The first of our seven Chakras is our Root Chakra, based at the bottom of our spine, including our legs and feet. It is the Earth element, and represents expansion of life, our basis of survival and grounding/safety. We use this chakra to root down into the earth with our energy and manifest.
Stored here are early memories, including whether or not our basic needs were met. It creates feelings of survival, belonging and protection through family ties bonds. Consequently, it acts as a base to sync all chakras. If this chakra becomes blocked, you may become insecure and hold a fear of survival or the wider world. However, when In balance, it allows security, stability, a sense of belonging & confidence.
Location: BASE OF SPINE, FEET AND LEGS.
Element: EARTH
Colour: RED
Mantra: LAM = ‘I AM’
Mudra: GNYAN *Connect thumb and pointer finger, palms down on knees*
My name is Eve, I’m 20 (soon to be 21) and I thought my journey with my mental health was over… Well here I am again. In my own perfect little flat, my therapy has finished and I’m still on Citalopram. I am doing really well, I’m so much braver and stronger and capable of things I never thought imaginable. So why am I still low? Why am I still stuck in a rut?
How am I supposed to find a job they love that pays well when you’re stressed at work and need the money to pay for your lifestyle. I would do anything to cope in work, the people and organisation I work for are amazing. I’ve always wanted to work for the nhs, and as much as I enjoy helping the people in the community and working for such a needed and forgotten trust, the pressure and stress is continuing to make me ill. I hit stage 4 – grounds for dismissal and as I continue to get ill, I’m closer to losing my job completely. I need a career change, a full fresh new start, and I’m scared. I don’t feel I have the right qualifications or experience to start in the career I want, but I also worry if I go back into education, ill lose my flat and ill be right where I was when I started university. (and left after a term)
I know I want to help people; it makes me feel fulfilled and I feel joy seeing other people happy. If I could help just one person, it would change my life. I am empowered and I’m a powerful young woman with a very powerful voice and choice of words. I love my own space, yoga and spirituality has helped me find a way out of the very dark place I’ve previously settled in. I believe the way I wright, resonates with all people. Its honest, its exactly what thoughts come out of my head, its my normal. I’m hoping it can help someone else find their normal to. So, I’m going to continue to write, helping people in the easiest way I can, to flow through my ups and downs and fingers crossed, the career will come along the way.
Let’s be real… 2020 has been an absolute nightmare. But, I’m not here to moan, just to accept this, and accept where I am in all of this misery and pain.
Luckily, Covid didn’t stop me taking my teacher training with the YMCA and thankfully I can sit my assignment in November to become a fully qualified Yoga instructor! This is super exited as you can imagine, however it hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park, and other aspects of my life have unfortunately been neglected in order to meet deadlines etc.
The one thing training has taking its toll on most is my social life, which means I trade my personal practice to see family and friends. In real life, no one has the time to get dressed and film all their practice, in perfect gym wear. Most of the time, all I can manage is a wobbly 5 minute flow (plus doggy distractions) but that’s okay.
I’m just here to remind you all, its not about the result or how it looks… But how you feel on the journey there 💓
My journey with my eating disorder began when i was aged 13. My Nan passed away; I didn’t know how to cope and i fell into a hole I couldn’t get out of. Long story short, i began going to the gym 2 times a day for 2 hours each, every single day no fail. I stopped eating completely. I managed to convince myself i couldn’t do any harm, that what i was doing to my body and mind was okay, somewhat justified.
Very quickly, i managed to justify to myself that limits weren’t an option.
Then, one day, my gym life came shattering down. I displaced my knee and was on crutches, bed ridden for a good few months. This was the moment my disorder became a depression, it was an addiction. An addiction of starvation.
I became addicted to harming myself, addicted to feeling numb. The self-punishments got worse and worse.
My Story
Honestly, it would require a whole novel to go into full detail about my journey from A-B. So instead, I thought it’d be easier to list my main habits and addictions that caused me so much grief And for anyone out there struggling or just wanting more information, keep an eye out for these following signs if you may be worried about someone.
Constant need to go to the gym (Major panic and self destruction if not.)
Obsession with body image; looking in mirrors, analysing weight.
Constant negative self talk. e.g. I’m so fat, I hate myself.
Food Separation: I would never eat any foods together, every type and colour had to be separate. If not, I would have a panic attack, not eat and burn out.
Binge eating and bulimia.
Not eating with other people or in public spaces.
Avoiding any area ‘food’ related.
Unusual diets and periods of starvation.
How did i overcome this?
Through many years of therapy, self discipline, physio and increased knowledge in health and diets, i managed to slowly but surely beat my disorder. Don’t get me wrong, i can still have moments where i need to separate everything, or feel anxious in restaurants, but i can cope with that now, by putting my headphones in for example, or distracting myself with conversation.
The most important thing i want to come from this, is to raise awareness. Eating dissorders come in many shapes and sizes, just like our bodies. We need to look after ourselves and eachother, help us love ourselfs.
Following on from my previous post in this series, i explained how your therapist will prepare you for the final stage of the EMDR process – reliving. Here, everything you’ve worked on throughout your sessions, especially the grounding techniques and belief systems will really need to come into play.
**DISCLAIMER** I just want to make clear the fact my therapy took place during the Covid 19 Pandemic. I’m aware everyone’s experiences will be unique, and each therapy is tailored to that person specifically, my experiences, therefor are not correct for everyone.
The Final Sessions…
The session started with my therapist checking in on me, and explaining once more the process, including any disclaimers about if I feel uncomfortable/vulnerable etc. As I was at home, i used the tapping technique, however face to face, it’s more known to use eye movement. (For my experience luckily, I found it easier to tap rather than move my eyes as this can cause some people distress and comfort.) For more information on the Eye movement process, see the links below.
The first tapping lasts only around 5 seconds, you will focus on a point & imagine being in your traumatic situation. The constant tapping on my legs helps to turn negative memories, into new positive ones. Every tapping sequence was split with a body scan, i would see how i feel and explain which parts of the memory are still causing my stress. I used the idea of being in the situation now as an adult, being able to help the younger version of my self, explaining what was going on, and comforting the child in me.
Slowly but surely, I could feel myself relax, the distress levels decreased with every sequence and I started to believe I could finally face this once and for sure. After one memory, it made the next memory so much easy to process as most of the coping strategies were eclectic, and relevant to each trauma.
In total, I had 2 reliving sessions, and both were the same process, the only difference was the trauma I focused on. The lasts session was rounded off with an aim for my future, something positive to focus on & also concluding how I felt now compared to the beginning of my session.
How Do I feel now?
Overall – I would highly recommend EMDR therapy for the treatment of PTSD. After 8 years, im now able to go back to those memories, switch straight back to the now, and feel no distress at all.
I hope these posts have been somewhat helpful to atleast 1 person struggling out there…
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Our Remerdy CBD- Parcel
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Is CBD Oil the same as cannabis?
The short answer, is no. Its not completely the same, the oil contains terpenes and cannabinoids, but not THC, which is the component of cannabis that gets your high. – See the links below for more information.
The CBD (containing Grape seed oil, 500mg CBD infused with essential oils; clary sage and peppermint oil) comes in a bottle with a dropper, and is taken twice a day, in the morning and at night, under the tongue. The oil itself tastes like peppermint, and goes away very quickly, overall the ease of this product is 10/10. A full pipette is 1ml of oil/50mg of CBD/25 drops. To begin with we suggest half a pipette 1-2 times daily.
The Package;
I received this package during a really tough time, with family situations, and a recent diagnosis of endometriosis. Despite all of this; and honestly my mood hasn’t been perfect, which is understandable given the circumstances; i can tell my general anxiety has reduced significantly, my mood swings aren’t as severe and overall cramping pains have reduced by around 20%.
Other benefits i’ve noticed include sleeping a lot easier (and staying asleep), my hormonal headaches have eased, consequently I generally feel healthier and less fatigued, meaning i’m able to live my life with more ease.
Would I recommend?
I’m intrigued to see if this can be reduced even more as i continue to take the Oil, but due to the results i’ve experienced already, i’d be silly to not recommend this product. You’re probably thinking,theres so many CBD oils out there, why is this the best?
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I know we’ve all been there, trying to get to sleep at night but your mind just wont let it happen! Restless legs, tossing and turning is probably one of the most annoying things, especially at a time when our body should be calming down ready to reboot. Following this short bedtime yoga flow, either on a mat or in bed, will help you relax, and get a good nights sleep.
Lotus Pose – Begin in a comfortable position, crossed legs, maybe a pillow under your hips for extra length. Imagine drawing up, opening through your chest as your inhale, and gliding your shoulders down your back as you exhale. You can keep your hands palms down on your legs, or bring them to heart centre. Close your eyes, and focus on your breath.
Lotus Pose
From here, inhale, reaching the arms above the head, creating space. As we exhale, bend the elbows and place the palms on the back of the head. Gently tuck your chin into your chest to get a good neck stretch. If this feels good, feel free to follow this down your spine, rounding off any tension.
On your next inhale, come to back to centre, and reach the arms above once more. This time, use your left hand to grab your right wrist, and slowly pull to the left, allowing a side stretch down the right side of the body. After a few deep breaths here, switch to the other side and take a few big breaths here.
The next asana will be a forward fold: Paschimottanasana, make sure you bend your knees and don’t push yourself, it’s about being comfortable, not how far you get, or being in pain. Take a few deep breaths here, inhale and reach the arms above the head, exhale and bring the palms to the knees to prepare for:
Paschimottanasana.
Prasarita Padottanasana – Open straddle forward fold – Open up the legs, as far as is comfortable for your hips. Inhale, reach the arms above the head, exhale and slowly lower towards the ground. Bend your knees if this helps, keep the back/neck straight and allow yourself to hang, releasing any tension as your breathe through the stretch.
Prasarita Padottanasana.
Apanasana – From our forward fold, bring your legs together, and slowly rock onto your back, hug your knees into the chest and breathe into this pose for at least 5 deep breathes.
Apanasana.
Bring your left leg up and rest your heel on your right knee for an IT Band Stretch, as your breathe, lower your legs towards your abdominal to get a stretch in the hamstrings. Repeat on the other side once a round of 5 breaths is completed.
IT Band Stretch.
Slowly release, hugging your knees to your chest once more; Make your way to Viparita Karani, resting our legs up the wall. This Asana helps improve our circulation, easing restless legs, lower back/menstruation pain. Stay here as long as you feel comfortable and practice deep breathing. This is also a good spot to practice gratitude for the day, and let go of any worries or stresses. From here, if it’s in your practice, you may open the hips up and stretch the legs down either side of the body.
Viparita Karani.
Baddha Konasana – Bring the knees into the chest, open up the hips and breathe into the hip flexors/lower back. This asana is commonly known as an inverted Butterfly stretch.
Baddha Konasana.
Our penultimate asana is Bālāsana – the common child’s pose. For my bed time flows, i like to use a pillow as a prop, underneath my pelvis and abdomen. It helps me get into a deep stretch, whilst also being extremely comfortable and cosy. You can reach your arms out, or release them down behind your shoulders, resting by your legs. If it helps, you could even grab a blanket and spray your pillows with a Lavender essential oil to assist in bringing about sleep.
Bālāsana.
Our finishing asana, my personal favourite is… You guessed it! Savasana (Corpse pose.) From childs pose, slowly roll onto your back, rest all four limbs on the ground, palms facing up. Close off your eyes, and focus on deep yoic breath. My favourite pranayama teqniche to use here is the 2,4,6 method. Increasing with each round. Use blankets, turn off the lights, do whatever you feel to get comfy and tired. This Practice is all about you, and allowing your mind and body to calm down ready for a restful nights sleep.
