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6/28/2025 0 Comments

Finding Calm: Types of Meditation for Anxiety and Depression

Living with anxiety or depression can feel like navigating a storm in your mind. The racing thoughts, heavy emotions, and physical tension can be overwhelming. Fortunately, meditation offers a gentle, evidence-based way to find relief. By calming the mind and regulating the nervous system, meditation can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, fostering a sense of peace and resilience. In this blog post, we’ll explore five types of meditation particularly suited for those struggling with these conditions, along with tips to get started.

Meditation works by rewiring the brain’s response to stress. Research shows it can lower cortisol levels, increase serotonin, and enhance activity in brain regions linked to emotional regulation. For anxiety, meditation helps quiet overactive thoughts, while for depression, it fosters self-compassion and hope. The key is finding a practice that resonates with you, as consistency is more important than perfection.
Here are five meditation types that can support your mental health journey:

1. Mindfulness Meditation
What It Is: Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. You observe your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations as they arise, letting them pass like clouds in the sky.
Why It Helps: For anxiety, mindfulness reduces rumination by anchoring you in the now. For depression, it cultivates awareness, helping you notice negative thought patterns without being consumed by them.
How to Practice:

Sit comfortably in a quiet space.
Focus on your breath, noticing the inhale and exhale.
When thoughts arise (e.g., worries or sadness), acknowledge them without judgment and return to your breath.
Start with 5 minutes daily, gradually increasing to 10–15 minutes.

Tip: Use apps like Headspace or Calm for guided mindfulness sessions tailored to anxiety and depression.

2. Loving-Kindness Meditation
What It Is: Metta meditation focuses on cultivating compassion for yourself and others. You silently repeat phrases like “May I be happy, may I be safe” before extending these wishes to loved ones, strangers, and even difficult people.
Why It Helps: For depression, Metta fosters self-love and connection, countering feelings of isolation. For anxiety, it shifts focus from fear to warmth, soothing the nervous system.
How to Practice:

Sit quietly and close your eyes.
Begin with yourself, repeating: “May I be peaceful, may I be healthy, may I be free from suffering.”
Gradually extend these phrases to others, starting with someone you love, then a neutral person, and finally someone challenging.
Practice for 10 minutes, focusing on the feeling behind the words.

Tip: If self-directed compassion feels hard, start by focusing on someone you care about to ease into the practice.

3. Body Scan Meditation
What It Is: Body scan meditation involves mentally scanning your body from head to toe, noticing sensations without trying to change them. It’s often done lying down, making it accessible for beginners.
Why It Helps: For anxiety, it grounds you in your body, reducing the grip of racing thoughts. For depression, it reconnects you with physical sensations, countering emotional numbness.
How to Practice:

Lie down or sit comfortably.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
Slowly bring attention to each body part, starting at your toes and moving upward. Notice warmth, tension, or tingling.
Spend 10–20 minutes, moving at a relaxed pace.
If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the body part you’re focusing on.

Tip: Try guided body scans on YouTube, I have one on my channel @SPMWautoma, or apps like Insight Timer for extra support.

4. Breath Awareness Meditation (Pranayama)
What It Is: This practice focuses on controlled breathing techniques to regulate the nervous system. A simple form is diaphragmatic breathing, where you breathe deeply into your belly.
Why It Helps: For anxiety, slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing panic. For depression, it boosts energy and mood by increasing oxygen flow.
How to Practice:

Sit upright with your hands on your belly.
Inhale deeply through your nose for 4 counts, feeling your belly expand.
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 6 counts.
Repeat for 5–10 minutes, focusing solely on the rhythm of your breath.
Try alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) for added calming effects.

Tip: Practice in a quiet space, and stop if you feel dizzy—ease into slower breaths.

5. Guided Visualization Meditation
What It Is: Guided visualization involves imagining a peaceful scene or positive outcome, often led by a recorded voice. You might picture a serene beach or visualize yourself feeling calm and confident.
Why It Helps: For anxiety, it distracts the mind from worries and creates a sense of safety. For depression, it sparks hope and motivation by focusing on positive imagery.
How to Practice:

Find a guided visualization on apps like Calm or free platforms like YouTube.
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
Follow the guide’s voice, imagining the scene vividly—engage all your senses (e.g., the sound of waves, the warmth of the sun).
Practice for 10–15 minutes, ideally before bed to promote restful sleep.

Tip: Choose visualizations specifically designed for anxiety or depression for targeted relief.

Getting Started: Tips for Success

Start Small: Begin with 5-minute sessions to build a habit without feeling overwhelmed.
Create a Space: Find a quiet, comfortable spot with minimal distractions. A candle or soft music can enhance the mood.
Be Patient: Your mind will wander—that’s normal. Gently redirect your focus without self-criticism.
Combine with Therapy: Meditation complements professional treatment like therapy or medication. Consult your healthcare provider for a holistic plan.
Track Progress: Journal how you feel after each session to notice subtle improvements in mood or anxiety levels.

Precautions

If meditation triggers discomfort or intense emotions, pause and try a different type or seek guidance from a therapist.
Avoid forcing yourself into long sessions early on; short, consistent practices are more effective.
For severe anxiety or depression, meditation should not replace professional care.

Conclusion
Meditation is a powerful tool for managing anxiety and depression, offering a range of practices to suit your needs and preferences. Whether you’re drawn to the grounding focus of mindfulness, the heart-opening warmth of Metta, or the soothing imagery of visualization, there’s a meditation type for you. Start with just a few minutes a day, and let these practices become a gentle anchor in your journey toward calm and clarity.
Ready to try? Pick one meditation type, set a timer, and take the first step toward a calmer mind today.
Resources

Apps: Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer
Books: The Mindful Way Through Depression by Mark Williams; Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Support: Find a local meditation group or therapist specializing in mindfulness-based therapy

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6/21/2025 0 Comments

The Power of Chakra and Marma Therapy

The Power of Chakra and Marma Therapy
In the pursuit of holistic wellness, ancient healing systems like Ayurveda and yoga offer profound tools to balance body, mind, and spirit. Two such practices--Chakra therapy and Marma therapy—tap into the body’s subtle energy systems to promote healing, vitality, and emotional harmony. While distinct in their approaches, these therapies share a common goal: to restore balance by working with the body’s energetic pathways.
Chakra Therapy:
Derived from yogic traditions, centers on the seven major chakras—energy centers aligned along the spine that govern specific physical, emotional, and spiritual functions. They are root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown. Each chakra corresponds to a specific aspect of life, from survival and creativity to love and intuition. When a chakra is blocked or imbalanced, it can manifest as physical ailments, emotional distress, or mental fog.
The Root Chakra is located at the base of the spine and governs stability, security and basic survival needs. Color: Red.
The Sacral Chakra is located just below the navel and is associated with creativity, emotions and relationships. Color: Orange.
The Solar Plexus Chakra is located in the upper abdomen and relates to confidence, self-esteem and personal power. Color: Yellow.
The Heart Chakra is positioned in the center of the chest and is linked to love, compassion and connection. Color: Green.
The Throat Chakra is found in the throat area and governs communication and self expression. Color: Light Blue
The Third Eye Chakra is located between the eyebrows and is associated with intuition, insight and clarity. Color: Deep Blue/Purple
The Crown Chakra is situated at the top of the head and relates to spirituality and connection to higher consciousness. Color: Violet or White
Chakra therapy uses techniques like meditation, visualization, yoga, sound therapy, and breathwork to balance these energy centers.
Benefits of Chakra Therapy
Emotional Clarity: Balances emotions, fostering self-awareness and resilience.
Physical Vitality: Supports systems like digestion (Solar Plexus Chakra) or immunity (Throat Chakra).
Spiritual-union: Enhances spiritual connection and personal growth.
Mental Focus: Improves concentration and intuition.

What is Marma Therapy?
Marma therapy, rooted in Ayurveda, focuses on marma points—specific energy points in the body where physical and subtle energies intersect. According to Ayurvedic texts, there are 107 marma points, each acting as a junction of muscles, veins, ligaments, bones, and joints. These points are also gateways to the body’s vital energy, or Prana, and are deeply connected to the mind and emotions. Prana also encompasses all energy of the universe. We take in prana through our eyes, nose, ears and touch.
Think of marma points as the body’s energetic hotspots. Stimulating them through gentle massage, pressure, or essential oils can release blockages, improve circulation, and promote healing.
Benefits of Marma Therapy
Physical Healing: Improves blood flow, reduces muscle tension, and supports organ function.
Emotional Balance: Releases stored emotions and reduces stress or anxiety.
Energy Flow: Enhances Prana, boosting vitality and immunity.
Holistic Integration: Connects body, mind, and spirit for overall well-being.

Marma and Chakra Therapy: A Synergistic Approach
While Marma and Chakra therapies come from Ayurveda and yoga and they complement each other beautifully. Both systems emphasize the flow of Prana through subtle energy channels (nadis in yoga, srotas in Ayurveda). Marma points often align closely with chakra locations, and both therapies aim to clear energetic blockages to restore harmony.
Combining these practices can amplify their effects. A Marma massage with essential oils tailored to a specific chakra (e.g., rose oil for the Heart Chakra) can enhance both physical and energetic healing.
How to Practice Marma and Chakra Therapy at Home
You don’t need to be an expert to start exploring these therapies. Here are some beginner-friendly practices:
Marma Therapy Practices
Self-Massage: Use warm sesame or coconut oil to gently massage key marma points, such as: Talu (base of skull): Relieves tension and promotes calm. Kshipra (between thumb and index finger): Boosts energy and immunity. Apply light, circular pressure for 1–2 minutes per point.
Essential Oils: Pair oils with marma points based on your needs (e.g., lavender for relaxation, peppermint for energy).
Breathing: Practice deep, diaphragmatic breathing while stimulating marma points to enhance Prana flow.
Chakra Therapy Practices
Meditation: Focus on one chakra at a time, visualizing its associated color (e.g., red for Root Chakra, green for Heart Chakra).
Sound Therapy: Chant seed mantras (e.g., “VAM” for Sacral Chakra) or listen to frequencies aligned with each chakra.
Yoga Poses: Practice poses that activate specific chakras, such as Tree Pose for Root Chakra or Bridge Pose for Sacral Chakra.
Combined Practice Example
Heart-Centered Routine: Massage the Hridaya marma (heart area) with rose oil while visualizing green light at the Heart Chakra. Practice Camel Pose and chant “YAM” to open the heart center, fostering love and emotional balance.
Tips for Success
Start small - Focus on one or two marma points or chakras per session.
Personalize - Identify imbalances (e.g., anxiety may indicate a Vata or Third Eye Chakra issue) and tailor practices accordingly.
Consult Experts - Work with an Ayurvedic practitioner or yoga therapist for personalized guidance.
Consistency - Practice daily for 10–15 minutes to see cumulative benefits.
Precautions
Avoid excessive pressure on marma points, as they are sensitive areas. If you have medical conditions, consult a healthcare provider before starting. Use high-quality essential oils and dilute them properly to avoid skin irritation.
Conclusion
Marma and Chakra therapy offer powerful, accessible ways to harmonize your body’s energy systems. By integrating these ancient practices, you can address physical discomfort, emotional stress, and spiritual disconnection holistically. Whether you’re massaging a marma point to release tension or meditating on a chakra to boost creativity, these therapies empower you to take charge of your well-being.
Ready to begin? Try a simple marma massage or chakra meditation today, and feel the flow of vital energy transform your life. And if you have no idea where to start, contact Amanda or schedule a consultation today.
Resources
Books: Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing by Dr. Vasant Lad; The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Deepak Chopra
Online Tools: Guided chakra meditations on apps like Insight Timer, or visit my YouTube channel @SPMWautoma for my free 7 day meditation series.

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6/13/2025 0 Comments

The Ayurveda Lifestyle

My search for natural living started with essential oils, home cooked meals, and natural products for our family. Along the way, I found Ayurveda. For those who do not know what Ayurveda is - it is over 5000 year old healthcare system that originated in India. Ayurveda means life knowledge or science of life. Originally I attended a week long intensive to learn traditional Ayurvedic bodywork and incorporate that into my massage business. It was truly a transformational week, in which I learned about the doshas, abhyanga massage, garshana, shirodhara, pinda swedana and many other modalities to use to help others heal themselves in my office. Thereafter, I became certified in Ayurvedic bodywork (CAyB). My friends and family were interested in learning more about this lifestyle, and thus Sattva Mentoring was created.

Changing the way you do things on a daily basis is a tough thing to do - especially because we are all in "routine" of doing things the way we do. In my mentoring business it is a 6 week long process where we add little by little each week. Even in the busiest of schedules, we find ways to incorporate simple changes you can make with a big benefit to your wellbeing. So even if you think you can't add one-more-thing to your list of tasks each day, I teach you that you definitely can, and make it easy to do so.

I highly recommend the book Ayurveda The Science of Self-Healing by Dr. Vasant Lad. It breaks down everything in small pieces that are easy to understand and incorporate into your daily living. I reference this book often at home and in my business.

The very first thing I recommend you understand are the three doshas, and finding out which one is the true you. Doshas are the constitutions in which people are born into, where your body, mind and spirit are happiest; the times of day; the seasons. When you are out of balance or out of the constitution in which is the true you - prakruti, then you have an imbalance - vikruti.

To start your journey, feel free to get the book or schedule a quick 15 minute virtual consultation with me by clicking on the Mentoring Services tab and schedule a consult.

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6/6/2025 0 Comments

Retaining Clients

Acquiring repeat clients with ease takes more than just offering a great massage session. When you own your business, you have to wear many hats each day. You have to be customer service, accounting, marketing, social media, housekeeping, bookkeeping, follow up, HR, among many. And you also have to provide all of this at every appointment. Everyone can fall short of any of these areas, if not on top of things.
1. Give the best massage to each client you see. Sometimes this can be difficult, especially if you have a micro-manager on the table telling you what to do. I tell new clients that I don't talk during a massage, so that they can relax and zone out. If I need to talk it's a direct question about what I am doing in that moment and need feedback from them.
2. Make sure your office is clean and free of clutter, the carpet is free from debris, office garbage cans are not overflowing, the room smells good, and the music is not too loud or too quiet.
3. Turn off your phone - or put it on silent. There's nothing more annoying than a phone constantly dinging in the background. The client will wonder if it's theirs or yours, and then wonder who it is (and so will you) and then continue to think about these things when they are trying to relax. And absolutely do not leave the room to answer a call.
4. Linens - make sure the linens are sparkling clean (this means no pilling on the flannel sheets or blankets), fluffy head rest, fluffy towels if you use those.
5. Invest in UV hot towel warming cabinets. This will reduce any bacteria in the towels you may be using during your session. Or any other items you may use like an eye pillow or hydrocollator packs. I still use covers for each of these when applying to the client.
6. Make sure your bolsters you are using during the session are warm. I keep the ankle bolster on the table so it stays warm for the client. But occasionally I use a bigger bolster under their knees - and I cover that with a flannel bolster cover under the bottom sheet. I have 2 sizes - one for ankles and one for knees. I also have one for the neck - some people who have severe forward head posture really love the neck bolster.
7. Table warmer is a must, even if you live in a warm climate. It's very off putting to climb into a cold table, at least in my opinion. Some people run hot - and those I know ahead of time, because I ask new clients when they come in if they prefer a really warm or a mildly warm table. I have always purchased table warmers with an automatic shut off and one that I can control with a digital temperature reading.
8. Bottle warmer - I have one that warms an 8oz pump or pour bottle. I prefer using the pour top, as then it can be applied rather quietly. I use this to begin the massage on their back and neck, that way they are completely relaxed at the start of the session. Every single client has commented how good that warm oil feels. If you're not a fan of using oil, you can also warm up lotion in it as well. I love using fractionated coconut oil, it doesn't stain the linens and it has a long lasting glide, and is great for cupping.
9. Offer mints, chocolates, or other little snacks to take with them after their session. I personally offer mints, otherwise I would sit and eat all the chocolates myself hahaha. Plus, I find that during the winter months when it is dry, and people have more coughs, mints are a nice suppressant. It's also a nice breath freshener for me when I'm working on their head/neck.
10. Before they walk out of their session, ask when they want to schedule their next appointment. This was very helpful for me when I was just starting out. Don't ask a yes or no question like "Would you like to schedule your next one?" instead ask "What date would you like to come back to see me?" and if they respond with "I'm not sure" offer them a few dates and times you are available, when you think they should come back again. Some clients will only be a couple times a year, some will be monthly, some may be weekly. You should also explain why you'd like to see them back next week - if they have a particular issue you know you can help with. Do not make it about money on your end, as people can pick up on that. It should always be about what is best for the client.
The more massage therapists you go to for a self-care appointment, the more ideas you will get. These are just a few off the top of my head. If you would like to discuss your business specifically, please feel free to schedule an appointment in the Mentoring Services tab.

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YOUR CART

Finding Calm: Types of Meditation for Anxiety and Depression

The Power of Chakra and Marma Therapy

The Ayurveda Lifestyle

Retaining Clients

Author

Archives

Categories

YOUR CART

Finding Calm: Types of Meditation for Anxiety and Depression

​The Power of Chakra and Marma Therapy

The Ayurveda Lifestyle

Retaining Clients

Author

Archives

Categories

The Power of Chakra and Marma Therapy