 Why do I tell patients to take a deep breath?
Besides being necessary for our survival, breathing techniques can be used to communicate with different parts of our nervous system. During short term and acute stress (for example, you slam the brakes suddenly to stop your car), your breathing will increase to get more oxygen into your blood. More blood flow going to your muscles will help you run away from or fight any threats. These "stress breaths" tend to be quick and shallow. You are mostly breathing into the upper lobes of your lungs. If you go from this acute stress state into to a chronic, long-term stress state, this shallow breathing will continue and this sympathetic breathing pattern will be your normal. When your body is in the sympathetic stress pattern, a certain pathway of chemicals are released and your body has a set response....and important things like digestion and healing are put aside. When you are in a state of relaxation, your parasympathetic nervous system is dominant and your breaths are deep, slow and rhythmic. Air fills all the lobes of the lungs. You may even see your belly rise and fall with your breathing. Start by tuning into your breath and noticing the way you breathe. Studying your breathing patterns will give you an indication of the state of your body. While you may or may not feel like you are stressed, you body may still be stuck in a stress pattern. This is a great time to come in for an appointment so we can change the state of your breath. Need help on your healing journey? Give our office a call. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE.
0 Comments
 When we are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, we’re told that we need to seek self-care. Our well meaning friends and family tell us that we need to take care of ourselves. This is NOT what we need. Taking care of everything and everyone by ourselves is probably what led to the feelings of stress in the first place. We do not need more self-care. What we need is community care. Going way back to the neolithic period, we lived in communities. This was imperative to our survival. Certain members of the tribe would be in charge of gathering and hunting food while others would look after tidying, watching the children and defending the tribe against predators. The only way to survive and thrive was to work together. If someone committed a terrible crime, their punishment would be to leave the tribe. This was essentially sentencing someone to death. Now, in the North American culture, our families consist of the members of the same household and our tribes are those same people. The burden of all the tasks now rests on the shoulders of only a couple of people. It’s no wonder that mental illness is at an all time high. Throw in a pandemic and you’re setting up a society for failure. Luckily, the tribe concept is not all lost. Various cultures and communities still live multigenerationally or near each other in order to help out. This can often be seen in many cultures where a family consists of several many families getting together along with members of a community. If you were at your limit and stressed, do you need to add meditation, exercise, cooking, etc. to your list of things you need to do? No, that would make you feel worse as you already feel like you don’t have enough time in your day. Instead, you need to work together with your community to help each other out. May the post pandemic world be filled with communities that come together in order to help support each other. The world does not need more isolation, the pandemic has shown it. It needs more “family.” Would you like to be part of a healing community? Join in one of my free monthly workshops. We meet on Zoom and you can connect to others who are forward thinkers, learners and who want to heal and help others. Need help on your healing journey? Give our office a call. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE.  How are you? How are you really doing? Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and scan your body. Are there any areas of un-ease in your body? If yes, are these areas of un-ease due to physical pain? Emotional? Mental? Spiritual? Or are you not sure. If your scan doesn't produce any areas of un-ease, could you be numbing yourself from feeling? There is a difference between feeling at peace and numbing your body so you don't feel. In one, there is a sense of ease and well-being. When you numb, you don't feel but you know that you are not at peace. This was the exercise I did with myself last Thursday when new restrictions were announced for Ontario. I had reached my limit. The restrictions included the closing of playgrounds and parks which, as a parent to 2 young children, was our lifeline. We play at the park every day. I was upset, frustrated and wanted to scream and cry and I did. I knew it wasn't just from the most recent announcement but an accumulation of events from the last year. Right away I went to eat a whole bunch of chocolate eggs that we had just left from Easter. I was grumpy, I was frustrated with the kids and my husband. I was aware of this and I knew I had to change my state. I had to check in with myself. I did the above exercise and then tried to meditate. The meditation was not very helpful. I was fidgeting, moving and not focused but I did it anyways. Next, I loaded the kids into the stroller with snacks, water and we walked...and walked and walked some more. This was helpful. Getting out in the fresh air did us all good. That day, I took another 2 walks and by the end of the day, I was back to myself again. The next day, I found that out that they had reversed the playground decision. All this to say, I did not have a good day and I was able to get myself out. So, I want to check in with YOU to see how you are you doing. Do you need any help? Our office is open during this round of restrictions and we are here for you. If you need to chat or you need to come in, give our office a call. Times are hard right now and we need to stick together in order to make it through. But we will make it through. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE.  Our body has access to different energy states. When you are in an energy poor state:
When you are in an energy neutral state:
When you are in an energy rich state:
Energy poor- life happens to you Energy neutral- life happens and you have to manage the energy Energy rich- life happens through you Energy super rich- life happens for you Energy super duper rich- you happen for life Need help on your healing journey? Give our office a call. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE.  When we are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, we’re told that we need to seek self-care. Our well meaning friends and family tell us that we need to take care of ourselves. This is NOT what we need. Taking care of everything and everyone by ourselves is probably what led to the feelings of stress in the first place. We do not need more self-care. What we need is community care. Going way back to the neolithic period, we lived in communities. This was imperative to our survival. Certain members of the tribe would be in charge of gathering and hunting food while others would look after tidying, watching the children and defending the tribe against predators. The only way to survive and thrive was to work together. If someone committed a terrible crime, their punishment would be to leave the tribe. This was essentially sentencing someone to death. Now, in the North American culture, our families consist of the members of the same household and our tribes are those same people. The burden of all the tasks now rests on the shoulders of only a couple of people. It’s no wonder that mental illness is at an all time high. Throw in a pandemic and you’re setting up a society for failure. Luckily, the tribe concept is not all lost. Various cultures and communities still live multigenerationally or near each other in order to help out. This can often be seen in Indian, Asian, Muslim and Italian cultures where a family consists of many families getting together along with members of a community. If you were at your limit and stressed, do you need to add meditation, exercise, cooking, etc. to your list of things you need to do? No, that would make you feel worse as you already feel like you don’t have enough time in your day. Instead, you need your neighbours to make a meal for you, a friend to take your children for a few hours or cleaners to come to your house. May the post pandemic world be filled with communities that come together in order to help support each other. The world does not need more isolation, the pandemic has shown it. It needs more “family.” Would you like to be part of a healing community? Join in one of my free monthly workshops. We meet on Zoom and you can connect to others who are forward thinkers, learners and who want to heal and help others. Need help on your healing journey? Give our office a call. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE.  I made a mistake this week. The mistake was small but the lessons and observations that came from it were not. When I realized that I had deleted someone else’s work, my first thought was “Can I get this back?” My second thought was “Maybe I can get it back without them even noticing.” Here, I caught myself. I had encountered the child version of myself who learned to be a perfectionist from a young age. Everything had to be done right and if something went wrong, I would try to fix it without anyone noticing. I have grown a little since then. I have learned that mistakes are learning opportunities. The more I make, the more I learn. Instead of pretending like my mistake did not happen, I confessed. After realizing my mistake, I immediately notified the people affected, apologized and offered to help correct my mistake. The people involved were happy that I took ownership and gave them a solution to fix the problem. It also saved me a lot of anxiety because I didn’t have to worry about anyone “finding out” about my mistake because they already knew. When was the last time you changed an old belief? Leave a comment below. Need help on your healing journey? Give our office a call. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE.  The days are getting longer again and the weather is getting warmer. We can feel the start of the cold winter leaving our bones to give way to the spring. For every season, there is a different energy associated with it. With the shifting of the energy, comes an opportunity to make changes in your life. The energy of spring is associated with newness as you get the garden ready for planting, you may see shoots coming out of the ground and buds start to appear on the trees. In life, it’s a good time to start something new. When your life flows with the rhythm of nature, magic can happen. Tune your body and your activities into the season around you and watch as things appeared that were never there before. What newness are you preparing to bring into your life? Leave a comment below. Need help on your healing journey? Give our office a call. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE.  Let’s face it, we have all had unpleasant experiences in our lives. Most often, they involve other people. I’m repeatedly asked, what is the best way to move past a hurt that you’ve experienced? What I have found is to remember the kindest version of what happened to you. A few months ago, I had a disagreement with some family members. They had their version of what happened and I had mine. So, how did I move forward? I chose to look back on the conversation to find the positives:
When you can look back on an event and see what you can learn, it will be stored differently in your body and your nervous system then if you simply harbored the emotions that you experienced. Feel and experience your emotions, then go back and find the opportunities for growth. Take a look back on the last time someone upset you. What was said and what was exactly done? Take inventory of what you have learned. Take action to make changes if necessary and remember the best possible outcome of an event. We are all doing our best. If everyone experienced the same situations and circumstances that you did, perhaps they would have empathy and understanding. Differences of opinions happen because others have not walked in your shoes. Need help getting past a past hurt? Give our office a call. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE.  One of my patients sent me the following teaching on healing. It resonated with me and is what I strive to learn and teach.
Healing is a journey, not a destination. When we go towards and lean into the pain, is truly when we start to heal it. In society, we are taught to run away from the pain or to get rid of it. People take medication so they don't feel their pain or have surgery to cut it out. Now, there is definitely a time and place for medication and surgery, I'm not saying there isn't. What I do advocate for is to learn from your pain. Step into it and see what your body is trying to tell you. When I was in labour with my 2nd child and the contractions were intensifying, I did not think that I could go on without medication. My doula then said to me: "What if you stop fighting the pain and embrace it?" That made a world of difference. Instead of wishing the contractions away, I welcomed them because I would get to meet my baby sooner. Each contraction symbolized my body hugging and guiding my baby out to meet me. The pain, though still intense, decreased significantly and allowed me to birth naturally, without medications or any medical intervention, which was my desire. Welcome the pain and embrace it as a part of yourself that needs healing. Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation From the Center for Action and Contemplation Healing is being situated in love. Healing is not just the courage to love, but to be loved. It is the courage to want to be happy not just for others, but for ourselves as well. It is interrogating our bodies as an artifact of accumulated traumas and doing the work of processing that trauma by developing the capacity to notice and be with our pain. If we are to heal, then we must allow our awareness to settle into and integrate with the pain and discomfort that has been habitually avoided. We cannot medicate the pain away. We embrace it, and in so doing establish a new relationship with the experience. We must see that there is something that must be befriended. This is the true nature of our experience, and in finally approaching this experience we contact basic sanity. . . . Healing is movement and work toward wholeness. Healing is never a definite location but something in process. It is the basic ordinary work of staying engaged with our own hurt and limitations. Healing does not mean forgiveness either, though it is a result of it. Healing is knowing our woundedness; it is developing an intimacy with the ways in which we suffer. Healing is learning to love the wound because love draws us into relationship with it instead of avoiding feeling the discomfort. Healing means we are holding the space for our woundedness and allowing it to open our hearts to the reality that we are not the only people who are hurt, lonely, angry, or frustrated. We must also release the habitual aggression that characterizes our avoidance of trauma or any discomfort. My goal is to befriend my pain, to relate to it intimately as a means to end the suffering of desperately trying to avoid it. Opening our hearts to woundedness helps us to understand that everyone else around us carries around the same woundedness. . . . Perhaps what I have come to understand, finally, is that somehow I have become the one I have always wanted. This is why I do the things that I do. There is a fierce love that wakes me up every morning, that makes me tell my stories, refuses to let me apologize for my being here, blesses me with the capacity to be silent, alone, and grieving when I most need to be. You have to understand that this is what I mean when I say healing. May all beings be seen, held kindly, and loved. May we all one day surrender to the weight of being healed. Need some help connecting with the inner you? Give our office a call. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE.  I was listening to a coach and mentor of mine and she was talking about a concept called “closing the loop.” In your brain, you have an open and close loop. When you expect something, your brain’s loop is on open until you complete it. For instance, if I told you that I got you a gift, your brain would stay on the "open" mode until you received your present and then it would be "closed." Have you ever had the experience where you couldn’t remember the name of someone and then after some time, your brain finally remembered? You had opened a loop when you couldn’t think of the name and your brain continued to search until it found the name and could close the loop. This occurs also when you’re completing tasks, reading e-mails, asking questions, etc. When my coach was describing this concept, a light bulb went off in my head, I have a lot of loops open! Even worse, I am not very good at closing loops. I need to close the loop on things, if a patient sends an email, I need to reply and keep them posted. When you respond and close a loop, you allow people to move on. Allow people to close the loop in their brain! It will free up their brain to do other things. The same applies to you and your brain. Need some help connecting with the inner you? Give our office a call. I am available for virtual consults and in-office consults. 613-446-6060. For more information about virtual treatments, Click HERE. Looking for more information about Neuro-Optimization? Click HERE. For more information about my office (Bioheal Ottawa), click HERE. |
AuthorDr. Amanda is a non-traditional chiropractor who focuses on Neuro-Optimization Chiropractic in Ottawa, Canada. 
|
RSS Feed