Daily, the phrase “To human is hard” enters my thoughts. This reality becomes even weightier with Oxford Dictionary’s 2024 word of the year, “brain rot,” defined as a “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially from consuming too much trivial online content.” Just one more complexity to work to ward off as… Read more »
We inhabit a multifaceted body with an active mind controlling a large part of our day-to-day life. This intellectual mind enables us to interpret the world; yet, it is only one indicator of our well-being. The immediacy of an emotion stored in the body is another clue towards overall health. When we assign the mind… Read more »
The Summer Olympic Games invited much joy into many households. Spectators witnessed inspiring athleticism in a myriad of sports generating nationwide awareness and sparking ideas on our individual approach to movement and physical activity. A recent study featured by the World Health Organization (June 2024) cited that 1.8 billion adults (31%) do not meet their… Read more »
There is no disputing that many of our traits and propensities in life originate from the integration of our ancestral past. The stirring of our ancestral inheritance speaks to us daily if we are willing to listen. The voices of family values, generational traumas and the choices of our ancestors affect us psychologically and influence… Read more »
The muscular system is one of the most dynamic, responsive systems in one’s body. Our muscles form thousands of elastic fibers bundled tightly together, and when tension is initiated in the form of movement, we invite our muscles to take part. This can take place through weights, bands, body weight or spring resistance such as… Read more »
Our emotions can rule our lives. Imagine wearing a backpack full of rocks. Each rock has an emotion written on it that ranges in size and significance. This “mental satchel” may carry resentment, anger, anxiety, fear, despair or embarrassment – emotions that create stress and tension and can manifest in the physical body as headaches,… Read more »
There is considerable discourse these days about longevity and its correlation to how we manage stress. Stress seems like a conditional part of day-to-day living. It is natural to have intermittent tension in life, yet incessant stress seems the new norm and ultimately creates risks for health decline. When chronic stress elevates, we find ourselves… Read more »
The art of pivoting is an act of shifting performed in most sports and throughout our daily life. When we pivot effectively, it opens the opportunity to change direction and pursue a beneficial forward trajectory. I grew up ice skating competitively. There is a fond memory of the elegant practice of a pivot creating the… Read more »
Summer is in the rear-view mirror and fall is at our doorstep. Before transitioning to the blossoming season, it is helpful to reminisce upon summer and reflect upon our experiences. Stepping forward with wisdom often involves looking back as to where we’ve been and the lessons we’ve gleaned. In a personal reflection, I revisited memories… Read more »
Since early adolescence we have been primed to focus on our physical appearance. The world identifies who we are through our coiffed exterior presentation, and we spend a lot of time and money polishing the image others see. Imagine a world in which the interpersonal work to which we dedicate time is met with society’s… Read more »
The emotional state FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) took center stage as social media came to fruition. Looking at pictures of fancy trips, friends beaming with accomplishments and individuals’ alluring pastimes may leave us yearning for similar experiences. We might work to keep up and fill our schedules to appear as if we have substantive… Read more »
Few of us are encouraged to actively contemplate the inevitability of our death, or that it could happen at any time. This year, I actively sought out the opportunity to do just that. An email from Spirit Rock, a meditation center nestled in the hills of Woodacre, California, presented a class entitled, “A Year to… Read more »
Since June of 1940, guests looking to enhance wellness arrived on a land originally belonging to the Native Kumeyaay at the base of Mt. Kuchumaa, a sacred peak historically protected by shamans. This earthly temple rises above Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. In those early days, guests traveled to listen to Edmond Szekely who… Read more »
Imagine if public parks had a water therapy feature where citizens could walk barefoot in cool water. If one could practice earthing as they traverse through water troughs lined with pebbles to stimulate the feet, it would encourage circulation. Imagine if hospitals in our country, as part of therapy for respiratory illness and rheumatic conditions,… Read more »
Jean Jacques Rousseau, a philosopher from the 1700s, expressed his fondness for walking by maintaining, “We think at walking pace. What is revealed when walking and thinking at the same pace is the pace of everything around me. My mind only works with my legs.” I profoundly enjoyed the great virtue of walking on a… Read more »
The fitness industry has experienced a strong rebound this year, as many people returned to gyms and studios making organized exercise a priority. Fitness is a community and a home away from home for many who realized how much they missed the social dynamic of going to shared spaces to workout. Industry professionals certainly learned… Read more »
A circle is both an image and metaphor of wholeness and bondedness. The more we see circular patterns in the architecture of our lives, the more we realize that we are drawn to forms conveying round, soft-curving lines of connection. At first glance these symbols appear to be nothing more than circles; yet the shape… Read more »
Memories are who we are. Photos from our life are treasures that allow us to journey through our own mental time machine. For me, the importance of curating these images became a personal, precious activity inviting significant contemplation during the holidays. I committed to scanning and digitizing the slides from my parent’s travels in the… Read more »
Summer is an ideal time to ascend to higher ground by way of the Palm Springs Tram to commune with nature. This journey is a reprieve from triple-digit temperatures in the valley and, at the same time, affords us an opportunity for healthy exercise. It’s also an invitation to observe the fascinating ability of trees… Read more »
A number of incidents in my life recently converged, causing me to examine stages of life, quality of each transition, and my preoccupation with aging. This awareness began after listening to Craig Marshall, a magnetic life coach, deliver a talk entitled ‘Don’t Retire, Just Rewire.’ At 23 years of age, Craig became a yoga monk with… Read more »