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Come back next Thursday, April 29nd to see everyones furry friends at Drew!

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Check out the link below to learn about Tai-Chi with Don

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Here we have Bo and Prince, two of Kayla's our Club Leader Assistant's Cats!

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Simple things you can do to take care of yourself

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Simple things you can do to take care of yourself

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Hear from the President of Active Minds, Brittany Boetticher and how she practices self care

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A Ten Minute Guided Meditation to Clear Your Mind

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LET GO of Anxiety, Fear & Worries: A GUIDED MEDITATION ➤ Harmony, Inner Peace & Emotional Healing

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15 Minute Meditation for Positive Energy (Energy Clearing)

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Some general guidelines for walking a labyrinth are:

1. Focus: Pause and wait at the entrance. Become quiet and centered. Give acknowledgment through a bow, nod, or other gesture and then enter.

2. Experience: Walk purposefully. Observe the process. When you reach the center, stay there and focus for several moments. Leave when it seems appropriate. Be attentive on the way out.

3. Exit: Turn and face the entrance. Give an acknowledgement of ending. (a nod, bow, smile, breath)

4. Reflect: After walking the labyrinth reflect back on your experience. Use journaling or drawing to capture your experience.

5. Walk often.

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Addition resources for walking the labyrinth 

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Addition resources for walking the labyrinth 

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Labyrinth walking is an ancient practice used by many different faiths for spiritual centering, contemplation, and prayer. Entering the serpentine path of a labyrinth, you walk slowly while quieting your mind and focusing on a spiritual question or prayer.

What Is a Labyrinth?

A labyrinth is not a maze. It has only one path to the center and back out, which is called unicursal (one line). It has no blind alleys or dead ends as mazes have. The path twists and turns back on itself many times before reaching the center. Once at the center, there is only one way back out.

Labyrinth images are found in many cultures. The term is of ancient Greek origin and the labyrinth in the palace of Knossos in Crete figures in Greek mythology. It is found in Hindu and Hopi images, among many others.

In Christian usage, a labyrinth was constructed in stone in the floor of Chartres Cathedral near Paris, around the year 1200 A.D. The faithful could make a pilgrimage journey to the cathedral and complete it by walking the labyrinth as the final symbol of a journey to the Holy Land.

It was also used as an act of repentance for sins. The penitent might walk it on their knees. Labyrinths are found in many Gothic cathedrals throughout Europe.

How to Walk a Labyrinth

Today, there is no set ritual for walking a labyrinth, but there are books and lectures to assist you in performing a labyrinth walk. The basic advice is to enter the labyrinth slowly, calming and clearing your mind. This may be done by repeating a prayer or chant.

Reaching the center, pause to reflect, pray, and listen for an answer or for deeper revelation. Now begin the return journey. Pray or reflect further. Upon exiting, absorb the experience with continued reflection, prayer, or journaling.

Experiences to Expect

Walking a labyrinth in this way can be surprisingly calming and clarifying for your thoughts. Even if you don't have a spiritual side, the slow, intentional walking in a quiet place on a set path allows for a level of focus that can be difficult to find in a busy life.

The path of the traditional Chartres design weaves back and forth, but also takes the walker seemingly close to the destination at the center, then sends you off on many more zig-zags away before you once again appear to be nearing the center. This can bring to mind expectations about goals and how unexpected tangents can appear in life.

If there are others walking the labyrinth, you'll at times approach them on your path and then be sent farther away. This can bring to mind how people enter and leave your life.

Where to Find Labyrinths

Labyrinths are most often found on church grounds and spiritual retreat centers. The World-Wide Labyrinth Locator allows you to search by country, city, state, and zip code. The listings include descriptions, directions, open hours, and photos.

You can create your own temporary labyrinth by using a basic labyrinth pattern and laying out stones, sticks, or drawing it in the sand. More permanent labyrinths are created with garden paths, plantings, and rock work.

The Labyrinth Society lists upcoming labyrinth seminars, group walks and lectures throughout the US. There may be a local labyrinth club in your area. The spiritual season of Lent, preceding Easter, is often a time when churches host labyrinth walks and lectures. Search for labyrinths in your area and see if any of them are hosting such events.

The book Walking a Sacred Path, by Dr. Lauren Artress can help you understand more about labyrinths. The author lectures widely on labyrinths and labyrinth walking. She explores the history and significance of the image of the labyrinth and explains how you can use it to lead yourself to new sources of wisdom, change, and renewal.

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The Spiritual and Mental Health Benefits of Walking a Labyrinth

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Labyrinth walking is an ancient practice used by many different faiths for spiritual centering, contemplation, and prayer. Entering the serpentine path of a labyrinth, you walk slowly while quieting your mind and focusing on a spiritual question or prayer. A labyrinth is not a maze.

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Learn about the practice of forest therapy. Something you can do right in the forest of Drews campus!

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Get Started with Forest Therapy - Starter Kit 1

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Instructions on how to do Forest Therapy!

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Instructions on how to do Forest Therapy!

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Click here to find instructions on how to practice forest therapy.

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Follow along with Katie to complete this quick breathing exercise! Good for when you are feeling stressed and need some calm.

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Keeper is a six-year-old mixed breed who loves to walk, play with other dogs, and bask in the sun.

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Check out Dons blog for videos and tips on Tai-Chi

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Hello, everybody!

This weblog is here to support students associated with

This site is designed to allow my students to leisurely view (and review) the information presented during class. The "Blog Contents" bar at the right lists the various forms and exercises , along with other pertinent articles and information. I will provide links to material that I consider important, and, once I figure out how it works, add pictures, maybe even videos to the blog. It's easy to "Copy and Paste" the information, and you're free to do so. You can also read the contents into a hand-held recording device for on-the-spot self-instruction.
Please realize that I don't intend to become a major resource for information regarding the study and practice of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, as the internet is FULL of resources from people considerably more qualified than am I. I expect to add articles, links, and other information derived from identified sources, and, sometimes, provide my own slant on particular information.

Here's my first link. It's a GREAT article, outlining many aspects of the medical benefits of T'ai Chi, published by Harvard Med, no less. Read it, you'll like it.

Harvard Medical School/Benefits of T'ai Chi

Harvard Medical School/5 Best Exercises You Can Do

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This weblog is here to support students associated with This site is designed to allow my students to leisurely view (and review) the information presented during class. The "Blog Contents" bar at the right lists the various forms and exercises , along with other pertinent articles and information.

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Check out the resources below to learn about yoga and some poses you can try at home

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It’s time to roll out your yoga mat and discover the combination of physical and mental exercises that for thousands of years have hooked yoga practitioners around the globe. The beauty of yoga is that you don’t have to be a yogi or yogini to reap the benefits. Whether you are young or old, overwei…

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Check out the link below to learn about some yoga poses, classes, and yoga resources.

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How are you reading this article? I don't mean are you using your phone or your laptop. What I mean is, observe the position of your body as you read. Are you sitting or standing? Are you lying down? Are you holding whatever device you're using? Where are your arms? What are your neck and head doing?

When we pay attention to how we spend our days, we start to notice that we're often leaning, reaching, bending, and otherwise moving forward in space. We reach our arms forward to text, to drive, to cook, to shake hands (when we still do that!). We move our legs forward when we walk, run, climb stairs, even as we sit in a chair.

Here's the problem with that: The human body is designed to be mobile in various directions. You might recall that saying, "If you don't use it, you'll lose it." It's true when it comes to our bodies, which become flexible in the places where they are used the most and resist movement where they are used the least. This can lead to the stiffening of some joints and the overuse of others. Or muscles overdeveloping on one side and remaining underdeveloped on the other. Quite simply, we need to move in an array of ways each day to keep our bodies moving as they were designed.

(Photo: Getty Images) The three anatomical planes of movement

The predominant place of contemporary living, which takes us into forward motion, is actually just one of three primary planes in which our body is able to-and needs to-move each day: the sagittal (front and back motion), coronal (side-to-side movement), and transverse (twisting action) planes. It's not just the body in its entirety that moves in these planes. Individual body parts-arms, legs, neck, back, knees-move in these manners as well.

As you go about your everyday movement and your yoga practice, observe what plane you spend the most time in, and which you spend the least. The latter is where your work lies. Following are several ways we move our bodies in our everyday lives, including in our yoga practice. Notice any that you tend to not engage in regularly? You know what you need to do about that.

(Photo: Andrew Clark) Sagittal plane

The sagittal plane comprises forward and backward movements. This can take the shape of either flexion-decreasing the angle of a joint, as in bending your front hip and knee in High Lunge-or extension, which is increasing the angle of a joint, as in the straightening of the back leg in both hip and knee.

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How are you reading this article? I don't mean are you using your phone or your laptop. What I mean is, observe the position of your body as you read. Are you sitting or standing? Are you lying down? Are you holding whatever device you're using?

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20 min Full Body STRETCH/YOGA for STRESS & ANXIETY Relief

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10 min Morning Yoga Full Body Stretch - Yoga with Kassandra

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Yoga For A Fresh Start  |  Full At-Home Yoga Practice

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Maggie, short for Magnolia Mae. She is a rescue cat, and she loves to play with hair ties and pipe cleaners. She also loves to snuggle, and nap on my windowsill in the sun.

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Patrick is a Fox Hound/Labrador Retriever Mix. His favorite activities are eating, going for walks, and barking. A fun fact about Patrick is he is afraid of hula hoops

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Stash is another one of Kayla's cats. He loves to meow and crash zoom meetings. You will always find him by Kayla's side! One of his favorite activities is hiding under blankets or in laundry baskets!

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Luma is a West Highland White Terrier. She loves playing tag with me, where we run around the house. She is really my bundle of joy and takes out from me my most genuine laughs.

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Thomas is one of a kind. He is a buff colored tabby that we rescued from a shelter in 2011. Thomas is my miracle cat because around 6 years ago he ran away and we couldn't find him for 3 days. Turns out he was injured and in really rough shape, hiding under my deck . The vet said he was likely hit by a car which shattered his sinus cavity, split his bottom jaw in half, and lacerated his cornea leaving him blind in his left eye. He miraculously recovered after a major jaw surgery and lives for treats, cat nip plants, sunbathing, and his bestie Sophie (my other cat). Thomas's hobbies include breaking into cat treat containers, finding elevated surfaces, making ANY sized box his home, and cuddling with his family. He has rightfully earned his diploma from Drew University as he has made many appearances in my classes and professional development workshops. He has many quirks, but the most notable are his 'rattle tail' he shakes when he is excited and screech owl impersonation he performs at 3am in my hallway.

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This is Peaches; she is a cavapoochon which is a mix of a bichon, poodle, and cavalier spaniel. She loves being the center of attention, taking hikes, playing in the snow, and taking naps. She also loves to eat vegetables and some fruits, carrots being her favorite.

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Enzo is roughly 8 months old and he is a complete mutt. We rescued him over winter break, he was born and abdonded in South Carolina with his 4 sisters before coming to Jersey. He absolutely loves sticks and his favorite toy, a little sheep that squeaks. Enzo also loves being in my zoom classes, he's known for making his appearances or saying hi in the middle of my presentations.

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Brooklyn Rose is a family dog. Her nickname is Bean or Brookaleanie. She is a Yorkie and she was adopted during quarantine, so she unfortunately developed the quarantine pet separation anxiety. She is quite feisty as she loves to play fetch and tug of war. She brings so much joy to me and my family, and I'm sure my classmates will miss her zoombombing.