We all know what it feels like to be a hot mess. I’ve been there, you’ve been there. Sometimes we know how we got there and many times we end up there and wonder what the @#&$ happened?? How do we get from a hot mess to a triad of mindful focus?
Read MoreI want to be as truthful with you as I am able. Acknowledging my anger, exploring its roots, and deciding where and when to act feels good…
Read MoreI’m happy. Right now, I can’t believe how often I am happy. The best news? I no longer wonder how long this joy will last or how to extend it. I’ve come to see that when I’m happy, I can just be in that happy place for however long it lasts.
Read MoreThe lingering effects of this concussion force the Energizer Bunny to slow down and remind me of my True Self which aways craved quiet and stillness. I nap, listen to books, and more deeply embrace internal practices that support my healing.
Read MoreOf all the paired human emotions, love and loss cause the most challenge for me. As an only child raised and nurtured in the embrace of two warm and closely knit families, I dreaded the passage of time with its inevitable march toward separation caused by death….
Read MoreAs I really began to look around me, I became acutely aware that this moment was a gift. Its value would not be determined by the number of Facebook ‘Likes’ or the fact that I shared a photo with a friend across the country. This moment needed no outside validation. Nor did I, despite my habitual need to somehow capture it all and offer it up for public consumption.
Read MoreWhen I am in a mindful place, I feel free to witness my thoughts by labeling them as simply a type of thought (i.e., future, past, fear-based), and release them, connecting back to my breath and body. This practice of being in the moment allows me to distinguish between what’s true in that moment and the stories that sweep me away for minutes on end.
Read MoreTrusting your heart demands not only deep listening but also deep feeling. You cannot think your way to discovering your heart’s deepest longing. You must hear and feel it and then give it voice, clearly and compassionately….
Read MoreWhether we share our family recipes, our own creations, riffs on classics, or recipes informed by traditional medicine, our hope is that our recipes and food stories provide nourishment of both body and soul. They are sent with love and warm wishes.
This holiday season we’re sharing some of the “golden-oldie” favorites…
Read MoreI started to examine how the repetitive, mundane tasks of life – whether working on the farm with all it entailed or, later, attending to my own home with its demands for care and payments – felt in my body. The more I focused on the chore, the more aware I became of the emotions and sensations emerging.
Read MoreDuring this time of year, when we are reminded to pause and feel gratitude for our good fortunes and blessings, I realize that “thanksgiving” has not been an annual event for me in a very long time. The practice of yoga, mindfulness, and healing brings gratitude front and center – a daily pause kindled by the observation of life’s victories, no matter how small.
Read MoreThe yoga Vedic teaching to speak the sweet truth – Satyaṃ brūyāt priyaṃ brūyāt in Sanskrit – invites us to use exquisite subtlety in communicating the truth which virtually demands that we pause before speaking. The teaching goes on:
Read MoreFloating when depleted proves to be a strong Rx, a natural one, too. You don’t need to be on an ocean- or river-bound ship to do it, either. Floating, I’ve come to realize, comes in many versions and leads to a more- restive state of mind…
Read MoreOur world is constantly evolving, and part of that evolution is that now, more humans are expressing their true nature. New words are coming into use to describe the beautiful varieties of humans and human relationships like cis, cisgender, trans, gender binary, poly, genderfluid, ENM (ethical non-monogamy), to name a few. For some, these new words are a source of discomfort, confusion, or even prejudice. All of these words, however, simply describe our fellow humans. And every human is worthy of ahimsa - acknowledgment, respect, compassion, and love.
Read MoreIn her cheerful, quiet room, I sit as close to her hospital bed as possible, my hand on her bony shoulder, and turn my full attention to her. Even as she sleeps, I resist the phone….
Read MoreSomatics uses gentle movement patterns to shift the central nervous system and create new muscular habits. These movements are performed with conscious awareness and focus on the internal experience of the movement. Somatics can help reset natural movement patterns.
Read MoreAll day long, I’d roamed the combative realm of divided attention: sneaking in an answer to a text or two while in Zoom meetings; answering phone calls from colleagues and friends while writing emails or editing articles, and cramming some non-descript food into my hungry body while reading business documents. I felt depleted and alienated. Split attention takes a toll on us as we now well know, giving lie to decades of training people how to multi-task.
Read MoreThere comes the time when we take deep stock of our lives. If we’re living a life grounded in the present and in the body, we will have taken stock frequently throughout the entire arc of our lives. What does it mean to take deep stock? When do we know it’s time to do so? How do we do it?
Read MoreThere are many parts to breathing. However, on a day-to-day, moment- to-moment basis, we connect most simply and understandably with our inhalation and exhalation. It happens naturally. We breathe in and out, all day and all night long. Yet, have you ever wondered what you might find if you were to pause….
Read MoreThe feeling of happiness moved throughout my body like liquid gold, starting at my heart center. I understood what happiness feels like for me. Because I stayed present the thought was no longer just a thought – it morphed into a physical sensation….
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