Mindfulness

Mindfulness is one of the recommended mind-body approaches for managing chronic pain. There are some good studies suggesting significant benefit of of practicing mindfulness after just a few weeks. But what is it? I struggled recently to write a clear description. Those who think of mindfulness as a religious/spiritual concept, are missing some important and […]

You Are Not Your Pain– Book Review

This is a wonderful book if you would like to learn to approach your pain with mindfulness. This 8-week program step by step teaches you to use mindfulness to relieve pain, reduce stress, and restore well-being. ” Every Moment Is a New Chance”, the title of the first chapter is a hope-filled reminder that we can […]

A Rainbow Under My Feet

A week ago I discovered that I can not only create a rainbow when I take a shower in our outdoor shower, but I can make it pass right under my feet. I’ve hardly used my indoor shower all year (with year-round mild temperatures), but this was a new experience. With the sun just so, […]

Holiday de-stress

Let Be, Let Go, Let In –Three Steps to Meet Holiday Stress   This article was originally published in the ISIS Scrolls in December 2010. Are you approaching this holiday season with mixed feelings? Do you worry about balancing obligations and expectations with enjoying time with family and friends? Are you overworked and feeling stressed? If […]

Stop for Beauty

What stops you during your day to take a few breaths, and really look, or hear or smell something? For me it’s been yellow roses lately, beckoning to me right before I walk down the stairs. How often do you allow yourself to just stop when you notice something beautiful, or delicious, or touching? My […]

Mindfulness– Neurosculpting

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, […]

Meeting daily life

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

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. […]

Everything changes

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 […]

Kids love these…

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 […]