Here is a simple practice to reduce stress, when traveling or when you are home: 1. Begin with a few minutes of Energization exercises, stretching or yoga postures. 2. Sit quietly in Meditation and visualize how you want to feel in your daily life. Really notice the sensations, the energy in your body when you are feeling calm, relaxed and healthy. 3. Ask yourself – What do I need to STOP doing to feel better? What am I saying NO to? And write that down. 4. What do you need to START doing to feel better? What are you saying YES to? And write that down as well. 5. Choose one action you can take this week and commit: ________________________________________ 6. Resistance to change is a nature part of the process of … continue reading
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Can’t Quiet Your Mind?
First of all, may I say, that I practice all of the techniques and practices that I teach. I’m not just regurgitating something I read in a book or on-line. I began to study Meditation in the early 80’s and, for many years, didn’t really have a daily spiritual practice. Then in the late 90’s I trained at The Expanding Light as an Ananda Yoga & Meditation instructor and really began to practice and understand the benefits of daily practice. Routine, environment, energization exercises, yoga postures, breathing practices, mantra and progressive relaxation are all methods to quiet the mind and body and prepare for meditation. If you are struggling with settling down to meditate, finding the time to meditate or quieting your mind when you … continue reading
When You Don’t Know What To Say When Tapping…
Are You New To Tapping? I know it seems crazy, however this simple, effective acupressure self-healing technique will help you with you in so many ways – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Begin with the Basic Recipe to acknowledge and release whatever is bothering you right now – physical pain, stress, anxiety or worry. Gently tapping on the side of both hands: “Even though I have this pain (be specific), I love and accept myself, just as I am.” “Even though I have this persistent pain in my back, and part of me is holding on, for whatever reason, conscious or unconscious, I choose to relax and open to the healing, with love and acceptance.” While tapping around on the 10 body points: “This pain *** … continue reading
Tapping To Relieve Cravings
Do you crave sugar, cookies, chocolate, chips or other foods that may not be the most nutritious or wise choices? Me too! I’m in the early stages of getting off sugar. Ahhhh… You may have noticed that it’s in everything! I feel so much better when I don’t consume sugar. Less joint pain, more energy, better digestion and improved sleep. So here is a Tapping Practice to help us all relieve the cravings. Settle yourself down. Take a few deep cleansing breaths. Close your eyes and check in with your body and your emotions. What are you feeling when you crave these foods? You may choose to tap on the cravings (symptoms), on the emotions (feelings) or even on the physical sensations. Here’s an example: … continue reading
Energizing Your Daily Practice
I learned these wonderful energization exercises at The Expanding Light at Ananda in Nevada City, California (www.expandinglight.org) when I attended a month long Yoga Teacher Training in 1998 and I have returned for personal retreat each year. We include a few of these exercises as preparation for meditation each week in our Monday classes at Synergy. This week let’s explore them more deeply as motivation for including them in daily practice. I will be returning to the EL January 13 – 16 to attend a Meditation retreat with one of my beloved teachers, Gyandev McCord. Here’s the link for more information: https://www.expandinglight.org/program/?programID=PRANA https://www.expandinglight.org/program/?programID=PRANA Paramhansa Yogananda, the well known yoga master, created the Energization Exercises as a scientific and systematic method for increasing … continue reading
Releasing 2016 – Your Best Year Ever in 2017
Happy New Year! I hope that your holidays were warm and wonderful and that you enjoyed some time of rest, play and connection with loved ones. January is a wonderful time to reflect on the past year and to set intentions for the new year. How will you create your best year ever? I am a big believer in the power of intention. I recently read that those of us who write down our intentions are at least 50% more likely to receive what we desire. Wow! That’s very encouraging. In January I love to return to the VISIONING practice that invites us to meditate and create a vision for our lives that includes asking the following questions: What is the VISION for my life? … continue reading
For Pain Relief – You Might Ask Yourself- What Am I Avoiding?
If you, like me, live with chronic pain, you might want to ask yourself – what am I avoiding? Is there someone you are avoiding seeing or speaking to? Are you putting off an important health care appointment? Where in your life are you procrastinating? Are you pushing yourself and avoiding rest? What is the last thing you are willing to pay attention to? OK, confession time. As I sit here at my desk, gazing out at the humming birds zipping in and out of my garden this morning, I am looking at the piles all around me on my desk and, once again, putting off (procrastinating!) doing my filing and organizing. Ahhhhh… I know that the stuff is taking up space in my consciousness. … continue reading
Feeling Angst?
“In this video, I’m going to show you how to use Tapping to access the deepest parts of your brain that have been limiting and sabotaging your success. I’ll also show you how you can access your brain in ways you’ve never been able to before, finding more creativity, more energy, more productivity, more of the REAL you in every way! All those things that have been holding you back before today, all those limiting patterns, that self doubt, those unconscious childhood traumas and overwhelming emotions… those aren’t the real you! They’re just old programming that has held you back from becoming the full expression of who you really are.” Nick Ortner This week I am moved to share with you a … continue reading
Calming Down the Fight or Flight (or Flee) Response
This week I thought we might practice calming down the stress in our lives. There is plenty of scary stuff happening in our world and maybe not enough reminders to slow down, breathe deeply, move mindfully and ask for support. Ahhhh… Causes of Stress The flight or fight response in the body is an automatic function designed to help us survive when we are in danger. When every day experiences keep firing the stress response our immune system is impacted, which can lead to fatigue, insomnia, depression and illness. I believe that we always have a choice about how we respond to life. As we move into the fall and winter months, give yourself permission to slow down, nurture … continue reading
Restful Sleep & Sweet Dreams
Are you having trouble sleeping sufficiently? Is lack of sleep effecting your quality of life? Does grumpiness get in the way of your JOY? I hear you! So many of my clients express their difficulty with sleep – either getting to sleep or getting to sleep and then waking up and not being able to get back to sleep. Ahhhhh… Here are several suggestions to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep – leading to peaceful rest and sweet dreams. 1. Turn Off the TV – To improve your sleep, you might consider improving your sleep environment. Clear your bedroom of your TV or other distractions, including computers, work materials, and any noises and bright lights. Research also suggests that TVs and computers generate electromagnetic … continue reading