As a former sexual abuse trauma counselor for children and teens, I had a choice to make. I could make some major changes in how I took care of myself or I could live a life full of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, inflammation, poor coping and numbing, and damaged relationships. For burnout prevention, good health habits are key.

Burnout is a term that has been thrown around a lot in the last few years, but in the helping profession, it is seen as a very serious issue that can require a long, slow journey to heal. Research in the field of mental health shows that the probability of burnout for professionals is pretty bleak: “as many as 2 out of 3 mental health workers may be experiencing high levels of burnout.” Burnout is also a state that does not happen overnight. It is a slow, divisive, and non-discriminating process that will steal your joy, passion, and energy.

It can feel selfish as a helper to express when we need time to take care of ourselves. We have dedicated our time and energy to helping others. But, we also know (and we often say it to our clients) that if we don’t help ourselves, we can’t help anyone else. In the medical field, we are seeing that burnout occurs due to not only the high demand of people in need, but also due to the high expectations that are placed on doctors and nurses to be able to push through and handle erratic hours, inconsistent meal times, and the physical demands of the job. However, anyone in a helping and wellness role is also at risk for burnout if helping others takes priority over self-care.

Coaches and practitioners can fall into the same personally unhelpful patterns of putting the needs of others over their own. Taking time regularly to check in, notice what the body is asking for, and scheduling self-care time will allow all helping professionals to keep going at optimal levels.

Practicing the daily habits of dinacharya is an effective way to overcome and prevent burnout as we engage in the crucial practice of uncompromising self-care. Studies done on burnout recovery/prevention and the recommendations made for doctors, nurses, and mental health therapists all fall into line with these habits of dinacharya. Giving ourselves permission to focus on getting our minds and bodies back into sync with nature’s rhythm is just what the doctor (or mental health professional) ordered.

Let’s take a look at the recommendations for burnout recovery and prevention and how those recommendations align with practicing the ancient science of dinacharya:

1. Get enough sleep. When I was acting as a sexual abuse trauma counselor in a residential treatment facility for youth, I was emotionally and physically exhausted every day, but I could not sleep. My nervous system was fried and my poor sleep hygiene habits made “winding down” nearly impossible. Going to bed early teaches us ways to honor the body’s natural ways to get ready for sleep and how to support those rhythms.
2. Make exercise a priority. Moving the body can help the mind and the body cope with mental, emotional, and physical stress. Exercise can balance anxious energy, clear stagnation, clear the perspective, and allow a time-out from everything else that is going on. The habit of Breath Body Practices teaches how to vary exercise modes and intensities to meet the individual’s needs.
3. Eat whole, nutrient-filled foods. Plant Based Diet teaches us about using food as fuel and focusing on feeding our cells with prana-filled plants and well-sourced, organic meats if meat is in our diet. In addition, Earlier Lighter Dinner teaches us to work with our body’s ability to digest and assimilate the food we take in and the habit of Healthier Eating Guidelines educates us on eating seasonally and giving our digestive system a break between meals.
4. Meditate. When our nervous system is fried and our minds seem to be in overdrive, meditation can seem challenging, but imperative to help reboot. The good news is that there are many different types of meditation, so again, we want to find the version that fits best. Research shows that the benefits of meditation are many, including rewiring the brain, reducing inflammation, and directing us toward more happiness.
5. Take a break from technology. Creating a night time routine in alignment with our body’s need to wind down from stimulation and meditation both correlate with unplugging from the constant influx of information, expectations, and blue light that come from our society’s addiction to technology and screens.
6. Look for opportunities for self-discovery and nurture a positive view of yourself. In the habit of Self-Massage, we are learning how to literally get in touch with ourselves and to become friends with our bodies. We are learning self-love and nurturing ourselves with both self-compassion and oil. With the habit of self-massage, we have an opportunity for self-discovery built right in to our daily schedule.
7. Setting boundaries, use support, and reframing one’s view of the work to find more meaning can all be addressed in the habit of Easeful Living. As humans raised in our competitive and judgmental society, we often take on the belief that things “have to be” difficult and that we will be “good enough” when something outside of us occurs or deems that we are. Recognizing how we make things harder on ourselves can shift everything. Giving in to impossible expectations, allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of, and putting the job before ourselves can lead to burn out quickly. We can begin to isolate and feel like no one else could possibly understand. When we are burned out and feeling fried, it can also be difficult to see that we are making a difference in what we are doing and to find the meaning in continuing at all. Taking care of ourselves first, reaching out to make connection with others, and reframing our perspective around finding value in our work all come when we believe that we can live with more ease.

Regardless of your exact role as a helping professional, we must attend to our own needs to be able to effectively attend to the needs of others. In addition to the habits of dinacharya, things like spending time in nature, scheduling time for activities that bring joy, and connecting with others who can relate to what we are experiencing are all helpful ways to stoke the inner fire of joy and health without burning it out.

We must remember that burnout didn’t happen overnight and it certainly won’t be resolved overnight, so using the practice of Kaizen allows us to take it one step at a time to and recognize that the small changes will add up to big progress. If you are experiencing symptoms of burnout, you are not alone and things can get better. Take some time to look at your daily habits and make one small change this week toward supporting your own natural rhythm.

As a mental health therapist, a yoga teacher trainer, a coach, and a human, I have found that a cleanse for the mind can be extremely helpful in dealing with everyday stress. If we are not able to cleanse negative and unhelpful thoughts from our minds, they too, like the doshas, can build up over time and lead us to a place of dis-ease.

In my own life and in all of the roles I hold in guiding others toward greater health, I turn to mantra as a regular practice to cleanse the mind and the thoughts.

While the word is subject to different interpretations, the word mantra is believed to come from the roots Manos meaning ‘mind’ and Tra meaning ‘vehicle’ or ‘that which carries across’. So, I describe a mantra as a “mind train”. When my mind is spinning, I simply place it on a mind train and send it off in the direction that would be more helpful for me.

In mental health therapy, I explain this concept as a way to take a time out from the frantic energy of the mind that contributes to anxiety, fear, panic, and depression. When we can focus completely on repeating a sound, word, or phrase over and over, we leave no room in the mind for worry, criticism, judgment, shame, rumination, etc. that can so frequently become the norm.

A mantra can be a sound, a word, or a phrase that is repeated over and over to help keep the mind focused where we want it. Our thoughts are energy and they create vibration in our bodies and our lives. That vibrations affects our happiness, and our mental, physical health and our ability to cope. When we use mantra to direct our thoughts to more helpful and healthy places, we can change our entire experience of what is happening, our perspective, and our ability to respond in the moment.

When repeating mantra, it can be said out loud, as a whisper, or silently in the mind. It can be practiced any time and any place without anyone even knowing if needed. Mantra is a powerful support that we can lean back on when we feel out of control or when we don’t know where else to turn. It can bring the peace needed to pause and then decide where to go next in our thoughts, words, and actions.

Finding a mantra that feels good and that represents your intention around what you would like to shift is important. We can really use any language that we prefer. Here a some short mantras to consider:

1. Just This– This mantra is used with the breath, inhaling and thinking “just”, exhaling and thinking “this”. It is a way to practice mindfulness and to stay in the moment when our minds are fighting to wander out of the body and out of the present. This mantra helps me to stay focused and present when I feel overwhelmed.
2. So Hum– This mantra is also used with the breath, inhaling “so” and exhaling “hum”. So Hum can be translated as ‘I am that’ or ‘I am that which I am becoming’. This mantra reminds me that I am in forward motion toward who I want to be and it is all already inside of me, I simply have to tap in to it.
3. Om– This mantra is the ultimate default mantra. You can never go wrong with repeating or chanting Om. Om means all the things. It has been defined as the vibration of the universe and all that is. Om is calming and helps me to feel in touch with the power of the universe.
4. 2 word intention– This mantra consists of choosing 2 words that would represent something you are wanting to grow in yourself. For example, while writing this blog, I used the words “creative and present”. On the inhale, I repeat “I am creative” and on the exhale, I repeat “I am present” in my mind. This type of mantra helps me to affirm who I am growing in to in each moment.

Consider trying a thought cleanse with mantra. As with other practices, mantra can take time to become automated and we must think of it as an added support rather than an additional task that we must master. Be gentle with yourself as you try on different mantras. Notice how you feel as you are using one and afterwards.

It may be that you find one mantra to stick with for a 40-day practice, or it may be that you use different mantras depending on the situation. However you choose to use mantra, you can begin to experience the power of directing your mind where you want it to go when you want it to go there.  

Check in with me and let me know how it is going or if you have a favorite mantra that you are using.

We are supposed to go see a trained professional, get a test, a pill, a treatment from someone educated and up on the latest scientific studies and breakthroughs. They know how to help us. We take our aches and pains with the best descriptions we can muster and wait for their diagnosis.

The idea that we each have a lot of control over our health and can respond to these aches and pains with guidance from our own bodies can be dismissed swiftly and easily both by our own brains and by the health care systems around us.

Consider that the body has a greater ability to heal than anyone has ever allowed us to believe. As we practice yoga, ayurveda, and other embodying disciplines, we notice an experience that this body has a lot of wisdom that is is trying to share, and it just might have something to contribute when it comes to its own healing.

What if we could sync into inner wisdom and connect to an all knowing doctor who could help us steer clear of pitfalls in our health? What if we could find our personal in-house doctor, willing to tell us everything that we need to know, if only we are able to hear what it has to say.

Tapping into this can be better than a pill. Ownership of this connection creates confidence and independence. A high all of its own, and I want to share with you how I tap in.

The practice starts with an attempt to filter the cultural message enough to allow our body truth to be heard. We think we will need to coax this wisdom out of our bodies, but in reality, when we are ready, it is effortless, because this inner doctor is just as eager to connect with us.

Here is the formula that I use to connect us to that all powerful healing place.

The 4 Steps To Finding Your In-House Doctor

1. Tune In

Simply take a moment to shift your focus inward. This is one of the 8 limbs of yoga called Pratyahara. It means to withdraw the senses, like a turtle going into its shell.  We start here, intentionally taking the time to drop inward.

Let me use an analogy: Imagine going into a dark room and needing time to let your eyes adjust to the new level of light.  Allow yourself time to take a breath and give it a minute. Let your eyes adjust to this metaphorical dark room. Begin to see outlines of things and get a sense of what else is in the room with you.

This happens when you tune inward, when you withdraw the senses. You notice your breath, the movement in parts of your body, the feel of the air on your skin. More and more you open up to subtle feeling.

THIS is tuning in. It is our first step.

2. Listen

Once you are tuned in, you have no other job but to listen. The outside world gets quieter and you can hear discerning messages from your body.  Are you tense or relaxed, in pain or feeling good, is your breath smooth or jittery, deep or shallow, full or incomplete?

Your focus becomes just one of listening and acknowledging the status quo of the body.  Donna Farhi in “The Breathing Book” refers to this as Inner Literacy saying “as we become more internally literate, we start to access our own internal doctor who can warn us of trouble before it becomes serious”. Develop your understanding of the messages coming from within your body and you add whole new and important literacy tool to your wellness quest.

Listening is as easy as stopping for a moment, taking a deep breath and ask yourself “What do I need right now?” Then allow your body – not your brain – to answer the question. You will be amazed at the simplicity of the request. More often than not the body is asking for just a few moments of self care. As easy as getting a drink of water, taking a pee break, getting up to stretch, closing your eyes, putting a pair of socks on your cold feet.

Honestly, listen to the small stuff and you wont need to hear it yell big stuff at you.

3. Respond

Choose your reaction to these sensations astutely.  What is your body telling you that it needs? Is it possible to not override these feelings with your bossy brain?

This is common, when our ego brain gets a message that it doesn’t like, it rushes to rationalize and negate. There can be a loop in our brain that is always pushing away the truth of how we are doing, stopping us from actually listening to what our body is trying to tell us. This becomes a huge opportunity to notice our own inner critic and begin to quiet it.

In this place we are usually not acknowledging our body messages, and it becomes easy to say “I don’t know what is wrong with me”. In Deborah Adele’s “The Yamas and Niyamas” she points out that saying “I just don’t know what to do” is dodging something that feels hard to accept, and that “more often than not, we know what to do: the cost of our realness just seems too high at the time”.

This is HUGE.

How often have you felt like you need to be doing something different, but don’t act on that impulse because it is scary?

Our response to our self needs to be one of compassion, grounded in respect and truth. When we tune out the messages of our body because it ruffles the status quo of our lives, we create a ripe arena for dis-ease.

Your response to the messages your body offers, is your opportunity to offer nurturance, to create strong communication lines to the vitality and wisdom of your body.

As you listen you are fostering an important ability, an increase in literacy if you will. As this ability grows you find that your response can be more and more accurate, leading you to healing in every choice you make.

Can I put the words ability and response together for a moment? Switch which one is first? The new word is Response-Ability. Responsibility.  WHOA. What we are doing is developing your personal Responsibility. Freakin’ Cool.  

4. Feel the Rewards

So you have tuned in, listened, responded, and now it is time to absorb the appreciation from your body.

This step may be the most important. You must allow yourself some analysis time at the end of your practice to notice the results. This is the time that you let all the inquiry outcomes rise up to a conscious level.

Let your whole system make note of the effect of the stimulus you applied or the question you considered, create positive neuromuscular pathways, and efficient brain-body connections.

In the book  “Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment Calm and Confidence” by neuropsychologist Rick Hanson describes how we can create self directed neuroplasticity toward inner strength as you “activate mental states then install as neural traits”.

Each time you tune in, listen, and respond, you will notice how the choices you made are affecting you, a process of integration is going on in your background physiology, creating the foundation for the next version of yourself to arise.  As Rick Hanson states “You turn every day good experiences into good neural structure”.  Hardwiring new crucial patterns into your brain body connection.

Connecting to Your In House Doctor

Practicing the connection to your in house doctor makes it stronger, and as you connect you increase your response-ability, and sync into rhythms natural to your body.

This process is sped up when you start to apply Ayurvedic habits through the 4 step filter. Your body will eat up positive choices, your inner doc cheering your every circadian choice.

Your body will get really blunt and obvious about bad choices. In fact, the opportunity of tuning in, listening, responding, and feeling the rewards is like practicing science experiments on yourself. Testing theories and seeing your results. The very definition of Ayurveda is the science of life. Interesting isn’t it?

Use this 4 step process in your yoga, meditation, or ayurveda practice as a filter to check to see your body’s reaction. Every time your body will communicate to you how the practice created change in your body.

The more you practice the more you notice, when you ‘Feel the Rewards’ you will see yourself enjoying the dividends of a healthy vibrant fulfilled life.

Icing on the cake!

Did you know this leads to anxiety and depression?

According to Ayurveda, this behavior is associated with a Vata imbalance.The wisdom teachings of yoga teach us that the balance of the 5 elements in our bodies will help us maintain our health and well being.

The air element is  wonderful for moving energy, stoking new creativity, stirring up your enthusiasm. If the air element combined with the space element you can become spacey, ungrounded, and easily distracted. You will find yourself going from one project to the next never completing anything. You will often feel overwhelmed, anxious, and have trouble sleeping.

Usually this imbalance occurs more frequently after women go through menopause or are pregnant. But it also can also occur for everyone as they move into Vata time of life after age 50. Shifting levels of hormones, change of seasons, transitioning into Vata season (Fall) and travel all cause a Vata imbalance.

Lack of Energy & Focus

Your lack of groundedness is causing you to have sleep disturbances which leads to unevenness of energy throughout the day. You can have moments of total clarity and focus followed by feeling spacey, tired, dull or exhausted.

By constantly depleting your body you will feel like you are always running on empty. Napping is said to really improve your heart health. 15-20 minute power naps are really wonderful for rejuvenating your energy. If you need more than a 10-20 minute nap a day you need to get more rest.

The effects of sleep deprivation over time are scary.

The lack of quality rest and not enough REM cycles or deep sleep will adversely affect your memory, focus and concentration.

According to Webmd.com here are the effects of sleep deprivation over time.

• Heart disease
• Irregular heart beat
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Kills your sex drive
• Causes accidents
• Dumbs you down
• Can contribute to causing depression
• Ages your skin
• Messes with your memory
• Puts on extra weight and makes it hard to lose it once it is on.
• Impairs your judgement (you might think you can get away with 6 hours of sleep…. NOT!!)

How Your Belly Disturbs Your Sleep and Mind Focus

What throws a lot of us off balance is chronic inflammation in our microbiome. Digestive issues will contribute to brain fog and sleep deprivation. If you have ever tried to sleep on a full belly you will get how important it is that you eat early and lighter in order to get a good night’s rest.

What causes inflammation in your gut?

• Processed Foods (breads, pasta, chips, cookies, candy ,cakes) anything that does not grow in nature.
• Any food that has been treated with radiation, chemicals, hormones, antibiotics.
• Meat and fish that has been given food that is not in the animals natural diet.
• Heating foods with microwaves in plastic containers.
• Eating too heavy late at night, past 7:00 pm.
• A diet that includes refined sugar.
• Having the same foods every day.
• Gobbling down your food too quickly while walking, standing, or driving.
• Taking a huge amount of supplements instead of eating wholesome fresh organic foods.
• Sitting down for a meal when you’re upset.
  

Ignoring The Problem Won’t Make It Go Away

What if you are complacent or apathetic about your lack of energy and focus?

This syndrome if left unattended over decades will eventually lead to some serious health issues down the road like: immune disorders, chronic fatigue, weight gain, diabetes, heart problems, chronic depression,  anxiety, memory loss, or dementia.

4 Secrets To Solve Your Foggy Mind And Low Energy

1. Early to Bed Early to Rise…

Going to bed at 10:00 pm or earlier every night consistently will help you break this pattern.

By staying up late and being on blue screens (TV iPhones, iPads, laptops), you rob yourself of essential deep rest that will help you keep your mind sharp and help you sustain your energy during the afternoons and early evening. Taking the TV out of the bedroom is the first step.

Watch for Signs of Tiredness. Yawning, eye rubbing, and heavy eyelids. If you find that you are reading the same sentence 10 times without comprehension close the book and turn off the lights!

2. Avoid Drinking Alcohol During The Week & Caffeine After 10:00 am

Drinking alcohol will cause you to wake up in the middle of the night disturbing your REM cycles and preventing you from being on top of your game the next day. Save it for the weekends.

3. Practice Daily Meditation And Yoga 5 Days A Week

Doing 10-20 minutes of body breath practices will help you oxygenate your body and help you keep you mind clear and your energy even throughout the day. Even five sun salutations will help regulate your energy.

Would love to exercise but have no energy to get yourself off the sofa?  Daily exercise will give your more energy so that you can exercise and improve your health and mental clarity.

Daily meditation helps you floss the mind and increases your grey matter!  You get smarter! Read this great blog about Meditation. Meditating before bed helps you process your day and give you a deeper sleep.

4. Eat Earlier lighter dinner for better sleep.

Closing the kitchen after an early dinner and fasting on water between meals will also help you get to bed earlier, leave you well rested and energized the next day.

Stop eating at 7:00pm

Do Intermittent fasting by putting 12-16 hour between the last meal of the day and breakfast. For example, if you eat at 6:00 pm dinner you would fast until 7:00-8:00am the next day.

If you are hungry before bed try making warm Golden Milk recipe with either milk or Almond milk.

The Next Right Step

If you have had it with losing the plot and low energy, invest in your health and well being. Get to know why your daily habits can make a huge difference in how your mind and body ages. You will be able to have the energy to step into your Swa Dharma (the next right step for you and your family).

I have seen folks in their 20’s dragging themselves through the day and elders in their 90’s full of beans still working because it so so much fun. It has nothing to do with age and all do do with your daily habits.

I am a 65 year old yoga teacher and teacher trainer. I just added a new career as a Yoga Health Coach four years ago. I see students adopting this healthy lifestyle and dropping years off their physiological age. I am working with folks 20-80 years young. They are active and sharp as a tack!

You can avoid serious health issues by following the healthy habits that are recommended by Ayurveda. These habits  help to regulate your personal clock so that you are in tuned with the daily rhythms of nature. Read here about  Dina Charya.  

An insightful quote from the Dalai Llama when asked what surprised him most…

 “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.”  Dalai Llama

A Challenge

Vibrant energy is your birthright! I invite you to share with me how you are investing in your well being and any challenges you have with adopting a healthier habits. Wherever you are in your life, you can always get this party started!

Let me know what you are doing to keep you mind clear and to have vibrant energy throughout your day.

As I dive deeper into my own self-discovery to be more fully and completely accessible for my clients, through my personal habit evolution, I am learning that habits are an expression of the self, of what I desire to create in this life.

My core expression of myself is the following:

“May my health flourish on all 5 levels and live in
abundance, love and success and inspire
those around to do the same”

Getting to know myself

I know this intention, I have it mantled on my puja, on my dresser, on my computer and  I purposefully line up my habits to thrive in this way. As a mother, wife, friend, massage therapist, Yoga Health Coach and Yoga teacher I am called on to present myself in either of these roles.

How do I show up with this intention at the core of my foundation? This is my burning question to myself these days and as a wellness pro.

Did I really say that?

Have you ever said this in your head after you replied to a client ‘Did I really say that?’ or ‘Why do I have to always give out advice?’ and ‘Do I really listen? I thought I was a good listener?’

Have you ever wondered why you end up in that space?

In the past I would catch myself on the edge of my seat mustering up what I was going offer as advice. Finally, they stopped talking about their issue; I can now fire off my advice. Good listener? Ha! Feeling proud, knowledgeable and subtly I notice I was even waiting for a thank you for my advice.

Whoah!  What a rude awakening. Not necessarily the fact of wanting to give out advice but to notice how much this habit was ingrained into my being.

As my self-inquiry got deeper, I got a glimpse of my being feeling empty and shallow.  Some clients, whom I shall include family and friends here, came back for more, but were high maintenance or they didn’t come back at all, this was clear.

Reengineering my past self

Oh Divine Mother
May all my speech and my idle talk be mantra
may all my actions of my hands be mudra
all eating and drinking be the offering of oblations unto thee
all lying down prostrations be before thee
may all pleasures be as dedicating my entire self unto thee
may everything I do be taken as thy worship

This prayer has followed me from my days at Yasodhara Ashram, BC, Canada. I installed this prayer back into my daily life before each of my meals as another reminder of how I want to show up everyday.

Asteya-Non-Stealing

Asteya is one of the Yamas from the Yoga Sutras from Patanjali. It’s an ancient text that gathered and placed an order to many ancient teachings and text so it could be better thought and understood for the rest of the world. The Yamas are considered to be ways of behaving within the realms of society.

‘Non-stealing’ need I say more!

Whatever is not ours we do not take, this includes speech as well.  Have you ever been in a group of people and someone asks a question directly to another and you answer?  This would be considered stealing according Patanjali. I honestly believe that I was energetically stealing from my clients.

As I would jump the gun and shoot out advice, it would leave me feeling shallow…even superficial. I now realize that I was stealing a key moment of empowerment for my client.

Listen for the unspoken

Giving out advice simply takes away for the other to listen in to what their needs truly are, from inside. When we throw back advice as a question to our clients this is that key moment where they can grasp on to that answer within. 

We are not them and we do not know everything that is going on in a 20 minute strategy session or an hour and half consultation. There are many levels to the human being.

Our state of being in always in flux with emotions and thought and our speech is an expression of what we are focused on. If we are letting ourselves be influenced by our own distraction we are not completing our role as a healer. 

As Claudia Welch, author of ‘The Four Qualities of Effective Physicians’, would say: ‘When we communicate with words alone, we may not be as helpful to our patients as when we take time to align our words with deeper levels of meaning.’

Listening and speaking are skills that we use to communicate with our clients. Both skills can and often do co-exist, which are necessary in our field of work as wellness professionals.  This fact gives profound insight for the need to establish or maintain a habit that helps to continually refine these skills.

Meditation

I had two young boys and stopped cold turkey. I started up again this January and as a reward after my cold water plunges in the morning.

I sit the water and meditate for 2 minutes. My son watches and the other day he joined me for a swim and asked me why I sit in the water to meditate. I relied simply: ‘Sitting helps me to listen to the silence inside. And this helps me make better decisions in life.” ‘Ok Mommy. You sit like the Buddha in my book’ he replies before he joined me for a cold swim.

So simple!

Wanting to kick this old habit I started to bring it into my meditation practice. Now being in the center of my awareness I could see it in a different light or from a different angle. And let arise what next steps I need to take to clear this energetically.

This meditation technique is very effective when we need new ways of doing but are not necessarily sure how to go about it. Sitting in silence is a grounding and energy clearing habit that can carry us to that inner space of silence and to expand out our creative desire derived from that space of silence into the outer world.

5 Steps To Fully Be Present With Your Clients

1. Take time between and before to receive your clients to gather yourself. Go for a walk, jumping jacks, hoola hoop, pranayama, meditation or don’t snack to keep the mind fully present. Pick your ‘go to’ to be fully present for your clients.
2. Give space to the client to talk without interruption. Give them the floor to say what they have to say.
3. When they are done speaking ask them if there’s anything else they wish to add. 
4. Take a full breath and then see what emerges for you before you reply back.
5. If they ask you a question can you respond with a question for them to answer themselves. So in this way they themselves feel empowered ‘cause the answer came from them and not you!

This impact of raising our awareness lets us refine our way of being in the world.  I find it to be non-negotiable for us to serve from valued and prepared head space for our clients.

As I step into this new identity my statements and daily mantra are my stakes, to bring me back to my center piece of the heart where my deepest and sincere intentions lie.

Caring for our well-being was not necessarily taught in our acupuncture or massage course either in yoga teacher trainings…etc.  My question to you is: What new habit will you integrate into your routine so you may show up more fully and completely in the name of your clients?

Share this in the comments below to help you stay accountable to your inner growth as a coach.

As I reflect back on my learnings I noticed a few areas in my life that when I began to refine and up-level which supported this skill. Refinement is a daily process.

Grow your intuition with a supportive lifestyle

Is your lifestyle supporting your ability to make good well-informed decisions?

You want to support yourself with actions that support the things you value. First you have to know what matters to you. What are your values? When values are clearly-defined, it is easier to feel the friction present when your words or actions run contrary to them. When action aligns with values, this can support the kind of lifestyle you desire.

Each choice you make shapes your lifestyle. Essentially your lifestyle is the accumulation of your past actions which shape your current reality. These choices also signal your body to respond in a specific way. Example, if you exercise, you become stronger. With every choice, you have the ability to learn and to listen to your gut feeling and the opportunity to respond accordingly.

Is strengthening your intuition something that interests you? Trust your gut one choice at a time.

It takes time, patience and a level of responsibility to continue fostering good decision- making. So a well-rounded lifestyle which supports your emotional, spiritual and physical health is key to making good decisions. Meditation and quiet time with low stimulus are key for healthy emotions along with exercise and recovery. Think rhythm, pulsing between rest and activity. You want a good balance of both.

Build your intuitive gut.

Your gut health directly influences your ability to make good clear decisions, hence the name for this is the gut-brain axis. It is this enteric nervous system which resides in your gut that sends and receives signals to your central nervous system. When the central nervous system is relaxed, as clear communication helps to infer, you are better able to respond and make well informed decisions.

What you feed yourself will either support your gut health, as in helping with clear communication along the gut-brain axis or not. Going deeper, trusting your gut comes down to the symbiotic relationship between your gut bacteria and what you feed them. If you are not supporting this relationship you are hindering your ability for deeper intuitive connection. So choosing to consume gut-healthy foods on a regular basis will help support a healthy gut-brain axis. You could say your gut biome learns to trust and even guide you based on how well you support it.

A gut healthy diet looks different for everyone, but in a broad view there is a template. This template includes creating a supportive environment for good bacteria. Think of a house with strong walls for the bacteria to live and be protected, and feeding the good bacteria with fresh earth-grown foods so they can thrive as a healthy community. While food matters to having a healthy gut, so do other lifestyle factors. In fact, recent research shows that one of the most influential factors on maintaining gut health may be stress, or rather and one’s ability to regulate their response to stressful situations.

Enter meditation and time to relax.

Today’s modern diet is far from being supportive of your gut and a healthy gut is only a part of the whole picture. How do you know what works? Experiment with new ways of feeding your gut and supporting a healthy connection to the feelings you experience.

Support your intuition with awareness.

Have you noticed the difference between your thoughts, emotions and intuition? This was a learned skill for me which I developed after many years of noticing and listening. This skill has showed me is the subtle difference in qualities intuition has from thoughts and emotions. I experience intuition with a light, pure and clear feeling to it. My thoughts have the subtle sensation of dense air or humidity, and emotions carry the quality of a visceral physical experience.

Meditation is great place to explore the differences between your thoughts, emotions and intuitive insights. And it was through listening, trusting and taking action daily that taught me how to discern these differences. How do each of these feel differently for you? Through reflecting on past choices you can notice trends and tendencies, and begin discerning the differences.

Have you been accurate with past intuitive insights? Have a regular time to reflecting and acknowledge the gut feelings you have and if they contain any truth.

Intuition is an easy thing to dismiss. On one level you may know something needs to happen or is true, yet you ignore the signal and move forward based on an emotional response. What to do? Practice listening, trusting and taking action. The more you do it, the more developed your awareness becomes.

Practice, refine, repeat. A healthy dose of curiosity will positively impact your relationship with your intuition. Curiosity helps me enter my life as a living experiment. This experiment includes the practice of listening to my gut, refining my choices and repeating often. Do you want to become more intuitive? Practice listening to your gut feeling. Spend time in reflection and meditation to intentionally sense the different qualities of thoughts, emotions and the sense of knowing.

This beautiful soul has got it figured out!! Are you ready to have FUN in your BUSINESS?

Are you ready to create programs and workshops WITH JOY?

Are you ready to feel like THIS IS SOOOOO EASY?!!!

Today I chatted with Suzanne Lynch of saratogaspringsyoga.com and Suzanne Lynch Wellness.

After three years as a Yoga Health Coach, she’s developed a custom program that suits her dream lifestyle while attracting her dream clients. She’s changing people’s lives, by just doing what comes naturally to her! How lovely is that?
This show is a MUST LISTEN. I’m super inspired.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• How to develop a community mindset toward your potential clients.
• Why you want to leverage your YHC resources.
• What you gain when you approach your business model with a sense of ease and abundance.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Suzanne’s FB
• Suzanne’s website
• Sign-up for the FREE live Living Ayurveda Masterclass series now!

Show Highlights:

• 2:11  – Suzanne discusses what motivated her about her career challenges to take Cate’s business program and her initial successes.
• 6:30  – Part of successful coaching is patience, support, and understanding the wisdom in our resistances.
• 8:09  – After we master the techniques of a new program, the rules, we can improvise, play, and make it unique to ourselves and our clients.

Favorite Quotes:

• “How easy can this be? How much fun can we make this?” – Carly Banks
• “I am really really big on a lot of support and small steps. Because I want sustainable change.”  – Suzanne Lynch
• “They’re driving the content, and I’m really serving their needs.”  – Suzanne Lynch

Guest BIO:

Suzanne has been helping people get out of pain, and live happier, healthier lives for over 25 years. She has a special talent and affinity for habit evolution and deep listening. Suzanne loves helping clients feel better than they have in years.

Suzanne has been a meditator for 30 years and was certified by the NACC as a Catholic Chaplain in 2001. She worked for the Red Cross after The Trade Center bombings, as well as in hospitals, and in Hospice. She’s a long time student of yoga and started back in 1989. Suzanne lives in Saratoga with her husband, Bruce and her dog Argos. She is a mother of two grown children. Connect with Suzanne on her FB page and get more info on Suzanne’s website.

Tarpana is a practice that helps to clears your ancestral karma. It is one of the practices of Ayurveda that encourage you to remove the karmic burdens you carry and free yourselves to live your lives empowered and connected to the Self: the place of expansion, bliss, and freedom at the core of your being.

When for example, your family has obsessiveness around food, this could possibly relate to a time when there was scarcity around food and your ancestors were literally starving. Have you inherited an innate fear about not having enough to eat or enough money?

My parents grew up in the depression and had to feed a lot of people on very little money. Saving money, not trusting banks, getting out of debt was not a luxury, it was drilled into our being. We started savings accounts at age nine. They passed on a deep fear around money and a feeling that there was never enough onto us. As a result, I tend to work too much and not have enough time for fun, to hang with family, or cultivate social interactions. I am work and success obsessed.

The practice of Tarpana helped me release some of my fear around money. I found that my heart became a lot lighter. I started attracting more clients and have become more easeful around enrolling my programs. That fear of not having enough has started to lift.

My teacher, Cate Stillman, recommends that you do this process quite frequently. It can be done once a year on an anniversary or birthday. If there is a lot of karma to burn, then practice tarpana once a month.

Family Puja – The Ritual

Sarita Rocco, an Ayurvedic practitioner, and yoga teacher recommends creating a Family Puja or altar. This will help you communicate with your ancestors. She suggests that we should not put any living people on this Puja. You are honoring those who have passed on. This creates more clarity in communicating with the ancestors. Add sacred objects like crystals, candles, incense, flowers to this special ancestral puja..

The Ritual

The ritual is really specific. You remember the first level of your ancestors. Perhaps it is your parents or grandparents. You then continue to go back up to seven generations. You will not have as many details or a personal relationship past your grandparents or great grandparents, but the idea is to clear patterns of behavior that have been around for many generations.

For example, perhaps there is a history of alcoholism or drug addiction that goes back several generations. Perhaps there is a history of violence (physical or mental), obesity, diabetes, cancer, eating disorders, mental illness, depression anxiety…

Committing to do the work and clearing the patterns you become the “Golden Link”, breaking the generational stream of behavior or tendencies. My fellow teacher, Rudrani Farbman, recommends doing rituals, practices and some serious self-inquiry to become this “Golden Link”. All of this work is a part of the practice of Yoga called Atma Vichara or self inquiry.

Laws of Karma

In the yoga community, we talk about cause and effect and the study of Karma. Carlos Pomeda, a Sanskrit scholar, and teacher of yoga philosophy was clear that most of us have a Facebook understanding of Karma. He explains that you constantly see on Facebook people sharing that they are not worried because the creep that left them, the idiot that cut them off in traffic, or the boss that fired them will get what is coming to them through the laws of Karma. Almost like vengeance is mine!!  

The simplistic vengeance theory is flawed. There is no one counting grace and penance in the sky keeping track on a giant abacus. However, we are accumulating the effects of our choices. If I stay up late working on this blog I will feel really tired and foggy minded tomorrow. I am borrowing on tomorrow’s energy tonight instead of getting my butt to bed to get a full night’s rest.

Right understanding says that cause and effect of karma mean that the behavior and choices we make will have an effect on our health and well being.

How to Break the Samskaras

How to break this Samskara? Samskara is a pattern of behavior that was initiated in early life that becomes automatic and unconscious. 

The Practice

Start by lighting a candle on the family puja. Then place a flower on the altar and light incense. Offer each person something they really loved, going through each generation one by one. It could be their favorite food. A traditional offering which works well if you do not know much about them is to offer them a teaspoon of milk, a teaspoon of water, and a teaspoon of black sesame seeds. After offering it to them, you eat the offering for them. 

No Judgement

Offer them appreciation and gratitude for the gift of life you received through them. Do not judge them for their behavior or choices. Forgive them for what hurt you received around them. Repeat this for each parent, grandparent and great grandparents up to seven generations.

Maya Tiwara recommends “you either carry your ancestors on your back or stand on their shoulders.” When you honor them you stand on their shoulders. When you judge them and carry a grudge about their behavior you are carrying them on your back. 

Notice What Happens

After this ceremony journal and notice, what comes up for you afterward. Keep a dream journal by your bed. Keep track of dreams especially of your ancestors. My Mom appeared in a dream filled with a delicious banquet, beautiful flowers and lots of family members all celebrating. I hadn’t dreamt of my mom in many years. I woke up and did not feel deep sadness. I felt she was there with me celebrating the abundance of love we shared in life that continues now so many years after she has left her body. Her presence was a beautiful gift from doing the Tarpana practice.  

Since doing this ceremony I have experienced a complete shift in abundance in my career. I was invited to present a couple of yoga classes on an online platform called YogaVibes, I won a trip to Antigua at a charity luncheon I attended, I started working with 6 new private clients this week. My summer retreat is almost full and we don’t leave for 2 more months. Wow!

Letting go of resentment and practicing gratitude and forgiveness really works!

I asked my ancestors to please help me release my fear about money and obsession around food and my body. Be careful what you ask for!

Support in breaking Samskaras

To get support in breaking Samskaras connect to a yoga health coach who is skilled at helping to support you in facing the patterns of behavior that keep you stuck in your life.

Yoga Health Coaches help you move through the resistance that is typically associated with our Samskaras. For instance; if you want to let go of your horrible pattern of disturbed sleep, you might need to explore some deep issues you have about not feeling safe in the world.

Through my own journey as a health coach, I am seeing so many folks being able to break bad habits of eating heavier dinners, sleeping 5 hours, waking up groggy with a migraine. They are dropping weight, feeling happier and lighter, letting go of depression and anxiety and feeling more empowered.

These kinds of shifts require us to dig deep. The practice of Tarpana may seem a bit woo woo to you!!  But if it works, woo woo for all your worth! Through this work I am really beginning to feel like the Universe is abundant and there is plenty to see me through my retirement.

If you are ready to get rid of your horrible sleep issues, anxiety, food obsession and overly critical nature that plagued your Mom her whole life, it is time to practice Tarpana.

Start with the family puja.

Be the Golden Link.

Be the Golden link so your kids and their kids will not have a deal with the shadow you have been carrying around your whole life. On the other side is light, freedom and joy.

To connect with me about my next yoga health coaching course, The Body Evolves, go to this link. To find a Yoga Health coach near you to go this link.

“Breathing in, I calm my body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh– from Being Peace

When I was 25 my dad died from pancreatic cancer. His death, just 4 months after diagnosis, left me questioning what it meant to live a full life and how we can most effectively navigate these very human challenges. My search for answers unfolded into studies in Buddhism, Yoga, and eventually Ayurveda. Some of the first writings I was introduced to were the simple and effective teachings of Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. One of my favorite writings of Thich Nhat Hanh was a mantra from his book, Being Peace: “Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is the only moment.”  This phrase was taught to me in an abbreviated form: “calm, smile, present, wonderful.” I began to use it during hot and sweaty Bikram yoga classes, during the stress of marital separation and as a tool to share with my yoga students. Over 20 years later this mantra is still my favorite go-to.

Mantra = Mind Protecting

Mantra- the use of sounds or words as objects of concentration- means “mind protecting. ” By allowing our awareness to settle on the sounds we repeat aloud or silently we “protect” ourselves from thoughts or emotional responses triggered by our daily lives. Staying focused on the mantra protects us from negative thoughts, monkey mind and replaying conversations in our head. It keeps us in the moment. Mantra comes in many forms. Some mantras, called “seed” mantras, are sounds that do not have a particular meaning in English. Full phrases in both Sanskrit, “om shanti shanti shanti,” and English (“breath in goes deep, breath out goes slow”) are used commonly. Mantras can be used with other practices like yoga or as a stand alone meditation practice.

Train Your Nervous System to Be Calm and Steady

A key teaching from the world of Ayurveda is the value of mindfulness or meditation practice as part of a daily rhythm of self care called “dinya charya”.  One of my teachers- the Abbot of a Theravada Buddhist Monastery, helped me understand that practice is just that, practice. The time we spend meditating – whether we follow the breath or use a mantra- gives our nervous system and subconscious a chance to develop a familiarity with the technique.  The goal? When we face a challenge in real life – when we need to be calm and steady and hold space for ourselves – the mantra and our breath are right there with us. Our practice gives us ability to access calm and peace even when it seems elusive.

Anxiety + Overwhelm: Using Mantra to Navigate Life

As much as I had used the mantra “calm, smile” both in practice and in troubled times, it was this winter, over 20 years after first learning it – that I had the chance to see the full benefit of mantra in action.

My History of Anxiety

Part of my history is one of anxiety and overwhelm. I notice that this tendency is worsening as I age. Ayurveda views anxiety through the lens of what is called a Vata overdominance imbalance. As we age, we tend to become even more Vata dominant in our bodies, minds, and hearts which means that managing anxiety is made easier by self care practices like keeping things simple, following a routine, oil massage, and using practices like yoga and meditation.  Although I follow Vata pacifying self care practices, my life recently has been one of travel, living in temporary accommodations and spending endless hours working on the computer. These are all lifestyle factors that increase Vata and make me more vulnerable to the panic attacks I can experience on planes and buses when I feel confined.

How I Stopped My Panic Attack

I am sitting in an aisle seat in a plane. I fly a lot and love travelling in spite of the fact that as soon as the beverage cart rolls up beside me and the flight attendant looks down at me, I get triggered. Something about this scenario makes me unbelievably claustrophobic, which I compensate for first by taking off shoes and sweaters. I start clearing away anything that might be blocking me or even touching me. I ask my family to move as far into their seat as they can. The stronger my panic attack the more I need to take action, I ask the flight attendant to move the cart, and I often stand up and try to walking in the aisle. In the past, I have never been able to calm myself without asking others to help by moving and giving me space.  On my recent flight to Mexico, I had a surprise. I began to feel myself getting triggered, a panic attack looked inevitable, I looked down, dug deep, and began repeating “breathing in, I calm my body, breathing out, I smile.” I blocked out everything else and repeated until the beverage cart moved on. And to my surprise, I averted my panic attack.

Trust The Practice

I lie on the floor in Bikram yoga with eyes wide open, breath ragged and “calm, smile, present, wonderful” on endless repeat. Walking and breathing to the rhythm of mantra. Meditation. Following my breath, as I drive, sit to work and in-between activities.I have learned that practice comes in many forms and that when my real-life anxiety meets years of experience with a favorite mantra, my ability to calm and regroup is right there, waiting for me. Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. I got this.

The language of sensation

Our body speaks to us through the language of sensation. This is the language of tiny impulses expressed in many forms through all of the layers of the body. And just like any other language, it takes time to learn and our understanding deepens over time. The Yoga classroom is where I began to learn this language and feel the sensations of my body. Through learning this language yoga has become my personal sanctuary. My place to create deeper states of wellness through attention and focus to all the layers of my body.

The Koshas

Kosha means sheaths or layers of our body in yoga philosophy. They range from dense to subtle and are interconnected without any real separation. Together, the koshas form a treasure map for the journey of self-discovery. You will notice as we go through the koshas the influence one has to to the next and the power of a consistent yoga practice.

The Annamaya Kosha – Physical/food layer

There are many routes to the yoga practice but in the west most enter through the physical exercises known as asana practice. This layer makes up our physical physical body ( bones, muscles, organs, etc.) This is the layer directly influenced by the physical practice of yoga. Here is where we deepen our understanding of the more physical sensation through yoga asana practice. Feeling your feet on the floor and touching the sky above you. When grounded in this kosha, physical awareness is opened and you will find your posture naturally aligns.

The Pranamaya Kosha – Energy layer

This layer is also affected by the physical practice and related to the breath, the nervous system and your inner world. The breath is used to unblock stagnation in the whole system, and believe me, we all have it. The breath directly affects the nervous system. Think fast shallow breathing and its correlation to anxiety and fear. Now think of how a slow, deep and rhythmic breathing pattern soothes your whole being. When breathing practices (pranayama) are regular, deeper connection and control of the nervous system is achieved.

The Manomaya Kosha – Mental/emotional layer

This is where the impacts of your yoga practice can be reflected almost immediately. When physical exercise and controlled breath are combined (the previous two layers) balance and flow are restored to this layer fairly quickly. Ever feel calm and content right after a yoga class? This kosha is related to our sense of self, our mind and our relational capacity. The manomaya kosha is an easy place to get stuck and accumulate stagnation. Do you know someone who is all in their head? The practice of Japa yoga or repeating affirmations directly affects this layer by untying the tethers of the mind which so easily get wound up. When balance is cultivated here, our senses begin to shift inward and the internal language of our mind is understood.

The Vijnanamaya Kosha – Intuitive/wisdom layer

Consistency is your ally. This Kosha is the seat of our intuition, or our higher connection. After months or years of regular practice you will notice things begin to shift.  As the layers become more subtle our awareness expands and the language of our body goes beyond the five main senses. This layer opens up when the previous three are active with a regular yoga practice to help keep them clean and flowing.

The Anandamaya Kosha – Bliss layer

Oooommmmmm. This most subtle layer is our seat of bliss. The center most kosha yet its the most expansive in its experience. Regular meditation helps connect with this layer and to maintain these expansive qualities. Think interconnectedness and vastness for the sensations coming through here.

Compassion, awareness and curiosity

As we practice yoga and meditation our old stored emotions, habits, experiences and just plain old stuff comes up. When it does come up, inviting a sense of compassion is key. Presencing this is what the practice of yoga is designed to do. Imagine looking back after decades of practice and having the mental clarity to learn the deeper lessons of the choices made earlier in life. After all, yoga is a powerful way to learn the language of sensation so get curious about what it is saying.