Category Archives: Mind-body

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”

Breath-Centered Meditation

Using Your Breath as the Focus of Your Meditation Breath-centered meditation is one of the most common forms of meditation. In this sequence below, I point out aspects of the breath to pay attention to. Focusing on these subtle sensations will pull your attention inward and help to keep you from wandering off. Notice theContinue reading “Breath-Centered Meditation”

Slow down, you move too fast.

One of my yoga class participants recently said that she’s never still – she’s always busy doing something, gardening, cleaning, community projects, etc.. This is all great, but it left me thinking about our cultural programming around stillness and busyness. We’re taught to value constant productivity. It’s not okay to just be still. What IContinue reading “Slow down, you move too fast.”

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”

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?        “

Why I’m Grateful for My Problems

I’m grumbling about my challenges today: too many things to do, not enough time, not enough money, can’t make headway on my projects, gaining weight, menopause weirdness, sprained my ankle . . . but then I pause. I take a breath . . . I’m actually grateful for my problems. Yes, you read that right.Continue reading “Why I’m Grateful for My Problems”

For Those with Breathing Challenges

If your lungs have been compromised by treatment or other conditions, here are a few ways I can work with you to improve your ability to breathe. First, work with your diaphragm. Your diaphragm is your main breathing muscle and the first area I check. What you want to notice is whether your belly expandsContinue reading “For Those with Breathing Challenges”