Heal, Balance, Live Passionately
Breathe is a healing community dedicated to exploring consciousness, self and healing through the holistic arts. It's where women in our 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond take yoga and healing off the mat, into the everyday and explore life. We're women who've been around the block a bit. We're not lost or searching, but we're always growing and maturing. We love exploring the world and we love how yoga and the mind/body/spirit connection brings it all together. We don't know everything and we're willing to say we don't know and then go and find out. Are you one of us? Even if you're younger, not a yogi or not even a woman this is a welcoming community. We want to inspire, help, educate and hear from you!
All classes, workshops and healing sessions located at 3115 W. Sixth Street in Lawrence, KS. I love to travel and frequent my home town, Chicago. My new second home is Boston. I'm still figuring out the T and teaching in MA. Look for events or contact me to schedule a private session, talk, workshop or series. |
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BreatheNewsletter is full of info, tips and upcoming events. Your contact info is sacred and we'll never share it. Sign up stay informed. Love to hear from you so feel free to comment, ask questions or just say hi!
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Love-offering yoga is back!
You have all asked and I've looked at the calendar. This summer I'm traveling and teaching, but this coming Friday, May 17 and the Friday of Memorial Day weekend at 6p is Love-offering Community Yoga. Be prompt cause we believe in small classes. There are only 10 spots. First come first served. Pay what you can, cash only. Bring a friend.
10 Natural Ways to Sleep
Sleep has been my nemesis for years and years. I have gone through periods of getting enough, getting good and then barely being able to get through because I was getting so little.
Insomnia is one of the chief complaints that I hear from students and private clients. Most everyone battles it at some point in their lives. For me it got better when I made a concerted effort to learn some new stress management skills and took care of some food sensitivities. It's amazing to think how much of a difference gluten has made in my life. If you have insomnia and you think you have a food allergy, intolerance or sensitivity I highly recommend you talk to your doctor. You can also just eliminate that item from your diet and see how you feel. For me, it was life changing. However, the folks over at House Beautiful have compiled a list of other things to look at when you're having trouble sleeping. From emptying your mind to aromatherapy these ideas can help you through the occasional restless night or help you with hard core insomnia. Try more than one, layering modalities is always smart and stick to it for more than a couple of nights. Good luck, let us know what works for you! Stress, Anxiety and PTSD after Boston Bombings
Experts, like Dr. Patricia Watson have been talking about what the real effects of 4/15 are going to be to our children, our communities and ourselves. Some of us are breathing easier after white hat's capture, but some of the stress and trauma won't really be seen for a few weeks.
As someone who manages anxiety and PTSD with yoga, diet and meditation this is a subject really close to my heart And as someone who was in a plane on my way to Boston when the bombings occurred, it's a subject that affects me directly. While the more pronounced effects of PTSD, stress and anxiety can be debilitating, all of us suffer in small ways from Boston's bombings. And the effects aren't always negative, while you may not be getting as much sleep, you may also have pulled out your will to update it, something you've been putting off for months. Maybe you weren't eating as much or found yourself reaching for comfort food, but maybe you're spending more dinnertime with your kids. And it will be interesting to see how many more weddings and babies there are next year in Boston. In a mass traumatic event our collective need to connect and take action is often overwhelming. Within 48 hours organizations in and around Boston were mobilizing to help the victims. Whether you buy a tee-shirt, donate directly or find some way to be of service to victims standing together supportive and strong is incredibly healing. This month Breathe is focusing on reducing stress and managing anxiety. Stress-less Yoga and Yoga for Anxiety Workshops can be taught in small groups in Boston or made into private sessions. Ananda Healing Sessions are specifically designed to relax, de stress and teach your nervous system to self-soothe. 12 tips to kick refined sugar
I'm a diet and exercise controlled diabetic, which means that I was not interested in being on meds and I was lucky enough to have options because my diabetes was caught very early. I was and am lucky because while diabetes run wild can be a killer, sugar-especially refined sugar can be a killer. Diabetes care helped me manage my sugar intake.
Sugar feeds inflammation and many doctors, researchers and nutritionists link inflammation to everything from cancer to arthritis and now they believe there is a schizophrenic link. So, what can you do to protect yourself and increase your chances of a healthy life? Cut your sugar. It's easier than you think. The first place to look is at your refined sugar intake. It's the most simple, easy place to make some changes. Let me say it again. You don't have to turn your life upside down You just have to take baby steps to affect great change. Here are 12 tips to cut your refined sugar from Kimi Harris, but don't feel the need to adopt all of them at once. Try one or two for a week or so and then when that gets comfortable add another one or two. Taking it in baby steps is the fastest way to affect big change. Good luck. Let us know how it goes! 5 Tips for Longevity
It's 2013 and we want to live till at least 2053. Another forty years. What would it take? We're taking a look at what traits, habits and characteristics lead to living a longer life. Throughout the year we're looking at ways to eat better and move more. In February we focus on love and connection But first check out what researchers learned about centenarians. and their lives.
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Breathe is beating back stress
Breathe is focusing on attacking stress and related disorders this month.This is a tough time of year. If you're a student, professor or teacher the work load just increased tenfold. If you're a parent your parenting workload just doubled. Last week I received a call on Tuesday reminding me that in the fall I'd agreed to bake 5 DOZEN brownies for the concert the next day. And then, the concert was the last one, where everyone says goodbye to the seniors and the seniors tearfully say goodbye to the concert director. It ran over 2 hours and my 7 year old didn't get to bed till after 10p, hopped up on cookies and brownies and ice cream.
Baking brownies and sitting thru a long concert isn't stressful alone, but they add to the to-do list and the mind game I play everyday coordinating it all. And I can't tell you how many times I end up thinking I wish there weren't a concert at all. So whether you're spending extra time with parenting, grading or studying, whether you're trying to get your garden planted, your winter duds packed way or planning elaborate parties for any of the myriad events in May/June, life is busier. Stress levels are rising. Stress increases feelings of anxiety and depression. It's a tough time of year. Breathe is doing what we can to help you manage your moods and ease anxiety, depression and stress levels. The most exciting is the new Stress-Less Yoga class designed to just be plain old fun with yoga. Absolutely anyone can attend. We'll try some party poses and laugh! Check out Workshops for May. Invite a friend to join you for double the fun! Best & worst nutrition bars
Grabbing a bar after yoga class or right before your walk to get you through is smart right? Do you ever wonder how you should choose? And if you're making the right choice? It can be daunting. Well+GoodNYC has a great comparison of popular bars. Some of these facts might shock you!
Feeling stuck at work?
One of my favorite things to do when I'm feeling blocked or stuck is a headstand. Flipping upside down changes my perspective. Literally. If I'm at my local coffee shop and can't be on my head a simple forward fold can do the trick. I can get unstuck, but I can also rev up my brain, letting oxygenated blood flow into my head.
And if I can't discreetly do a seated forward fold, I just need to walk down the street and Drake Baer at Fast Company suggests, find some trees. Walking changes my brain chemistry and helps me find new inspiration and focus better. Green spaces help relieve mental fatigue. What do you do when you're feeling stuck? 
4 Non-chemical Sugar Subs
Since being diagnosed with diabetes my awareness of sugar and how it works in the body has increased ten fold. The fact that a third of the fructose I consume gets stored as fat was a huge eye opener. That all sugar doesn't get stored the same was crazy to me. But now that I've done a bit of research....
Ok, I'm really good at limiting my fruits and I don't do fake sugars cause I don't do neurotoxins. Avoiding fructose was simply because I'm diabetic, but now I'm glad.. So, I do know about honey in my coffee instead of substitute....creamer substitute's first ingredient is corn syrup and the second is hydrogenated oil, both ingredients I try to avoid. So, I'm going to lean in to the honey and stevia in my cabinet. Check out other substitutes you can incorporate into your diet and what they do to you body. Happiness is Key to Longevity-
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