a 3-minute practice to activate remembered wellness for chronic illness, stress, or pain
“compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity”
In a season filled with brightness, motion, and outward energy, summer can bring both delight and depletion. While sunshine and connection are nourishing, the very pace of summer—travel, socializing, heat, disrupted routines—can overstimulate our nervous systems and leave us feeling off-center.
At a time when so many aspects of our lives pressure us to do more, we are rarely encouraged to explore our inner potential by delving into relaxation. Doing less may be seen as unproductive, but it can profoundly enhance our clarity, energy, and ability to connect with others.
This is especially true when we—or our students—are navigating:
Illness, treatments, or recovery
Grief and emotional overwhelm
Burnout, anxiety, or chronic stress
Times of change, fatigue, or uncertainty
remembered wellness: our body knows the way back
Dr. Herbert Benson, founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute, coined the phrase "remembered wellness"—the experience of feeling complete and whole. And it's something we can train ourselves to return to.
The more we practice feeling grounded and supported—whether through a restorative yoga pose or a few conscious breaths—the easier it becomes to reclaim a sense of internal safety and connection, even in challenging circumstances.
This is not escapism. It's the foundation for resilience.
When we learn to land in the present moment with compassion, we rewire our relationship to stress. And from there, we shift into a more spacious, regulated way of responding.
start here: the 3-minute landing meditation
“we can’t begin to heal what we haven’t yet landed in”
This short meditation is the perfect nervous system reset for summer. Whether you’re in a waiting room, on a travel break, or moving between responsibilities, this brief pause creates a big shift.
You don’t need props. Just a quiet moment and your breath.
3-minute landing meditation for grounding, centering, and nervous system regulation
Sit or recline comfortably. Let your body be supported by your seat, the floor, or your bed. Close your eyes if you’d like.
Visualize an hourglass.
Imagine your inner energy as sand in the top half of the hourglass. With each breath, let the sand gently pour down—from your head… neck… shoulders… chest… hips… into the base of the hourglass at your pelvis.
Feel your body becoming heavier and more rooted.Place your hands on your body.
Let one hand rest on your chest, and one on your belly—or both on your belly if you prefer.
Feel your breath arrive beneath your hands. Let your mind rest on the bed of the breath.Soften on purpose.
Gently release your “go-to” holding patterns—your jaw, shoulders, hands, belly. Invite your body to relax without force.Reconnect to your intention.
Ask quietly: Why am I here?
What deeper intention brought you to this moment?
Let the answer bubble up from your heart to your mind—and from your mind, back down to your heart.Acknowledge your presence.
Remind yourself that this moment of care doesn’t only nourish you—it ripples outward to everyone you come into contact with.
why a landing practice matters (especially in summer)
Summer often fills us with outward focus. But healing begins by turning inward and grounding into our internal resources. This landing meditation is:
A gentle way to regulate an overstimulated nervous system
Supportive during illness, grief, or high emotion
A transition point between activities, emotions, or phases
A way to reconnect to your deeper “why”
A tool to shift from habitual reaction into responsive presence
You don't need to wait until things are quiet, fixed, or “normal.”
This practice works in the middle of life.
the power of the pause
This pause is more than a break—It's a return. A remembering.
Each time we land in our bodies and honor what’s here, we create the conditions for real transformation.
Not by pushing. Not by striving.
But by simply listening.
This is how we remember our wellness.
This is how we rewire from the inside out.
This is how we heal.
New On-Demand Training: Restorative Ease for Chronic Stress & Illness
If you're ready to go deeper in supporting yourself—or your students—through illness, fatigue, long-term stress, or life-altering conditions, I invite you to explore my brand-new on-demand training: Restorative Ease for Chronic Stress & Illness.
This self-paced course offers skillful, compassionate guidance to help you create the conditions for healing—through nervous system regulation, somatic support, and conscious relaxation.
🎥 Available now—begin anytime.
👉 Learn more and enroll here
new! on-demand training: restorative ease for chronic stress & illness
If you're ready to go deeper in supporting yourself—or your students—through illness, fatigue, long-term stress, or life-altering conditions, I invite you to explore my brand-new on-demand training: Restorative Ease for Chronic Stress & Illness.
This self-paced course offers skillful, compassionate guidance to help you create the conditions for healing—through nervous system regulation, somatic support, and conscious relaxation.
Available now—begin anytime. CEUs available.