Blog
February: Love Yourself First
After the beautiful chaos of the holidays, the bright and shiny New Year’s celebration (including all its expectations) and the recent unexpected frigid temperatures, I find myself in February, confronting some Winter Blues. But, as “they” say, “it’s all curriculum” and is turning into nuggets of wisdom that remind…
Pumpkins, Turkeys and Giving Oh My! Managing Holiday Stress
As the weather gets cooler, my mind tends to race ahead to all the obligatory holiday expectations that are just around the corner. Then I tell myself, “I am committed to a mindfulness meditation practice. Don’t go there, stay here to reduce stress!” That is all well and good,…
The Best of Intentions…Spiritually Speaking
My Experience with Meditation for Self-Discovery For many years, I was happy to meditate the way I had been taught: deep breathing followed by fifteen minutes of letting my thoughts come and go, morning and evening. (Note: Sometimes I skipped because life happened and sometimes I skipped quite deliberately;…
How to Overcome the Stress that all Mothers Know
“I came to get the rest of my stuff,” announced my daughter as she walked in the door on a visit from Nashville where she has been living for the last six months.
How to Manage Stress? It’s All About Perspective
Easter and Passover have come and gone, but do you know about the many other holidays in April? Aside from National Cheeseball Day on the 17th and Look Alike Day on the 20th (dress like the person you admire; I pick Prince!!), April 16th happened to be National Stress…
Get Rid of Stress, Improve Productivity
I don’t know too many people who enthusiastically declare, “I just LOVE every single part of my job!” More often I hear comments like “I enjoy my work most of the time, but I wish I didn’t have to (x,y,z) as part of it.” For many people, the “x,y,z”…
Reduce Your Stress, Improve Your Love Life
“My love life would totally improve if S/HE would just ______ (fill in the blank).” Listen to me? Show some emotion? Not complain about 24/7 sports on the tube? Stop leaving used dental floss on the coffee table?? Although I acknowledged I played a role in our imperfect relationship,…
Happy Holidaze
“I should be basking in gratitude for my family and friends during this holiday season. I should feel the joy of the loftier things in life.” That’s what my rational mind tells me but right now I’m at the mall and I’m eyeing the other frantic shoppers, hoping they…
UNC Charlotte’s Laughter Yoga Workshop Helps Students Relax
(reprinted from Charlotte Observer) By Lisa Thornton Ranjit Deora, a laughter yoga instructor, teaches students at UNC Charlotte ways to use laughter as a means to de-stress. Ranjit Deora scanned each face in the circle of a dozen people in front of him, set his sights on one and…
Starting Over… the Abyss, Just Jump
You’re either going to fly with angel wings or land on human feet. I used to think 1+1=2 was the simplest thing in the world. Not so, my dear friend. I learned today that the simplest thing is so simple no one ever gets it or ever really does…
How to Live Mindfully
Mindful living is an ancient practice which is very relevant for life today. Mindfulness is a very simple concept. Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. This presence increases awareness and clarity; it frees us from the anxiety and worry…
Ayurveda: Empowering you to Better Health
Empowering you to better health Ayurveda – The Science of Life is one of the oldest systems of natural health care, originating in India over 5,000 years ago. Today, it is considered one of the leading forms of holistic medicine available in the West and it is certainly one…
Reduce Stress with Laughter Yoga
Reprinted from: Charlotte Observer It turns out that snickers, giggles, grins and belly laughs might just be more productive sounds than “ohm” when practicing yoga. Usually yoga is a quiet practice of peaceful stretching that’s supposed to make you feel great. But imagine yoga with a hysterical and healthy…
Sleep Soundly: A Secret to Restful Sleep
If you aren’t getting enough sleep each night, there is a good chance that the lack of sleep is negatively affecting your performance. Losing as little as 1 1/2 hours of sleep can reduce your alertness by 1/3 the following day and it can even lead to anxiety and…
Help Your Child Excel
What causes some children to thrive on learning while others struggle? Foods lacking in intelligence disturbs the intellect and mind, and it disrupts the intellectual rhythm. When children are eating unintelligent food, they are not nourishing the mind with minerals, vitamins, and other aspects of nature’s intelligence, another cause…
Mindfulness Helps Financial Anxiety
How to Survive Tough Economic Times and Manage Your Anxiety Housing market is in a slump, stock prices falling, food prices rising, and government bailouts of banks making the news each week, it’s no surprise that many people are feeling anxious about the economy and their financial well being….
Enlightened Living and Higher Consciousness
Karma means action and reaction, cause and effect, the cycle of action and its consequences. Actions can be divided into two broad groups: those with a selfless motive, which are rare, and those with selfish motivation, which are common. Selfish actions can result in joy or pain, or a mixture…
Downsize Your Work Stress
Where there’s work, there’s stress.
Deadlines, meetings on top of meetings, difficult boss, unpleasant coworkers, they all can put a little stress in your life. Try incorporating these changes into your day to help remedy work stress…
MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
It’s been 15 years since I began practicing mindfulness meditation and I daresay I have learned a thing or two about how I can actively support my mental health. After dabbling in this ‘n that along the way, I have discovered my best self on a daily basis by implementing these foundational “tricks”.