THE COURAGE OF NATURE
In that space where Winter meets Spring… whether it's mat-based Pilates, an aesthetically empowering style, nourishment inspired by nature's rhythmic cadence, or more considered luxuries for the spaces where you live and entertain, embrace life's beautifully complex nuances. Explore, grow, and connect as we hold space for your authentically organic transformation…
Posted March 11, 2025 on Stone Sevyn dot com
THAT PAUSE IN-BETWEEN...
Imagine subscribing to the idea that chocolate is best for breakfast. Well, I do and thankfully, according to Mother Nature, it is!
First, speaking of nature... her stillness in winter, courage to sit in silence with a future unknown, trusting the dark, the heaviness of being buried... shifting, growing... stirring in the warmth and coziness found in hibernation, from her cocoon, with excitement and a renewed sense of self, life emerges.
What signifies both new beginnings and sustainment? Our breath. It arouses our bodies—our inhales warming our cores while our exhales strengthen and expel... these unconscious bodily rhythms shedding layers of fat and other nonsense—but it's the pauses in-between each breath, that's where we find ourselves now.
TRENDS VS WISDOM
Pomegranate Juice. Kale. Kombucha. Avocado Toast. While I still love the last one, at 43, I've watched cherry-picked trends come and go for twenty-five years, but much like my style, I don't follow trends.
Instead, I've intuitively followed my inner voice, guided by Mother Nature and ultimately affirmed by those who'd discovered the Fountain of Youth—from Joseph Pilates, Dr. Robert Morse, ND and Atom Bergstrom, whose timeless principles—refined through more than half a century of observation and practice—continue to prove relevant alongside our greatest teacher: nature herself.
Add in the trailblazing theories of Dr. Randolph Stone and Dr. John T. Richter and we find wisdom that today's wellness landscapes preach but rarely deliver. That is... that true health isn't complicated, and the Fountain of Youth doesn't come from labs or trending hacks... longevity and vitality come from flowing with nature's current, or really, her energetic rhythms.
Now, about that chocolate…
LET THERE BE LIGHT
There's been a looooooot of talk in the last decade about light... light bulbs, blue light glasses, various light therapies, sunscreen (or not) and fasting with circadian rhythms... but what's been entirely excluded from the conversation is the most obvious... and that's nature herself aka the sun and how its daily rhythms guide not just when we sleep, but also what we eat when.
Thirteen years ago, my friend Nicolas Torrent introduced me to Solar Nutrition. It made sense, and I dabbled, but outside my banana shake, tomato sauce and potato phases, total commitment wasn't happening. Then, life happened.
In 2021, having tried EVERYTHING to reduce inflammation and bloating... bloating so bad I cried myself to sleep for months... I stopped hiding in the shade and went all in with the sun.
Within weeks… 19 months of agony... gone. My body was healing. My bloating was calming down. Most importantly, my closet once again fit.
The way stress and chaos manifest isn't created overnight... mine was years... maybe an entire life in the making... but through food, and eating "in time," my body healed. And I did this with chocolate every morning, potatoes every night, and pizza and pasta at least once a week.
NATURE’S ENERGETIC RHYTHMS
Solar Nutrition is not about restriction and certainly not “fasting,” instead, it's about expansion—expanding our understanding of how food, emotion, and physical form interweave in our journey toward vitality... seeing the layers of reality that connect us to the sun's rhythms, rather than viewing our bodies as isolated parts working independently.
What we eat serves as our source of energy and the nutrients from these foods are necessary for growth, repair, and maintenance of bodily functions. Aligning with Nature's rhythmic cadence, we follow her solar cycle by eating certain foods at specific times of day based on the organism's utilization of light, allowing for easy digestion and nutritional efficiency.
A philosophy of how the sun's continual exchange of new energy enhances and informs what we eat, again, it's what we eat when.
Think of it this way…
CHOCOLATE ALCHEMY
Okay, but seriously... CHOCOLATE. FOR. BREAKFAST!
Whether you're breaking off a piece (or all) of a Hu Chocolate bar or combining cacao, maple syrup and coffee for a hormone balancing Cobalamin Tonic, the answer is YES or Yes, No, Maybe. Add in juicy fruits, nuts and dates and these aren't just ingredients, they're nature's way of working with fluid dynamics (think high tide vs low tide) and when what you consume is easiest to digest, produce energy... and ummm leave the system.
Synced to nature's clock, in time, as the sun kisses the treetops, between 7AM to 9AM, our stomach energy peaks, and our bodies look for both a “quick hit” of eye-opening energy and to set our digestive pattern for the day. Then, from 9-11AM, our spleen and pancreas take over and between our immune system and lymphatic system... we look to support them AND the overall elimination of nonsense.
Meaning, according to Atom, “You can have it all as long as you are in time.” And since cacao grows in trees, looking to his "more sophisticated version” of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Organ Clock, chocolate IS best for breakfast. Dr. Randolph Stone's theory of food categorization, with cacao containing air elements, also backs this up.
What does my morning look like?
SEASONAL ALIGNMENT
With nature's melodic rhythm as a guide, this isn't just breakfast—it's practice in vertical integration or building dynamics and connecting earth to sky through our own core, each element serving a purpose, each timing intentional. Like a seed that uses both light and darkness to grow, these morning rituals harness the day's first energies and set the foundation for holistic alignment.
But as they say... nothing in nature works alone, so having healed my bloat, it was now time for my core mission.
RETURN TO LIFE
The earth softening, branches reaching, spring's warm circulation empowers life as it begins to stir, fine tuning from within, she bursts with excitement… Mother Nature inspiring mindful movement, listening in as her spectacular blooms whisper that when silence meets preparation, having shed to rebalance and align, a stronger foundation will emerge.
Through this lens, we welcome a new season of renewal and anticipation… and meet the Pilates hundred.
FOUNDATIONAL WHISPERS
In Joseph Pilates' classical mat sequence, he arguably put the hardest movement at the beginning, yet it's this foundation-building first move, the "hundred," that's also the most powerful expression of strength, willpower and trust in the unknown... it’s a challenge where progression is slow but steady, often unseen, but with intentional breathing embraced—each inhale filling our bodies with new possibility (or rescue), each exhale a meditational moment when mind control forces your middle finger into hiding (or not)... going deeper into our core or roots, we connect, shed, build to find spectacular results.
But why begin a workout feeling defeated? When I first started it wasn't pretty... at all. Yet after more conversations with God than I can count, from the strength of my breath, expansion of my ribcage, and engagement with all those muscles I never knew existed, not only has the hundred enhanced every other movement in his series (and when in the weight room, boxing, yoga studio, etc.), but more importantly, it’s proven how far I've come. Which of course echoes spring and the world around us.
Torturous, but fun. You ready? Let’s go!
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Begin by lying on your back, knees bent and feet hip-width apart.
NOTE: THIS IS NOT A BRIDGE. The next step is a way to elongate your spine by removing any space or air "bubbles" between you and the mat.
Slightly lift your glutes toward your heels and pause. When you lower your glutes, keep your sits bones pulling towards your knees as you articulate your spine into the mat.
Lift your toes. Push your heels into the mat and slide them down your mat, pulling your legs and "bunions" together. Point your toes.
Push your heels into your mat as you lift your arms up to the ceiling.
While keeping your shoulder-blades in your back pockets and heart open, lift your head, neck, and shoulders from your upper abdominals aka under your bra line and bring your arms in line with your hips.
NOTE: Push your tongue into the roof of your mouth and relax your jaw (this helps keep it out of your neck).
Pushing your heels into the mat, take a deep inhale and begin pumping your arms from your hips to slightly off the floor for 5 counts. As you exhale for 5 counts, keep zipping up your jeans and opening your heart.
NOTE: If keeping your heels glued to the floor doesn't feel right, stack a few books. But you want to keep the pressure of pushing your heels down, jeans zipped and head, neck and shoulders lifted. Think c-curve, rolling like a ball.
Your goal is to repeat this cycle 10 times. But ONLY if you can keep the above form.
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Begin by lying on your back, knees bent and feet hip-width apart.
NOTE: THIS IS NOT A BRIDGE. The next step is a way to elongate your spine by removing any space or air "bubbles" between you and the mat.
Slightly lift your glutes toward your heels and pause. When you lower your glutes, keep your sits bones pulling towards your knees as you articulate your spine into the mat.
Pull your knees into your chest, sending your legs straight up to the ceiling. Slightly lower them until you can no longer keep the c-curve of your spine.
Lift your arms up to the ceiling.
While keeping your shoulder-blades in your back pockets and heart open, lift your head, neck, and shoulders from your upper abdominals aka under your bra line and bring your arms inline with your hips or 6-8 inches from your thighs (this is spicier).
NOTE: Push your tongue into the roof of your mouth and relax your jaw (this helps keep it out of your neck).
Pushing your heels together, zip up your thighs, take a deep inhale and begin pumping your arms for 5 counts. As you exhale for 5 counts, zip up your jeans and open your heart.
NOTE: Think about hollowing out your abdomen and imprinting your spine into the mat. Helps to maintain the c-curve of your spine throughout the exercise. If you feel your lower back and lower ribs lifting off the mat, bring your legs higher toward the ceiling.
Your goal is to repeat this cycle 10 times. But ONLY if you can keep the above form.
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This one's spicy, requires significantly more core strength and stability, and well, you've been warned!
Begin by sitting up nice and tall, move the "frosting" from under your sits bones.
FYI: The options below assist the elongation of your spine by removing any space or air "bubbles" between you and the mat. Maneuver around until they’re gone.
OPTION ONE: Extend your legs in front of you and roll down, pulling your pubic bone to your nose, nose to pubic bone as you articulate your spine into the mat.
OPTION TWO: Slightly less spice, bend your knees, grab your hamstrings and roll down, slowly articulating your spine, pulling your pubic bone to your nose, nose to pubic bone as you lower into the mat. Extend your legs. Lift your arms up to the ceiling.
While keeping your shoulder-blades in your back pockets and heart open, lift your head, neck, and shoulders from your upper abdominals aka under your bra line and bring your arms in line with your hips.
NOTE: Push your tongue into the roof of your mouth and relax your jaw (this helps keep it out of your neck).
Lower your arms 6-8 inches from thighs. Lift your toes to eye level.
Push your heels together, zip up your thighs, take a deep inhale and begin pumping your arms for 5 counts. As you exhale for 5 counts, zip up your jeans and open your heart.
NOTE: Think about hollowing out your abdomen and imprinting your spine into the mat. This helps to maintain the c-curve of your spine throughout the exercise. If you feel your lower back and lower ribs lifting off the mat, bring your legs higher toward the ceiling.
Your goal is to repeat this cycle 10 times. But ONLY if you can keep the above form.
Keep in mind, whether you’re interested in Pilates or not, no need to stress, but you still gotta move. It’s our human design.
CONSIDERED CURIOSITIES
From chocolate to hundreds, building a foundational core for more mindful consumption and holistic living, considered curiosities by a few brands I’m currently slathering on, pausing to enjoy or (un)wrapping up in…
COURAGEOUS RENEWAL
Integrating the intuitive courage of Mother Nature into the excitement surrounding our own new growth, breaking through the cracks of the old, authentically organic transformation begins with our willingness to push against resistance, and to emerge from darkness into light.
As our bodies move with purpose, winter holds space to build a stronger core and healthier mindset, one where fear serves nothing, and courage changes everything.
Embracing hibernation as a chance to rebuild, we align with something larger than ourselves. Natural patterns and subtle daily shifts, it’s a philosophy that inspires a connection between human rhythms and cycles, and in practicing presence and patience, in what has sustained life since the beginning of time, we forgo “perfect” for imperfections, and a life well lived.
Transforming Fountain of Youth theories into results since 2000...
It's a mindset. Shift in perspective. Evolution of self... one sunrise at a time.
Xoxo
Kathryn
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READY TO BUILD YOUR FOUNDATION?
While winter encourages us to transform from within, spring invites us to blossom and bloom. Creating a foundation rich with potential for your future vision, if you want to “take a walk around the block,” you can begin your journey here →
Please note:
Kathryn was not compensated for the promotion of any brands or products. All items were independently sourced AND purchased for personal use in her closet, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and home.
Consult your healthcare provider before making any dietary, movement or lifestyle changes. Please reference the disclaimer page regarding liabilities and claims related to all informed opinions, including health and movement advice.
*All images of Kathryn, chocolate, coffee and nuts, photographed by Jenna Peffley, in the Natural State.
**On the cover and in related images of Kathryn, including Considered Curiosities, she wears a Bodysuit by Skin. Bloomers by Dolce & Gabbana. Glasses by Dolce & Gabbana. Gold Necklace by Lana Jewelry. Cashmere Sweater by Santicler. Foam sandals by Birkenstock. Her Book is The Eight Master Lessons of Nature. She’s having her Cobalamin Tonic in a mug from abc Carpet & Home while laying on a Rug by HD Buttercup with Sourdough by Serenity Farm Bread.
***In Seasonal Alignment, while doing the hundred, Kathryn wears a Top + Bottom by Cali Dreaming. Belt by Stella McCartney. Butterfly Dream Tights, High Heel Jungle by Kathryn Eisman. Rug from HD Buttercup.
****In Considered Curiosities, Bottom Right, Kathryn wears a Blazer/Vest hybrid by YMAYABA. Shirt by Alexander McQueen. Swim Top by Cali Dreaming. Organic Cotton Sweatpants by LNDR. High Tops by Good News. Ring Stack includes Family Heirlooms + abc Carpet & Home.