A snowbird friend recently returned home from a shorter than usual season here in the desert. I asked her how their season was and she replied, “It felt short. It’s the transitions that kill me!” The statement really struck a chord as to how changing locations can hold so many challenges. As I thought about… Read more »
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, often about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. It is a nervous disorder that affects literally millions of people and is characterized by a state of distress and apprehension. Anxiety can present itself in many different ways from mild worry to physical manifestations… Read more »
Not that long ago, the word “meditation” conjured up images of ascetics dwelling austerely in Himalayan caves. Today, just about every town in America has a yoga studio which typically offers some form of meditation practice. Until recently, however, no one really knew if meditation could offer consistent, practical benefits, or if it was merely… Read more »
As we start a new school year in the Coachella Valley, many parents are seeking ways to help their children cope with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to a National Survey of Children’s Health conducted in 2011-2012 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 11% of school-aged children in the U.S. have… Read more »
Our military is well trained for the rigors of combat, but many veterans find themselves unprepared for the debilitating post traumatic stress many experience when they return home to their families. Coping with depression, anxiety, insomnia, and flashbacks of war experiences can be overwhelming. In January, Time magazine revealed that the number of male veterans… Read more »
Stalingrad 1942 was one of the most savage battles in military history. My father, a reluctant German infantry soldier (the other option would have been execution) was wounded and sent back from the front. That saved his life and for me, the guide of my life. He never talked about what it was like. Except… Read more »
We know that stress can be detrimental to adult health, but what about children? Significant research now suggests that American children are indeed experiencing stress at new levels: suicides among adolescents have quadrupled since the 1950s; only 36 percent of 7th graders agreed with the statement “I am happy with my life“; and in the… Read more »
I had only heard of Transcendental Meditation™ (TM®) in the George Strait song “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.” Because of these circumstances, he lived in Tennessee, and through transcendental meditation he would return to Texas each night. “But I always come back to myself, long before daylight.” From this country classic, I always thought… Read more »
Sometimes the simplest task is the hardest. In the case of meditation this is true for many. Meditation is simply defined as the ‘cessation of fluctuations of the mind.’ There is enough statistical research supporting this, and we should all be taking time in our day to have uninterrupted quiet time focusing on the breath… Read more »
