Take a moment to recall the last time you felt stress in your life. Did it take you a while to remember the last experience, or was it too easy to quickly identify when stress has been present?
It's safe to say that stress is universal- stress is likely to arise at some time in our human experience, maybe even frequently. In fact, the Recovery Village states "
Read MoreTopics: Great Graduate, Mindfulness, Self-care, mind body spirit, Stress, Holistic wellness, Holistic health, Stress Management, integrative healing arts practitioner, SWIHA Students
What is an entrepreneur? Oxford dictionary defines an entrepreneur as someone who makes money by starting or running businesses, especially when this involves taking financial risks.
Me? I say it's a dreamer who makes their dream a reality. An entrepreneur can be a seven-year-old girl who is holding a weekend bake sale and lemonade stand to earn money for that new Barbie Van so her dolls can tour the countryside of her backyard. The fourteen-year-old boy that mows lawns to save for that 1969 mustang when he turns sixteen. Even the fifty-year-old woman putting herself through school to start her practice and help guide women through mid-life because of the struggles she endures herself.
Read MoreTopics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Holistic Nutrition, Great Graduate, SWIHA, Whole Foods, Mindfulness, Arizona, Stress Management, health coach, Tempe, Wellness Coach, Women's Health, NBHWC, Holistic Health and Wellness Coach
“Life Coaching isn’t therapy or counseling; there isn’t any diagnosis or judgment,” explains Victor Yarter of Victory Coaching, “Coaching can be on personal subjects, or professional. It’s a way of helping you to develop plans, ideas, and concepts that help you to create forward action in your life.”
Before becoming a Life Coach, Victor worked as a Behavioral Health Technician, an Arizona Ranger and owned his own business. After receiving numerous recommendations from friends, he researched the curriculum of the Life Coaching program at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.
Read MoreTopics: Great Graduates, Life Coaching, Stress Management, national life coaching month
If you’re a mother, a woman going through a divorce, or struggling with relationship problems, Life Coach Rima Desai wants you to realize that you are not alone. Growing up in India, Rima felt deprived of love and burdened with responsibility from a young age. She has experienced first-hand what it’s like to feel constantly overwhelmed, underappreciated, hopeless, depressed, and abandoned, and she knows the impact of negative self-judgement and what it can do to a person. Yet instead of letting these experiences weigh her down, Rima has instead chosen to bravely dedicate herself to giving women what she always longed for herself: a sense of being supported. “I love supporting women,” Rima shares. “Women have been historically the most ignored population of all. Our needs as women have been suppressed culturally, as well by ourselves, and we have so much judgement towards ourselves…it is unbelievable!”
Read MoreTopics: Life Coaching, Psychology, Stress Management, Marriage, Relationships, Relationship Counseling, Four Agreements
Having recently completed a two and a half week assignment of being granny-nanny to my three youngest granddaughters (ages 10, 8 and 3 years old) while my daughter in-laws served in Africa, the words to the LEGOLAND theme song “Everything Is Awesome” will be forever etched in my brain. Nominated for Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards, the LEGO Movie song is infectious with its catchy rhythm; it’s difficult to not start shaking from side to side as if your body has turned into a little block-like-structure, bouncing around uncontrollably, when the words flow through your mind:
Everything is awesome, everything is cool when you’re part of a team!
Everything is awesome when you're living out a dream!
Was I living out a dream while spending 16 non-stop, action-packed, emotion-filled days dedicated to childcare… days which could easily be likened to one of the roller coasters at LEGOLAND, where we spent part of a week? Certainly… if this adventure was designed to assess and define the progression of my mindfulness practice!
How did I not lose my mind? By consciously and mindfully choosing to use as my sanity mantra the words, “Everything Is Awesome!”
Read MoreTopics: Life Coaching, Mindfulness, Yoga Teacher Training, Stress Management, Emotional Release, PTSD, Mindful, mantra, non-judgment, Anger Management, Non-resistance, granny-nanny, childcare, grandparent, parenting, Mindfulness Training
“I can’t believe the year is almost over!” Has this thought crossed your mind lately? It seems that during this time of year people start to wonder where they’ve been over the last couple of months. With the world becoming more hectic, with more responsibility, more stress, more technology, and less time to take care of ourselves, mindfulness can help us by become consciously aware of the present moment. Adding the practice of mindfulness to our daily lives can give rise to a happier and more vivid life.
Mindfulness can be described as a delicate and continuous act to be present with each moment. In the book, The Miracle of Mindfulness, by Thich Nhat Hanh, one can find many different acts that can be practiced during the day to have mindful moments. There are three that are simple to do every day, no matter where you are.
Walk in the moment.
Move more, think less.
Try conscious walking. When walking from point A to point B, our minds are usually cluttered with thoughts of the past or the future. By opting to take those moments during the day to be mindful, our stress levels will reduce and our minds will be clearer. To be mindful while walking, become consciously aware that you will be walking from point A to point B. Before you take the first step, take a deep breath and while exhaling, take the first step. As you continue to walk, take your awareness to the soles of your feet. Notice the heel touching the ground and notice how that feels. If you become aware of thoughts that are distracting you from the conscious awareness of walking, acknowledge them and bring the focus back to your feet. Continue to focus on the soles of your feet and when you arrive at your destination, take another deep breath, and continue with your day.
It’s just one of those days.
Read MoreTopics: holistic practitioner, Mindfulness, life coach, Meditation, Stress, Be Present, ThetaHealer, Stress Management
