As our valley’s population matures, health care providers and families seek effective ways to support older adults in maintaining active, engaged lifestyles. Recent research in psychology offers promising insights through Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which helps us understand how to nurture genuine motivation in those 55 years and older, leading to better health outcomes and improved… Read more »
Chances are, at some point in your life, you will need to make a career shift. Whether you’re transitioning by choice or external circumstances, this period of change can feel overwhelming. However, it’s also a great time to reassess your purpose, align your work with your passions and create a more meaningful professional life. During… Read more »
Friendship is one of the most significant aspects of a fulfilling and healthy life. It provides emotional support, companionship and a sense of belonging — all of which contribute to our overall well-being. Friends play a critical role in both difficult and joyful times, offering encouragement, perspective and shared experiences that enrich our lives. Whether… Read more »
“Dailiness” is one of the most important cyclical patterns we perform regularly. Life happens in acts of repetition, over and over. It is the thousand small eye blinks of routineness that make up our lives. Nature awakens daily and shows us slight visible and invisible variations carving throughout the terrain of our world. Our personal… Read more »
Like the desert wildflowers pushing through the sunbaked earth, awakening from winter’s quiet slumber, we too might feel an internal stirring. This annual rhythm of renewal can inspire us to emerge and bloom. As a yoga teacher, I’ve witnessed countless students recognize this moment — when something within them is ready to emerge and expand.… Read more »
As humans, we like our world in order. We move forward in perpetual motion accomplishing tasks, making plans and watching all our hard work come to fruition. When we take time to appreciate it all, we often smile with a sense of inner peace and security. We feel warm, happy and in control. But what… Read more »
My favorite psychologist, John Gottman, PhD, has studied relationships throughout his career. In his “Love Lab,” the world’s first couple’s laboratory which opened in 1986 at the University of Washington, he has studied over 3,000 couples. Because of this, he can predict within 15 minutes of an argument which marriages will end in divorce within… Read more »
I believe our purpose on Earth is to elevate our positive experiences and lift each other up in an effort to make this world a better place. We can empower ourselves to do that. It’s not always easy and may seem daunting at times, but any challenges we face can serve as opportunities. Even just… Read more »
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 »
When we think of nourishment, we tend to think of only food. What about nourishing the rest of ourselves? While we all try to eat healthy, make the right choices and stay balanced, we can falter from time to time and find ourselves trying to get back on track. Many of us set New Year’s… Read more »
From the moment we first crawl, we spend our entire life moving forward. We progress toward things that bring us joy and set goals for our next accomplishments. We greet each new season with anticipation and sail into January with aspirations for the new year ahead. As 2024 comes to a close, shouldn’t we give… Read more »
A new movement is taking place that brings emotionally mature, powerful, compassionate and purpose-driven men together in support and solidarity of one another. Since the beginning of time, society has pushed men toward a subtle, unique type of emotional isolation. Often, men don’t feel comfortable talking about their lives or how they feel about things… Read more »
“Tea is an act complete in its simplicity. When I drink tea there is only me and the tea. The rest of the world dissolves. There are no worries about the future. No dwelling on past mistakes…I drink the tea…I am informed by the tea, changed. This is the act of life.” These words taken… Read more »
Love and kindness aren’t just nice words. They are actions we take daily, stemming from beliefs we hold — and they are essential to achieving health. But how exactly can love and kindness help our physical health and overall well-being? Every morning, many people walk out their doors with their game faces on, dressed for… Read more »
For most of us, emotions can feel like a rollercoaster — overwhelming at times, comforting at others, and often confusing. But what if our relationship with our emotions could change? What if instead of pushing them away or avoiding them, we could learn to embrace them as valuable guides? This approach might be the key… Read more »
Two mature women walk into a bar. One has gray hair, the other is blonde. The blonde has glowing skin and perhaps a bit of Botox. The lady in gray seems to have spent a lifetime fly fishing without sun protection. Clearly, they have different ideas about what “aging gracefully” means, yet they’re friends. Why?… 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 »
Aging should be something to look forward to: more time to travel and spend with family and friends. After all, it’s a part of life, albeit one that comes with a variety of changes—physical, emotional and social. One major challenge, especially as more seniors choose to live alone, is building social connections. Studies show that… Read more »
There is a saying that you have three faces. The first face is the face you show to the world. The second is the face you show to your close friends and family. The third face is the face you do not show and is the most authentic reflection of who you are. Not everyone… Read more »
As the air begins to cool and sun’s intensity subsides, autumn invites us to shift our energy inward, reflecting the natural world’s preparation for the cooler months ahead. In our modern, fast-paced lives, it’s easy to miss these subtle cues for renewal and introspection. However, by embracing yogic principles and practices, we can align ourselves… Read more »
