Having done a bit of driving lately, and adjusting to my husband’s “new” car, I was reminded to write about a favorite topic: getting comfortable and preventing pain while driving. My main premise: no matter how fancy the seats, they were probably not designed for you. I invite you to bring in additional props to […]
Pacing- a guest post
September 6, 2014 by
Here is an excellent article by fellow chronic pain blogger at The Princess in the Tower. It is such an important topic and gave me new ways to think about pacing. Please continue reading the even more important second part on her website, and check out her Facebook page. She offers information about chronic pain […]
Mindfulness– Neurosculpting
August 3, 2014 by
If you wonder why I continue to write about mindfulness, relaxation, breath and so on, take a look at the popular media and you will find weekly new studies and articles pointing to how helpful these can be. It sounds pretty complicated when scientists talk about the brain and their findings how the brain works, […]
Keep Dancing
July 18, 2014 by
It is summer. Time to be active outdoors, swim, garden and walk. There are also opportunities at farmers markets and other events to dance. Older folks like this gentleman are such an inspiration to me, I plan to still be dancing at that age. So please enjoy this video and keep moving. If you feel […]
Celebrating summer- a video
July 5, 2014 by
May you enjoy these flowers coming into full bloom. Take a few more moments to watch and allow your body to resonate with this opening to light. What is blooming near your home right now? Photo: Kerima Furniss, “From my garden”
Meeting daily life
June 17, 2014 by
I like to listen to talks by Tara Brach, meditation teacher and psychotherapist. When the weather allows I do the weeding in my flower garden. This last talk touched on so many experiences and skills that I highly recommend listening to it. If you are working with meditation, or mindfulness, or meeting daily life with […]
Bouncing Back- Book Review
June 3, 2014 by
Rewiring your brain for maximum resilience and well-being by Linda Graham. This is a hefty book at 430 pages with both practical tips, some very simple and easy to follow, and the background science for those of us who want to understand the details. Some of the techniques could make a difference in just minutes. […]
Be a rainbow…
June 1, 2014 by
…in somebody else’s cloud. The inspiration for yoga class last Friday was this phrase by Maya Angelou, who had just died. It was a reminder to go looking for the rainbow on “grey days”, but also that we can add color to someone else’s day through a simple action, perhaps just even a smile, not […]
Deep rest in yoga
May 12, 2014 by
Recently I had my first great experience with restorative yoga. I had always come away stiff and sore in my ribs and back when I tried restorative, but not this time- under the expert guidance of Sarahjoy Marsh from Portland. Her emphasis was on calming the nervous system and moving us into the parasympathetic rest […]
A break from your pain
April 14, 2014 by
Not all chronic pain is unrelenting 24/7, even if it often feels that way. For many of us who qualify for a CP diagnosis, there are periods of having little or no pain. If you feel that does not apply to you, please hold an open mind that it may in fact be a possibility. […]
Everything changes
March 24, 2014 by
Wow, this is my favorite photo of last year– and I have been waiting for the right topic to use it. Do you love and hate change? Opportunity knocks and we are terrified or exhilarated, like these baby ducks on leaving the nest. My dog waits patiently in her little round bed until I get […]
Yes you can– dance with pain
March 16, 2014 by
Here are four ways to move and dance even with pain and limited ability: I promised I would not give you the standard 4 ways to… but you will find these are not standard. This kind of movement invites you to tune into your body and experiment. That takes some getting used to for most […]
Yoga for Pain Relief– Book review
March 4, 2014 by
This excellent book was written by Kelly McGonical, a professor at Stanford University, who has chronic pain herself. If you think yoga cannot be for you, then this is a good book to start with. It introduces you to the mind-body benefits and practices of yoga–what yoga really is about–not just physical poses, but there […]
Kids love these…
February 28, 2014 by
Finding the time and energy for meditation, yoga, imagery and some of the other ideas I suggest, may sound completely overwhelming if you are a parent. But what if you did these self-care techniques with your children? What if you could lower your stress level and your pain by sharing some of these activities with […]