There's an old Zen proverb, "You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy. In that case, you should meditate for an hour a day." A similar sentiment applies to taking care of ourselves. When we're busy and overwhelmed and it feels like we don't have a single moment to take a deep breath, self care becomes even more important. For many folks, the pressure to be joyful or bring others joy during the holiday season can feel burdensome. When you're

Relaxing your jaw can be helpful for coping with stress, TMD, and migraines. Even if you aren't experiencing any of those right now, you may find that there's a surprising amount of tension in your jaw! Take just a minute or two to bring your attention to your breath and release tension in your jaw. #mindfulness #breath #stressrelief #relaxation #stress #littlehabits #meditation

How many times have you wanted to take action toward feeling better and said to yourself: "Yes, I want that! But I can't start right now. I'm too tired, busy, distracted, overwhelmed, ____. I'll start tomorrow, when it's easier." In my work, I hear about so many walking shoes not yet broken-in, bedtimes ignored, doctor's appointments put off, vacation days unused, calls to friends never dialed, relationship conflicts never resolved, novels unwritten, lunch breaks skipped,

I recently got sick traveling home from a great trip. I ended up with a weird combination of the flu, strep, and an ear infection, followed by a ruptured eardrum and laryngitis. I was so sick that all work and most other responsibilities, including those that had already backlogged while I was traveling, had to be put on hold. I’m grateful that I was able to get the support I needed and that I was able to ask for and receive help. There was a time when postponing meetings,

If there’s one thing you remember the next time you get on your mat to practice yoga (or lace up your running shoes or get on a machine at the gym), let it be this: If it hurts, change it. You are welcome to challenge yourself to your comfort level in class, but please don’t connect suffering through painful movement with yoga. You can find suffering in plenty of other areas of life! During our first yoga lesson together recently, a client told me, “squats always hurt my knee

I often hear from folks who want to try yoga but are convinced that they don't have the right gear or the right body or the right lifestyle for it. It's no wonder! When we think of yoga in the West, we often think of thin, bendy, white ladies wearing Lululemon, and practicing arm balances on $80 yoga mats in a yoga studio. It makes yoga seem very exclusive. There are lots of guides out there for the "essential" things you need to practice yoga, which are usually laundry li

As 2017 seems to rush to an end, I'm steadying myself in an intention that feels grounding when it seems like time is flying. (Because wow, wasn't it just Halloween?) This intention is also a solid first step to offering myself compassion when things get heavy and I'm teetering on the edge of overwhelmed. It's really simple. Take a breath and ask, "What am I willing to notice?" This question isn't meant to withdraw us from participating in the world, but to engage a lit

It’s hard to believe that holiday season is right around the corner! That happened fast, huh? You might be excited for really fun family time, a “friendsgiving,” or a relaxing break from work when you can finally catch up on Stranger Things. Or maybe holidays tend to bring with them a bit of stress. You may even be dreading some really hard stuff. Maybe you’re bracing for rough conversations with family or anticipating Aunt Susan railing on about her diet and giving you th

Something I hear a lot is "I know _____ (exercise, taking my medication, eating breakfast, going to bed on time, etc.) is such a small and easy thing. Everyone else is able to do it, but for some reason I just can't get my act together." I just wanted to send you a reminder today that 1) sometimes the "easy" stuff is actually really hard and takes a lot of energy and 2) you aren't alone if you feel that way. We don't like to look at the shadow side of the self care movement a

It’s ok to waver in your self care. Even if you know what a difference it makes and you're struggling without it. Even if you’ve learned your lesson about going to bed on time many times over and you’ve slipped back into old patterns of putting it off. Even if you’ve worked to have a friendlier relationship with your body and today you’re really vulnerable and only feel negative thoughts. Even if you spent months getting into the habit of getting yourself to a wee