With Thanksgiving just two days away, I thought I would share a list of thoughtful ways that we can express our gratitude this holiday season. Gratitude is a conscious and positive emotion that exhibits a readiness to show appreciation for the kindness of others as well as thankfulness for any and all good things, tangible or not. But the conscious act of gratitude is much more than just practicing good manners. Gratitude requires recognition and acknowledgement of the goodness in others as well as the ability to be actively thankful for all of the positive things in our lives. When we make a conscious effort to recognize and appreciate the…

Merriam-Webster defines transition as “a change or shift from one state, subject, place, etc. to another.” The Cambridge English Dictionary defines it as “the process of changing, or a change from one form or condition to another.” And Dictionary.com describes transition as “movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another.” These seem like simple enough definitions to explain a rather profound concept that permeates the entire human experience. Life often seems like it is an endless series of transitions. We are constantly changing from one state to another on the most basic levels as well as on the deepest levels of our existence. We learn from each experience whether it was a planned…

Last week I was doing a yin yoga class with affirmations for healing and one of the affirmations really struck me as something that needed further investigation. The exercise of using affirmations during meditative yoga practices is not meant to convince ourselves of the truth of any one affirmation. Instead, the practice is focused on finding which affirmations make you feel uncomfortable and then exploring the reasons for that discomfort. The affirmations are simply meant to prompt further self-examination and introspection. The affirmation that really struck me during this particular yoga session was I deserve to be seen and heard. When working with affirmations in yin yoga, it is important…