Mind-Body Practices
Fingertip Focus for Rapid Calm
One of my favorite practices for rapid calming and centering involves bringing attention to the fingertips. This single-pointed focus turns a simple shift of attention into a meditation that can be done anywhere, anytime, in less than five minutes. The practice involves turning the palms face up, resting full attention on the fingertips, and noticing…
Read MoreForgiveness Is Good For Your Health
I recently suggested a prescription for forgiveness to address a patient’s recurring insomnia. Why? Because holding a grudge causes stress and chronic stress is the foundation for many chronic disorders, including insomnia. Conversely, forgiveness is “the feeling of peace that emerges as you take your hurt less personally and become a hero instead of a…
Read MoreFeel Peace and Balance with PMR
Progressive muscle relaxation, or “PMR” is a fun and simple practice of opposites: tensing and then relaxing the muscles, helping achieve a state of harmony and balance. Muscles can be tensed individually, in groups, or even in succession to achieve full-body tension followed by full-body relaxation. Try a mini version now: tense your biceps while…
Read MoreMove Negative Emotions Out of Your Mind and Body with EFT
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – more commonly known as “Tapping” – is a simple and quick practice that improves anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD, and burnout. By allowing you to release negative emotions, EFT helps you move forward. In EFT, you tap your fingers on 9 acupuncture points in succession while you repeat an affirmation and…
Read MoreBuddha’s Triangle Acupressure Helps Anxiety and Stress
I fell in love with the Buddha’s Triangle treatment over 10 years ago when I heard the name and received the treatment of 3 needles covering the triangle from my inner wrist bones to the first third of my forearm. Since then, I have used the Buddha’s triangle in patient treatments and many now request…
Read MoreYoga Nidra Helps Anxiety, Insomnia, Migraines and More!
I have been learning and practicing yoga nidra rather intensely for the past few months. Over that time, my sleep and stress levels have improved significantly. While I can’t say for sure that yoga nidra was responsible for all of these changes, the research actually supports these findings! Some days I practice for 15 minutes…
Read MoreUsing your ears to calm your nerves
When was the last time you relied on your sense of hearing to interpret the world around you? Close your eyes and listen. Just listen. Notice what you hear. Notice how you feel just listening. What we hear impacts our mood. In fact, recent research has found that the sounds in our environment have a…
Read MoreThe Physiological Sigh: A Small and Slow Solution for Anxiety
Indigenous people worldwide have known the value of using slow and small solutions, Permaculture Principle 9, to live in harmony with Mother Earth. The physiological sigh, which decreases anxiety and heart rate, is one example of a slow and small solution for maintaining health and well-being. We explore this simple but powerful practice as well…
Read MoreWhat do Mindful Digestion and Heart-Focused Breathing Have in Common?
Mindful digestion and heart focused breathing are practices that speak to permaculture principle four: apply self-regulation and accept feedback. These principles evolved from indigenous peoples’ methods to regenerate the earth. Principle four involves pausing before acting and using feedback to maintain balance. For both human beings and planet earth, accepting and processing feedback is critical…
Read MoreObserve and Interact: Applying Permaculture Principle One to Self-Care
Permaculture Principles are derived from indigenous Peoples’ harmonious relationship with the earth and Mother Nature. Principle one advises us to observe and interact with the land around us for an entire year – all 4 seasons – before taking any action. And when we do act, we only take actions that are mutually beneficial to…
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