Determination to grow

The good thing about being in a slump is coming out of it! It seems the down times are when I gather strength again to push forward towards being more of who I really am. I'm more willing to let go of ego and fear, to get more centered, to listen more to my inner voice.

As I've said before, its one thing to read all the self help books on the planet and another to actually do the work!

For me that means taking the time to meditate, or right now do Qigong and Tai Chi. Taking the time to quiet my mind and body, tuning into my body, releasing all the tension created by all those negative thoughts, releasing the stress from looking at all I don't have and focusing on the here and now.

Today the sun is shining, my son and I are heading out for a bike ride and I'm hosting a booth at the Earth Day Festival tomorrow and doing a drum circle at the end of the event! Even the weather seems to be cooperating, the prediction of rain is now pushed back until Sunday!

I have a roof over my shoulders, food on the table and my kids are well taken care of.

Letting go of the drama allows me to focus on me and the changes I need to make instead of someone else or something else that I want to change.

Louise Hay, in the foreword of Robert Holden's book Be Happy!: Release the Power of Happiness in YOU "I love learning. I know that the week I leave the planet I will be enrolled in a new course learning something new."

I feel the same, I'm a student of life, determined to learn the lessons. Don't ever let anyone put you down for always wanting to learn something new.

If you find yourself in the same position time after time, the same job situation, the same relationship issues, the same feelings, then you are to look at yourself and learn the lesson! It's been that way for me anyway.

When the familiar negative feelings start to grow inside you, catch yourself and stop, be quiet, look at what is causing the situation. Make a note, if the message isn't clear now, it will be in time. Keep making notes!

When the positive feeling start to grow, take note, remember to create more of those moments!

Blessings!

Amy

Happiness Now

Wow! I just finished the online, live Lesson 1 in Be Happy by Robert Holden through Hay House Radio. It was amazing! I mentioned this program in a previous blog.

Okay, I'm going to take you through a few exercises... have paper and pen ready...

Take a deep breath and relax, let your intuition guide you...

Happiness is... (write it down) repeat 10 times and write each answer down.

Real Happiness is... (write it down) repeat 10 times and write each answer down.

This can be emotional... hang in there.

Okay, take another deep breath... then answer these questions.

What have you learned about happiness from your life...

What is my life asking me to learn about happiness right now?

What is the ultimate soul lesson about happiness that I am to learn?

How well have you learned those lessons?

Okay, the point is that life will keep trying to teach us lessons and until we learn them, we will keep repeating those situations that are trying to teach us the lessons. We will find ourselves in the same type of relationships, we will find us in the same type of jobs, with the same type of bosses, in they same type of financial situations, etc.

Pretty much, happiness is experiencing our true selves, and sharing happiness with others. When we look to some future circumstances for happiness to arrive, we are missing out on the true happiness of living in the moment. Happiness is now. It's how we see what is happening right now.

More money, different life circumstances, better education will not make you happier! The best predictor of future happiness is how happy you are now! Everyone can be happy!

So there you have it. Rober Holden's part 1 of an 8 part series on Happiness Now! Click for more info. Happiness Now! You can purchase the book and the rest of the series.

The series consists of logging in to Hay House and clicking the link for the Hay House Radio program. Once you purchase it, it will show up when you log in. It's 2 hours each. Yep, a lot. I loved listening to Robert and trust his expertise. He is a PhD in psychology. I look forward to the next session. He uses live callers for sample exercises.

So, bottom line. Happiness is a choice, it's already with you, you just have to stop all the excuses and be still and be yourself. Appreciate the good parts of you, accept the bad parts and live in the now. Quit waiting for things to get better. Make it good now!

Earth Day is coming up. Take a moment and think about all the things the earth provides for us and what would happen to us if we don't take care if it!

Better yet, step outside and look around. Take another deep breath and be still. Listen, feel, appreciate, love.....

Peace!

Amy

How to Meditate

There are many meditation methods, here is what I like to do.

Begin by sitting comfortably with the back straight, some portion of your body on the floor. Think about increasing the space between each vertabre. Make the small of your back flat like you were sitting up against a wall.

Take 3 deep breaths:

Exhale completely, where your stomach pushes in, releasing all air in your lungs. Now, when you take your next breath, you will start by filling up your diaphragm in the stomach area first, then enlarging your ribcage and filling the lungs completely.

When you breath in, imagine clean, fresh, healing energy filling your body. When you exhale, imagine all the toxins in your body, including all stress, negative feelings, bad food, chemicals you have been in contact with, etc., all leaving your body out the bottom of your feet. Whoosh! Out they go!

Now breath normally. Feel where the air hits your nose, at the nostrils, inside your nose, at the back of your throat. Just focus on that. When thoughts enter your mind, and they will, just allow them to drift away and come back to your breathing.

Relax, enjoy feeling calm and still for as long as you can. Start with short periods if you need to, 10 minutes a day, slowly increasing.

Before you get up and get moving again, take a minute to listen to your body, what is it telling you? Imagine that peaceful, calm feeling being with you to some extent all during your day.

At the end of the day, take note of how your day went. For a real boost, journal 5 things you are grateful for!

More on meditation later...

Blessings!

Amy

Making changes, starting with Meditation

So, how do we start to make changes in our life? A great place to start is mediation. It helps our minds stop and learn to focus internally. Healing begins within.

I'm always surprised at how taking a few minutes at the beginning of my day can set the tone for the whole day. I've set the intention for my day to be peaceful and calm. Practice brings about slow change.

It helped me to have a program to follow.

Matt Clarkson offers several great programs on meditation and Qigong. They go beyond just how to meditate, but includes wise insights on becoming more centered. You can get started with a free email course on meditation at : Free Program After signing up, go ahead and take a few minutes to listen to the mp3 meditation session to get a sense of what to expect. He is also offering discounts at this time for the full programs.

Meditation takes practice and commitment. How much do you want to change? Start slowly, just 5 -10 minutes per day at first. I find once I get started, I don't want to stop! So, the hardest part is taking the time to sit down and be still.

Our brains actually develop new neuropathways that are like cutting new paths through the forest. The more we travel the path, the easier it becomes!

This is your day, make the most of it!

Amy

Eating Local

We are learning more about how conventional farming depleats the soil of essential nutrients and how growing organically encourages soil amending in a healthful way that is passed along to us! Many of us have lost track of how to eat seasonally, don't want to hear about the horrific treatment of animals on large indoor farms, and aren't sure where to start to cook simple healthy meals. Here are several books I have found very helpful:

First of all, get inspired by this Barbara Kingsolver book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.). It's a great read about how her family made the transition to eating seasonally and locally!

This book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
by Michael Pollen I haven't read yet, but I saw him talk locally at Butler University, it was fantastic and inspirational as well. He is so well versed on the system of big farms, the government and how things work, it makes me feel confident that eating locally and organically is the way to go. It's the best thing for all of us. Worth making the effort.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is one on my list to buy. Great reviews. Lots of info about storing, etc. Those darn winter squash are so hard, it's hard to know what to do with them!

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters is one on my shelf. This is a real how to for basic cooking from scratch.

The World's Healthiest Foods, Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating by George Mateljan is a very comprehensive guide for every detail of vegetables, fruits, beans, etc.

Well, cooking from scratch, cooking more veggies, using new grains is all a challenge when you haven't been doing it all along. But, try making small changes at at time. Visit your local farmers market, join a CSA and have fun with it. Have your kids, spouse, friend join in with you.

Taking the time to cook food grown locally from their garden or yours provides a connection with the earth that our souls have been missing. Joyfully cooking healthy foods for yourself and your family is very rewarding. When people comment how my kids love eating veggies, it makes me proud! The important thing is that they have a foundation for a healthy future. You can too!

Enjoy!

Slowing Down- It's okay, really....

Picture yourself relaxed, focused, at peace, enjoying fully the one task you are doing. Wow, what a concept. When is the last time you were able to do that?

I think we need to adjust our idea of time. Having the sense that there is never enough doesn't seem very healthy or productive. Is it possible to imagine having all the time we need? Yes, just do it, adopt that attitude, that belief and see what happens. Yes, it takes a lot of practice.

If we start our day with 100% of our energy, what do we need to do to maintain that energy all throughout the day? Identify your energy drains. Be prepared to handle them differently. Plan ahead.

Can you make a committment to do one thing at a time? After all, you now have all the time you need!

What does it mean to you to slow down? What would happen? What are you afraid will happen if you just stop? Stop and be quiet. Stop everything and just listen. Listen to what your body is telling you, what your heart is yearning for, what your spirit needs.

Only by stopping and being quiet can we hear. Only by facing these needs can we know what step to take next. It's worth it.

Stop now, take several deep breaths. Breathe in positive, refreshing energy, breathe out negative thoughts, negative energy, stress, etc. Let it go, relax, be quiet. Relax your face. Be at peace. Feel the breath as it enters and exits your nose. When thoughts enter your mind, and they will, just let them go and focus back on your breathing.

It gets easier as you practice. Your body learns how to be quiet and relax.

Enjoy!

More Voluntary Simplicity

I've always admired my mother's ability to flow through her day. She seemed to have as much energy at the end of the day as she started with. She didn't seem to get rattled much and always has somewhat of a plan for her day.

I like the idea of loosely listing priorities for my day in advance. That way when things come up, as they usually do, I'll be able to make better decisions on how to deal or not deal with those interuptions. I can ask if this is something worth dealing with now, or saving for another time.

Email seems to be the exception to the rule. There are usually too many of those to cope with. Probably better to get off some of those lists all together. Make a decision to limit time dealing with email.

Being in control of my life instead of letting life control me sounds like a much better way to go about each day! How empowering!

If you would like help getting started on setting some goals and priorities, call to set up an appointment! 317-441-2111

Blessings!

Amy