Mindfulness

Happy New Year! In the advent of the new year we wish each other a “Happy New Year.” We want others to be happy, but what about ourselves? Recently, I saw the funniest episode on the PBS hit series, Doc Martin. The hilariously negative, insensitive bad mannered doctor asks the proverbial and exhausting question, “why does everyone need to be happy?” Of course, if he could answer that question and stop spoiling all the smiles waiting to spread around him, there would be no show. Happily, those in the field of neuroscience have discovered simple ways to elicit happiness. Even for someone [Read More]

Connect by Letting Go In holistic environs the idea of “connectedness” is no stranger. Likewise, the concept seems familiar because it drifts across a myriad of philosophical texts and often conjured by our yoga teachers as they say, feel a sense of connectedness with We are encouraged to “become one with the universe” because separateness is an illusion and a source of suffering. Great. How do you do that and what exactly does it all mean? Fundamentally, the impression of being “one” with everything seems impossible or subjective at best. In a culture driven by individualism and competition, it contradicts our modus [Read More]

In the past few decades yoga’s popularity has increased exponentially. The ancient mind/body science known for promoting relaxation, flexibility, and strength is common knowledge, but other benefits are now gaining recognition like improved mood, increased cognitive abilities and enhanced lifestyle behaviors. Scientists are reporting outcomes from a myriad of claims pertaining to the system of yoga and as the data has been quietly collected, studied and documented, another question has emerged, “does yoga make you smarter?”Based on the findings, a consistent adherence to yoga does in fact facilitate smartness.  When practicing the prescribed methods of yoga, the internal change of chemical effects result in positive synergistic states of heightened awareness. Characterized [Read More]