Update: Giveaway extended and, thanks to Rodmell Press, we’re adding one more!
We’ve often been told that having a ritual of self-care is an important part of keeping the work/life or, well, life balance. But, really, how much time do we spend on tending to our own anatomy? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and if this isn’t a good time to learn more about breast care, we don’t know what is! To help us all get a little more breastucated (breast educated) we’re delighted to be giving away Yoga for Breast Care Bobby Clennell, Senior Iyengar teacher and author of The Woman’s Yoga Book and her children’s book, Watch Me Do Yoga.
Yoga for Breast Care, part of the Yoga Shorts series by Rodmell Press, is a wonderful and well-researched guide to overall breast health, which not only covers breast cancer, but offers valuable information on breast care for pregnancy, PMS, nursing mothers, as well as for the general every day maintaining of immunity and energy through asana and pranayama.
WIN: We’re giving away 3 4 copies of Yoga for Breast Care: What Every Woman Needs to Know by Bobby Clennell, courtesy of Rodmell Press.
TO ENTER: We’ve been talking a lot about grounding lately, it being Vata season and all. Sometimes our rituals of self-care play a huge role in finding that air-earth balance. When it comes to needing to feel some groundedness, what helps to bring you back down to the earth – a yoga pose? meditation? a chat with a close friend? Share with us in the comments or tweet at us @yogadork (on twitter, be sure to use #yogaforbreastcare so we don’t miss it).
Giveaway will remain open until 11:59pm Monday, October 19th Monday, October 26th. Winners will be chosen at random and announced soon after. Good luck!
(TIP: Check out Rodmell Press on facebook and twitter for regular giveaways of their other great books.)
Update: We have our winners! Congrats to Renee Royal, Barb, Shivani, and, from Twitter, Mireya Semelas (@semelas). Thank you all for entering and sharing your grounding self-care practices. May they bring you comfort this season!
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Earlier…
October is a month of breast cancer and my birth. A month of balance as well.
I have been practicing yoga for over seven years. It started for fat loss which I did achieve and fell in love with yoga. But what I didn’t realize was that I forgot to balance it with my breath.
Two years later I developed a lump, luckily it was negative but had to go for a surgery anyways to have it out of my body. I was so scared and I remember the doctor telling me that if it doesn’t belong in there it should not stay there.
Just few days back I was reading in Louise hay book that breast issues arise from over mothering and being over protective where we often forget about our own existence. Hence loosing the balance. I could so relate to this as It took me down the memory lane.
That incident shook me where I started to self care in a real way and not create unnecessary stress for myself.
I guess to stay grounded just pay attention to that breath. It tells you a lot of things often overlooked.
Thanks just thought of sharing my experience with breast care awareness.
I come home and knit. I also will sometimes have an acupuncture treatment. These help to center me.
Groundedness….. a nice long sarvangasana, a brisk walk, holding and sipping a warm cup of spiced almond milk, feeling my body breath and occupy the space surrounding me.
What helps me to feel grounded are daily walks outside, so that I can connect with nature and notice the changes in nature – the color of the leaves, the different birds of the seasons, the squirrel nests in the winter that can be seen in the trees, etc.
I went more deeply into my yoga practice to help me recover from breast cancer. It really helped me stay focused and positive during my experience. Bobby Clennel gave a workshop that I attended in SF. I still use her Yoga for Women book.
Cooking after work helps center me. I reconnect with my hubby after a day of work. I love Yoga and I am an advocate for breast health as it runs in my family.
Walking outside always grounds me, as does spending time with my cats. Being quiet and just focusing on the moment, either in nature or with a furry creature, takes me out of my head. All of that added to the foundation of adequate sleep, and of course yoga at least 3x a week.
Grounding, nurturing the body and store energy to get us trough the winter. Rest when the body ask to rest, fresh healthy food full of nutrients, meditation, yoga nidra and mantras. nurturing yourself the inside and out. Recognise what stresses you and let go at it, let go at decision, at people and things that do not serve you. Positive affirmations and have one mission love and happiness.
I practice lots and lots of restorative yoga; take lots of warm baths; and spend a lot of time on the floor wrapped in a cozy blanket. Feeling the sensation of firm support from the floor helps me feel grounded during th change of season. It’s also important for me to connect with friends – but no drinking or frolicking this time of year- just talking, going for a hike, having a cup of tea.
This time of year what helps to keep me grounded is yoga several times a week (especially restorative), enjoying seasonal produce, spending time outdoors admiring the foliage and breathing in the crisp air, and curling up under a blanket with a book.
When I need feeling grounded I use to think of the people in hospitals struggling with their ill conditions, fighting their battles to get back their health.
It’s very hard to stay positive after having cancer. So, Yoga is the best possible option to recover from cancer and positive and be energetic.
First, because of my yoga practice, physical healing was much easier for me after breast cancer surgery. If I didn’t believe before, I was sold after the surgery that the body never forgets. My journey after surgery included chest opening poses where I meditated on the heart receiving energy to help with the post surgery recovery, radiation and chemo.
Spending time watching the river petting my dog
Hugs from my sisters ground me!
For the first time in my life, I’m in vata overload! As one who’s long been a solid kapha-pitta, I didn’t see it coming. Sure, part of it is the transition from summer to fall, as well as where I am in the life cycle – weeks away from turning 57, moving into the vata period of aging. Still, I’ve never been so keenly aware of how our increasing reliance on technology – from the Internet to smartphones to cable TV – manifests vata energy. Finally, I’m personally in a period of real, if not truly major, change, which is affecting my sleep
In search of balance, I’m more consciously mixing yin and yang in my asana practice. Meditation has always been tricky for me, but I’m disciplining myself to enjoy at least 20 minutes of daily silence, as well as weekly (at least) yoga nidra sessions. I’ve cut back on coffee (which is more of a stimulant than ever). Baths are important! I usually save them for the weekend but, increasingly, I’m indulging after my evening yoga practice. Every evening, an hour or so before bed, I rub my feet with warm sesame oil, then snuggle them in fluffy socks. Weekly, I practice abhyanga in front of my fireplace. The hardest practice? Staying off of my laptop for at least two hours before bedtime… Yikes! I’m working on it, one step at a time. Know hope – and vata balance!
playing with my feet in the dirt… or mud!
A slow, and mindful yin yoga class always helps calm the vata wind within me. Not to mention a lovely warm mug of chia tea with soy milk, or closing the front door after a blustery bike ride home! Namaste, Cat
Definitely my daily yoga practice helps me put everything in perspective and it’s very healing and grounding especially on gray days. My favorite poses for when I’m not feeling well or when I don’t have time for a long practice are uttanasana and belly twist. I stay on those postures for a long time and just let the magic unfold.