by Rona | Aug 23, 2023 | KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
Listen now to About Health–8/28/23
There has been a lot of talk about the Vagus Nerve these days, so I decided to do a show to learn more about how it functions, and how it can help us during times of stress or illness. The vagus nerve is one of the longest and most important of 12 cranial nerves in our bodies, and it connects our brain to our gut, and affects our mood, digestion, heart rate, immune response, and much more.
Join me and my guest Amelia Barili to learn about the Vagus Nerve and ways it can help us respond instead of react and calm ourselves in these challenging times.
Guest
AMELIA BARILI PhD, travelled the world studying ancient traditions on how to develop good health from the inside out. She received her diploma in Yoga Therapy and Philosophy, in 1972, at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute, India. Having also studied the Medical Qigong system with old Chinese masters, Amelia is a pioneer at integrating both wisdom traditions. She has brought these ancient contemplative practices into the academic environment and teaches meditative techniques as tools to overcome stress and foster deep learning. She is an award-winning faculty at UC Berkeley and the Osher LifeLong Learning Institute, where she teaches youth and older adults a systematic embodied mind approach for personal and community transformation. Since March 2020 she has been offering, and continues to offer, free Saturday online classes. The classes integrate Yoga, Qigong, and Neuroscience to teach participants how to work with their nervous system to maintain good health, resilience, and inner strength. She just finished teaching a nine weeks course with Dr. Stephen Porges, at the Polyvagal Institute, on “Embodying Safety: Integrating Yoga, Qigong and Polyvagal Theory.” For more information about Dr. Barili’s work and to join her Saturday classes visit ameliabarili.com and her YouTube channel thenewparadigms.
by Rona | Aug 14, 2020 | KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
Listen now to me and my guest Allison Briscoe-Smith for a discussion about what grandparents and families are dealing with during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
8/17/20, KPFA.org—94.1FM
In the US there are approximately 70 million grandparents, and for too many, physical contact with their young grandchildren has been cut off. Other grandparents have stepped into the role of childcare providers, and some have opened up their homes to their kids and grandkids full time. How has this pandemic changed your role, and how are you dealing with the anxiety, isolation, or exhaustion from all the changes that have occurred?
by Rona | Jul 24, 2020 | KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
This pandemic has brought an unprecedented amount of stress to parents as they figure out how to hold down their jobs while having their kids doing school from home. Unlike people who have chosen to provide their children with homeschooling, most parents want their kids in school with a trained teacher…and out of their hair. But we must all think about what we can do that preserves the loving relationships in the family, and work together to make a plan that accounts for everyone’s needs.
On 7/27/20 my guest was Denise Pope, Ph.D, on KPFA.org radio online—94.1FM
Guest:
Denise Pope, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, where she specializes in student engagement, curriculum studies, qualitative research methods, and service learning. She is co-founder of Challenge Success, a research and intervention project that provides schools and families the tools they need to raise healthy, motivated students. Challenge Success is an expanded version of the SOS: Stressed-Out Students project that Dr. Pope founded and directed from 2003-2008. She is the author of, ”Doing School”: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students, which was awarded Notable Book in Education by the American School Board Journal, 2001, and lead author of ”Overloaded and Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Healthy, Successful Kids.” She also co-hosts the Stanford University SiriusXM radio show called “School’s In.”
Dr. Pope lectures nationally on parenting techniques and pedagogical strategies to increase student health, engagement with learning, and integrity. She is a 3-time recipient of the Stanford University School of Education Outstanding Teacher and Mentor Award and was honored with the 2012 Education Professor of the Year “Educators’ Voice Award” from the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences.
by Rona | Jun 11, 2017 | Announcements, Appearances, KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
Do you recognize how the pressures of life impacts your health and relationships? And do you have ways to decompress?
Many people go at a fast pace, eat on the run, work long hours, and are sleep deprived on a regular basis. Without taking time to tune in to what you’re feeling and what your body needs, you may not realize that you are regularly depleted. Some people get sick, irritable, anxious, or become dependent on substances like caffeine, pain pills, and the internet.
On Monday, June 19th from 2-3PM, on KPFA.org, 94.1FM. My guest Peter Wright discussed the fast-paced lives most people live, and it’s effect on well-being and health.
Guest:
Peter Wright, MFT, is a
Somatic Psychotherapist in private practice in Berkeley and San Francisco. He is also Adjunct Faculty in the Somatics program at the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS), Clinical Supervisor for the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy in San Francisco, and a consultant to clinicians and social service agencies throughout the Bay Area. Many years of personal and professional studies with the founder of Formative Psychology®, Stanley Keleman, has deepened his understanding of Formative Principles, providing the primary frame for his work. Peter has practiced the art of Aikido for over 20 years, a practice that informs his understanding of transition, growth, and relationships.
by Rona | Apr 1, 2016 | Announcements, Appearances, KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
We discussed Anxiety in adults, teens, and children.
social anxiety* panic or agoraphobia* phobias of things such as spiders, needles, or vomiting* excessive worry* separation anxiety* other issues. 
Anxiety can stop you from feeling confident, independent, happy, and fulfilled. Your worry or anxiety can stop you from doing things like being with friends, going on a date, taking your dream job, finishing school, or spending time in nature. With the right kind of help and compassion you can reduce your suffering, enjoy life more, and have better health.
Guest:
Jennifer Shannon has a Masters in Counseling and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has over 30 years of clinical experience. She is the co-founder of the Santa Rosa Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She works with children, teens and adults. She is a cognitive-behavioral therapist specializing in Anxiety Disorders, including Social Anxiety or extreme shyness, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Separation Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and some types of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and insomnia. She is the author of The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens and The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens. Both published by New Harbinger Press.She is a Certified Diplomat of The Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and a member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists and the International OCD Foundation.
