Set aside the time necessary for this therapeutic exercise For a single forest bathing session, set aside two to four hours for an excursion that is at least a half-mile long. Keep in mind that this extended time frame involves several … Read More
Medicinal herbs in Costa Rica
You will find three kinds of herbs in Costa Rica: Indigenous, Afro-Costarican, and Caucasian. But the indigenous influence of the use of these medicinal herbs has always been the strongest. You will find that, throughout Costa Rica, over 300 different … Read More
When Spirits start Showing up
Are we surrounded by spirit life? The following is a conversation I had with a practitioner who had started practicing shamanism, and then found things happening quickly, and unexpectedly! In this situation that I recount below, the practitioner had a … Read More
Integrity Needed to Work with Spirits
1) To work in sacred alliance with the Spirits The shaman canno’t do her or his work alone. It is entirely by teaming with spirit help that any shamanic healing, or that much of divination is possible at all. This … Read More
The Shamanic Journey
This is a short overview of shamanic journeying, and though it does not contain the details one would need to actually journey, it will provide a sense of what the general process looks like. Shamanic spirituality is a birthright of … Read More
Take care of yourself
In life—in love and grief and all the moments in between—the best thing we can do is regularly affirm that we’re doing the best we can. But that’s a habit few of us develop until we desperately need it. Caring … Read More
Pandiculation – Cat-like Movements
The act of yawing and stretching – or pandiculation – is not just a luxurious pastime but as important to our health and wellbeing as good nutrition and regular exercise. Have you ever had the glorious opportunity to wake-up and … Read More
The Importance of the Psoas Muscle
Some years ago, at the end of an intense Vinyasa yoga class I’d taught, something remarkable happened. I prepared my students for relaxation, moving them into reclined hip release poses. As the energy slowed down and they began letting go … Read More
Lean into your practice
Many people I spoke to for this story had a yoga practice before their divorce but generally only considered it part of a physical health regimen. Alice Schlegel—mother, researcher, yoga teacher, and director of student activities at a community college … Read More
Practice Being in the Now
Mini-meditation Divorce coach Lisa Gabardi, PhD, uses this exercise to help her patients acknowledge the here and now. 1. Notice when you’re obsessing, lost in a rage, swamped with sorrow, or in a fear loop. 2. Close your eyes and … Read More