In a recent yoga class, my teacher got on the topic of samskaras. So far as I understand, samskaras are generally defined as impressions that influence our actions. These impressions might be formed from our pasts, experiences we’ve had early on that have conditioned us to behave a certain way. I’m used to conceptualizing samskaras as negative things. To me, they’ve always seemed to be akin to a lot of the entrenched patterns that one might try to identify, understand, and transform in…

I found out earlier this week that two neighbors whom I’ve become close to in my new(ish) building may be moving in a few months. This is a natural ebb and flow of city life. When people rent, they come and they go, moving on to other units. This is especially true of couples in their late twenties or early thirties who are working their way toward more permanent settings, which my neighbors are. The news that I might have some new neighbors…

I didn’t spring forward, as invited by the clocks, this morning. I slept an hour later than usual, which made sense, given the time change. From there, I had an unusually unstructured Sunday morning. Instead of panicking about laundry, cleaning, and writing this post—my regular Sunday responsibilities—I lay in bed for a while. I read (for fun, not for work) over my coffee. I made a batch of my favorite savory turmeric chickpea oats and spent a little time planning for the week…

Before I left town just over a week ago, a friend of mine asked me if I had a travel itinerary. The part of me that likes the idea of being a go-with-the-flow person wanted to respond “NO,” but the answer was of course a sheepish “yeah, kind of.” I’d already made dinner reservations, and there may or may not have been a page or two in Notion devoted to planning. I hadn’t overbooked myself, but I knew what I wanted to see…

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week begins tomorrow. I post less in honor of this week than I used to; now that I work with eating disorders, it’s nice for me to have some space from them in my down time. But I do want to mention that I recently read Arthur Brooks’ book From Strength to Strength, and its message got me thinking about ED recovery. The book is aimed at strivers and high achievers who are entering the second half of their…

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I don’t always enjoy cooking. Sometimes—and these times can last for weeks or even months—I really dread it. I remember saying this to a good friend who’s an accomplished cookbook author and used to work in kitchens. She could sympathize, but she told me that she never really cringes at the thought of preparing dinner in the same way that I do. I’ve spent weekends at her home, with her family, and I’ve seen this…

On Friday, I had the honor of presenting at the National Kidney Foundation’s Greater NY’s 2023 Symposium. The theme of the Symposium was “Exploring New Approaches in the Kidney Care Landscape.” My presentation was titled “Toward a New Understanding of Plant-Based Diet and CKD.” If your life has not been touched in some way by CKD—short for chronic kidney disease—then it likely will be. As of 2021, CKD affected more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults, or an estimated 37 million Americans. Because…