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Book: The Night Before Summer Vacation
Excitement. Anticipation. Thoughts of the beach, the sand, and the sun. I can remember when I was younger how excited I would be on the night before a summer vacation trip – I wouldn’t be able to sleep! For many years, my family would take weeklong summer vacations to different spots on the east coast: Myrtle Beach, Williamsburg, and the Outer Banks (to name a few). The night before getting on the road was almost always filled with chaos: last minute packing, laundry, loading the car, and going through checklists, much like the characters in Natasha Wing’s The Night Before Summer Vacation.
Mindfulness Through a Trauma Informed Lens
Is mindfulness a safe practice for everyone? These three considerations are the most critical when leading a mindfulness group or encouraging an individual to begin using mindfulness practices.
Music: The Key to Road Trip Survival
Music is the secret to road trip success. Whether it’s a 2-hour day trip or 10-hour adventure, here are some ideas for musical activities in the car.
Part 2: Is Mindfulness Safe for Everyone?
In Part 1 of our Summer 2021 Mindfulness Blog Series, we learned what Mindfulness is and is not. We also answered the question about its link to religion. We encourage you to read all the blogs within the series for a comprehensive understanding.
Today we would like to focus on the question of, Is mindfulness a safe practice for everyone?
Book: Hosea Plays On
Imagine it’s a bright, sunny day in the middle of the summer. You travel to an open-air market to do your weekly shopping for fruits and vegetables and peruse the stalls of local business owners selling jams, soaps, candles and other miscellaneous items. As you enter the market, you hear the unmistakable sound of an alto saxophone coming from the area of a popular coffee shop. You make your way to the coffee shop and find a crowd of people watching and listening as a man plays his saxophone on the sidewalk. In the city of Rochester, NY this man was Hosea Missouri Taylor Jr.: the musician that inspired Kathleen M. Blasi’s newest storybook Hosea Plays On.
Part 1: What is Mindfulness?
Over the last two decades the word Mindfulness has been used frequently by people all over the world. With its original roots in Eastern Culture as a core tenet in Buddhism, and massive spread into Western Culture’s practices of psychotherapy, acceptance-based therapy, as well as yoga and meditation practices – the concept of mindfulness can be confusing.
Book: The Star Spangled Banner
Around this time of year, many of us are preparing to celebrate the 4th of July. Fireworks, barbecues, and parades are just some of the ways Americans like to celebrate the birth of their country. One of my favorite traditions is to travel back to my hometown and attend an event called “Concert in the Park.” The local orchestra sets up a stage in one of the biggest parks in the North Country and performs patriotic songs while cannon blasts are fired. It’s incredible! The concert always starts with the orchestra playing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Some years there is a singer, some years the audience serves as the choir. I don’t know about you, but even though I’ve heard and sung our national anthem many times, I don’t know the meaning behind many of the lyrics. However, that all changed when I picked up this wonderful book illustrated by Peter Spier simply titled The Star-Spangled Banner.
5 Songs to Get You in the Summer Mood
Summer is just around the corner, and this year brings a lot to celebrate. You may have finished up your first year of virtual teaching or homeschooling. Maybe you can finally travel to see family that you’ve been missing! If staying home is in your plans, don’t hesitate to turn the music up loud and simply enjoy the sunshine. Upstate is here to share five songs that are tried and true to get you in the summer mood.
Using Creative Arts Therapy to Treat Eating Disorders
With so many health concerns in our country and worldwide it is easy to focus on the pandemic as the leading health concern. The reality is, especially during the pandemic due to the added anxiety and unpredictability, the intensity for those with eating disorders...