Tapping Into Possibilities

Stop, In the Name of Love

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America is a country of broken hearts. Since the beginning of the 20th c, heart disease has been the number one killer of men and women. A few years ago, it was the cause of one in four deaths, now its one in three and the cost has soared to over $400 billion per year. The American Heart Association reports that more women die from heart disease each year than from all cancers combined.

And only in America do we have a month or a day to celebrate everything from National Wear Red Day to Valentine’s Day to American Heart Month.  Did you know there is actually a calendar available that lists the day, week or month that we celebrate, or should I say, try to make you aware of, more than 100 diseases/infections/problems, called The 2012 National Health Observances Calendar!

But back to the Heart….

Open Your Heart. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. Total Eclipse of the Heart.  Unbreak My Heart. My Heart Wasn’t In It. Broken Heart. Heart Attack. Heartless. Faint of Heart.  Anyone Who Had a Heart. The word Heart is used in so many songs, expressions, slogans that we’ve almost become immune to its importance.

We’ve become a country of not just physically broken hearts but of emotionally and spiritually broken hearts.

Since Hearts are getting lots of attention this month, I thought it would be appropriate to work on opening my own heart and not just that pulsing, pumping muscle in my chest.

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.                                                                                                  Buddha

I’m Back

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I’m back after a 6 week drought.

Drought: 1) a period of dryness 2) an extended shortage

Busy holidays and college vacations that are way too long are perhaps the external excuses but the real reason, a lack of inspiration, can’t be blamed on external factors alone. I let the external factors distract me from mindfulness.

As Thich Nhat Hanh wrote in Living Buddha, Living Christ, You can not bear fruit unless you abandon distracting thoughts.

I was so busy doing, talking, multitasking, informing, performing (active states)  that I didn’t spend much time listening, writing, breathing, watching, relaxing and receiving (receptive states).

During the holidays, mindful breathing, meditation, writing my morning pages became something on the “to do” list, not a practice.

No wonder I wasn’t inspired.

 Inspire: an interesting word with two meanings. 1)  to inhale, to breathe life in to or upon    2) to influence, animate, motivate one’s mind with creativity

We live in a world that has elevated busyness to a virtue and has convinced you that doing for others is more important than giving to your self.Amanda Owen from The Power of Receiving.

Sound familiar? We all do it. And some of us, spend all our time, not just the holidays, in active states. It’s so easy to get off schedule, to get off track and it’s so hard to get back on.

Without stillness, quiet time and pausing to listen I wasn’t able to hear what I needed to say.

Wisdom comes from the ability to be still. Just look and just listen. No more is needed. Being still, looking and listening activates our non conceptual intelligence. Let stillness direct your words and actions. Eckhart Tolle

 

 

 

THE TWELVE DAYS of, I mean, BEFORE CHRISTMAS

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If you’re still making that list and checking it twice, here are some ideas from my list and this year it is all about nourishment.

NOURISH – Old French “norir”- to feed, care for. To support, encourage, supply with what is necessary for life, health and growth.

Give a gift of nourishment to your self or a loved one this holiday season. Feed your whole self – not just your physical self but also your emotional, spiritual and mental self – with some of the following ideas.

Soaps and Bath Salts from The Joyful Bath Co. Bethesda resident Rochel Roland made a career switch to create the most heavenly bath salts and soaps. All natural, no preservatives or artificial fragrances using mineral rich salts from the Mediterranean and Dead Seas  and other natural ingredients like coconut oil, ginger root, green tea. My favorites are N’lla Buttermilk with buttermilk powder. The soap has buttermilk and coconut powder and coconut oil and is gentle enough to wash your face with. I also love Green Tea Glee with Peppermint. Available this year at certain Whole Foods or from www.joyfulbathco.com

The gift of Sangha/a practice community. While you can easily buy a dvd and practice your yoga at home or download a guided meditation, Buddhism places a high priority on having a community of practice in order to cultivate and maintain and continue the energy of mindfulness. Consider a Gift Certificate to The Mindfulness Center in Bethesda MD. This gem on Elm Street has a wonderful balance of yoga, tai chi, NIA yoga dance, meditation and breathing classes to appeal to all ages and stages of ability. www.themindfulnesscenter.com

Forbidden Rice from Lotus Foods available at www.iherb.com . AKA Black Rice and the Emperors Grain, this fragrant, dark purple, nutty, organic heirloom rice was once grown exclusively for the Emperors in China. Forbidden Rice is grown on small family farms in China and is rich in antioxidants and iron. They also carry all the Lundberg Rices (my favorite) is Jubilee. If you’re not familiar with this site, it is a great discounted source for your favorite supplements, personal care and health food needs. For first time shoppers, enter coupon code BOT164 for a $5 discount.

Oil of Peppermint – Don’t just think candy canes. There are over 100 studies on PubMed (The National Library of Medicine) on peppermint oil including tension headaches, “emotional irritation”, depression, athletic performance, concentration, mental accuracy and the list goes on. Oh, and did I forget to mention, peppermint stimulates the brain’s satiety center and curbs appetite!

There are many good brands, just make sure it is menthe piperita therapeutic grade essential oil and is not diluted. My favorite brand is Young Living. See product purchase information in the Product section above.

More Nourishing gifts and ideas tomorrow…….

A Habit to be Grateful For

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Gratitude: A feeling, emotion or attitude of thankfulness or appreciation. The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation.

How many times have you been told to make a list of what you’re grateful for and often thought, not much? How many gratitude journals have you started – note, I didn’t say finished?

When I picked up the book The Power of Receiving byAmanda Owen in September to read as my Personal Development Book of the Month, I didn’t realize that part of the deal was doing the exercises and doing the work in each chapter.

Why am I not surprised that lack of consistent energy, procrastination, too much to do, too tired and not enough time seemed to be recurrent themes in my life?

I committed to the exercises mostly because I was being held accountable by several friends.  One exercise was to find at least five (5) things to be grateful for every day and to write them down.

Some days are harder than others especially when there are problems and even crises’ but there’s always a great cup of coffee to be grateful for or an easy commute and even if you don’t make it home quickly, you’ve made it home safely.

And three months later the habit is as ingrained as brushing my teeth and for that I am grateful.

I am also grateful for….my yoga teacher, Dave Zyck, who reminds us each class to find something to be grateful for, and who shared the following quote with us last week.

Can you see the holiness in these things you take for granted – a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.   Rabbi Harold Kushner

As you race around during this holiday season, find five things you are grateful for every day. This might just be the best gift you’ll receive.

Tools in Your Toolbox

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I’ve been using this term for years to describe one’s approach to one’s health. I’ve written about how we need to have a number of choices and options whether it’s for stress relief (reading, writing, exercise, yoga, meditation, breathing) or for inflammation/pain relief (magnets, essential oils, arnica, frankincense, omega 3’s, tumeric, garlic).

I participated in a Social Media webinar recently for understanding the basic landscape of social networking for one’s professional needs (unfortunately I’m not ready to Twitter yet). The presenter spoke about building relationships off and online and that the various social media (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc) were just “tools in your toolbox”.

Is Tools in Your Toolbox now such an overused term that it’s lost its impact and value? I think not. I hope not.

The bottom line is we should never get too attached to one method/one way/one modality/one belief whether it’s for our health, our relationships, our business or for anything we care about.

The presenter used a great analogy. The reason we need a number of tools in that toolbox is that if we only have a screwdriver, it’s going to be difficult to hammer those nails or cut those wires.

If you only take a statin drug for your high cholesterol there are many other “tools” to consider such as diet or CoEnzymeQ10 or Omega 3’s. If you only take an SSRI for your depression, there are many other “tools” to consider such as B12, Vitamin D, magnesium, yoga or hypnosis.

If you think there is magic bullet, a single panacea, especially a chemical one,  to “cure” whatever ails you, think again.

(Panacea – remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all. From the Greek panakeia – all healing.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thich Nhat Hanh

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The other night I had the pleasure, no the honor, to hear Thich Nhat Hanh at the Warner Theatre in Washington DC.

As I’ve mentioned previously, “Thay”, as his students call him, is a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk. He was born in 1926 and was exiled from Vietnam in 1966 and founded Plum Village, a Buddhist community (sangha), in France. He is a poet, an author of over 100 books, a peace and human rights activist. He was nominated by Martin Luther King in 1967 for the Nobel Peace Prize.

His life’s mission has been to “ease suffering” through mindfulness, loving speech and deep listening.

For two hours this 85 year old man, spoke to a packed house that was so quiet, so engaged, that you could hear a pin drop.

Thay spent a great deal of time talking about the importance of “going home”, of learning to listen to our suffering inside. That touchy feely feelings stuff that most of us run away from.

He said, “We have to understand our own suffering in order to understand the suffering in the world.” And that” by understanding our own suffering it will enable us to cultivate compassion and understanding and that understanding and compassion – the healing energies – will heal and transform us and the world.”

Mindful breathing is the way “to come home”. The monks and the nuns at Plum Village have a bell on their computers that dings every 15 minutes to remind them to stop, to breathe mindfully and to remember they have a “body”.

                              Breathing In I am aware of my whole body.                                      

Breathing Out I know my body is truly alive.    

Pretty powerful stuff.

So what does all this have to do with Intentional Health?

“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything.” Thich Nhat Hanh, Touching Peace: Practicing the Art of Mindful Living.


Breathing In/Breathing Out

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Below is the first meditation technique I learned 10 years ago from a teacher in Arizona who attributed it to Thich Nhat Hanh, the exiled Vietnamese Buddhist monk, whom I had never heard of at the time.

I noticed almost immediately a difference in how my day unfolded, in how I reacted to stressors and in how I slept. I followed the requisite, “it takes 21 days to change a habit” and then continued on for years but the busier I became and the more hectic my mornings became, the easier it became to make excuses for not doing it.

But I did learn the folly of my ways and now a breathing practice, a meditation practice, a mindfulness practice or whatever you want to call it is right up there at the top of my “if you want to get healthy to do list”.

First thing every morning…… or anytime. Just Do It.

Sit in a quiet and comfortable place with your spine erect. Sit with arms and legs uncrossed. Close your eyes.

While inhaling (a deep diaphragmatic breath filling your abdomen) say to yourself, “I am ALIVE”. Even though you’re saying this non verbally, put a lilt/an emphasis on Alive).

While exhaling, say internally “SMILE” and physically SMILE.

Yes, it seems silly/weird/awkward to actually SMILE but don’t worry nobody’s looking. You only need to do this for 10 minutes. If you go longer great but no need to.

Since my initial introduction to “Thay’s” breathing technique, I’ve practiced many of his Breathing In/Breathing Out suggestions such as,

Breathing In I know I AM alive and fully in the here and now

Breathing Out I smile to the life in me and all around me

or the one I need to do more than once a day!

Breathing In I AM determined to practice deep listening

Breathing Out I AM determined to practice loving speech

This last one is a particularly good one to do before making a phone call or going in to a meeting or dealing with a wayward teenager!


 

 

 

 

 

 

A Drought, No Doubt, or Maybe Not

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Drought: 1) a period of dryness 2) an extended shortage

It has been four weeks since I’ve posted anything. I can’t blame clutter this time for the drought or anything else for that matter.

I’m busy. I’m a multi-tasker. I’m a doer and I love to write. So why the drought?

Something happened about five weeks ago but rather than blame something or someone, I want to thank Amanda Owen and her book, The Power of Receiving. This little gem of a book is worth its weight in gold if you’re stressed out or not getting what you want or deserve.

Like I said, I’m a multi-tasker and always on the go. What this means is I spend most of my time in what Amanda calls Active States. Persuading, Doing, Analyzing, Talking, Thinking, Evaluating, Controlling and the list goes on. Sound familiar anyone?

“When you rely almost exclusively on activity, your will is overtaxed. There is no replenishment time. It’s easy to see this in the person who is constantly on the go. Eventually the body, emotions or the mind tend to rebel. The body may become sick, the emotions frazzled or the mind scattered. It’s like trying to keep a bunch of balls in the air all the time. It’s exhausting” (p31)

For the past month, I’ve been spending as much time as I can in Receptive States. Meditating, Allowing, Observing, Listening, Welcoming, Feeling Grateful. And of course, feeling Feelings, those touchy feely, sometimes painful things that most of us try to ignore.

While this past month may be a drought of posts, it certainly has not been a drought of writing, exploring and gratitude and growth.

 

www.ThePowerofReceiving.com

 

 

 

Every Breath You Take…..

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Life begins with your first breathe and ends with your last.

Ideally, ideal breathing is an involuntary action. Just watch a baby breathe. The body knows how to breathe but then fear, stress and life get in the way and our voluntary muscles start messing it up.

Voluntary vs. Involuntary? When you’re asleep, breathing is involuntary. When you’re awake, breathing is still mostly involuntary but breathing is a muscle contraction that can be regulated by conscious thought.

While breathing is mostly involuntary, your breathing is nothing to take for granted. Breathe is the fuel of life. Your breathe carries oxygen to every cell, all 70 trillion of them. Breathing eliminates toxins and stresses.

Breath is a powerful tool that affects your state of mind and how you feel emotionally and physically.  It connects your mind, your body and your spirit.

Through our breath we are in relation with all life,  never separate from the Great Mystery”, Native American saying.

Many mystics and ancient cultures believe that breath is evidence of spirit and that working with breath is a spiritual practice. In many languages including Sanskrit, Greek, Latin and Hebrew, breath and spirit are the same word.

For breath is life and if you breathe well, you will live long on earth. Sanskrit Proverb

Why all the talk about proper breathing?

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Your most important tool to well being, to reducing stress, is your breath.

Breath helps us to communicate, to calm, to center, to circulate (not just oxygen but thoughts and insights). Like spirit and wind, breath is an invisible force.

“Breath deeply, breath consciously, for spirit is so near that you can’t see it” Rumi, 13th century Persian poet

How you breathe affects how you feel and your state of mind. It can be invigorating; it can be calming; it can bring clarity and done improperly (shallow chest breathing) can be a health hazard. We thrust our chin and neck forward especially while on the computer; we hold our breath; we stiffen our spine; we shrug our shoulders – all no no’s when it comes to healthy breathing.

We need to learn how to breathe “more slowly, more quietly, more deeply, and regularly,” says Dr. Andrew Weil.

Healthy breathing strengthens and improves the function of your diaphragm which will keep your spine flexible and your core strong.

How we breathe reflects the state of the nervous system and influences the state of the nervous system. The nervous system links the body to the brain and if you didn’t know, the brain (the cerebrum) is the master control center for absolutely everything (look forward to Nervous System 101 coming in the near future).

By consciously changing the depth and rhythm of your breathing you can change your blood pressure, your digestion, your circulation and your heart rate.

There are books and classes and cd’s too numerous to list on breathing but two of my favorites are The Breathing Book by Donna Farhi and the cd Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing by Andrew Weil, M.D.

For some of my personal favorites breathing techniques keep reading.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist Monk