Center for Mind-Body Therapies

11/22/2024

Let joy and fun happen!

02/28/2023

Sharing and cultivating mindfulness is more joyful, inspiring, and meaningful when it's done in community. Join Geni Donelly and I for an afternoon of practice. Chairs and back jacks are provided. Yoga by Geni consists of simple, easy movements and breath work - accessible to all.

Mindfulness has its roots in creating a community of trustworthy friends who can share our joys,  insights, sorrows, and challenges.  Join us in learning and practicing together! LEARN MORE & SIGN UP HERE >>>

02/02/2023

I feel more and more grateful for ordinary awareness. Our capacity to recognize, notice, observe, and pay attention(be mindful) is the foundation for healing, growth, learning to pause, and kindness.

Come join therapists and mindfulness teachers, Alex Arbogast and Regina Flanigan for an afternoon of mindfulness and community at Yogamour in Frederick.

Chairs, back jacks for sitting provided. Scholarships available.
https://yogamour.org/workshops/https/clientsmindbodyonlinecom/classic/wsstudioid275069stype-103stg55svt692sviewdaysloc0strn100000229

01/10/2023

Mindfulness is more than just sitting in meditation, it's a way of relating to your inner and outer life. Through mindfulness, we can grow more calm, collected, caring, and wise. Expanding these qualities are the real keys to well-being and connection with others. Details: https://reginaflanigan.com/groups-workshops-classes/

12/03/2022

Tomorrow, in person at Yogamour. See details here: https://yogamour.org/workshops/3823ewbnjh789zzbs9r4zmbwyzzfhz

10/25/2022

Keep talking, playing and touching--

New research has shown how malleable the human system is, and how it can be shaped by the early childhood . with a baby may help shape the baby’s hormone system for future social interactions. Babies who are and to more, develop more oxytocin receptors during the first 18 months of life, according to a study of 101 babies and their mothers. Oxytocin is often referred to as the ‘love hormone’ because it is thought to play a role in forming relationships. Increased levels of oxytocin throughout life enhance maternal bonding, social decision-making, and processing of social stimuli and social memory.

Researchers from the University of Virginia have investigated how a ’s oxytocin system develops in the months after birth. They recruited 101 mothers and their babies, and observed how each mother interacted with her baby at 5 months old, and again at 18 months old. DNA from saliva from the mothers and babies was taken at each session to specifically look at a gene that codes for the receptor for oxytocin.

The mothers’ levels of methylation at the oxytocin receptor gene remained constant. But the levels changed for babies— showing those that had experienced more involved play with their mothers, including more eye contact, had more oxytocin receptors at 18 months. These babies also appeared to have a different temperament, and were less likely to seem frustrated or be overly sensitive to intense lights, sounds and textures.
Lead researcher, Kathleen Krol, says there is an early window in infancy in which a baby’s environment and social interactions can impact the development of their oxytocin system. Although this research is still in its infancy, with complex relationships between a child’s early experiences, social environment, and their epigenome, she thinks the findings are likely to apply to the way babies interact with other main caregivers too, such as .

This study demonstrates one potential mechanism— involved play with a caregiver— by which early experience epigenetically establishes and shapes trajectories of whole life development. It may also suggest that training that focuses on increasing social engagement between parent and infant might be a possible intervention strategy to reduce discomfort in early childhood development.

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/10/eaay0680
https://www.newscientist.com/.../2220192-mothers...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../neuro.../oxytocin-receptor

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[ID: a close-up of a mother tickling and nuzzling her grinning toddler is seen. The words “New research has found that babies who experience more involved play–being touched and talked to more during their first 18 months of life–develop more oxytocin receptors and an easier temperament. They become less frustrated, and not so overly-sensitive to intense lights, sounds, and textures.” is written on top of the image.]

08/28/2022

Cultivate your mindfulness and other life enriching qualities each Wednesday morning at 7:30 am. -online. Meditation guidance by Regina Flanigan.

You are welcome any Wednesday. This is a casual, friendly and caring group of practitioners. Details here: https://reginaflanigan.com/groups-workshops-classes/

11/25/2021

Happy Thanksgiving. Be gentle with yourself and those around you. 💛

I know someone going through a hard time.
He’s irritable, distant, and tough to be around.
That’s grief talking, I remind myself,
And my love expands like an umbrella in a downpour.

I know someone going through a hard time.
She’s moody and over-the-top dramatic.
That’s teen angst talking, I remind myself,
And my love settles and steadies like a faithful friend.

I know someone going through a hard time.
She’s anxious and uptight.
That’s fear talking, I remind myself,
And my love whispers to her like a calming prayer.

I know someone going through a hard time.
He’s gruff, repetitive, and forlorn.
That’s growing old talking, I remind myself,
And my love supports him like a great oak tree.

I know someone going through a hard time.
She’s sullen and defensive.
That’s depression talking, I remind myself.
And my love breaks through the clouds and warms her face.

It’s not easy to stay close when I want to retreat,
To bite my tongue when I want to bite back
To empathize when I want to implode.

But when you’re going through a hard time, you feel isolated,
suspended in a place you don’t want to be
And don’t know how to get out of.

I know because that was me at a low point in my life,
Suspended in darkness.
I was overreactive, defensive, and controlling.
But I was never alone.
Thank God, I was never alone.
Being unalone is what helped me hold on.

So, when I see my loved ones going through a hard time, I try to listen closely.
Because when we understand that
Fear
Anxiety
Despair
Hopelessness
are talking,
we understand their unbecoming behavior is not about us,
which allows us to respond in ways we couldn’t before.

“We’ll get through this,” we can remind them as we remind ourselves.

Because it’s easy to forget
pain is temporary,
mistakes don’t measure us,
and our story is still being written.

By Rachel Macy Stafford, adapted from the book,

Our family dynamic has shifted since the last holiday season. I am already sensing pain/frustration/uncertainty that was not there a year ago. When I broke down on my bed yesterday, I reminded myself that this is hard, and it’s ok to be sad and scared. And this is what I will keep doing over the next days, weeks, months. By acknowledging when my own fear is talking, perhaps I can detect it in my loved ones when they’re having a hard time. That is my prayer. My hand in yours, RMS

10/31/2021

Support for parents💕

A daily reminder:
Be gentle with yourself.
Be gentle with your children.
Parenting can be tough.
Being a child can be tough.
We keep experiencing new things
and need practice to improve.
You're doing the best you can.
You're children are doing the best they can.
We're never going to be perfect,
but we can always practice being gentler.
-.schott 💕
📸 💕

10/21/2021

We live in a highly individualistic culture. Self-reliance is praised and dependence is often looked down upon.

But there is nothing wrong with depending on another person. In fact, having a secure relationship with someone you can depend on will help you thrive in all other areas of your life.

We need other people, whether we admit it or not.

Now I must stress an interdependent relationship – a relationship in which both partners can depend on each other – is not the same as a co-dependent relationship.

Co-dependency is asymmetrical: all resources, time, and energy are focused on caring for one partner.

Interdependency is mutually beneficial and exists only when both partners are able to rely on each other. The ability to depend on one another allows both partners to flourish not only within the relationship but also outside with their friends, family, work, creative endeavors, and more.

Interdependency is a core benefit of a secure-functioning relationship and should not be feared.

10/17/2021

What is your shared purpose and how has it changed?

Having a shared purpose as a couple can help the fortitude of your relationship. Your interests and looks will change over time. Look for a reason you will want to maintain a secure-functioning relationship for the long-term.

Some great examples include:

💞 You want to help each other survive and thrive in life
💞 You want to help each other be your best selves
💞 You want to create a safe homebase with your partner

10/13/2021

If only...