anxiety

Life is continuously unfolding before us. Many of us try very hard to direct the course of life’s trajectory, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, no matter how much we try to control, direct and predict where life will take us we can never fully know the future. In fact, the only thing we can count on is that life will definitely present us with unexpected twists and turns; why not learn to embrace the unexpected changes and find comfort in the unknowable future?

One of my yoga teachers says we don’t notice the breath until we’re out of it.

By the time I started a yoga teacher training in 2011, I was out of it, both figuratively and literally: my breath was labored, shallow, strained. I was a first-year 4^th grade teacher, and my heart was always racing, whether I was standing in front of my classroom, lying in bed, or brushing my teeth. I was clearly overwhelmed, my body was rebelling, and I couldn’t find the off switch. I was sure my short, panicky breaths were announcing my anxiety to the world.

Happiness is healthiness!! This statement speaks volumes of truth in so many aspects. We often forget that we have more than just physical health; what about the mental and emotional health? When you truly discover how the three all affect you and how they rely on one another you can begin to truly heal. Our emotions and stresses can cause us to become ill. A lot of people struggle with depression and are placed on medication, but I’m sorry to say there is no such thing as a happy pill. So what is there to do about it?

We have all experienced not being able to sleep, whether it is due to insomnia, nightmares, stress, or an overactive mind. There are several types of teas to help you drift off to sleep. In this episode, we will go over 4 of my favorite sleepy time tea recipes.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile is a mild tranquilizer and sleep inducer.

Power struggles seem to be more and more common as the number of individuals “taking back their power” increases. Where perhaps men, corporations, religious figures, medical practitioners and “anyone in a position of authority” used to automatically assume the upper hand in both conversation and assumed appropriate action, these days individuals are learning how to manage their own lives. Yogic breathing is the perfect tool to use when looking at how to alleviate the potentially harmful affects of power-struggles in any relationship situation, be it work, intimate or otherwise.

According to the philosophy of Ayurveda, anxiety is the manifestation of an imbalance in the body that originates in the mind, causing psychological changes similar to the body’s inherent response to stress. The core belief is that the body has an inherent wisdom and is able to  return the body, mind and spirit to a healthy, balanced state. It is truly amazing when we think about how immensely resilient our bodies are, despite the difficulties we often tend to impose upon them.

4-7-8 breathing is the kegel of mindfulness cultivation. You can do it quickly, any time, anywhere, with great results, and without anyone even noticing (okay, unless you’re in the middle of a conversation and decide to practice deep breathing—you got me there). As an added bonus, its practice isn’t limited to beings of the female variety. In fact, it’s not limited to anyone at all. You don’t have to be female, crunchy, green, hip, square, a yogi, a hippie, or an MD. You just have to breathe.

As simple as this sounds, letting go of pain is not always easy! There can be hidden aspects of pain that provide our ego with a pay-off, making it quite difficult to see our pain gone. In self-healing, the questioning of our ego’s investment in the symptom of our suffering is a vital modality and can often provide a pivotal shift in our healing process.

The World Health Organization estimates that stress costs companies at least $300 billion a year through absenteeism, turnover and decreased productivity. Some studies have even called stress a national epidemic. As such, more people than ever are making meditation a part of their weekly or even daily routine. Businesses are starting to see its impact on work culture, as employee wellbeing can enhance productivity in the workplace.

Yoga Nidra is one of the most powerful practices for self-healing.  Only recently has the Western World discovered its transformative medicine. Today, this Ancient Yogic technique of relaxation is used to remedy suffering across the board: from anxiety, stress and PTSD to insomnia and cancer – these are just a fraction of the conditions healed.  So what is Yoga Nidra?