Hello!
I hope this finds you well. Ah, the wintertime! It seems we are consistently trying to keep our immune systems as healthy as possible.

Here are a few tools that can help support stress and the immune system.

*Taking Epsom salt baths
*Putting 1 teaspoon of elderberry syrup into water daily
*Saying no thanks when feeling run down
*Using Kick-Ass Immune Tincture by Wish Garden Herbs or Immune Tune by Avena Botanicals when feeling the first signs of sickness.

What are your go to’s during the winter months?

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

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Upcoming Kids Yoga and Mindfulness Training

Let’s empower children and help with:

• Confidence
• Attention
• Healthy coping strategies for life
• Emotional Regulation

Our trainees include anyone interested in bringing yoga and mindfulness to youth. Some use the tools in their therapy practice, some create their own enrichment programming, others want to help their children and some bring these skills into their classrooms. It is open to anybody who has a desire to learn how to share these incredibly effective practices with children.

Dates: Saturday, March 14th & Sunday, March 15th 2020
Time: 9:00am-3:00pm
Price: Sliding Scale- $340-$475
Location: Kindness Yoga Hilltop Location: 455 S Hudson St, Denver, CO 80246
Facilitator: Jennifer Werner

For More information and Registration 

Today I was shopping with my one-year-old. He obviously loves shopping for coats (enter sarcastic tone) so we were having a blast together (more sarcasm).

After trying a few on, I left the department with Fin in the stroller. Suddenly I realized that the coat I wore into the store which had my phone, keys and wallet was not there anymore.

I must have hung it up while trying on other coats. My mind went into an instant panic.
“What if there’s an emergency?”
“Is Fin going to be ok?”
“I will need to cancel all my credit cards”
“Maybe someone stole it?”
“How am I going to get home?”

I’m racing around. My body is tense, jaw tight and adrenaline pumping. My mind goes blank and all I can think about is how I need to get this coat ASAP.

Luckily I found it and as I picked it up my shoulders softened and I could find my breath again.

When we are in fight or flight/panic it is REALLY hard to stop, take a breath, count to ten, feel your feet on the earth…. really any tool that will help us soften the overwhelm.

As someone who has been practicing these tools for over a decade, it still doesn’t come naturally to pause when our amygdala is firing. That’s the beauty of these tools. We have them with us always and it takes consistent practice to make that pause feel more natural and readily available.

Panicked or overwhelmed? A few tools:

• Pause: Before you let your mind go into 38947945 different directions, pause.
• Deep breath: Fill your entire belly up with air and exhale all the air out 3x. This will help your prefrontal cortex get back online so you can think clearly again.
• Ask for help: Is there someone around that could help you to make the panic/overwhelm dissipate?
• Forward fold: To release some of that adrenaline a calming position with our body can help soothe us. Bring feet to hip-width distance apart, fold over legs with a soft bend in the knees and let your head and neck be heavy. Arms can fall where they are or you can interlace opposite elbows while softening the jaw.

Choosing one tool when life is feeling FULL can help nurture body and mind.
Pausing is SO hard, especially when emotions are HIGH. Let’s be gentle on ourselves, especially during times of high stress and anxiety.

Happy December everyone.
With Gratitude,
Julie

Friends at Highlands Academy in Denver, CO connecting during legs up the wall

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In case you missed it…
Introducing….

It’s with great excitement that I introduce Radiant Beginnings’ new sister brand, Roots Up. For more information on upcoming events and happenings. If you live in Maine this will be more relevant information to the community.

Sign up 

Roots Up Newsletter 

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Kids Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher Training
Dates: Sunday, January 12th and 19th 2020
Time:10:00am-4:00pm
Price: Sliding Scale- $325-$475
Location: 1515 Newton St., Denver, 80204
Facilitator: Jennifer Werner
*This training is limited to the first 10 participants

“I learned an immense amount of information in such a welcoming and warm environment. I would recommend this training to anyone who works with kids!”

“Provided a lot of helpful ideas for games/activities, ways to incorporate mindfulness and yoga philosophy in a child-friendly way. The training was efficient with no wasted time.”

“Jenny was a great trainer- her experience and her passion for working with kids really shined through. She did a great job at making the training feel fun, engaging and safe.”

Explore the Roots Up Website

It’s with great excitement that I introduce Radiant Beginnings’ new sister brand, Roots Up.  Serving schools, hospitals, and mental health facilities, the Roots Up program provides self-regulation strategies that infuse your entire organization/community with calm and self-care. Participants learn coping strategies and a natural way to increase focus, calm the nervous system, and cultivate compassion to self and others. Offering Evidence-based emotional wellness video curriculum Data-driven curriculum for in-person classes Professional development We are grateful to be working with wonderful partners such as the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and Maine’s Department of Education. If you are interested in learning more about Roots Up feel free to drop a line by responding to this email.                                                  With Gratitude,                                                        Julie

Change

I am used to getting REALLY anxious when a change is about to happen. Don’t get me started about moving toward winter 🙂

I’m learning to figure out where my anxiety lives surrounding change and how I can better prepare.

Anxious about being cold?- Getting a warmer coat
Anxious about work?- Being more prepared
Anxious about life? – Flipping the script from negative self talk to positive

It’s really hard to sink into the present moment when it is HARD,  bringing myself back to the notion that all of life has its seasons and ‘this too shall pass’ seems to help.

If you are someone that feels anxious during change, you are not alone. When the breath is short with racing thoughts and shoulders tense feel free to try:

Inhaling deeply into your belly as you bring your shoulders up toward your ears

Exhale all the air out as you soften your shoulders, jaw, and face.

Repeat 3-5x.

Happy ALMOST fall, y’all!

With deep gratitude,
Julie

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Teacher Training

Our upcoming Denver training happens October 12th and 13th from 11-5.
We would love to have you join!
More information

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A Few of Our Colorado School Partners

We are excited to be offering our program this fall at:

• Stanley British Primary School
• The Manning School
• Cory Elementary
• Slavens Elementary
• Montessori School of Denver
• Highlands Academy
• Elkhart Elementary
• Park Hill Elementary
• Bromwell Elementary
• Samuels Elementary
• Johnson Elementary
• Axl Academy w/ Kids 24/7
• Boys and Girls Club
• Denver YMCA

Please feel free to reach out if you are interested in classes or trainings at your facility.

Happy September to you.
With deep gratitude,
Julie and the RB fam

Clenched jaw, shortness of breath, shoulders up by the ears and thoughts rapidly swirling in the mind. The feeling of a million butterflies plummeting to the bottom of your stomach.

Have you ever had this happen to you? Fight, flight or freeze– when your sympathetic nervous system turns on and the world narrows.

I always forget, even though I teach this ‘stuff’ to take a deep breath before the spiral comes on. What if we paused before we reacted to create a response rather than a reaction?

One very deep belly breath can help us feel better. Here are 3 simple steps to practice diaphragmatic breathing.

• Draw a big breath in through the nose (if you aren’t stuffy)
• Fill up the lungs to the maximum capacity
• Exhale all the air out completely before taking in another deep breath

Bringing one hand to your heart and one hand to the belly can help soothe the nervous system and encourage a breath that goes into the diaphragm or belly area.

Here’s a 1.5 minute video if you are interested in learning more

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Teacher Training

Our upcoming Denver training happens in October and we are excited to announce we have created a sliding scale payment model.
More information

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Colorado School Partners

We are excited to be offering our program this fall at:

• Stanley British Primary School
• The Manning School
• Cory Elementary
• Slavens Elementary
• Montessori School of Denver
• Highlands Academy
• Elkhart Elementary
• Park Hill Elementary
• Bromwell Elementary
• Samuels Elementary
• Johnson Elementary
• Axl Academy w/ Kids 24/7
• Boys and Girls Club
• Denver YMCA

Please feel free to reach out if you are interested in classes or trainings at your facility.

Happy September to you.
With deep gratitude,
Julie and the RB fam