Monthly Archives: August 2018

It’s an Annual Blog Top 5!

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Hi all!  Every year in August, I take a look at the blog posts that have been read the most in the prior 12 months.  For the past year, it’s been all about yoga!  This isn’t surprising, since I was lucky enough to have a selection of my articles  placed in several prominent yoga sites.

For your reading pleasure, here are the five articles people around the world requested the most:

If you have anything you’d like me to write about, please let me know in the comments.

Namaste!

Tracy Weber

My newest Downward Dog Mystery, Pre-Meditated Murder is available now  in e-book and paper back copies everywhere! Check this link for some local ideas. http://tracyweberauthor.com/buy_premeditated.html

 

 

 

Mystery and Mayhem—Animal Style!

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Hi all!  Today is my inaugural post on Pens Paws and Claws!  Check it out and learn the real-life stories that have inspired my fiction. Horses, and cows, and kitties and crows–oh my!Check it out at https://wp.me/p908hl-mH.  Enjoy!

Tracy Weber

My newest Downward Dog Mystery, Pre-Meditated Murder is available now  in e-book and paper back copies everywhere! Check this link for some local ideas. http://tracyweberauthor.com/buy_premeditated.html

Refilling Your Energy Bucket: A Meditation

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A Note from Tracy:  Research has proven that yoga is an effective tool to help overcome depression, according to  this article recently published in Harvard Health Publishing.  Effective yoga practices to combat depression are about more than movement, however.  Breath and meditation are equally, if not more, important.  In this series of articles, I will share six practices (some movement, some breath, and some meditation) from my series Overcoming Depression with Yoga.  Enjoy!

For many of my clients, depression  manifests as a lack of energy. Energy to do the things they love, energy to take care of themselves, energy to live life to the fullest. We all have things in our life that deplete our energy, just like the holes that drain water from the bucket above.  Some energy drains can be avoided, but others are necessary, such as earning an income and taking care of  loved ones.  If we can’t plug the holes, then we need to find ways to refill our bucket.

The meditation below is designed to help you reconnect with with everything that brings you joy.

Filling Your Energy Bucket Meditation:

  1. Sit comfortably with your spine erect and the crown of your head floating up to the ceiling, or lie comfortably in a position that allows you to be pain free yet still alert.
  2. Allow your eyes to close and notice your breath—without intentionally trying to change it.  Bring your attention to the sensation of movement in your belly as you breathe in and out.
  3. After 2 – 3 minutes or whenever you feel ready, begin imagining all the things in life that fill you with energy and give you joy.  Examples include people you love, hobbies or things you enjoy doing, gifts of nature, or even something as simple as a hot bath or time spent resting in front of a crackling fire.   Let these thoughts float through your awareness as images, sensations, smells, or whatever else has the most power for you.
  4. If your mind wanders to anything else,  bring it back to the sensation of the breath.  Then re-focus your attention on all of the things in life that bring you energy and joy.
  5. After several minutes ask yourself one or both of the following questions:
    • How I can increase energy and foster joy and community in my life?
    • What actions can I take to invite more energy, joy, and gratitude into my daily life?
  6. When you become distracted by other thoughts, simply notice those thoughts without frustration.  Then, with your next inhale, invite your attention to the above questions again.
  7. Continue this meditation for 10 minutes or longer if you’d like.

Enjoy, and if you’re interested in learning more about my private yoga therapy practice and yoga teacher training, visit my website at http://svanayogaseattle.com/

Tracy Weber

My newest Downward Dog Mystery, Pre-Meditated Murder is available now  in e-book and paper back copies everywhere! Check this link for some local ideas. http://tracyweberauthor.com/buy_premeditated.html

Nadi Sodhana (Alternate Nostril) Breathing to Overcome Depression

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A Note from Tracy:  Research has proven that yoga is an effective tool to help overcome depression, according to  this article recently published in Harvard Health Publishing.  Effective yoga practices to combat depression are about more than movement, however.  Breath and meditation are equally, if not more, important.  In this series of articles, I will share six practices (some movement, some breath, and some meditation) from my series Overcoming Depression with Yoga.  Enjoy!

According to the yoga teachings, the nadis are energetic pathways that are similar to meridians in Chinese medicine.  The simple breath practice below balances these energy pathways, which is especially important when trying to overcome depression.  Try this breath practice, and let me know what you think!

Nadi Sodhana (Alternate Nostril) Breathing:

  1. This breath practice must be done seated. Begin by sitting comfortably on a chair or on the floor with the spine in a neutral (extended) position.
  2. Lengthen both the inhale and exhale, making them approximately equal.
  3. After several breaths, begin the alternate nostril breathing technique described below.
    • Raise your right hand, folding down your index and middle finger, as in the photo above. Seal your right nostril at the bottom of the nostril flap with your right thumb.  Partially valve the left nostril with your ring finger near the cartilage. Inhale through the partially valved left nostril.
    • At the end of the inhale, close the left nostril with the ring finger and partially valve the right nostril at the groove near the sinuses.  Exhale through the partially valved right nostril.
    • Inhale through that same valved (right) nostril.
    • Seal your right nostril at the bottom of the nostril flap with your right thumb. Partially valve the left nostril with your left finger and slowly exhale through the partially valved left nostril.
  4. For the next 12 breaths, continue this process, changing the valved nostril  with each breath.
    • Inhale through a partially valved left nostril
    • Exhale through a partially valved right nostril
    • Inhale through a partially valved right nostril
    • Exhale through a partially valved left nostril
  5. Repeat this nostril breathing technique for 5 or more minutes. Always finish by exhaling through the partially valved right nostril.
  6. Release the nostril technique and take a few lengthened breaths through both nostrils.
  7. When you feel ready, take 6 or more breaths to bring your breath back to a new natural rhythm.
  8. Notice any changes you feel after this practice. What is the new natural pattern of your breath? Notice the balance of your mind and your mental focus. try to bring this awareness of breathing to the rest of your day.

This breath practice looks funny and sounds complex, but it’s actually very simple.  Give it a try, and if you have any questions, leave them in the comments below.

Enjoy, and if you’re interested in learning more about my private yoga therapy practice and yoga teacher training, visit my website at http://svanayogaseattle.com/

Tracy Weber

My newest Downward Dog Mystery, Pre-Meditated Murder is available now  in e-book and paper back copies everywhere! Check this link for some local ideas. http://tracyweberauthor.com/buy_premeditated.html