Mental Oasis

18/04/2023

The energetic experience of feeling discouraged or drained is common to all human beings - our energy can feel like a VERY finite resource at times. Take a moment with today's episode to connect to inner reserves of compassion and to the collective emotional experience in order to replenish energy and feel restored.

The energetic experience of feeling discouraged or drained is common to all human beings - our energy can feel like a VERY finite resource at times. Take a moment with today's episode to connect to inner reserves of compassion and to the collective emotional experience in order to replenish energy a...

19/10/2022

What does self-care mean to you? For me, getting out in green spaces around the city - even just for a few minutes here or there - is so restorative. Share with us in the comments!

19/10/2022

The latest episode of Mental Oasis dropped earlier this morning! In the episode we reflect on what it means to truly to take care of ourselves, to orient our mindset around prioritizing recharging our energy, rather than blindly pushing through the days. Join us here! https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/

21/09/2022

I’m so honored to be featured by the Center for Parental Leave leadership and also to be embarking on this exciting and timely extension to my practice!

We’re pleased to introduce you to the first cohort of Certified RETAIN Parental Leave Coaches. Meet Christine Forte Klotz, PsyD, and now R-PLC! Mental Oasis

Christine is a therapist and coach who specializes in the treatment of anxiety, post traumatic stress, and issues related to family and parenting. She opened her private practice 12 years ago in Shanghai, China, after several years of studying and teaching around the world. She is now based in Brooklyn, New York but is still active globally.

Christine has worked extensively with new parents and those preparing to become parents. Her doctoral research was on American women becoming mothers while living in Shanghai, China and as a mother of two herself she has become passionate about better serving the needs of parents and those seeking a greater balance between work and home life. As such, in addition to her work as a therapist she also offers coaching for the transition to both becoming a parent and then to becoming a working parent.

Christine holds a doctorate in psychology, a master’s degree in counseling and human development. She is a Certified RETAIN Parental Leave Coach through the Center for Parental Leave Leadership, a certified EMDR therapist, and has many years of experience as a hypnotherapist. She is the former president of the Shanghai Mental Health Association, a published writer and hosts a popular podcast, Mental Oasis.

Christine has lived in Shanghai, Milan, Budapest and is now based in New York. To date, she has worked with clients from more than 35 countries and is passionate about truly understanding the unique journey of each person that she works with and the ways that together they can find the most helpful path forward.

We’re thrilled for what’s to come, including the next cohort of the certification program that just launched!

13/10/2021

Live tomorrow! Season 2 of Mental Oasis. Looking forward to sharing with you all once again.

02/12/2020

Ready to meditate? Podcast Wellness Week is live in one hour! Chel Hamilton Meditation Minis , Christine Forte Klotz Mental Oasis , and Teresa McKee Work2Live Well come together for a panel on the benefits of meditation! Don't forget to register so you can tune in to this panel for free!

https://bit.ly/2HzxZiA

17/11/2020

Join me for Podcast Wellness Week! I'll be presenting as a panelist on Dec. 2nd at 10am PST - Meditation, the Monkey Mind and the Benefits of Disconnecting from Thoughts.

Get your tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/podcast-wellness-week-tickets-123166346859?aff=MENTALOASIS

Podcast Wellness Week is 5 days of live-streamed podcasts with exclusive episodes and daily meditations from podcasters and shows you love!

29/10/2020

New episode live this morning!
Join me in examining the stories that we tell ourselves about the future and how we can get all tied up in them.
https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/future-knots/

In today’s episode we explore the ways we can get ourselves all tied up in knots wondering or worrying about the future. Of course as we’ve covered in previous episodes, some thought about the future is important: its useful for planning or for preventing ...

16/07/2020

Judgment of ourselves, of our bodies, can be a painful obstacle to being free to truly be in the present, to be accepting of ourselves, and also be fully open to those around us.

In this week's episode of Mental Oasis I invite you to join me in a meditation of gratitude for the body, for all of the ways that it is amazing and strong, for all of the things it can do. Our relationship with our bodies is such an important part of well-being and self-care.



https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/body-gratitude/

Judgment of ourselves, of our bodies, can be a painful obstacle to being free to truly be in the present, to be accepting of ourselves, and also be fully open to those around us. And so in today’s episode I invite you to join me in a meditation of gratitud...

10/07/2020

In this week's episode of Mental Oasis I guide listeners in a meditation for restoring energy after the fatigue that can follow the stress of the last weeks and months. Join me!


https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/restoration-form-fatigue/

Fatigue is a natural response to the series of stresses and anxieties that we have experienced over the last months. Many of us may feel drained right now, and perhaps at a loss on how to recharge from this emotional burn out. Physical rest is an important...

02/07/2020

With so much going on in the world there is a lot demanding our time, attention, our emotions. All of this can make it hard to focus on or feel like we have any energy left for the day to day things that need our attention: for our work, our families, taking care of our homes, taking care of ourselves.

In this episode's meditation we bring our awareness to that in our lives which may need our focused attention right now. This isn’t to say that the current crises don’t merit our attention; certainly they do, but the idea is to awaken mindful and deliberate intention about where we are focusing. Whether that is on current crises, or personal healing, or grief or your job, or something else entirely is up to.

The direction of your attention is your own intuitive choice, rather, I am inviting you to join me in making sure that we actually make that choice, rather than having it made for us by influences outside ourselves.



https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/mindful-intention/

With so much going on in the world there is a lot demanding our time, attention, our emotions. All of this can make it hard to focus on or feel like we have any energy left for the day to day things that need our attention: for our work, our families, taki...

25/06/2020

Join me for this week's episode - bringing empowerment to understanding your emotions - and being able to breathe through them! In this episode's meditation we notice where in the body we store our frustration, and work on acknowledging and extending compassion to it.

Frustration can be understood to be a sense of distress or annoyance at being unable to change or achieve something. For many of us, this is the very definition of how our situation feels right now. In a time of stress, what might normally be defined as a small frustration may no longer feel small at all, but instead it can loom in our minds as a major source of aggravation that we keep returning to again and again.
Special thanks to DJ Charp for the background track!


https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/breathing-through-frustration/

Frustration can be understood to be a sense of distress or annoyance at being unable to change or achieve something. For many of us, this is the very definition of how our situation feels right now. In a time of stress, what might normally be defined as a ...

22/06/2020

WifeMotherLeader is a podcast that provides inspiration and practical advice on how to successfully integrate the roles of wife, mother, and leader in today's hectic and stressful world.

I was so honored to be interviewed by the host, Donielle Buie on how we can make meditation a part of our daily routines. You can find the episode here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wifemotherleader-podcast/id1017189732

18/06/2020

This week's episode allows for a moment to reflect on cultivating presence: being fully where we are. Over the last months of crisis, many of us may have sought refuge and escape away from our present realities. Being distracted or disconnected from the present moment is a natural mental ability: and in fact one that can be protective from becoming too consumed by stress during difficult times.

However, when we are too detached or distant from the present, it can take a toll on our relationships, we can miss out on truly experiencing important things that are happening from our lives, and it can lead to us being blindsided by sudden waves of emotion we hadn’t been aware were building.

In today’s guided meditation, I invite you to join me in focusing on being present wherever you are. Truly breathing deeply into this moment and connecting with whatever is.

Thank you so much for listening and being a part of the Mental Oasis community. If you found this episode helpful, please do subscribe and leave a review.

For more information, look for Mental Oasis on Facebook or go to www.forteklotz.com

Thanks to DJ Charp for the music

https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/be-where-you-are-1592348657/

In today’s episode I’d like to take a moment to reflect on cultivating presence: being fully where we are. Over the last months of crisis, many of us may have sought refuge and escape away from our present realities. Being distracted or disconnected from t...

11/06/2020

This week's Mental Oasis episode is now live. Join me for a guided meditation on Grounding. Available on podbean and apple.
Grounding is a reflective practice through which we connect ourselves energetically to the earth and to our bodies. It allows us to be more present, to feel more rooted in ourselves, to feel that we have a solid foundation beneath us. This can be important to restoring our energy during trying times or to deal with waves of emotion.
It is from a place of being grounded that new ideas can blossom within us, that new energy can come forward and we are able to grow. In this episode we practice a guided meditation to better ground ourselves.
For more information about Christine Forte:
forteklotz.com
If you found this episode helpful, please leave a review or subscribe. Thank you so much for being part of the Mental Oasis community!
https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/grounding-1591733712/

Grounding is a reflective practice through which we connect ourselves energetically to the earth and to our bodies. It allows us to be more present, to feel more rooted in ourselves, to feel that we have a solid foundation beneath us. This can be important...

10/06/2020

This is a painful time in our society and communities, full of fear and anxiety and disconnection. As human beings we need each other, we need to feel connected, to support one another and to feel that we are supported.

Part of our purpose as humans is to have this connection, to relate to one another, to ensure the survival of our communities and societies. Now is a moment to embrace this purpose fully and find meaning in it.

The foundation of having true compassion for others is having compassion for ourselves as imperfect, at times struggling, but also trying to improve and grow. We then can begin to radiate this compassion outwards towards others, those around us, those in our communities, those in the world as a whole.
https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/heart-of-compassion/

This is a painful time in our society and communities, full of fear and anxiety and disconnection. As human beings we need each other, we need to feel connected, to support one another and to feel that we are supported. Part of our purpose as humans is to ...

10/06/2020

If we're really honest with ourselves, we all have many questions about our lives and about the future. What if, instead of demanding immediate answers, we could learn to love the questions, to have patience with them in order to give time and space for clarity to naturally unfold in our lives?

https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/loving-the-questions-and-living-everything/

If we're really honest with ourselves, we all have many questions about our lives and about the future. What if, instead of demanding immediate answers, we could learn to love the questions, to have patience with them in order to give time and space for cl...

10/06/2020

Anyone who’s ever had a dream or set a goal for themselves has likely also had the experience of being unsure how to move towards that goal, or at some point feeling that they were procrastinating taking what they thought were the necessary next steps. We may know what we want to have happen, to be able to see the future picture, and yet the path towards it feels unclear or we find that we are feeling stuck.

In this episode we reflect on how to shift our attention towards a sense of expansiveness of what could be, of possibilities and then channeling the inspiration that comes from that so that we can feel new energy towards figuring out next steps.

https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/moving-in-the-direction-of-our-dreams/

Anyone who’s ever had a dream or set a goal for themselves has likely also had the experience of being unsure how to move towards that goal, or at some point feeling that they were procrastinating taking what they thought were the necessary next steps. We ...

10/06/2020

Passing judgment on the choices of others is one of the extensions of our human critical thinking mind. But it can stand as a block in our relationships, make it difficult for us to be open and warm towards others, and also can create blocks within ourselves. When judgment is directed towards ourselves it can become even further painful as we struggle against ourselves instead of working towards loving and accepting ourselves.
https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/e/processing-judgment-softening-the-gaze-through-which-we-see/
In today's episode we reflect on how judgment is a part of our current mental landscape and how to work on releasing the judgments that we hold against ourselves and others and instead soften our gaze.

Passing judgment on the choices of others is one of the extensions of our human critical thinking mind. But it can stand as a block in our relationships, make it difficult for us to be open and warm towards others, and also can create blocks within ourselv...

04/06/2020

I thought a lot about what to share in this week's podcast episode. Originally I had scheduled an episode about clearing frustration but I decided to postpone, because I didn't want to give the sense that I was discounting in any way the very rightful reasons to be angry about abuses that have taken place in our society.

So then I thought about what do people need the most right now? But the answer to that question is too large for me to cover in a simple guided meditation, and I certainly don't feel that it's an answer I have. As a therapist and coach I am used to working only at the individual level. In terms of how to change systemic wrongs I bring only my beginner's mind and a willingness to listen. And so I decided that an episode about love and compassion could be something that I could give right now, in the hopes that it would be useful and restorative to someone.

I'm not suggesting that love and compassion are any sort of replacement for the systemic changes that are needed, but I thought for today, for this moment, it could be a place to start.


https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mental-oasis/id1509316254

‎Mental Health · 2020

29/05/2020

Welcome to the Mental Oasis Podcast page. Thank you so much for joining this community, it is my hope that this podcast can bring encouragement and a recharge of energy to listeners.
You can find it on apple at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mental-oasis/id1509316254
Or podbean:
https://mentaloasis.podbean.com/

In need of respite and mental re-hydration during your day? Christine Forte delivers brief and straightforward strategies for finding inpsiration, calm, new energy and focus where it's needed. More information about Christine and her practice can be found...