I invite you to take a moment for yourself, checking in physically, energetically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. With non-judgmental awareness observing what is present right now.

Taking this moment to breathe and be.

We can now send thoughts of loving kindness to a group. This group could be a local community you are a part of, it could extend to a city, state, country or even the world.

I invite you to take a moment to sense or visualize this group.

Sending words of loving-kindness. “May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be at ease.” Repeating this three times silently or aloud.

Taking the moments after to notice, listen, be.

Can you take the energy of this with you out into the world?

Anytime you need it, these words are here for you. I encourage you to practice during your interactions with others.

Next time I will put it all together for a longer meditation.

Thank you for being here, for practicing, for bringing this into your life for your own well-being and so that you may impact others in a positive way.

With gratitude,

Jayme

I invite you to begin by checking in, physically, energetically, emotionally.

What is present for you this morning?

Noticing with curiosity and interest, releasing any judgments that arise.

This part of the series considers a person who is mildly challenging in your life. If you do not feel that you have the capacity to do this, please acknowledge this and return to one of the previous practices.

Self

A Loved One

A Familiar Stranger

Yoga and Buddhism has taught me that attachments to experiences (painful or pleasurable), feelings, thoughts, people…my human experience, contributes to suffering, sorrow, fear, and worry.

One of the ways I have been to untangle from my attachments is to learn acceptance. While yoga has been my primary source of learning acceptance (santosha), so has reading about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I was introduced to this in Yoga Therapy school, while studying a book by Steven C. Hayes PhD.

One of the attachments I struggle with is feeling overwhelmed by people who are challenging to me. I feel viscerally impacted by interactions, I tend to ruminate about the way I feel and often shut down. One way I start to manage these feelings is by turning towards Loving Kindness. Although this is valuable, it is not a quick “fix” and I have to employ other strategies like taking time for myself, mindfully breathing and setting boundaries. What it comes down to is acceptance for my feelings and the human I am challenged by. More than likely they are having their own human experience and are not intentionally trying to get under my skin. At the end of the day, it is not the other person***, it is my nervous system feeling dysregulated and my perception of the experience.

***I am currently speaking of people who are mildly and moderately challenging. It is different if this person is abusive, causing harm or intentionally hurting you. If you want to heal your relationship, feelings, symptoms about a traumatic, abusive or extremely challenging person please work with a qualified practitioner to support your healing.

As we move into this practice, I invite you to reflect on a person who feels mildly challenging. As you imagine this person or sense this person, continue to check in with your capacity to hold space for this practice, reminding yourself you can stop at anytime. Imagine this person as a human, a soul, who is having their own experience.

Sending them words of loving-kindness. “May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be at ease.” Repeating this three times silently or aloud.

Please take time after this practice to notice what comes up, maybe journaling, releasing the experience in a healthy way. Perhaps returning to Loving Kindness towards yourself, a movement practice or any other nurturing practice.

Please reach out with any questions or comments.

With gratitude,

Jayme

I invite you to take a moment, checking in with your posture. Perhaps adjusting to feel supported by your surface, yet feel supported by your own structure. Planting feet on the floor, rocking your pelvis to find the position that feels supportive. Elongating through your spine so you feel your muscles activating, yet you are still light and supple. Notice how your body can hold you in space.

This part of the Loving Kindness Series invites us to consider a “familiar stranger.” This could be someone you see regularly at your local supermarket, a person that you pass by at the gym, a neighbor you do not yet know, the receptionist at your doctor’s office, etc.

Once you are settled in your seat take a moment to soften the gaze or close the eyes. Either visualize, think of or sense the “familiar stranger.” Tune into the sensory experience you are able to access, either the visual scene or thinking of what this person looks like and where you see them.

Sending them words of loving-kindness. “May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be at ease.” Repeating this three times silently or aloud.

Spending the next moments in a pause, noticing how you are feeling.

I hope your weekend is filled with curiosity and just what you need.

With gratitude,

Jayme

Thank you for joining for the next part of our Loving Kindness Series.

How was it sending yourself loving-kindness wishes?

Some find that is a difficult part of the practice. We often are able to give give give and have difficulty receiving.

These practices can be soothing, and they can bring to light our challenges. That is the practice. Becoming aware, gaining insight and practicing to feel more whole AND to show up more whole in our everyday interactions.

Although we need to take time for ourselves, to nurture ourselves, we are social beings. We heal in community.

I invite you to consider a loved one, a person you have an “easy,” loving relationship with, this can be a pet if you have difficulty thinking of a human.

Returning the support you have beneath of you, softening your gaze or close your eyes. Imagining this loved one in your mind’s eye. If you are unable to visualize, thinking of this person, or sensing the feeling you have when you are around this person. Sending them words of loving-kindness.

“May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be at ease.” Repeating this three times silently or aloud.

Guidance if you would like:

Taking a moment to notice how you feel. Noticing sensations in your physical body, your energy and breath, your thoughts and anything else in your awareness.

With gratitude,

Jayme

I have been teaching a mindfulness course to cancer survivors at our local cancer center. A recent practice we have been exploring is Metta Meditation (Loving Kindness Meditation). Metta stems from Buddhist teachings. Maitrī is the Sanskrit word for loving-kindness.

Loving Kindness Meditation invites us to extend wishes to:

• Ourselves

• A loved one

• A neutral person (Oneika Mays (2026) refers to this person as a “familiar stranger” in her book Sit with me: A no-bs journey to mindfulness meditation).

• A person that feels challenging

• A community

• The world

I find this practice to be very valuable and quite challenging. Even though I was exposed to this practice many years ago, I am really taking time to incorporate it now into my sadhana (daily ritual).

I will take us through the series one person/group at a time. I think spending some time with each “category” can be useful.

We can spend time in this meditation as a formal practice and as an informal practice. Formally one would sit or lie in meditation and go through the practice. Informally, one could choose a piece or all of the meditation in real life. While preparing to interact with a particular person, when one is in community, or when one is having negative self-talk and could benefit from a reframe of attention.

As with all practices, some resonate with us, some do not. Some can activate us due to past histories or traumas. Please take care of yourself. If this does not work for you today, that is ok. Perhaps discuss with a trusted person or practitioner if challenging or concerning feelings arise. Meditative practices can be an opening to self-discovery and personal growth.

Let us begin.

Taking a moment to find a supportive position. Either softening the gaze or closing the eyes.

Welcoming yourself into the practice, noticing your physical body and breath.

Sensing or visualizing yourself in your mind’s eye.

Offering words of loving kindness to yourself.

“May I be safe, May I be happy, May I be healthy, May I be at ease.”

If you would like voice guidance, please enjoy.

There are variations of words you can use. I invite you to explore the above, self-study and research other variations.

Resources that can support this practice:

Sharon Salzberg

With gratitude,

Jayme

Did you know that many of our local library branches offer yoga free to the community? Erin Leach typically teaches gentle yoga monthly at the Fallston branch, I will be covering for her twice over the summer, June 8 and August 10. Stephanie Gregory will be covering July 13.

You can sign up now for June 8. Please check out the calendar for other locations and dates!

Sign up for June 8

Library Event Calendar

The class will be gentle, appropriate for all experiences and we will have chairs if you cannot get up and down off the floor, you want to learn how to practice yoga in a chair, or use it as support for balance. Please bring your yoga mat, any props that will make you more comfortable, water and dress comfortably.

We will be exploring movement/postures, gentle breathwork, and mindfulness approaches so support focus and concentration.

I hope to see you there, feel free to reach out to me with any questions!

With gratitude,

Jayme

I recently had the privilege of contributing to The Wellness Society blog. Their website offers a variety of free and paid resources to support mental health and wellbeing.

I was chosen to contribute to How to Regulate Your Nervous System. This provides some clarity on what a regulated nervous system is and simple practices. Please check it out!

My interest in the nervous system continues to grow as my own yoga practice has evolved. I also see this in the way I teach group classes and provide one-on-one guidance as a yoga therapist.

Yoga as a formal practice and as a way of life has contributed to my own nervous system regulation, healing and evolution. Yoga provides a framework that addresses a human experience, providing practical applications of practice and a way of life that supports a regulated nervous system.

I feel more presence and clarity which provides me the opportunity to make better lifestyle choices and seek care of other professionals. Overall, I feel healthier and suffer less.

Which is the point of yoga. Moksha-liberation from suffering. Yoga offers many Margas (paths) towards this liberation. I have found that the most valuable and healing aspect of yoga is integrating practice(s) appropriate for the moment, day or stage of life, embodying the wisdom and living through the lens of yoga. Yoga meets us where we are, accepts us as we are and is inclusive.

In modern, western society we are often very familiar with the yoga postures. These postures are wonderful for a healthy body and steady mind. When practiced with awareness, a path may unfold towards remembering our true Self.

Please reach out if you have any topics you would like me to discuss in my articles.

With gratitude,

Jayme

A potentially accessible and no-cost way to address the stress response is through breath. I invite you to explore this breath practice.

Heart Centered Breath

Of course we all have different lived experiences, different levels of stress and the breath may not be the right thing for us. It also is not going to magically solve all of our challenges. But, it may give us reprieve for a moment and attend to ourselves, body, mind, and spirit.

Yoga is a system that offers us insight into how we can address our stress response, life challenges and decrease suffering. Want to learn more or have a loved one who might benefit from personalized therapeutic yoga?

With gratitude,

Jayme

Perhaps adding to our already busy lives is creating more inner chaos and depletion.

What if we start with looking at our current habits as a first step?

Svadhyaya, self-study, would invite us to become aware habits that are not serving our highest self. When we are seeking to feel better we often want to feel better fast, especially if we have a new health symptom or diagnosis.

Unfortunately, true healing and liberation from suffering does not happen with a biohack or the newest gadget. While all of these can be helpful and useful, nothing is a quick fix. We need to take time to evaluate our inner landscape, so that we can purge what is not supporting our growth. Perhaps we need to do this to create space and release what is depleting us before we add a self-help tool. We can also do this simultaneously, sometimes adding something positive and life-giving can help soften the grieving of the old habit. And I think that is important to name, we will grieve long held habits and that is OK. We are human.

As an example, we may have a hard time of getting out of bed in the morning, we may feel immediately stressed and feel like we have no time for ourselves in the morning.

With inquiry, we discover that we have a habit of immediately checking our phone before getting out of bed in the morning. We may think this is harmless, but our phone use may immediately activate our nervous system, disrupting the brains natural transitions to alertness, creating a stress response, per Dr Priyanka Sehrawat. Not to mention we have spent time we could have spent nurturing ourselves.

We are meant to be in rhythm with nature, and modern sleep experts are in agreement with this ancient wisdom, recommending that we get natural sunlight as soon as we can upon waking up, supporting the natural release of our hormones and neurotransmitters to wake us up, which prepares us for the rest of our day and even our next sleep cycle.

With this awareness we decide to set our phone away from our reach at bedtime. Upon waking we do a few stretches in bed, we use the restroom, scrape our tongue, brush teeth, splash face with cold water and go to look outside, setting an intention for the day. With time we may notice changes in mood and productivity.

I invite you to reflect on your habits. As we are at the end of fall, we are reminding ourselves to shed and release, prepare for some wintering, some stillness, so when the time comes we can sprout with new insights and healthy habits.

As always, I would love to hear from you with questions or comments.

If you are interested in finding out how yoga therapy can be of service to your unique challenges or interests, please reach out or

book a 15-minute phone consultation. I support clients in person and virtually.

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With gratitude,

Jayme

I have been feeling a little uninspired to write lately. I have been wanting to stay offline, as I get overwhelmed when I am on.

Anyways, in light of what is happening in the US, I would like to contribute how I can. I took my daughter to the store today so we could purchase some food and diapers for a drive our neighborhood is doing.

I would also like to offer a place to leave non-perishables and self-care items in front of my yoga therapy office. I will set a box out this week. I do not have the exact plan of where I will donate, but there are lots of organizations in our area. If you are a client of myself or Dr. Colleen please feel free to drop off when you are here.

If you are not local, I encourage you to tap into your own community, how can you be of service? I see that some suggest monetary donations are best to the food banks as they can purchase in bulk. If you do not have extra funds, volunteering is of course another option.

Selfless service, seva, is part of the yogic path. I believe it is imperative to the human experience.

And being of service to others can positively impact our wellbeing.

When we are suffering it can be useful to support others. When experiencing a stressful situation we may tend to shut down or feel so restless we do not know what to do with our energy. Volunteering may be useful to begin to restore balance in our lives.

Balancing that of course with our own rest, practices and care for self. We do not want to burn ourselves out. This is a call to attending to the body-heart-mind-spirit. Caring for ourselves and others.

An offering to you: Floor Based Gentle Yoga Practice

I wish you and your loved ones peace and freedom in this time of challenge. Please reach out with any questions or if you have ideas of how to serve our communities.

With gratitude,

Jayme

I have taken August to spend time with my family, travel, celebrating my 45th birthday and 20 years of marriage! I am very grateful for where I am, the work and patience I have cultivated and the opportunities.

Just like that it is September! We are preparing for the school year. I am also sensing fall approaching, the evenings and mornings are much cooler and the days are getting shorter.

In September, I am covering all Friday Hatha classes at Coppermine BAAC. Coppermine BAAC

I have also joined the team at Get Centered Wellness in the Saturday rotations and as a sub. Get Centered Wellness

My friend Graham is a local realtor, he is hosting our 2nd Annual Client Appreciation yoga, at his beautiful park-like backyard. If you are interested in joining this vinyasa style class please contact me for more information and the address!

What is on my mind?

Simplifying routines. And the scary self-care hacks I see on social media.

My friend sent me this post a few days ago…what do you see wrong with this?

…for starters the first picture…like what is that?! And none of the pictures match the name of the exercise. But, that feels irrelevant when I see the first picture! My mind was blown. In this world of AI and people posting with no authority-please be mindful! To me, nothing replaces real human connection and support.

Anyways, this is my PSA. Although that is probably a very obvious thing NOT to do, there are more subtle practices out there that may be generalized and not best for EVERYONE. Even seemingly benign breath practices affect our nervous systems/energetic systems uniquely.

I invite you to practice discernment when choosing practices. We learn about discernment in yoga, viveka. The buddhi mind is the layer of the mind that is the intellect, discerning, able to release the influence of the ego and senses.

There is a desperation to feel better (I have been there). We do so many different practices/hacks and never really know what is helping or if the combination is actually having detrimental effects.

How can you cultivate discernment? This is one way to self-study and begin to trust yourself, traveling towards a strengthened buddhi.*

1. Check in. How does the body/energy/mind feel now? (choose one or all)

2. What does the body/energy/mind need right now?

3. Choose 1 simple practice. Perhaps pause in your mountain posture after brushing the teeth and take 3 intentional breaths (try this outside too). Nothing fancy, allow yourself to be (and this is not necessarily easy-it may feel super tough!).

4. Check in again. How do you feel after this practice? Perhaps journal or voice journal to keep track.

There are endless examples of simple practices and ways to build upon the practices. Can you start here? Can give yourself time to settle into this daily routine? What begins to shift? How is this routine working and how is it not? Can you add on, or are you meeting yourself where you are so you stay with this a little longer?

*You may also might have specific health concerns that may benefit from evidence-informed guidance. Certified Yoga Therapists (C-IAYTs) and other healthcare professionals have specialized training to understand these concerns, cultivating a safe and meaningful experience. The way I practice and offer yoga therapy: Care that is person-centered, evidence-informed and yoga based.

We have years of habitual patterns and mindsets that may need to shift, I hope for you that you can cultivate acceptance and patience for yourself.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra I-14:

“Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness.”

The yogic texts and modern habit change science tell us that we need to consistently practice a new habit for “a long time” for it to make a difference and become a habit (there is mixed evidence on an exact amount of time by the way). AND with this we need to be kind to ourselves-always reverting to ahimsa. If we have a day we forget, can we breakaway with negative self talk and forgive ourselves? We can try again the next day. But, yes, consistency is key. That is why I usually recommend a simple and attainable practice to start, setting up for “success”. Then we add on with time.

I also remind you to be with yourself, be with nature, be with others in community. The more you are taking time in real time, in real life, you will begin to get to know yourself again, trust yourself again and with time you may realize you are experiencing discernment.

I’d love to hear from you, with any questions or comments.

I am available for in person or virtual one-on-one sessions.

With gratitude and support,

Jayme

Resources:

Satchidananda, Sri Swami. (2017). The yoga sutras of patanjali translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Integral Yoga Publications.

Yoga philosophy (which dates back thousands of years from India) teaches us that we are interconnected sheaths of being (panchamaya kosha model). Therefore, what we experience from the outside world has the potential to affect our physical/energetic/mental/spiritual health. Modern science also has a framework for this-biopsychosocialspiritual model of health.

What I have learned through yoga is that I have a lot more control of my health and well-being than I previously believed. Yoga has many frameworks that help me understand my true nature, my tendencies, and how to overcome habits and choices that do not serve my highest self and my purpose. I have learned that I have the freedom to make choices of what I intake and what I put out into the world.

This is not a seamless journey and even though I have learned much, I will forever be a student. Life is challenging-things are NOT easy-we cannot control other people. But, we can learn to overcome the obstacles, make better choices and create boundaries. Everyday I feel a greater peace overall and can see how all of this reflects in my physical health.

I have seen this in the clients I serve. I have seen them making progress, overcoming their unique obstacles, learning acceptance and choice. When they show up, when they do the work-their symptoms change, their quality of life improves.

Reflection:

How does stress show up in your life? Where does it show up in your body, energy, mind, relationships, quality of life? How do you cope with the stressors?

Thank you for reading and I wish you well,

Jayme

i have little time for being

only in being

can i feel real peace”

-yung pueblo, clarity & connection

Yoga philosophy teaches us one of the obstacles (kleshas) to freedom and peace in body, mind, spirit, purpose is avidya. Avidya is often translated as “ignorance.” Ignorance of our true Self. It is a lack of understanding that we are more than our physical body-we are more than our sensory experience. Yoga asks us to work towards an unwavering peace-it gives us a system to become more aware, regulate our nervous systems and experience peace-no matter the challenges that arise. It is definitely NOT bypassing hardness-it is about becoming aware of a situation, our reactions and roles. It provides us tools to take action, move through and embody peace. Although suffering is a human experience, the goal is to break free from our suffering.

This requires us to slow down, practice being, to see, hear, feel clearly, to experience clarity.

This takes many skills. It takes compassion and curiosity. It takes patience and determination. It also requires releasing our attachments to our ego (asmita) to seeking pleasure (ragas) and avoiding pain (abnivesha). It requires surrender to an outcome, to the support we may need from others or from our spiritual understanding (ishvara pranidhana).

If you would like to learn more about these obstacles/attachments I speak of, I highly recommend the book “The Kleshas: Exploring the Elusiveness of Happiness” by Deborah Adele-Link to buy book on Thriftbooks.

To find stillness is tough in this world. We are celebrated when we are constantly accomplishing and doing. But, I will tell you, from my experience and of course the literature, taking time for stillness is imperative for progress towards peace. When we are constantly doing, we are distracting ourselves and constantly in stress mode-sympathetic nervous system, our glands are pumping out stress hormones. This can be beneficial for the short term-but in the long term we will notice the burnout through bodily symptoms and the aging process. Rest and reflection offers us time to press the pause button and access the parasympathetic nervous system-cultivating balance for all of our bodily systems and functions-ultimately for our healthspan.

We need to meet ourselves where we are, though. Which returns us to compassion. That means we might need to do some movement and breathwork prior to sitting and reflecting. One of my favorite practices for reflection is journaling on my values. Once I discovered this I was able to see more clearly what I want out of my life, what habits aligned with these values and which did not. It is not always easy to remember to respond in alignment with these values. But, the effort to do so is worth it. This clarity leads to peace and joy.

Please see my video guidance below-it will be a standing practice (which can always be done in a chair), gentle breathwork and guidance on a journaling prompt, followed by

meditation to integrate the experience.

As always I’d love to hear from you. This will wrap up my compassion, curiosity, clarity series.

What would YOU like to hear about over the next few months?

What questions do you have?

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I am here to update on some offerings I have in Bel Air.

Coppermine:

I will begin rotating Friday morning Hatha at 10:15am-starting THIS Friday, 5/16

If you are a member check out your app for my schedule or email me for more information

Hatha is one of the many paths of yoga, originating from traditions in India. All paths have the great intention of Self-realization and the reduction of suffering. Hatha practices start with the physical body and moves towards more subtle practices, working with the energy systems to encourage steadiness of the mind.

I also have opportunities for one-on-one yoga therapy sessions at Coppermine. Please email me for more information-yogawithjayme8@gmail.com.

Kaufman Cancer Center:

Group gentle yoga classes for cancer survivors-this class is complimentary as part of the Cancer LifeNet program.

One does need to preregister, including filling out of some intake forms and clearance from doctors. Please call 443-643-3350 Option 1 for more information.

When and Where:

• Starting June 2: Mondays from 6-7pm

• Kaufman Cancer Center, Streett meeting room, at UM Upper Chesapeake in Bel Air.

Heart Space Yoga Therapy

Are you interested in a one-on-one therapeutic experience?

Check out my new scheduling software!

• Curious? Book your 15-minute complimentary phone consultation or y

• Ready to commit: Book your new client 90 minute session.

• Existing client? You can now book through this app

Scheduling App

Of course you are welcome to reach out directly if you prefer

• yogawithjayme8@gmail.com

• 443-582-3778

Prefer a home visit or virtual visit? I also offer these-please reach out

Thank you for taking the time to check out what is going on : )

Inspirations from my yoga path:

Among all of the events that have left me stressed, unsettled, anxious and unwell, all of the to-do lists, the challenges and suffering I witness in the world, I must take time to breathe, be present and move my body. This is in service of my well-being, and very importantly, in service to others.

AND…

It is not always feasible to take 1 hour out of a day to practice.

The most powerful practices are when I am waiting in line and I bring attention to my feet or I smile at another human. It is when I am making my child a smoothie to rush to the next activity and I take 3 sun breaths-breathe in lift my arms, breathe out lower them down.

With gratitude and in peace,

Jayme

Welcome to May!

In Maryland we are officially experiencing Spring. The pollen is high, it is warmer, the flowers are blooming and the trees are that beautiful spring green. Although my seasonal allergies get a little activated, I love the colors that are showing themselves and the sense of birth and aliveness that is present when I go for my walks.

(On a side note, when I notice my allergies are activated I use this as a message to care for myself through hydration, resting when I can, using nasal cleansing, gentle breath practices, healthy and fresh eating, using essential oils through a diffuser, all keeping my immune system in check. Over the years my allergies have lessened in intensity and I attribute it to my yoga practices that improved awareness! of what triggers my symptoms and what body, breath, mind and spiritual practices support my health. Also, I used to be severely allergic to cats-sometimes walking into a room knowing there was a cat simply due to the itchy eyes, sneezing and even terrible wheezing. Now we have a cat-Buddy-my only symptom is slightly itchy eyes-this only happens when he snuggles me a lot and then I touch my face).

Curious, huh?

I have been practicing entering experiences with a sense of curiosity. Curiosity feels expansive, light, opening me to the possibilities of situations and experiences. When I feel agitated, angry or anxious I feel tunnel vision, tense in my body and mind, feeling like I cannot see any other side to a story/problem/situation, etc.

One of my favorite practices: Once I notice my closed and contracted feelings I thank myself for noticing, often placing my hand on my heart and then I look all around. Ideally I like to do this outside, but I realize that is not always realistic-so wherever you are you can pause and look around. Notice the colors, textures, the expansive nature of the space you are in. I hope something shifts inside of you, it may take practice, as with all new experiences and habits. I allow this expansiveness to shift me into a sense of curiosity, which calms the nervous system and brings me to social engagement-I release judgement, think clearly, I calmly and intentionally engage with others and feel more at peace.

This month I invite you to explore walking meditations. I love this article from Berkeley that gives some background and instructions. One can practice in a small indoor space or outside. If you walk for exercise, I encourage you to incorporate short bout(s) within that walk. This can be a practice of curiosity, as mindfulness practices are an opportunity to observe the experiences without judging or controlling.

Thank you for reading and happy practicing.

As a reminder I am here for one-on-one sessions in person at 5 N. Main Street, Bel Air and at Coppermine Bel Air Athletic Club. I also offer home visits or virtual sessions if you are unable to come to the space.

With gratitude,

Jayme

I have 2 spots left this month.

We have had a great time exploring movement, breath, and mindfulness practices.

This month we will focus on the element of fire, honoring late spring. Exploring core awareness and qualities of aligned action.

I invite you to begin by checking in with your breath, follow the in-breath and out-breath-noticing the qualities, depth and flow.

Compassion is a wish that one does not suffer. “Compassion widens the circle of us” (Hanson, 2009, p.146).

Ahimsa is one of the ethical precepts we learn about from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It is often translated as non-violence. I also like to think of this as having care and compassion for all living things, including ourselves.

Compassion is one of my core values and qualities that I hope to bring into the yoga therapy space.

Dr. Kristen Neff dedicates her profession to studying Self-Compassion. If you are interested in how much Self-Compassion you have take this quiz. https://self-compassion.org/self-compassion-test/

Feeling compassion can activate areas of our brain that are more related to awareness and ultimately a regulated nervous system (Hanson, 2009). A dysregulated nervous system is correlated to many health challenges, including chronic pain, anxiety, cardiovascular disease and more. A regulated nervous system (meaning you can access the fluctuations of the nervous system appropriately) supports healing, health and wellbeing.

Through my own lived experience and through witnessing other’s experiences, it is important that we “feel” compassion. We can read all of the science and logically understand the concept, but until we “feel” it, it may not be authentic and may not be beneficial to us.

So, the first step is understanding the importance and then becoming aware of how you feel or do not feel compassion for yourself or others. There are ways to explore and strengthen this quality. Part of this exploration requires for us to slow down with our practices so we can sense our body and the messages that it sends us.

Today, I offer a short seated spinal movement practice followed by a compassion meditation. It would be a great practice to incorporate in the middle of the day. “Motion is lotion” and one of the keys to longevity. While this practice is seated, you can also explore the same movements on the floor, in a bed, or standing up. You can make any adjustments to the practice-and please move through a pain free range of motion.

Perhaps the first step of your compassion practice is dedicating time to yourself and getting your space situated.

I want to call out this is not easy!!! Holding compassion for oneself is a step towards understanding one’s values and how to hold boundaries. It is also a step towards how to take action during challenging situations in life. This exploration and embodiment of compassion does not mean you excuse harmful or toxic behavior of others.

A reminder from Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1.33: maitri karuna muditopeksanam sukha duhkha punyapunya visayanam bhavanatas citta prasadanam
“By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind-stuff retains its undisturbed calmness.” (https://www.theyogasanctuary.biz/inside-the-yoga-sutras-the-keys-to-peace-1-33)

Please remember, this is for educational and informational purposes only. This is not meant to replace your healthcare providers recommendations and does not replace an individualized yoga therapy session and plan of care recommendation. Thank you.

Other tips for compassion practices throughout the day:

• Stand up every hour if you have to sit a lot for work

• Circle your wrists and ankles

• Go barefoot around the house AND outside

• Consider mundane chores as ways to incorporate functional mobility

• Walk outside and look high/low/side to side/down and all around

• While waiting for your coffee to brew or tea to steep:

  • Minisquat, calf raises, wall plank or balance work

• Breathe, move, speak kindly to yourself and notice when you are not

• Reach out to a friend or professional for support

Resources:

Hanson, R. (2009). Buddha's brain: The practical neuroscience of happiness, love & wisdom. New Harbinger Publications.

Hanna, T. (1988). Somatics: Reawakening the mind’s control of movement, flexibility and health. Hachette Books.

https://self-compassion.org/

https://www.theyogasanctuary.biz/inside-the-yoga-sutras-the-keys-to-peace-1-33/

With gratitude,

Jayme

Let’s Get Outside!

Join us for mindful and gentle movement

Exploring practices in and out of the chair.

Community Share:

Did you know April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month?

Join our local community in a fundraising event at Falling Branch Brewery.

Thank you for seeing what April has to offer.

If you have a moment I would love to hear just a sentence from you about how either a yoga class or one-on-one session was helpful to you. Word of mouth is the most powerful advertisement and I would be so grateful if you could offer something to share with others.

With gratitude,

Jayme

How are you connecting with yourself, others and/or nature today?

When creating my yoga therapy business these words/values called to me:

Compassion~Curiosity~Clarity

I would love to share with you why and will bring short practices into my posts that are guided by each of these words.

Today will be an introduction and over the next weeks I will share short practices highlighting each word.

From merriam-webster.com (the definitions that resonated with me):

Compassion (noun): sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it

Curiosity (noun): interest leading to inquiry

Clarity (noun):

1. the quality of being easily understood

2. the quality of being easily seen or heard

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Quick detour:

The lens of my yoga therapy practice is through that of the panchamaya koshas (yoga’s framework akin to the biopsychosocial-spiritual model), nervous system regulation and is inspired by the polyvagal theory and it’s relationship to yoga/ayurveda philosopy (i.e. the gunas).

WHOA! What does all of this mean you may ask…

If you want to deep dive into those theories and frameworks I have clickable links above in the underlined words.

Back to my chosen words, my values…

These words inspired a sense of grounding, peace, opportunity for exploration and healing, releasing the energy of “fixing.”

My experience working as a physical therapist was always around the problem and solution. It was very goal oriented and about the symptom, not the whole human in front of me. It was about getting done what needed to be done, rationalizing services, etc. There is a time and a place for this and of course there is value. I also believe that things are shifting in that world.

I noticed along the way that people just wanted to be heard and seen, they seemed to lighten up and appear more energetically and functionally balanced when I could spend time connecting-which was a huge challenge given I had to abide by rationalizing services in a given time frame.

I have shifted out of that world and feel empowered and free to share yoga therapy with clients. The client may arrive with symptoms and that is more than likely their focus, they want the symptom to go away. I can understand. I have experienced intense back pain/spasms, unexplainable joint pain, symptoms of anxiety, high blood pressure and more~ at different times in my life.

I took my health and wellbeing into my own hands for true healing-with the support of an array of practitioners-allopathic doctors, functional medicine, acupuncture, massage, craniosacral therapy, mental health therapy, IFS therapist, psychosomatic therapist, yoga teacher training, yoga therapy school and my yoga mat (with guidance of teachers and solo exploration).

I had to show up for myself with compassion~a wish to not suffer anymore, curiosity~what were these symptoms telling me about my life and habits, and ultimate clarity~understanding my role in my symptoms and in my healing~which also included realizing I am not broken, something is not wrong with me.

Living my yoga continues to be my anchor. My treasure box includes somatic movements and postures, simple breathwork, mindfulness during routine activities, reading/studying, short meditations, yoga nidra, connecting with nature, other humans, and my pets and I am sure more!

I am honored to share my lived experience, studies and training with all of you in this platform and those clients I serve in person.

I will be expanding on these values with short practices in the coming weeks.

Thank you for reading! To support this cause please share my platform, business or your experiences with others. As always, I would love to hear any feedback from YOU!

~With gratitude,

Jayme

The niyamas are guideposts for relating to one’s inner world.

• Saucha is purity in thoughts, actions, and physical body to promote living simply and in alignment with one’s true nature. A practice is eating fresh whole foods, free of additives and preservatives.

• Santosha is living a life of acceptance, perhaps letting go of expectations. While living in a space of acceptance, one continues to take action to move forward in life. It is having the skills of being present with challenges while having gratitude for what is not challenging. An example is accepting that one’s home was destroyed by a hurricane and that it is out of personal control, being present with the grief, and then taking appropriate action to find shelter and stability.

• Tapas refers to having the discipline to move forward in life. A daily movement practice that promotes physical strength and endurance, to participate in activities of daily living, is an example.

• Svadhyaya is taking time to learn more about oneself, through all the koshas. The first step in changing a habit is to have awareness. Awareness or svadhyaya could be gained through journaling, noticing habitual thoughts that might need to be shifted for progress towards a more peaceful life.

• Ishvara pranidhana refers to surrendering to a higher power and thus to all the natural world. It can be a release of ego and a connection to one’s purpose or dharma. This can be a practice of acknowledgment of faith, surrender, and connection to a higher power of one’s own choice, through prayer or meditation (Adele, 2009; Desikachar, 1995, pp. 97-105; Macauley & Blashki, 2021).

As a yoga therapist, my primary intention is to hold space for a client and to explore practices that prioritize nervous system regulation, to encourage social engagement (sattva), a sense of safety that promotes connection. Within a state of social engagement, one is able to be present, have focus, connect with oneself and others and to be of service. The use of yamas and niyamas is an example of a “top-down approach”, or cognitive approach, to assist with the regulation of the nervous system (Sullivan & Robertson, 2020, pp.138, 163).

Sources:

Adele, D. (2009). The yamas & niyamas: Exploring yoga's ethical practice (40081st ed.). On-Word Bound Books.

Desikachar, T. (1995). The heart of yoga: Developing a personal practice. Inner Traditions International.

Macauley, G., & Blashki, L. (2021). Yama and niyama therapeutic lifestyle practices. In D. Finlayson & L. C. Hyland Robertson (Eds.), Yoga therapy foundations, tools, and practice: A comprehensive textbook (pp. 430–444). Singing Dragon.

Sullivan, M. B., & Laurie C. Hyland Robertson. (2020). Understanding yoga therapy: Applied philosophy and science for health and well-being. Routledge

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