MSI Press Blog

    excerpt from  How to Stay Calm in Chaos by Julie Gentile Introduction How are you? Really, how are you doing? How are you feeling emotionally, physically, spiritually? At the time of this writing, we are living history. Most of the world is under some level of a stay-at-home mandate and/or physical distancing due to a global crisis that has swept the planet. As my 4-year-old daughter has reminded me almost daily since this began, “Everything is closed.” She’s right. These days are different. Parks, schools, libraries, and restaurants are closed. Who would have thought you would have to be aware of how many people will be outside at the same time as you when you go for a walk around the block? The uncertainty during these unusual times can make you feel a range of emotions in the span of a few moments—from helpless and hopeless to overwhelmed and exhausted to disappointed and frustrated to joyful and hopeful—but definitely not calm. This situation is new for everyone...

  Excerpt from How to Stay Calm in Chaos Tuesday Stay Flexible Do you consider yourself flexible? I’ve been teaching yoga on Tuesdays for several years and ever since I began, Tuesdays have reminded me to stay flexible. Not just in the body but in the mind and in the heart.    When some people think about yoga, they think about the movement part of it, but yoga is more of a path than it is about the asanas (poses). Our poses come to life with our breath, and we move so it’s more comfortable than sitting for meditation. [MR1]   The flexibility you learn in yoga extends well beyond the mat. Being flexible in thought and mind can lead to creativity and innovation, helping you transform, reevaluate, and innovate daily routines. Although so many things are closed right now, new possibilities are available if you are open to them. This is the beauty of remaining flexible. Staying flexible also helps you find rhythm and flow. Let this be a friendly little nudge to let you k...

  This week's book back story features How to Stay Calm in Chaos by Julie Gentile. from the author -- Growing up, one of my dreams was to become an author. That dream came true on February 1, 2019, when my first book, 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas , was published. I didn’t know just 18 months later my second book would be born. Inspired by working full-time from home with young children logging into school online during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide . Writing has always been a way for me to organize my thoughts and process my experiences. Accepting that we were living in a pandemic was no different. With the world on lockdown, I continued to persevere for myself and my children, and I did it all with the self-care foundation I built over the last several years. A daily yoga and meditation practice, journaling, and walks in nature were the reasons I was able to support myself mentally and ...

    excerpt from  How to Stay Calm in Chaos  by Julie Gentile Sunday Stay Present At the beginning of a new week, ask yourself, how will you stay present this week? Will you notice tightness in your shoulders or a deep sigh out through your mouth as you exhale?   Paying attention to these little details is an example of staying present. I notice them in me, too. Weekdays blending into weekends, soaring stress levels, anxious thoughts, feeling overwhelmed, scrutinizing every sneeze and sniffle, washing your hands more than you ever have, and going through multiple bottles of hand sanitizer would have anyone’s thoughts spinning. I’m living it, too. There have been a few nights where it took me hours to fall asleep (which hasn’t happened since becoming a mom, until now) because there is too much for my mind to process all at once.   A week before the stay-at-home mandate began where I live, I was driving to and from work, dropping off and picking up kids from...

  When times get tough and everyone has to look out for everyone else -- helping children, older parents, neighbors, and others, the most forgotten person is the self. Yet, taking care of the self can be the single most important thing you do in order to be able to care for all the others who need your help, regardless of your role in their lives or relationship to them. So, start out the week being good to yourself. Here are some books that can help.     Mama, do you find yourself too busy to take good care of yourself? Whatever your situation, you deserve spectacular health and wellness. With Julie M. Gentile as your personal wellness mentor, this book coaches you along your own authentic self-care path. Using 108 writing prompts and self-care practices, including yoga poses, meditations, and breathing exercises, Julie shows you practical ways to live well that only a mama modern would understand. Become the self-care goddess you truly want to be—you’re worth it! A Woma...

  In her column today, Julie Gentile, author of two award-winning books,  108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas  and  How to Stay Calm in Chaos , shares thoughts on self-care exercises to cool and calm during Pitta season . awards 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices IPPY Living Now Bronze Medal Book Excellence Award Finalist How to Stay Calm in Chaos Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards Honorable Mention For more posts about Julie and her award-winning books click  HERE . For more posts about self-care, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)   Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?  We help writers become award-winning published authors. One writer at a time. We are a family, not a factory. Do you have a futur...