If you follow @wellnesswithinfv on Instagram, you know that I post a regular “Tip Tuesday” feature. These tips touch on ways to improve your mental health and wellbeing through the wisdom traditions of yoga, Ayurveda, and psychology. Because meditation is integral to mental health and wellbeing, all throughout November I’ll be posting a meditation a week challenge. Meditation is important to our wholeness, and works in concert with quality choices in lifestyle (nutrition, exercise, sleep, and relationships) to enhance our health. Each week the invitation is to practice the meditation at least ..read more

Topanga, CA Sometime between the lockdown of COVID and early winter of 2022/2023, I lost myself. This is not the first time this has occurred in my life. We humans tend to get lost as we navigate life – the grime accumulates on our perspective, and we lose sight of our Self. But there was something slow and insidious about this time where I did not know I was lost until I had strayed substantially before being startled back to awareness. My husband and I were sitting with our financial planner for the yearly review. He is a great, kind guy and very trusted. But the moment he mentioned the fac ..read more

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This month behavioral health organizations are dedicated to spreading the word that mental health is something everyone should care about. Mental health is something we all have. And it’s okay to not be okay and to ask for help. This month I invite you to consider the BEST thing you have done for your mental health and share in the comments below. For me, starting a yoga practice was the best thing I have done for my mental health. It dawned on me in graduate school that chasing the grade and “checking the boxes” were never going to lead me to happiness ..read more

I began this year’s blog reviewing an article on quiet. I’m wanting to check-in. Are you still practicing? I am. And I’ll be the first to admit I’m not “there” yet. I know this because articles, podcasts, information in general on the importance of quiet continue to find my way. The universe continues to share its wisdom. There is more to know and practice. This month I’m sharing quotes and passages from other writers and sources. I’m not trying to produce original work – instead I’m practicing, still, and reminding myself of important lessons. Here are a few ideas I’ve been chewing on…   ..read more

Headlines cite concern for the mental health epidemic in our country as well as the increasing demand for mental health treatment. Many complain of waitlists or closed caseloads for therapists. But something no one is talking about is the systemic issue with therapist reimbursement. The pandemic was hard on our profession. We worked hard and navigated the change of services to Telehealth platforms. We are tired, and yet, despite the demand for clients, still broke. Here is why…   COMPENSATION FROM INSURERS LAGS WAY BEHIND RATE OF INFLATION Compensation for a mental health provider in pri ..read more

Last month I found myself guilty of doing something I often challenge my clients against – I assumed guilt when it wasn’t appropriate. I must laugh finding myself guilty of this mind trap! Guilt is an emotional response to an action, committed by our Self/hands, that directly causes a problem, a negative disruption, or offensive. The day I accidentally knocked into my son’s puzzle and it disassembled onto the ground, guilt was appropriate. I messed up. I felt badly. I gave a proper apology and offered to pick up the pieces. Guilt served its purpose and we moved on. But the day before leaving ..read more

Yoga doesn’t just happen on the mat. Sometimes yoga takes place on the runway when the flight is delayed. Other times yoga occurs during the wee hours of the night while up tending to a sick kiddo. Today, yoga occurred in the waiting room. I have been here before: settling into the weight of anticipation, and the wait of outcome. The mind can race or become polluted by continuous episodes of HGTV playing on the room’s TV. The heart may strain. But if we are wise, we will come back to our practice. I call to mind words of one of my teachers, Rolf Gates, to “be firm and relaxed, steady and swee ..read more

Image Credit: Upsplash What if we didn’t start the new year aggressively striving to create the “new you”? Instead, what if we went inward to know the Self more deeply? This month I invite you to abide in ways of being soft, slow, and silent.   One of my teachers, Indu Arora, encouraged me to read about silence as a practice for healing of consciousness and emotional health. I have enjoyed these insights and practice so much, that I wanted to share this knowledge with you. What follows is a summary of The Song of Silence: Subtleties in Sadhana by Swami Veda Bharati. Please take some time ..read more

Image Credit: Upsplash Since mid-October, I have challenged myself to bike to work a few days a week. As darkness descends earlier, and coldness clamps down, biking has sustained some moments of wonder. One scenario plays out daily: A portion of my bike home is along two city blocks lined by bars, restaurants, and a theater. Inevitably, I’ll be pedaling my twenty-three-year-old bike with squeaky wheels, headlight shining forward, and be within five feet of folks walking out of a venue towards their car. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t see you!” is the universal exclaim. This always shocks me too. Despi ..read more

Image Credit: Upsplash Since mid-October, I have challenged myself to bike to work a few days a week. As darkness descends earlier, and coldness clamps down, biking has sustained some moments of wonder. One scenario plays out daily: A portion of my bike home is along two city blocks lined by bars, restaurants, and a theater. Inevitably, I’ll be pedaling my twenty-three-year-old bike with squeaky wheels, headlight shining forward, and be within five feet of folks walking out of a venue towards their car. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t see you!” is the universal exclaim. This always shocks me too. Despi ..read more