We’ve all heard it—from yoga teachers, from therapists, from ministers, from other holistic practitioners: “You’re in a safe place.” Many guided meditations directly write this line into the scripts with the intention of setting a tone for safety and security. The LGBT and other socially progressive movements also like to make use of phrases

From time to time I teach an eight week class at the Recovery Cafe San Jose called “Befriending Your Body”. A simple seated yoga practice combined with breathing techniques and meditation after a check in make for a lively session with the students. Combining some recovery oriented discussion with mindful movements is a way for

    Blue, Baby, Blue One of my clients recently lamented, “I always feel blue around the holidays.” How often have you, or someone else, said the very same thing? Anxiousness & Isolation are the primary complaints. How ironic we feel isolation when it turns out there’s plenty of company with those same feelings. Is this

Being thorough with our nutrition intake has so many benefits for our wellbeing but it’s one of the hardest changes to make in our lives. We tend to make excuses as to why we can’t do it. Indeed it can be overwhelming to think about especially when our supermarkets are full of foods that tend

Recovery is a program of action. We are encouraged to “participate in our own recovery”, to work the twelve steps until they work IN us. Being complete, being exhaustive in our efforts is highly recommended. In the big book of AA we are nearly promised a life free of relapse when we practice the principles

  I am full of resentments this election cycle in the U.S. I resent the candidate whose way of being in the world triggers all of my trauma issues down to their deepest core. I resent the loyal masses of followers voting for said candidate, including family and friends who belong to this group. I

  Here’s something easy I bet you won’t do. Not that I’m being negative, but invariably when we hear something’s easy, despite wanting something easy, we dismiss it as being too easy and then we don’t do it. Seriously how often have you said, “I wish there was an easy way to lose weight, find

  Have you ever found yourself the recipient or sender of hate mail? Let me back up, Not exactly hate mail spewing vitriolic bullying slander, but a note that is raw Unguarded, accusatory, blaming, needy, demanding or anything else you know will provoke a heated response . Of course there’s a place for honest communication

  I often wonder how self examination of my behaviors and patterns offered me any real directions in my life. I loved writing in a journal, reflecting and contemplating the mystery of this universe. When I was around the age of 6, I discovered behaviors that helped me get my own way. I pushed with

    When I don’t know what else to do I make chicken soup. I called a girlfriend I hadn’t spoken to in a couple of months.  “I have breast cancer,” she said. “This s a bump in the road. I’m having surgery next week. We’ll see what happens.” I hung up digesting the weight