Raising Self-Confident Kids, pt. 1
Hello Families! We are reading Where the Wild Things Are in my family right now. After so many years since I read this story, I feel like I’m reading it for the first time. I didn’t see the recent movie–not because I’m in the camp that believes that books are always better than movies (but I usually agree) but because we as a family choose to spend less time in front of the TV or computer screen for family time. So reading about Max and his adventures reminds me of two things. The first is to get out and play. To use...
read moreEMDR: A useful resource as we deal with tragedy
Hello families! EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This technique was designed by Dr. Francine Sharpiro, a Senior Research Fellow at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Sharpiro created EMDR based on the Adaptive Information Processing Model. This model suggests that chronic and acute stress and anxiety is due to a maladaptive encoding in the brain. Maladaptive encoding occurs because severely disturbing or traumatic life events and information are so powerful that it can override the...
read moreTo all families who have lost loved ones
Dear Families, My heart goes out to all of us. Especially those families who have lost loved ones today in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. I am with you all in spirit and in love. There is no comfort I can say but that I am here if you need me. Remember that no act of violence will ever take the light and goodness out of us. I promise all to work for a more peaceful world. Love, Craig
read moreFollowing Your Dreams
Hello world! “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” –Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau went out and built himself a house and lived off of the land. In the parlance of the times, we might say that he went off the grid. That was his dream. He went out to Walden to live life on his terms. He journaled about his experience in the book Walden. He even accounts for every penny that he spent on nails, wood and supplies! It is interesting that this journal chronicling a...
read moreHoliday Self-Care pt. 1: Conscious Eating
Hello Families! As we enter the first week of post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas holiday season, it seems like a good time to discuss conscious eating habits. The three funniest statements about Thanksgiving over-eating that I heard this weekend were: 1. I’m kind of here (at yoga practice) because I’m still in a food coma. 2. Me and my food baby are doing fine. 3. The doctor told me I have to stop eating. The last one isn’t so funny because that person did have to go to the emergency room! “Just broth for the next few...
read moreGiving Thanks
. Wikipedia notes that Thanksgiving, while a more secular American holiday today, originally had its roots as a special celebration of the fall harvest. The website notes that the first “Thanksgiving” holiday in American history occurred in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The website further notes that across time, cultures and religions, there are numerous rituals and ceremonies of special prayers of thanksgiving that were given during the harvest times throughout the year. And so it is that all of our ancestors had this...
read moreIntrospection
Hello Families! Do you feel like you race through your days like a Formula 1 race car? How often to you slow down and check in with yourself about how you are feeling? Do you regularly feel worn down or unhappy with yourself? Ever feel like you keep doing something the same way, even if it doesn’t work that well? Introspective practice can help you find understanding into changing the way you think, feel and act. Introspection is a very important skill related to social and emotional maturation. Merriam-Webster defines introspection as a...
read moreHandling your resentments better, pt. 2
Hello! In continuation of part 1, here is part 2 of “Handling Your Resentments Better.” Rather than broadcasting your resentment or stuffing your resentment, try accepting your partner for whom they are. Take some time to think about what you are resentful about. Is it something your partner can change? Is it something your partner can’t change? Is this even about your partner? Any way you slice it, be gentle with your partner if you are feeling negative towards them. If your resentment is a need that you have of your...
read moreHandling Your Resentments Better pt.1
Hello! Does this happen to you? The toilet seat is left up even if you’ve asked to have it closed. The clothes are left about the room even after you’ve asked to have them picked up. Your partner, family member or others keeps making the same bad joke. Even after you have gently asked this to stop it still happens…ARGGGHHH!!!! Most of us handle our various resentments in 2 ways. We either act on our resentments automatically or we stuff it down inside ourselves. When we react automatically, we tend to broadcast to our...
read moreDisengaging from the power struggle with children
Hello families! I recently attended a lecture by author and brain researcher Dan Siegel M.D., Interpersonal Neurobiology, Child Psychology and Psychiatry. He recently wrote, The Whole Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind: http://drdansiegel.com/ Dan provided very good information in his lecture which emphasized the relationship between the child and others. Dan recommended that parents spend time deliberately connecting with their child(ren). He recommended practicing a mirror technique...
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