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Tools You Can Use to Address Pandemic - & Other - Stress & Trauma

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Even though Thanksgiving has passed, the importance of gratitude goes on.

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One thing we can be thankful for this holiday season is a COVID vaccine on the near horizon. While it won't bring an instant return to normalcy - Dr. Fauci has said it may be mid-2021 at least before we see something like "normal" again - it does bring something that's been in short supply this year: hope.

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Another thing that engenders hope is knowing we have the tools to help our students, our children, and ourselves deal with the accumulated trauma - trauma that can amplify that which many have experienced prior to the pandemic or pre-existing mental health concerns.

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One of the most powerful of these tools is TRE - Tension/Trauma Releasing Exercises, which tap into the body's innate mechanisms for releasing stress.

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Fostering Community - at a Distance - This Halloween?

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We humans need ritual - especially in times of uncertainty. Ritual means predictability, and predictability diffuses anxiety. Coming together with a shared purpose gives us a sense of control, while also strengthening our sense of connection and community.

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"By aligning behavior and creating shared experiences,"?writes anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas.

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rituals forge a sense of belonging and common identity which transforms individuals into cohesive communities. As field experiments show, participating in collective rituals increases generosity and even makes people's heart rates synchronize.

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But what if we're supposed to limit contact with other people?

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It's a question on a lot of folks' minds as we near Halloween. Here in Portland, as in many cities across the US, public health officials are urging people to avoid trick-or-treating (and its relative, trunk-or-treating), parties, haunted houses, and other high-risk activities.

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Fortunately, this doesn't mean "no Halloween" - an idea that can be devastating to kids. Our celebrations may not be like what we're used to, but we can embrace the moment as an opportunity to get creative and come up with new rituals. Some of them could even become part of your family traditions even after the pandemic is over.

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Think gratitude pumpkins. Think costuming up and going out for a family walk to look at decorated houses - or decorating your own home more extensively than usual, inside and out. Think treat hunts in the house or watch parties with spooky films. Think backyard campouts with scary stories and frighteningly festive food. Think virtual costume parties and parades.

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We hope you'll share your creative ideas for safe and fun holidays on our Facebook page?or Twitter (@yogacalmkids). Your creativity may fuel that of other people - another great way of supporting community!

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Have a safe and happy Halloween, everyone!

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Be well,??

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Jim & Lynea Gillen

Co-Founder, Yoga Calm?

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Great news!

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Yoga Calm has piloted with the founder of TRE, David Berceli, the development TRE''s new live online certification trainings and are now opening up this new training approach worldwide.?

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Now more than ever we need Tension & Trauma Releasing exercises and now you learn learn this revolutionary technique online from Lynea Gillen and Dr Berceli.

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Live Online TRE Module 1 Certification Training

with Lynea Gillen, Trainer Trainee & David Berceli.

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Aug 15-16, 2020

9am-4pm (PDT -- Los Angeles time)

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Registration Info

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Training is limited to only 21 participants.

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Thanks for your interest and let us know if you have any questions.

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Jim & Lynea Gillen

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YogaCalm.org

info@yogacalm.org

(503) 977-0944

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Thanks for Being Part of Our Community!

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Gratitude practices don''t have to wait for the holiday season, especially after the year we have all had.? But at this time of year we are even more acutely aware of the many blessings our Yoga Calm community of teachers, counselors, therapists and parents bring to our children.? That''s why we would like to give you a gift...

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A Free Copy of Little Banty Chicken...

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Thinking of others, giving thanks and sharing food together are a few of the important themes of this book and why this book is so important for children right now.?

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So, use the code THANKS?to get your free copy of Little Banty Chicken and the Big Dream when ordering here?(given the number of books we plan to distribute, all we ask is that you pay a few dollars for shipping).

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Feel free to gift your book to your favorite child by entering their address in the shipping info. Got a library or school you''d like to support?? Put their name in and send them multiple copies (or contact us if you have a larger group of children you''d like to support).

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We have set aside 300 books, so?order now at this link.

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And thanks again for all the love that you bring into our world.

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Be well,

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Lynea Gillen

Author, Little Banty Chicken and Good People Everywhere

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YogaCalm.org

info@yogacalm.org

(503) 977-0944

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Be One of the Helpers

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It was just a few weeks ago that wildfires were burning 30 miles to our southeast. Even as we remained safe and suffered only the thick smoke that wound up blanketing much of the west coast, we know many people who were personally affected by this disaster?- include friends that sheltered with us. It all hit very close to home.

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Through it all, we did our best to stay focused on what more we can do to help friends and neighbors when crisis hits. We can, for instance, contribute to local aid organizations, financially or through volunteering or donating goods or services that may be needed in our community.?

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Just as important, though, are the many small?actions we can take to make it easier for those in need to get help from first responders and community organizations: staying off the roads, not tying up 911 with non-emergency calls, keeping friends and family in the loop.

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One of the biggest lessons of 2020 is that, despite all the ways we have become divided, our lives are truly interconnected. Our actions have an affect on others, for better or for worse. We chose to focus on actions that are for the better, doing our part to take care of others so we all can weather the current storms.?

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Kindness counts.

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Be well,??

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Jim & Lynea Gillen

Co-Founder, Yoga Calm?

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The Power of Creativity & Hope?

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Hardship can feel easier to endure when you can see that it will end. We can put up with a lot when we believe the burden is only temporary. But with a pandemic? After months of isolation, restriction, and rejiggering our lives to manage the new reality, envisioning the end of the crisis can seem impossible.

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It's vital that we not ignore the negative emotions we may be feeling. Mindfulness doesn't judge. It merely recognizes what is happening right now. Mindful, we can then choose how we will respond to the situation prompting those feelings inside us.

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Two of the things that drive that choice? Hope and creativity.

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Hope necessarily acknowledges a belief in a future, a feeling that a non-specific but favorable outcome lies ahead. Creativity is what gets us to that future, what makes that future possible. It's one way in which creativity can be healing.

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"Creativity as a healing force,"?writes art therapist Candy Malchiodi,?is more about hope than anything else. When I pull out my drawing journal or prep a canvas to paint, it is about a dream of something that can be, the relentless hope that resides in my own creative process.

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As a therapist, when I sit beside a military veteran, an abused child, or a family who has suffered loss, it''s hope I see in their creativity and in their journeys to reparation and recovery. The easel, the music room, the poetry journal, and dance studio all have one ecology in common. They are places of hope both in what is created within them and environments for transformation, renewal, and ultimately, redemption.

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Hope can feel hard to come by these days, but creativity offers us one path back to that more positive state - not only personally, but socially and politically. The pandemic has put us in a position where we are having to completely rethink how we do things - something Lynea explores in our latest blog post. There may be some failures, but there are also sure to be exciting innovations and changes that enrich our lives.

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We look forward to seeing the new future we create together.

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Jim & Lynea Gillen

Co-Founder, Yoga Calm?

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Every Act of Kindness Matters More Than Ever Now?

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Human beings are social beings. We need connection with others. Even something as simple as a shared smile in passing forges a brief bond between two people - a kind of social cohesion that makes empathy and mutual support possible.

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But what do you do when your smile has to be covered by a mask, as it must in these ongoing days of COVID?

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Jim has talked before about his habit of smiling at folks he sees while out and about - and how he's had to shift his smile to his eyes. It's a way of smiling - known as a Duchenne smile - that makes crow's lines/laugh lines at the corners of your eyes.

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Not only is an eye smile considered more authentic; there's evidence that it can elevate your mood more than a mouth-only smile. Other research?suggests it may control stress better, as well.

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With all the challenges we're currently facing - the pandemic, the fight for racial and social justice, a depressed economy, and more - every act of kindness and connection is more important than ever, more meaningful than ever. Every act of shared humanity keeps us together. Only together will we successfully weather the current storms.

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Thanks for what you do to make the world a better place,?

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Jim & Lynea Gillen

Co-Founder, Yoga Calm?

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A Revolution is Born...

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20 years ago when Lynea brought yoga and mindfulness into her school district it was a revolutionary act that was born out of need-Working with traumatized children required a new approach!

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Now, body based, stress informed approaches like Yoga Calm are mainstream.

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Stress & Trauma Support with TRE

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So, when Lynea found TRE (Trauma Releasing Exercises) 10 years ago?she discovered what she feels is even a more powerful tool to help release nervous system stress and trauma.

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Now, as Lynea completes her mentorship with TRE''s Founder, Dr David Berceli, she is training others to incorporate TRE into their daily life and to help others.

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Scroll down for more info on how to work with Lynea and David...

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And thanks?for being a part of our Yoga Calm community and transforming the way we educate and support our youth.

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Jim & Lynea

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