and Southern California, it makes sense to remind all of you how you can “catch your breath.”
2019, like the smoky days of 2017, brought high winds, intense fires, and intense emotions.
While we cannot control when and where fires erupt, we can control our reactions.
Your Breath and Self-Care Refresher
- how to reclaim your breath
- reorganize your immune system
- calm your nervous system
- and reduce the stress your body and mind are experiencing
Those of us who were not directly in harm’s way from the fire were under stress from a loss of power, and sometimes water too. We were living with uncertainty about when we could resume our normal activities and if we would be safe from disaster.
At my home and office, we were without electricity which affected our water, as we are on a well. We could stay in our home, but it was as if we were camping out for the week, as we nervously watched and waited. They evacuated many of my friends and clients, some more than once. And I understand that some folks were without power for more than a week.
Help Your Breath
I know there is concern about the ash in the air. The dust and debris have triggered:
- respiratory projects
- fatigue
- scattered thinking
- sleep disruptions
- feelings of being under threat
- Loss of control
- Anxiety
- General disquiet
In California, we are living in fire season. We have been on high alert since the first dry winds in September. Extreme low humidity, dry conditions, lots of vegetation/fuel, unusually high winds, a convergence of meteorologic conditions that result from global warming, all have contributed to our current situation. Life is not business as usual.
What You Can Control
Take extra care of yourself and by using these energy tips, you can feel more like yourself now and whenever you encounter challenging situations, natural disasters, work stress, and family pressures.
Get more information and tips from Recovering from the Sonoma Fires
https://www.deborahmyerswellness.com/2017/10/
Resources for Victims of California Wildfires
Wildfire Resources – California Victim Compensation Board
Resources for Victims of Wildfires | Official Website …
Northern California fires: List of resources for victims …
2019 Fire Season Outlook | Welcome to CAL FIRE
California Fire & Evacuation Maps: Track Fires Near Me Today [Nov. 3]
Getting Your Breath Back with Easy Self-Help Acupressure
Life can throw us curves of all sorts! We don’t plan on those, and we don’t necessarily see them coming our way. One such event was the October 2017 fires. And no matter how YOU were individually impacted, the experience most likely affected your breath, your emotions, your sense of well-being, and maybe your physical health.
Our Bodies Remember Trauma
As we get closer to the one-year anniversary of that terrible time for Sonoma County and Napa County, your body may be experiencing memories of distress. Also, it hasn’t helped that we’ve had other fires raging north of us.
People are using phrases like, “I’m waiting with baited breath” and “I’m wondering how much more I can take.” Some folks realize that they’re not processing information with ease, similar to what they were experiencing one year ago after the fires. And many are trying to figure out what they need to do to regain their vitality and productivity. Fatigue is running rampant because sleep isn’t restful and rejuvenating.
None of those symptoms are unusual after trauma and chaos. And when we re-experience the memories of the traumatic event, our bodies get even more stuck in the patterns of the symptoms.
Reduce the Impact of Trauma
We can help our bodies let go of the symptoms and the tendency to hold onto those patterns. By balancing our energy, we can create new patterns of balance and ease that our bodies will see as more desirable.
Self-help acupressure is a natural, effortless way to remind your body how to be in breath, how to let go of stress and anxiety, and how not to take on stress. You can relieve discomfort and pain, balance your emotions, boost wellness, and improve performance in your daily activities.
Daily Practice
A daily practice of balancing your energy allows you to become a partner with your body. Rediscover your breath, boost your immune system, improve your focus and clarity, increase your vitality, let go of overwhelming thoughts and handle your feelings. You will find that your body feels healthy and full of life when you get your breath and energy back.
Here are a few energy tips that will help you reach health and vitality: To open the breath and calm the whole system:
Hold thumbs with opposite hands
Hold index fingers with opposite hands
Fold arms across chest and hold opposite upper arms
To relieve respiratory distress, such as holding breath or coughing:
Hold the right base of the rib cage with right fingers
Hold right chest below clavicle with left fingers
Switch and hold opposite sides
To release jaw, mouth or throat tension, such as clenching or holding breath:
Cup sternum directly below clavicle with the right hand
Place left fingertips in a vertical pattern below the navel
I hope that you make use of these suggestions! to get your breath back. They can really make a difference!
Sonoma Strong
And to learn even more, join me at the Sonoma Strong Healing Fair on Saturday, September 29th at the Veteran’s Building in Santa Rosa. I’ll be presenting at 11:30, offering more suggestions on how to get your breath back.
I’ll also be teaching in the Kids’ Area at 1:00 and 3:00. I look forward to seeing you there! In the meantime, wishing you ease.
April is Stress Awareness Month
Isn’t it crazy that we actually have a “National Stress Awareness Month”? Guess that shows a lot of people are dealing with some sort of stress in their worlds.
What is stress?
How do we best define it when it is so different for everyone? What can we do to reduce the effects of it so our bodies don’t go into reaction? And what can we do to actually have a sense of control so stress doesn’t seem to be running the show?
I’ll give you some historical background about how stress came to be recognized as a “condition” in our country. Then, I’ll share some easy-to-use self-help acupressure energy tips for changing how we can transform stress from a negative to positive. Transforming stress is a bit different from how Western medicine suggests we can manage it! And, when we get to that place of management, we truly are partners with our bodies.
Stress Awareness Month
It has been held every April since 1992. Sponsored by The Health Resource Network (HRN), a non-profit health education organization, Stress Awareness Month is a national, cooperative effort to:
- inform people about the dangers of stress
- successful coping strategies
- harmful misconceptions about stress that are prevalent in our society.
Medical Definition of Stress
In a medical or biological context, stress is a physical, mental or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Stresses can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social situations) or internal (illness or from a medical procedure). Stress can initiate the “fight or flight” response.
The state of mental or emotional strain or tension from adverse or very demanding circumstances can be so recognizable that others notice. We even hear comments like “he’s obviously under a lot of stress” and “she really needs to figure out how to manage her stress.”
Stress can cause or influence the course of many medical conditions. These include psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety. Medical problems can encompass poor healing, high blood pressure, headaches and migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and many others. We now have “stress management” recognized as an effective treatment for many medical conditions.
To read more about stress and how the Western medical world defines it, go to
https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20104.
Transforming Stress
Articles that include tools for self-assessment, resources, and programs, can be found on the website for The American Institute of Stress. The organization is all about awareness, education, and collaboration.
Go to https://www.stress.org/what-is-stress/.
Stress as a Project
Personally, I like to look at “stress” as a “project that can be transformed.” The term stress was coined by Hans Selye in 1936. He defined it as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change”. If we look at stress as “the rate of wear and tear on the body,” it makes sense that increased stress can actually accelerate the aging process.
And who wants that? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather walk around in a body that does not have major reactions to stressful situations. All of the experimental and clinical research confirms that the sense of having little or no control is always distressful, and that’s what stress is all about.
Energy Tips to Manage and Transform Stress
Here are my self-help acupressure energy tips that you can use to manage stress. They will allow you to be a partner with your own body. Because stress can take the breath away and cause us to wait with bated breath, follow along to learn how you can have full expansive breath. You’ll be way ahead of stress and its ability to affect you.
To help let go of stress, open up breath, release tension and increase vitality:
1. Hold upper arms by folding arms across the chest
2. Right hand — cup sternum directly below the collarbone
Left hand — hold fingers in a vertical pattern on your tummy
3. Right hand — hold the base of the right front ribcage
Left hand — hold fingers on the right chest below the collarbone
4. Gently cup thumbs
More than an Ounce of Prevention
The Daily Clean Your House Flow helps you stay in balance and get in front of stress. Doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow prepares your body for what you’re going to ask it to do now and for what might come at it (even major stressful traumatic events). Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow at least once a day. It will create a strong foundation for you to be able to be the best partner you can be with your body. I have been doing it daily for more than 20 years, as have many of my clients, friends, and family. This one practice is the best antidote to stress and you can do it anywhere, anytime. The more you do it, the better you will feel.
Do your part to Make Stress Awareness Month Obsolete
Share this post about the Daily Clean Your House Flow with the people you care about through your social channels, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You’ll be glad you did your part to lower the stress in the world.
From Stress to Success – Creating the Miracle of Abundance and Prosperity
Have you ever felt that you’re not receiving all that you want and desire and that you’re not going to be able to be all you want to be? Maybe what you’re searching for seems to be right around the corner, or perhaps it flits in and then it seems to disappear.
There is a trick to setting intentions and attaining your goals. It’s about creating a state of balance and harmony within your body by allowing your body to experience the movement of energy. When that shift is happening your body will naturally want more of the same, and it will let go of any stuck, stagnant energy that has been blocking your ability to make changes and move forward.
REMOVE THE BLOCKS THAT ARE IN YOUR WAY
A blockage of energy is just something in the way, like a traffic jam or a beaver dam. The beauty of this process is that we don’t have to break out the big equipment and get all stressed out by working too hard to make changes. We can gently break apart the blockages and allow the flow of energy to happen and do so without effort. And that flow is what creates the space to receive all that you want to gain.
DISCOVER BALANCE AND FULFILL YOUR DREAMS
That is prosperity, whether you’re searching for health, financial abundance, happy relationships, or a fulfilling career. Your goals could include letting go of self-judgment and self-sabotage, increasing productivity and having the vitality to do all you want to do. Anything is possible in this state of balance because nothing is in the way of fulfilling your dreams. For that matter, your intention could be receiving all of those! And then you are on the journey of creating miracles!
Without that vibration of balance in the body, what we want will not come towards us. The vibrations of the body must match the energy you are trying to attract. Otherwise, it just does not show up.
Another step on your journey towards abundance and prosperity is to spend time each day being in thankfulness and gratitude for all that is coming your way. In that state of being you will easily be able to continue to attract all that you want because you are in alignment.
It is easy to follow your dreams and keep those New Year’s resolutions when your energy aligns with your goals and desires. Create miracles this year! You have abundance and prosperity at your fingertips.
ENERGY TIPS TO MANIFEST ALL YOU DESIRE
Here are two super easy energy tips to help you flow freely toward prosperity without struggle or effort.
Energy movements for expansion of breath and manifesting your destiny:
- Right hand: hold on area of right kidney
- Left hand: hold on area of left kidney
- Right hand: cup sternum directly below your collarbones
- Left hand: hold fingers in a vertical pattern on your tummy
There are other “tricks” to help your journey towards abundance and prosperity be a true miracle. It can be easy, effortless and successful. Join me for my Energy of Prosperity Workshop on Wednesday, January 31st. Follow this link to get more information or to RSVP now.
Photo by Chevanon Photography from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-with-arms-outstretched-against-blue-sky-317155/
Holidays bring Joy
Holidays Can Be Filled with Demands and Happiness
Holidays bring us joy and stress. To make sure you have joy, here is my recipe to keep you in balance.
It’s there even though many of us seem to be searching for it this year because of all the chaos that has been occurring for the last few months.
Lucky for me that I love Christmas. I could hardly wait for the Friday after Thanksgiving to decorate the house and bring in the color and lights. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Minnesota where the winter days seemed exceptionally dark! What I do know is that as soon as I start putting on the lights and meticulously placing the ornaments on the tree, I’m in the spirit. And as that transpires, my heart is open to possibilities and smiles and joy. So, as a result, I decide to spend all of Thanksgiving weekend to deck the halls and enjoy the time and the space I’m creating. And then, somehow or other, it seems like I do have time for all of the other items on my list.
Here is what helps me with all of that lifting and climbing and stretching when I’m decorating. Whether I’m placing all of my Santa Claus figures on the shelves or I’m winding the strands of lights around the tree or I’m reaching for the highest limb on the tree to get the absolute best ornament in the space I’ve chosen, I want to have my body easily cooperate and not go into a reaction. I want to make sure that my body will let me do everything that I’ve planned to do.
Daily Clean Your House Flow to Start Your Day Right = Holidays Bring Joy
First, I start the day with the Daily Clean Your House Flow!
Then, off and on during the decoration extravaganza, I do the following:
1. Right hand — cup and hold left shoulder near neck
Left hand — hold fingers at left pelvis/groin area
Left hand — move fingers to left sit bone
Switch and do the right side.
2. Right hand — cup back of neck with fingers on the left side
Left hand — hold base of spine at coccyx
Left hand — hold outside of the left knee (the anti-inflammatory point)!
Switch to do the right side
To make it even easier — watch this video!
I wish each and every one of you a magnificent and joyous holiday season!
Recovering from the Sonoma Fires
Watching and Waiting
Recovering from the Sonoma Fires
I’m one of the lucky ones
Healing and Breathing
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Here are a few of the tips:
- Hold thumbs with opposite hands
- Hold index fingers with opposite hands
- Fold arms across chest and hold opposite upper arms
- Hold right base of rib cage with right fingers
- Hold right chest below clavicle with left fingers
- Switch and hold opposite sides
- Cup sternum directly below clavicle with right hand
- Place left fingertips in a vertical pattern below the navel
Additional Energy and Recovery Tips
How you can speed up recovering from the Sonoma Fires:
- Please wear your masks when you go outside. The air quality is poor after the fire.
- Stay hydrated.
- Get electrolytes into your system (coconut water is a great source, Smart Water, as well as electrolyte powders).
- Take your EFA’s (essential fatty acids) — omegas are a natural anti-inflammatory.
- Consider taking a supplement that will help your respiratory system get clear and stay clear (the ones I like are Dr. Michael Murray’s Lung, Bronchial & Sinus Health and Clear Lungs by Ridgecrest).
- Drink Throat Coat tea.
- Get enough sleep.
Kid Scoop News – Easy To Do Acupressure
I love helping kids, parents, and families stay healthy. See my tip on how to stay healthy during the winter months in the February 2017 edition of Kid Scoop News
Ready for a vacation??
My Winter Vacation
Have you ever gone on a holiday and didn’t want to come back from your vacation? And when you did return, did you have a real hard time being back? Well, that’s my story!
I was on the beach for a whole week. I was enjoying the sun and spending lots of time snorkeling and glimpsing colorful fish. I also spent every morning watching the sunrise over the water. The new light of the day would wake me up. The sun was in the midst of creating its beautiful canvas of oranges, yellows, and reds. As each second created a new canvas, the calm water would mirror the painting. Oh my! And then the night would bring the full moon rising over the water. No wonder I didn’t want to leave!
I rested a lot. I enjoyed the beach and water. I enjoyed spending time with my family. I ate lots of great food and just felt that space of ease and relaxation.
My Takeaway
Step into the possibilities of having more vacations, no matter where they are or how long they are. Hey! I’m open to that! But until that is a done deal, I have realized that I need to fool my mind and my body and create the semblance of a vacation. Now, granted, there is nothing like leaving for a real destination. But if that isn’t in the plan, we can create restful chunks of time that revitalize the body, mind, and spirit.
Taking Your Experience of Health to the Next Level
I’ve worked with many of you, one-to-one, or in a workshop. I shared easy and effortless ways to help your body grow healthier with a few steps. Easy, self-help acupressure helps you integrate physical, mental, emotional and spirit.
I can show you how to create a vacation for yourself right here and now. As you do your energy balancing, hold each energy balance point, and “pretend” that you are there. Envision where you want to be. See the beauty, picture the experiences, hear the sounds, and smell the scents. Breathe it all in and know that you are there. Some may call it meditation or a soul journey. It is, but let go of labels and just experience the moment and see what happens.
The Power of the Daily Clean Your House Flow
I’ve created what I have just described while doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow. I do it when I awake in the morning and again in the evening. Off and on throughout the day, I’m holding a few energy points as I relive the best vacation moments. I am extending my vacation even though I’m back home! I feel like I’m right back at the beach plus I’m giving myself restful breaks during the day.
I enjoyed taking catnaps on the beach. My secret for getting back to that sense of peace and relaxation: doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow. It helps me feel rested. I sleep more deeply at nighttime too.
I’ve retained the vitality I gained from my vacation. And I’m enjoying those gorgeous sunrises as if they’re still happening.
Energy Balance Points = Mini-Vacation
Here are a few of the energy balance points that I’m holding to get those “hints of my vacation”:
- Let go of mind chatter: With right hand, cup your forehead, so your fingertips are on the left side. And with the left hand, cup the base of your skull, so the fingertips are on the right side. You will create clarity. You can contemplate the possibilities of what you are envisioning.
- Let go of old patterns: With right hand, hold your fingertips on the left elbow. And with the left hand, hold your fingertips on the base of the right ribcage. This flow is about expanding your breath and letting go of old ways and patterns.
- Build new habits: Hold the outside of your knees. These energy balance points will help you create the new pattern of openness. You will be receptive to new ideas.
- Manifest: Hold your fingertips at your mid-back at the area of the kidneys. You will connect with manifesting all you want to receive.
Let me know where your visions take YOU on your mini-vacation! Enjoy!!