Shortly after my husband and I were hit by a car while crossing the street, I was signed up for a Biodynamic Intuitive Healing workshop. I could barely get out of bed. Between the impact from the car and the pavement, every part of my body hurt except for my fingers and toes.

Although it was difficult to move, I couldn’t imagine any activity better than a weekend of hands on healing. All of the soft [...]]]>

Shortly after my husband and I were hit by a car while crossing the street, I was signed up for a Biodynamic Intuitive Healing workshop. I could barely get out of bed. Between the impact from the car and the pavement, every part of my body hurt except for my fingers and toes.

Although it was difficult to move, I couldn’t imagine any activity better than a weekend of hands on healing. All of the soft bolsters and blankets were waiting for me at Thrive Yoga, along with a caring community.

The basic idea of Cranial-sacral Healing is to connect to the earth’s energy and tune into your breath while inviting your heart to open. Once you have the intention of being kind, curious, and aware, you are ready to approach another person. Our goal was to feel each other’s Cranial Rhythm with our hands. Skilled practitioners can sense the fluctuation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the motility of the central nervous system, and the mobility of the membrane system. This is our essential life force.

Dana Cohen Valerio led the workshop with her extensive knowledge and experienced touch. Her gentle teaching and exercises left me feeling emotionally better.

On the first day we found partners then relaxed and grounded ourselves. One person would lay down comfortably while the other gently touched their fingers around the crown of the head. We would switch after several minutes then talk about our experiences. The car struck the right side of my body. I experienced strange sensations such as a suction cup pulling on the right side of my head and my right arm turning into a metal claw. This side was obviously blocked.

On the second day, Dana worked on me to demonstrate touch techniques from the sacrum to the skull. Energy moved on my right side. A tingling feeling of warmth filled my body and occasionally I twitched. After my time with her, I felt like I would be able to handle the ongoing pain from my injuries.

Although people might be skeptical about the ability to feel someone’s life force there is absolutely no way anyone should doubt the power of another person’s touch. The loving and caring field of energy from someone who is completely present in the moment will make you feel better. No mind wandering, no other thoughts, just the complete exchange of energy.

This workshop was part of my 500-hour teacher training at Thrive Yoga. With this revamped training curriculum, Susan Bowen had a completely new vision of how we can understand our energy, bodies, and spirit. If I hadn’t been so painfully injured, I might not be able to appreciate the effectiveness of my new knowledge. The decision to dedicate so much of my time to additional yoga teacher training this year turned out to be a life saver for me during a few dark and uncertain days of my life.

The sentiment we all expressed at the end of the weekend was, “Now that we know this, how can we not share it with others?” Dana inspired all of us.

If you need a healing touch, I know how much it can mean in small and big ways.

We don’t remember any of the details of the car hitting us. We had waited for [...]]]>
My husband and I were hit by a car while walking in a crosswalk with the signal on the way home from a meeting at our son’s middle school. We were excited to walk in the cold with the brand new gear we purchased to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in July. Walking together to train had developed into our favorite pursuit.

We don’t remember any of the details of the car hitting us. We had waited for the signal to cross. We even waved cars past when they wanted to let us go. I said, “It’s a $200 fine for jay walking” which is one of my regular comments to pedestrians who break the law. When the cross signal started to blink red, we commented that it wasn’t a very long signal.

Then my husband said something about a car and I looked to the right. That moment is frozen in time. My husband’s right hand was almost touching the hood. I could see the car’s right headlight. Deep down inside me I willed that car not to hit us. I was in denial. I arrogantly refused to let it hurt us. I was not allowing this to happen.

I no longer doubt miracles.

We both woke up face down in the street without our tie-on shoes. I rose out of a black hole void of life or death, pushed up on my arms, saw the stopped car, noticed our shoes, and looked for my husband. He was on the sidewalk after dragging himself out of the street, but he couldn’t get up. His head was bleeding. I used my arms as a pillow in what became the most terrifying moment of my life.

The surge of adrenaline that propelled me to move around and gather our things from the street wore off when the EMTs strapped me into the stretcher under blankets. I looked at the EMT and told her I couldn’t feel my right side. I couldn’t move my right arm.

As the trauma center staff took x-rays and ultrasounds, they kept giving me good news. No broken bones. No internal bleeding. The atmosphere in the ER shifted to one of relief and joking. The doctor stood next to me and explained that I was in good physical shape, then added “your husband is too”. Everyone was searching for an explanation.

In an act of unrequired compassion, a nurse wheeled me into the tiny space next to my husband. I’ll always be grateful. If I stretched my good arm through the bars my fingertips could brush the top of his hand. The connection brought strength and our usual love. I knew he was all right. With neck braces in place, we couldn’t look at each other but we could talk. Eventually the worst trauma scenarios were eliminated. Two friends came to stand by our side, make calls, and take notes.

As emergency personnel came through the trauma center that night, they joked about the hospital cost-cutting because we were in the same space then they realized we were the couple hit by the car. All of them smiled to see us. Usually those calls on the radio ended badly.

We both walked out of the hospital in less than 24 hours.

Perhaps there was no better book I could have finished reading before such a life and death situation than The Divine Matrix: Bridging Time, Space, Miracles, and Belief. Although I don’t accept every premise in Gregg Braden’s books, his idea that you can create your own reality fascinates me.

…all we require is a little shift to see that we’re the architects of our world and our fate, cosmic artists expressing our inner beliefs on the canvas of the universe. If we can remember that we’re the art as well as the artist, then perhaps we can also remember that we’re the seed of the miracle as well as the miracle itself

You must totally and completely believe the reality you desire and accept nothing less. I did in that moment before the car hit.

As this week progressed, the pain completely filled every part of our bodies. New symptoms and injuries continued to become apparent each day. Because of the head and nerve damage we have more specialists to see. Together we work through the post traumatic stress symptoms. Luckily we have the awareness to recognize what’s happening and can talk to someone who completely understands. We sustain each other in all ways including this accident.

One day as we were sitting together my husband told me, “We need to completely believe that we are healed.”

The Divine Matrix agrees:

We must first have the feeling of healing, abundance, peace, and the answers to our prayers of well-being in our hearts as if they’ve already happened before they become the reality of our lives.

I’ve told our story to so many people and everyone agrees it was a miracle. But as Braedon argues, there’s more to us than meets the eye. The single most powerful force in the universe lies within each of us. We have the power to create in the world what we imagine in our beliefs.

“Ask and you shall receive” satiates the Bible but the “Divine Matrix” insists that modern translations should go further:

All things that you ask straightly, directly
From inside my name –
you will be given. So far you haven’t done this.
So ask without hidden motive and
Be surrounded by your answer –
Be enveloped by what you desire, that your gladness be full.

My life with my husband and my sons is the reality I desired. I wasn’t going to let anyone steal it away.

UPDATE: Subsequent x-rays and tests showed fractured bones which were not apparent in the scans at the Trauma Center on the night of the accident.

No matter what method you choose, keeping your diet in check becomes difficult at times. A special occasion or craving can set you back, and often derail you completely. If it was easy to stay at a healthy weight, everyone would do it.

When I graduated from college and looked ahead to life on my own, I wanted to slim down and eat right. I didn’t know how. I’d keep trying to make changes with no [...]]]>

No matter what method you choose, keeping your diet in check becomes difficult at times. A special occasion or craving can set you back, and often derail you completely. If it was easy to stay at a healthy weight, everyone would do it.

When I graduated from college and looked ahead to life on my own, I wanted to slim down and eat right. I didn’t know how. I’d keep trying to make changes with no results. That’s the first time I went to Weight Watchers. Thirty years ago, the program was different, but I learned to make all the changes, went to a few meetings, and did it on my own without a problem.

The weight stayed off until I had my first son over a decade later. Since I’d had so much success the first time, I decided to go back to Weight Watchers and learn about the new point system. After a few weeks, I stopped going to meetings and did it myself with determination.

After my second son, I tried to count points and didn’t succeed. I lost then gained even more weight. After not being able to zipper my pants on fall evening, I headed back to Weight Watchers, but I wasn’t happy with myself.

I prefer to do things on my own. Having to admit that I couldn’t find the strength and willpower to do this was tough. I needed the support and focus of attending weekly meetings for a few years.

The good news is that I have kept within the proper weight for my height for over eight years. In Weight Watchers we call this lifetime. The daily choices I make about food are second nature. I don’t think about them anymore. I’ve incorporated ideals from the Ayurvedic system and include anti-inflammatory foods each day. Weight Watchers offers the freedom to eat anything in moderation. We cook almost every meal at home and experiment with many grains, vegetables, and recipes, always concocting something new. My guys put up with a lot! Who knows what mom will do?

After a few years of maintaining on my own, I started going back to Weight Watchers with a goal of losing more than that “old” lifetime goal weight. The total is 15.6 pounds. I walked in the doors before the holidays and lost 2 pounds while indulging in every holiday occasion. I don’t believe in deprivation when it comes to once-a-year treats! Now I officially have ten pounds to go.

I take the changes I made in my life for granted. Attending meetings reminds me of how far I’ve come. Meetings also provide the opportunity to help others find the changes they need to make. With the constant barrage of junk and fast food advertising, people need to create space for the opposite message about healthy choices. Seeing and hearing all about success brings success.

The system works because of the support provided when going it alone becomes too difficult.

Several years ago I had weekly conversations with an older gentleman. He talked about how his life was out of control, both professionally and personally. I’d encourage him to pick one thing to do that week to find his way out of this rut.

One day he claimed to be a famous author who couldn’t get started on his next book. He’d already spent the advance money and wasn’t sure how to write it. When I [...]]]>

Several years ago I had weekly conversations with an older gentleman. He talked about how his life was out of control, both professionally and personally. I’d encourage him to pick one thing to do that week to find his way out of this rut.

One day he claimed to be a famous author who couldn’t get started on his next book. He’d already spent the advance money and wasn’t sure how to write it. When I researched his name, he actually was! He had written a highly successful life management book and was tasked with rewriting it for college students. I told him he should write the book in text messages because that’s what they would understand. His face lit up with interest. I pictured highlighted quote boxes with his principles written short and sweet like tweets. These abbreviated versions could be followed with easy-to-read explanations.

Turns out, this might be the best way to get information across to audiences.

A new study by professors at UC San Diego and U of Scranton found that the mind appears primed to remember the kinds of spontaneous posts we put on Facebook more readily than published sentences by writing professionals.

The LA Times reported that the researchers used a series of memory tests and concluded :

Perhaps the very sentences that are so effortlessly generated are, for the same reason, the same ones that are readily remembered. Some sentences – and most likely, those without careful editing, polishing and perfecting – are naturally more ‘mind-ready’.

At the end of the article the professors thought professor-delivered lectures would be more valued than a textbook but they quipped,

Perhaps, though, textbooks written as tweets would render the faculty obsolete.

That was my idea all along!

For quite a while I’ve been flabbergasted as to why people’s posts on Facebook and Twitter stayed on my mind throughout the day. Now I know the attraction isn’t so much to the people but rather to the format. Evolution might have caused human memory to be stronger for social information rather than for more neutral information. The idea that we’re wired for community is encouraging to me. Maybe there’s hope for us to care enough about each other to work together and solve society’s problems.

As for marketing on social platforms, I’d already discovered that a couple of honest sentences from the owner of a business touches far more people than any carefully constructed post I could write. People always respond to the posts which “let it all hang out” in a person’s true voice.

A careful look at the bones and joints reveals whether a yoga student can physically do a pose. Although most yoga poses can be attained with practice, the position of the body in certain poses is predetermined by a student’s bone structure. A student might spend years dedicated to learning a certain pose which is physically impossible. All students should be reminded of this reality.

Simple tests [...]]]>

Bones used for our 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training session

A careful look at the bones and joints reveals whether a yoga student can physically do a pose. Although most yoga poses can be attained with practice, the position of the body in certain poses is predetermined by a student’s bone structure. A student might spend years dedicated to learning a certain pose which is physically impossible. All students should be reminded of this reality.

Simple tests by certified teachers who are well-trained in anatomy can help students understand their bodies. Knowledgeable teachers can help you see that:

♦ Getting your knees down to the floor in supta baddha konasana depends on your hip joint. Externally and internally rotating the legs in a relaxed seated position will show the limits.

♦ You’ll never float from chattarunga to a seated position if your arms are a few inches shorter than your torso. Sitting upright with your arms hanging at your sides and hands flexed will give you the answer.

♦ You can’t safely do a headstand on your forearms if your head is taking the weight of your body rather than your forearms. Put your hands over your shoulders onto your back to determine if your head and forearms align to protect the neck.

♦ Whether or not your heels reach the mat in downdog depends on your ankle joint. If your knee does not extend forward of your ankle in a low lunge, your heels will also be far from the mat in downdog no matter how much you stretch your hamstrings. (Note: we should never extend the knee forward of the ankle in yoga unless you are doing this gentle test with a teacher!)

When you have your heart set on mastering a certain pose, finding out the truth about the limitations of your body can be devastating. We are surrounded by media displaying ”perfect” bodies in “perfect” poses. However, these ideals are not possible for everyone.

Deep down we all know that yoga is not entirely about the physical. In fact, it’s hardly about the physical. We’re strengthening our minds and spirit. Even so, we might need an arm around our shoulders to cheer us up when we have to give up that vision of the ultimate pose.

On the positive, the truth can free you from the bondage of a quest for an unattainable body image. You won’t be pushing against a wall that can’t move. Use your energy for something even better!

I was delighted to have Karin Zeitvogel ask to video one of my classes for the University of Maryland’s Capital News Service· She’s finished up her graduate degree and currently interviewing at agencies. [...]]]> Many people have expressed an interest in seeing my yoga with chairs. I teach different versions of chair yoga. In some sessions the chair is used as an occasional prop. In other classes the students do all the poses sitting in a chair.

I was delighted to have Karin Zeitvogel ask to video one of my classes for the University of Maryland’s Capital News Service· She’s finished up her graduate degree and currently interviewing at agencies. Here’s an extremely professional peek into the class I teach for Thrive Yoga at the Sunrise Community, Bedford Court, in Silver Spring.

Thanks to Karin for all her hard work putting this footage together! We all enjoyed watching it with great excitement and even some happy laughter.

Getting past situations or people can be extremely difficult. Your brain doesn’t let you forget. The same scenarios play over and over and over again.

My whole understanding of this constant chatter in my brain has developed over time by reading Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” and Jack Kornfield‘s “A Path With Heart”.

Now I see how my brain festers on certain thoughts. With mediation I can make myself recognize the bad thoughts and force them [...]]]>

Getting past situations or people can be extremely difficult. Your brain doesn’t let you forget. The same scenarios play over and over and over again.

My whole understanding of this constant chatter in my brain has developed over time by reading Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” and Jack Kornfield‘s “A Path With Heart”.

Now I see how my brain festers on certain thoughts. With mediation I can make myself recognize the bad thoughts and force them aside. Sometimes I even laugh at the repetitive ridiculousness.

“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” ~Eckhart Tolle

Sometimes we need to let ourselves have the reaction and emotion. Notice it – then release it.

“No blame for what we can and cannot feel.” ~Joni Mitchell

You can’t change people but you can change your reaction to people. If we try to hold in bad emotions and rationalize them away, we don’t get over them. They tear away our energy and deplete us.

The other day I was driving down the street and the extremely bright yellow foliage of a tree plunged me into the moment. You know how it is, I was driving along in full brain mode having left an early morning board meeting with little time to travel to the first yoga class I would be teaching. Ideas from the past (the meeting) were mingled nonstop with thoughts of the future (getting ready to teach [...]]]>

The other day I was driving down the street and the extremely bright yellow foliage of a tree plunged me into the moment. You know how it is, I was driving along in full brain mode having left an early morning board meeting with little time to travel to the first yoga class I would be teaching. Ideas from the past (the meeting) were mingled nonstop with thoughts of the future (getting ready to teach yoga).

The tree immediately vanished all those thoughts. As I slowed down and looked intently at the tree, I noticed the bright blue sky behind it, and then the sunshine all around.

The change of leaving my brain and coming into awareness of that moment was so sudden. The contrast was so obvious. Awareness crashed into me. The rest of the day I noticed everything in every moment.

Without my yoga and meditation practice and training, I wouldn’t have even realized the downside of constantly being in my brain. Life is different for me now. I know the power of presence.

Anyone can start by forcing yourself to notice every detail of your situation then build on it and notice the pauses between your thoughts. Being present doesn’t have to mean meditating but rather really noticing your world.

“We need to educate because people won’t embrace what they don’t understand.” ~ Edward McMahon from the Urban Land Institute.

When giving examples of adaptable and successful cities, Edward McMahon often describes the City of Rockville. Today the Rockville Summit Work Groups reported on over six months of activity and he provided an entertaining world view with information on how Rockville compares. His message was simple and direct. Here’s what struck me the most:

Thrive Yoga on the stage at the Healthy Living Expo

How do “firsts” start?

The enthusiasm during our yoga teacher training spilled out of our hearts. We wanted to share our passion. I started talking about creating a yoga event in our Town Center. My fellow teachers needed experience teaching and had proven to be a vibrant tag team during classes, so I attempted to find a time and place.

Logistics became a reality. Contacting the two [...]]]>  

Thrive Yoga on the stage at the Healthy Living Expo

How do “firsts” start?

The enthusiasm during our yoga teacher training spilled out of our hearts. We wanted to share our passion. I started talking about creating a yoga event in our Town Center. My fellow teachers needed experience teaching and had proven to be a vibrant tag team during classes, so I attempted to find a time and place.

Logistics became a reality. Contacting the two largest venues proved fruitless. When the Summer Solstice came around, we decided to yoga flash mob in the Town Square. Several of us enjoyed the outdoor experience and kids joined the fun.

Then the co-owner of Thrive Yoga, Susan Bowen, called me while she was sitting in Town Square on a beautiful day. How was I doing planning a yoga event? She volunteered to contact the City of Rockville to find out if they would be interested.

The idea caught on at City Hall and grew beyond yoga. A substantial event featuring a variety of classes offered by the City’s Recreation and Parks Department expanded to include health screenings and cooking demos. After a few months of planning, the first Healthy Living Expo attracted large crowds. Our original estimate of 300-500 people turned out to be 1500-2000 with good interaction between the participants and the crowd. All the yoga and fitness demos were on the stage. Talk about highlighting health! Often our fitness goals are pushed to the back of the burner, but this event brought being healthy right into the heart of our City.

When more people get involved with an idea, the process can go two ways. Sometimes a spectacular idea is drained of all its enthusiasm by a committee. Other times a group of people will build on each other’s ideas and create something beyond any individual’s vision. When the later happens, the idea flourishes. The positive energy pours out around the whole concept.

Your thoughts can become reality so be careful about what you emphasize in your mind!