Want to release stress, dissolve tension, and spark your creative juices?  Float therapy in a sensory deprivation tank can bring you all of that as well as deep peace of mind!  I highly recommend it and here’s why…

Float therapy has been popularized by athletes, celebrities, and other influencers who want to condition both their bodies and their minds.  This is something we all can be striving for though!

Yes, there are several modalities that can do that too: the mindful movement of Yoga, the energetics of Taichi or Qigong, skilled massage, and of course Meditation.  However, these methods are not attractive or accessible for everyone (like my dear husband!).   I believe floating is a happy medium, where most people can experience peace without feeling like they need to learn special skills.

What is Float Therapy?

I had a vague idea of what floating was when Anna from Insight Float invited me to try out their services.  I knew it involved two of my favorite things – water and relaxation – so of course I quickly accepted!

When booking my appointment on the website, I learned that Insight Float has two different sized tanks.  Each of them provide two very different experiences.  Rumi, the larger, custom-made one, is best for pregnant women and athletic recovery.  Lilly Pad, the standard tank, is best for people who want to feel more grounded and is best for those experiencing anxiety.  I decided to book Rumi, just to make sure I had enough space to move.

At my appointment, I was warmly welcomed by Sarah.  She gave me a thorough 10 minute orientation about the floating experience that quickly turned my fear into fascination.

The float tanks are filled with 10 inches of body-temperature water, in which 1200 lbs. of epsom salts have been dissolved. The salt water matches the pressure inside the body, allowing one to float and feel perfectly balanced.

My Experience with Sensory Deprivation

I entered the water with nothing on.  My legs effortlessly floated up, allowing me to rest back suspended by the warm water.  I had brought in a floating light, but turned it off after a few minutes once I started relaxing.

The sound of my breath was amplified in the silent space.  I stretched out my inhalations and doubled the length of my exhalations, making a conscious effort to let go of tension. 

I became distracted as I started noticing pain in my upper back and neck.  With my arms above my head, the tightness in between my shoulder blades quickly dissolved, but the pain in my neck became more pronounced and pinpointed.  For about 10 minutes I fidgeted, massaged, and wondered if I’d ever get comfortable (not unlike my struggle with seated meditation!) 

There was a shift when I realized I was spending too much time focusing on discomfort. I was saying to myself, “this would be perfect if only I didn’t have this pain in my neck.” Once I acknowledge this, I went back to my breath, knowing that I could still appreciate this simple moment regardless of tension. I don’t know how much time had passed, but when I brought awareness back to my neck, there was no more pain!

From that moment on, which was about 30 minutes into my session, I slipped into the deepest meditation since before I had my son (back when I’d go on silent 5-day retreats!).

Soft music ended my session.  As I sat up, I almost started to cry.  I had tapped into something really big here, not just for myself, but for my family, friends, and clients.  I wanted everyone to know about this therapy and it’s possibilities for healing!

Benefits of Float Therapy

I felt grounded, clear, and confident for days after my first float therapy session. There are even more benefits of floating than what I experienced though! Here’s a list of possible effects that sensory deprivation in a float tank can create:

• Clarity of mind
• Reduced pain and inflammation
• Relaxed muscles
• Balanced emotions & improved mood
• Flow of creative thoughts
• Relief from pregnancy symptoms (swelling, pain, agitation, etc.)
• Clear skin
• Regulation of blood pressure
• Improved immunity
• Deeper sleep

What do you think?  Are you up for trying float therapy too?  I’d love to hear about your experience once you do!  Please let us all know in the comments.

Well wishes to you…

Summer is the season we associate with fun, relaxation, and carefree living. Our days are less structured, so our kids tend to stay up and sleep in later. We often become more lax with our diets too, as restaurants visited on family vacations don’t always have the best quality food. To stay well in summer, it’s important not to fall into unhealthy habits. Learn how to stay healthy in summer with these simple guidelines, so you can enjoy this season to the fullest!

How to Stay Healthy This Summer with TCM

1. Adjust Your Activity Level

The Yang energy of the sun reaches its maximum at the summer solstice on June 21. From there it starts a gradual decline until the winter Solstice in December.

What does that mean?

Since Yang is decreasing, Yin energy is increasing; we need to adjust our activity to become more Yin as well. Being “more Yin” means to embrace quiet, stillness, and our calm, receptive feminine nature.

I know, it doesn’t sound like summer. It’s supposed to be exciting!

Remember, this is a gradual change we’re adjusting to over the season. We can be lively in June and then start to ramp it down. By the end of August, hopefully we’re all grounded enough that kids can adjust well to the new school year and we can easily commit to our work life again.

If we ignore the cues from nature and go full force in the Summer Heat, we’re likely to burn out. This is bad new for our health in Fall, as we may get sick quickly and often without the restorative energy of Summer.

2. Get Some Morning Sun and Finish Activities Early

Part of adjusting your activity level is to also adjust the timing of your activities. If you live in a really hot climate, you already know how to do this well:

Get your workouts, errands, gardening, and other outdoor obligations done early.

You’ll need to resist the temptation to start the days slow. Trust me, you’ll be feeling great after absorbing that morning sun. It will elevate your mood and give you the energy you need to be productive. Then you can rest in the afternoon (which will become the hottest part of the day as summer progresses) completely guilt-free.

3. Eat These Foods to Stay Healthy in Summer

Summer is packed full of opportunities to eat out – restaurants, ballparks, amusement parks, family BBQs, etc. Since you may not always have control over these meals, it’s extra important to eat well at home.

Our digestion is stronger in summer. We’re now able to eat raw and cooling foods without gas and bloating.

These are the best foods to balance summer heat (from The Tao of Nutrition):

 

 

Everyone should do their best to refrain from these foods which may increase heat in the body and cause inflammation, dryness, constipation, and headaches.

• processed sugar
• alcohol
• deep fried foods
• caffeine (not too much chocolate either!)
• hot, spicy foods

You may want to revisit: Have a Sweet Summer Without Excess Sugar

4. Be Cool and Refrain From Anger & Overexcitement

Anger and mania cause heat to rise internally according to Chinese Medicine philosophy. Accumulation of heat internally over a long period of time can cause disease. Anger and excitement are normal human emotions, of course, but it’s important to be mindful of what is causing them so we’re not caught up in these emotions continuously.

Meditation helps us become less reactive, and is a great practice to remain calm, cool, and level-headed. If you’re not ready to meditate, you can try to process your emotions through journaling or talking with a dear friend.

Chinese Medicine helps us to see the connection between us and nature. Living in harmony with the rhythm of nature and preventing disease is the basis of it’s philosophy. If you adhere to these guidelines, or at least try returning to them whenever you get off track with summer (& sometimes unhealthy) fun, then you’ll find that you maintain wellness longer.

If you enjoyed this article, please share with your friends!  Let me know what you think of these summer health tips in the comments.  Well wishes to you…

Do you need an attitude adjustment?

 

Most people are familiar with the many benefits of meditation such as stress reduction, better sleep, lowered blood pressure, balanced emotions, greater self-awareness & empathy. I’d like to share with you how meditation changed my life.  I hope that my story can inspire you to start meditating too!

Even though essential oils have been used all over the world for thousands of years, they’re still unfamiliar to many modern Americans. Luckily for all, there is a new wave of interest .  People are discovering that they do much more than offer a pleasing fragrance. Essential oils can support one’s physical, emotional, and mental health in a natural way, free of side effects and addictions.  In this article, we’ll discuss the best essential oils for stress, a condition most of us need help with!

Recently, I’ve been working with a technique called Aroma Acupoint Therapy in my TCM clinic that combines essential oils with acupuncture points. I’m finding that the effects are so profound that for children & sensitive adults, this method is a fine substitute for acupuncture.

The treatment I do the most is for relieving tension and calming the spirit. If this is something you need too, then I highly suggest using the following oils alone or as a lovely blend.

All are safe used neat, in their concentrated form, if using on specific body points as I do with acupressure. But for beginners, it may be easier to dilute the oils in a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil, to spread across a larger surface of the body. The bottom of the feet is a great place for topical application of these oils.  This helps you ground your energy, relieve tension, and also activate many systemic reflexology points.

Or, simply place a few drops in a diffuser and let your brain’s olfactory perception of these oils help melt away the tension.

Essential Oils for Stress and Tension

Bergamot

Have you used essential oils for calming the mind and soothing tension? Please let me know about your experience in the comments!  Well wishes to you…

I learned from my teacher long ago, the importance of  engaging in two brief periods of mindfulness with certain intentions. In the morning, we experience gratitude for the new day.  We appreciate all the ways that we’re supported in our life and acknowledge how we support others. In the evening before bed, we engage in a forgiveness meditation.  This allows us to clear away any weight on our heart and mind so we can sleep peacefully and start the next day with a fresher perspective. Together, these gratitude and forgiveness meditations help us create the most positive life possible if we do them daily.  

Practicing Forgiveness

At the end of the day, there’s a tendency for many of us to rehash the events of the day. Sometimes, we obsess over interactions with other people that were unpleasant. Other times, we’re overwhelmed with how certain conditions, politically or socially, are negatively affecting our lives. Perhaps we’re upset with ourselves for behaving in a certain way. We don’t want to go to sleep holding a grudge! Sleep will be restless and unsettling, and you’ll just be carrying these feelings over to the next day.

In the recorded meditation below, we work with specific affirmations to help you accept what occurred and all the feelings that resulted. We forgive to the degree that we don’t carry a load of hate & resentment, but we don’t brush off or forget injustices. When the time is right, we can process these incidents further to find the lesson learned.

Again, if you have children, let them know what you’re doing! Teaching forgiveness is essential for your child’s emotional intelligence. I love this, from Sherrie Campbell, PhD in 5 Ways Parents Can Teach Their Kids to Forgive:

“The relationships our children have will, for certain, be their greatest teachers of love and pain. They will never need to use forgiveness more than in their relationships. Forgiveness is many things — but we also must teach that forgiveness doesn’t always mean reconciliation. It is not about condoning harms which have been done. Forgiveness is about taking power back.”

I’m eager to hear how you did with these meditations. Did you feel a positive shift? Please let us know in the comments. And if you found the meditations helpful, please share this post far and wide! Namasté

Yin Yoga is one of the most powerful styles of yoga and has many benefits. I’d love to tell you how I was introduced to the practice, tell about the transformation I experienced, and offer you 10 reasons why you should try it too!

A few yoga teacher colleagues encouraged me to check out Sarah Powers around the year 2003, feeling that I would resonate with her style & message. In this first workshop with her I was introduced to Yin Yoga. I loved her deep, philosophical approach.  Sarah was the teacher I had long been seeking, so I continued to study with her as often as possible. I also had the pleasure of studying with Paul Grilley in a week-long Yin Yoga teacher training they did together in Winter of 2005.

Sarah & Paul both talked about Taoist philosophy & Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Meridian Theory in our Yin sessions together. I was very intrigued by this brief education in TCM and felt inspired to look into it further. I credit this training for helping me take the plunge in obtaining my Masters Degree in TCM the following year.

Through Yin Yoga, I was able to achieve a depth in my practice I had never experienced before. It also had a profound affect on my teaching style. Once it became a part of my personal practice, teaching became almost effortless. A few regular students commented that my teaching “turned a corner” and my classes began to steadily build. Yin Yoga helped me find authenticity and confidence as a practitioner and a teacher.

Obviously, I think Yin Yoga is pretty awesome. And even though we may have different experiences with the practice, I think it can really help you too.

Here Are 10 Reasons Why You Should Try Yin Yoga!

1. It increases your flexibility and keeps you juicy

Most styles of Yoga are considered “Yang” because the focus is on movement, strength, engagement, and using a lot of muscle to produce heat. Yin Yoga is called such because it is the opposite. It is a slow practice (postures are held for 2-5 minutes each), it requires us to let go of muscular effort, we yield to gravity’s pull, become quiet & inquisitive, and it’s very cooling.

When we let go of the muscles in the stretch (which is safe to do if we approach it slowly, mindfully, and close to the ground) we’re able to access the deeper tissues. It’s the fascia, the tendons, and ligaments where tension likes to accumulate throughout the years.

Yin Yoga increases flexibility not only because deep-held tension is being released, but also because blood is able to circulate better in areas that were previously deprived.

2. It’s an effective way to relieve stress

Naturally, when we’re able to consciously let go of tension, the body relaxes it’s stressful approach to what’s happening around us. The parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest & digest” mode, is activated and we experience more ease in the body and mind.

3. It helps you let go of negative mind patterns

When you’re this still for this long, you’re going to hear the mind speak. And what you hear may not serve you well.

We start to notice how we talk down to ourselves, how harshly we judge our experience and other people, how we like to reduce the things we experience into ways that fit our current belief systems. We gravitate to those who accept our own ideas and beliefs and our perspectives on life become very small.

With a sustained Yin practice, we are able to shift our perspective and include more in our experience. Just like the layers of tension we’re peeling off gradually, these unhelpful patterns of the mind can release too and we can replace them with a more positive, inclusive outlook on life.

4. It’s a great introduction to meditation

After a few Yin sessions when you’ve adjusted to the approach and have witnessed the mind habits mentioned in #3, we can use this time to tame the mind.

In meditation we often use an anchor to help keep the mind present. It could be watching the breath, focusing on a certain place in the body, concentrating on sound, etc. With Yin Yoga, we also have the strong sensations from the stretch to focus on.

Many people who have a hard time sitting with their thoughts in simple meditation find Yin Yoga more approachable. They are more in touch with their bodies, less so with their minds. By first focusing on the sensations of the stretch and opening up & strengthening the mind gradually with Yin, it can be more interesting for them. As they value it more, they are able to sit longer with less sensation.

5. It help you process strong emotions

Yin Yoga gives you the time to vent strong emotions. Many times I’ve watched my worry & anger (my main go-to emotions when I’m out of balance) shift and have moved into a state of equanimity by the end of the practice. I’ve helped students deal with fear and grief as well. Contentment is possible, but only after we’ve accepted what is present in the heart.

6. It prepares the body for sleep

Stress, tension, and obsessive thinking are some of the biggest triggers for insomnia. Yoga is a great way to relieve stress and tension. But some form of meditation is necessary to help with an occupied mind. Yin Yoga addresses it all.

7. It helps you develop tolerance and grow

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ~ Neale Donald Walsch

Holding the Yin shapes for 2-5 minutes is not easy. The sensations you’re feeling, especially in the hips, can be quite intense. It’s necessary to move through the discomfort to experience freedom and ease in the body once again.

Isn’t this true for anything in life? If you want to experience something different from what you’re used to, it can be a bit scary and uncomfortable. Let your Yin practice help you build your capacity for tolerance and push your limits of what’s comfortable. What you’re working on in the practice will permeate into your life to help you create new and exciting things.

8. It helps you appreciate simple moments

The biggest complaint I’ve heard about Yin Yoga is that it’s boring.

Have you seen what a bored child can do? When given the space to sit with themselves a bored child can tap into their imagination and do amazingly creative things. And they will play by themselves for hours once they really get going.

Why are we adults any different? Because of all that stuff mentioned in #3. Somehow, long ago, we decided that we didn’t like hanging out with ourselves and that there are more important things to do. That is very sad.

As we engage in Yin Yoga, we are able to watch our experience breath by breath. By shifting our perspective we can appreciate each new breath as another moment of our precious lives. Even the boring and dull moments have value.

9. It’s like an acupuncture session you can do by yourself

The TCM meridians that we stimulate with needles in acupuncture to direct the flow of vital energy (qi) and blood, run along the deeper connective tissues of the body that we’re focusing on with Yin Yoga.

Taoists and Yogis know that energy/qi flow where the mind goes. We place ourselves in shapes that help access these deeper tissues and direct the mind and breath into those areas, and can thereby dilate the meridians and mobilize the qi & blood. When the qi & blood are abundant and free, we experience health and well-being.

10. It helps you stay grounded amidst chaos

Yin Yoga is very grounding in nature. We are able to observe all that is happening within us and around us with a calm, clear mind.

We live in a culture that is fast-paced, values work over rest, values financial gain over personal growth, etc. Our yoga practice can be a way to bring balance to our lives and those people we share it with.

What does the world need more of? Peace, tolerance, acceptance? You can answer that question for yourself and perhaps cultivate that in your practice.

I can’t wait to hear about your experience with Yin Yoga! Are any of these 10 reasons to try it resonating with you? Please let me know in the comments!  If you enjoyed this post, please share with your friends!   Well wishes to all…

#yin #yoga #meditation #stress #relaxation #balance #insomnia #sleep #grounding

Are you holding onto stress?  Try this recorded grounding meditation to help you release tension in your body, clear your mind of worries, and open your heart to the beauty of life.

Stress tends to build this time of year for many people who have difficulty aligning with nature’s cues to rest more, to let go, and to adopt an introspective mood. We fight against the natural flow of increasing receptive yin energy and as a result, we become sick with overwork and opportunistic pathogens. Or we might dread the holiday events that have filled our calendar when these should be relaxed, happy times connecting with others.

But now, we have a community that is amped-up and still reeling from the surprising (in CA) election results from over a week ago. This amount of stress, this time of year, is not good for anyone’s health.

Using Social Media For Stress Relief Is Not Effective

If your Facebook feed is like mine, then you’re probably seeing many people trying their best to process this stress. Normally, journaling is an effective means when you are writing about your feelings to yourself, engaging in an inner discourse that provides insight. But the engagement I’m seeing in the social media community does not seem to be effective and is just venting blame and fueling arguments. The stress has transformed into suffering because it’s tightly mingled with fear and anger and no one on Facebook can adequately ease your heart. This is an inside job.

Meditation for Stress Relief

Yoga and acupuncture are great ways to manage stress and we’ll be exploring their use in the next few weeks in this blog. But for the degree of stress we’re seeing right now, the best way to deal with it is through meditation and finding your spiritual root.

It requires time, dedication, and and a willingness to accept what is happening right now. You don’t have to like what is happening right now, but you do need to acknowledge what is happening in an objective manner in order process your feelings and relieve suffering.

Grounding Meditation

The meditation I’m offering here will help you feel grounded and secure, regardless of what is happening outside of yourself. It will help you see with a wider perspective. In time, it will help to keep your heart open and develop tolerance and empathy in general. And it will help you decide what to do next. If called to action, you can then act in a thoughtful, deliberate way.

This is an expanded version of the centering meditation I do before each yoga class, so many of you who know me personally through yoga will be familiar with it’s elements.

We visualize first to consciously let go of held tension in the body and then we’ll engage in a simple Vipassana (“clear seeing”) meditation. It’s the method that is keeping me grounded right now and I remain optimistic about my life and our collective future on this planet.

Listen To The Guided Grounding Meditation Here

I would love to hear how this worked for you. Please leave a comment below!