Posts tagged mind-body connection
What Actually IS Meditation?
What Actually IS Meditation?

Our minds have a natural tendency to meander, jumping from one thought to another, often leaving us feeling scatterbrained and unable to sustain our focus for more than a fleeting moment. However, it's important to realize that this wandering mind is not a sign of doom or an inherent flaw. In fact, it's a common experience for many of us. Rather than viewing this tendency with harsh judgment or frustration, it's more helpful to approach it with compassion and understanding. Our minds wander, especially when they are burdened by fear, anxiety, or excessive thoughts. This is where meditation comes in as a valuable practice. Through meditation, we can train our minds to rein in their wandering tendencies and cultivate the ability to focus on one thing at a time. It's a gentle and transformative process that empowers us to harness the potential of our minds, ultimately leading to greater clarity and peace.

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Denise Renyemeditation, mindful eating, mindfulness, mindfulsex, mind-body connection, body consciousness, body, body psychology, body psychotherapy, body and unconscious, body image, healing the body, guided meditation, walking meditation, tangerine meditation
Celebrating Global Yoga Therapy Day: A Journey towards Healing and Transformation
Celebrating Global Yoga Therapy Day: A Journey towards Healing and Transformation

Join the Global Yoga Therapy Day Celebration: Whether you are new to yoga therapy or a seasoned practitioner, Global Yoga Therapy Day provides a wonderful opportunity to explore this transformative modality and its countless benefits. Seek out local events, workshops, and online resources to deepen your understanding of yoga therapy and somatic psychology.

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Denise Renyeyoga therapy, yoga nidra, Somatic psychology, bodymind, body, body movement, body psychology, body consciousness, body psychotherapy, body and unconscious, mind-body connection, healing the body, the body, self love, self care
How Eating a Tangerine Can Support Mindfulness
How Eating a Tangerine Can Support Mindfulness

Brother Thay, as he was known, asked us to use all our senses when eating the tangerine, to let each bite hit the tongue and to notice the juice washing over it – the acidity, the sweetness, the tinge of sourness. He said, “Each time you look at a tangerine, you can see deeply into it. You can see everything in the universe in one tangerine. When you peel it and smell it, it’s wonderful. You can take your time eating a tangerine and be very happy.” There is true and pure happiness in each and every tangerine if you just be with it.

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Denise Renyethich naht hanh, meditation, walking meditation, tangerine meditation, mind-body connection, body consciousness, body psychology, body and unconscious, body psychotherapy, bodymind, body, body movement, body image, the body, the body keeps the score, healing the body, self love
What is Indian Psychology?
What is Indian Psychology?

Seeking out the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco for my doctoral degree was important and has tremendously helped shape my practice today. Started by Haridas Chaudhuri, student of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, this institute offered a lens into ways to address and help the whole person, not merely the mental aspect of the lived experience. Studying in India deepened my understanding of how art, music, body movement, and states of consciousness are as much an integral part of the practice of psychology as much as are the id, ego, superego, transference and countertransference. It was easy to see the archetypes personified before my eyes as I saw 50 foot statutes of Ganesha and Saturn.

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Denise Renyeindian psychology, Somatic psychology, somatics, meditation, yoga, yoga therapy, pranayama, spiritual practice, spiritual bypassing, whole person, whole person psychology, whole person healing, ritual psychology, ceremony, ceremony psychology, mindfulness, mind-body connection, body, body consciousness, body psychology, body psychotherapy, bodymind, the body, body movement
Sexual Anxiety? Try Meditation
Sexual Anxiety? Try Meditation

Sexual anxiety is a common issue that affects many people, and it can be caused by a variety of factors, including performance anxiety, past trauma, or negative self-talk. Anxiety can significantly impact one's sexual experience, leading to difficulties achieving or maintaining an erection, premature ejaculation, or difficulty reaching orgasm. However, meditation is a powerful tool that can help decrease anxiety during sex and improve overall sexual well-being.

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sexuality, sex therapy, women's sexuality, men's sexuality, ritual and ceremony, somatics, yoga, body movementDenise Renyesexual anxiety, sexual healing, sexua trauma, sexual pleasure, sexual assault survivor, sexual therapy, meditation, mind-body connection, mindfulness
Body, What Do You Want to do Today?
Body, What Do You Want to do Today?

Because bodies don’t come with instruction manuals, how the heck are you supposed to know what yours wants?!? Simple: You ask. It may seem like a foreign concept to talk to your body, but the body is ready and waiting for you to talk with it, to consult it. After all, it is an integral part of you. And, it is already communicating with you, even if you aren’t sure how to interpret its messages. Listening to the body, from the inside, and learning what it needs and wants is a skill that takes practice.

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yoga, somatics, body movementDenise RenyeSomatic psychology, body, body image, body consciousness, bodymind, mind-body connection, body movement, body and unconscious, healing the body, the body keeps the score, psychoanalysis and the body, marin county sexologist, marin county psychologist, marin county CA, marin county, marin county sex therapist
A Guide to Breathwork
A Guide to Breathwork

The breath is a powerful process and can be understood even as a mind-body tool. It can both indicate an emotional/mental state as well as encourage one. For instance, when a person is calm and relaxed, often their breathing slows. It gets deeper, in the belly, and even out almost through the ribs and down the back. When a person is stressed and tensed, often their breathing quickens. It gets shallower and in the chest. However, you can also facilitate each of those emotional states by changing your breathing. Meaning if you start breathing more slowly, taking belly breaths, you may start to feel more relaxed and at ease.

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Denise Renyebreathwork, breathing, pranayama, yoga therapy, conscious breathing, mind-body connection, bodymind, holotropic breathwork, circular breathing, continuous breathing, rebirthing, square breath