by Brianna | Mar 16, 2012 | Affirmations, Breathing, Change, Fear, Healing, Power of Thought, practice
Historically it has been difficult for me to remain calm when others are being emotional. Like an absorbing mirror I breathe their emotion in. Always categorized as extremely sensitive, it wasn’t until my late 20s that I realized my mood was transient because I was constantly absorbing other people’s feelings. My personal boundaries were so blurred that I didn’t realize where I ended and others began. My energetic awareness shifted one day waiting for the ATM in a line that was two people deep. I went from feeling happy and light to being pissed. It was a heady enough shift that I stopped and asked myself: “where is this emotion coming from.” It was then I realized the line had grown and was full of agitated people. Without a doubt, my willingness to make inquiry was rooted in my time on the mat. Since then I tune in when I feel myself shift and I ask: “Is this really my emotion or is it theirs?” That question and the awareness to ask it changed my life and set me on a path of energetic exploration. Sunrise at the Healing House I first began to share the energetic toolkit that I developed as a presentation in Charm City Yoga’s teacher training about four years ago. In it we discussed mirror neurons, the idea of a professional persona, the need for grounding through presence, protection through appropriate boundaries, and the awareness and willingness to release. I have made this presentation numerous times and its content has grown into a three-day retreat that I offer once a year. During my most...
by Brianna | Feb 24, 2012 | Healing
I think that each belief we hold roots us into rhythmic patterns of behavior. Creating a vibration. A vibration that ripples out with an almost audible hum. In healing the hums that underlie are particularly important. In my work, specifically with hypnosis, I often speak about the power of our beliefs and there ripple effect on our lives. What is so healing about hypnosis is that it works with the bedrock of the belief. Once the belief is resolved the ripples cease and the vibration dies. I think we can all agree that a person who replaces a hum of worthlessness with one of worth will project a very different energy. They will produce a very different hum. Jenny making “In Transition Tea” in the sunshine I find that sometimes with this type of energetic awareness that it is easier to recognize one of a person’s hums when there is discord. For example, if someone’s underlying hum is not rooted in kindness and they behave kindly, you may feel as though they are being fake. Of if someone means to harm you but holds out their hand to help, you may not trust them. Through these examples it may become easier to accept that something intangible is happening. From my perspective you hear their hum. Today my friend Jenny posted a video of the Kinks singing “have a cuppa tea”. After listening it seemed logical that it would play every time she entered a room. That tea is always the answer is truly one of her underlying hums. In fact, Jenny’s belief that tea is an elixir was first...
by Brianna | Feb 15, 2012 | Craignair Inn, Healing, Maine, Yoga, Yoga Retreat
Healing House Retreat (Spruce Head, Maine) My parents and I invite you to our seaside home for three days of practice, healing, contemplation, and renewal. The Healing House Retreat is based on the lifestyle that I adopted in order to heal myself from chronic fatigue. During that time of healing I interwove a number of practices together, including: nutrition, yoga, walking, meditation, and singing. Each in their own way helped me to find my way back to myself. I am excited to share my family’s remarkably healing space and these simple practices with you! Friday Evening (November 9, 2012): · Meet and Greet / Agreements 7pm · Fire and candlelight practice 8pm – 10pm Saturday (November 10, 2012): · Singing in the Sunrise: 6am · Fruit and Tea 7am · Morning Practice: 8am – 10am · Inn Breakfast/ Private Time: 10am – 2pm · Afternoon Walk and Practice: 2pm – 5pm (Brianna will meet you at the Inn) · Healing House Dinner: 6pm · Fire and candlelight practice: 8pm – 9pm Sunday Morning (November, 11 2012): · Singing in the Sunrise 6am · Fruit and Tea 7am · Morning Practice 8am – 10am · Inn Breakfast/check out 10am – 12pm Accommodations: Craignair Inn by the sea (originally owned by my beloved Godmother) is located less then a mile from the Healing House. Each room at the Inn is unique and therefore the pricing for the three-day retreat ranges from: $380 – $480 (Single Occupancy) The fee includes the following: 2 nights accommodations...
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...
by Brianna | Jan 15, 2012 | gratitude, Healing
This morning I shopped at the new grocery store (if you live in Baltimore you know exactly which one I mean) and because of that coupled by its oddly suburban feel, I wandered every aisle. Typically I shop the perimeter of the store. I find, for the most part, that is where the real unprocessed food is located. Although I forget for long periods of time that they exist I happen to love Gingersnaps. In fact I have a visceral reaction when I see them. My response to Gingersnaps is not based in my childhood. Instead that feeling evolved from an experience I had living in D.C. This pictures was taken right before I left New Mexico to move to D.C. at 21 For the record my Mother hated my apartment. At 21 I thought she was being ridiculous but in reflection I understand why she hated it so. The main reason for the loathing was based on the fact that the one exit I had was through a security gate that you had to key in and out of. For security sake all of the windows were also barred. Basically if there had been a fire I very easily could have perished. But boy did I ever have fun times in that place. There were no flames but one day in a very real way I did get trapped. I was rushing and raced out my door into the building hallway. I pulled it closed and it locked in place. It was two beats later when I went to key out of the security gate that I realized...
