by Brianna | Mar 13, 2015 | Chronic Fatigue, Healing, Healing Yoga Practice, Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, practice, Reiki, restorative yoga, Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease, Transformation, Willingness
Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease vs. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome At the age of 25, I was officially diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. When my doctor told me, my first thought was: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) was the stupidest name for what I was experiencing. To be honest, I never got over that. I still think that the name is dumb. My battle with CFS lasted for several years. For a time I identified with my illness, I wrapped it around myself like a blanket and slept away my days. I was a year in before I decided to try to figure a way back out. It was almost two years before I chose to identify more with healing than with my illness. Looking back, that shift in my focus from illness to healing was in many ways a miracle. Someone I loved once gave me a box of darkness. It took me years to realize that this too, was a gift. ~ M. Oliver During the time of healing I learned far more than I lost. I recognize now that the process of healing from CFS was a remarkable teacher. My illness, in many ways, woke me up to my life. Nearly 15 years since my diagnosis and it turns out that I wasn’t the only one that hated the name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Recently the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has chosen to reclassify CFS as Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease. It may seem silly, but even now, ten years out from my healing, I am glad for that change. In my healing practice I specialize in helping others find...
by Brianna | Aug 26, 2014 | chakra yoga, Change, Healing Yoga Practice, Power of Thought, practice, Transformation
I teach about change a lot. I have a workshop (In Transition) dedicated to its power. I push my students to transform themselves and step out of their comfort zones. And at this moment, I am being schooled on how much change, even when it is positive and kick-ass, is uncomfortable. Frankly, change is hard. Changing is not for sissies. Currently I am mid move (state-to-state). I am packing 3,000 square feet of living and studio space. I am shifting my business, letting go of my beautiful studio, and transitioning from brick and mortar to: traveling as a teacher, writing my second book, and working with clients online. I was recently and joyfully engaged to my longtime love. A new member of my family was born . My best friend just had twins. I published my first book and with its printing finished a project I had worked on for eleven years. Things are definitely different and in FLUX to say the least. Change is gonna come, like the weather They say forever, they say ~ M. Gray It is times like these, even though I would prefer to eat pizza, brush my teeth with coffee, and drink martinis straight and dirty, that I have to be the most diligent about my practice, my diet, and my sleep. That is because when my stress gets high my nature shifts and I am ready to GO. In times like these I have to rein in my own intensity. I have to actively stop myself from going into overdrive. Otherwise my ass would be up at 3am jumping like...
by Brianna | Aug 12, 2014 | Breathing, Healing, Healing Yoga Practice, Moving Meditation, practice, Yoga
Sometimes busy bees do not have time for an extended practice. Sometimes busy bees are wearing dresses instead of pants and only have one minutes to themselves. Sometimes busy bees are exhausted and an extended practice will harm them more than heal them. One of the most freeing realizations I had during my healing from Chronic Fatigue was that practice is not defined by time – practice means practice. Some days for me my practice is hours and sometimes its minutes. Everyday though I take time to breathe deep, feel my feet, lift my heart and connect my body, mind, and spirit through the beautiful three part practice of Yoga. Yoga requires: YOU Yoga does not require: A mat. $100 pants or pants in general. an hour of your time. a heated room. an instructor in special pants, on a special mat, in a special room. How is your mindset impacting your practice? Does it bolster it or does it defeat it? Now shake a tail feather – get out there – DO THE YOGA! Here is a 1 minute practice to inspire beautiful YOU! ...
by Brianna | Jul 23, 2014 | Five Minute Yoga Practice, Healing Yoga Practice, Moving Meditation
One of the most freeing things to happen in my personal Yoga Practice (three part practice of postures, breath work and meditation) was the realization that practice is not defined by time. Practice means practice. On super busy days when being on the mat for an hour is more STRESSFUL than HEALING give yourself permission to practice for just a minute or two. By being inherently gentle in your definition of what a yoga practice is you will be more able to interweave it into your daily life. Remember that Yoga is a practice of Ahimsa, which means non-harming. Beating yourself up for not stepping on your mat serves absolutely no purpose. Be kind to yourself always. Quite frankly, you will be a better person for it. I love this 5 minute moving meditation it is one of my favorite practices –...
by Brianna | Nov 15, 2013 | Affirmations, Breathing, Chanting, healing house retreat, Healing Yoga Practice, Kirtan, Maine, Yoga, Yoga Retreat
I always loved singing but when I first started with yoga I hated chanting. HATED it. In my world chanting was not singing – at that point in my practice my personal comfort zone was so narrow and tight that I am amazed I could breathe. Looking back I think it was the delivery of my first teachers that turned me off so much. In the classes I attended chanting seemed tortured, usually the teacher was loud and everyone else was whispering. We were all uncomfortable and for years I thought it was the lamest most antiseptic thing ever. Sometimes I would get so frustrated by chanting in a class that I would simply roll up my mat and go. I was years into my practice before I attended my first Kirtan and my belief about chanting shifted. Kirtan is a beautiful practice of call and response chants. I realized then that chanting is uplifting, it is freeing – my first Kirtan was absolutely opposite of every experience I had had with chanting until that moment. I fell in love with the practice – in LOVE. Singing as healer is as old as human kind. It is part of every tradition. Like songs chants can be short and sweet or long and elaborate. By nature chants are repetitive and repetition is a known doorway to the meditative mind. Chanting is an energetic expression and a powerful tool of healing. Now, I use it daily and infuse it into my world by chanting while driving, or cooking, or showering. I interweave it into my classes and try to inspire my...
by Brianna | Jan 31, 2012 | Change, Chanting, Fear, Healing, Healing Yoga Practice
In Transition (a workshop I taught last weekend and offer biannually) has become a touchstone in my teaching. It reminds me to tune into myself. To see where I am at in both my practice and in my life Many of you know that I am active in my studies better known as trying to: reduce my own stress, figure out patience, release my fears, accept and love myself and be an active present participant in my own life. Everything I ask my students to do I have explored myself. When I find something that is healing for me I play with it for a while. I explore my edge. Making sure I am ready to hold open a wound before I use it as a parable in my teaching. As I am a type-A personality and a recovering stress addict there really is loads of material to draw from. In Transition Tea made my Zensations This weekend right before I ran my workshop I totally got bugged. Workshops are different then typical classes because there is a theme that people are expecting to be adhered to. Because of that I go early, I prepare the room, I light candles, make tea and sing to the space. On Saturday I left my house early to do just that – according to the schedule I had the luxury of time. But the schedule was wrong. Bath Salt envelopes for In Transition Another teacher had scheduled a private lesson in the workshop space and while the student was there she was late. According to a work-study the lesson went till the...
