Blog Posts

Treating Disease with the Mind, Body, Spirit Connection

3/23/2016

"Disease can be equated with the break-down of the relationship between the body, mind and spirit." - G.Frank Lawlis

In yoga therapy, we treat people not diseases. Each person will require a different approach to healing depending on their unique psychology and physiology. I have worked with over a dozen people who have chronic pain. Each of them has a different relationship to how they experience pain, how they view their life and how they view themselves.

The people whose health improves the most are the ones who have a strong desire and inner faith. That inner faith is what drives them to keep moving forward despite their circumstances. It's what gets them up and practicing everyday and allows them the courage to start making new choices in their lives in order to create a better future. They are also the ones who are ready and willing to be uncomfortable, to be in the unknown. For the others, they are somewhat comfortable in their suffering. It's all they know. It's how they have identified themselves within their reality. They are unwilling to meet the unknown and try new things because they have lack of faith- in the health systems but more so in themselves.

Yoga is the process of uniting all aspects of ourselves. It is the coming together of the body, mind and spirit. Healing , that is to become whole, is possible on this path, but only for those who are ready. It's for those who are willing to take responsibility for themselves, their actions and reactions.
If western medicine started to look at disease from a holistic perspective , how we treat patients would radically change.

If you are ready to take action and change your reality , contact me for a free consultation. I am here to help : )

Namaste

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Yoga and Warriorship

3/18/2016

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"Every great warrior must learn to endure and overcome the adversities of life. " -- Lailah Gifty Akita

The very nature of yoga leads us to overcome the biggest obstacles in our life- our own mind. Our suffering doesn't always come from our circumstances but our PERCEPTIONS of them and of ourselves.

When I teach others how to overcome their obstacles it nourishes me to keep going. A student this morning said to me " I love your class because I don't hurt afterwards." She has suffered from a frozen shoulder for almost 3 years and has been practicing regular for a few months now.

I know the power of yoga first hand. Every day I get up and practice so that I can live in peace with myself and with other people around me. My desire to be free from chronic pain and depression is what fuels me.

Are you ready to become a warrior and take on the obstacles in your life? Contact me for a 15 minute complimentary consultation to see if this path is right for you.

Be well : )

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Getting into Gratitude

2/29/2016

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“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cultivating gratitude is one of the simplest ways we can begin to improve our health and well-being. It has been shown that gratitude can improve moods and depressive states, helps to reduce stress and improve our immune function, as well as cultivate better relationships to others.

What are you grateful for? At this moment one of the things I am most grateful for is the opportunity to teach and be apart of the amazing team of health care providers at the Integrative Health Institute.

I created a "gratitude yoga flow" video for them and for you as a way of offering a tangible practice to experience gratitude through breath work and movement. I will be posting more on this theme and creating a challenge on on Instagram in a few weeks! Follow me for details @smyogini : )

Wishing you all the best in health and wellness!

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Happy New Year!

1/1/2016

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Happy New Year!
One of the ways we can set ourselves up to keep resolutions is to be mindful of all the ways in which we sabotage ourselves. By that I mean the old habits and patterns that seem to run on autopilot , regardless of our efforts to change. One of the ways my mind does it is by saying "I'll start tomorrow." or " I'm too tired, too busy, too blah blah blah…" It's always something!

Using mindfulness to recognize the voices and identify them when they appear is step one.
Step two is taking an action in that moment , either big or small, that will lead you toward your goal- regardless of what the mind is saying.
Step three is to let go of any expectation and enjoy the process of transformation!

Need guidance? Contact me for a complimentary consultation to learn how Yoga can help you reach your goals in 2016!

I wish you all strength ,love and perseverance to get you to your goals!
Namaste

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Embracing Our Wholeness

12/17/2015

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The whole of all that is, includes the shadow. The shadow parts of ourselves, our perhaps less desirable qualities ,such as arrogance, vanity, anger, jealously, self-serving, superiority or inferiority are not energies to be hidden away or pushed aside. They are to be embraced and transcended.
As much as we are dark we are light. We also have inside us love, kindness, caring, selflessness, generosity, compassion, humility and more!
We are human, full of thoughts, beliefs and emotions. Can we hold that we are both arrogant and humble? Self-serving and self-less? Can we embrace our wholeness, without judgement, and nurture more of the energies that are going to serve us best in our lives?
What would it look and feel like if right now, in this moment, you embraced all that you are with love?

Feel it. Own it. Be it. Namaste : )

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8 Ways to a Stress-Free Holiday Season!

12/13/2015

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The holidays can be an exciting and busy time for people, especially for the “hosts” of our family events and gatherings. With all the planning, preparation and parties, sometimes we neglect our self-care needs and end up feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Here are a few tips that I find helpful for enjoying a stress-free holiday season!

Breathe deeply. If you begin to feel tightness or constriction in your body and/or overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions, begin to notice your breath. Focus on lengthening your exhale and allowing whatever thoughts or emotions that are coming up, just to flow without trying to stop them. Breathing this way sends a message to your nervous system to switch from the stress response, fight and flight, to the relaxation response, rest and digest. Continue to lengthen your exhale until you can feel a noticeable change in your body, mind and emotions. You can also add another dimension to this by using creative visualization and mantra. An example of this is to inhale peace and exhale gratitude while imagining a golden-white light moving in and out of your body.
Stick to your routine. Keep your daily care and maintenance schedule going as much as possible, including your daily exercise and regular diet. When we can stick to what we know is good for us, such as yoga and exercise, we give our body and mind a positive boost of hormones that help us to manage stress and improve our mood.
Do less and enjoy more! Learning to say no. One of the challenges for people is often taking on too many things and feeling obligated to attend every holiday party that they get invited to. When that happens it is easy to get overwhelmed and feel stressed. Learning to say no is a way that we can take care of ourselves and not increase our stress hormones. This may be a foreign practice for some, but learning to create personal boundaries in life is a must if we want to conserve our energy for what we need it for the most.
Enjoy treats, let go of guilt! We all know it can be hard to resist the many tasty temptations that surround us during this time of year. Eating the extra cookie or piece of pie is not as harmful to us as the GUILT we experience afterwards. It’s no fun to eat the next piece of chocolate and then kick yourself afterwards for doing it! To avoid this cycle, have a treat cheat budget so- to -speak and put a limit onto how many extra treats you will have in any given situation. An example of this is going to a holiday party and saying to yourself “ I will allow myself to have between 3-5 indulgences that I may normally not have and I will enjoy them!” Set a number that is comfortable for you and experiment with the results.
Do your best and leave the rest. Doing our best at any given moment is all that is required of us. When we let go of needing everything to be perfect and pleasing everyone, we give ourselves the freedom to relax and just enjoy the fruits of our labor. Enjoy spending quality time with the people you love most without the added distraction of perfectionism.
Do more of what makes you laugh! Laughing reduces the stress hormones, which in turn helps your immune system function better. Try putting on a youtube clip, a song, or think of a memory that invokes laughter and joy in you the next time you are feeling down or overwhelmed. Notice how that changes the mood almost instantaneously.
Take Breaks. Make sure you have time to take in the simple pleasures in your life. Whether it is taking sips of your favorite beverage, reading a book you enjoy, listening to music, or going for a walk in nature, find easy ways to bring pleasure into your daily experience.
Cultivate Gratitude. Is it not possible to feel grateful and stressed at the same time. When we start to focus on all of our blessings, it can have a noticeable affect on our mind and body. Practicing daily gratitude has many benefits including improved physical and mental health, enhanced empathy, reduced aggression and improved self-esteem. Gratitude is one of the quickest ways we can shift our mood and our perspective.

From my heart to yours, have a safe and happy holiday season!

Namaste, Natalie Marnica

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Forward>>

Treating Disease with the Mind, Body, Spirit Connection

Yoga and Warriorship

Getting into Gratitude

Happy New Year!

Embracing Our Wholeness

8 Ways to a Stress-Free Holiday Season!

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