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“Just take a deep breath…” (or three). Maybe you’ve received this advice from a well-meaning friend, teacher, or therapist, when you felt anxious. Mindful breathing is a powerful tool to regulate the nervous system and calm the mind. But in my experience it is not the most efficient approach to address acute anxiety. To understand why, let’s look at the energetic presentation of anxiety.
Hi!
The main reason you have not heard from me for the past few months is because I'm pursuing a bachelor in psychology, and I'm enrolled in a 4-year somatic psychotherapy training. Yes, two major undertakings. And I'm still coaching, massaging, reiki-ing, yoga-ing. It's a lot, but it's keeping me on my toes. Most of all it feels right. The therapy training truly is the most organic next step in my journey as a holistic health practitioner. It had been calling me for a while, I just wasn't listening. I'll be writing more about this approach to psychotherapy in the near future.
To stay abreast of current happenings and offerings, be sure to connect with me on FB and IG.
My Shake Your Soul class is back! For three Wednesdays only, so far: July 10, 17, 24. And on the Upper West Side! Find all details and register online here.
I hope to see you soon in class xo
Sylvie
Happy New Year! Happy New You...? We know how those new year resolutions go, don't we? So I'll be quick and to the point. If you're going to make any progress this year as far as your health is concerned (physical, emotional or spiritual) it will happen within supportive partnerships. If what you need support with is better self-care so you can sleep better, stress less and enjoy your life more, I may have what you need: a Naturally Stress-Free 6-week series. Class starts on Friday 1/11.
Anxiety arises as a result of too much movement in the mind, i.e. unbridled thinking. This is really what I have observed in myself, my friends and my clients: anxiety can always be traced back to a thought (or a hundred of them!), a fearful thought, often related to the future, and most of all a thought that we believe and react to. So, how do you keep the mind from thinking those thoughts? You don’t. Trying to control one’s thoughts is the last thing you want to do, for it will instead feed the very thoughts you are trying to get rid of. Instead you go the roundabout way.
As a coach, my job is to look at what it is you do or don’t do, in the present, that’s causing you to feel anxious. In fact I have observed again and again that every choice we make daily, from the time we choose to go to bed to the thoughts we think or the type of media we feed our minds, either helps us to cultivate a reactive or nonreactive nervous system, stress or ease. So, what daily choices can you make to support a non-reactive nervous system? To answer this question I’ll put on my ayurvedic practitioner’s hat.
Anxiolytics may help some people, some of the time, but they are not a panacea.
Nearly 50 million anxiolytics prescriptions are written yearly, a booming market I think we can say, but americans seem increasingly anxious. Or increasingly addicted to anxiolytics? Possibly both. While short-term use of these medications is considered “safe and effective”, long-term use is controversial because of the potential for dependence and other adverse effects (6). The long term use of benzodiazepines (a class of drugs primarily used for treating anxiety, such as Xanax, Klonopin, Valium...) has been shown to worsen sleep, increase anxiety...
It's January 2018! And I don't know you but I am overdue for a good sweat! It's all too easy during those cold winter months (at least here in New York) to stagnate, accumulate and feel dull all around, mind, skin and all.
The remedy? Shake Your Soul®!
Here we are, it's 2018. I wish you much peace, healing where you need it, personal and professional breakthroughs and most of all emotional freedom.
Emotional freedom, the capacity to fully experience all emotions in an uncensored way, is in my experience central to easeful living and feeling alive. It is something I have strived for since an early age. Somehow I always knew this was a central piece to my health and happiness.
Circulation is essential to good health; circulation of blood, breath, life force and yes, emotions.
"Relax, recharge, and rekindle your joy for life.”
Integrative Wellness - Yoga | Ayurveda | Meditation | Massage therapy
