As fall gets underway and winter approaches, stress can increase. Between shorter days and darker weather, new school schedules, end-of-year deadlines, or holiday commitments, perceived pressures can mount, so be sure and make time for yourself. I designed this evidence-based LifeForce Yoga Nidra especially to elevate mood. Move through the traditional body sensing and breath awareness, to an exploration of the opposites of sensation and emotion. Then dive into a sustained period of ananda, which in Sanskrit means bliss. Enjoy this elevating nidra any time you'd like a boost in your mood, or when lethargy or depression is visiting. It's about 32 minutes long, and won't overstimulate you but leave you feeling a calm sense of peace and contentment. [...]

When you see me glowing with happiness under the full moon, please don’t assume that I feel this way all the time. Like anyone’s life, there are moments of happiness and moments of grief. In my case, depression and anxiety have been the default since early childhood. We don’t transform our essential nature, but we learn, through our yoga practice and through healthy healing relationships, that we are not alone in the way we feel, and that we are so much more than any particular feeling. Because I walk the Cliff Walk at sunrise often while I’m in Rhode Island, the great beauty of nature—the changing cloud formations, the bird song, the placid or crashing waves, the sun obscured or [...]

Thank you for your article, Mara Gordon (see link below)! Your piece hit home because it relates to so much of what I teach. It’s lovely to read how science is validating what those of us in LifeForce Yoga® (LFY) have long understood: finding and living our life’s mission is principal to vibrant wellbeing! In my LFY to Manage Your Mood workshops, we spend significant time shedding the layers of Unknowing that block us from understanding our true purpose. We practice visualizations of those who've said “yes!” to our dreams. Then we cultivate the ability to say yes to them ourselves. Sometimes, this involves understanding the family legacy stored in our DNA which could be a source of our self-limitations. [...]

Thirty-five years ago, I was drawn to the line of sea and sky. It seemed an intimate call to oblivion masked as eternity. Now, although my eyes still dwell on the horizon, it's a demarcation, not an invitation. The great wanting windy mama I was called to join in my darkest days has joined me.