Yoga & Meditation

No More Pain: Healing Must Be Holistic

If you have read my blog for a while then you know that I am always in search of ways to cultivate and usher in healing. It was born of wanting to leave my children a better legacy. It has been my quest since the Summer of 2010, and in many ways, it is now my life’s work because I…

Just Breathe: An Interview with Kathleen Woeber on Healing

Just Breathe sign

Since the holiday season is officially upon us, I thought it might be a good time to share some insight into something we rarely give much thought too, even though it is literally a part of every moment of our lives: breathing. I know of no better way to calm and re-connect with myself than the simple practice of noticing…

Relieve Holiday Stress: Whole Body Breathing

I remember standing in the living room of our new home four years ago, two weeks before Christmas, feeling totally overwhelmed by the idea of tree and decorations. The move had taken everything out of me but, desperate for a sense of normalcy for my kids, I wrestled my holiday mojo out of thin air and brought the holiday to…

Mindfulness Exercises: Breaking the Spell of Unconsciousness

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t find myself drifting off into the no man’s land of mindlessness. Almost without noticing, I can go from being engaged in an activity, say writing, and then off I go into the land of a million useless and scary thoughts. It is truly astonishing how often it happens. An erratic,…

On Warrior Pose and Being a Warrior

warrior pose

After reading a truly amazing book, I found myself looking up the meaning behind warrior pose. Richard Rosen, a contributing editor of Yoga Journal, offers this: “The yogi is really a warrior against his own ignorance,” Rosen says. “I speculate that Virabhadrasana I (warrior pose) is about rising up out of your own limitations.” I can’t imagine a more fitting…

Healing Breath Work: Deep Breathing Unearths Deep Joy

Elizabeth Barrett Browning quote

Do you ever stop to consider that right now you are inhabiting the one physical body you will have in this lifetime? I think about that a lot now, and my journey over the last three years has convinced me that we should be treating our bodies as a beloved, sacred vessel, particularly during traumatic experiences. There are so many…

Self Healing Techniques: Tapping Your Way Through Resistance

Tiffany Loren Rowe quote | Dianna Bonny Photography

Lately, I have been engaged in a dance with the darkness, also known as resistance. Inner soul basher is a better description. Steven Pressfield writes beautifully of this in his book The War of Art. It seems to me the more I invite the light in, the more the darkness seems to pull out all the stops and throw down…

Olympic Mastery and Meditation: The Common Thread

know yourself | Dianna Bonny Photography

Olympic figure skating and ice dancing have the same effect on me as The Shawshank Redemption — I can’t resist watching, held spellbound by the skaters as they spin and twirl themselves around the solid, and oh-so-frozen slab of ice. As a child, I fantasized about being one of them, but the sad truth is I cannot skate to save…

Breath Work: Pranayama Breathing for Healing Trauma

antidepressants

Although it has been a challenge to keep my mind on solid ground these past three years, my exploration of yoga, breath work, therapy and writing as ways to manage all the moving parts has helped tremendously. Due to a medical recommendation last year to try Adderall for better focus, I avoid pharmaceuticals. One pill and I was off on…

Healing Techniques: Embracing the Healing Powers Within

Feet in the Dirt

Last week I had one of those days where everything seemed shrouded in darkness, which went hand in hand with the restless night that preceded it. I am particularly vulnerable when I don’t sleep well, my brain becomes sieve-like, incapable of fending off scary thoughts. Mental exhaustion was common in the beginning, but with the river of adrenaline coursing through…