Soul to Sole Blog

It’s proven year after year that the amount of time people spend indoors increases if they live in wealthy countries and that’s a disadvantage for them. Whether it’s a commitment to work, a desire to stay warm indoors, laziness, or maybe you just can’t be bothered, not being connecting to nature is killing us. We are genetically programmed to look for trees, water, plants, and animals/insects/reptiles to distract us from pain and discomfort. Start looking for them around you.

Comfort is our most desired state and yet it makes us weaker. We think we want to be warm when it's cold, and cool when it’s hot. We have structured our lives around avoiding what is interpreted as discomfort. Our body, the universe, all the kingdoms and queendoms (that haven’t been identified yet) are designed to create absolute balance. We are a part of that grande movement. Our body, mind, and soul are designed to work for us, to keep us strong, happy, and healthy. A long

The idea for sharing these biohacks with you evolved from a sense of longing to contribute to the world to offer something to the pandemic. Maybe it’s because I am a Pisces that I can’t just focus on my immediate community rather I’m always thinking about the whole world at large. Having spent time in India, Thailand, Ecuador, Morocco, Spain, and many places in Europe, Canada, and the US, I always make a point of being with the local people, not necessarily in fancy hotels. S

The other day I went to the Post Office in my skirt and tank top. It was a balmy minus 2C outside and there was snow everywhere. Another day last week I was snowshoeing without a coat and in shorts. Whenever I'm out in public most people look at me strangely and some even comment. I respond by taking every opportunity to share the benefits of human adaptation, increased activity for neuroreceptors messaging to the brain, activating the nervous system, building brown adipose f

More fun in the snow. Someone whom I have great admiration and respect for is Dr. Perry Nickolson, also known as the Lymph Doc. He always posts interesting information on his Instagram page, Stop Chasing Pain about how the brain and body constantly try to heal us, and last week was no exception. He posted a quote that I would love to share with all of you since it is also my philosophy about health and what the 28 Days of Lockdown Biohacks are all about. He said, " Your brain

Cold exposure is a form of practicing the art of letting go in tough situations. This is a transferable skill and it can help you to deal with the unknown, the isolation, the worries about health, the negative economic shift, a longing to visit friends and family (especially elders), and so much more during the lockdown. Why not use the cold winter and nature as a physical and mental health tool? It’s right outside your front door and it’s free. A friend of mine was in the Ca

Isolation creates fear, boredom, anger, and loneliness. Quarantine is about avoiding contact with other people but not with nature. As I mentioned in previous blogs, some biohacks to help deal with this situation include hugging trees, going barefoot in the snow, feeling snow with our bare hands, and becoming aware of adaptation for survival, Have these tips been helping you? About 5 years ago I did a SNOWGA challenge on Instagram asking people to send in pics doing yoga in

Through art, we instill values and provide the background for cultural change in individuals and communities alike. During a lockdown, we are restricted from viewing theatre, music concerts, opera, films, art galleries, poetry readings, even outdoor exhibits, and installations. Everything we see now is on a screen and we are disconnected from the ‘live’ portion of experiencing the artistic form. Because nature hasn’t necessarily been altered by an artist, some would say that

Mother Nature is a powerful source of reflection. Exposure to her, especially in the winter months, will show you aspects of yourself that possibly have never been revealed to you. Resolutions are often forgotten a few days or weeks after the New Year begins. More people used to sign up for gym memberships or yoga classes in January, than any other time of the year. Of course, with lockdown, these establishments are all closed or online, so we have to get creative if we want

It’s New Year's Eve and all I can think about is the fact we are coming to the end of this unbelievable year. Most of us were forced to be still, be alone, be isolated, be accountable, wear a mask, wash our hands, stay apart for 2 meters and so much more. That took a lot of discipline and most people did their very best to be responsible for this huge task. Believe it or not, these are exciting times, except of course if you have been personally affected by the virus and to t

As humans, most of us are social beings and need to feel a part of humanity. Lockdown is not conducive to this need, especially if we live alone. Hugging has become risky and we are being encouraged to discourage it. I won’t get into a conversation about what I think about that, but rather, I’d like to offer a suggestion to help get through this time of non-contact with other humans. Back in the 1960’s hippies were teased and even ridiculed for being peace-loving, tree-huggin

If you are the kind of person who doesn’t like being uncomfortable in the winter months, then this is a perfect 28 Day practice. At the end of it, you can begin to use your energy for more positive, creative, healing, adaptive applications. But first, we have to get you over the hurdle of having a negative response to cold. Having spent the last 10 years barefooting in the snow, it was necessary for me to pay attention to the type of snow I was exposed to because it made a di

If you don’t like the cold or always have cold feet this is the perfect biohack for you. Anyone who knows me is fully aware that I would recommend some barefooting as a way to be connected. You can feel absolutely confident that as humans, our feet are designed to adapt to a variety of environments. Each foot has over 200,000 sensory receptors on the sole that send messages to the brain to let it know the environment your body is in so it can begin to adjust systems in the bo