All endings are beginnings… Mindfulness can become lax with the anticipation of finishing a meditation practice. It’s important how you handle this transition from simply being back to doing. If you are not particularly careful and attentive toward the end of a formal practice, before you know it you will be off doing something else […]

“Conscious breathing can harmonize the mind with the body.” Breath or conscious breathing is critical in any meditation practice. It’s the universal foundation of the practice. A steady breath yields a stable, calm mind. In meditation, the breath rhythm flows in and out of the nose. If you haven’t done this before with awareness, just […]

Most people who decide to engage in the meditation practice as part of their regular fitness/wellness routine typically purchase a Zafu (pillow) and Zabuton (mat).Whether you are using a Zafu or a block with a blanket, it is usually placed almost in the center of your Zabuton (Mat) or folded blanket. Listed below are some […]

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s there are few”. ~ Zen Master, Suzuki Roshi Before you begin your meditation practice, you must understand two essential elements… posture (asana) and breath.We will begin with briefly discussing the first meditation posture… Sitting Posture or Asana (Sanskirt).The purpose is to select a seated […]

Mindfulness is desperately needed in effectively relating to our new frontier of “real time” connectivity. We have been so caught up in adapting to all of our new possibilities and challenges, learning to use the new technologies to get more done- faster and perhaps even better. However, in the process, seemingly to have become completely […]

“We need a cup of understanding… a barrel of love… and an ocean of patience”. ~ St. Francis de Sales When beginning the practice of meditation, the most common distraction is the “wandering mind”.This is where the mind keeps drifting off. In your practice, simply allow whatever physical sensations (i.e. tingling, pressure, hot, cold, pain, […]

Stress resilience through the comfort of wisdom, inner trust & being whole. How do we consciously cultivate the stress response in daily life? The same way we cultivate mindfulness in the formal meditation practice that is moment by moment- grounding ourselves in our body and in our breathing. When your buttons are pushed or you […]

We live immersed in a sea of change… to see as integral and not as a threat is how we learn to better cope as well as adapt to it. As we have already discussed stressors are unavoidable, and we are continually adapting to the demands they place upon our body.On a psychological level, the […]

Adapted from the work of Dr.AndrewWeil,MD The power of breath as a technique and as a treatment for healing- correcting problems with health and improving general health- is beginning to show up more and more in integrative medicine.As the connection between the conscious and unconscious mind, the breath serves as the doorway of control for […]

The confluence of meditation and medicine- restoring right inward measure … In brief, our involuntary nervous system or our autonomic nervous system (ANS) is made up of two subsystems… the parasympathetic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system.  Our ANS mainly is a control system functioning below the level of consciousness affecting heart rate, digestion, […]