Meditation Movement - LoveYourBrain

Led by Ramsay Pierce Sometimes all we need is space to rest. In this yoga nidra guided relaxation, we invite you to set up in the most supportive and comfortable place you can, like in bed or on your couch. You’ll be guided through a longer practice to explore the feeling of leaving obligations behind, so that you can give yourself the space to rest completely. Doing this practice regularly helps create the conditions for restful 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 Claudette Evans This guided meditation will help you find steadiness in times of change. Using the timeless image of a mountain, this practice invites you to connect with your inner strength and stability amidst life’s shifting seasons. Through visualization, you’ll explore how to remain centered and grounded, even when overwhelmed. You’ll cultivate a sense of calm, strength, and presence — no matter the "weather" of your day. Claudette (she/her) is a long-time student of yoga, a yoga teacher, and a studio administrator. She is passionate about the study and practice of yoga, as well as the training and mentoring of its teachers. In her classes, she invites curious practitioners toward an experience of greater strength, sensitivity, freedom, skillfulness, and wisdom, so that they can cultivate greater connection in their lives. Claudette's classes create space for self-expression through body and voice, cultivate a clarity of focus, and foster a joy of movement.

Led by RJ Lisander In this practice, you’ll be guided through a journey of cultivating compassion for yourself and others. By expanding awareness of and connection to life’s joys and challenges, you’ll more deeply recognize that everyone faces this range of experiences and find inspiration for more caring and understanding ways to be in relationship with yourself and others.    RJ (she/her) is a mindfulness guide specializing in writing custom meditations opening pathways to ease for clients of all ages. Her work inspires conversations on sometimes difficult topics while allowing space for new insights into mindful actions. RJ has a BA in English, with a minor in Creative Writing and is a Cornell-Certified Wellness Counselor. She holds 200-hour certificates in yoga and yoga therapy. She has worked with LoveYourBrain for several years as a Mindset and Retreat lead and is a member of the teacher training team.

Led by Dr. Tracey Meyers We all have emotions that continually change, shift, and come and go. The practice of RAIN, which stands for Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture, helps us to recognize that difficult feelings are temporary. Through this practice, we’ll learn to meet difficulty with gentleness, compassion, and deep care, leaving us better equipped to cope with life's ups and downs. You’ll feel more balanced to navigate change with greater ease and a sense of emotional resilience even in the face of adversity. Dr. Tracey Meyers (she/her) 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. 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 Dr. Sheila Patel This meditation explores gratitude in the present moment. When you recognize that experiences, emotions, and situations are fleeting, you can find gratitude for what is. When you learn to be aware in each moment, rather than take it for granted, you can express appreciation for your experiences and cultivate a sense of wonder about the world around you. You’ll begin with gentle breath and body awareness, rest in appreciation for what is, and close with a grounding in the present moment to meet the day ahead. Dr. Sheila Patel (she/her) is a board-certified family physician with a passion for shifting the paradigm in health care from one of disease management to one of creating health and wellbeing with the ultimate purpose of maximizing human potential. She currently practices integrative medicine using Ayurvedic medicine, meditation, and yoga as the foundations for a healthy lifestyle. She maintains an outpatient family medicine practice that blends the best of modern medicine with mind-body practices to maximize health and well-being. She believes in a preventive, predictive, personalized, and participatory approach to healing that has the potential to improve not only the health of the individual but the health of society.

Led by Jonathan Prescott This practice uses simple mindfulness phrases or 'gathas' to support presence, awareness, and care. By anchoring our attention on these phrases, and pairing them with our breath, we return to ourselves and what is true. Through this practice, we will create more space to transform our difficulties into peace and joy. Jonathan (he/him) is a Board Certified Clinical Chaplain and Pastoral Counselor. As a long time ordained student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Jonathan’s practice is to support people experiencing illness and end of life, foster effective caregiving, and reconnect people with their innate wisdom and compassion. Jonathan is the founder of Wise Caregiving, a non-profit dedicated to helping people become effective, sustainable, and empathetic caregivers. Jonathan’s background includes hospice, cancer-care, hospital Chaplain, and a spiritual practice as an ordained student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Led by Devi Brown In this practice, we’ll cultivate awareness and compassion for the full range of sensations—whether they’re tense, neutral, or at ease. We’ll explore offering ourselves compassion and care, and build our awareness of the body. In doing so, you’ll cultivate the ability to choose where to place your attention, offering simple affirmations to build a more compassionate relationship to yourself, whatever you’re experiencing. Devi (she/her) is one of the most sought after wellness educators and creative advisors in the country. As the founder of her namesake company, Devi Brown Well-Being, she is a trusted guide to global corporations, high-impact executives, artists and athletes, and is a compassionate and supportive teacher to her students. Devi’s work with corporate clientele includes JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, Chopra Global, Google, TikTok, and YouTube. Devi also proudly serves on the board of directors at The Omega Institute for Holistic Studies and The Mental Wealth Alliance. Devi is dedicated to helping people and organizations transform from the inside out, in ways that positively impact and inspire the wider community, especially those with a complex-lived experience.

Led by Abraham Dejene This guided meditation invites you to use the natural rhythm of the breath as an anchor for presence, self-compassion, and connection. We’ll explore how each inhale and exhale is unique, embodying the constant flow of change and transition in life. With a focus on grounding sensations, softening tension, and observing the breath’s natural cycle, this practice offers a steadying reminder of impermanence and the opportunity to begin again with each breath.  Abraham (he/him) is a dedicated mindfulness instructor, yoga teacher, and public health researcher with a Master’s in Public Health and Mindfulness from Brown University. He is currently training to become a counselor through a Master’s program at Northwestern University with a deep desire to unify Psychotherapy with Mindfulness. Abraham has devoted his entire career to expanding mindfulness accessibility for underserved communities. As a teacher trainer at the Brown Mindfulness Center, he has led transformative programs tailored to diverse audiences, while his research advances evidence-based interventions addressing the unique needs of marginalized populations. Abraham’s work fosters equity, well-being, and meaningful connections.

Led by Vidyamala Burch This simple practice is designed to help release some of the habits we have around tensing against pain and to rest into a more fluid and open experience. We can often experience pain as if it’s a solid thing and start fighting against it, worrying about it — while understandable, there is a different attitude we can cultivate, one that’s softer and kinder by simply dropping into the body and into the flow of presence moment-by-moment. Vidyamala (she/her) is a mindfulness and compassion teacher, coach, inspirational speaker, award-winning author, and co-founder of the leading mindfulness and health charity Breathworks. At age 17, Vidyamala sustained spinal injuries that required multiple surgeries and left behind a complex back condition, chronic pain, and partial paraplegia. After experiencing despondency, anger, and hopelessness, she discovered mindfulness as a way to ease the mental torment associated with her physical pain. Vidyamala is now a global leader who uses an evidence-based approach to empower those living with pain or difficulty to reclaim their lives.

Led by Kyla Pearce In this practice, we’ll explore how a sense of purpose can be an anchor during times of change. We’ll cultivate a gentleness towards what’s happening in our body, mind, and heart so that we can more clearly see what motivates us to show up for ourselves and others as life unfolds. By exploring what matters to us, we can learn to meet challenge with greater balance and more fully appreciate what brings us joy. Kyla (she/her) serves as the Senior Director of Programs and Research, overseeing the design, implementation, and evaluation of LoveYourBrain programs on a large scale. By turning inward through mindfulness, Kyla believes we learn to be with our whole selves with greater compassion, which is fundamental to wellbeing and inspiring positive social change. Kyla has blended her expertise as a yoga and mindfulness teacher and practitioner, researcher, and advocate to develop evidence-based, TBI-centered yoga and meditation curricula, which she trains yoga teachers and clinicians to deliver in clinical, community, and online settings.

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 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 her 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.