since i became chemically sensitive (otherwise known as "idiopathic environmental intolerance") in october of 2016, i have become acquainted with supplements and nutraceuticals. i've come to understand more about the ways in which our body's state of wellness - or unwellness - informs emotions, thoughts, sensory perceptions and way of being in the world. there is a lot to say on this topic; i'm going to start with magnesium. 

there are several kinds of magnesium, each created for different purposes. i like this list from bulletproof's dave asprey. magnesium threonate is recommended for memory and brain functioning. that seems the most related to mental health, though there are other ones that provide relief for sore muscles and constipation, and which promote energy and relaxation.

PLEASE NOTE: i am NOT a doctor, but a licensed clinical social worker who stresses the inextricably linked nature of emotions and the psychiatric manifestations of the body's organ/system processes. i am not giving medical advice; i am sharing things i find interesting, and may have supported my recovery (i am still recovering) from mold toxicity and acute chemical sensitivity.

Here is a way to re-set whenever you find yourself in a panic, spinning, overwhelmed. 

1. Sit somewhere comfortable that isn't conducive to collapsing. Sit up straight but don't strain.
2. Close your eyes
3. Plant your feet on the floor. 
4. Think about the fact that the earth is holding you up. 
5. Breathe gently - nothing special, just in and out. 
6. Now breathe in more deeply to a slow count of three.
7. Breathe out to a slow count of five. 
8. Repeat steps 5 and 6 at least 3 times. 

If you are curious, try this variation:

When breathing in imagine that you are taking in warm light of any color that feels healing to you. Hold the breath-light for 3 counts before exhaling for 5. 

One day I was spending time with a friend's kids who were telling me about the yoga they were learning in school. I said that I was going to teach them a hip new kind of yoga and they were greatly excited by this. I laid down on the couch, gently folded my hands across my chest and informed them that I was demonstrating "couch yoga." We all practiced couch yoga together for a while. They proudly showed their mother what they had learned. For months afterwards I received reports from my friend, their mother, that they were still practicing couch yoga. 

Chair yoga is not related to the couch yoga described in my story. 

Chair yoga is yoga designed for those who, for whatever reason, are unable to participate in traditional standing yoga. Sitting allows those who are severely limited in physical strength the ability to practice yoga. Whether strictly for the physical benefits, or as a spiritual practice, or both. This makes chair yoga perfect for elders who have a limited range of motion or those with injuries that preclude the usual standing, bending and other more demanding movements and positions required in a typical yoga class.

All that being said, my friend and colleague Marsha Meyer is pioneering (Vinyasa) mat and chair yoga in Brooklyn. Take a look at her Web site, Responsive Yoga, or contact her at responsiveyoga@gmail.com with any questions. She is offering private individual or group instruction and teaching classes around town at a studio near you.

a respected teacher told me about this workshop (given by lana epstein @ ny open center 6/20). i'm going. there is still space left so you should sign up. if you are a therapist. if you are not a therapist perhaps you would like to learn more about the way this material integrates with EMDR (see my "emdr" page for more information about that). i am happy to answer your questions. especially after the training! i am excited to enhance my clinical chops with a deeper grasp of early attachment wounding and how to re-process it, using EMDR, with sensorimotor techniques. i'm so glad that somatic ways of working have come of age in the field of psychotherapy.

here is an excerpt from the course description. click here to see the whole thing. 

"Are your clients stuck in old patterns and negative self-concepts? Do they find themselves repeatedly with people or in situations that echo the past? Do you want to know more about how the body holds attachment wounds? It is well documented in the field of affective neuroscience that early attachment relationships have a profound impact on the developing brain. SENSORIMOTOR PSYCHOTHERAPY brings modern developmental neuroscience into a clinical dialogue with the body and extends this further by suggesting that the body, too, is shaped by our early attachment experiences and that relational difficulties in adulthood are deeply connected with early attachment failures or disruptions. The body reflects and sustains the implicit meanings of these attachment failures, which is often evident in the limiting beliefs our clients hold. The inability to process these early attachment experiences with words alone creates challenges to the effective treatment of relational trauma. While EMDR is often the treatment choice for many psychotherapists working with the sequelae of trauma, it is less widely used in the treatment of early attachment wounds."

i have learned some sensorimotor ("sm") teqchniques and have had strong results integrating them in my work with trauma survivors and other things. i am hopeful this workshop will shift things for me and for my clients. 

june 7 through july 1. it's true. 

sadly, astrology was not offered in social work school. so i don't know much about it (deborah singletary  does, though, and you should check her out at vision carriers and say that i sent you). the one thing i do know is that when mercury goes retrograde, it is important to be vigilant about communication and transportation and signing documents. things like that. 

here is a link to something about mercury in retrograde from the twins at astrostyle. 

good luck. 

what is your joy and your happy? some of mine:  a good cup of coffee and the time to enjoy it. a great book. dancing. nice shoes and other things too. 

i want to share a happy joy secret: james baraz's 5-week happiness course about awakening joy. james is a respected buddhist teacher. the course is in person if you live in berkeley, ca or online if you don't. you get a joy buddy. you sing. you receive lessons about mindfulness and ways to cultivate the joy and resilience that is already inside of you. 

james has a book about happiness ("awakening joy"). but before he did, i took a day-long workshop with him and he recommended another wonderful book about happiness that you should read. it is called "how we choose to be happy: the 9 choices of extremely happy people--their secrets, their stories" by rick foster.

studying happiness does not imply that sadness or other less pleasant emotions should be ignored, minimized or transcended. cultivating what is strong, beautiful, solid and joyful in you helps to build your capacity to weather the difficult emotional moments. we want to turn up the volume on happy and influence your wiring. questions or comments? i am glad to hear from you.