Pamela Seelig began her yoga journey more than 25 years ago when an illness (Bell's Palsy) interrupted her Wall Street career. As part of her recovery from that diagnosis, she she began meditating and it brought her some amazing results. Not only did it speed up her recovery, but the impact of meditating at during that time in her life led to a lifelong pursuit of sharing yoga wisdom with others. In this interview, she joins me to talk about Stress Relief, Meditation and "Threads of Yoga," her new book.
What that means for you is whether or not you are currently practicing yoga, there will be something for you to glean from this conversation.
We talk about:
I feel like this weaves in so beautifully with the theme for season seven, which is all about intentional comfort and joy.
Resources
Centering Prayer Meditation by Paula Jenkins on Insight Timer (free)
Jump Start Your Joy: Heart-Centered Ways to Find Joy in The Messy Middle
Comfort and Joy is the new theme for Season 7 and I'm thrilled to sharing all about "intentional comfort." After spending time in the messy middle, over the last 18 months our nervous system needs a pause and a reset and some intentional comfort. So that's what we're looking at in this episode.
Here's what you'll find:
1. Intentional Comfort: It's the mindful activity of embracing comfort, and finding down time for yourself. It's important because we're all been in a "trauma vortex" since early 2020. (hat tip Ilene Smith)
2. What's the messy middle? (it's this weird undefined time we've been in, where we don't fully know when this pandemic will end, and know that we can't get back to where we were.)
3. It's time drop the idea that we should embrace "courage over comfort" or "living your big bold life" without balance of intentional comfort.
4. Introverts and highly sensitive people need to slow down and embrace comfort to be in a good place in their lives.
5. That we need comfort for comfort's sake. We need to rest for the sake of resting and wellness. (And not so that we can go do anything else. Just because.)
6. Finding intentional comforts, and the difference between comfort and numbing out. Comfort is affirming, nurturing and is taking care of oneself. Numbing out is doing something to an extreme, and losing oneself in the activity. Comfort is making space for life. Numbing out is usually an activity that takes over one's life.
7. Inspiration for the idea of Intentional Comfort:
Tami Hackbarth of 100% Guilt Free Self Care Podcast, and guest on Jump Start Your Joy
Jennifer L. Scott, author of the Madame Chic series of books. Also on YouTube.
Stasia Savasuk, Jump Start Your Joy guest and founder of Stasia's Style School
Jackie of Super Enthused, on YouTube and Instagram
Sonya Renee Taylor, author of The Body is Not an Apology, leader, poet, activist, and guest on Jump Start Your Joy.
Buy Jump Start Your Joy: Heart-Centered Ways to Find Joy in The Messy Middle on Amazon (affiliate link)
Follow Jump Start Your Joy on Apple Podcasts
Follow Jump Start Your Joy on Spotify