Empowered Wellness for Body, Mind & Spirit
photo by Shawn Vogt I first heard of this concept of “strong back, soft front” while listening to Brene Brown’s ‘Unlocking Us’ podcast with Elizabeth Lesser (author, co-founder of Omega Institute). Lesser was explaining how she learned this from Roshi Joan Halifax, a Buddhist teacher. A week later, I heard this teaching again as Brene …
With tomorrow being Thanksgiving, I (of course) had decided to share something about the practice of gratitude for this week’s Wednesday Wellness. As we learn about the health and wellness benefits of having an attitude of gratitude (check out ‘Savoring Gratitude’ for resources) more of us are practicing gratitude beyond this once a year holiday. …
‘Haleakala Gratitude’ – Photo by Shawn Vogt I’ve been participating in an online course offered by Yale University called The Science of Well-Being. Some of you may already be familiar with it. If not, I encourage you to check it out… it’s not only worthwhile but also FREE! My motivation for taking this course was to learn …
During these last few months, I’ve been perfecting my ‘home studio’ so I could have a warm, welcoming, and professional space to create my wellness videos and also hold online classes and workshops. In fact, just recently, I used some ‘techno-magic’ to add some final touches… Check it out! 🙂 Like so many things, this …
I have this poem saved on my laptop and I revisit it when things aren’t going the way I want or when I feel overwhelmed by my emotions. I pull it up, read it out loud, close my eyes, take a deep breath and reflect on its teaching. I acknowledge that it can be so …
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” This quote is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi and you’ll find it all over the internet (I’m sure I have shared it myself at some time!) Turns out, this is actually a paraphrased interpretation. The essence of the quote – that social transformation begins with personal …
Sunrise in Yosemite National Park – Photo by Shawn Vogt Wounding and healing are not opposites. They’re part of the same thing. It is our wounds that enable us to be compassionate with the wounds of others. It is our limitations that make us kind to the limitations of other people. It is our loneliness …
I think we’re all familiar with that fortune cookie game… you know the one… where you read your fortune and then add the words “in bed” at the end to make it humorous! Well, I’m kinda’ borrowing from that game today. 🙂 I’ve been hearing a LOT of people say to me that they …
Over the last couple months, I imagine that we all have been searching, and hopefully finding, our own ways to navigate the changes and challenges (especially at the mental/emotional level) brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Personally, I noticed early on that everything I felt – whether it was fear, sadness, anger OR hope, courage, …
In my opinion, Brene Brown hits the nail on the head in questioning what is normal. As an adjective, the word ‘normal’ is defined as “conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.” In our world, the societal conditions and attitudes that she mentions have become so familiar that we’ve gotten used to accepting them …