1,800 foot elevation gain, highest altitude 7,123 feet, 7.4 miles of varied terrain, from lovely alpine meadows to melting glacial snows. This is the Skyline Loop trail on Mount Rainier, arguably one of the premier mountain hikes in the world. This lovely active volcano in the Pacific Cascade range south of Seattle boasts unparalleled flora- someContinue reading “This is such a slog. And, a journey of inspiration and inner peace.”
Tag Archives: nervous system
What if…(some good thing)
When I was a public school teacher, if I described something new that would be happening, the student reaction was the same whether it was a good thing; field trip, kickball game, or party—or a possible bad thing; test coming up, new unit, new kid. When I asked, “Questions?” Pause. Then, almost without fail, “WhatContinue reading “What if…(some good thing)”
The Only Way OUT is IN.
Rhythms of the elements echo in our bodies, breath, and blood. Elemental air, water, earth, wood and mineral reverberate in every tissue, organ, and cell. These building blocks of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, sodium— all inform our human growth and development from first breath to last. The more we tune in to our earthiness, the moreContinue reading “The Only Way OUT is IN.”
Happy face sticker on an empty gas tank?
“I’m fine.” “No, really, I’m fine.” “Just fine. Really.” I don’t believe it, do you? Our American culture teaches us to play ‘nice’, pretend all is well, that we are ‘fine’, when we are not— cuz’ nobody wants to be around a drag. Nobody wants ‘bad vibes’. And the truth may be that we areContinue reading “Happy face sticker on an empty gas tank?”
What is your hope buoy?
When I am feeling unsteady, uncertain, unmoored, irritated, triggered by whatever is current and present in my life—if, and that’s a big IF, I pause and notice, I can feel my face settle into lines and sags. My eyebrows fall, the corners of my mouth slide down, muscles of my jaw tighten and my neck constricts like angry snakes. You too?
When Yoga Hurts.
When yoga hurts: Pausing with pain. Her directions were clear, “From all fours, sit back onto the heels, buttocks to calves, then lift and straighten the spine. Turn all ten toes under, settling all the weight down on the hips and balls of the feet, keep the spine straight, hold palms together at heart center.”Continue reading “When Yoga Hurts.”
No one wants to be thrown off a cliff.
If you told me that you wanted to learn how to swim and I said great, I have a perfect way to teach you how to swim. Then I proceeded to hike with you cliffside, precariously perched 100 feet over the surface of the deep blue ocean. As you stood there, braced against the wind,Continue reading “No one wants to be thrown off a cliff.”
Face Yoga, anyone?
One of the best ways to boost our immune system is to do a lymphatic massage. The lymph system is how our body fights infection, and it is a system for removing toxins and waste from the body. The lymphatic system doesn’t have muscles or a pump like the heart. It relies on movement; soContinue reading “Face Yoga, anyone?”
I see the moon and the moon sees me.
In November of 2022, the world’s population reached 8 billion. I can’t imagine that number at all, maybe looking at a night sky filled with stars I can get an idea, or the grains of sand spread across my favorite beach. I can choose to feel foreboding, worry, anxiety, hopelessness about that unimaginable number, butContinue reading “I see the moon and the moon sees me.”
The Sacred No: Resist rather than resent.
I listened to a NY Times Opinion podcast interviewing a 19 year old teenager in Brooklyn who has become a leader in a resistance movement. What are these activists up to? NY Times, “ Started last year by another Murrow High School student, Logan Lane, the club is named after Ned Ludd, the folkloric 18th-century English textileContinue reading “The Sacred No: Resist rather than resent.”