Stephanie B.

Los Angeles, California
Well Points: 2779
I am a well-being coach, energy healer and hypnotherapist. I have a fun, down-to-earth approach. ============================== Please check out my yoga blog, Namasteph: www.namasteph.com ======... Full Bio
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Blog Posts

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Where Does God Come From? by Stephanie B. 5 Comments Posted in: Questions & Answers in Mind-Body In all this discussion of mind/body/spirit, have you ever considered where God came from? What existed before God? And how did God appear out of nothing? How does anything exist? Is it possible that God Itself struggles with existentialism and wonders why It is here?When you really think about these questions, you realize that life is simply a m... Read on »
Yoga Philosophy by Stephanie B. 6 Comments Posted in: General Discussion in Yoga As part of my teacher training we have been learning a lot of the basics of yoga philosophy. I have learned all about the 8 limbs of yoga as well as the yamas and niyamas and all sorts of things in my beloved Sanskrit. ;-)How much does yoga philosophy inform or affect your personal practice, if at all? Read on »
My 200-Hour Teacher Training by Stephanie B. 1 Comments Posted in: Blog Posts in Yoga Well, I am in the midst of my 200-hour teacher training at Karuna Yoga in Los Angeles. It will go for 5 more weeks. So far, it has been great. Everything that concerned me about my brief weekend intensive with Shiva Rea has been fixed in this training. Don't get me wrong - Shiva is brilliant, but I really think her trainings are better for peopl... Read on »
What would you do if you could not do yoga? by Stephanie B. 1 Comments Posted in: Questions & Answers in Yoga OK, don't get me wrong, I love yoga, but there have also been big periods of my life where it was not a part of my life. And I got to thinking, after reading a post here somewhere, what would some people do if they could not do yoga for whatever reason?There was a period there where I did not do yoga and focused on martial arts instead. I never ... Read on »
At Home Weekend Retreat by Stephanie B. 2 Comments Posted in: Blog Posts in Mind-Body I'm planning on having one of those weekends where I just do nothing. Maybe I will go a yoga class and that's it. I am not going to socialize, run around, pack my schedule, or try to do anything that I don't feel like doing in the moment. I am going to sleep in on Saturday and sleep all day if I want to. I am going to read and watch a lot of TV ... Read on »
Massage for Cellulite? by Stephanie B. 2 Comments Posted in: Questions & Answers in Massage/Spa I mentioned elsewhere that I recently noticed my thighs dimple in a forward bend. (The TOPS of my thighs.) It's not that bad or noticeable, and while I can't help but be slightly vain, I am more concerned about what this means in regards to my health. I look at that little bit of cellulite and it tells me I'm not getting enough energy flowing th... Read on »
Same Gender or Opposite Sex Masseuse? by Stephanie B. 2 Comments Posted in: Questions & Answers in Massage/Spa Do you prefer a same gender or opposite sex massage therapist? I have a feeling that more women would opt for women, and more men would opt for women (except gay men). Of course, there's that sticky subject of happy endings and the fact that half of the massage therapists on Craigslist aren't really therapists at all. (Which is sad.) But let's f... Read on »
Make Sure You Use the Bathroom First... by Stephanie B. 5 Comments Posted in: General Discussion in Complementary & Alternative Medicine Here's a helpful acupuncture tip - go to the bathroom and clear your bladder immediately before your session. Once I made the mistake of not doing so and I had to go really, really badly, while I was stuck on the table with needles all over me. I had to call loudly until someone heard me and then my acupuncturist had to quickly remove my needles... Read on »
My Experience at the Free Acupuncture Clinic by Stephanie B. 3 Comments Posted in: General Discussion in Complementary & Alternative Medicine I tried a free acupuncture clinic in Los Angeles's Koreatown today. Here's how it went. I got there around noon, not knowing that there is a break between the morning and afternoon clinic sessions. The afternoon session started at 2 pm. I put my name on a list and walked around Koreatown for an hour. (Alas, I had already eaten at home.) It was i... Read on »
Children, Solitude and Spiritual Growth by Stephanie B. 3 Comments Posted in: General Discussion in Mind-Body I am not sure if I want children or not. (The decision may be made for me, as I have yet to find the right relationship within which to have children.) I used to think that I needed to have children to learn about love. Now I find that I am learning just as much but in a different way. I require a lot of solitude to do the spiritual work that I ... Read on »
Pranayama at Home by Stephanie B. Posted in: General Discussion in Yoga I do pranayama regularly in the Sivananda classes I take, but I find myself skipping that part when I am practicing at home. I know I should do pranayama (it oxygenates the blood, for one thing), but I don't find some of the exercises to be too pleasurable and this is why I'm more likely to do it in a class setting. But I'm going to resolve to a... Read on »
Meditation and Intuition by Stephanie B. 1 Comments Posted in: General Discussion in Meditation I find the more I meditate, the better my intuition gets. I not only get more intuitive hits, but they are becoming more accurate.(I think part of the reason for this is that I am becoming less attached throughmeditation, and it is hard to get a good intuitive hit if you are attached.)Intuition can be difficult to deal with as you develop it; yo... Read on »
Trying to Force Things vs. Letting Go by Stephanie B. 3 Comments Posted in: General Discussion in Mind-Body One of my issues with self-help mems like "The Secret" is that far too often we're taught that we need to really push our energies outside ourselves to "create" a better life. Now, I think some goal-setting and visualization can be positive. But focusing too much on externals, i.e., I "must" have this in order to be happy - that's just a path to... Read on »
Attitude is Everything by Stephanie B. 1 Comments Posted in: General Discussion in Mind-Body How well you respond to life's problems depends on your attitude and your interpretation. I had a disappointment recently, and a friend, who tends to be negative, thought it was so horrible that I should be wallowing in a mid-life crisis of sorts. Except, I was OK with it. I felt the disappointment but then let it go. I have noticed that those f... Read on »
Yoga and Vegetarianism by Stephanie B. 3 Comments Posted in: General Discussion in Yoga In traditional yoga, a vegetarian diet is recommended as being ideal for mental and physical health. Do you think it is important to be a vegetarian to get the most out of yoga? I am personally not a vegetarian nor do I have plans to become one any time soon, but I can see how having a better diet (vegetarian or no) would be ideal, not just for ... Read on »
Reiki Energy Healing by Stephanie B. Posted in: General Discussion in Mind-Body Reiki is a form of hands-on energy healing brought to us by a Japanese man named Mikao Usui in the late 1800s. It is gentle and very easy to use once you learn it. You receive the "power" to do Reiki by getting an attunement, usually from a Reiki Master. (You can also be activated to channel Reiki energy through a "self-attunement.")Reiki is goo... Read on »
What part of your body do you love the most? by Stephanie B. 2 Comments Posted in: Questions & Answers in Mind-Body We are often quite critical of our physical appearance and our bodies, not just women but men too. What part of your body do you love the most and why? Read on »
Letting Go by Stephanie B. 1 Comments Posted in: General Discussion in Mind-Body Why is it so hard to let go some times? Why do we cling to things that no longer serve us? Why are we afraid to say good-bye to the past? What keeps us stuck looking backwards instead of looking fowards?Just a pondering question... Read on »
Supporting My Home Practice by Stephanie B. 2 Comments Posted in: Blog Posts in Yoga Ever since I got back from my vacation I have had the hardest time getting back into my home practice. And this is not good, as I have teacher training coming up. I have been going to classes but my goal was to do a little bit of yoga every day. This evening, as I look around my apartment, I realize that I have been sorting through a lot of stuf... Read on »
I need to get back into the water by Stephanie B. 2 Comments Posted in: Blog Posts in Surfing I haven't been surfing since October. Yes, it is the winter but that's still not quite a good excuse in California. Don't get me wrong, the water is very cold now and it is in the 40s and 50s in the mornings, but that's why we have gear. I just find myself having a hard time fitting it in with everything else I'm doing, and I have had to focus o... Read on »