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, […]

Water is therapeutic

Do you swim? Spend time in or by the water? I have long felt that being near running water and hearing its sounds for several hours at a time can be deeply nourishing. That could be a tiny creek that runs over a few boulders- I am told there need to be air bubbles to […]

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 […]

Breathing to relax

This week I have received several prompts about the importance of breathing for stress relief. My yoga teacher takes time at the beginning of class to allow us to lie down, settle and breathe. The goal is to lengthen the out-breath, which calms the body (a scientific fact). What I like about her approach is […]

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, […]

Deep rest in yoga

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 […]

Yes you can– dance with pain

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 […]

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 […]

Fake it ’till you make it

What nine months does for the embryo Forty early mornings Will do for your growing awareness Jelaluddin Rumi This post is about my meditation practice and is clearly not written for the practiced meditator. One year ago I participated in the meditations offered by  The Winterfeast for the Soul (the above quote is their motto, as […]