Mushroom Soup

Mushroom Soup

Simple soup is the best. This mushroom soup comes together quickly and packs a flavor filled punch. The secret? Dried mushrooms.2 shallots, peeled and halved6 cloves garlic, peeled2 portobello mushrooms – stems removed, rough chop1 cup dried shitake mushrooms (rehydrate in two cups water for 15 minutes)4 cups veggie broth1 TBL of red miso (or another miso) – blended with 1/2 cup waterExcept for the miso add everything to the pot and simmer. When shallots are cooked through turn off heat. When it is cool enough puree soup with an immersion blender (or blend in a blender). Return the soup to warm and stir in the miso-water (once the miso is added be sure that the soup does not boil). Serve and...
Extended Hold of Mula Bandha

Extended Hold of Mula Bandha

I want to be crystal clear at the beginning of this post that I am not talking about the practice of engaging Mula Bandha. I am discussing the practice of holding Mula Bandha for extended periods, as in for the duration of standing poses or for a whole class. Take a moment to set your intention, let yourself settle in to the here and now with a few breaths. Now pull up on Mula Bandha, inhale your arms up and around…. Although I haven’t cued this way for nearly twenty years – I did, because it was how I was taught. Most Yoga teachers only receive 20 hours of anatomical training. Compounding this issue is the fact that most anatomy in a yoga teacher training is typically taught by another yoga teacher (not all trainings but most). When I talk about this it raises a lot of ire within the yoga teaching community but it needs to be talked about all the same. Students should be aware of the level of training a teacher has received before personally elevating them to the level of an expert.When I first started in yoga, yoga pants did not exist and a Vinyasa practice was slow and mindful. Vinyasa teachers often cued an extended hold of Mula Bandha and I followed that practice. As years rolled by Vinyasa practices got faster and yoga pants became a staple. I stepped away from teaching Vinyasa because I felt students would get hurt trying to hurtle between poses – I wasn’t interested in teaching the fast paced (can it go faster?) classes that came into vogue....
Estrogen Matters

Estrogen Matters

In my early twenties I dealt with a lot of inflammation. It was the beginning of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which announced itself by me suddenly being reactive to almost anything I ate. And I mean reactive – Epi pen in my purse reactive. A good friend recommended a remarkable nutritionist Mark Mincolla and with his help and the help of many others over the course of years I rebuilt myself. At the time, in the late 90s, people thought I was nuts. Gluten free? Limited sugar? Probiotics? Who was this quack I believed in? But I knew Mark was right because I could feel the impact in my body and so I continued on. And continue on to this day with the many things he and others taught me. Recently my inflammation is up. Way up. I live in the body of the tin man. It is strange in that I still practice yoga every day but now my fluidity is gone. It is especially bad during parts of my cycle where my estrogen drops lower than low.This inflammation is not because of something I am doing wrong. There is no will to work. I already do the things to limit inflammation and have for decades it is simply my body trying to function with limited estrogen and it is not a fan.It helps me to know that joint pain, aches, even pain that mirrors arthritis is a part of the shift to menopause. I don’t suddenly have rheumatoid arthritis. I don’t have fibromyalgia. I simply have low estrogen which is a normal part of aging – and all...
The Power of Trembling

The Power of Trembling

For years I have taught the need to shake and rock. The power of tremor to move the body back from a place of contraction to a place of ease. But the movement has always been consciously created not activated. Recently I discovered TRE and the power of the unconscious tremble.Dr. David Berceli has figured out a simple system of movements to trigger the bodies natural (NATURAL) autonomic ability to tremor and release stress. It is simple. It is powerful. It is effective. Do it. Organization:TRE and Dr. BerceliFurther Reading:Shake it Out by David Berceli and Dr. Robert ScaerVideos:TRE, Trauma Releasing ExercisesKalinda and Bonnie do a wonderful job breaking down and demoing the power of...
How to find a doctor trained in Perimenopause

How to find a doctor trained in Perimenopause

Finding a doctor who knows about perimenopause can be challenging. Many doctors do not know about the constellation of symptoms associated with it because they did not receive training during medical school. Medical Society The North American Menopause SocietyThis society provides specialized training to medical professionals for perimenopause / menopause and also has a searchable database of practitioners. This website offers a wealth of information on standard of care practices that are printable and you can share with your doctor.Physicians who are following the Galveston Diet method as taught by Dr. Mary HaverPhysician List Virtual Physician ResourceMidi This is a virtual point of service between you and and a clinician trained in perimenopause / menopause. It is not in every state. It does take insurance. FriendsThis is an often untapped resource. Ask your friends if they have a doctor they like and who listens to them – if you are uncomfortable having this conversation face to face send a text. Hey Girl: do you like your doctor?Do they listen to you? Do you ever feel dismissed? Have you talked to them about perimenopause? What did they say? Would your recommend them to me?If you do not have insurance:Planned ParenthoodYour local Planned Parenthood may be a great resource especially if you do not have insurance. Remember they are focused on female health not just pregnancy. Please note this is not medical...
Perimenopause Bibliography

Perimenopause Bibliography

This Perimenopause Bibliography will grow with time so check back – Updated 2/5/2024Please note I have no affiliation with any doctor or company. This is for your personal use and not medical advice.NAMES AND TITLES ARE LINKS How to find a doctor: How to Find a Doctor trained in perimenopauseMedical Resources created by Doctors:There are several doctors that share a tremendous amount of information through their books, blogs, podcasts and social media accounts: Dr. Kelly CapersonDr. Mary Claire HaverDr. Louise Newsom Dr. Corinne Menn(Breast Cancer Survivor)Dr. Vonda Wright Basic Information on Perimenopause/Menopause:Mayo Clinic Menopause Empowerment Guide (Created by Mary Claire Haver) Menopause Society: This medical society trains doctors and offers women a wealth of resources, including standard of care practices: North American Menopause SocietyMental Health Information Its Harvard: MGH CENTER for Womens Mental Healt BOOKS:Estrogen Matters The Menopause Manifesto PODCASTS:The DailyYour Fifty and your body is changing its time for a talkAs Menopause Nears be aware that it can trigger depression and anxiety too Links to Articles and Abstracts: The Menopause Transition: Signs, Symptoms, and Management Options Symptom interference with work and relationships during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause: observations from the Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Menopause Depression and menopause symptoms go together Women have been mislead about menopause Hormone therapy, long shunned for a possible breast cancer link, is now seen as a short-term treatment for menopause...
Self Advocacy in Medicine

Self Advocacy in Medicine

Self advocacy in medicine cannot be overrated. Doctors are not infallible. Medicine is vast and many only know their limited lane. Many also don’t believe women. Although my focus right now is sharing about perimenopause I want to share this story about postnatal care (or lack there of) to highlight why standing up for yourself is important. Addy’s birth was medical. I had gestational diabetes and spent months of my pregnancy having to monitor my food and put insulin in my belly. I was also 42. The whole thing was medicated and orchestrated. When I went for my six week check up I didn’t feel right. My doctor was like you are fine. The uterus is shrinking. Another week. Another appointment. Another week. Another appointment. I read about retained placenta. I felt into my body. I felt like that is me. Another week. Another appointment. He told me it was in my head. He told me to go home. But lucky for me I am also a bitch and I refused to leave until I received an ultrasound. I knew I was right when I heard the tech gasp. And there it was: retained placenta. I had a DNC to remove it. I took fistfuls of antibiotics. If I hadn’t of done that. If I hadn’t of self advocated. If the Baltimore Brianna who did not take shit had not risen in me I would be dead. I would be one of those postnatal statistics that we are all talking about. If you aren’t with a doctor that believes women go to someone else. I fired that doctor. Truthfully...
Perimenopause and Me

Perimenopause and Me

Perimenopause is not something anyone told me about. These past few years I have been struggling with a constellation of symptoms. They seemed disparate – migraines, UTIs, racing heart, brain fog, anxiety, sleeplessness, overall tightness and joint pain. I went to doctors. I did the scans. Did the meds. The yoga. The meditation. The Ashwaganda. I stopped drinking. I gave up sugar. I still felt awful. And monthly I went through a rotation of medical appointments. Last summer – and I am safe now, I am fine – I started to have an extreme issue after ovulation and I would fall into a deep pit of despair. Then my period would come and it would lift like a fever dream. Then the next month the circle would start again. At the time this was happening to me a friend, a beautiful woman, killed herself in a shocking way and it snapped me awake. I called my new to me OB (the old one was fired because of piss poor postnatal care) and she fit me in that day. She said all of this was perimenopause and prescribed progesterone. And in that moment I was in despair but two days later (before my period came) I was fine. I was just fine. All of my symptoms were one thing and all of them are gone. I have not shared this before because it is very personal. But the thing is – my friends are suffering. I talk to random women and they are suffering. And there is no need. Perimenopause is puberty in reverse and for many it is a...
Chant out loud

Chant out loud

Chanting is one of my favorite practices.  I have loved it for years now but it didn’t start that way. In the beginning the first time a teacher offered a chanting practice I picked up my mat and left. But once I discovered Kundalini Yoga where chanting is an integral practice – chanting became a regular part of my daily life. Music is a form of medicine and our nervous system is particularly tuned to the act of using our voice.  This connection is due to the wandering nerve, also known as the vagus nerve or the 10th cranial nerve pair. This nerve innervates the vocal cords and the muscles of the throat (along with the heart, lungs, diaphragm, and digestive track – hence its “wandering” nickname).  A sensory and motor nerve the vagus nerve both gives information to the body from the brain and takes information from the body back to the brain.  It in many ways sets the tone for our overall resilience and in fact a healthy vagus nerve is one considered to have good tone. Chanting can seem intimidating but in actually it is just singing a repetitive verse or word (mantra).  It may seem boring but there is known power in repetition – repetition can in fact relax us. This scientific reality was quantified by Dr. Benson at Harvard in the 70’s when he discovered the relaxation response by studying meditators who used mantra. The relaxation response, rest and digest response or parasympathetic activation (the peace part of your autonomic nervous system) is a zone of healing, peace and calm that is available to...
The great Reframe

The great Reframe

Reframing is an art. One that requires a lot of presence to make happen. Everything really goes back to a willingness to be here, now. Without that willingness you can’t discern what is right for you. I have never liked cleaning.  It has always been the chore I hate the most and I mean all cleaning.  For years I hired it out and then the pandemic and now all the cleaning all the time. With a toddler it is impossible to ever have the whole house to rights.  No matter what. No matter if I clean every day there will be more to clean. Give her a minute. The tricky thing is that when my house is dirty it brings me down. Like woe is me, down. Down below the ground down. So keeping my house moderate is a necessity and with toddler that means cleaning everyday. Every single one. This thought cycle was not helping me live my best life.  I felt aligned with drudgery every time I had to clean. So I did a deep reframe and redefined cleaning for myself. For me cleaning of itself was not a win enough – but what I noticed by wearing a tracker is that I burned a ton of calories when I cleaned. Far more calories than by doing yoga or walking – even purposeful exercise was no match for cleaning’s calorie burn. Turns out cleaning is exercise. I love exercise. Ergo I love cleaning. Now whenever I clean I set my tracker to workout and I get it done. I exercise and feel all the good endorphins and...