How Do You Meditate?
Clay Hamilton interviews Lisa West, a yoga and meditation teacher and physical therapist with a particular interest in the relationship between the mind, body and pain.
Self-Care for Care-Givers
People who take on the responsibility of caring for children, elderly, sick or disabled people, and those who have careers in care-giving professions like health care tend to give more than they take in on the best of days.
Down-Regulate Your Nervous System: 5 Things You Can Do Right Now for Relief
“Down-regulation” occurs when we are able to take ourselves out of a stress response (often called fight-flight or freeze) and move into a more calm and peaceful place (sometimes referred to as rest-and-digest).
How A Sense of Safety Creates Mobility
Yoga asana appears to be, among other things, a seeking of more mobility, more freedom, more space in our bodies.
Chakras 101
The word “chakra” means “wheel” in Sanskrit. In the body, these wheels are vortex sites where energy is churned, and are thought to be powerful access points to connecting with universal energy.
Yoga is a Present Moment Practice
Yoga comes in many forms and expressions. Even the Bhagavad Gita defines yoga in many different ways throughout the text.
Tips to Help with Neck Strain
Anthropological evolution brought us from a semi-quadriped existence to one that allows us to be upright, freeing our arms to do all sorts of useful work in the world.
The Power of Forgiveness
A client the other day started talking about her 20-year struggle with rheumatoid arthritis. She discussed the multiple surgeries and lack of range of motion in her hands, her limited activities due to the severe inflammation in her knees, and the chronic daily pain. She followed up the story by saying, “Then I healed from it in 2008”.
The Kindness Cure: Facing the Shadow Within
The world has been shaken up collectively these past couple of years, more than it has before in most of our lifetimes.
The War Within: Dismantling Our Inner Hierarchy
Chaos and conflict are everywhere: Division, righteousness, what we deem right and wrong, the things we prefer and the things we abhor. We witness war and atrocities every time we tune into the news.
The Holy Practice of Joy
When you take on a spiritual practice of any sort, it's easy to quickly become very serious about it.
Stretching Your Limits Through Stability
When you are healing from a chronic illness, chronic anxiety or pain, settling the nervous system is key to healing.
The Supple Heart
The tenderness of these strong, yet so supple organs, the supportive and receptive relationship they share was a reminder of the miracle of who we are and how we are built to be.
Meeting Ourselves Through Asana
People use yoga as a tool for a lot of reasons. They want to increase flexibility, relax, get more fit, have fun, open up more spiritually…the list goes on.
Trauma, Empathy and Healthy Boundaries
Trauma is a violation of a boundary. The centered, solid, calm and autonomous part of you leaves with the part of you that had to escape in order to survive the traumatic event.
Finding Your Ground Through Yoga
A yoga asana practice can be used for many things. It challenges you sometimes and supports you at other times.