Thursday, October 11, 2012
Feeling stress related to money? Here are some good reasons to save.
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Thursday, October 11, 2012
As a yoga teacher, I work with people from a health and wellness perspective. However, in that context, I learn what their challenges are to staying well, feeling good in their bodies and living with less stress and more happiness. While many people struggle with finding time to exercise, finding something they can do consistently, working with injuries or work-related stress, many times people also experience stress due to financial issues. Although dealing with lower paychecks, the fear of lay-offs or being out of work can be incredibly stressful and once you have a job, the last thing you may do is save money. However, one of the best ways to decrease stress around money and help you feel more in control is to save. I like to use a …
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Create better health through improving your finances.
Quick: do you know how much money is in your wallet? When was the last time you balanced your checkbook? Do you go to the ATM machine frequently and have little idea where all your cash goes? Mindfulness is the practice of awareness. As a yoga teacher, I try to bring awareness to students by offering suggestions for body position and breath. As a yoga student, I try to bring awareness to my practice by breathing deeply, resting my gaze in each pose on one spot and listening to my body. So, what do these tips have to do with spending money? Most people think about money in the context of having a budget. But having a budget doesn’t do you any good if you don’t stick to it. Also, having a budget doesn’t take into consideration how you feel …
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Make your heart stronger and live longer!
While February has Valentine’s Day as a heart-centered day, it also is American Heart Month, as recognized by the American Heart Association. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and there are many things that each of us can do to improve our heart health. Taking care of your heart is really a two-fold thing. First, there’s the focus on the actual heart itself and making it strong and healthy. This is done through a combination of dietary choices, exercise habits and stress management. We can eat all the healthy food in the world but if we’re constantly stressed, that can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension) and can put a strain on our heart. As a yoga teacher, I know that yoga has a tremendous …
Monday, January 23, 2012
Disconnect from technology and tune in to your body instead.
In the past few weeks, there have been two notable reports in the news about companies encouraging, if not forcing, their employees to stop emailing after work hours. A New York Times story, “A Time to Tune Out,” described Volkswagen’s new policy to turn off the email server to selected employees one half-hour after their shift ends, only to resume it 30 minutes before their next shift starts. In another report on NBC Nightly News last week, a Boston-based company was profiled in which the CEO and some staff set an automated response in their email that is sent out in response to any email that they receive after 5:30 pm. While they still answer their phone calls, they refrain from responding to emails after work hours. The growth of …
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Tips you can use to help connect to the spirit of the season.
This time of year, things can go either way for many of us: we’re either excited for the holiday season or we feel a sense of dread. This depression can be related to financial troubles getting in the way of buying the gifts you want to share, to missing someone in your life who's died or from being single and not having someone special with whom to celebrate. At the same time, we all live in a wonderful neighborhood, surrounded by many people who we see on a regular basis, many of whom are our friends as well as our neighbors. It’s a great time of year to do something special for them and to bring a little joy into their life – especially because they won’t expect it. Tapping into a gratitude as well as showing support for those around …
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
A few tips to keep you healthy inside and out during this busy season
As we head into Thanksgiving and then into the rest of the holiday season up to and including New Year's Eve, many of us can already feel our stress levels rise. I’m sure over the next few weeks, there will be a host of articles on the topic -- here’s my contribution with a healthy and mindful angle: Stay active. One of the best ways to beat stress is to move your body. Yoga, running, Cross Fit and the gym are all great options. As the weather gets colder, try ice skating, a brisk walk in a local park, snowshoeing or cross country skiing. Anything that keeps you moving and gets your heart rate up is a wonderful way to manage stress. Make plans for the holidays in advance but remember, it’s ok to not have any plans too: Waiting until the …
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Don't let the bad weather drag you into a bad mood. Use these tips to stay sunny on the inside!
As we head into the winter months, it gets harder to keep a positive attitude. For those of us that have lived in New England for many years or were born here, we have a rough exterior and a stiff upper lip when it comes to New England weather. It’s part of what we “weather” in order to enjoy the beautiful fall, the Cape and Islands in the summer and living in a great city. But as November begins and the threat of winter is upon us, we need to work harder to keep our mood upbeat. So, in an effort to head off a case of the winter blues, here are some tips to keep you shining: Read about the weather; don’t watch the local news. The local news has become as much about entertainment and ratings as it is about reporting things in a factual and …
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The people around you may be your best resource for wisdom. A few anecdotes from a local wellness group.
Last year, I started a yoga-based wellness program in my home. Called “Women’s Wellness Groups,” the program is a weekly class that combines yoga, guided meditation and a wellness discussion. These weekly classes give women a chance to learn yoga in a small group environment and meet other women who are working to make wellness a priority in their lives. Many of the women that attend live in Charlestown. Each week, when I bring a wellness topic to the group, while it might kick off the conversation and provide new information, the women inevitably add their own thoughts, wisdom and information to the mix. It’s so wonderful to see women supporting each other. Some of what’s been shared isn’t complex, but it’s heartfelt and authentic. Maybe …
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Don't let your physical condition get in the way of doing something positive for your body. A few tips for improving your physical health, right now.
Last week, I wrote a column about things you can do to improve your health that don’t have anything to do with physically moving your body. They were more attitudinal steps you can take to decrease stress and see things from a different, healthier perspective. With that in mind, I headed into my own week with a renewed sense of optimism and intention. I recently taught a chair yoga class to seniors at an assisted living center in my neighborhood. I’ve done it before, but it inspired me a great deal on this particular day. A mixture of chair yoga and (optional) standing poses supported by a chair, we spent 45 minutes moving, breathing, stretching and ended with meditation. Teaching these classes made me realize that there’s always something…
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Mindfulness techniques can provide you with immediate stress relief, which can have a lasting affect on your overall health.
In a column about health and wellness in your neighborhood, I usually focus on active things you can do to improve your health. I’ve written about yoga, walking programs, training techniques for runners, nutrition and information about resources right “under your feet” that can improve your wellness. I was recently exposed to a new mindset that I found very powerful and one that immediately had a positive affect on my own health by decreasing my stress level. For those of you that are aware of mindfulness techniques, you know that there are many things one can do to improve one’s health that don’t involve moving the body but instead involve things like deep breathing, shifting your attitude and shifting the way you see the world. So today…
James "Gem" Coughlin
4:52 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012
Ya but ya gotta save 20 percent so you can spend 10 on oxy and still save some cash more ›