Michelle

Sleep is a Beautiful Thing

Sleep is like the secret sauce. It affects everything – mood, focus, mental clarity and your general sense of well-being. So why are so many of us not sleeping well? For many, the culprit is the dreaded BUSY MIND! How do we fix that? It might help to understand some brain science: when your mindContinue reading “Sleep is a Beautiful Thing”

Take Your Laughter More Seriously

Every day, in my yoga-for-cancer work, I’m with people who are trying to take care of their bodies, quiet their minds and find some peace. So I think a lot about what it means to be healthy and happy, hence these writings about the 5 best things to give yourself (a quiet mind, a peacefulContinue reading “Take Your Laughter More Seriously”

A Happy Body

I’ve been writing about gifts to give yourself and this month I’m writing about the gift of a happy body. What’s a happy body? I think of it as a body that can move with ease and has no, or only small, discomforts (those are normal). I also think that a happy body means youContinue reading “A Happy Body”

Movement Awareness

A simple way to connect to your body is to move it in any easy way and really feel what’s happening. Develop mindful awareness of sensations like joint range of motion, breath rhythm and a sense of circulation. If you raise one arm, how high does it go without pain? Take that arm into aContinue reading “Movement Awareness”

The Gift of a Quiet Mind

I’ve been writing about gifts to give yourself as a way of approaching different aspects of healing and developing awareness. This month I’m diving deeper into this idea of giving yourself the gift of a quiet mind. Have you tried to meditate and find that your mind just insists on chattering away? Maybe you’re tryingContinue reading “The Gift of a Quiet Mind”

How’s Your Heart?

Back in December I wrote about gifts to give yourself and the first one was a peaceful heart. What were your thoughts on that? Did you pause and wonder what I was talking about? I’m using the word ‘heart’ for convenience, but I don’t mean the organ that pumps your blood. I mean your emotionsContinue reading “How’s Your Heart?”

5 Best Things to Give Yourself

Here are the 5 best things to give yourself this holiday season! (And they don’t cost a penny) A Peaceful Heart Sounds kind of silly doesn’t it, giving yourself a peaceful heart? What is that anyway? With so much agitation in the world–whether its politics, wildfires, or your own personal storms–it’s so important to takeContinue reading “5 Best Things to Give Yourself”

Did You Reflect?

Here we are at the transition – summer into fall. How was your summer? Did you get some time away? Did you have time to reflect – time to step back and think about your life and work, your projects, relationships, or your health? Jennifer Porter, of the Harvard Business Review says, “Reflection gives theContinue reading “Did You Reflect?”

Is Night Chatter Keeping You Up?

I recently heard someone describe the mental chatter that keeps you awake as “night chatter.” I think that’s a very appropriate term. Many people talk to me about their struggles with sleep and most are complaining about night chatter – the mind that won’t turn off. So, what to do? My main suggestion is toContinue reading “Is Night Chatter Keeping You Up? “

Guess What’s in Your Saliva!

Guess what’s in your saliva! A lot of good stuff, that’s what. And it turns out that when we do our breathing techniques in yoga class, we are stimulating saliva production. We know this thanks to the research of Dr. Sundar Balasubramian. Dr. Balasubramanian is a pioneer in the area of research combining Pranayama (yogicContinue reading “Guess What’s in Your Saliva!”