Open Your Heart, Not Just Presents This Year

Throughout this extraordinarily difficult and challenging year, I’ve found myself filled with immense gratitude this holiday season, and feeling very humbled by my blessings of good health, love, family and the opportunity to be in service to your health and well being.

My wish for you is that you give yourself the gift of being present and attentive to those you love and permission to release yourself from any pressure to be perfect or create the perfect holiday.

Make time for quiet reflection, give yourself the gift of time and space to feel whatever your mind, body and spirit is asking you to feel.
Honor yourself with nourishing food, sleep, joyful movement and play.

Above all, find ways to get out of your head and drop into your body, into your heart.

Try this simple soothing breathing practice that relieves anxiety and promotes calmness and mental clarity.

Meditation for a Calm Heart

Emotionally, this meditation adds clear perception to your relationships with yourself and others. Physically, this meditation strengthens the lungs and heart.

Posture: Sit in a comfortable seated position either on the floor in a cross legged position or in a chair with your feet on the floor. Sit with a straight spine. Place the left hand on the center of the chest at the Heart Center. The palm is flat against the chest, and the fingers are parallel to the ground, pointing to the right.

This posture induces the feeling of calmness and concentrates your life force energy at the Heart Center.

Hand Position: With the right hand make, touch the tip of the index finger with the tip of the thumb. Raise the right hand up to the right side as if giving a pledge. The palm faces forward, the other three fingers point up. Raise the elbow near the side with the forearm perpendicular to the ground.

Eyes: Close the eyes.

Breath: Inhale slowly and deeply through both nostrils. Then suspend the breath in and raise the chest. Retain the breath as long as possible. Then exhale smoothly, gradually, and completely. When the breath is totally out, hold the breath out for as long as possible.

Concentrate on the flow of the breath. Regulate each bit of the breath consciously.

Set a timer and try it for 3 minutes. If you have more time, try it for three periods of 3 minutes each, with one minute rest between them, for a total of 11 minutes.