Everywhere, everywhere mindfulness, meditation, relaxation, forest bathing, sophrology–the solutions to the cultural tidal wave of anxiety, depression and less-than-ideal mental health are explained to adults and kids. Everyone from Buddhist teachers to Oprah and mainstream media have told us WHY we should make it a part of our day. But change requires a catalyst, a reason, an inspiring moment that sparks the beginning; the energy and motivation to move…
underneath the leafy Linden tree…
Linden Tilia cordata, Tilia americana I was an herbalist for years before I fell in love with Linden. It took traveling to Slovakia, where Linden is the national tree, to find the love. My family flew into Vienna and make our way to Bratislava and then Budapest by train. In addition to an amazing 16th century hotel room in Bratislava, I stumbled upon a bag of linden packaged for tourists.…
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Five flower essences for meditation
Sitting down to meditate the first few times can be intimidating. It’s natural for the brain to be moving a lot, jumping around, or to even be sleepy or lethargic. And while there’s no substitute for practice and perseverance, there are some ways to help the transition to being more mindful. And one of my favorites is FLOWER ESSENCES. As an herbalist, I love plants. Plants can be extremely helpful…
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Slow and steady wins the race: Mindful Movements
“My kids sit for too much of the day already…now I’m asking them to sit more to meditate?” “I’m scared to even try to get my kid to sit down…they have so much energy. How can I introduce mindfulness to them?” “Isn’t meditation a lot of sitting?” Lots of parents and homeschoolers have questions like these. Is the answer yes? Not necessarily! Here are a few books about incorporating mindfulness…
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Sitting Still Like a Frog
Mindfulness brings with it a message of self-love, self-esteem and a general sense of “I’m okay. It’s all okay.” Twenty Seconds. A study done in a UK school found the attention span of students was only twenty seconds long. I have read and heard statistics like this quite a bit while studying yoga therapy and acupuncture. So when my son was 3 ½ or so, Shambhala offered a class on…
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A quick-start guide to mindfulness: dipping your toe in the water
A quick start guide—introducing your homeschool and/or kids to mindfulness. Mindfulness and meditation should be short and sweet at the beginning. In this blog I’ll give tips for timing and preparation, then two techniques to have the kids ‘play’ at breathing, along with modifications for different bodies and asthma or other breathing difficulties. Timing for a naturally calmer time of day will make the whole process easier. In the meditation…
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