The Yogi Therapist

Hey, everyone! I know it's been awhile, but I'm excited to be back! I've spent the last year researching mindfulness, meditation, psychology (brains, behaviors, thoughts, emotions - the whole shabang), adult romantic relationships, and a bunch of other stuff! Believe it or not, I actually wrote a book about mindfulness. It's called Mindfulness and Me: A Practical Guide for Living. It's in publication now, but no release date yet - stay tuned for details! I know when people hear mindfulness there's usually one of two mental images - soccer moms doing yoga or Buddhist monks in orange robes sitting silently for hours. Speaking as a yoga/meditation teacher, mental health therapist, and psychologist, believe me when I tell you that mindfulness isn't just a fad. Let's take a closer look at why mindfulness is becoming so popular.  The Concept     Mindfulness is actually one translation of an ancient Indian word that is also sometimes translated as 'being in...

     Welcome and welcome back! It’s the remix to ignition! Nah, I’m just kidding – but that’s a good song though. Anyway, this is kind of like Stress Part II: Armed and Fabulous. Okay, enough with the obscure pop culture references. This is a follow up to the discussion we had about stress – stress management. The Concept                 If you haven’t had a chance to read through the stress 101 post, I recommend that you do that to help get a basic understanding of what stress is before diving into managing it. Alright, that’s done. Welcome back. Okay, stress management is a set of activities to decrease the negative (bad or undesired) effects of stress on your body, your relationships, and your quality of life.   Stress management is specifically focused on chronic stressors, those situations that are pretty constant for awhile. It’s about helping your body to continue functioning at its...

Welcome and welcome back. How many times a day do you hear the word "stress"? How many times do you find yourself saying that you're "stressed out" or "stressing"? We live in a stressful world! But what does that really  mean? And do we have any control over it? The answers to these questions and more next on....The Yogi Therapist. (I hope you read that in a TV show announcer's voice). The Concept    Okay. Let's just start by defining stress. Definitions matter, especially for everyday terms like stress, because it's a pretty vague term and I want to make sure we're all the on the same page. So, for our purposes, stress is the physical/mental/emotional experience of challenge. A stressor is something that causes that experience in us. For example, imagine you're a caveman hunter. You see a lion. You run super fast to escape said lion. In this example, lion = stressor, and running = behavior or action. The "stress reaction"...

          Welcome, all! I'm so honored that you've taken time out of your day to check out my new blog. First, a little bit about me. Academically, I have B.A.s in Psychology and Social Work, a Master's in Social Work, and am currently working on a PhD in Psychology (a focus on learning and cognition). I am also a licensed master's level social worker working as an outpatient mental health therapist. I have 3 years of clinical experience working with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Additionally, I am a certified yoga instructor - at the 200 hour level - and have been practicing yoga for about 2 years now. Oh, and I'm 22 years old. That's just a bit of background so you know a little bit about the person behind the posts. Feel free to ask any additional questions in the comments section.  Now on to the good stuff....     My vision for this blog is to be a space for me to share practical knowledge of everything from mind...