Transcendent Yoga and Holistic Health

05/12/2026

It’s spring, and the healing arts center is feeling so warm and peaceful ☺️💗🙏

05/10/2026

I’m working through my 300 hour YTT and reviewing the Nadia and how to assess imbalances.

The graphics in this post give you a visual representation of the Ida and Pingala, which are essentially the Yin and Yang channels of the body.

✨ Understanding the Ida & Pingala Nadis ✨

In yogic tradition, the body contains energetic channels called nadis that help move prana, or life force energy, throughout the body. Two of the main nadis are the Ida and Pingala.

🌙 Ida NadiAssociated with the left nostril, feminine energy, intuition, rest, cooling, and the parasympathetic nervous system. When Ida is dominant, you may feel calm, reflective, emotional, creative, or inward-focused.

☀️ Pingala NadiAssociated with the right nostril, masculine energy, action, logic, heat, and the sympathetic nervous system. When Pingala is dominant, you may feel energized, focused, motivated, or mentally active.

✨ A simple way to assess balance:

Take a comfortable seat and notice your breath. Without forcing, gently close one nostril at a time and observe which side feels more open or easier to breathe through.

• If the left nostril is much more open, Ida energy may be dominant.• If the right nostril is much more open, Pingala energy may be dominant.• Ideally, the breath naturally alternates throughout the day, creating balance between the two energies.

⚖️ Signs of imbalance may include:• Excess Ida → fatigue, low motivation, emotional heaviness, spaciness• Excess Pingala → stress, irritability, overthinking, restlessness

Practices such as yoga, meditation, pranayama, grounding, or mindful movement can help restore harmony between these energies and support a more balanced state of mind and body.

If you try this exercise, let me know what you find! I had just been telling my husband that I need to study, but I also really feel tired and want a nap 🥱

I checked my breathing channels and, not surprisingly, my pingala (active) channel was blocked. I’m going to have to find a way to work in that nap 😴 💗

05/10/2026

05/10/2026

Something I’ve often found challenging is the need for resolution and closure. The ability to know when there is no resolution to be had - or that pursuing it may cost you your peace, lead to additional stress and worry, and may STILL not result in actual closure - is a skill that has not come easily for me.

As I’ve worked on knowing when to invest my energy, and when to let things be, I’ve discovered that sometimes choosing not to speak, not to act, and to disengage my energy from a difficult situation can be the most freeing choice of all.

I often think in terms of Tarot archetypes in challenges like this. I draw upon the Queen of Swords, mistress of discernment, to help me act from wisdom and clear sight.

If those is something you struggle with, too, you may appreciate the words of wisdom below.

05/10/2026

This so beautifully exemplifies my belief that life is a journey, and that we shouldn’t lose the wonder of the experience and the potential to continue to grow and develop by being too focused on the destination.

We can set goals; and we also have every right to adjust our course and modify our goals or set new ones when we realize our direction no longer aligns with who we are now. We can change our minds, adjust our boundaries, and explore new inspirations…

Enjoy the journey 💗

05/09/2026

Different percussive instruments that simulate the sounds of water… which do you like best?

05/08/2026

Several essential oils have shown promise in research studies for reducing anxiety. Two of my favorites are Neroli and Bergamot, which also have a lovely aroma as a synergy when combined!

Check out this summary from the Tisserand Institute of aromatics which have shown promise in this area.

Dilution, dilution, dilution - it's the first rule of using essential oils. Robert Tisserand, expert on safety, explains how and why.

05/08/2026

Use of singing bowls has the ability to affect our brain waves and support Theta wave activity, relating to a meditative state.

There is a growing number of research studies supporting the benefits of sound healing practices for anxiety, mediation, and sleep.

Fascinating! 💗

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37372766/?fbclid=IwVERDUARqlXZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe2S9trmToFDw9Q0--L_9OaksY-qF6Q2tda1aj8LuiM-Xg-otk0kb2BmdcK48_aem_NZSKJ6f2CLTUyTW262Pcbg

This study aims to verify if the beating sound of a singing bowl synchronizes and activates brain waves during listening. The singing bowl used in this experiment produce beats at a frequency of 6.68 Hz, while it decays exponentially and lasts for about 50 s. Brain waves were measured for 5 min in t...

05/07/2026

My mother used to tell me that when we first moved to northern NY from California, the first few winters were a shock to her nervous system. She piled on layers, curled up in front of the woodstove, and did everything she could to escape the cold.

But living in the North Country necessitates dealing with frigid temperatures. You can’t remain in your cocoon of warmth indefinitely. Eventually, she had to leave the house; whether it was to go grocery shopping; to pick me up from school; or other daily activities of life that don’t stop just because the temperature dips into the negative digits.

She told me that her suffering ended when she learned to “make friends” with the experience of cold. She reminded herself that she was safe; she wasn’t in immediate danger of freezing to death; that while unpleasant, cold was just a sensation. She learned to immerse herself in the experience of cold; note what she felt with a sort of curiosity rather than apprehension; and somehow, the misery of being cold lost its power over her.

If we can’t change an uncomfortable situation or experience we are in, how can we sit with that experience from a place of acceptance, rather than irritation, anxiety, anger, or other emotions that can ultimately lead us to greater discomfort?

And are we sitting in situations that perhaps we CAN change, if we find within us the initiative to take that first step?