This week in the yoga classes I teach, I have been talking about the ethical practice of non-violence, or Ahimsa as it’s called in Sanskrit. Non-violence is at the heart of the teachings in yoga and provides the foundation for the other guidelines. Regardless of its historical or religious underpinnings, I think most people would
I love Halloween and no matter how old I get I will dress up as some kind of creature come October 31. In my book, one is never too old to enjoy the pleasure of dressing up as your alter ego or favorite make believe character. How many other times of the year can you get away
One of the most common statements I hear at the beginning of my mindful eating classes is “I can’t stop eating because it tastes so good even when I’m full.” My question is “Are you listening to your belly or to your mind?” After a short pause, I hear “From my mind!” People get it.
Mindless eating happens when you are busy, distracted, stressed, in a hurry, sad, angry, impatient, lonely, happy, and when food just happens to be around. These are just a few of the circumstances when we reach for food (any food), eat more than your body needs, and then feel depleted afterward. Mindless eating almost inevitably
Sometimes life seems like a really big project. We are rushing around trying to get everything done but we never get there. There is this continuous sense of needing to do more, accomplish more, create more, work more, strive more so that we can “get everything done.” Because that is an impossible task, there is
How much of your life do you go around on autopilot? Whether it’s your morning ritual, the route you drive to work, what you do when you reach the office, what you eat, or what you do in the evening much of our lives are spent in routines that can turn us into robots instead
It is pretty shocking that most of us miss about half of our lives. That’s right. If you are 42 years old, for instance, chances are you have missed about 21 years of your life already. Your body has been alive but your mind has been disconnected. Your mind has been thinking about the past
How many of you eat even when you’re not physically hungry? My guess is that would be all of you. And, from time to time this is not a problem. Once in a while it is nice to have a special treat just because something tastes good. I particularly savor my first trip to the ice
We often regard stress as something to be avoided. Ultimately though, stress is inevitable…from the moment our alarm clock rings, we experience a “fight or flight” response and continue to experience stressors for the remainder of our day. Although people generally regard stress as negative, stress is actually adaptive in that it helps us to
I regularly teach meditation to people who have never meditated before and one of the common misconceptions is that meditation is the same as “relaxation.” While meditation may have a side benefit of helping you feel relaxed and peaceful, it is not the primary intention of meditation. The primary intention of meditation is to teach
