Mindful breathing is a powerful exercise that can help you stay focused on the present moment. Combining a mindful breathing exercise with meditation can help you focus and relax. Read the instructions below to familiarize yourself with the experience. Set a timer, and as you get more accustomed to using this technique to help you relax, you can set the ...
By: Duke Integrative Medicine Psychotherapy Team It is natural to feel afraid, exhausted, and overwhelmed as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters of life during a pandemic. Maintaining mobility in our bodies and a sense of connection to self and others will help us to ride the waves of our varied emotions rather than crashing with them. Check out our ...
By Duke Integrative Medicine Programs Team Guided imagery, or visualization, encompasses several techniques meant to explore our beliefs and attitudes about ourselves and the world around us by tapping into our subconscious mind. This exploration is intended to impact our physical and mental well-being, bringing about positive changes such as relaxation, better focus, and improved performance. Guided imagery has many uses ...
By: Riitta H Rutanen Whaley, Mindfulness Instructor, Yoga Teacher The current global COVID-19 pandemic has led to a holiday season, unlike anything most of us have experienced before. We may be grieving the death of a loved one, have been sick or limited in our movement, seen our children miss their friends and school, or lost some or all of ...
By Kathleen J. Murray, LSW, MSW. Clinical Social Worker. Duke Diet & Fitness Center.
Many people, at this point in the COVID crisis, are experiencing a sense of low-grade depression, emptiness, grief, and loneliness. One of the remedies for this is to discover and/or renew our sense of meaning and purpose in life.
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 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 ...
Chronic stress underlies more than 50% of physician visits and is a factor in most, if not all, chronic diseases. It’s a part of our everyday lives. So what do we do about it?
Key Number One: Get Up and Move!
Movement and exercise are among the most researched and effective stress reduction strategies. ...
By Jocelyn Weiss, PhD, MPH Last week we posted six chair yoga poses that you could perform to break up sedentary behavior during your day at work. Now, we would like to share six more poses that you could incorporate into a daily routine. These short exercises provide you with an opportunity to take a mental break, stretch your ...
