By Gretchen Hofing It’s October. Fall is here, and the mountains are calling. I headed out for a weekend of hiking and fall colors in Western North Carolina the first weekend in October. September had been very busy, and I was really looking forward to this short get-away and escape from the every day. I had high hopes the colors would ...

By Ron Vereen, MD How often have you been sitting in meditation, and the thought arises, “what am I doing this for, anyway?.”  This can be one response to the experience of the mind wandering and the body feeling uncomfortable, especially for beginners to the practice, but certainly not limited to the novice.  It happens at times to ...

By Aili Kuutan A friend asked me what I was up to the other day. My response: “I think I might do some editing on my online meditation course.” It seemed like a productive use of my time. I felt like I had good intentions, at least until she pointed out that I always use the words, “I think I might…” ...

By Carol Krucoff, C-IAYT, E-RYT One of life’s most common activities – getting up from a chair – is critical to maintaining independence and quality of life.   And your ability to perform this movement, called “sit to stand,” reveals a great deal about your fitness and health -- with poor performance linked to increased risk of a variety ...

By Elizabeth Bechard, BA, RYT What does cultural competency have to do with health coaching? Cultural competence describes the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with individuals from different backgrounds. While we often think of “culture” as referring to a person’s ethnic or geographic origin, it also encompasses a wide spectrum of other characteristics, such as gender and/or ...

By Aili Kuutan Do you ever get in your own way? I suspect many of us do. In fact, I have yet to meet a person who, if they’re being honest, doesn’t do this in some way at some point in their lives. As a human being, I find it fascinating to notice this kind of behaviour. As a coach, I ...

By Julie Kosey, MS, PCC, RYT, NBC-HWC We all know the benefits of personal practice. However, it remains challenging for most of us to prioritize it in our full and busy lives. Here are a few tips that might help: Consider your practice. Consider how your mindfulness practice supports your vision of ...

By Emily Chávez, Associate Director, Duke Center for Multicultural Affairs Race: that ubiquitous element in society that registers in both our conscious and unconscious minds. Do we see race? Of course we do—though we may pretend not to. Can we look beyond it? Many, perhaps most of us, try. But the thing with race is that to deal with it honestly ...

By Aili Kuutan Have you ever heard of the concept of underlying commitments? The concept’s come up for me a couple times lately, so last week I decided to explore it for myself. In a nutshell, underlying commitments are the things we’re truly committed to, which we may not be aware of and may not be in alignment with our stated goals. For ...

By Deborah Dixon, Reiki Master Teacher Reiki Principles Just for today, I will not anger Just for today, I will not worry Just for today, I will be grateful Just for today, I will do my work honestly Just for today, I will be kind to all living things The Reiki principles open the practitioner to ...