NEW WEBSITE!

Please note that BaredFeet, Co. has a new, updated, more user-friendly website that reflects the beautiful work we do much better – please direct yourself to https://baredfeet.co

This blog will remain open – as it houses some of our blog posts and external resources but will not be kept current regarding services and classes.  PEACE and WELLNESS to you all!

Summer 2018 Schedule Announced

1. Free Kids Yoga at Carson Park
Tuesdays 10-11am June 26-Aug 28
It’s back for the third year – kids of all ages can come and experience yoga games and poses in the outdoors! Under 5 need adult to attend. Can bring a mat or borrow one of ours. Follow the signs – near the playground.

2.Adult Grounding Group – free
Wednesdays 6-6:30pm at Boyd Park June 27 – Aug 15
30 minutes of bare feet connecting with the earth, or “earthing” can reduce inflammation in the body – studies have shown that grounding helps to improve sleep, regulate cortisol production, reduce chronic pain, alleviate stress, increase heart rate variability, speed wound healing, and thin the blood. Come ground with others in the community for a relaxing, social approach to wellness.

3. Body/Mind/Spirit class – donation class
Wednesdays 8-9am in August (5 weeks) at Anandaworks Wellness and Education
BaredFeet, Co. is offering Lynn Buske’s unique wellness program – similar in structure to a very intentional yoga class but adding a stronger mental health focus and creative movement. Our health capacity is much stronger when we approach wellness from all three parts of ourselves at the same time. It’s not about how hard or long we come at it – it is the intention we set and the depth we connect with ourselves. Experience your full wellness potential through tapping into your spiritual practice, embodiment practices, creative movement expressions (= joy!), and understanding basic mental health.

Workshops – details TBD
1. Emotional Freedom Technique
2. Love Yourself

Watch Facebook and get on our email list to get full details – message your email address to baredfeet@gmail.com subject: “newsletter please”

Watch This…

Prince Ea, a passionate fellow about peace, wellness, love – whom we are a fan of – made this video to show how powerful mental health is!  Check our his YouTube channel for more of his videos.

Dance Company

It’s time for Eau Claire to have its own professional, contemporary dance company.  If you live in the area and are a dancer or musician, please read on!  If you are supporter of this idea please make a donation to BaredFeet, Co. TODAY to help make this happen: https://www.youcaring.com/baredfeetco-826682

Call for dancers! BaredFeet, Co. is looking for dancers to join their contemporary dance company. The mission of the company is to bring professional, expressive performance pieces to the community that provide education on contemporary arts and their power as a wellness tool. As a budding non-profit, the goal is to offer a future stipend as the company grows. Commitment is weekly a Saturday practice (conditioning class with movement fundamentals and yoga, and performance rehearsals) and regular performances. The director has 20 years of choreographic, teaching, producing and performance experience.  Adults only at this time, but a youth company program is in the plans! Contact Lynn Buske by February 20, 2018 at 715-514-4648 or baredfeet@gmail.com.  

Call for musicians! BaredFeet, Co. is looking for musicians to join their contemporary dance company. The mission of the company is to bring professional, expressive performance pieces to the community that provide education on contemporary arts and their power as a wellness tool. Looking for musicians with improvisation experience and contemporary interest.  As a budding non-profit, the goal is to offer a future stipend as the company grows. Commitment is weekly a Saturday practice and regular performances. The director has 20 years of choreographic, teaching, producing and performance experience. Contact Lynn Buske by February 20, 2018 at 715-514-4648 or baredfeet@gmail.com.

If you are interested in booking BaredFeet, Co. The Company for your event or venue contact BaredFeet, Co. at baredfeet@gmail.com or 715-514-4648.

“Walk With Me” Film Screening

UPDATE! There will be a second showing on April 10, 2018 at 7:30pm.  Tickets are only $10 each and must be purchased in advance here: https://gathr.us/screening/22326 before the end of March.   

Mark your calendar for January 2, 2018 at 7:30pm (at Oakwood Cinemas) for a screening of the new documentary film “Walk With Me: A Journey Into Mindfulness Featuring Thich Nhat Hanh”.

Reserve your spot now by purchasing your tickets for $11 here: https://gathr.us/screening/21728.  Seventy advance tickets must be sold for the screening to be held.

Film synopsis is also at the above website.

HELP: If you are interested in purchasing tickets for those who can’t afford them but are interested in viewing the film to learn more about mindfulness as a wellness tool contact BaredFeet, Co. at baredfeet@gmail.com.  If you are someone who would like a ticket but can’t afford it, please contact us at that email also.

This event is brought to you by Gathr.com, Walkwithmefilm.com, Oakwood Cinemas, and BaredFeet, Co. – your local arts and body/mind/spirit wellness non-profit.

Initial Fundraiser

This first campaign will help get BaredFeet, Co. on its feet.  With a goal of $3000, these funds will go toward new yoga mats for our youth yoga programs, program development for autism programs and Highly Sensitive Persons, program development with area organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, a revamped logo, a PO Box, and 501c3 filing.

Please donate and share – help me do the work that I feel in my bones is needed.  The programs at BaredFeet, Co. are primarily FREE.  See BaredFeet.wordpress.com to see more information and to see what is available this summer (free: kid yoga, adult pre-yoga and body/mind/spirit).

Help my raise $3000 by December 31, 2017!

If you have ever appreciated or participated in my work over the last decade THIS is how you can show me gratitude!

https://www.youcaring.com/baredfeetco-826682

Summer Kids Yoga at Carson Park

Free Kids Yoga at Carson park this summer again!
Tuesdays at 10am (near the playground) starting June 27th through August 29th. Ages 0-16 (under 4 parent must attend). Bring your mat or use one of mine

Here is the extensive list, in random order, of what your kids will accomplish (the more they attend the better but come when you can!):

– embodiment: feels good to be in my body
– breathe through difficulties
– breath education
– tools to care for their full selves
– strengthen muscles typically weak in kids
– how good it feels to slow down
– ease over frustration
– imagination activation! (stories and pretend)
– mental focus
– posture and self-awareness
– develop intuition
– learn yoga vocabulary
– nature connection, grounding to the earth (we are outside!!)
– spiritual awareness (the world is bigger than me)
– find your calm activities and the benefits of doing them

Yeah, all that 😉

Can’t wait to see you all! Bring a friend!

BaredFeet Changing to Non-Profit Status

Happy New Year!  I like new years, they burgeon in change and growth and positive attitudes.  I am working on the final preparations to file BaredFeet as a non-profit, so I can bring beginning body/mind/spirit education, dance and yoga classes, wellness articles, support for Highly Sensitive Persons, arts as wellness, and dance as a communicative performance to Eau Claire and the surrounding areas.  FREE, yes free!

I believe that managing our own health is the first step toward world peace, and should be free so we can all achieve it.  I believe that the body, mind and spirit are deeply intertwined and health is only achieved by working in each area with compassion.  I believe in showing individuals how amazing they are and to empower them to take control of their health as no one else can.  I believe in the joy and potency of the arts.

First steps will be to establish board and operational functioning – I have built a team of local experts in body care, mental health, and spiritual wellness – and website overhaul.  Second steps will be teaming up with local organizations to bring programming, then fund-raising, and lots of writing.  Third step will be establishing a studio and performance space (by Spring 2018 – fingers crossed).

Follow BaredFeet on Facebook, bookmark this website, or join our email list (simply contact me) to keep up to date on this awesome adventure!

Why Should I Bother to Be Healthy?

“Even if I can battle the never-ending swarm of health information and actually understand what it is I’m really supposed to do to be truly healthy, and then let’
s pretend I can accomplish doing those things in my busy life and keep doing them… why?  Won’t I die eventually anyway?  Isn’t life painful anyway?  Isn’t all that effort taking me away from things I could be doing to just enjoy my life?  What does being unhealthy mean anyway – I feel fine, right? Why should I bother to be healthy?”

I started imagining my readers asking these questions each time I posted an article with wellness tips.   I could also hear them in the minds of so many people I encountered.  And I realized that YES, this is the starting place.

Our moms first, then our doctors, the media, and now everyone it seems, is asking us to be healthy.  It seems like so much work, doesn’t it?  What the heck for? We all seem fine enough and does it really make a difference?

The problem is we live in a world now used to the dramatically quick, obvious and tangible, and not in the world of the potently subtle.  What?  Another words, we tend to act from a place of, “if I don’t die a painful death immediately from doing something then it’s probably alright for me to do.”

But the reality is that health is long-term and subtle.  Things from our childhood can creep up on us at any time. Stress builds like underground lava and only our digestion and nerves can show signs of being off… until much later when systems shut down.

And now you’re saying, “Ok, ok, so this is even more reason for me not to care, right?  Trouble is far down the road and hard to see?”

But we do have an impact on our health with our choices.

BUT while we are told by our health care professionals that working to be healthy now – eating right, exercising, and managing our stress – will prevent disease later, and this is true, it is certainly not a motivator.

I’m here to tell you something so much simpler and better to motivate you to be healthy.  And when you hear it you will better understand what being healthy is.  And the immediacy of the rewards sustains that motivation.

Here it is, the reason to make efforts to be as healthy as you can:

 

It literally makes each day easier to get through. 

 

While trying to take care of our health impacts our long term wellness, it most certainly and noticeably impacts our daily wellness.  Working on your wellness actually makes you have happiness each day -even in light of things that typically piss you off.  And the kicker?  It doesn’t take as much effort, pain, and time as you think.  Health is simple.  (You needn’t have a nutrition degree and spend hours reading up on the newest exercise trends and toxins to avoid.)  And the benefit after that?  It enables you to be the best and brightest YOU which inspires people to do the same.  You are free to pass on your joy and radiant health like a contagious smile.

Don’t understand?  Don’t believe me?  “I can’t believe I just spent my time reading this much of the article for that empty crap?”

Stay with me.

Example: My kids drive me nuts.  When my kids drive me nuts then my husband is suddenly much less cute and humorous.  The dirt in my house becomes my enemy.  I am crabby.  My back hurts.  My shoulders are tense.  I have a headache.  I haven’t pooped yet today.  I’m gassy.  I crave sugar. I can’t remember laughing.  I tried going for a run the other day but it was just depressing and my legs are like jelly today.  I nodded off at work and couldn’t get my brain to focus.

Healthy version?  I found myself with more patience for my kids and I enjoyed their spirits, shenanigans and all.  My hubby made me laugh when I broke a glass on the floor that we really didn’t need.  My body feels looser and taller, and flowing free.  I am checking out a new yoga class just because it sounded fun.  I don’t need any prescriptions of any kind.  I am focused and have energy, and feel ALIVE.  And you know what?  I have the patience to be kind.

So how does that work?

The basics? (with suggested minimum time spent)  Note that these cover ALL areas of your health – body, mind and spirit – because BaredFeet deeply believes they are intertwined and you will get no where if you only work on one area.

• Breathe consciously once a day (2 min)
• Connect with your body once a day (I have feet!) (2 min)
• Move (flow) your body once a day in ways YOU ENJOY (10-15 min, even 2 min intervals)
• Use (strengthen) your body once a day (10-15 min, even 2 min intervals)
• Feed yourself, simply, purely, when you are hungry (this is not hard – PROMISE)
• LOVE something (feel it for 20 sec a day)
• LOVE someone (feel it for 20 sec a day)
• HUG someone (look for 5 hugs)
• Listen to yourself (before you go to bed, how was your day? ANGER, HURT, SAD, JOY) (2 min)
• Listen to someone else (forget about yourself and find out how someone else’s day was, no judgement or advice) (2 min)
• PRAY – can you see a bigger picture? (2 min)
• Let it go and see what happens (in the heat of the moment)

Total time daily (not including eating): 41 minutes

Start with one or two.  Look for the immediate tangible BENEFITS, no matter how small, and see what happens over a week or two – see what changes build.  See what starts to domino positively.  Two weeks until something is a habit.  A habit means our brains and bodies crave it, making it easier to keep up with.  One new habit can create more.

We don’t have to be perfectly fit to be healthy (“fit” is not necessarily healthy).  We have minds and spirits that overpower that – HOW DO YOU FEEL (sense and emotion)?  That is the key.  Grow health from the inside out and it becomes HAPPINESS.  We all deserve that!  And it can be EASY!  Then we choose health because it feels awesome instead of like a chore.

And, most importantly, working on your health can help you FEEL AWESOME every day.  Plus all that long-term benefit stuff we talked about before!  Yes you will die of something eventually.  But you won’t have to care about that.  You have easy good days and are too busy enjoying life.

Don’t believe me?  TRY IT.

Why I Don’t Do the Things I Know Are Better for Me

Some days I just want to complain or feel grumpy and unmotivated.  It can feel nice to complain that my back hurts, I have a headache, my kids make me cranky, my house/job/spouse create stress, my digestion is off, I’m not sleeping – and settle into that feeling of “Poor me”.  But when those days come more often than they should I realize that is an alarm that I need to take action.

I know in my heart it is a one hundred times better feeling choice and will solve my problems to: eat nutritiously… exercise regularly… meditate daily… floss… drink more water… not eat before bed… scream into a pillow instead of at my children… come to the yoga mat often… do things just for myself that I love… practice awareness to manage my emotions… and to cleanse and strengthen my energy system since I am a highly sensitive person.

Blaming others, or things, for my problems doesn’t do a dang thing.  I’m not even sure why we do it – are we looking for those things to fix how we feel?  Life takes us off balance and we have this amazing ability to bring it back to balance and create our own health and joy.

Do we?  YES.

While I have to admit I do pretty darn okay most of the time (thank you sensitivities for giving me awareness and thank-you life experience for teaching me enough self-love to do what I do), but, particularly as temporary stressful circumstances come around or bad habits sneak back in, I choose to wallow, eat more sugar, stay up late, talk snarky, widdle through Facebook posts instead of flossing, watch TV instead of my thoughts… and I have wondered to long, “Why do I choose to keep the icky feelings instead?”

I’ve been asking myself this for the past year in particular.  I have a 2 year old son whom I care for full-time and still nurse.  He has had pretty severe separation anxiety and so I have not had much time away from him since his birth.  I am pretty tired.  As much as I know I need replenishment, stress reduction, time for myself, rest, healthy eating to keep up vitamins for both of us, it is hard.  “I don’t have time.”  “I don’t have energy.”  I tell myself.  But I know full well (from have the articles I’ve written on quick stress reducers) that it doesn’t take much time to care for myself, just intention, that I can just roll out two yoga mats instead of one so my son and I can get our yoga on together, that I can turn my music on in the car instead of the stuck-in-my-head-forever-toddler-tunes, that I can be thankful when I notice I’m cranky, and journal when I crawl into bed, and that ALL of those things MAKE ME FEEL SO AWESOME.  So I have been asking – WHY do I want to keep these icky habits?  Why aren’t I making any effort?

One can’t move forward when there are roadblocks.  So we have to start by looking at what is blocking ourselves.  Our fears tell us this is the hard part, but none of it is really hard if we go one step at a time. 

So I’ve been trying to pay attention to my responses, my thoughts about things that stress me, and asking what the things I’m complaining about are giving me that is so valuable (our ego only lets us keep things that we find value in).

What have I found blocks me? What benefits does doing nothing give me?  (And what do I remember is the actual truth in each one)

1. Poor me – the victim. Think about how strong that feeling is for you the next time you feel crappy. For someone else to say “aww, I’m so sorry.  That sucks for you.” Is VERY POWERFUL (and human).  But in reality it isn’t very helpful to us.  What that is actually doing for you is HAVING SOMEONE ELSE VALIDATE YOUR FEELINGS.  And gives you attention.  But is that really what you want attention for is the icky things?  A reputation of so many icky things?  And VALIDATING YOUR OWN FEELINGS is more powerful than I know how to describe – the effects are longer and vaster (e.g. helps build compassion for others and self-confidence).
2. It is safer. Not taking care of my self seems less risky. There is no fear of failure.  Or fear of not being able to handle or keep up with the success I create.  Comfort in routine is potent also, and another form of fear.  BUT fear is actually liberating – if you take it up on its challenge.  The world is huge and you will never know about something if you don’t try… or at least look into it… OPEN UP and take a chance on facing a little bit of fear here and there.  You might find it motivates you to do even more!  Remember that fear feels bigger than it actually is.  It’s just a feeling – when you notice it, FEEL it (think of it as smelling something stinky) and you’ll be surprised how little it turns out to be.
3. Owning it. By not doing something about my stress, problems, health, it can still be someone else’s fault and not mine.  Admitting that I am responsible for what happens to me and am in control of my life feels really huge and awful, because I focus on the fact that “It’s my fault.”  “I’m a horrible person for making a mistake.” I know this feeling well.  But I have learned that being responsible for myself doesn’t mean blaming and criticizing until I feel so crappy I won’t do that bad thing again.  Focusing on “fault” isn’t the point at all.  I do the best I can in each given moment.  I am human.  Saying instead “I CAN be the one who makes things better for myself” should be EMPOWERING!  Seeing what I’ve learned along the way only makes me wiser.  Acknowledging that REAL LIFE TAKES TIME – it is a long journey.
4. Immediate Gratification (ahem lazy). Our society of immediate self-gratification has caused it to be hard for us to be patient.  We can’t go faster than our soul, our energy, life, can move.  But our sense of what is immediately self-gratifying is askew too.  For instance, before bed my husband and I turn on the TV and watch shows we enjoy.  This is relaxing, right?  We do this because it is immediately satisfying – worries are gone and we laugh and cry out of the pleasure of the imaginary.  Close, but no cigar.  What it does is shove my stress/emotions aside, stuffs them down (not gone or validated or handled), and takes me out of the present out of my body into an imaginary land.    Feels good.  Right away.  But is fake and short-term.  As soon as I turn off the TV or wake in the morning it all is back.  What if instead, for five minutes after I turn off the TV I sit in the feeling of being relaxed, present in its luxury?  This is meditation. It is presence – so healthy for me – and trains my nervous system with a bit of intention to create more of this feeling.  Now, what if for five minutes before I turn the TV on I sit and journal (or type if I must) about some of the crap I’m stressed about?  What makes me angry / sad / hurt / happy.  Five minutes of two activities and I have taken care of my mental health in potent ways.  INTENTION and PRESENCE.

So, some suggestions for you, in summary.  I hope these insights motivate you to turn inward and perhaps help you clear some roadblocks that might be preventing you from making good choices.

1. VALIDATE YOURSELF.   For sure.  So powerful.  Admit this – that it isn’t anyone else’s job.  How much can and should we expect from others in our lives and what is healthy to ask?  Obviously there are many times where we can’t do things ourselves.  Friends and family should support each other (and support each other in not wallowing in self-pity).  BUT IF YOU AREN’T VALIDATING YOUR SELF YOU WILL NEVER MOVE FORWARD.
2. It’s ok to feel afraid. Feelings can’t hurt you.  Look at what is really true – in the big picture, too.  Mistakes are ok as long as you try again.  Need more push? Tell yourself positive things:  “I am brave”.  Life is ALWAYS about learning and growing – branching out is a GOOD thing.  Usually you find something even better than what you have been doing.

Additionally, as I always want to know how I can teach my kids valuable things, tell your kids these things, EVERYDAY maybe:

1. “Poor me” is not love. Feel “sorry” for yourself and then look for your joy to return!  Share feelings and receive support from others, but remember to listen to your own heart too.
2. Fear is liberating, the world is huge. Feel your fear, open yourself up, and try!
3. Saying “It’s their fault” doesn’t make a problem go away.   Having a problem doesn’t mean you are awful.  You are human.  Try to fix it and amazing things happen.
4. PRAY about EVERYTHING. And then wait to see what you are given.  Let go of it having to go the way you imagine – we simply don’t know as much as God.  God has a bigger better plan.