To start my day in a peaceful and grounding manner, I begin by reflecting on my intention for the day and consider what I would like to accomplish, what I have accomplished so far and what still needs to be accomplished. This helps to order my thoughts and to provide a plan of action for […]
Recently, a very stressful situation presented itself where I had the opportunity to test whether belly breathing would help to calm me in an extremely stressful situation. I work for an international company and our team is spread out throughout the United States and abroad, with many of us working remotely. Most of our meetings […]
Since beginning a regular practice of belly breathing, I feel less anxious and much calmer. In a stressful situation, when I start to feel the gripping feelings of anxiety, I find that stopping and taking a few minutes for belly breathing allows me to temporarily remove myself from a troubling situation and clear my mind […]
This account of a medical professional delving into the knowledge of Ayurveda is an example of how western and eastern systems of health can work together. As an Axis Yoga Teacher Training student, the author has the opportunity to learn very applicable concepts of Ayurveda, Yoga’s sister science of health. In this process, she is […]
I would like to open this paper by stating that entering the discipline of yoga is evoking a fundamental shift in my point of view. The things I am learning are deeply confirming of beliefs I have held for as long as I can remember, and yet new at the same time. I truly appreciate […]
I chose to use Ayurvedic recommendations to address some sleep issues which have I been developing over the last year or two. I do my best to maintain a clean diet and an active lifestyle with ample exercise. I find that these two measures alone facilitate a balanced state. On the down side, however, I […]
My son, who is 24, and an extremely active person, has had a disturbed sleep pattern all his life. He is physically and mentally very active, very bright and sensitive, and extremely creative. As an extension of my own initial success with the above measures, I have encouraged him to try some of the same […]
One of the key components to Yoga is mindfulness. As this Axis Yoga Teacher Training student realized, mindfulness can be a simple act that creates complex shifts. Mindfulness can include observation and gratitude when things are calm. It can also bring about self-awareness when times are messy; such as moving across country and parenting a […]
When tasked with taking on a personal experiment in a field you know next to nothing about, it’s easy to become over-whelmed. After taking a close inventory of my current life status, and also the sage advice of former Axis yoga students and mentors I chose to play it safe rather than bite off more […]
The self-care I participated most often in was tongue scraping and oil swishing. It took about a week of sesame swishing before I decided to give almond oil a try. I discovered I not only enjoyed the latter oil more, but also it called my attention to a perhaps not-so-hidden little character trait known as […]