Years ago I had a boyfriend that would say things like "I don't need to go see the sunset I've seen it a ton of times". He definitely had a "been there done that" attitude about life can you tell? Today, I'm fairly certain that same guy would comment "I don't do meditation, I tried it and it doesn't work for me". If I had a conversation with him today I would ask - What is the "it" and what is your definition of "work for me"?

Each day provides a new angle on the sun, each day provides a new perspective on life. No two sunsets are exactly alike, no two moments are identical. Most of us have learned that experiences can not be replicated EXACTLY, no matter how hard we may try.  When we try to replicate an experience, the result can be for the better or for the worse. It is usually worth the gamble to try for improvement if something did not work out so well the first time.

How many types of meditation are there? I'm not sure an exact number can be given. All over the world people are practicing meditations they have learned from prior generations or current teachers and at the same time others are developing new and innovative ways of meditating. Just like life - the diversity is astounding. Change and growth are ongoing.

What is it that you want from meditation? How do you determine if it "works for you"? Peace, relaxation, relief of anxiety, connection with prior lives, igniting libido, removing false beliefs, connecting with departed loved ones - these are some of the goals people may have in mind when they begin to meditate. No matter our initial intention, most often we can be surprised by the gifts of insight we receive. Usually thoughts will come to us that we may not have previously considered.

I often advise students to remove all preconceived ideas about what meditation is and ask that they refrain from having any expectations. We don't want to set ourselves up for disappointment, that very disappointment may in fact serve as a block for deeper meaning. In fact, for deeper meditations we do a little pre-meditation first to clear our slate as much as possible (I'll talk about this more another time). 

In this article, I'd like to outline some of the types of meditation that I offer. I hope that my descriptions will open your mind to new possibilities.  I hope that perhaps you will consider trying some of these styles in your life at some point. 

MEDITATION POSSIBILITIES

1. CHAKRA DYANA MEDITATION:    Students will be introduced to an ancient chanting meditation known as Chakra Dyana. They will be guided through the first 7 chakras and learn how to use the vibration of their own voice to activate and balance their own energy.  The room will get LOUD. It is an amazing experience. Chakra Dyana is designed to empower and connect you with your highest self. Access your untapped energy by using the powerful vibration of your own voice in unity with those around you. Participation is encouraged. Don't worry no one in the room is listening to YOU they are focusing on their own voice. 
2. MINDFULNESS MEDITATION/BODY SCAN - Focusing on the simplest things in life can be immensely rewarding. During this class participants will be guided through a body scan technique designed to help them connect more fully with their physical body, by feeling the physical we can appreciate the ethereal on a deeper level. Every cell in your body contains energy, come relax and harness it in a unique setting.​
3. SOUND THERAPY - During this class participants will have the opportunity to feel the healing energy of sound bowls. The vibration from the bowls will course through them after a guided meditation designed to help them connect with their deepest, highest self.
4. EXPLORATORY MEDITATION - The focus of this class will be to investigate what YOUR unique connection with energy is. We will discuss how we relate to the elements, how we process spiritual awareness, we will generally  discuss different types of meditation and breathing techniques that may resonate in different ways. We will be using gentle movement on occasion in this class in order to investigate the incredible way our physical body supports and enhances our spiritual journey.
5. LAUGHING MEDITATION - In this class you are invited to release all of your stress in a safe, encouraging environment. Integration of humor into our meditation practice is a powerful tool. Incorporating laughter into our day is so necessary. Sometimes, life can seem so serious. Who better to laugh at than ourselves? Caution: everyone’s idea of what is funny can vary, sometimes no one even needs to know what you are laughing about. Just hearing others can lift your energy. Let your mind go and indulge yourself.
6. WRITING MEDITATION - What a gift to give yourself the time to meditate and then sit in silent contemplation and allow your soul to spill out onto paper. Bring a journal and an open heart to receive guidance, take the time to record your insights while they are fresh.
7. INTENTION SETTING MEDITATION - Each week a new spiritual teaching will be revealed, briefly discussed and a beautiful new intention will be set. A meditation will be offered to help deepen our understanding of the teaching and help us integrate the teaching into our everyday lives.​

Please feel free to comment on this article or get in touch through any of the social media platforms that STRONG BODY STRONG SOUL can be found.

I invite you to watch me describe these meditations if you are curious 

​Thank you so very much for stopping by this page. Have a beautiful day and please stay open to new perspectives, new views of the sun and new views on life.
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Welcome to the STRONG BODY STRONG SOUL blog.

Yes, it has been awhile since I've posted and since it's a Wednesday right now (well I hope you enjoy this article even if it isn't a Wedsneday) I'm just giving you a heads up I'm kind of silly on Wednesdays. In fact, on the STRONG BODY STRONG SOUL show (the podcast that I host) it's officially called Wacky Wednesday. Here we go...

Last night I was playing a funny song, a fun gift of a message from a listener of the Strong Body Strong Soul podcast. One of my daughter’s friends was in the car, she was so excited about this cool freestyle beat from my friend PDE in Alaska. She loved it!
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Usually, I'm sharing about inspirational sometimes spiritual content but on occasion I get a little silly. That’s right!!! Check out some of the Strong Body Strong Soul show. I’m NOT a vegan but I love them anyway (especially my friend at the end of this article).

​No! this isn’t my Eco Vegan Activist friend holding the sign but I’m sure she’ll love it, don’t be a chicken and just admit you are laughing…….let me get back to those teens…my daughter’s friend (14 years old) wants to find my show and listen on Applepodcasts. She thinks I’m hilarious!!! 🥰

Miyoko is a long time mom friend, former stripper, Playboy Radio host, Intimacy Expert, foodie, spiritual practitioner etc .

Don’t worry the interview that will be released soon is PG13 (I try to keep the teen audience in mind 😜). One of the insights from that conversation that I love the most…

Talk about sex as often as you can, NOT just during “the talk”.

Don’t be a chicken 🐔🤣

If you are interested in the YouTube video of this interview here's a sneak peak https://youtu.be/8LBOPca7qWs

When I interviewed Conrad Ercolono about the energy of martial arts he was so inspiring (as always).
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We talked about bullying, working with special needs and other amazing subjects but his advice to parents — keep talking, even if it seems they aren’t listening it IS sinking in.
Master Ercolono and I also talked about the reality that kids sometimes need to hear information from a source other than their parents. A different perspective, a different voice, a different energy.

Letting go of ego…so important, so challenging. If curious here is that interview on YouTube https://youtu.be/VMSEQfMEYL8

Be prudent who you allow your kids to interact with, trust they will figure it out and they know you have their back when they return.

BUT ….
also let go and allow your kids to evolve in their own way. You won’t be able to control all of the influences they will be exposed to throughout their lives. Seems a no brainer but many parents forget this.

Prepare kids to handle the real world-letting go so they CAN grow is essential.

Don’t be a chicken 🐔🤣

That being said — if your kid listens to my podcast show, follows me on Instagram or YouTube or is driving in my car — please forgive me if they get some info that you may not have discussed with them first.

But…
Don’t be a chicken 🐔🤣

I remember one time a friend picked up her child from my house. Later she commented “oh great, now they are asking me about God” 🤦‍♀️.

I hope some of what I talk about DOES help them ask you questions. That’s the point!

Recently in carpool I was telling the kids about Greta Thunberg (16 year old Nobel Peace Prize nominee from Sweden). Everyone doesn't necessarily know who she is, but let's face it, the more we talk about her and what she's talking about the clear we become in our own beliefs.

Whether you feel vegan activism is ridiculous or you are in the streets in your city marching to raise awareness about climate change-thanks for having an open mind! Compassion, inclusion, diversity — let’s help make the world a better place.

Please feel free to watch the latest interview with Paige Parsons Roache. “Eco Vegan Activism-What’s That?” on Youtube and soon to be on the podcast.
Environmental and Vegan Activists collaborating in a powerful way-it’s happening!
Awareness is key. If you are a parent it’s wise to prepare — you never know if your child is going to come home asking about veganism, birth control, bullying or any variety of topics.

Don’t be a chicken 🐔

It’s also key to be aware that sometimes the truth can spring forth from surprising sources. Don’t discount the ideas of that 16 year old from Sweden, don’t discount the value of ideas coming through people you may have known your whole life.

Maybe your mom was right — even though she’s so embarrassingly funny perhaps what she’s saying makes sense. Perhaps it’s ok to allow myself to fully embrace who I am.
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I am not perfect, I am me WITH all my ranges. No one else’s ranges.
MY RANGES, free range ME!
Don’t be a chicken 🐔
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Wanna hear the awesome freestyle I was playing in the car? Tune in to today’s podcast episode 🎧👉🏼 https://anchor.fm/maria-humphreys/episodes/Sad--Animals-in-the-Bedroom-e44jla 

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Today I am not afraid to indulge in all of the different aspects that the buffet of life has to offer me.
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I teach my kids so often to choose a variety of food, a variety of colors and a variety of textures on their plates.

A variety in ways of THINKING is essential as well BUT let's get back to the food.

Some of the best times in my life when I have lost the most weight or felt the most healthy have been when I have varied my diet. Whether I was mixing together Weight Watcher's, Atkin's or the South Beach Diet--I picked and chose what worked for MY body. I needed to trust my own physiology.  Just like everyone, I am completely unique.

​In life everyone is special and unique. As much as there may be dieting and nutrition gurus out there, I am the best guru for my own body. My health, my body will guide me. 

If I don't feel good, I will examine how to adjust my diet.

The same is true with what I consume in politics, religion and in community. I need the variety of everyone's different perspectives. It helps me grow to expose myself to things that I may not have tried before, things that I may have considered ICKY in my past.

It's so important to grow and mature and admit that not only do you need to eat your vegetables but they actually may not be as bad you thought. Those thoughts that you may have considered CRAZY in the past may actually have some merit.

Just because some ideas may be coming from someone we don't like doesn't mean we shouldn't listen, maybe we shouldn't so easily dismiss alternate ways of thinking. Maybe we should really examine whether their ideas may actually help us and the community around us.

Diversity, variety, compassion, authenticity, honesty...in what you eat, in what you think, in what you ALLOW into your life.

Grow, by admitting that Variety is necessary.

​No matter how out of focus life around you may seem...you have the power to center and choose where you want to aim your intentions. Your energy can sometimes be scattered to far too many worries. You may feel depleted, overloaded, incapable of keeping up with all that life is asking of you. Well, that is the way I am feeling right now.

Talk about scattered - I just realized that it has been over a year since I posted on this website.

Hello! Here I am...last night was another lunar eclipse - it is now January 2019. I wrote the words below a few months ago but did not finish and post.....here you go...

It is the beginning of August right now. We just experienced a lunar eclipse, mercury is in retrograde, the planets are causing energy to pull us in odd directions. I am not going to evaluate the planetary shifts that are happening here. Sometimes it really doesn't matter the cause of our unease. Well, it helps a little to know there is an external reason BUT mostly it helps to know that I'm NOT the only one experiencing fluctuations in energy.

It is now January - If you are interested in learning about my tool, my saving grace, my go to in times of imbalance please come back for a future more detailed article soon. I will share details of the Chakra Dyana meditation that I teach in local workshops.  In this new year I plan to provide more helpful content here for you.

I will also share my perspective on how organized religion can still have great value. Soon we will be in the Easter Season. Feel free to review the prior posts on this blog for insights on religion and spirituality.

​Truth never expires but we grow and change enveloped in our common human experience - no matter your religious traditions, color of your skin, location on the planet or financial background - we are all connected!! Compassion, diversity, respect - leaving a reflection of beauty wherever we go.

For now - in this New Year of 2019 please know you are not alone!!

Everything you consume is a part of who you are! I hope that what I am putting out here on social media will help elevate those that come into contact with my content.


I hope you enjoy one of my newest videos that I'm including here for you. Please feel free to subscribe, comment and share if you enjoy the channel. As is the case on all of my content, I am sharing full range - watch out for the titles and I hope you enjoy the journey watching my technological skills improve.

What have I been busy doing in the last year? Check Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Medium, LinkedIN and my audio show STRONG BODY STRONG SOUL.

Search for STRONG BODY STRONG SOUL on whichever platform you enjoy the most. Sometimes I'm sharing meditation, motivation, sometimes interviews about meditation. Sometimes I'm funny and sometimes I'm profound - always with the intention of raising the vibration of peace and joy in this world.

I love encouraging people to keep their energy flowing so that they can maintain the connection with their core - whether that is in a spiritual/emotional sense or a personal training sense.

​I love using my voice to resonate with people all over the globe and I love being able to train clients via computer all over the globe as well - in either capacity - I am here for YOU!

I love you! Thank you for stopping by this site. I'm looking forward to sharing more here soon.
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I am really getting comfortable and expanding my philosophy of combining the meditation and physical training part of what I do.

I am hoping that the way I explain things to people really gets through to them and helps them gain the clarity they need to figure out how they need to move forward.

Whether it's to mentally get past a physical challenge or an emotional/spiritual one.

Be Brave! Go beyond what you ever imagined yourself doing. Don't let yourself be stagnant in your way of thinking about life. You can go beyond your expectations of yourself!

The other day I was with a friend who is many years older than I am. I noticed, as I often do with this particular friend, that she is scared to do certain things.

She hesitates and takes the long way around in order to avoid certain steps or declines to do certain activities that she deems "dangerous". She has it in her head that she is "old" and is in danger of falling and breaking a bone.

​I try to talk her through movements. I try to encourage her to pick up her feet so that she can clear that obstacle in the parking lot but often she prefers to walk around an uneven area. We all know you can't make someone do something that they don't want to do. 

As a personal trainer, I can help people get physically stronger. But a client will not step up to a challenge unless they have the inner strength to move forward. No matter how great a personal trainer is, the only way training can be successful is if the client is "all in".

If you are at a spot in your life where you'd like to change your outlook, I really encourage you to get outside of your comfort zone. Perhaps meditation could benefit you but only try it if you are really open to it. I'm happy to stick with the physical stuff only if that's what my client is interested in.