The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine (NCCIM) which is part of the National Institute of Health (NIH) considers #yoga a complementary health approach. This means that they don't feel yoga is part of mainstream practice, but it can be used together with conventional medicine. Eden has such a love and appreciation for yoga and its ability to heal that we've created a yoga space within our primary care practice. The NCCIM defines yoga as a mind and body

This week I've stumbled across a number of new studies on the benefits of #meditation and I am even more excited about where we are going with our practice. The evidence is growing in the ability of mindfulness and meditation to really change and remold our brains, even altering how we respond to our reality. While functional medicine experts are always addressing the gut, and appropriately so, my sense is to prioritize the nervous system even higher than the gut health. Our

As a midwife, often I hear my colleagues share that #cravings are associated with some sort of deficiency. For example, a craving for crushed ice is often thought to be related to low iron. Functional medicine practitioners will often associate cravings to imbalance, such as yeast overgrowth when craving sugar, or a dip in serotonin when craving salty chips mid-cycle. There can be a sort of all-or-nothing mindset in wellness groups, but many times, I suspect when wellness is

When I look back at the tougher times in my adult life, I would say that most often I would argue I was fine; I was just #overwhelmed. I remember always feeling as if I had a little help, my issues would all be solved, but there was never enough time. Once this next big task was accomplished, I could really settle my life and focus on my needs. Maybe you can relate? Maybe you have too much going on with school or work, or both? Maybe you are going through a tough time financi

I believe I've shared this before, but for many years while I was aware that I was uneducated about #meditation and had on my list to explore further, I really was under the impression that prayer was more the "Christian-way" and meditation was more for those outside the faith. Having spent some time educating myself these last several months and now being somewhat more than a novice, I've come to appreciate that prayer is more speaking to #God and meditation is more listenin

Having lived such a long time in a #Christian bubble, it has been an enlightening experience this past year to step a bit out of my comfort zone and explore spiritual beliefs around the world. While still a novice, I am intrigued by the concept of #chakras. Certainly even western medicine acknowledges various energy centers within the body, which can be the foundation of #acupuncture, #reiki, #forestbathing or #grounding, #yoga, #meditation, healing touch, sound and magnetic

I know #selfcare and #selflove are the new catch phrases or even the new fad, particularly among mothers and women in their forties and fifties, but I could not be more serious about how very important this is for health and well-being. It is quite literally the top priority of my new practice. I want to help bring people back into both physical and emotional physiologic balance. I would argue that most haven't fully realized how much their own needs go neglected and how detr

I recently heard that prayer is talking to God while #meditation is listening. Being intentionally mindful is about coming back to the here and now. It requires that we hit pause, slow down, try to let go of the endless stream of thoughts, and just focus on what is in front of us. Meditation is a discipline though that requires practice. Meditation can help us discover the world afresh, as we did when we were children. It helps us find gratitude and marvel in the miracles of

I didn't attend my first yoga class until I was 43 years old. My boys and I were exploring a number of different fitness classes and were enjoying a number of different sports. Our local YMCA was offering a #yoga class that fit our schedule well, so the three of us joined an afternoon class, largely attended by senior citizens who were seeking more gentle stretching. This was during a time of my life where I had committed all my time to #self-care if effort to heal from past