Wellness Wednesdays Archive

When you think of meditation, you might picture someone sitting in silence on the floor with their eyes closed — but this isn’t the only way to meditate.
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, and over this long lifespan, many different types have emerged.

Some meditation practices enjoy more popularity than others. For instance, a few well-known types include mindfulness, body scan, loving-kindness, and transcendental meditation.

You may have less familiarity with other types, like sound bath or candle gazing meditation. Still, these approaches, or any other type you choose to practice, may offer a number of benefits, such as:

* Relieving stress
* Lowering blood pressure
* Reducing the severity of anxiety and depression
* Improving sleep quality

Click on the Wellness Wednesday link below to learn about seven less common meditation practices, plus get the details on their unique benefits.

If you are interested in exploring meditation join us for a special in-person Spring Equinox meditation class on Monday March 20 at 7:00pm that incorporates QiGong, guided meditation and a relaxing gong bath. We also offer regular Gong Meditation classes and monthly workshops. Sign up through the Schedule link.

We’ve all heard old wives’ tales like gum lives in our stomachs for seven years or that the hair of the dog will cure a hangover. While these are myths, occasionally, superstitions such as these have some truth to them, like the old saying “feed a cold, starve a fever.”

The adage comes from an entry in a dictionary written in 1574 by a man named John Withals, according to Scientific American. It reads: “Fasting is a great remedy of a fever.” And while many healthcare professionals are still debating whether a fever should be fed or starved, Bindiya Gandhi, MD, a double boarded-certified integrative and family medicine practitioner, believes the latter.

Click on the Wellness Wednesday link below to find out how best to beat a fever and feed a cold.

At the end of the last ice age, Scotland was a truly wild place, where the Highland tiger, a distinctly banded wildcat, and the wolf, lynx, and bear roamed among Caledonian pine forests. The Romans called the country’s north “The Great Wood of Caledon.” But over time, humans purged the land for timber, charcoal, and agriculture. Native species such as wild boar, polecat, and elk vanished. By the turn of the 20th century, only 5 percent of Scotland’s land area was covered by forest.

Now the country is experiencing a zeitgeist moment for rewilding—in essence, the rebuilding of ecosystems to their natural uncultivated states—with new efforts and a matrix of wild lands and natural corridors spreading across the country. The actions of those responsible are aligning and, if successful, would make Scotland the first rewilded nation in the world.

Click on the link below to find out more about how Scotland (including our summer retreat destination the Alladale Wilderness Reserve) is restoring and protecting its beautiful, wild landscapes.

If you are interested in journeying through the chakras in the heart of the Scottish highlands and experiencing rewilding in action with Masuda this June, please consider joining her for a free chakra class and retreat info session this Saturday, February 25 in-person or online via LiveStream. Visit www.radiance-yoga.net/retreat/scotland for more info and to sign up.

We have all complained about our hectic but sedentary lives at some point. They seem filled with disappointment – not getting to study what we want, doing work we find distasteful, being dissatisfied with our looks and the way our hair goes grey. The truth is happiness is simply a choice. To be happy, we need to find ways to achieve happiness.

The Japanese term ‘ikigai’, ‘iki’ meaning life and ‘gai’ meaning alive, benefit or worth, means ‘finding flow in everything with a purposeful feeling’. To put it briefly, this means having a purpose in life while enjoying our day-to-day work. Ikigai synthesises your passion, mission, profession, and vocation.

According to one Japanese proverb, “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.”

Accompanied by a nutritious diet and some active exercise, engaging in activities that provide satisfaction helps us to lead a healthy and long life.

Click on the Wellness Wednesday link below to find out what bestselling authors of the book “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life”, say are the ten rules to finding your purpose.

In his mid-60s, Lawrence Nees noticed a few aches and pains that hadn’t existed before. Getting up from the floor felt harder, too, and it seemed he was less flexible. Mr. Nees’s wife was a longtime yoga student, and when he retired from his job as an art history professor at the University of Delaware, he decided to join her.

Now 72 and a yoga devotee himself, Mr. Nees said his flexibility is better, and so is his balance. “I’ve become a believer,” he explained. “It’s not about getting younger, but it is about slowing the inevitable aging process.”

While not a magic elixir for aging, yoga can go a long way toward higher quality of life. Click on the Wellness Wednesday link to find out more about how yoga helps with the aging process, how to find the right style and teacher for you, and some suggestions for poses.

If you or someone close to you is looking to slow down the effects of chronic stress and aging at both the psychological and physical levels, consider joining Yuki for her in-person 4-Week Yoga Therapy for Aging series, starting on February 26 – find out more and sign up at www.radiance-yoga.net/ws

Excerpted and adapted from www.nytimes.com
By Amanda Loudin

If you could design a life full of happiness, what ingredients would you choose? Many people would fill it with lots of money, long vacations, a successful career, and a lifestyle of status, leisure and ease.

But that leaves out the most important engine of happiness, the world’s longest scientific study on the subject has found.

What did the healthiest and happiest participants in one of the longest longitudinal studies ever conducted by Harvard, ‘The Study of Adult Development.’ have in common? Click on the Wellness Wednesday link to find out.

What gives you a sense of awe? That word, awe—the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world—is often associated with the extraordinary. You might imagine standing next to a 350-foot-tall tree or on a wide-open plain with a storm approaching, or hearing an electric guitar fill the space of an arena, or holding the tiny finger of a newborn baby. Awe blows us away: It reminds us that there are forces bigger than ourselves, and it reveals that our current knowledge is not up to the task of making sense of what we have encountered.

But you don’t need remarkable circumstances to encounter awe. When my colleagues and I asked research participants to track experiences of awe in a daily diary, we found, to our surprise, that people felt it a bit more than two times a week on average. And they found it in the ordinary: a friend’s generosity, a leafy tree’s play of light and shadow on a sidewalk, a song that transported them back to a first love.
We need that everyday awe, even when it’s discovered in the humblest places. A survey of relevant studies suggests that a brief dose of awe can reduce stress, decrease inflammation, and benefit the cardiovascular system. Luckily, we don’t need to wait until we stumble upon it; we can seek it out. Awe is all around us. We just need to know where to look for it.

Click on the Wellness Wednesday link below to read more.

In 1938, researchers at Harvard set out to learn what makes a person thrive.

They recruited 724 participants, a combination of students at Harvard College and low-income teenage boys in Boston. All were willing to let the researchers track their lives, from childhood troubles to first loves to final days.

Every five years, the researchers gathered health records from the participants. They asked detailed questions about their lives at two-year intervals, and, in later years, took DNA samples and performed brain scans. Twenty-five of the participants even donated their brains to the study after their deaths.

Now, 85 years later, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has expanded to three generations and more than 1,300 descendants of the original subjects; it is, according to the researchers, the longest-running in-depth study on human happiness in the world.

From all the data, one very clear finding has emerged: Strong relationships are what make for a happy life. More than wealth, I.Q. or social class, it’s the robustness of our bonds that most determines whether we feel fulfilled.

Click on the Wellness Wednesday link below to read more about how to build your social bonds for more joy, why “social fitness” matters and take a quiz to identify the areas of your life in which you would like to be more connected.

While a post-dinner piece of chocolate has benefits in and of itself—meaning if it makes you happy, then please, indulge!—are there any science-backed benefits for the body?

Of course, it all depends on which type of chocolate you eat. But good news: Dark chocolate does have some full-body benefits you might not expect, especially when it comes to lifting your spirits. A hint: There’s more than one reason you may feel better (read: happier) after that sweet treat.

Click on the Wellness Wednesday link below for exactly the news we need to hear this time of year!

Once again, it is time to enter a sacred cosmic gateway: the winter solstice! Amid the chaos of 2022, we can all use some much-needed quiet, solitude, and nourishment right about now. The solstice on Wednesday, December 21, invites us to go inward, reflect, and reset.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere…it is the longest day. Both are powerful threshold moments to honor.

Around this time, many cultures believe that the archetypal Great Mother gave birth to a sun child. The Egyptian deity Isis gave birth to Horus, the sun god. The Greek Leto gave birth to a shining Apollo. In matriarchal religions, the goddess herself (Besana, Amaterasu, and Sun Woman) experiences a rebirth.

In keeping with the theme of reinvention and lighting yourself up from within, click on the Wellness Wednesday link below for six rituals to do during this time of year.

Whether you’re looking to manifest love, abundance, or inner peace, there are a ton of crystals that can support you. The key is understanding what each crystal is best suited for and further, how to work with it on your spiritual journey.

Click on the Wellness Wednesday link for the 15 best crystals for manifesting, plus how to use them, according to spirituality experts.

Also check out our boutique the next time that you are in, as we have many of these crystals available for sale there too!

We’re reaching peak candle season—that time of year when we swap sunlight for candlelight and get cozy. While it’s tempting to keep the fire burning all night long, there is a limit on how much time you should keep a candle lit.

Click on the Wellness Wednesday link below to find out when it’s time to blow them out.

Make sure you also check out our brand new Candlelit Gentle and Restorative class with Brigitte on Thursday evenings at 7pm – first class on November 10 is free!

Tissues bundled up by the bed, sleeping with your mouth wide open, and a mild headache that never really goes away… Yep, we’re talking about cold and flu season. If you’re familiar with any of the aforementioned scenarios, you know it’s no fun.
While the sniffles may seem inevitable, there are a few things you can do to prepare yourself this season to boost your immune system and strengthen your defenses.

Click on the link below for three top tips to help you through the season.

In basketball, a player who gets fouled gets a free throw. In between the foul call and the throw, he’s got 23 seconds. I asked one of my players, “What do you normally do in that 23 seconds?” He stared back blankly.

That response helped us come to an awareness. His 23 seconds weren’t being used. He gave that time away. What if he approached it differently? What if he said he was going to be intentional with even that little fraction of time?

A reduced heart rate gives players a better shot at making a basket. So in practice we did a test. A player got his heart rate up to 160 beats per minute on a stair-stepper. Then I gave him 23 seconds to bring down his heart rate. With some mindful breathing, he brought it down to the 140s. He was in a much better zone for making a free throw. All it took was an intentional use of that 23 seconds. That’s how much control we have!

That player took this knowledge to the game. Now, after a foul, he is intentional about utilizing those precious 23 seconds to bring down his heart rate and center himself.

Click on the Wellness Wednesday link below and learn how to use the 23-second technique in your everyday life.

While indoor mold growth, in general, isn’t a commonly discussed topic in society, “toxic black mold” has made waves in the news over the years. Unfortunately, this has led to a long list of misconceptions, like that all black mold is toxic and that it’s the only type of mold to worry about at home.

It’s important to understand what “black mold” actually is, why it’s harmful, and how to identify it at home before it becomes a problem.

Click on the link below to learn more about how to identify black mold in your home and the symptoms of black mold exposure.

Although inflammation serves a vital role in the body’s defense and repair systems, chronic inflammation can cause more harm than good. And that may make you wonder: what can I do about it?

In fact, there’s a lot you can do. And you may already be doing it. That’s because some of the most important ways to fight inflammation are measures you should be taking routinely.

Click on the link below to look at the key elements of fighting chronic inflammation: prevention, detection, and treatment.

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, there is no biological reason we have to age the way we do. In fact, most of what we see in our society is abnormal aging.

The body has inherent systems to slow and even reverse aging. When you activate these systems you increase stem cell production, reduce inflammation, increase antioxidant enzymes, build muscle, lose fat, and increase cognitive capacity.

We are on the verge of a revolution in science and medicine that allows you to truly understand the mystery of your biology in empowering, life-extending new ways.

Understanding the science of longevity and the ways in which we can apply it to our bodies has been the focus of his work over the past few years. He is personally fired up by what we know and how we can use this information to our advantage.

He recently teamed up with his friends at Commune to create a free masterclass on what he’s learned about healthy aging.

In this master class, you’ll learn:
• Why some people live much longer (and healthier and happier) than others
• Why 90% of your health is not determined by your genes, but by the inputs to your genes
• How to reprogram your biology with simple diet and lifestyle changes
• How you can actually age in reverse
• What might happen if you hit “longevity escape velocity”

Click on the link below and get ready to activate your body’s innate regenerative ability.

Ayurvedic practitioner Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD, has heard the same story over and over from the people who walk into her workshops: They took a dosha quiz online, it spat out a couple lists of foods they should and shouldn’t eat, and they stuck to it diligently. For a few days. Before dropping the whole thing completely. Kumar-Singh, a former emergency medicine doctor, says this is a common example of a much larger problem: Many attempts to “demystify” Ayurveda miss the mark, making the practice more difficult to understand if you’re just getting started. She believes people end up missing out on the potential benefits of Ayurveda because of that.

And while there’s certainly a time to get excited about your dosha (and a person to help you figure out what exactly yours is), living by a food list is far from a paragon of Ayurvedic living.

Kumar-Singh’s new book, The Health Catalyst, outlines how intuitive the everyday practice of Ayurveda can be. It mostly involves asking ourselves simple questions, like: What do my symptoms feel like? Hot or cold? Oily or dry? How do my choices—on bedtime, breathwork, marathon running, or particular foods—feel to me? And then tuning in to our bodies for the answers.

Click on the link below to learn more about Kumar-Singh’s journey from emergency medicine to Ayurvedic practitioner and more.

The morning water ritual has flooded the health TikTok space—despite being a basic human need to, you know, survive, drinking your daily quota has become quite (dare we say?) trendy. Just check out the countless videos depicting a “that girl” morning routine or hydration hacks from a nutrition expert. Our take? You by no means have to decorate your H2O to reap the benefits (just plain ol’ water is fine), but if ritualizing your water intake inspires you to reach for another glass, we say go for it.

That morning glass of H2O is downright essential, but warm lemon water can get a little boring after a while. That’s why we’ve put together a list of three supercharged morning water recipes to shake up your a.m. hydration ritual and support healthy, glowing skin. After all, studies have shown internal hydration can affect your skin’s moisture levels and dermal thickness. Consider it an extra step in your holistic skin care routine.

Click on the link below for three supercharged morning water recipes for better hydration and glowing skin. And, don’t forget to buy a Radiance Yoga reusable mug and fill it up with Yogi Tea the next time you are in the studio!

Self-love might sound like something we should do—like cleaning out the garage or eating more vegetables. But the truth is that once you commit to a gentle self-love practice, the astounding benefits can positively affect every area of your life. Then self-love becomes something you really want to do, because the rewards are so profound.

Click on the Wellness Wednesdays link below to discover some possibly unexpected bonuses of increased self-love, along with actionable ways to embrace the process.

There’s a big difference between cursory cordiality and true benevolence. Our experts make the case for spreading deep kindness in your community.
Probably 10 out of 10 people would say they’re kind,” Houston Kraft writes in his book Deep Kindness, “but I think they’re actually saying they’re nice.” Kraft goes on to explain that kindness — particularly “deep kindness,” a term he coined — is very different from simply being nice.

“Niceness has to do with your reputation and how people see you, and that can be adaptable for different circumstances,” explains Randy Taran, founder of Project Happiness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading happiness to individuals and throughout communities. “The nice person is about being pleasant and not rocking the boat.”

Kindness, on the other hand, sometimes requires a bit of boat-rocking. For example, if your friend comes to you for advice about their troubled relationship, you may be tempted to keep the conversation lighthearted and avoid sharing any painful truths. After all, you don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable or disappointed — even if you think their current partner isn’t a good fit. While keeping things light might be considered “nice,” it could shut down honest communication and even leave them questioning their own instincts.

Though it’s not easy, the kind thing to do is to have a real discussion with your friend, sharing your perspectives and addressing their needs. Kindness demands that level of honesty, risk-­taking, and more. But the uncomfortable moments are worth it: The emotional and physical benefits of deep kindness ripple outward into our families, our communities, and beyond.

Click on the Wellness Wednesdays link below for some strategies to get you started on your own journey toward deep kindness.

While having audacious goals can be an effective way to keep pushing toward your future, it’s just as important to find small ways to take care of yourself every day. For busy professionals, and parents who juggle work and life responsibilities daily, self-care rituals are often under-prioritized. Not only because we run out of time, but because some of them sound a tad too intimidating: Cut out sugar completely? Meditate for 30 minutes every day? Go to bed at a disciplined 10 p.m. when you just discovered a new binge-worthy series? These kinds of aspirations can seem truly impossible to start, let alone maintain forever. Rather than putting too much pressure on yourself, consider taking on more bite-size, micro-challenges this year to foster wellness in every aspect of your life.

Click on the link below for recommendations on manageable, yet meaningful mini-goals for everyday wellness from experts in mindfulness, mental health, nutrition, business, and more!

Mental fatigue. Burnout. Exhaustion. Different phrases all describing the end result of pushing your body and mind too far. It’s a pervasive idea in today’s society that if you’re not hustling then you’re lazy, but it’s this exact mindset that can put your health at risk—particularly if you’re ignoring the signs your body is trying to send you.

Click on the Wellness Wednesdays link below for some helpful pointers for identifying if you’re struggling with this form of exhaustion and exactly what you can do to reset your battery and mitigate burnout.

Not to be pedantic, but the sun has many benefits. It’s quite literally a source of life for our food, provides us with vitamin D, influences our circadian rhythm, and has the ability to affect our moods and emotions. It is also the source of about 80% of visible signs of skin aging and a major cause of serious skin issues (the most notable being melanoma).

Ultraviolet radiation has the ability to penetrate the epidermis where it damages the skin cells, proteins, and elastic fibers that keep skin firm. Additionally it can trigger melanin production, which can result in dark spots or “sun spots” in people prone to them. Finally, it has the ability to affect the skin cells’ DNA. This all leads to what we call photoaging. “Skin photoaging is a result of the oxidative stress from UV radiation,” explains board-certified dermatologist Kautilya Shaurya, M.D.

Click on the link below and find out how to reap the benefits while avoiding all the negative effects.

No matter how small, habits matter. According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, our habits contribute to the building of our identity, both in a negative and positive way. Because of this, building a system of habits that are in line with the person we want to be can be more effective than setting big goals that lead to a big transformation. Over time, it is the effects of these habits that help us change and grow.

Most of our daily habits are small and, because they’re automatic, we barely notice them and how they affect our life. We check our phones while waiting for the elevator. We flip on the coffee pot before getting dressed for the day. What if we used these small moments to create habits that improve our happiness and our well-being?

Click on the link below for tips on improving your daily happiness with positive habits

Ah, spring-cleaning. If you’ve been feeling the urge to clean—like, really clean—your home as the temperatures warm and the flowers bloom, you’re not alone.

“Spring is considered the season of renewal, both in nature and in consumer or popular culture,” says Marni Amsellem, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Smart Health Psychology, of the desire to press reset. “After a long winter, we are eager to shed layers and activate. It feels good to do this in our homes as well.” The fact is we’re naturally in harmony with the seasonal shifts happening around us. “People’s energy can really be a lot lower during the wintertime,” explains Dr. Dawn Potter, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in Cleveland during an episode of Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials podcast. “And we can see a corresponding surge of increased energy in the springtime: Days are brighter, days are warmer, people are getting outside more, and they feel more energized by that exposure to sunlight.” But the compulsion to improve the aesthetic and functionality of our homes goes beyond seasonality. It can also be an evergreen coping mechanism for daily stress and anxiety. “Cleaning and organizing can help us feel mastery over our immediate worlds,” Amsellem says. And who doesn’t want more of that year-round.

Click on the link below for a deeper look at the mental health benefits of spring-cleaning.

Many of us know that physical exercise is good not only for our bodies but also for our ‘soul’. It can give us a unique psychological buzz, especially when we do it with others – just ask your nearest SoulCycle devotee or Tough Mudder initiate.

Social motion comes in many forms across cultures and contexts – exercise, dance, ritual, labor, and play – but it is universally characterized by two components: coordinated movement and physical exertion.

Evidence suggests that synchronizing movement with others leads to feelings of togetherness or ‘oneness’ – perhaps because the intentional act of coordinating with another person necessitates sharing mental states. To row a boat down the river, the individual ‘I’ must become the collective ‘we’.

Click on the link below and learn how social motion, such as a group yoga class, can bring us closer to one another, and closer to the physical and mental health we require to thrive.

The early days of lockdown restrictions had a profound effect on people’s daily lives. Alcohol sales skyrocketed, physical activity dropped off sharply, and “comfort eating” led to weight gain, too.

So, what’s happened since March of 2020? After two years of pandemic life, many of these effects persist. The strategies we used to adapt and cope have cemented into habits for many of us. And this is not a surprise to scientists who study behavior change.

“We know when a shock arises and forces a change in our behavior for an extended period of time, there tend to be carryover effects because we’re sticky in our behaviors,” says Katy Milkman of the University of Pennsylvania, and author of the book How To Change. In other words, our pandemic habits may be hard to break.

Click on the link below for tips on how to reboot and reset.

When many people think of yoga, they picture the Instagram version: a super-fit, hyper-flexible yogi on a beach somewhere, twisting their body into a circus-like contortion or balancing in a gravity-defying pose. These images can easily make it seem like the practice is…not exactly the most accessible workout for your average person.

But those who are deeply familiar with yoga know that, in fact, the exact opposite is true. Yoga isn’t just about the physical poses, it’s a spiritual practice focused on calming your mind and becoming more present—and finding an accessible version for your particular body and goals is deeply embedded into its philosophy. Some teachers will even tell you that there is no such thing as being “good at yoga.” And indeed, it doesn’t matter what you look like, how old or young you are, or whether you can bend your body into extreme poses—everyone has a place in the yoga studio.

Click on the link below for three veteran yogis thoughts on common misconceptions about the practice, how to pick the best class for you, and what they wish they’d known the first time they rolled out their mat.

Traveling allows us to explore new places, meet new people, experience new cultures, and so much more. Of all the ways traveling can affect us, its effect on sleep is likely something you’ve never considered—but according to new research published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, it’s worth taking a closer look.

When it comes to how travel affects sleep, negative factors like changes in time zones and struggling to adjust to an unfamiliar bed probably come to mind.

Click on the link below to find out what the researcher found about going on mostly short, non-time-zone-crossing trips and how they affect sleep duration, or time spent asleep in bed, as well as bedtime and wake-up time.

In her book, Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, Dalton-Smith presents the idea that we all need seven different types of rest to feel fully alive and fully ourselves. And that the antidote to burnout isn’t just, say, a vacation—it’s identifying the types of rest you need most desperately and adopting small daily strategies to replenish them.

The seven areas of fatigue she writes about in her book are the seven areas that she consistently heard her patients talk about. They were universal across so many different patients with different jobs.

Work-life balance is such a misnomer because nobody wants work on one side of the scale and life on the other side—in that scenario, if you’re succeeding in one area, you’re failing in the other. Nobody wants that. We want work-life integration. We want work-life harmony. We want them to have an ebb and flow so that both can succeed and thrive. And so I spent over ten years researching, looking at the different types of rest, narrowing them down to the main ones I felt most people were missing and needed to be aware of to stay at their personal and professional best.

Click on the link below to learn about the seven different types of rest: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, social, sensory, and creative.

Ayurvedically speaking, we are nearing the end of vata season and coming into kapha season, which occurs during the second half of winter and into spring.

The qualities of kapha season mimic the feeling of being nurtured, grounded, and steadfast. However, when we have excess kapha quality, we can feel heavy, dense, and stuck during this time of year.

Ayurvedic principles beautifully remind us how to stay in balance, especially when the seasons change. We do this by bringing in the opposite qualities that we are experiencing. The qualities that balance kapha season are light, warmth, and inspiration. Hello, spring!

Click on the link below to learn about three holistic ways to feel like your best self as we prepare to leave winter behind.

The work we produce hasn’t changed radically since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet where and how we work has been transformed—and the results haven’t always been favorable to our mental health.
A Gallup poll from fall 2021 revealed that nearly half of American full-time employees worked remotely either some of the time or entirely. Additionally, the majority of remote workers—60%, in fact—reported feeling more productive than they thought they’d be. These are positive findings. However, they don’t encapsulate the whole work-from-home experience.

One of the biggest drawbacks of shortening our commutes from miles to feet has been intense feelings of burnout, which can catch us by surprise. Why are we all so burnt out? Because we aren’t taking enough breaks during the workday.

Certainly, we’re more sensitive than ever to our mental well-being—and the well-being of those around us—yet we still haven’t gotten a handle on how to overcome the feeling that we have to be working nonstop while we’re at home. We don’t think twice about scheduling back-to-back Zoom meetings, which doesn’t seem all that different from scheduling back-to-back in-person meetings when we were in the office. But, when we’re face to face, we took time to walk around between meetings, grab a bite to eat or a cup of coffee and perhaps hop in the car to drive to an off-site meeting. In other words, we naturally gave ourselves something that far too few remote workers enjoy now: microbreaks.

Click on the link below, and learn more about the value of microbreaks, and how to make them a regular part of your day.

At Radiance we recognize the need for microbreaks, and have included lots of options for 15-20 minute Yoga Breaks on our OnDemand channel. Visit the OnDemand page on our website to find out more.

We may be glued to our smartphones because of an evolutionary drive for socializing, rather than a technological addiction to them, new research suggests.

The desire to watch and monitor others, but also to be seen and monitored by others, runs deep in our evolutionary past, explains Samuel Veissière, a cognitive anthropologist who studies the evolution of cognition and culture.

Humans evolved to be a uniquely social species and require constant input from others to seek a guide for culturally appropriate behavior. This is also a way we find meaning, goals, and a sense of identity.

In a study in Frontiers in Psychology, Veissière, and Moriah Stendel, researchers in the psychiatry department at McGill University, reviewed current literature on dysfunctional use of smart technology through an evolutionary lens, and found that the most addictive smartphone functions all shared a common theme: they tap into the human desire to connect with other people.

While smartphones harness a normal and healthy need for being social, Veissière says that the pace and scale of hyper-connectivity push the brain’s reward system to run on overdrive, which can lead to unhealthy addictions.

Click on the link below, and learn about how you can take steps to limit and take control of your smartphone use.

Dean Ornish, M.D., is one of medicine’s great pioneers of the last 40 years. His work has shown that a plant-based diet and healthy lifestyle can not only reverse heart disease but also actually lengthen telomeres, perhaps slowing the aging process. Dean and his wife Anne Ornish have written a breakthrough, evidence-based book that provides a clear guide for living a longer, better life. From the team who proved that diet can reverse heart disease, they now open the aperture to show us not only the right foods to feel our best, they also reveal how social connectedness and even love are the next blockbuster drugs. Everyone from Nobel Prize-winning scientists to Beyonce endorses it. We do too.

Click on the link below, and learn about the Four Pillars of Ornish Lifestyle Medicine:

🍏 Eat Well
🤸‍♂️ Move More
🧘‍♀️ Stress Less
❤️ Love More

It’s no secret that staying active is essential for maintaining both your physical and your mental well-being. But whether you’re just getting started on your fitness journey, or you’ve been working out for years and just want to mix up your routine, it can sometimes be challenging to build an exercise plan that is well-rounded.

To help, experts have created the “Physical Activity Pyramid,” which is a resource designed to make ticking all of the boxes easy. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity per week, while also focusing on bone and musculoskeletal health to help prevent falls and keep your muscles strong well into your life.

Made for adults, the pyramid is a guide that helps you plan out how to incorporate exercise and other physical activity into your day-to-day life. Like the food pyramid, the lower portion is the largest and holds the most important activities to do, and as you move towards the top, the activities become less beneficial, so those are the ones to do more sparingly. When used properly, it can help you to track the kinds of activities that you are doing and the ones that are missing from your daily life to create a manageable, healthy, and balanced routine.

Click on the link below, and learn more about the four levels, then visit the Schedule page to sign up for some yoga classes to keep your routine healthy and balanced from both a mind and body standpoint!

IA healthy immune system is crucial for your body’s ability to ward off viruses, bad bacteria, parasites, and other infections. When your immune system is compromised, you are more susceptible to getting sick.

Immune health has been a hot topic ever since the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, but how many of us are taking necessary measures to protect our immune systems at all costs?

Our own behaviors and choices have a definite impact on our health, and those choices can wreak some serious havoc on our immune systems.

Rather than wait before it’s too late to strengthen your immunity, you can take matters into your own hands with preventative care.

Click on the link below, for seven immune-compromising things you’ll want to avoid–starting now – hello yoga for exercise, stress relief, and community building!

It’s that time of year when people start picking up new habits. And with new routines usually comes a learning curve. I’d wager a few people will try their hand at dry brushing as part of their overall wellness and beauty routine. And guess who’s on board? Triple board-certified dermatologist Mamina Turegano, M.D., FAAD, the holistic dermatologist—who reps a huge following on social media, where she shares many of her mother’s favorite beauty secrets—says that dry brushing is an excellent way to take care of your body and skin below the neck.

Click on the Wellness Wednesdays link below, and find out why Mamina loves dry brushing, and why you always need to hydrate post-routine.

During a time when our stress levels are running at an all-time high, even wellness skeptics may be willing to anoint their pulse points with a head-clearing essential oil. After all, the herbal healing treatment, which dates back thousands of years and has recently been lauded by everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow and Miranda Kerr to NBA All Stars, can have serious mind-body benefits: “The olfactory senses connect very early in brain wiring to emotional centers, so the distance from when a scent hits the nose to when it hits an emotion is very short,” explains Leslie B. Vosshall, Ph.D., a molecular neurobiologist at the Rockefeller University, in Vogue’s June 2019 issue.

“Breathing in the essential-oil vapor instantly changes our brain patterns and can help us feel calmer and more grounded,” emphasizes Hope Gillerman, an aromatherapist and author of Essential Oils Every Day: Rituals and Remedies for Healing, Happiness, and Beauty. “They are not a cure” and cannot replace medication, she notes; however, they are one valuable “pathway into taking good care of ourselves.” And don’t we all need to do more of that?

Click on the link below, and learn almost everything you need to know about the best essential oils to buy—and how, when, and where to use them.

There’s nothing like a real Christmas tree to infuse your home with the spirit—and the scent!—of the season. And if you decorated your home with a tree, wreath, or boughs made from living evergreens this year, then you likely have all the ingredients you’ll need for an invigorating herbal steam.

Click on the link below and find out more about the benefits of herbal steams, how to make one and how do it safely.

There’s just nothing better than a steaming hot mug of cocoa on a cold, winter day. Whether you top yours with a sprinkle of cinnamon or dark chocolate shavings—what goes into the hot chocolate might matter even more than what goes on top of it, which is why we was super excited when integrative medicine doctor Bindiya Gandhi, M.D., shared her immune-supporting reishi hot chocolate recipe with MindBodyGreen. Sure, you could dump some prepackaged cocoa powder into a saucepan full of milk and call it a day, but if hot chocolate is something you’ll be drinking all winter long, you may want to consider the nutritional value.

Click on the Wellness Wednesdays link below and check out Gandhi’s go-to version, packed with adaptogens and spices that help to support a healthy and resilient immune system, ease stress, promote deep sleep, enhance energy, and more!

Holiday shopping and gift-giving are hallmarks of the season for many of us. But that’s not to say the tradition doesn’t come without its stresses.

What does your sister, spouse, or parent actually want? Will the packages arrive on time? Are you spending too much or enough? (Spoiler alert: We spend a lot on holiday gift-giving — Americans are expected to spend an average of $837 on presents this holiday season, a Gallup poll released earlier this month estimated.)

Click on the link below and learn lessons from social psychology that can help take the stress out of holiday shopping — and help you give the presents that show you truly care.

The holiday season can be stressful for a whole host of reasons. There are invitations galore, work is busy, the frigid weather makes getting dressed (and undressed) a whole saga, there are gifting stressors, and sometimes the occasional family woes.

Luckily, there are just as many natural herbs, tinctures, and tonics that you can whip up with zero effort (and minimal ingredients) that can help ease your nerves.

Click on the link below and let Rachelle Robinett, herbalist and founder of Supernatural, teach you how to make a delicious honey vinegar mocktail mixer that will have your body, brain, and taste buds saying ahhhh. Who doesn’t love an elixir that both tastes deliciously tart and tangy and helps combat anxiety?

As we move swiftly towards colder weather and welcome darker nights, and our calendar begins to fill up with seasonal celebrations with family and friends, this Vata balancing warming Chocolate Orange Barfi is perfect for group get-togethers. Jasmine Hemsley developed this festive recipe for Diwali, but its flavors make it absolutely perfect for Christmas and New Year, too!

Click on the link below for the recipe!

This last weekend’s daylight saving time change gave us some morning light back, but we all know that winter days can be cool, dark, and downright dreary. The temptation to stay in bed after your alarm goes off is all too real during the season—so MidBodyGreen asked board-certified sleep specialist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., about his top tips for waking up refreshed, no matter how dark it is outside.

Click on the link below for his tips for waking up feeling refreshed — even when it’s dark and cold outside!

The days are becoming shorter and colder in the Northern Hemisphere, and as such, you might be noticing some changes around your home—like dry, stuffy air, or musty odors, for example. To find out how to quickly and cleanly transition your home into the chilly fall and winter months, MindBodyGreen asked environmental toxins expert and certified holistic health coach Lara Adler for her advice.

Click on the Wellness Wednesdays link below for three quick tips that she recommends to keep your home healthy this winter.

Swirling leaves, animals foraging to prepare for cooler months ahead, children laughing, running, and jumping into piles of fallen leaf litter – these are the images of autumn, the most Vata time of year. In Sanskrit, the root of the word ‘Vata’ means ‘to move’. This time of year summons images that reflect this movement through principles of mobility and activity in the body, in both mental and biological processes. In the physical body, this is manifested through the movement of food through the digestive tract, and through thoughts and emotional states in the mental and emotional bodies. As seasons change, we need to continue to keep our body in balance.

Click on the link below for some tips on how to balance your Vata Dosha through your asana practice.

“Green exercise” has become very popular in the past year. Basically, it’s any form of exercise performed outdoors – often with a group – while enjoying the natural scenery. From yoga sessions on the beach to pop-up tai chi classes in the town park, many localities and fitness centers around the country have moved exercise classes outdoors in the past year to promote social distancing and limit exposure to COVID-19. Green exercise surged during the pandemic and the trend may permanently change the way we work out – even if exercising outdoors is not actually a new concept.

Just think about it – for the majority of the time that humans have existed, most of our physical exercise has taken place outdoors in nature, whether hunting, farming, or migrating to new lands on foot. Even today in the original blue zones where people live the longest, residents don’t consciously think about working out. Instead, exercise is naturally built into their daily lives without a second thought. And as you might have already guessed – the majority of their exercise takes place outdoors whether they’re gardening, farming, walking, or riding a bike.

Click on the link below to find out more about the benefits of outdoor exercise, the healing power of sunlight, and ideas for how to get outside more!

If you are interested in practicing yoga outside join us for Radiance Yoga Outdoor at Belle Haven Park Monday through Thursday every week at 9:00am – visit the Radiance Outdoor page for more details and to sign up.

Even yogis need to laugh at themselves sometimes—just ask these yogi-comedians. Besides poking fun at the typical yoga stereotypes, these little gems of humor also touch on those everyday experiences in yoga classes or meditation sessions that make you wonder if you might be on some sort of hidden camera show. It’s OK to laugh about the girl who refuses to give up “her spot” in the studio, or the meditation practice that somehow sparks a million random questions in your brain. We’ve all been there, right?

Yoga Journal has rounded up five of their favorite comedic yoga and meditation accounts to check out the next time you find yourself in need of a chuckle. Plus, many of these creators are yoga teachers themselves—so you know they have tons of original content to work with (but hopefully not at your expense!). Click on the Wellness Wednesdays link below and get ready to be amused!

Your internal clock, also known as your circadian rhythm, enables your body to automatically know when to wake up and get out of bed and when it’s time to go to sleep, eat, and even ovulate. It also plays a major role in how productive and focused you are.

Click on the link below for a quick primer on how this fascinating system works, why it gets messed up, and how to optimize it so you can go through every day feeling energized (and sleep through every night feeling restored).

Every year a new technology provides us a way to make our lives more efficient, yet somehow, our lives just keep getting busier and busier. Imagine life in 1993: If you wanted to send a message to a friend you had to write it by hand, put it in an envelope, and wait three days for the post office to deliver it. If you wanted to know what was playing at a local theater, you had to go out and buy a newspaper. And, if you wanted to know who the 13th king of Spain was, or more about the mating habits of Tasmanian marsupials, you actually had to go to a library.

Despite all of the electronic conveniences that should theoretically make more time available for coffee with a friend, reading a book, or relaxing, it seems we just keep getting busier and more stressed. It seems every waking moment is scheduled with work or kids or social obligations or chores—and our electronics ramp up the urgency, pinging us with reminders.

Every time we feel worry, hurry, or stress, it triggers the inflammatory response. This inflammation builds up with time, creating the conditions that invite heart disease, several cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and even more wrinkles.

In the original blue zones regions, life unfolds more slowly, more quietly, and with less urgency. People’s lives aren’t laced with worry, hurry, and the constant need to be elsewhere. Not coincidentally, perhaps, they live longer lives.

Perhaps this week swap one of your more vigorous classes for a Gentle or Yin Yoga class, and let yourself mindfully slow down for an hour. Click on the Wellness Wednesdays link below for a few blue zones lessons for living slower and better.

If you’re looking for love (or heart chakra healing), rose quartz is probably the crystal to turn to. It’s the ultimate stone of love, says Heather Askinosie, crystal expert and author of CRYSTAL365 and Crystal Muse. “It has a very soft and gentle energy that heals and mends your heart, allowing you to open yourself up to the energy of love.”

And that goes for love from others but also love from yourself. As we know, the two go hand in hand, and rose quartz can help when it comes to clearing out the things that keep you from loving yourself and others fully while encouraging trust, compassion, and emotional healing.

We have a selection of crystals available for purchase in the boutique, including Rose Quartz for only $2;50 per crystal, and if you want to learn more about the chakras join Masuda for her regular chakra workshops – visit the workshops page to see what’s coming up!

Click on the link below to learn more about the history and properties of this crystal, and ways to use it.

As another summer comes to a close, you might be feeling the home improvement itch—especially as the pandemic keeps shifting the way we use our spaces.
“I’m seeing people approach this fall almost like a big spring clean,” Tracy McCubbin, a decluttering and organizational expert, tells mbg. But before you do, McCubbin has one suggestion: Be kind to yourself!

Life is overwhelming enough these days, and nobody needs the added pressure of feeling like their home has to be perfectly neat and tidy too.

Click on the link below for a low-stakes guide to fall cleaning and say hello to a gentler, more manageable way to declutter and organize.

Fall is a season for transition and change, a time for deep reflection into our self. Ayurveda offers us tools to help us during this seasonal transition.

Fall is a time to reflect on where we are in life, to shed what doesn’t support us on our path, and to make room for new growth. It’s not a time for burning bridges, or for abrupt change, but a time of deep reflection on how are we doing on our path and are the things/people/activities/etc in our life supporting us? Is the trajectory we are on still the right one or do some things need to shift?

It’s also important to remember that just because something is hard, that doesn’t mean it isn’t supporting us. Life throws challenges at us every day, and in the fall when everything in nature around is literally breaking down, it can be easy to fall into a trap of withdrawing instead of drawing in. When we are challenged, within reason, we can learn more about ourselves and the direction our life is going by taking the time to connect deeper within ourselves.

Click on the link below to learn more about the Ayurvedic transition from Pitta season (Summer) to Vata season (Fall), and get some Ayurveda tips to support you body, mind, and spirit as you move into autumn.

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