Guided Meditation mp3

Quick Stress Relief Tips…

March 1, 2020 by Carol Leave a Comment

Trying to find the time to implement stress relief techniques can be stressful itself, so I wanted to share with you some quick stress releasing ideas. It really doesn’t take long to shift your energy and calm your nervous system and access a sense of relaxation and peacefulness. Here are a few of my favorite, very quick stress releasing tricks.

#1 – EXHALE… A few focused, deep breaths can shift your mood in a moment. Exhaling slowly stimulates the Parasympathetic part of the nervous system, the part that calms and nourishes our system. Inhaling stimulates the Sympathetic part, the part that controls the Fight or Flight response. Think about the difference between a quick gasp and adrenalin surge when you are startled, vs. a long, slow sigh of relief…

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Being at peace with choices…

July 20, 2017 by Carol Leave a Comment

Many of my clients are dealing with a major life change or decision, such as serious health issues and decisions about treatments, divorce or separation, relationships and marriage, decisions about having children, abortion, or adoption. It is so common to experience many different and often conflicting feelings, like anxiety, fear, anger or guilt, as well as excitement, hope, joy, relief.

Acknowledging, validating and empowering all your feelings, your inner wisdom, and ultimately your choices, allows you to find peace and healing with your decisions and with your self. But that’s not always easy. In highly personal life choices, you may often feel unsupported or invalidated by those around you who have different perspectives, and may find it difficult to talk openly about your feelings. Guided imagery meditation can be a helpful tool to give you a safe space to experience the support and validation you need and deserve.

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safe space…

August 1, 2010 by Carol Leave a Comment

And what I find particularly interesting, is how do we create safe space for our bodies?

Lately I’ve been involved in a very interesting conversation about creating safe space. It came up in talking about working with clients, but it really applies to our lives as a whole. How do we create safe space for ourselves?

I don’t mean wearing a seatbelt, and picking up broken glass before you step in it! I mean how do we give our bodies the opportunity to relax, to feel the sense of safety that allows us to let go of the stress response that keeps us vigilant, ready for danger, ready for confrontation, or ready to run. How do we allow our bodies to be at peace?

So many of us walk around in a perpetual state of fight or flight readiness, with stress hormones coursing through our veins, muscles tense, sympathetic nervous system on alert. If your mother was severely tense or anxious when she was pregnant with you, you were bathed in her stress hormones, and born accustomed to a high level in your bloodstream.

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Imagery and imagination…

May 13, 2010 by Carol Leave a Comment

Imagery comes from the same root word as ”imagination,” and describes the way your mind and body communicate, through images, words, feelings or sensations. Like guided meditation, guided imagery can be facilitated by another person or guide, or guided by you yourself. In my work, I use guided imagery combined with meditation to create a relaxed, focused state in which your guided imagery can be more powerful and more effective.

The word “imagine” describes the ability to form images and ideas in the mind. Our creation of images is an innate, natural ability of all human beings. Often used interchangeably with the term “visualization,” the word “imagery” actually gives a more accurate sense of this mode. Where the word visualization implies that we are using our sight or vision, in fact, people have many different ways of imaging or imagining. Some people do experience visual images or pictures, like watching a movie, or like actually being in the movie and seeing what is around them. For others, imagery may take the form of physical sensation or feelings, a kinesthetic experience. Some people are more auditory, their hearing is the most dominant sense in imagery, for some it is a sense of smell. Others may experience a sense of “knowing,” in their mind, their heart, or in their whole being that transcends the basic five senses. Which sense is most powerful for you?

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