Over the last several years, there’s been a lot of talk about loving yourself in the body-positive movement. And while that’s a wonderful notion, loving ourselves when we’re at war with our body can feel like an impossible task. Or, maybe it just feels pointless in that we’re setting ourselves up for failure, disappointment. Furthermore, when we’re experiencing the following things:

• Chronic pain
• Chronic illness
• Trauma, or
• Stigma for a body that does not fit the cultural ideal…

The act of self-love can seem unfathomable. In other words:

Self-love in trying times can feel like a bunch of BS!

Awhile back I was on the “you gotta practice self-love” train too. That was until my train got derailed. Well, I’ve learned the hard way that chronic pain and illness can be physically/emotionally/spiritually painful. I hated my body way more than I loved it. That is for sure!

What does it mean to “neutralize the body experience?

However, I also now realize that body hatred is a form of body combat. And that kind of in-fighting only wires us for more stress. Which then only serves to keep or amplify dis-ease and unrest in both body and mind.

So what if we could rest in a space within us that didn’t have to be loving? Or hating?

What if we could rest in a place within ourselves that witnessed the whole body experience? The mistakes? The successes? The limitations? The abilities? The good? The bad? The right? The wrong?

And what might happen if we explored all these things in a state of presence and objectivity?

Finally, is it even possible to reach neutral ground with your thoughts/feelings/beliefs about your body? Well, I think so! Herein lies one of my favourite practices – Yoga Nidra…

What is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra is a form of guided relaxation, also known as “awakened sleep” or deep conscious rest. While the body is in a relaxed and still position, participants navigate the thoughts, beliefs and emotions of the fluctuating mind.

Yoga Nidra puts a pause on the high stress experience of living in an injured, traumatized or stigmatized body. The parasympathetic nervous system takes over to facilitate a rest and digest state.

And just by being in this rest and digest mode, we physiologically bring our bodies into a neutral zone without having to force anything else (loving, hateful or otherwise).

A Yoga Nidra practice typically includes the following 2 things:

1. An intention that is affirming, action oriented and in the present tense
2. Exploring both extremes of various experiences, attempting to experience them at the same time

A Yoga Nidra Practice to Neutralize the Body Experience

Wanna try? I recorded a brief Yoga Nidra practice that I’m happy to share here. Before you begin:

1. Remove potential distractions
2. Find a space that is quiet and where you won’t be disturbed
3. Setup in a comfortable position on the floor or chair

Here is your guided Yoga Nidra Session (20 minutes):

***Curious to try more Yoga Nidra and other relaxation strategies? Check the schedule for our next round of Small Group Restorative sessions and for registration details. Or, if group settings are not your thing, Michelle is booking 1:1 private sessions also. Contact us to set up your complimentary phone consult. 

The post Neutralizing the Body Experience: From self-love to body hatred and everything in between appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

The Art of Self-Swaddling

What do you do though, if you want to be swaddled but don’t have anyone around to help you with the setup? Well, I’ve been experimenting lately with self-swaddling and I think I’ve found a technique that works pretty well! So, here’s a 5 minute video demo-ing how to swaddle yourself:

NOTE: This does require rolling the body and that movement pattern might not be suitable and/or available to everyone. Please refrain from trying this if you are recovering from an injury or if you have joint and/or mobility issues.

Michelle Pitman is the the founder and operator of Define Me Wellness. Michelle supports clients on their own path to well-being with specialities in healing body image, enhancing athletic performance and cultivating work-life balance. Click here to learn more about Michelle and her work.

The post Restorative Practice to Help with Anxiety: The Swaddle, Part II appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

A common dilemma with eating disorders (EDs) is the difficulty one can have in identifying and interpreting their emotions (the medical term for this is alexithymia). Again, it comes back to the mind-body disconnection that I spoke about in yesterday’s post.

Anxiety is also a common c0-occuring illness with EDs. It puts the nervous system into an “amped-up” state! When someone is experiencing anxiousness, it can feel debilitating and overwhelming. And not being able to tap into and know those feelings can be confusing, making it hard to figure out what is needed to self-soothe and self-regulate those feelings. So what is someone with and eating disorder to do when experience anxiety and/or a nervous system on overdrive? It’s in these situations leaning on a loved one might be helpful.

The role of caregiver

As a caregiver of someone struggling with an eating disorder or other mental health illness, it can be challenging to know what to do. But don’t minimize your role as supporter and nurturer. Sometimes the best thing you can offer is a safe place to be held and an opportunity for rest, without try to fix anything.

Are you familiar with the practice of swaddling? Swaddling is often part of the bedtime routine for infants. It is where a newborn is cocooned in a blanket. And it signals to the nervous system that it is time for rest.

Now I’ve been experimenting recently with using this practice for managing difficult feelings, especially for anxiety. And if you want to do something for your loved one in need of some down-regulating, you may want to try this…

Swaddling: It’s not just for babies

In the following video, I demonstrate with my friend Angela, how to swaddle and nurture an adult. But first, here are some suggested tips:

1. Take up space, as much as you need. I use my living room and push any furniture aside
2. Turn off phones and remove any other potential distractions (TV, pets, etc.)
3. Adjust lighting if possible (or use an eye pillow or folded hand towel placed over the eyes to shield from bright lights/the sun)
4. Explain what you will be doing, ask permission and stay with them the entire time
5. Allow some time for quiet but continue to ask them every few minutes how they are doing
6. Continue to remind them that you are there, either with a few kind words or hands gently placed at top of head, shoulder or feet
7. Keep with the swaddle 5 – 15 minutes max. Any longer than that has the potential to bring up feelings of overwhelm and claustrophobia (which is the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish)

While I and some of my clients have found this to be super relaxing and soothing… what works for some, might not work for others. We are all unique in our recovery journey. But if you think it might work for you, give it a try and let me know what you think.

Michelle Pitman is the founder and operator of Define Me Wellness. Most recently, Michelle has launched Under the Lilac Tree: a virtual program for eating disorder recovery and support. Click here to learn more about Michelle and her work.

The post #EDAW2017: A Restorative Practice to Help Your Loved One Manage Anxiety appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

Eating disorders are often coping strategies to manage difficult feelings and/or experiences. And behaviours such as starving, purging and self-criticism can trick us into thinking we are in control.  But, when someone is in the depths of an eating disorder, the connection between the mind and the body is muddled.

It can be scary to give up the ED behaviours (believe me, I know). It is especially difficult when we don’t have positive replacements for those harmful behaviours. So, what do we need to repair the mind-body connection and heal from EDs? Well, I believe self-awareness is a super important skill. And my favourite way to rebuild self-awareness is through a variety of slow, gentle movement and self-care practices .

Self-Massage for The Win!

Self massage is just one of the strategies I incorporate into my self-care and movement tool kit. My morning practice includes at least 5 minutes of self massage with therapy balls. I roll with them everyday.

The following video is a brief demo of a typical routine I use for the neck-jaw-face. I use Yoga Tune Up® therapy balls (the “Originals”). But you could also use lacrosse or tennis balls instead to get a similar effect. Practice along with me:

Facebook Live: Restorative Movement Class!

As Eating Disorders Awareness Week comes to a close, I’ll be hosting a Facebook Live class on Tuesday, February 7th. Explore restorative movement and gentle embodiment practices in the comfort of your home. Checkout the Define Me Wellness FB page for further details.

Michelle Pitman is the founder and operator of Define Me Wellness. Most recently, Michelle has launched Under the Lilac Tree: a virtual program for eating disorder recovery and support. Click here to learn more about Michelle and her work. 

The post #EDAW2017: From Disconnection to Awareness with Self Massage appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

I really became aware of this issue last week when I finally went to refill my prescription for Eltroxin, medication that helps with my under active thyroid condition that I have had for almost 20 years.  I had let myself go without it from anywhere, I’m guessing, between 4 – 6 weeks.  The impact of my body missing those daily doses is now hitting me with noticeable moments of exhaustion, short-temperedness and just generally being in a fog.

Why tell you this? Well, because my perception is that those of us in the field of health and wellness don’t often talk about our own struggles of maintaining a self-care practice, which then appears like we have it all together and practice what we preach.  While I can’t speak for others, I can say for myself that simply isn’t true.  I, too, can get caught in the trap of feeling that I have to get all those to-do’s checked off first, take care of my family, my clients and my friends needs and also not wanting to miss out on all the summer fun in between.  But doing all of those things first comes at a cost, to the detriment of my own well-being.

So, no words of wisdom except to highlight that we are all susceptible to being too busy for self-care.  The notion of needing to be “good” at it can sometimes do us more harm.  Self-care need not be perfect.  This has been a lesson for me in the importance of awareness, being compassionate to one’s self and gently working towards changing the pattern.  Not engaging in behaviours to be a good role model but finding behaviours that serve YOU best.

And with that, I’m going to honour my body’s needs and take an unusual-for-me midday nap.  Everything else can wait.

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