News and ideas worth your attention.

Chill Out with L-theanine: The Calming, Focus-Promoting Amino Acid

Making time for de-stressing time-outs is essential, and a non-negotiable healthy habit I encourage everyone to develop. But, sometimes, despite our best intentions, we can’t squeeze in that short meditation break. In order to take the edge off, many will reach for a powerful pharmaceutical like Xanax or Valium, but those meds come with a boat-load of possible scary side effects, with cognitive impairment, addiction and increased Alzheimer’s risk topping the list. So, what’s a safer way to calm your nerves and protect your health? Enter L-theanine. It’s my favorite all-natural, go-to “chill pill” you need to know about.

To Maintain a Youthful Brain, Meditation is the Perfect Prescription

The idea that meditation, is great for you may not be breaking news, but we both know you should be working on developing your stress-relieving meditation practice. Question is, are you actually doing it? If the answer is no, then here’s a bit more motivation: a regular meditation practice can help rescue your brain health and enhance your sense of well-being for years to come. How and why it does so much good for your brain and body? Let us count the ways – and give you a few tips on how to get into – and stay in – a consistent, brain-saving, meditation groove.

9 Ways Conscious Breathing Instantly Upgrades Every Aspect of Your Health

You don’t need to be a meditation guru or yoga practitioner to tap into the power of the breath. Conscious breathing is easy to learn and can be practiced anywhere anytime. In just a few breaths, wonderful mind/body changes start to happen as the body’s relaxation response kicks in. Those escalating emotions begin their descent as blood pressure and heart rate start to slide back down to a healthier range as you activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest-and-digest system which counterbalances the fight-or flight response). The result? Improved cardiovascular health, immune function, possibly better longevity and numerous other benefits. My advice? Start breathing!

Vagus Nerve Stimulation: 10 Ways to Quickly Calm Body and Soul

If nothing else, this difficult time has shown us just how important it is to protect and preserve both physical and mental health. One silver lining to emerge from the last 18 months: we’re now more aware of what sends our stress levels into the stratosphere. The tricky part? How to bring them back down to earth fast. The good news is that inside every one of us in an actual nerve whose job it is to do exactly that -- the vagus nerve (VN) – and you have the power to tap into its calming power, with ‘vagus nerve stimulation’ (VNS).

9 Ways to Tame Back-to-School and Back-to-Office Stress in Pandemic Times

As summer winds down and the pandemic grinds on, safe to say, many of us are heading into the fall with a sense of unease about what lies ahead. Getting a handle on how to move forward in the midst of constantly changing circumstances is something that just about everyone is struggling with right now. Vaccination, masking up and following CDC guidelines are essential. But after that, what? Despite pandemic fatigue, you simply must take good care of yourself and your loved ones and be as safe, physically healthy and mentally well as possible as we push through the next phase of the pandemic, whatever that turns out to be. No backsliding.

How ‘Bathing’ and Grounding Yourself in Nature Heals and Protects Body, Mind and Spirit

The pandemic has served up many lessons, but one of the most positive ones has been a renewed appreciation for the great outdoors, even among those didn’t care much about it before – and I encourage everyone to carry the habit forward long after summer has set. Time spent in the outdoors and connecting with the Earth supports the health of your body, mind, and spirit, just like good sleep, wholesome foods and regular movement. Think of your time in nature as a wellness practice, an essential part of your self-care regimen, so don’t miss a dose.

4 Essential Adaptogens for Drug-Free Stress and Anxiety Relief

With chaos and upheaval seemingly the order of the day these days, remaining energetic, emotionally buoyant and physically balanced can be a tall order. For those of us trying to manage stress, fatigue and/or exhaustion, the unhealthy quick-fixes typically include some combination of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, recreational drugs and prescribed meds. Sound familiar? But there is a better way, enlisting the help of a group of herbal ingredients called ‘adaptogens.’

8 Ways To Meditate, Without Meditating

One of the best ways to get away from it all quickly and easily is with meditation. It’s free, easy to do and can be done anywhere you can find a quiet spot. Meditation’s benefits are legion – it helps cultivate adaptability, resilience, and reduces reactivity (as well as the lashing out that can accompany it), while offering brain and heart protection; better immunity, mood, sleep, feelings of calm; reduced anxiety, pain sensitivity, etc.

11 Ways to Relax, Reconnect and Taper off Your Tech

Feeling tired? Tethered to your screens? Always “on call”? These days, it’s an almost universal complaint – and our devices are largely to blame. All too often, they’re our constant, and exhausting, companions, crying out for attention as they ring, buzz and whirr from the second they wake us up in the morning until the moment we shut our eyes for the night…

5 Ways Meditation Can Help Save Your Life!

Meditation is one of those things that people think they should do but all too often just never find the time. I’ll admit that maintaining a regular meditation practice isn’t always the easiest thing in the world – even veteran meditators fall off the wagon now and then. But they get back on the cushion (or wherever they do their practice) because the benefits are that compelling….

Stress-Reducing Techniques Using Only Your Breath