Marcia's Musings: The Long Goodbye (Kiss)
/In 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 MoreGrounding: What is it and how can it help me?
/In yoga and meditation classes, we’re often asked to have the intention of grounding or are cued to ground ourselves. Most of us, correctly, hear those as an invitation to connect more deeply to the earth. What exactly does that mean?
Read MoreSomatics: The Art of Aging with Awareness of Self
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Somatics 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 MoreMarcia's Musings: The Gift of Giving Your Full Attention
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All 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 MoreMarcia’s Musings: My Heart. My Life’s Companion.
/There 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 MoreKumbhaka: The Power of the Pause
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There 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 MoreMarcia's Musings: The Importance of Being Sweaty
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Sweating often communicates the state of our emotional well-being. How many times has a friend, partner, child, spouse said to you, “I broke out into a cold sweat”? How many times have you experienced the cold sweats yourself?
Read MoreRefreshing Summertime Fruit Soups
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Eating with the seasons is a simple way to eat healthier and nurture Mother Nature. Strawberry season is in full swing and blueberries aren't far behind. These refreshing fruit soup recipes are easy to make and can easily be modified to use whatever fruits are fresh and available.
Read MoreAnd Just Like That: How I Found Myself
/The 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….
Read MoreA Simple Breath
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https://www.greenlotusyogactr.com/training-yoga-school/kids-yoga-teacher-training
Read MoreCare for the Caregiver
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With each passing week, I meet another caregiver caught like me in the “sandwich generation”, people simultaneously taking care of their children and their aging parents. We are stressed doing our very best to support all involved – emotionally, financially, mentally, and physically….
Read MoreSpicy Ginger Sauerkraut
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Fermenting foods is easy, fun, and affordable. The options are endless. Full disclosure: I am definitely not an expert; I am more of a fermentation beginner. This recipe is the first one I tried and should give you an idea of what is involved, how easy the process is, and if you might be interested…
Read MoreBa Bao Zhou (Eight Treasure Congee)
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Ba Bao Zhou (Eight Treasure Congee) is a nutritious and delicious warm porridge to enjoy during colder months. This dish is high in protein and fiber to give you energy and stimulate digestion ….
Read MoreWhat Happened to You? A Book Review
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In the introduction to one chapter, Oprah reminds readers (or listeners) that babies come into this world whole and complete. When they begin life without feeling safe, deeply grounded, and rooted into community and culture, however, the effects can be felt throughout their lives….
Read MoreCome to Your Senses
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Much as we take in food, water, and oxygen, we also take in sights, sounds, and other sensory information as well as subtle energies and impressions from our environment. Our senses “feed” our minds and spirits, much like food feeds our bodies. If we are to truly cleanse, we must bring attention to what we feed our minds and spirits.
Read MoreThe Fantastic Flexible (and Warming) Practice of Yoga
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One of the many reasons a yoga practice supports physical well-being is because asana and pranayama build internal heat in nearly every kind of class that includes movement….
Read MoreAyurvedic Tip: Oil Pulling
/According to Ayurveda health-care philosophy, oil pulling draws out toxins in your body to improve oral health specifically and to improve your overall health.
Read MoreAyurvedic Self Massage: Abhyanga
/Abhyanga is the Ayurvedic practice of self-massage, which can nourish and cleanse our external body just as we cleanse and nourish internally with clean foods and new eating habits.
Read MoreThe Comfort of the Continuum
/What are beginnings and endings? Are there beginnings and endings? What is consciousness? What is its relationship to time? Is time real?
Read MoreBecoming & Unbecoming Through Love
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As we dive deeper into the practice of yoga and start to investigate the philosophies that inform our practice, questions like “Who am I?” emerge. Perhaps who I thought I was isn’t so clear anymore. Perhaps I am letting go of attachments and identifications, and I’m starting to feel differently now. Perhaps as my mind got quieter, I started to see more clearly. Who am I unbecoming?
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