Focus - “Growth”

May is actually named after the goddess “Maia”, the goddess in Greek mythology who governed Spring and growth. She was the mother of Hermes, considered the herald/messenger of the gods.

I personally find it fascinating that the symbol the Greeks used for spring was thought to give birth to the god who delivers divine instructions to humans; as if to convey the connection between the way nature grows and behaves, and the way humans ought to.

Winter is a time for reflection, contemplation and processing; breaking down the dead matter of fall to generate nutrients for spring’s potential. Spring however, is the time to make use of what’s been processed and to grow. In May (in the northern hemisphere), bursts of bright yellow flowers erupt out of the preceding green; Daffodils, Forsythias, Coltsfoot, Winter Aconite, Witch Hazel, Celandine Poppy, and Dutchman’s Breeches (to name a few) draw the eye as if nature itself is saying

“now is time to grow”.

As the weather continues to transition from winter to spring, humans too tend to experience a shift of hormones, emotions and physical sensations. Commonly, people feel a sense of invigoration and joy as the days become increasingly warm and sunny (though, naturally seasons vary depending on location).

Spending time outside in the spring can have a potent positive impact on not only hormones, but also mental health and cognitive function. Studies have shown that people who spend more time outside on clear, sunny days, particularly in the spring, tend to have better moods, improved memory, and increased openness to new ideas.

Developing an awareness of the natural rhythms we exist within can allow us to make use of them. Tuning our attention to the cues of the seasons can help us to feel more connected to the world around us, and that connection can guide to a more balanced and stable growth.

Path - The Deep Front Line

Think of the Deep Front Line (in yellow) as our “internal balloon”. Unlike the other lines, this system is less of a band, and really more of a three dimensional space. When this path of muscles and connective tissue is not functioning, we essentially collapse in on ourselves (like a deflated balloon).

Postural Function

The DFL supports the frame of our body by:

• lifting and managing the inner arch

• stabilizing the legs, up to, and down from, the hip

• supporting the lumbar spine from the front

• surrounding and lacing in the abdominopelvic balloon (trunk and hip bowl)

• stabilizing the chest while allowing the rhythmic expansion and relaxation of breathing

• balancing the fragile neck and heavy head

If the DFL is imbalanced, unsupported or poorly activated, the overall body will shorten and collapse inward.

Movement Function

Aside from hip adduction (legs moving together) and the breath wave of the diaphragm, there is no movement that the DFL is soley responsible for, or that it doesn’t play a part in.

The DFL is surrounded or covered by other myofascia (“myo”=muscle “fascia”=connective tissue), which duplicate the roles performed by the muscles of the DFL.

The tissue of the DFL is generally denser fascia and more slow-twitch, endurance muscle fibers, indicating the role the DFL plays in providing stability and subtle positioning changes to the core structure, allowing the more superficial lines to work easily and efficiently with our skeletons.

The Circulatory System

The circulatory system also called the cardiovascular system (from Greek “kardia” meaning heart, and from Latin “vascula” meaning vessels) is our transport system. This system facilitates the delivery of nutrients, blood gasses and metabolic products throughout the body.

Central to the function of this system is our heart. Throughout my years of work and research in proactive health, I’ve noticed a fair amount of anxiety surrounding heart health (This may be in part due to the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, and many seem to have a fair amount of anxiety about dying, we’ll get to that later).

This month, I’d like to share one single tool to help. It is completely free, universally accessible, scientifically supported, and happens to even be my namesake; Laughter. laughing, it turns out, is good for your heart. Studies have shown that our blood vessels relax when we’re laughing, which sends 20% more blood through the body. Relaxed blood vessels mean our heart doesn’t have to work as hard.

Society spends a lot of time trying to convince us that “harder” is better; “work harder” “study harder”, “think harder”. It seems our anatomy disagrees. Laughter is the language of joy and whereas “harder” seems to break everything down faster, joy and laughter yeild a laundry list of tangible and substantial positive health effects. these range from boosting our immune function, improving sleep and reducing inflammation to reducing stress and yes, lowering our blood pressure.

Since May’s color is yellow, which is recognized across many cultures and traditions as a symbol of joy, I have come to use the color of the month as an ongoing reminder of the simple rule;

“when in doubt, laugh it out”.

Principle - Aligned/ Inspired Action

Inspired Action is about taking authentic steps toward what we really want in our lives. Making use of the lessons learned throughout the year and of winters contemplations, spring is the time to take intentional steps that are in alignment with our reason and intuition, and towards our genuine goals.

As we have thought,

so we have felt,

and now, so we do.

I personally find that balancing this month especially with a daily practice of stillness can help move past the chatter (the preoccupations or anxieties about uncertainties in the future) and allow the mental bandwidth to facilitate fresh ideas, thoughts, and approaches to solving problems and achieving goals. Aligned action calls for not simply doing, or being “busy”, but rather moving purposefully, with clarity toward meaningful goals.

MAY (2024)