Category: Chronic Illness

Why Is Mindfulness So Important?

First of all, what is mindfulness? ⁠

⁠Bob Stahl, PH.D. & Elisha Goldstein, PH.D. define it as, “Mindfulness is about being fully aware of whatever is happening in the present moment, without filters or the lens of judgement. Put simply, mindfulness consists of cultivating awareness of the mind and body and living in the here and now.”⁠

⁠So why is it so important? I believe what happens in the mind shows up in the body. When I’m anxious my heart races, my breath is short & fast, I get queasy, I can’t concentrate & my body feels tight. When I’m sad I feel weak, fatigued & heavy. These are just symptoms I can see on the surface. What’s happening deeper inside? I believe these mental fluctuations & symptoms cause sickness as well as physical pain. I know this because when I’m suffering from anxiety or depression I get sick more. When I’m happy I feel motivated, social, healthy, mostly pain free, less headaches, I sleep better, etc.⁠

⁠Mindfulness does SO many positive things for our mental & physical wellbeing. It helps you build a better relationship with yourself & closes the gap between mind & body. You become more aware of what is going on internally & externally. You learn how to process this information quicker & more precisely. You learn how to filter this information out of your physical & mental body vs. obsessing over it, pushing it down, or allowing it to fester & develop into mental & physical trauma. When a problem arises, mindfulness allows you to acknowledge it without judgement, teaches you how to process it in real-time & provides tools like; meditation, breathing techniques & more to nip it in the bud before it grows. This practice will change your life; you’ll get sick less, sleep better, feel less pain, relationships will improve, you’ll feel happier, motivated, productive & more!  ⁠

⁠The most important relationship you’ll ever have is with yourself & the most important key to a healthy life is the state of your mind! Mental health needs WAY more attention & we need to break the stigma! Prioritize your mental health by adding some mindfulness techniques to your daily routine & watch everything gradually fall into place.⁠

Why Is Movement So Important?

Humans are meant to move! It’s important for our mental & physical health. 

Our ancestors moved a lot, but today we live mostly sedentary lives. We sit in cars & at desks, we sit on the couch & is scroll through our phones or binge one of the MANY streaming services we have at our fingertips…lots of sitting…and it’s horrible for our physical & mental health. According to the World Health Organization in 2017, physical inactivity was the 4th leading risk factor for global mortality.

Let’s take a look at some of the side effects of living a sedentary lifestyle:

Anxiety, cardiovascular disease, migraines, digestive issues, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, lipid disorders, obesity, osteoporosis, scoliosis, spinal disc herniation (low back pain). Physical inactivity may even increase the risks of certain cancers & can cause a decrease in skeletal muscle mass. This is only a small list!

Personally, I know when I’m more sedentary I feel; fatigued, irritable, stressed, depressed, anxious, aches & pains throughout my body, tension, stiffness, headaches, more emotional, less motivated & productive, insomnia, less creative, etc. 

Stress, energy, toxins & emotional/physical trauma gets stuck in the body! So get unstuck & move your body!!! Of course I’d love it if ya’ll pulled out yoga mats right now & did a solid 60 min. session BUT yoga isn’t for everyone. What works is choosing a physical activity that is pleasing to you. Walk, bike, DO YOGA (wink, wink), pilates, swim, hike, CrossFit, weight train, etc. Find something you love & incorporate it into your schedule TODAY! You can even exercise at your desk, or invest in a standing desk & see how this positively affects your physical & mental health, concentration, productivity, creativity, etc.    

According to the Center for Disease Control you should do a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of a more vigorous regimen weekly. Walking 10,000 steps a day (approx. 5 miles) is another great goal for improving health & reducing risks caused by inactivity. Pair this with mindfulness practices & breathing techniques & you’ll be in good shape, both physically & mentally.          

Welcome to YogiNest

Hi! Welcome to YogiNest. Let’s get reacquainted. 

YogiNest was created in 2015 when I realized people needed more. I knew people needed more because I needed more. I’ve never felt more hopeless than I did when Lupus took control of my body, and honestly all of my hopes and dreams. I was unhappy with the care I was receiving and took matters into my own hands. I don’t know where I’d be without mindfulness, yoga, and meditation. Getting my mental health in order made ALL the difference on my journey to recovery. I created YogiNest with the hope that I would meet people who were curious about complementary and alternative therapies alongside conventional medical treatments that were prescribed by their doctors. I ended up just meeting people who only wanted to do yoga. Which is totally fine, but I wanted more! Then something magical and organic happened, over 50% of my yoga students turned into yoga and mindfulness students, because as it turns out…people wanted more! What was showing up in their bodies on their mat was also showing up in their daily lives. Body pain seemed to be directly connected to emotional pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and more. So YogiNest began to morph into my ultimate vision, a place to get more! People want to be seen & heard in a safe place by someone who can hold space for them without judgement, that’s what YogiNest provides. YogiNest specializes in the one-on-one experience! Each session is tailored to your specific needs. The thing that’s so special about these one-on-one tailored sessions is that they change with you, and if you’re anything like me you’re always growing and changing. That’s a good thing by the way, change is good, growth is good. So if we’re constantly changing and growing shouldn’t our complementary and alternative therapies change with us as we grow…I think so! I like to think about this practice like the process of metamorphosis. You come in as an egg, hatch into a caterpillar, form into a pupa/chrysalis, and finally emerge as a butterfly. Everyone has to start somewhere, we’re all beginners at some point, then we learn and grow and hopefully find versions of ourselves along the way that we love and can learn from until we shed our skin and change once again. This practice is about living in the present moment, embracing change & impermanence, making peace with our past and taking with us the lessons we were meant to learn, and allowing ourselves to shift and grow and change. Through mindfulness, yoga, and meditation practices YogiNest helps you move through life with more ease and less body aches and pains.

You Are NOT Your “Disease”

When living with a chronic or terminal disease you have to talk about it a lot! I lived at the doctor’s office, I lived in hospitals, the dialogue was always about my disease. That eventually bled into all of my conversations with family, friends, people I had just met, etc. Two things happen, in my opinion, you get so used to talking about your disease that it just becomes natural to talk about it, and you become addicted. Just as someone gets addicted to a drug, or trauma, you become addicted to your “disease.” My disease, Lupus, became my crutch and excuse for everything, for all my problems. It was the reason I couldn’t do this or that, it was the reason I was a certain way, or acted a certain way…but it wasn’t. I was swimming in my own sorrow. Of course my disease is limiting, there truly were and are certain things I cannot do, but where did I draw the line… I didn’t.

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Backbend For A Healthy Spine & An Open Heart

Backbends are some of my favorite yoga poses to practice! I love the way they make me feel, and I love the way they challenge me. Also, how cool are they? The shapes we can make with our bodies still fascinates me. As with most or even all yoga poses, backbends offer many benefits, let’s take a look at some of those benefits, as well as poses to get you started.

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Developing Your Tribe: The Importance Of A Strong Support System

T.R.I.B.E

:  a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest

The James's Flamingo (Phoenicopterus jamesi), also known as the Puna Flamingo, is a South American flamingo, named for Harry Berkeley James. It breeds on the high Andean plateaus of Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. It is related to the Andean Flamingo, and the two are often placed in the genus Phoenicoparrus. It is a small and delicate flamingo, approximately 3 feet in height. Its plumage is pale pink, with bright carmine streaks around the neck and on the back. When perched a small amount of black can be seen in the wings. There is bright red skin around the eye. The legs are brick-red and the bill is bright yellow with a black tip. Immature birds are greyish. James's Flamingo is similar to other South American flamingoes, but the Chilean Flamingo is pinker, with a longer bill without yellow, and the Andean Flamingo is larger with more black in the wings and bill, and yellow legs.

: any aggregate of people united by ties of descent from a common ancestor, community of customs and traditions, adherence to the same leaders, etc.

What does “Tribe” mean to you? What does “Support System” mean to you? To me it’s a group of people who simply care about one another. They’re there for you through thick and thin, sickness and in health… it kind of sounds like I’m describing a marriage, hahahaha 🙂 It could be someone you’ve known for a long time, or someone you’ve just met. It could be family, the one you were born into, or the one you’ve created over time. What matters most is that this “Tribe” or “Support System” is a group of people who support you, that build you up, that make you a better person.

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