Transitions in yoga, and in life, are hard. We tend to want to push through the uncomfortableness of moving through something to get to the destination. But what if the destination is the transition? Here’s how to make the difficult transitions of your life a bit easier to manage.

A lot of people confuse self-care for self-love. Although they are closely related, they are not necessarily the same thing. We spend a lot of time talking about the importance of self-care, how to make time for it even when we don’t have time, and how without it we are left feeling depleted, unproductive and generally unhappy. However, no matter how important you think self-care is, you’ll probably never make it a priority if you don’t have a strong sense of self-love. Which is why today I’m sharing exactly what it means to have self-love, how self-care plays a role, and the importance of improving your self-love in order to show up in life as your very best self.

I don’t know about you, but I have a REALLY hard time doing nothing.  If I’m awake, my mind is on and I feel like I need to be productive every moment until I go to bed at night.  If I’m not productive, my inner critic chimes in and makes sure I feel “less than” because I wasted the day away.  

Unfortunately our anxious minds want to be “doing” all the time - and if we aren’t physically active, we sure as heck are mentally active.  But this belief has a negative impact on our nervous system and our overall health.  Pausing to slow down, even just for a breath or two, can make a big difference in how we feel.  Here’s why rest is important and various ways you can start to slow down in your life in order to reduce your nervous system and reduce your anxiety. 

I used to love eating lunch while scrolling through my phone and standing at the kitchen counter.  Or watching TV while plopped on my couch with dinner.  But I noticed that I was also feeling a bit scattered and really stuffed after each meal.  And I was having a hard time digesting my food, especially after overeating when out to dinner with friends.  And then I learned the practice of mindful eating.  I am now fully present for most meals, which has helped slow down my nervous system, improve my digestion and ultimately reduce my anxiety.  And I want the same for you.  So today we’re breaking down what mindful eating is, how it works and what you need to get started right away to help you reduce your anxiety too.

Headaches are the worst.  And they usually show up at exactly the wrong time.  Even though there are so many types and tons of causes, headaches have one thing in common - they are unpleasant, extremely painful and can be down-right debilitating.  Thankfully the practice of mindfulness and yoga can help.  Whether it’s a specific movement or pose, simply breathing or practicing meditation, the practice of staying present allows you to reduce stress and tension in your body and mind, become more aware of what might be triggering your headaches (so that you can avoid those things in the future) and build resilience to life’s challenges so that you can handle difficult situations with more awareness, calmness and ease.  

The word “mindfulness” gets tossed around a lot these days. I think a lot of us that use it on a regular basis assume that the definition is pretty straightforward.

But is it?

I’m not entirely sure that the word itself explains its true meaning. And, I think a lot of people who struggle with anxiety don’t practice mindfulness because they aren’t exactly sure how to do it, how it will benefit them, or how much time it will take to feel a difference. So today I thought I’d break down the meaning of mindfulness so that you can start practicing these techniques (without spending a lot of time!) in order to feel relief from your anxious mind right away.

When I was younger, I tended to view life with a “glass half empty” attitude.  Toss anxiety on top of that viewpoint and you can imagine my inner critic had a few things to say about that!  It’s a tough way to live. It feels like you are constantly swimming upstream as the world continues to prove that your inner critic is correct.  But what if I told you that you could change all that with one very simple task that you can start doing right away?  You can!  With a gratitude journal. Today I’m sharing exactly why gratitude can help shift your perspective and how to keep a gratitude journal so that you can reduce your anxiety and increase your overall happiness.  

When you struggle with anxiety, it’s like sitting in a rocking chair. You are using all your energy to rock forward and back, but you are going nowhere. Or, it’s like a low-grade fever … subtle and in the background, while you still function in your everyday tasks, but you know it’s there. And then every once and a while your anxiety becomes extremely debilitating. You notice nervousness, a racing heart beat, muscle tension, sweating, trembling and an overactive mind that sneaks into your experience as anxiety completely takes over. Trust me - I completely get it because I’ve experienced all this too. And even though I still have anxious moments, I’ve learned how to remain more calm and relaxed, and I want the same for you. Today I’m sharing three ways you can better manage and experience relief from your anxiety with a technique called One-Pointedness.

Us humans LOVE a good story. I believe they are one of the most powerful tools we have to grow, connect and drive change.  We bond through storytelling.  Stories build empathy, create deeper connections, build trust and can persuade you to take action.  They tie emotions together with the meaning and intention of a situation and create opportunities for interaction.  And, they bring context to a subject.  Which can sometimes be an issue if we aren’t fully aware of the intention and power of our story.  Especially with the stories we tell ourselves - because what we believe will actually turn into our reality and eventually become our destiny.  In this blog I’m breaking down how to become more aware of the stories you tell yourself (especially the ones that cause you anxiety) so that you can begin to break the cycle of your overthinking mind, reduce your anxiety and feel more freedom in your life. 

Awe February … the month of love.

Or at least that’s what Hallmark would like us to believe!

And I believe we could all use a little more love in our lives these days. Our world is a pretty chaotic and divided place right now. Whether the topic is politics, the pandemic, the vaccine or social justice issues, opinions from both sides are very high and heated. People can no longer have a conversation with someone they disagree with for fear of being judged or canceled. Family and friends are divided and some no longer talk to each other. In general, we seem to have lost the ability as a society to see the good in people and to be open to another’s opinion and perspective.

And this saddens me deeply. It seems there is nothing that can be done to stop these dividing conversations. But, I’m here to tell you that there is something we can do - we can practice gratitude and loving-kindness. It starts with self-love and moves toward seeing our shared humanity and experiences with others. In today’s blog I’m sharing how a gratitude practice can begin to shift your own negativity bias so you can improve social connections and feel happier in life.

For some reason we all know that self-care is important, but we tend to put it at the bottom of our to-do list. If we can just push through the “important” things, we’ll make time for ourselves … eventually. Right? Yeah, I used to feel that way too, especially when I worked in Corporate America. So, even if you are convinced that self-care is important, I know you have a seriously busy schedule and it might seem impossible to somehow find extra time to squeeze in self-care activities. Thankfully, after struggling with this myself for many years, I figured out how to fit it all in! In today’s blog I’m sharing how to make time for yourself, even with an extremely busy schedule, so that you can make better decisions, be more productive, have healthier relationships, and reduce your overall stress and anxiety.

If you already have a morning routine, you probably understand the power that it has on the rest of your day. If you don’t have a morning routine, you have probably heard that it’s a good idea to start one. My own morning routine really didn’t take shape until COVID-19 slowed everything down. Before COVID, I found myself flailing about, reading all sorts of advice and trying to find that perfect mix of things to do so that my day would start out “right”. Unfortunately all the advice just made me feel anxious - not only did I not have a morning routine but I was also frustrated that the “text book” ideas were not working for me! If you can relate, today’s blog will help! Today I’m sharing how you can feel more grounded and confident to create your perfect individualized morning routine so that the rest of your day is a whole lot better.

I don’t know about you, but occasionally I go through periods of time where I don't sleep well or at all. Sometimes it’s just one or two nights and other times it can be much more. And when this happens, I am a crank-pot. I’m less productive, I’m quick to snap at family and friends and I generally just feel more anxious about most of life’s worries. We all know how important it is to get a good night’s sleep, but we don’t always know what to do when you can’t seem to make it happen. And although I’m not a sleep expert, I have figured out a few tools to help me sleep better when these restless nights occur. And I want the same for you! Today I’m sharing my favorite yoga, mindfulness and general tips and tricks to help you get a better night’s sleep in order to improve your overall health.

Why is letting go so hard? When it comes to human interactions, I am constantly trying to control every situation, conversation and outcome.  Which just creates more suffering in my life.  Can you relate?  Maybe not specifically to controlling relationships, but possibly something else where you can’t seem to let go?  Today I’m sharing how you can start to let go of attachments so that you can reduce your anxiety and feel a bit more ease and freedom in your life.  

Not only is our world full of distractions, but for those of us that struggle with anxiety, our overthinking minds fill up with intrusive thoughts about the past or future that have nothing to do with the task at hand, leaving us feeling scattered, forgetful and frustrated! And if you are anything like me, you might even beat yourself up for not being able to concentrate. Or at least that’s how I used to handle my lack of focus and concentration. But I’m here to tell you the good news! You can learn to cultivate a more concentrated mind, even when it feels almost impossible, so you can reduce your anxiety in order to feel more calm, creative and confident in your life.  

If I had $1 for each time I said, “I’m sorry”, I would be a multimillionaire. I am an over-apologizer. I have been most of my life and until recently I thought I was apologizing to be polite and compassionate toward others. And although those are great reasons to apologize on occasion, over-apologizing because of my anxiety has become an involuntary response and it usually has nothing to do with me actually feeling remorse. If you can relate, I’m here to tell you there is good news! We can absolutely do something about this! After reading today’s blog, you’ll learn how anxiety impacts your need to apologize and how mindfulness techniques can help, which will give you the confidence you need to stop over-apologizing and reduce your anxiety.

Our world is a pretty chaotic place right now. As a society, we seem to be more divided than ever.  

Whether the topic is politics, the pandemic, the vaccine or social justice issues, opinions from both sides are very high and heated.  People can no longer have a conversation with someone they disagree with for fear of being judged or canceled.  Family and friends are divided and some no longer talk to each other.  In general, we seem to have lost the ability as a society to see the good in people and to be open to another’s opinion and perspective.  And there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do about it. BUT- there is! We can practice gratitude. In today’s blog I’m sharing how a gratitude practice can begin to shift your own negativity bias so you can reduce your anxiety, improve social connections and feel happier in life.  

Being caught in an anxious moment can be extremely debilitating.  How you feel during that moment can range from butterflies in your stomach to a full-on panic attack. And while it’s normal to experience anxiety from time to time, I’m talking about the feelings you have due to an anxiety disorder. 

During an anxious moment, you’re left feeling overwhelmed, scared, and unsure of what to do next.  I get it because I’ve been there too - A LOT.  And even though I still have anxious moments, I’ve learned how to remain more calm and relaxed, and I want the same for you. Today I’m sharing how you can better manage your anxiety with confidence and ease by using mindfulness techniques during anxious moments.    

Today’s blog is all about Social Anxiety Disorder, also known as Social Phobia or SAD. It’s when you fear being judged or rejected in a social situation and although you logically know your thoughts are irrational, you believe there is nothing you can do to change. I’m here to tell you that there is nothing wrong with you and there is something you can do to feel better! Although I can’t make your anxiety go away, I can share with you how SAD impacts your day to day life and how mindfulness techniques can help you better manage this specific type of anxiety.

As I write this blog in June 2021, 41.4% of Americans are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. States are reopening and life seems to be getting back to some sort of “Post-Covid Normal”. Whatever that means. Some people can’t WAIT to get together with friends and hug strangers on the street while other people feel more comfortable staying put in isolation. As the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be shining, you might be wondering why you aren’t as excited to go back to the “way things were.” You miss being around other people in your community, but you just don’t feel ready. I get it! In this blog I share exactly why you might be feeling this way and how you can use mindfulness techniques to figure out how to best take care of yourself during this post-pandemic transition.