Mindfulness, meditation, and the breath

I just returned home from speaking at the 2011 Indiana Music Teachers Association (IMTA) Conference in Bloomington, IN, where I co-presented a session on Mindfulness in motion: connecting the musician’s mind and body with Julianne M. Miranda to a really wonderful group of music teachers. I haven’t seen such an engaged and enthusiastic audience in quite awhile! Thanks to all who attended for making it such a delight.

During our presentation, Julianne and I talked about mindfulness, meditation, and how the breath can support these practices. I arrived home to find that synchronicity had been at work to place a short video talk (3:27 minutes) by Sharon Salzberg, noted Buddhist teacher, on meditation and the breath in my Facebook feed from The Well Daily. It is a delight to listen to her echo the value of the breath in a meditation practice immediately on the heels of our presentation.

To see our handout or read more about our presentation, check out the event page for today’s talk. I’m delighted to say that we’ve already been invited to present on this topic again at another venue. Watch the News & Events page or the Facebook page for more information once it is available.

Life coach training

I am excited to announce that I have started my training as a professional life coach at International Coach Academy. This is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time (about 15 years, in fact), and I am delighted to finally begin on that journey.

I believe that becoming a professional life coach will enable me to better hold a safe space and offer support and encouragement to people who are undergoing times of deep transformation in their lives. I look forward to adding life coaching to my services over the coming months as I progress further in my training.

National Yoga Month

September is National Yoga Month!

If you have been thinking about trying yoga, this is a great time to do it. The National Yoga Month website is offering one week of free yoga classes to new students at 1600 studios around the country. Check their list of studios to find one near you (there are a number in the Indianapolis area), and sign up to print out your free week of yoga card to take to the studio of your choice. You must be a new student to take advantage of this offer, but what a perfect way to give yoga a try to see if it’s for you.

In addition, the website is featuring a special each day of the month (today’s is a free Titans of Yoga DVD and inspiring words from Judith Lasater). Be sure to check back daily for the new specials!

Happy National Yoga Month!