In my last two posts, I talked about ways that we can use the breath as a calming practice by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Because so many of us spend much of our time with our sympathetic nervous system overstimulated, the introduction of calming practices is something that most of us will find the [...]
In my last post, I talked about several ways that we can use the breath as a calming practice by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Taking deep breaths was one method I briefly mentioned for accomplishing this. A full yogic breath, also called a three-part breath or a diaphragmatic breath, is very effective at accomplishing [...]
Our autonomic nervous system, which acts as a control system of the body, has two subsystems: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. (Some authors also include the enteric nervous system as part of the autonomic nervous system, but others do not. For simplicity’s sake, I will omit it from this discussion.) Although [...]
In yoga, it is commonly said that the breath links the body and the mind. Our bodies are always in the present moment and in the present space. Our minds, on the other hand, spend most of the time somewhere other than the present moment and space. We spend so much time thinking about the [...]
Although Reiki is not a religion and does not have commandments which practitioners are bound to obey, there are five principles that we strive to adhere to. The principles are precepts for life that would be in agreement with any religion and in conflict with none. I have found that focusing on these principles has [...]