"It’s very clear that the human is one entity: mind and body are one. It sounds logical but it’s not how we looked at it before. We didn’t have the science to agree with what may seem intuitive. Now we have new data and new insights." How can we use this information? Meditation, vigorous exercise, and emotional resilience all relate to vagal tone, heart rate variability and deep internal health. Vagal tone might be a hot ticket item right now for teachers and neuro-geeks, but it doesn't help our students if we don't know how it applies to how we practice and live life, right? Basically, we can't do what we've always done the way we've always done it and expect to be healthy, people. Change it up. Take a risk. Get outside more. And move your body, mind, and life in NEW … [Read more...]
Breathing – Becoming – Embodied
"Now and again, it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep mountains and hidden valleys to restore your link to the source of life. Breathe in and let yourself soar to the ends of the universe; breathe out and bring the cosmos back inside. Next, breathe up all fecundity and vibrancy of the earth. Finally, blend the breath of heaven and the breath of earth with your own, becoming the Breath of Life itself." - Morihei Ueshiba When I contemplate breathing and eating and intimacy it's a conversation between beings, a communion of self with the external world, bringing parts of our environment and nourishment and lover into ourselves and a part of us being released back out into the atmosphere as we exhale, eliminate, separate from other and reconnect with Self. Reuniting. … [Read more...]
Unitasking: A New Approach to Productivity
"My coffee is cold again." "I burned dinner!" "I don't remember the drive home, I somehow just got here." "When I'm at a stoplight it's ok to text or email. I'm just sitting here stalled in traffic, right?" "I have 10 browsers open on my computer and can't seem to focus..." Let's all agree to wake up from the misperception that being productive means doing more, and doing everything all at once. It doesn't work. We know this, and some of us can even feel the stress in our bodies, yet somehow we have become addicted to the frantic, scattered, immediate gratification mindset of our modern society. Slow down. Your Focus needs Focus. Instead of multi-tasking, I talk with my clients and students about unitasking. Do. One. Thing. Well. Start to finish. Satisfied? … [Read more...]
Love Your Sadness {Danielle LaPorte}
I sent a written work from one of my favorite women, Danielle LaPorte, to a friend and client the other day. They've been grieving the loss of a family member and also experiencing some pretty intense nerve pain from their cervical spine's current state. Connected? Possibly. They did get checked out medically and have been addressing the physical realm with some exercises and stretches. Either way - grieving and sadness have a place. They need a safe harbor to tuck into until they're ready to venture out to sea again, and I believe that safe harbor is our consciousness, which inevitably includes our body. Emotions are felt in this body of ours, and can be loved, processed and healed over time with embodied practices. My client responded with "THANK YOU! That was amazing. … [Read more...]
The Difference Between Busy and Being
My work is increasingly bringing me into conversations with clients with long histories, stories of loss and grief, loneliness and dissociation, trauma, and now as adults - they deal with the ongoing complexity of things like pain, anxiety, insomnia, digestive issues, and more. And I love working with these people one on one, because the commitment and honesty I see from them is inspiring. To reconnect after years of neglect or pain, into the body, coming home to Self - It is often a rocky path that I'm glad to support. We celebrate a joyous homecoming. A new way of being with Self - which inevitably means a new way of being out in the world, and in relationship. Enter: Interoception, Embodiment and Body Intelligence Our bodies and brains are wildly intelligent - And we are wild … [Read more...]
Mantra for Self Blessing: Ayur Mantra with Donna Farhi
My beloved primary teacher, Donna Farhi, has shared a gift of this chant for us to all enjoy. Chanting mantra has grown into my life this past year, and continues to help me ground and refocus, and step into more compassionate perception for myself and others. Try it and tell me what you think or how you feel afterwards. Namaste, friends. Cheri PS: I'm offering a Free Audio Collection available to you now at my membership site. You can create an account for free! Click here to get access when you register and log in. … [Read more...]
GROWTH: Doing Stuff We’ve Not Yet Done
Growth means doing stuff we've not done yet, right? Well, here I go! I've done a particular Peace Chant lots of times with my primary mentor, Donna Farhi, and colleagues, and in my personal practice over the past 5 years. Even though I sang in choir and even had solos through middle and high school, I have never done karaoke. And I mostly sing in casual, comfortable places like my car. Or with close friends. Or the shower. I teach for a living, using my voice, but singing mantra feels sacred and I don't wanna mess it up. And for a long time, it had been a solitary, secret practice. I'm getting comfortable now sharing my voice in new ways with chanting and mantra. It started as an intention of mine in october 2015 to begin bringing it into my teaching. What's that saying - … [Read more...]
Emotions: Feeling, Accepting, Witnessing through Embodied Practice
Emotions are energy. Feeling emotions means having an experience in the body. Being embodied allows us a deeper experience with our emotional and spiritual self. For better or worse, it does. And this morning, in bed yet at 10:02, I have a hangover. From grief. Each feeling has a certain frequency or feeling to it, and we each express and experience them in our own way. I know without a doubt that if I can breathe and be with the sensation of the emotion - in my body whether sitting quietly, observing it, knowing I'm safe even while it erupts from my chest and throat into a massive cry or moving with it, through it - running, dancing, yogaing - I can identify it more clearly. I can ride the wave of it coming and passing more skillfully. Emotions are temporary visitors … [Read more...]