As our limited roles fall away, there is a shift from ambition toward connection. We may be as productive as ever, but the motivation is different. Liberated from the pressure to hustle for our worth, we can drop the masks of our persona which allows our spirit to shine.

When our daily life is inundated with run-of-the-mill stress, little things can ignite us. A small burn while cooking dinner can become a stick of emotional dynamite. This in turn, can spark flare-ups of chronic pain, autoimmune or digestive disorders. During times of stress, it’s critical we find a balance of work and play.

In the absence of good or unchallenged information, we will always make up stories to help us know what to do next. The brain rewards you with feeling good regardless to the truth or accuracy of the story. When you own your story of struggle, you get to write the ending. But when you deny a story, it owns you.

While it’s hard to fathom pain, despair and trauma as blessings, there are gifts to be gleaned from having experienced them. For instance, some of the early lessons of the pandemic were an appreciation for a slower pace of life and spending more time in nature.

We cannot experience the full flavor of our embodied life without dipping into the depths of anger, sorrow, joy, fear, contentment, and all the other subtle and complex ranges of emotions that lie on the spectrum of life.

It’s mid-February and an unexpected snow storm turned Portland into a winter wonderland. For a hot minute, I fretted over my emerging tulips that thought it was spring only a week before. And then I remembered, the only thing we can expect is the unexpected.

Did you know that there are four independent brain circuits that influence our lasting well-being? While each circuit contributes beautifully on their own, when joined by the other circuits they create magic – broadening our everyday existence to include a wider and more vibrant range of experience.

Stress is your body’s reaction to a trigger. It’s generally a short-term experience that can be either positive or negative. It can be positive, such as when you pull off a deadline. But when stress results in insomnia, poor concentration, and impaired ability, it’s negatively impacting your quality of life.

This life force is known by many names. The yogis call it prana and activate it through breath and postures. Acupuncturist call it qi and balance its movement through a network of pathways.

It’s common for trauma to get caught in body memories. This occurs unconsciously and is what makes survivors jumpy, dysregulated, or numbed out in ways they can’t explain. Mindfulness-based, embodied therapy involves tracking body memories as they reemerge in treatment.