Conscious Self Care: Body Work for Dealing with Change

Are you going through a transition stage in your life and want to maintain stability? Maybe you’re moving or changing jobs, or maybe you are ending a relationship. Whatever your change might be, transitions trigger feelings of instability and insecurity. However it is possible to glide through transitions, flowing as you consciously embrace each moment. This is the essence of conscious self care. 

Using movement is a great way to stay mindful through transitions and create a space for self-reflection that is key for an effortless transition. Movements that emphasize grounding and stability will help you stand firm in your Higher Self as everything else around you is changing.

Move into the new chapter of your life with confidence and peace. Use these mindful movement exercise to help you feel more stable and grounded.

Yoga Poses

• Mountain Pose for Stability

  • Stand up straight with your big toes touching and your feet pressing firmly into the ground
  • Send this energy upwards as you engage your calves and your thighs and thereby lifting your kneecaps.
  • Tuck your tailbone and cup your pelvis forward so your spine sits nicely in it is base
  • Continue sending that energy upwards as you simultaneously push into the ground with feet.
  • Straighten spine and rotate your shoulders back, letting your arms and hands hang down beside you
  • Align your neck with your spine and imagine extending the crown of your head up into the sky
  • Stay in the pose using ujjayi breathing, as you explore rooting into the earth while also reahing up towards the universe.  

• Warrior I Pose for Security and Strength

  • Starting in Mountain Pose described above, step your left foot back aligned with right foot and pivot the foot at a 45 degree angle.
  • Bend the front right knee while rotating your hips forward. Be sure keep your tailbone tucked and try not to over arch in your low back.
  • Simultaneously continue to press the back heel into the ground while keeping the front knee directly over the ankle.
  • Raise your arms straight up overhead towards the sky.
  • Keeping a straight spine lift the crown up towards the sky as you continue to root down into the earth.
  • Using your ujjayi breath take a moment to reflect on what you feel during this pose. Use your breathe and calmness to sit deeper and longer in this pose.
  • Repeat on the other side with the same curious reflection.

Cardio Exercise for Release of Anxious Energy

• Hiking
• Running
• Spin Classes
• A great free app that can give you a cardio workout right in your own home is the Nike Training App.
• Dance

• Here is a Ashtanga Yoga series to try as great grounding cardio:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dealing with Changes in Sleep

Based on where you fall on the spectrum of being grounded (click here to find out where you fall) you may be experiencing a variety of sleeping problems. Based on where you fall on the spectrum of being grounded (click here to find out where you fall) you may be experiencing a variety of sleeping problems. Sleep quality and amount of sleep are highly correlated with mood. Problems with sleep can have many different physical and emotional implications, and if you think your sleep problems are go beyond just transition and change, you should consult your physician.

Here are some tips for common sleeping problems that arise when we feel less stable in life.

Difficulty Falling Asleep

• Set an alarm for yourself daily for when you want to start winding down. When this alarm goes off be diligent about disengaging from all things that don’t make you sleepy. This may mean turning off Netflix or putting your phone away.
• Instead during this winding down time, do relaxing things like drink chamamille tea with lemon, or burn essential oils like lavender.

Difficulty Staying Asleep

• Control the amount of light in that comes in your bedroom. Our bodies use cues in the environment to set our internal rhythms and bright lights can significantly impact your ability to stay asleep.
• Journal your thoughts before going to bed. Many times waking in the night is the result of anxious thoughts and writing them down is one way to allow yourself to release and let go.
• Feelings of guilt are also associated with an inability to stay asleep. If you wake frequently thinking that you did something wrong or worried you made a mistake, find ways to process such feelings. This could be done by practicing non-judgement and using mindfulness techniques to quiet your inner critic. Also you may find it helpful to talk to a therapist that can help you process these feelings as well.

Oversleeping

• Avoid alcohol or any other type of sedative. This will only make your hypersomnia worse.
• This may simply be do to exhaustion that is common during transitions. Allow yourself to catch up on sleep, as it may take 5-7 days to get back on your normal sleeping schedule.

Reconnecting with your body

If you find it hard to stay connected to your body during times of instability, try the following body scans as a means to reconnect with your body:

• Body Awareness Meditation by Mary Maddux 
• Body Scan from the UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Research Center 
• Track One on Cocoa Butter for the Mind Guided Meditation Album

Nutrition Check

When you are going through change and life seems unstable, that is when your nutrition habits should be at their best. This will give you energy and strength to confront transition with ease and effortlessness.

Here are some links to help:

• Recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals 
• Getting your vitamins and minerals through diet 

Foot Massage

Finally giving yourself a foot massage is one form of bodywork that will benefit you during a time of transition. Directly related to how we ground ourselves during times of instability, we can feel a lot this stress in our feet. Furthermore, taking time to massage your own feet is an empowering way to help yourself feel grounded.

– Tiffany Shelton, M.A. is a psychotherapist and consciousness expert. Her passion to elevate consciousness goes beyond the message of self-care or wellness, but instead consciously adds to these movements by demanding awakening and insight. Learn more about Tiffany Shelton by clicking here.

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