You may or may not recall a movie, from the nineties, called The Fifth Element. It starred Milla Jovovich, and it held the premise that there are the usual four elements – fire, water, earth, and air – along with an additional element, the ultimate one. The four elements are the “brick and mortar” of life, but the fifth element powers it. So what actually is the fifth element? Well, in the futuristic movie, it was “Aether, a pure substance that permeated...
In the US, Labor Day weekend is upon us. Monday (Labor Day) is commonly a day off, and it’s known as the summer’s send off, where people barbecue, lounge by the pool or kick back at the beach. Ironically, it’s about not laboring. It has occurred to me that I’ve never ever had an un-laborous Labor Day weekend. It has always felt unsettled as it is a major cusp, where some things are leaving and new things are coming. There’s a subtle panic of,...
If you were to imitate Grace Kelly, the late actress and former princess of Monaco, one of the first things you’d do is bring your shoulder back and down. No one would tell you to bring your shoulders back and down, you’d just take on that alignment quality because it’s a cornerstone of great posture and connotes regality. Grace Kelly was queen of shoulders back and down and famous for her outstanding posture and alignment. “Shoulder back and...
The only thing playing on the TV in my household is sports – basketball, football, tennis, golf, baseball….there is always a sporting event on the screen. I’ve learned to embrace it, and I’m actually very inspired by athletes. They are outstanding examples of self-mastery. One of the most universal things among the top athletes, no matter what the sport, is they are their own best cheerleader. They give themselves a fist pump, a subtle head nod and a “Let’s...
Workout with Ellen and learn how to thrive in this three-part, three-hour live and in-person workshop spotlighting the two greatest self-help tools of all time, your body and your mind. The first hour is a feel-good fusion flow workout, barefoot, low-impact and for all fitness levels. The second hour is a seated discussion with demonstrations of powerful mental strategies that direct focus and build resilience. The third and final hour finishes strong with a lovely...
In Italy, where I just spent 10 days, Mother Mary, the Catholic symbol of the divine feminine, is everywhere. She’s the subject of paintings, depicted in statues, and etched on walls. Her image is printed on scarves, tees and tote bags. Every single church I walked by had the image of Mother Mary near its entry. I loved being “bombarded” by Her on the street, at restaurants and cafes, in gardens and inside homes. Clearly, there’s...
I can get really puffy. My puffiness manifests first in my face, especially around my eyes, but then it goes all over, throughout my whole body. There are culprits: air travel really makes me puffy. Drinking alcohol makes me puffy. Eating excess salt (potato chips!) makes me puffy. Not moving makes me puffy. Q: What’s the remedy for puffiness?A: Exercise and water. (Easy peasy!)All forms of exercise will do, but to get slightly more intentional, I...
I often refer to the front body as the sun and the back body as the moon. By waking up the front body you let the sun shine in and it does three immediate things: To my northern hemisphere folks, Summer Solstice Blessings to you. How about celebrating with front body extension? One caveat – it’s gotta be whole front body extension, not just your heart center. That means stretching the tops of your ankles, your quadriceps, hip flexors, and...
There’s a lot of talk these days about the nervous system and for good reason. We live in a hectic world and our nervous systems are constantly put to the test. I think many of us “soldier on” day after day and never care for our nervous systems. Why is this? For one, because our society indirectly rewards the “type-A go-go-go” personality, making a jacked up nervous system seem like a positive thing. And two,...
When I was in my twenties, and completely clueless about bone health, I trained an opera singer, who was in her sixties. To this day, she’s the most disciplined person I have ever been around. In order to perform at such a high level, and keep her voice in tip top shape, she was all in. She fastened a silk scarf around her neck to keep her throat warm! She traveled a ton, but whenever...
