A reader of Body Odyssey: Lessons from the Bones and Belly wrote this week that a friend gave her the book three years ago “when I was laid up for 65 days with a herniated disc. Good reading and page 192 became my mantra: my illness was a drama for others in my life more than it was for me. I was missing that until I read it in your book. Thanks for sharing yourself in print.”What the reader who wrote to me was referring to was a section that described how everything becomes more simplified and less stressful in a way when our busy lives are on hold because of illness. Read more »

What is this thing called stress that seems to plague us?Here’s a simple definition: It’s the feeling we get when we want something we’re not getting. We want to get to an appointment and the traffic is stalled so we know we’ll be late — STRESS! We want our partner to listen to us lovingly and instead we’re getting advice or criticism — STRESS! We have a big dream for our future and we don’t see a way to get there — STRESS!So what do most of us do when we feel stress? We try harder. We try to force our way through the traffic to get somewhere on time. We speak more adamantly or pleadingly, trying to convince our partner to LISTEN! We work really, really hard to get ahead. Read more »

I had a TIA (also called a mini-stroke) last month. My mind suddenly was not able to track information, and I was unable to move my limbs or speak as I usually can. It was a very odd sensation to attempt to reach for the phone and not have my hands move into action. And I was alarmed when the sounds that came out of my mouth were nothing like what was on my mind. As odd and frightening as all this was — fortunately it only lasted about an hour — what seemed the strangest was when the ER doctor would ask me if I could smile — and I couldn’t. How could this be possible, I wondered. How could I not have the ability to smile? Read more »

I regularly get emails from people who have found the messages in my books to be life-transforming. One I received this week touched me so much I have to share it with you. Please take a look.

Believe it or not, your body is your best friend. It is filled with emotional and spiritual wisdom that can help you feel at ease with yourself, heal what hurts, and unleash your creativity. If you’re a woman, you now have a guide to discovering this wisdom and making friends with your body as you age. Read more »

Your body carries your mental and emotional stress. It also carries the secrets for stress relief. Here are five ways to reveal these secrets and create more ease for yourself when stress is mounting during your day. Read more »

Your voice tells others a great deal about you. It can also offer you helpful clues about your state of mind if you listen closely.When your emotions are intense, that’s an especially good time to tune in to your vocal quality. Read more »

I love to hear stories from caregivers. Recently, a woman whose husband is in the last stages of Alzheimer’s told me that she amuses herself at the end of the day by working on a hilarious children’s book she’s writing. She’s never written anything like this, but she says the idea for this story just came to her, and now she looks forward to the evenings when she can delight in discovering what the book’s characters are going to do next. Read more »

A man I was visiting the other day complained of a painful spasm in his lower back. He was trying various remedies including rubbing the area and changing positions, and he was thinking about getting acupuncture treatment. I suggesting that he stop trying to make the pain go away and give it curious attention instead. Intrigued, he agreed to do so, under my guidance. Read more »