Collis and Her Mindful Dinosaurs Come to Tecolote

Third-generation Montecito resident Taran Collis’ passion for wellness and spiritual education runs deep in her family. Her grandmother, June Christensen, taught “Moving Consciously” at Adult Ed and Santa Barbara High School. Her grandfather, Mervin Lane, was an English professor who taught yoga and tai chi at SBCC. Before 2018, Collis, a certified Yoga Therapist and Ayurveda Wellness Counselor, led programs at La Casa de Maria and the Montecito YMCA, moving after the debris flows to teaching yoga and mindfulness in more community-based spaces – including volunteering weekly at Cold Spring School and leading yoga at the YMCA’s preschool. 

It was her experience teaching kids self-regulation pocket practices that inspired Collis to pen a book series about the process – which involves employing physical items and movements as reminders and tools to support emotional regulation and impulse control – 

Dinosaurs Have Big Feelings Too, the first book in Collis’ “Mindful Adventures for the Family” series weaving together storytelling, emotional literacy, and self-regulation tools, aims to empower the next generation with practices rooted in mindfulness, yoga therapy and cross-cultural healing modalities. She’ll host a reading and mindfulness teaching at Tecolote Books at 3 pm on May 3 and has plans for several book readings that will incorporate the next effort in the series, Dinosaurs Do Mindfulness Too, due this summer. 

Visit www.tarancollis.com for more about the Montecito maven of mindfulness and more

Kvell at The Well 

Santa Barbara-based author, motivational speaker and sports psychologist Barbara Edelston Peterson, a world champion in off-road triathlon who holds dual master’s degrees in clinical psychology and Eastern philosophy, has penned a new book based on a lesser-known Yiddish term she grew up with that might revitalize how we connect with one another by bringing positivity to the forefront. Kvell – A Word You Should Know, which publishes May 6, aims to inspire readers with its uplifting exploration of kvelling, a term that encompasses expressing pride, joy, and encouragement to others. 

Kvell works to shine a spotlight on the life affirming benefits of embracing a mindset of positivity, a timeless message to aid in personal growth, culture, mental health and inspiration. Peterson will read passages from and sign copies of the book at The Well in Montecito from 5-7 pm on May 1.  

Visit https://barbaraedelstonpeterson.com/kvell