If I could wave a magic wand and grant every newly diagnosed person one essential skill, it would be this: the power to intentionally shift out of stress. To do that, you need to understand your body’s control center: the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). 💡 Here’s the essential takeaway: Stress is Sympathetic. Peace is Parasympathetic.Continue reading “Peace is Parasympathetic: Learn the Essential Skill for Your Cancer Journey”
Category Archives: Mind-body
Navigating Scanxiety: 5 Tools to Find Peace Before Your Test
Almost every cancer patient I’ve ever worked with talks about scanxiety—that intense anxiety that arises when they have an upcoming medical test, be it a CT scan, MRI, or ultrasound. It’s completely normal to feel this fear. After everything you’ve been through, it makes sense that you’d feel triggered and reluctant to face another potentialContinue reading “Navigating Scanxiety: 5 Tools to Find Peace Before Your Test”
July Brightness
Happy Summer! I hope you’re able to embrace the joyous expansiveness of summer – to be big and bright like the sun. Part of my own joyous expansiveness lately has truly been centered on gratitude. I’m incredibly grateful for so many things – from the stability of my home to the unwavering support of myContinue reading “July Brightness”
The Magic Carpet
Do you get on your yoga mat daily? Lately, I’ve been thinking about the yoga mat as a magic carpet. I know that sounds funny but stick with me. Not a magic carpet that literally flies away, but a magic carpet that helps you create a ritual that can become magical. In this ritual, you roll out yourContinue reading “The Magic Carpet”
This too shall pass.
Things have been heavy for me lately, not gonna lie. My mom passed in December. Grief is thick for me right now, but there’s more going on . . . There’s a kind of spiritual maturation that happens as a result of living through a crisis. We sometimes call these life chapters the dark nights of theContinue reading “This too shall pass.”
I’ve Become Supersticious.
If I don’t do this special thing every day something bad will happen. Or, more accurately, when I do this, I’m more likely to have a good day, maybe even some delightful synchronicities. I’m talking about my morning yoga practice. That sounds a little superstitious, right?  It’s been my personal experiment over the course of about 15+ years .Continue reading “I’ve Become Supersticious.”
You can choose.
I went on a meditation retreat a couple of weekends ago and it was great! On a silent meditation retreat, we can step out of our normal routines and slow way, waaaaay down. We’re invited to sit in stillness and to settle the mind into a quiet state of awareness. This can be quite a process, this stilling.Continue reading “You can choose.”
How NOT to give the Stink Eye
Here’s a story for ya . . . I was starting to write a little something for my newsletter – a piece about heart practices for Heart Month. It was about how practicing attitudes like kindness, gratitude, joy, compassion, etc., is good for your overall health and especially your heart health. I put the writing on the back burnerContinue reading “How NOT to give the Stink Eye”
Rapid Restoration – Napping 101
You may think napping is just sleeping. But there’s so much more to this afternoon rest! According to Arianna Huffington, in her book, The Sleep Revolution, research shows that napping boosts your learning power and lowers your blood pressure. Huffington also reports that older adults who take a thirty-minute nap and engage in moderate exerciseContinue reading “Rapid Restoration – Napping 101”
Your Home Yoga Practice
Think of your home yoga practice as basic self-care. Self-care is taking care of yourself physically, emotionally and mentally. As well as attending to the body, mind, and emotions, regular yoga practice creates a container for developing interoception – your ability to hear your body’s signals, messages and intuitions. Remember that yoga means the unionContinue reading “Your Home Yoga Practice”
Michelle Stortz 