Authentic. Showing Up. Living Life. Striving.

Are the Mountains Calling You? Registration is now open for the Nourish Your Body and Mind Retreat hosted by Caroline Young and myself!  Every New Year’s, we hear about how to change our bodies with the false promise that it will make our lives better. From extreme diets to detoxes and punishing exercise routines, none of it is necessary or healthy, and we are offering you another way! Try something new this year, that will nourish yourself from the inside, out. Spend a peaceful and invigorating weekend in the mountains for two days full of yoga, meditation, mindful hiking, reflection, insightful conversation and nutrition therapy – to help lead you on a path toward the joyful and peaceful reconnection with your authentic, true self.  Retreat will include: 2-night stay in gorgeous North Georgia mountain cabin Nourishing & delicious meals and snacks Gentle & relaxing yoga classes  Guided meditations & visualizations Empowering group circle discussion

  Trigger The word "trigger" triggers me.  I can't stand it.  Seriously.  As a therapist that works a lot with  eating disorders and substance abuse, I hear it wayyyy too much.  I constantly hear "that's triggering" or "don't be triggering" or "that triggered me" or "you shouldn't say that, it could trigger someone." What does "trigger" even mean? According to dictionary.com, "trigger" has the following definitions: 1.  to initiate or precipitate (a chain of events, scientific reaction, psychological process, etc.): 2. to become active; activate. 3.  anything, as an act or event, that serves as a stimulus and initiates or precipitates a reaction or series of reactions. To me, these definitions sound a lot like emotional responses.  Essentially, that is what a "trigger" is.  It's an emotion. It's a thought. It's an opportunity .  It's something that we h

Nourish Your Body and Mind Retreat I am beyond excited to announce I have joined forced with a like-minded colleague and new friend Caroline Young — registered dietitian nutritionist and fellow yogi — to host a New Year’s retreat for women who are looking for alternative ways to take care of themselves (all parts) as they step into 2019. Every New Year’s, we hear about how to change our bodies with the false promise that it will make our lives better. From extreme diets to detoxes and punishing exercise routines, none of it is necessary or healthy, and we are offering you another way! Try something new this year, that will nourish yourself from the inside, out. Spend a peaceful and invigorating weekend in the mountains for two days full of yoga, meditation, mindful hiking, reflection, insightful conversation and nutrition therapy – to help lead you on a path toward the joyful and peaceful reconnection with your authentic, true self.  Retreat will include: 2-ni

Attachment.  It's a word I hear frequently in my work as a psychotherapist and as a yoga teacher.  As a therapist, I've used it in the context of an individual having an attachment disorder, unable to bond with others.  This can be a result of many things, abandonment, neglect, or abuse just to name a few.  There are attachment disorders which can result in a myriad of issues during one's life.  However, I am not going to be focusing on these types of disorders today.  Today, I want to focus on the concept of "non-attachment" which is something that is always buzzing around in the yoga world.  Long story short here with some Yoga History... there are 8 limbs of yoga... the physical practice of yoga (asana) is just ONE of the ways to practice yoga.  There are many other ways, including the Yamas and Niyamas, which is basically the "dos and don'ts" in life.  It's like a moral compass if you will.  Aparigraha is one of the Yamas and it essential

I know, I know... I'm an awful blogger and it's been a while since I've posted anything.  I've got a couple blogs in progress that I hope to finish up over the next few weeks or so.  But before I digress to much, I wanted to write a bit more on space and balance.  This theme just came to me during a yoga class I was teaching yesterday. I honestly went into the class without an identified theme, which is unusual for me.  But it was cool because the theme quickly emerged in the class and that was space and balance.  Specifically in the class, was using the breath to create more space in the body and directing our breath into tight spaces in our bodies.  Creating more space.  Which got me thinking.... where do we need to create more space in our lives? How can we create more space in life? What needs to take up less space in our lives? That brings me to balance... oh balance... do we have balance in our lives? Probably not if we are being honest with ourselves