Mind/Body

“It takes too long.”

“I don’t have any time for that.”

“Isn’t that for hippies and those people who do yoga?”

Yup, I used each of these excuses and more to avoid meditating. My mind would race to the point of exhaustion every day, yet I had convinced myself that I didn’t need to meditate. If this sounds anything like you, then these guided meditation apps are just what you need!

No, you don’t need to build a meditation room in your house and dedicate hours in your new floral pants to this practice. Dedicating as little as 10 minutes a day can truly have an impact on your mind. And you can even do some of these while on the go! That pretty much wiped out all my excuses.

Here’s 5 of the top guided meditation apps for the person who doesn’t (yet!) like to meditate.  Continue Reading

The ancient art of smudging involves burning sacred plants, most commonly sage, and allowing the smoke to clear, blessing the space and clearing the stagnant energy that is negatively impacting your life. It can be done upon moving into a new home or whenever you feel the effects of negative energy within your environment.

The goal of smudging is to clear your space- whether that be your body, your mind, your spirit or your physical surroundings- of any lingering, unwanted energy that may be there. This dormant negative energy can directly impact your mental and physical state, so it is important to address it.

Before getting started, it’s important to remember that this is an ancient spiritual ceremony, so you should treat it as such. Be sure to maintain a calm, clear mind during the ceremony. If you are comfortable, you can even offer an affirmation or a prayer as you go. Continue Reading

As parents, our one goal in life is to keep our kids happy and healthy. Unfortunately, it seems our little ones are feeling the effects of stress and anxiety at increasingly younger ages. One great way to combat the everyday stresses of life and to build your child’s inner strength and stability is through meditation.

I know what you’re thinking. “My kid sit still- and quiet?!- for more than 2 minutes? Yeah, right!” But integrating a meditation practice into your kids’ lives can be easier- and more fun- than you might think. There are lots of fun, creative ways to build both your child’s inner strength and awareness and your bond together as well.  Continue Reading

Have you ever tried reiki before? As people begin to more openly accept the mind/body connection when it comes to our health and welcome the once deemed “alternative therapies” into their lives, reiki is making a powerful resurgence after all these decades. We are even starting to see it in the more clinical settings.

It is becoming increasingly common to find alternative healing therapies, such as massage or reiki, being offered in hospitals these days. Patients are seeking care that goes beyond the “norm” of traditional health care practices. And, thankfully, it seems like many hospitals are listening. Continue Reading

Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as EFT or tapping, is a healing tool that combines the physical benefits of acupuncture with the psychological benefits of therapy. The idea behind EFT is that unresolved emotional issues are the underlying cause of your symptoms, whether they be of physical or psychological nature. EFT is used to clear these “emotional blockages” that are impeding your ability to heal or live to your fullest potential by bringing balance to your energy circuits.

The meridians, or energy circuits, that run throughout our bodies were discovered by the Chinese over 5,000 years ago. They are the centerpiece of acupuncture, reiki and acupressure. It is much more recently that these age-old Eastern health practices are finally being recognized by Western medicine and we are starting to acknowledge the energy that flows through our bodies and the power we can harness from it. Continue Reading

Spring is finally in the air! I don’t know about you, but as the days get a little warmer and the sun sets a little later, I find myself re-energized, awake and motivated with a renewed sense of self.

Spring is such an amazing season. It is a time of growth, of change and of resurgence. Everything that gave way to the cold, harsh winter finally returns, more vibrant and more beautiful than it was before.

As the earth begins to re-energize and start anew, it is also the perfect time to reset and refresh both your body and your home. Just as stagnation depletes our bodies, our homes feel the effects as well. The harsh winters and long, cold nights force us to seal up our windows, turn on the heat and hibernate indoors.

This lack of movement and circulation within the home can actually create an increasingly toxic environment. Without fresh air to flush the toxins out, things begin to accumulate. It’s just like our bodies. If we allow toxins to continue to circulate within our bodies for too long, we become sick. The same can be said for our homes.

So, let’s use this fresh spring air to reset and refresh our homes. With these 6 steps, it’s simple!

Continue Reading

Getting a good night’s sleep is something most adults can only dream of. (See what I did there?) Whether it is difficulty falling asleep or trouble with waking up through the night, it just seems like one of those things you don’t get to have any more when you grow up. But that’s not true! There are some easy changes you can make in your bedroom to help you both fall and stay asleep.

Here are 10 super simple changes to make to your bedroom right now.  Continue Reading

I don’t know about you, but nothing scares me more than the idea of losing control of my thoughts. Of all the diseases out there, to me, dementia is the most terrifying. The thought of forgetting who my family is or, worse, forgetting who I am is a real fear.

Recent studies conducted on both animals and humans have found a “strong link between chronic stress and the development of neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and Alzheimer’s disease”. This is because chronic stress can lead to atrophy of the hippocampus, the part of our brain critical for longterm memory.  Continue Reading