Somatic Aliveness

  Breathing with the awareness that we are connected to all living beings including the Earth is a fundamental practice in many spiritual traditions. For me, such awareness is an opportunity to connect with the soul of the world (Anima Mundi) on a deeper level. In one of the spiritual practices that I follow, I bring awareness to the space between the in-breath and the out-breath. Noticing and infusing this space with feelings of love and gratitude for life is how I can magnetize my inhalation and exhalation with an appreciation for the sacred nature of life. This practice can also impact the state of my autonomic nervous system (ANS). It provides a shift toward my parasympathetic system and invites a sense of serenity to my body and mind. The ANS is the part of the nervous system that governs the fight, flight, or freeze instinct and is responsible for many unconscious bodily functions such as breathing, digesting food, and regulating the heart rate. It also plays an important r...

   Listen to this guided meditation, Love the Earth Welcome to this meditation with the intention of loving the Earth. The Earth is alive and in need of love. You can relate to it as a living being with a soul. Allow your relationship with the Earth to reflect love, compassion, and kindness. One way to love the Earth is by keeping it in your heart during the meditation. By practicing meditation with the soul of the planet in your heart, you can trigger a healing energy that can love the Earth back to health. To start, find a comfortable position. Sitting or lying down. And do your best to make sure you won’t be disturbed. When you are ready, gently close your eyes, and let yourself take a full deep breath. Give yourself permission to relax and witness your breath coming in and coming out.   Notice how your belly rises and falls. Next, as your breath deepens, let’s imagine a person, a memory, or any situations that helps you bring forth feelings of love a...

  Click  to watch this video on improving sleep Sleep Better (Part One) by Payam Ghassemlou Ph.D. Having trouble sleeping is common. You are not alone. Let’s stay hopeful and overcome this challenge. Your body is designed to welcome sleep. It needs sleep to rejuvenate and get you ready to have a productive day when you wake up in the morning. You can start by reminding yourself the simple fact that sleep is a natural part of life, and you deserve a restful sleep. Normalizing this process can reduce the anxiety you might have about sleep. When you are trying to sleep, by focusing on not being able to sleep or reasons behind having trouble sleeping, you probably are not going to fall sleep. When you focus on problems with sleeping, or any upsetting thoughts , you won’t feel relaxed. Such thinking can activate your nervous system and make it harder for you to go to sleep. Instead of worrying about sleep, let’s create a supportive bedtime ritual. I am going to describe an ex...

  Since being vulnerable does not always come easily to many of us, it is important to have empathy for anyone who struggles with it. The internet is flooded with writings and talks on encouraging people to show vulnerability. Having trouble expressing it often gets associated with a lack of authenticity. Such judgmental interpretations can frequently trigger shame in people who don’t feel safe enough to be vulnerable due to certain socio-demographic factors. There is a misconception that expressing vulnerability is a matter of courage or just making a mental decision. By helping others reclaim it, I have realized the issue has little to do with bravery or honesty. It has more to do with the state of one’s nervous system. By having a somatic perspective on understanding vulnerability, we can open a new path toward befriending it.   There are many different paths toward befriending vulnerability which includes using the body to build a greater capacity to embrace it....

For many LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) people growing up was distressing due to homophobia and transphobia. Schools felt like a scary place for those who were scapegoated as queer. LGBTQ people of color reported even worse experiences due to the additional stress of racism and racial bullying. Many of the gay men’s personal narratives that I have heard are not vastly different from my own. Regardless of national origin or skin color, we are part of a tribe with similar stories of growing up in a homophobic and transphobic world where our true essence was repeatedly assaulted. As LGBTQ people, we have connected around the theme of “love is stronger than hate” which raised awareness about our injustice and suffering. Addressing these issues have helped people to become more concerned about the mistreatment of not only LGBTQ kids, but also any youngsters who do not flow with the mainstream. More work needs to be done to make the world a safer place for m...

Depression is common and treatable. It can strike anyone at any age. Consulting with your physician or a licensed mental health provider is the best way to find out if you are suffering from depression and the type of depression you might be having. A person with depression can experience a few or many of the following symptoms: Feelings of sadness and emptiness Feelings of anxiety Experiencing restlessness or irritability Losing interest in all or most activities Problems with appetite that can lead to weight gain or weight loss Sleeping problems Loss of interest in sex Low energy that can include feeling tired much of the time Difficulty with concentration or making decisions Feeling negative towards oneself including worthlessness or excessive guilt Feeling hopeless or helplessness Crying spells Increased use of alcohol or drug use in order to cope with a depressed mood Thoughts of death/suicidal ideation Many peopl...