When I think about the times we live in and what we need to thrive, I come back to two main themes. One is very practical - to be able to better manage stress. The other is more subtle - to adjust my perspective to one of gratitude. So I wanted to share two of simple and effective meditations to address these themes.

When you think about practicing yoga at home, do you have an idyllic unrealistic fantasy about what that looks like? If it includes being able to achieve (and hold) challenging poses while keeping your zen on in the quiet of your candle lit home, let’s agree to just drop that fantasy and get real about practicing at home. A personal home practice is unlike anything else you can do for your mind, body and spirit. It brings you closer to your true self and allows you to confront your physical and mental strengths, as well as your challenges, all at your pace.

According to the online magazine Health, a reasonable amount of stress can increase brainpower, motivate us, and even increase our resilience. However, went pushed beyond our personal levels of reasonable stress, we experience the negative impacts of too much stress on our our mind, body and souls. For these reasons, consider incorporating yoga into your daily routine.

High-end spas are already beginning to offer gong sound therapy to meet the needs of their clients. With a sound massage, there is no physical contact between the practitioner and the client. You are only touched by the vibration of the gong. It can also be offered outdoors.

Even as quarantine restrictions begin to ease, many people don’t yet feel comfortable going to a yoga studio. What to do? Start a home practice. So before you join your first virtual class, here are 4 secrets to get you off to a great start!

Kundalini Yoga is different from any other yoga you’ve practiced. Think of it as the yoga of acupuncture (without the needles) - efficiently moving energy in the body. If you want to experience quick results for better well-being, Kundalini Yoga is for you.

When you hear the term self-love, what comes to mind? Maybe you think it means that you must love your jiggly bits or that you have to accept needing a calculator to figure out the tip on a restaurant bill. It’s so much more than that. It’s about adjusting your beliefs so that they are supportive of your higher self. This can be done through an easy technique - affirmations. You replace self sabotaging subconscious beliefs with ones that are broader in scope and supportive of your perspective of joy and self-fulfillment.

Next time you have trouble sleeping, apply this yoga pose for 5 minutes. Sweet dreams!

Do you feel safe in the universe or do you live in a safe space that you have created for yourself in the universe? In this blog, I share my journey of discovery.

Don’t know what the ambrosial hours are and want to read the full article on the benefits of meditation and when to meditate?

Nira Berry has guest Monique Derfuss, president of SoundWellness. Monique is a Gong Practitioner. Gong Therapy helps reduce stress & anxiety and produces a better flow for your emotions.

Unless you’re a ballerina, odds are you don’t maintain proper posture at work and most likely hunch over your computer for hours a day. This creates neck and shoulder tension that can become quite painful.

Heralded by celebrities as the best thing to do to relieve stress, Monique Derfuss shows off her gong therapy on Good Morning Washington.

The last time you freaked out did you say or do something you regretted? Try this healthy alternative. Save this video to your phone so you’re ready for the next time you’re about to freak out. Just 2-3 minutes will rebalance your brain and diffuse your emotional reaction to a person or situational trigger.

When life is in flow and things are going well, it can be easy to quickly list the things that we are grateful for. But in challenging times, like those we are currently living in, we can get stuck in a place of fear and uncertainty. That list of things we are grateful for may be harder to come by.

So try these simple techniques to counter the effects of stress (or future mental breakdown) and take care of your mind, body and spirit.