Led by RJ Lisander

This guided meditation uses mindfulness and breath to soothe anxiety, especially during activating times. After brain injury it is common for our sympathetic nervous system - our fight or flight response - to be more easily activated. This serves a purpose when we are in danger, but when this part of us is overactive it means we can feel more stressed and anxious. In this meditation we will soothe these feelings and remember that we are okay.

Having had two TBIs RJ (she/her) understands the challenges and effects of recent and long-term injury. I have worked hard to overcome many of these challenges, yet it wasn't until I found LoveYourBrain that all the pieces fell into place. I am honored and humbled to share this program and witness the growth of each practitioner.

Why LYB: I'm always inspired by the resilience of the human spirit. We can achieve more than we may think with practice, patience and kindness to self and others. I see this in every individual and every class with whom I am lucky enough to spend time on the mat.

Superhero: My hero is always the person who took a risk, tried something new, pushed a boundary for growth (both personal and communal).

Resources: I founded Lotus Seed Lifestyles to offer a space to work with individuals, non-profits, and community groups to offer yoga and meditation as paths to recovery and personal improvement. You can learn more about what I do through my website, www.lotusseedlifestyles.com.

Led by Jivana Heyman

In this meditation, we’ll practice mindfulness and acceptance of our thoughts. Our mind is often hard to turn off. So rather than trying to stop your thoughts, this practice guides you to notice and even celebrate them with the word ‘yes.’ In doing so, we cultivate greater awareness of our thoughts, without judgment, and anchor into the present moment.

Jivana Heyman (he/him) is the founder and director of Accessible Yoga, an organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings and supporting yoga teachers. He’s the author of the books: Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body; Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion; and a new book, The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body. His books, classes, and trainings offer support to yoga teachers and yoga therapists in finding ways to bring creativity and collaboration into their teaching while still respecting the ancient yoga tradition. More info at jivanaheyman.com

Led by RJ Lisander

This meditation uses visualization to cultivate feelings of connection. Often after brain injury we can feel disconnected - from ourselves and the people around us. This is normal because so much can change. Through this practice we’ll focus on imaging the people we love as a way to remind ourselves that we belong and there is a community to support us. With community, we are stronger and have greater ability to move forward.

Having had two TBIs RJ (she/her) understands the challenges and effects of recent and long-term injury. I have worked hard to overcome many of these challenges, yet it wasn't until I found LoveYourBrain that all the pieces fell into place. I am honored and humbled to share this program and witness the growth of each practitioner.

Why LYB: I'm always inspired by the resilience of the human spirit. We can achieve more than we may think with practice, patience and kindness to self and others. I see this in every individual and every class with whom I am lucky enough to spend time on the mat.

Superhero: My hero is always the person who took a risk, tried something new, pushed a boundary for growth (both personal and communal).

Resources: I founded Lotus Seed Lifestyles to offer a space to work with individuals, non-profits, and community groups to offer yoga and meditation as paths to recovery and personal improvement. You can learn more about what I do through my website, www.lotusseedlifestyles.com.

Led by Tracey Meyers

Cyclic sighing - also known as physiological sighing - is a breathing technique that you can use to reduce anxiety and stress.  It is a very easy technique and has been shown to be even more powerful than mindfulness meditation to reduce distress. By focusing on two conscious inhalations and then a longer conscious exhalation, cyclic sighing is a powerful tool that can create relief quickly in the nervous system after just a few cycles of breath

Dr. Tracey Meyers has over 25  years of experience in the fields of clinical psychology and integrative medicine. She works as a clinician for a Lawyer Assistance Program providing psychotherapy and mindfulness and yoga programs to lawyers, judges, and legal firms and agencies along with a private practice including working with TBI survivors and their families. Previously, Tracey worked for the State of Connecticut Dept of Mental Health and Addiction Services as a clinical neuropsychologist working with clients with traumatic brain injury, providing neuropsychological assessment, group and individual psychotherapy, and positive behavioral support planning. She is the author of the book: Yin Yoga Therapy and Mental Health and has contributed several book chapters on yoga, addiction, and psychotherapy. She is an E-RYT 500-hour yoga teacher, certified yoga therapist, LYB teacher and Facilitator, MBSR instructor, and iRest and Breath-Body-Mind teacher.

Led by Tracey Meyers

This practice focuses on adding in a gentle focus on taking in love and compassion for ourselves and then extending it out to those who may need support in theirs lives.  This practice offers participants a chance to experience the powerful healing effect of self-compassion can help foster a sense of connection with others, joy, and resiliency and decrease negative emotions like anxiety and depression.

Dr. Tracey Meyers has over 25  years of experience in the fields of clinical psychology and integrative medicine. She works as a clinician for a Lawyer Assistance Program providing psychotherapy and mindfulness and yoga programs to lawyers, judges, and legal firms and agencies along with a private practice including working with TBI survivors and their families. Previously, Tracey worked for the State of Connecticut Dept of Mental Health and Addiction Services as a clinical neuropsychologist working with clients with traumatic brain injury, providing neuropsychological assessment, group and individual psychotherapy, and positive behavioral support planning. She is the author of the book: Yin Yoga Therapy and Mental Health and has contributed several book chapters on yoga, addiction, and psychotherapy. She is an E-RYT 500-hour yoga teacher, certified yoga therapist, LYB teacher and Facilitator, MBSR instructor, and iRest and Breath-Body-Mind teacher.

Led by Tracey Meyers

The 4-4-6-2 practice is a breath-counting exercise that has shown to be useful when you need to calm down quickly when you are scared, panicky, or angry.  It involves a slow inhale, a gentle hold or pause at the top of the breath, and even longer exhale followed by a short hold or pause at the bottom of the breath before the next cycle.   Done standing or seated, the 4-4-6-2 practice can create a fresh start to the day by bringing balance, energy, and clarity into the body, breath, and mind

Dr. Tracey Meyers has over 25  years of experience in the fields of clinical psychology and integrative medicine. She works as a clinician for a Lawyer Assistance Program providing psychotherapy and mindfulness and yoga programs to lawyers, judges, and legal firms and agencies along with a private practice including working with TBI survivors and their families. Previously, Tracey worked for the State of Connecticut Dept of Mental Health and Addiction Services as a clinical neuropsychologist working with clients with traumatic brain injury, providing neuropsychological assessment, group and individual psychotherapy, and positive behavioral support planning. She is the author of the book: Yin Yoga Therapy and Mental Health and has contributed several book chapters on yoga, addiction, and psychotherapy. She is an E-RYT 500-hour yoga teacher, certified yoga therapist, LYB teacher and Facilitator, MBSR instructor, and iRest and Breath-Body-Mind teacher.

Led by Tracey Meyers

We all know the simple act of breathing can have a positive effect on us. Mindful breathing teaches core mindfulness by placing our attention on our breath and the sensations of breathing. Mindful breathing can result in a number of proven health benefits such as pain relief, stress, reduction, anxiety reduction, and less negative thinking.

Dr. Tracey Meyers has over 25  years of experience in the fields of clinical psychology and integrative medicine. She works as a clinician for a Lawyer Assistance Program providing psychotherapy and mindfulness and yoga programs to lawyers, judges, and legal firms and agencies along with a private practice including working with TBI survivors and their families. Previously, Tracey worked for the State of Connecticut Dept of Mental Health and Addiction Services as a clinical neuropsychologist working with clients with traumatic brain injury, providing neuropsychological assessment, group and individual psychotherapy, and positive behavioral support planning. She is the author of the book: Yin Yoga Therapy and Mental Health and has contributed several book chapters on yoga, addiction, and psychotherapy. She is an E-RYT 500-hour yoga teacher, certified yoga therapist, LYB teacher and Facilitator, MBSR instructor, and iRest and Breath-Body-Mind teacher.

Led by Tracey Meyers

Coherent breathing is a form of breathing that involves slowing the entire cycle of breath down to about 5 breaths per minute. Our natural tendency is to breathe at a rate of two to three seconds per inhale and exhale.  In coherent breathing, the goal is to extend the length of both the inhale and exhale to around 6 seconds.  By breathing in and out more slowly, the body begins to find calm, balance, and stability activating the vagus nerve that helps turn on our relaxation response and reduce stress, anxiety, and a slow down a racing heart.

Dr. Tracey Meyers has over 25  years of experience in the fields of clinical psychology and integrative medicine. She works as a clinician for a Lawyer Assistance Program providing psychotherapy and mindfulness and yoga programs to lawyers, judges, and legal firms and agencies along with a private practice including working with TBI survivors and their families. Previously, Tracey worked for the State of Connecticut Dept of Mental Health and Addiction Services as a clinical neuropsychologist working with clients with traumatic brain injury, providing neuropsychological assessment, group and individual psychotherapy, and positive behavioral support planning. She is the author of the book: Yin Yoga Therapy and Mental Health and has contributed several book chapters on yoga, addiction, and psychotherapy. She is an E-RYT 500-hour yoga teacher, certified yoga therapist, LYB teacher and Facilitator, MBSR instructor, and iRest and Breath-Body-Mind teacher.

Led by Jenni Foltz

Titration is a process that was discovered as scientists introduced two chemicals together and noticed it produced an explosive reaction. They found that they needed to introduce the smallest amount of each in order to keep the reaction contained and manageable. Similarly, within a therapeutic context, we work with difficult sensations in a slow, regulated way by only touching a small part of the discomfort. This way, we can discharge some of the discomfort and support greater integration. 

In this meditation, we use our breath to slow down, and then direct our attention, to different places within our bodies. We’ll explore widening our attention to offer space to uncomfortable sensations, and shifting our attention around to a variety of places in our body to ‘notice and feel’ what else is present alongside the discomfort…at the same time.

Jenni Foltz (she/her) is devoted to kindness, compassion, and fostering a deep sense of connection, inspiration and joy for herself and others. In her career she serves as a biodynamic craniosacral therapist, yoga teacher, and compassion-centered coach. Having traversed her own recovery from traumatic brain injury, she genuinely understands the importance of slowing down, deep listening and opening to one's inner resilience and health. At the same time, she feels it is essential to nurture creativity, playfulness, and joy. Her teaching and private practice are richly informed by her work with animals (horses & dogs), various dance, sound, singing, breath & movement practices, as well as meditation rooted in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Many of her clients are neurodivergent and may be recovering from concussions, traumatic brain injuries, or strokes. She also works with people who are feeling anxious, depressed, and sick of feeling out of sorts in their body.

Led by Ramsay Pierce

Set up for this practice in the most supportive and comfortable position you can be in. The body temperature may drop, so be sure to have a blanket or warm clothing. There is no physical movement necessary during the practice.

During Yoga Nidra, we enter a state of complete physical, mental, and emotional relaxation. This is a sleep-based meditation technique used for effectively establishing new patterns in the mind and body and creating harmony. This is the first Yoga Nidra practice of the Mindset Program to promote rest and sleep.

Ramsay (they/them) believes yoga and mindfulness are practices that allow us to see truth and come to know ourselves, and as we do, we are able to live with greater accountability and love. Ramsay is an RYT-500, and completed their 300 hour training with Michelle C. Johnson, focusing on the intersection of yoga and justice. They have specialized training in yoga for self-regulation and trauma, and are certified through the Integrative Amrit (I AM) Method as a yoga nidra instructor. They are a Certified Mindfulness Instructor, having trained with Rev. angel Kyodo williams and David Perrin. Ramsay also works to make yoga more accessible to individuals who've been affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI). Ramsay’s superhero is their Nisei grandmother, Sumiko Yeya Mansfield.

Led by Bonnie Currie

Mindfulness meditation helps us begin to cultivate awareness of, and to untangle from, habitual, conditioned and harmful thought patterns. The mindfulness teacher Pema Chodron, said “you are the sky, everything else is just the weather.”  Using the breath as an anchor for your attention, you will be invited to begin to notice, without judgment, the weather patterns of thoughts that float across the expansive sky of your mind. 

Bonnie Currie (she/her) is the co-founder and owner of Lotus Yoga (www.lotusyogajax.com), a community based yoga collaborative in Jacksonville.  She has had extensive training in ashtanga and vinyasa yoga, adaptive and trauma informed yoga, healthy back yoga, insight meditation and mindfulness.  Bonnie is a certified facilitator of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY-F) through the renowned Center for Trauma and Embodiment at the Justice Resource Institute in Brookline, Massachusetts, and facilitates yoga and mindfulness to individuals in recovery through Yoga 4 Change (www.y4c.org) and to individuals who have sustained traumatic brain injuries and their caregivers through the LoveYourBrain Foundation (www.loveyourbrain.com).  Her work (as well her own practice) - whether with individuals who have sustained physical and emotional traumas, those with eating disorders or physical limitations, or those simply seeking to cultivate insight and deepen their own practice, has taught her first-hand about the extraordinary healing potential that lives inside the practices of yoga and mindfulness.