I’m a Libra, so it’s all about balance for me…except that these days it’s more like IMbalance!

We have visitors staying with us again – seven in all this time. My sister and her family left a couple of weeks ago and we had just a few days’ break before Hubby’s cousins came. And while they are wonderful and easy going people, there’s still a lot to do and there are times when I’m not sure which “cap” I’m wearing (chauffeur, tourist guide, chef, etc). I also have to take Mumsie into account to make sure she’s not overdoing it or encouraging me to overdo it. As I think I’ve mentioned before, she’s from the old school of hosting, so she thinks it’s only natural for me to add “personal slave” to my already full repertoire. Bless her – she tries her best to help but, at 92, there’s not much fetching and carrying she can do. (more…)

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love having my family here. We all get along really well and it’s wonderful to watch Mumsie literally basking in the glow of being surrounded by her whole family.

But life is busy and chaotic with a houseful of people. Our days are filled with “what shall we do today?” or “let’s meet up with xxx” or “let’s go to the mall (or the park or wherever).” Then there are our conversations – we’re a family of chatterers and we ALL like to debate endlessly and share our opinions ad nauseam. Fortunately, Hubby is not only able to take all this in his stride, but he can also match us without any trouble. (more…)

After 30 years in Emergency Medicine and many years as a Medical Guide, it has become apparent that, as a species, we’re much better at getting injured than at healing. Every day, fascination and frustration enter my consciousness while observing people in various stages of dissatisfactory recovery. For example, I treated a young healthy adult who jogged 15 miles each day as part of his training regimen for the police force. He came to me because of severe headaches. After an extensive diagnostic work-up eliminating the very serious causes of headaches, I determined that it might be the running. Of course, anyone who jogs knows and loves that “endorphin high.” He didn’t want to stop jogging but agreed to do so for a month. His headaches disappeared. He was so happy – and yet he started jogging again. The headaches returned. (more…)

Looking up at the steep hill, I saw the “dead end” sign. Well, I wondered, why should I work that hard to walk up a hill only to turn around and walk back down again?

Normally, I would not have wasted the effort. Today was different.

Given that I had just dropped my daughter off for a three-hour gymnastics practice and I had to wait for it to be finished before taking the hour’s drive home, there was time to kill. So I turned in the direction of the hill. (more…)

It’s been quite a journey these past three months. I still cannot believe what we were able to accomplish in such a short time.

First we had the Virtual World Yoga Conference in February. Then last Thursday we held the Encore Event, which was only for a day. (more…)

I just read a tweet today about how some individuals leave just before the end of the yoga class – just before savasana (corpse pose). Why would you want to do that? After leading your body and mind through the flow of a yoga class, why would you want to rush out before grounding yourself?

This reminds me of how the western world has adapted yoga and other forms of healing arts in such a way that we have forgotten the balance within the forms themselves. I admit I am no expert, but I do listen to my body. I am a very active outgoing person and have always been. Some have called me “hyper” or said I must have “ADD.” (more…)

Mumsie, hubby and I just returned from our week’s vacation with his family at a log cabin by a lake. We do this family vacation every year – drive for hours and miles into the wilderness to stay at the same cabin by the same lake.

There’s no Internet connection (which I love and hubby hates). There’s barely any cell phone connection – it’s one of those “if you’re at the right place at the right time, you might be able to get a connection!” There isn’t even any TV – well, you can’t get any channels but there’s a DVD player so you can watch DVDs. (more…)

I’ve been thinking a lot recently. There’s been a good bit of upheaval and tension in my life, and lately I’m getting the impression that I’m not handling most of it altogether gracefully. I’ll not get into the sordid details, but suffice it to say that I’ve been better.

But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. I’ll deal with my issues in time. What I’ve been noticing, however, is that much of the root of my problem is mental. You see, I’m mildly crazy. I’ve lost most control over my mind and it runs away with me and gets irretrievably bogged down with thoughts I didn’t think. Or at least thoughts I didn’t think I thought. (more…)

Breathing – what is that?

When I went to bed last night, it was pouring rain.

Now, if you’re anything like me, the wonderful pitter-patter against the windows and the roof of the house creates such a wonderful symphony of sounds that it seems to rock me to sleep. (more…)

Lisa Hubler is a certified hypnotherapist and yoga therapist who has been practicing meditation for many years. As the co-founder of Mind Matters Hypnotherapy in Los Angeles, Lisa’s mission is to teach individuals how to “understand and utilize the great power of mind, body and spirit as a unified whole.” (more…)