Join me in this 4-week exploration of the pelvis and hips through yoga and mindfulness.We’ll experience the full range of movement in your hips which will also free up your spine to relieve low back and neck pain.Together, we’ll go deeper in order to let go fully; releasing trapped emotions and processing past experiences that created the physical tension and energetic blockage.You can do all of this with me in the privacy and comfort of your own home, in these online group sessions.
$20 each, sign up below.
Or check out the membership option here if you want to do the whole series. This program will appeal to you if you want to become more devoted your yoga practice and want to engage with our community! All of our weekly yoga classes, as well as Full Moon Yoga, New Moon Meditation, and seasonal offerings, are included at $65 for the whole month.
Create inner harmony while also fostering a connection to nature, the seasons, and the cycles of the Moon in our Lunar Yoga sessions.
We’ll meet each month on the Full Moons with different themes and intention. Each session will include a Yoga asana practice (Slow flow and Yin), guided meditations, and ritual.
$25 each, sign up below.
Or check out the membership option here if you want to become more devoted to a regular yoga practice and want to engage with our community! This Full Moon Lunar Yoga class, New Moon meditation, our weekly Thurs. morning yoga classes, and access to the library of past classes is included for a monthly fee of $65.
Join us for a lovely outdoor Qigong session in a lovely spot on the San Francisco Peninsula.
This class is perfect for beginners who are wanting to soothe their bodies, hearts, and minds with therapeutic energetic movements. Doing Qigong outside in nature makes the practice even more powerful.
$20 for the public, FREE for our Yoga & Wellness Membership Community who can attend in person.
Join me in this 4-week exploration of the pelvis and hips through yoga and mindfulness.We’ll experience the full range of movement in your hips which will also free up your spine to relieve low back and neck pain.Together, we’ll go deeper in order to let go fully; releasing trapped emotions and processing past experiences that created the physical tension and energetic blockage.You can do all of this with me in the privacy and comfort of your own home, in these online group sessions.
$20 each, sign up below.
Or check out the membership option here if you want to do the whole series. This program will appeal to you if you want to become more devoted your yoga practice and want to engage with our community! All of our weekly yoga classes, as well as Full Moon Yoga, New Moon Meditation, and seasonal offerings, are included at $65 for the whole month.
Do you love to spend time on long hikes in the forest, sitting by a gentle stream among trees, or having picnics in beautiful meadows? Like me, you may enjoy the sounds of nature, the company of the fauna, and the clean air that you exchange with the flora. There is a huge positive impact on our physical, mental, and emotional health when we spend time in nature. This is true, especially with forest bathing. However, it’s not always possible to retreat to nature when we need it in our everyday stress-filled lives. There are many things you can do to bring forest bathing indoors, to replicate it at home.
Forest Bathing Benefits
Forest Bathing, or Shinrin Yoko as it’s called in Japan, is a very popular lifestyle practice in Asia and Europe. Many peer reviewed studies show the benefits of forest bathing. The results are so positive, that it’s actually prescribed to people who are overworked and dealing with stress and anxiety.
Regular forest bathing results in:
reduced blood pressure
elevated mood
reduced stress hormones
increased focus and concentration
increased natural killer cells which boost immune health
Unfortunately, many of us are not able to go walk in a forest at the end of each workday. And for some, it’s hard to go at all because they don’t have access; are sick, disabled, or injured; or are afraid (seriously, this is the case with some people, and that’s okay). And for this reason, it’s a good idea to try to reproduce forest bathing at home, bringing nature indoors to promote holistic health.
How To Forest Bathe At Home
There are many aspects of forest bathing that you can do at home if you’re not able to engage in the real thing.
Whenever you’re feeling stressed out, or as often as you like to prevent anxious feelings, try one or more of the following:
Diffuse Essential Oils
The visual beauty of a forest is a major reason why so many people experience a greater relaxed state. However the aroma of the forest may be even more powerful in affecting one’s mood. That’s because when we smell, we’re stimulating the limbic area of the brain which processes emotions and holds memories. Inhaling the natural essential oils in the woods or the essential oils extracted from plant parts, are equally effective in enhancing your mood!
To experience the benefits of forest bathing, simply diffuse the essential oils of trees that are present there. Try using:
Cypress
Fir trees (Siberian, White, Douglas, Balsam)
Juniper Berry
Spruce
Frankincense
Cedarwood
Eucalyptus
Tea Tree
Myrrh
Sandalwood
Copaiba
Arborvitae
DoTERRA is my favorite brand of essential oils because of their commitment to quality and purity, their sustainability efforts, and their close relationship with indigenous farmers around the world. Learn more here.
Listen to Forest Sounds
Close your eyes and imagine you’re in the forest as you listen to tracks of birds, wind through trees, a bubbling stream, and other woodland sounds.
Watch Calming Nature Videos
Viewing scenes of nature is better than nothing! Soothing scenes can definitely relax you. Research shows however, that these effects are more temporary than real-life experiences. You’re also dealing with the effects of an electronic device, so I recommend this option the least.
Do Guided Meditations Set In A Forest
The mind is a powerful force! You can use guided meditations set in the forest to create a space for very deep healing. This is whatI often do with coaching clients to support their mental, emotional, and spiritual health. If you do an online search, you’re sure to find a few helpful audio or video tracks. Feel free to reach out to me if you’d like my personal help.
Communicate With Trees Near Your Home
You don’t need to explore a whole forest just to experience the benefits of this nature therapy. Opening up your senses and connecting to the trees around your home may be more convenient as is still very effective. I like to combine grounding with a meditation:
Find a comfortable space outside near a tree.
Take off your shoes & socks and allow your feet to sink into the earth.
Consciously relax your body, letting it sink further with gravity.
Imagine that you’re sending roots down through the center of each foot.
See these roots connecting with the tree(s) around you, like you’re holding hands/roots with them.
As you breathe fully & deeply recognize how you’re exchanging life energy with the tree and how you have a symbiotic relationship with it.
Bring More Plants Into Your Home
Adding lovely ferns, orchids, and other forest plants to your home can create the visual appeal of time in the woods. If you’re serious about stress management, it’s a good idea to surround yourself with plants, especially if you work from home.
In Conclusion
Of course it’s best to experience the forest in real life! I’ve had so many amazing downloads, breakthrough, and moments of deep peace among the trees. But the home lifestyle practices I mention here can still be transformational if you don’t have access to nature on a regular basis.
I’m curious, do you forest bathe? What do you think of these at-home substitutes? Let us know in the comments how these nature therapies support your holistic health!
Join me in this 4-week exploration of the pelvis and hips through yoga and mindfulness.We’ll experience the full range of movement in your hips which will also free up your spine to relieve low back and neck pain.Together, we’ll go deeper in order to let go fully; releasing trapped emotions and processing past experiences that created the physical tension and energetic blockage.You can do all of this with me in the privacy and comfort of your own home, in these online group sessions.
$20 each, sign up below.
Or check out the membership option here if you want to do the whole series. This program will appeal to you if you want to become more devoted your yoga practice and want to engage with our community! All of our weekly yoga classes, as well as Full Moon Yoga, New Moon Meditation, and seasonal offerings, are included at $65 for the whole month.
Join me in this 4-week exploration of the pelvis and hips through yoga and mindfulness.We’ll experience the full range of movement in your hips which will also free up your spine to relieve low back and neck pain.Together, we’ll go deeper in order to let go fully; releasing trapped emotions and processing past experiences that created the physical tension and energetic blockage.You can do all of this with me in the privacy and comfort of your own home, in these online group sessions.
$20 each, sign up below.
Or check out the membership option here if you want to do the whole series. This program will appeal to you if you want to become more devoted your yoga practice and want to engage with our community! All of our weekly yoga classes, as well as Full Moon Yoga, New Moon Meditation, and seasonal offerings, are included at $65 for the whole month.
In this slow-paced Yoga flow class, you’ll not only strengthen and stretch your body, but also connect in deeply with your heart, mind, and spirit. All are welcome, from beginners to more experienced yogis.
? May 6, 13, 20, & 27we’ll be focusing on supporting the lymphatic system and improving systemic circulation. Each slow flow class will include a luxurious addition of lymphatic self massage and some time in restorative postures.
This is for anyone wanting to use our mindful yoga practice to support the lymphatic system and:
fight off infections and recover from illness more quickly
reduce swelling and water retention
improve skin texture
resolve join and muscle pain
reduce stress
improve sleep
$20 each, sign up below.
Or check out the membership option here if you want to do the whole series. This program will appeal to you if you want to become more devoted your yoga practice and want to engage with our community! All of our weekly yoga classes, as well as Full Moon Yoga, New Moon Meditation, and seasonal offerings, are included at $65 for the whole month.
Create inner harmony while also fostering a connection to nature, the seasons, and the cycles of the Moon in our Lunar Yoga sessions.
We’ll meet each month on the Full Moons with different themes and intention. Each session will include a Yoga asana practice (Slow flow and Yin), guided meditations, and ritual.
$25 each, sign up below.
Or check out the membership option here if you want to become more devoted to a regular yoga practice and want to engage with our community! This Full Moon Lunar Yoga class, New Moon meditation, our weekly Thurs. morning yoga classes, and access to the library of past classes is included for a monthly fee of $65.
Eating bad food is not the only cause of indigestion. Did you know gas, bloating, GERD, constipation, diarrhea, and all that fun stuff can also be related to stress? If you’re not able to digest your food, you’re likely not able to digest what is happening in your life. This three-part yoga breathing exercise will help improve your gut health, relax stress-induced tension and help you practice mindfulness when eating too.
How To Do The Three-Part Yogic Breath
Our breath is meant to assist the whole body in resting and digesting as it soothes the body in it’s parasympathetic nervous system state. However in our fast-past, stress-inducing lifestyles that pull us away from body awareness leave us with shallow breathing.
When we’re just breathing in the upper body, the digestive organs are not massaged as they’re meant to be, and of course we’re also dealing with the stress hormones that are released too.
The Three-part Yogic Breath is meant to help you breathe deeply again, to use the diaphragm which increases lymph and blood flow in the belly, increases peristalsis & bowel movement, and soothes the nervous system.
Watch the video above or follow the instructions here to learn this simple breathing technique.
Three-Part Yoga Breathing Instructions:
Come into a comfortable seated position or sit in a chair with the spine straight.
Close your eyes, interiorize your attention to focus on the movement of the breath moving in and out of the nose.
Place one hand on the belly and one on the chest, and bring the breath in deep now, to feel the belly expand.
Now inhale in two parts, first into the belly and then up into the chest. Then exhale completely in one part.
Continue, and as you get comfortable, you can extend out the breath. For example:
2 seconds inhale into the belly, 2 seconds into the chest / 4 second exhale
