Do you control your breath or does it control you? The answer is: both. Breath is a unique biological function in that it occurs involuntarily, but can be manipulated through conscious effort. As part of my decade-long pursuit of greater peace of mind, I have engaged in mindfulness meditation exercises focusing on the breath. This … Continue reading The Secret to Peace of Mind: The Breath
Tag: mental health
Taking Accountability for Your Stress
You know how they say people can't drive us crazy if we don't give them the keys? Or how the only thing we can control in life is our response? Well, I've been thinking about this for a long time—more than a decade in fact—and while I understand this on a rational level, it hasn't … Continue reading Taking Accountability for Your Stress
Channeling Suffering Into Creativity
I read an insightful blog post on turning suffering into creativity by Dr. Eric Perry. I find I resonate and learn from many of his posts. The link to this particular blog post is here. I wrote the following in a comment to this blog post: "I have gone through suffering and have also come … Continue reading Channeling Suffering Into Creativity
Stress Management Tips
Stress needs to be managed moment to moment, as well as daily, so it doesn't build up to the point of lashing out. Practicing healthy coping mechanisms for stress throughout the day (e.g. breathing, light stretching, positive affirmations) helps diffuse the stress so it doesn't build up. Doing a mindfulness practice for a few minutes … Continue reading Stress Management Tips
Lessons of Myopia
Often when I do yoga while the kiddoes are napping in the preschool room, I have the following thought: G-d gave me nearsighted vision to remind me NOT to care if others are watching. I can't tell: When I remove my glasses, everyone more than 5-10 feet away looks like a blur to me. The … Continue reading Lessons of Myopia
Sleep Promotes Inner Peace
Yesterday I blogged about my past two weeks of poor sleep. It's kind of a cycle: poor sleep leads to heightened anxiety which leads to poor sleep, etc. I was relieved when I woke up this morning that I felt refreshed. I had not woken up in the middle of the night as in previous … Continue reading Sleep Promotes Inner Peace
Yoga: Strengthening the Rational Brain
Soon after one of my yoga sessions, I had a difficult conversation at work. Doing the yoga prior helped me feel more centered during this. I was firm, but not reactive. I was assertive and communicated my needs without becoming overly emotional.
The Art of Non-Doing
At the end of my yoga sessions as I lie in savasana, I let go of the tension in all parts of my body and think, "Remember, things can happen WITHOUT you using so much force." I strive to incorporate more non-doing into my life. Obviously, we have to put in our share of effort, … Continue reading The Art of Non-Doing
Yoga: The Heart Center
As I finished my yoga session one morning, I pressed my palms together in prayer position at my heart and thought about the recent times that I had felt affronted. My heart was still harboring some of the hurt.. I realized that I had never given a moment to acknowledge the pain and pressure that … Continue reading Yoga: The Heart Center
New Home, New Beginning
Moving into a new home gives one an opportunity to make changes. A few changes I have made are putting the TV to the side of the den instead of in the center—to make it dominate the room less. Another change is putting much fewer objects on top of our dresser in our bedroom. This … Continue reading New Home, New Beginning
