the somatic connection in psychotherapy I'm a big supporter of psychotherapy. In fact, I just started my Master's Degree in Clinical...

Show of hands: how many of us think of the ego as a "bad thing"-- something we should be trying to get rid of? 🙋🏼‍♀️ It's not uncommon...

Many of us learned how to hold our bodies from family or authority figures at a young age. "Pull your shoulders back!" "Don't slouch!," we were told. And so, we learned to stand, and sit, with our ribcage forward, and our shoulders "back." In the gym, we might sometimes hear "proud chest" as a cue not to slouch forward. We tend to think of this as "standing up straight," or having "good posture." But if we take a look at this image of a woman sitting in meditation, we can see

If you’re someone who works with anxiety, you already know how overwhelming it can be. This is especially true for folks with a history...

⁣If you’re like me, you’ve experienced Imposter Syndrome in your lifetime– that sense that you should know more than you do, that you’re...

Of course, we all know that each of us sees things a little differently. For example, if you’re lactose intolerant (or a vegan), dairy...

In 1987, Dr. Francine Shapiro went for a walk. As she walked, she noticed that her eyes were moving from side to side, and that some...

I’m going to say something a little revolutionary here: it’s possible to work hard without feeling absolutely terrible. I think our...

to your movement/wellness professional (yoga teacher, personal trainer, coach, etc.) I wrote this post the other day after a few sessions with clients who have a deep-seated apology habit– even when there’s nothing to apologize for. I always express that there’s no need to apologize, and that my job is to help this process feel as supportive and useful as it can– but I also understand that many of us have been made to feel that it’s not okay to ask for “special” treatment, or

and how can we work with it in the body? Have you ever found yourself feeling really jumpy, or on edge– for days, or weeks at a time? For some folks, this can become so common they don’t even notice it anymore. Hypervigilance is an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity and reactivity. Our nervous systems are always scanning for things that might be dangerous. If everything’s going pretty well in our lives, this is a pretty low-key function. If we’re living with the effects of

sometimes our deeply held beliefs about ourselves don't hold up to scrutiny For years, I’d been sure that I was not getting enough sleep....

(There are definitely more, but 6 is a nice number to start with!) Endorphins. Movement releases “feel-good” hormones like seratonin,...

“I don’t understand why I’m so bad at this,” my client said. “Why can’t I do it?” “Have you ever done this before?” I asked her. “Why do...

having a variety of pleasurable activities is an asset you'll want to cultivate When you think about health and wellness, what comes to mind? Exercise, meditation, massage, eating well? What about just feeling good– are you prioritizing joy and pleasure for yourself? Learning to allow ourselves to feel good doesn’t come easy for some of us, especially those of us who have a history of traumatic stress or anxiety, but it’s so important for our well-being and for the greater go

Despite its bad rap, tension isn't all bad. When we speak or hear about tension in the context of a yoga class or a massage treatment, we might think of tension as something to be eradicated, soothed away, released, dissolved. We’re encouraged to smooth our forehead, relax our jaw, soften our shoulders. The unspoken understanding is that tension is a problem. The truth is much more complicated. Not only do we tense (engage) our muscles in dynamic patterns to move our body int

So, you’ve decided you want to make a change. Maybe you’re working on recognizing and changing a bias you carry. Or you’re trying to use...

Our bodies and brains love to work in patterns-- it's a simple way to minimize brainpower and eliminate excess calorie expenditure. Many of these are useful; others may have been helpful at one time, but have become problematic. Working on changing these can be quite a challenging experience, especially if we're dealing with something like our breathing. In this article, we'll take a look at the mechanics of changing patterned behavior in our body-- and why it takes time. If

and how can we use it to "read" what our body is saying? Like many of you, I have a morning ritual. I wake up, feed the dogs, make my...

One of the things that brings me joy, that makes me feel alive, powerful, and free, is physical training. I love to sweat, to move, to swing heavy things. It helps me to complete the stress cycle, reinforces my sense of agency and strength, and (because I am often outside), gives me a chance to soak in nature. Of course, I can’t do that every day. My muscles need a chance to rest and repair– and I also need to take into account everything else that I’ve done that day (trainin

It seems like trauma is trending lately– we hear more about it in mainstream news, and it feels as though there’s much less stigma around...