What is Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)?

What is Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)?

I am a big fan of my Whoop wearable. It has helped me better understand how exercise, sleep and stress impact my body and mind. I also love the Whoop podcast. This month it included a really lovely guided Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) session. Yeah, NSDR may just be a fancy name coined for the simple, "duh" concept of a lie-down. But if you only have a few minutes and don't love traditional meditation it's a great thing to try!

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App: 15 Minutes A Day to Overwrite Negative Thoughts

App: 15 Minutes A Day to Overwrite Negative Thoughts

I've been dragging my feet on meditating lately. I know 110% that it would benefit me. But sometimes humans are stubborn and won't pick up the tools we know will help (same with exercise and nutrition for a lot of folks). So when Peter told me about this app offering a 30-day free trial of daily positive affirmations I was intrigued. I've been listening to one or two a day for a week and I am starting to notice a difference. It feels a little silly at first, but I recognize that's part of the negative programming in my brain. I appreciate the science and research behind this idea and how it leverages the brain's neuroplasticity to pre-program negative patterns. Two thumbs up! Let's get some positive self-talk going in 2024!

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Why "Natural Sounds" Like Birds and Rain Calm Us Down

Why "Natural Sounds" Like Birds and Rain Calm Us Down

I recently spent the night in a noisy hotel. And it STRESSED me out. I was exhausted from the flight and the thought of a sleepless night from the raucous noise of my neighbors was causing my heart to race and my blood to boil. I remembered hearing in a podcast recently that birds singing have a calming effect on humans due to an evolutionary signal of safety (birds don't hang out and sing when threats to humans are around). I started poking around on Spotify looking for nature sounds and found this lifesaver playlist of rain sounds.

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New Workshop: Meditation 101 and "Office Yoga"

New Workshop: Meditation 101 and "Office Yoga"

There are thousands of studies that have shown mindfulness meditation can positively impact mental and physical health. Whether it's by reducing stress, improving sleep, increasing focus or improving relationships, research shows mindfulness works. That’s why I created this hands-on corporate wellness workshop were you’ll learn the science of meditation along with some simple tips for achieving success in your meditation practice. You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in a guided meditation as a group and enjoy some awesome "office yoga" led by my friend and yoga expert Ross McIntire. This workshop can be delivered in any office, conference room or even virtually. Download a copy of the presentation here. Message me for details.

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Meditation 101

Meditation 101

Many of us know we should probably meditate more to help reduce stress, improve brain functioning and even to reduce pain. But like lots of good intentions we forget, get frustrated or just flat out don’t know where to start. Here’s a little secret: you can meditate for as little as two minutes a day and you don’t have to do it perfectly. In this post I share the highlights from one of my most popular corporate wellness workshops: Meditation 101. With an open mind, patience and consistency anyone can begin to benefit from this mindfulness practice.

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