The Inspired Work of
Passionate about accessible education and evidence-based wellness, Laura founded The MAPS Institute, an educational wellness editorial and platform. Aside from her passion for research and educating, Laura is a classically trained vocalist, sound therapist, and a practitioner and teacher of Ashtanga and Restorative Yoga. She is the creator of the MAPS (Mindfulness, Activation, Purpose, and Surrender) philosophy and is in continual pursuit of helping her students and herself find balance amid the chaos around and within them. When not sifting through Nature Magazine, complaining about their paywalls, she enjoys trying new wine varietals, experimenting in the kitchen, riding her bicycle (sometimes cross-country), and spending time with her husband Charlie, cockapoo Miles, and expected baby girl, Ella. Click here to follow the MAPS Institute on social media.
In our always-on world, slowing down can feel more than luxurious — it can feel like you’re breaking the rules. But that’s seeing the world upside down. Slowing down and living your life a little less hectically will not only improve your mental and physical health, it will simply bring more joy and pleasure into every moment. Here’s how you can live the slow life.
Studies have found that the negative impacts of being sedentary occur when you consistently spend as few as 8 hours doing activities involving low energy such as sitting, driving, reading, and watching TV — even if you exercise regularly. Which is why as many as 80% of adults may be sedentary! But learning to adopt something called NEAT and creating a movement-orientation in your life may be the key to avoiding the risks of a sedentary lifestyle.
If you struggle with a constant barrage of feelings, thoughts, and sensations interrupting your life, you’re not alone. A little-known practice called NSDR can help and is something you can do daily that will improve your cognitive function, brain plasticity, sleep, and vagal tone. And above all, it will just make you feel better.
More than 56% of people live in an urban environment, and (at least in the US and Europe) spend more than 90% of their lives indoors. As you might imagine, most of that time is spent sedentary, and in front of a screen. The Japanese, however, instituted a simple practice that has shown surprisingly powerful health benefits to counter this trend.
Many of us fail to differentiate between habit and routine — and that’s a problem. We often put these two distinct ideas in one swirling pot, having no idea that doing so may be what causes us to struggle with achieving our goals. Understanding the difference between the two — and using each when appropriate — can make all the difference.
Concentrating on one task, sensation, conversation, or emotion can be challenging. You may not realize it, but the challenge with focus really comes down to one thing. But, of course, it’s not quite that simple because that one thing is actually two — and you can’t really address them directly — but adopting a set of foundational practices can supercharge your focus!
Page [tcb_pagination_current_page] of [tcb_pagination_total_pages]
Join us to get our weekly newsletter, The Practice, for FREE and access to all of our articles, downloadable resources and online programs so you can start building your personal practice of Mindfulness, Activation, Purpose and Surrender and live the authentic, bold, and dynamic life you've always wanted.