Nikki Cotton Yoga

03/19/2024

I'm just gonna drop this IG link here if anyone is interested and wants to watch. This is a talk and short follow along video recorded live about face yoga on the Frownies feed.
Frownies are so good for building awareness and learning to relax your facial muscles as is (face) yoga so they are a natural complement.
These techniques are not about looking younger or eliminating wrinkles (although they do) it's really about finding awareness and mind body connection.
You do not need to be a Frownies user to take away from the message and no tools are required for the follow along face yoga. Just you and your fingertips.
So much cool science behind both techniques. The expressions we hold in our face have a profound effect on our mood not just vice versa.
These techniques are also incredibly helpful if you suffer from tension headaches, trouble sleeping, sinus pressure, or puffiness. Hope you'll enjoy the video!

08/28/2023

07/14/2023

As a part of my self care practice I am currently participating in the Mel Robbins . It’s pretty simple, everyday for 5 days you are challenged to look yourself in the mirror and show yourself some love and encouragement by giving yourself a high five 🖐️
BUT there are quick videos and simple prompts for you to go through to identify where and how you may be getting stuck or in your own way. There’s even a free community app so that you can join others for encouragement and connection. There’s really cool science behind this technique of high fiving yourself with acknowledgment as well.
If you’d like to join me learn more at the link below.

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07/12/2023

(Grass-fed) burgers with Bobby / This is about health not politics. Starting one of the first functional medicine telehealth centers in the world 13 + years ago, consulting 10 hours a day, mainly people struggling with autoimmune-inflammation, hormone, brain & gut health issues my focus has & will always be helping them overcome these issues on an individual, grass-roots basis. We also desperately need someone from the top working to improve not only the physical but the mental, emotional & spiritual health of our country & the environmental health of the land. ideas, in my opinion, are paramount for the survival of our nation & species: 
 
- The environmental crisis 
- The soil microbiome which is intimately connected to our gut microbiome & the rise of autoimmune and chronic health problems 
- Fixing urban & rural food deserts, improving access to healthy food 
- A national, holistic approach to the addiction crisis. 
- Applying unbiased scientific rigor across the board when it comes to healthcare 
- Protecting free speech (especially the ones we disagree with) 
- Restoring humanity & civil discourse to the fiber of our people 
 
Not too long ago, people were burned alive, beheaded, flogged, hung, drawn & quartered for any unsanctioned idea, voice or practice. Authoritarian zealots suffocated freedom of ideas, flayed tolerance & diversity of thought. Today it’s not church orthodoxy but bureaucratic science orthodoxy, the fervent secular religion of modernity, just as erosive as its predecessor. People have become subsumed with toxic tribalism & blind, malignant orthodoxy which is antithetical to science & a free, open, healthy society. Today we don’t have to actually be publicly lashed for having different ideas, we just have to be publicly flogged on social media by the keyboard lynch mob, sacrificed in the pyre of self-righteous pontification. If you know anything about history you know the ones doing the censoring & the ones doing the lynch mobs are rarely the good guys. If we are to survive as a free nation this has to end. Let’s unite and do this together. Who’s with me? 
 
               

04/18/2023

My brother in law is a Co-Executive Producer on this documentary film about a young man with brain cancer in search of community, and the hospice doctor who gives up everything to give him his dying wish.

What a beautiful way to live…and die.

You can check out the trailer on YouTube, IG, and FB. Subscribe and follow to be notified when more is released.

A film about a young man with brain cancer in search of community, and the hospice doctor who gives up everything to honor his dying wish.SUBSCRIBE: https://...

03/09/2023

When you need bare legs to teach MELT Method to your zoom class but it’s rainy and cold. 😆

01/09/2023

I am so in love with these exquisite handcrafted tea blends from Abbi's Teas & Things. She started her heart and soul little tea shop right here in Little Rock, AR but is now in Nags Head, NC.
The quality of each cup of tea is delightful and makes my heart really happy. If you love a good brew of tea give Abbi a try. Free shipping for January with code MORETEA23 at www.abbiteas.com.

01/09/2023

I love this year long tracker coloring sheet. You can make your own color code legend to indicate days of activity and days of rest. I simply chose two colors. Red for all activities of higher intensity and Blue for rest/active rest/self care days. It’s just fun to have a little reminder of your progress through the year.
Feel free to save and print for yourself.

01/07/2023

Great advice from a dear friend. ❤️

01/07/2023

The gloves are on! Adding weights back in after about two months of self care and body weight only workouts. But let’s be honest it was mostly self care and very little workouts. And that’s okay.

So why the long break? Around mid-November (Thanksgiving day eve to be precise) after many birthday celebrations earlier in the month I was hit pretty hard with both COVID and depression. A couple of contributing factors to the depression: 1) nonstop rain for over a month. Nothing but grey dark days leading to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) 2) the holidays approaching and the loss of my mom 3) COVID - having had it twice this year I’ve noticed that for me it caused severe depression symptoms no matter the time of year 4) lack of movement and weight gain causing hormonal imbalances

So you can see it’s a vicious cycle. Resting to give my body the time it needed to repair was the right thing. Continuing to practice gentle yoga, MELT method, gratitude, and vibration plate were all still a part of my daily routine. My nutrition was really off due to the illness AND the holidays so that just continued to feed the depression as well.

True deep depression leaves a person feeling worthless, sad, lethargic, hopeless, and lost. There is no just thinking your way out of it. There is only the intention to want to feel better and for me that meant starting slow. Finding things I know will increase endorphins, help my body improve serotonin production and use it efficiently, hydration, talking, stepping into the sunlight, focusing of sleep hygiene, nourishing my body, finding joy.

To be healthy takes intention it doesn’t just happen. For me I found these things through cardio trampoline because jumping makes me happy, slow low-intensity body weight workouts, whole foods, hydration, calm but active yoga practice, setting simple but daily tasks, use of quality essential oils specifically for mood elevation, and connecting with others.

Some days I still don’t feel very worthy. Some days I still feel sad. I honor these moments and ask “what do I need right now to counter this feeling?” I can thank the pain and let it lead me to the other side.

I hope you all can put on your gloves today and lift something heavy. It may be your heavy feelings or a heavy object but whatever it is you can lift it.

If you need support or help with that lift please reach out. I’m happy to help spot you. 💪🏻❤️

10/26/2022

Multi tasking for self care, I love it! If you want to learn more about the MELT Method DM me.

10/25/2022

Eating gluten-free dairy free whole foods with minimal processing or added industrial seed oils is quite delicious and easy to do! Here are some of my favorite meals from the last few days.

1) Chickpea pumpkin curry over jasmine rice I also made some dice chicken thighs from local farmers market free range chicken I had in freezer to add to the dish as I am a flexitarian but I like to keep the base meal vegan for more versatility.

2) air fryer baked oatmeal bowl with peanut butter yogurt (coconut vanilla yogurt with PB2 added) and a bowl of steamed/air fried potatoes and steamed cauliflower/broccoli mix.

3) air fried gluten-free vegan be’f flautas on greens with Mexican style wild rice and seasoned black beans.

Nurture your body, move your body, love your body. ❤️