Preparing to join an authentic movement session is much like preparing for a journey. If you've never been a participant before it might feel a little bit mysterious or daunting. you might wonder what is going to happen and so I want to share with you what it looks like from the outside. This of course is only from the logistical standpoint and your internal experience is going to be a lot more colorful and vibrant than I can put down into words. 

1 - Opening and intention sharing
2 - Time for movement, anywhere from 5 - 45 minutes depending on the size of the group
3 - Integration - time for personal reflection in writing, drawing or meditation
4 - Offering circle - each mover shares something from her reflection and witnesses can then reflect as well

Through the steps above the movers experience their movement in multiple ways and from many different angles. The first is having prepared themselves and thinking about their state of mind and body and sharing what they’d like to work on. Next they find themselves following those impulses and experiencing their unconscious process from within. After the movement time they have an integration period where they will spend more time in reflection so that another part of their brain can participate in observing what happened. Using poetry and color is especially helpful here to open up the channels of creativity alongside the movement. Finally in the offering Circle when we share verbally, we're integrating the body experience with the rational, analytical brain. This is where we also find connection with the witness and the other participants and so we return to our human family and draw conclusions and make meaning.​

I believe in establishing a strong biological foundation for mental health. When I meet new clients, I always begin our work with an assessment of their psychiatric history and family history and the next step is to ask about the lifestyle, nutrition and sleep. This integrative assessment helps people recognize the importance of the day to day choices they are making that impact their mood and their capacity to experience emotions and relationships. Trauma, emotional wounding, seasonal changes, hormonal changes and work stress are just some of the triggers to the nervous system heading into fight/flight/freeze or distress. Taking steps toward more self awareness leads to innate urges to take action and that action will change not only the way you feel about yourself but also the way you feel inside.
The majority of folks that come in with emotional and relationship challenges report either difficulty sleeping or managing their anxiety or both. Common themes emerge and so here are my TOP 3 recommendations:

• Eliminate caffeine intake (altogether if possible!) or shift to not drinking caffeine past 9am. I know that can be daunting for some people who are used to enjoying coffee into the early afternoon. Find an alternative such as herbal tea, water, diffusing essential oils that are invigorating or having a handful of nuts.
• Eat protein early in the day. Whenever you choose to begin eating according to your own biological urges, consider a whole food source of protein. Protein turns into Amino Acids which turn into neurotransmitters (that mens brain stuff!) and you need to feed your brain to be able to manage your emotions and stress. Try eggs, chicken breast, tuna, hummus, nuts. Protein shakes are ok but the less processed foods we are relying on, the better so look at all your options.
• I recommend taking a whole food nutrient-dense green supplement daily in place of a multi-vitamin as it is the most bio-available way for the body to absorb nutrients from supplements. You can choose a green powder to add to juice or a smoothie or if you are averse to that, there is also a capsule form of the Ultimate Greenzone as you will see in the Nature's Sunshine program. Please choose one and remove the other from your cart when ordering.
• Improving your gut health and microbiome has been proven to improve brain health and emotion regulation so besides eating more fermented foods such as yogurt and sauerkraut consider a daily probiotic capsule. I also recommend paying attention to digestive responses you are having to different foods and monitoring them. You may notice that you need to decrease or eliminate certain foods or that you want to incorporate digestive enzymes into your daily supplements. 

I have put together a program of care using nutritional and herbal supplements from Nature's Sunshine to reduce stress and improve sleep for you. As I've shared, there are many biological factors that contribute to a low capacity to handle stress and you can research each of these supplements separately or ask me any questions about the nature of each one.
The other supplements besides those listed above in this program include:

• Vitamin B-Complex for brain function and mood stability
• Magnesium for deficiency, muscle relaxation, and sleep
• Ashwaganda (which includes Rhodiola) for emotional regulation
• Herbal Sleep (which includes valerian, passionflower, hops) for calming the nerves 
• GABA Plus for brain health
• Distress Remedy tincture for acute moments of need such as work stress and panic

I'm really excited about these supports and hope you will find them useful. Please ask me any questions and I will help you find the perfect fit for your needs. Please use the link below to order under my account. You will also be able to look at my "favorites" list and see other supplements I use and recommend. You will recieve 25% off your first order.
Click to find Supplements to Reduce Anxiety & Improve Sleep

Be Well,
Yonat