It's About Time
The issue of TIME is a rather sophisticated, complicated and problematic concept, full of many intriguing twists and turns for those who try to fully understand it. There is the nature of time often discussed by philosophers and scientists as they attempt to define it. There is the clock or real time that allows us to create order in the hectic pace of day to day life. Calendar time marks the changing of seasons, approaching holidays, and special occasions. It keeps track of our place in the world by counting the years and the coming or passing of age. Then, there is our relationship with time, our personal sense of time, out of which we create the experience of chaos or order. Time can be your friend and ally or it can be the enemy who is constantly sabotaging life.
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This Moment
Imagine this moment as a clearing
in the forest of your busy life.
Imagine the breath escorting you
into this clearing, into this moment.
Weave an affirmation into each breath.
Breathing in...I come home to my breath.
Breathing out...My breath grounds me.
If there is a regret that draws you into the past,
Breathing in...I acknowledge this moment.
Breathing out...I let go of the past.
If there is a fear that draws you into the future,
Breathing in...I enter into this moment.
Breathing out...I let go of the future.
Breathing in...
I receive the fullness of this moment.
Breathing out...
I have everything I need to be here, now.
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Spring Renewal
While part of the country is still dealing with cold temperatures and occasional snow flurries, you can rest assured that Mother Nature is just waiting around the corner to burst forth with all her enthusiasm. I have always been struck by the tenacity of the natural world to recover so quickly from long, cold and severe winter weather. The years of living in the Midwest and the Northeast have been such an eye opener, and it is nothing short of miraculous to watch the land change so entirely in a matter of a few weeks. One minute the ground is frozen or lifeless and then suddenly, the landscape filled with a profusion of new growth. One after the other, the buds leaf out, flowers appear, and the air is filled with the scent of new life. All you have to do is to step outside, take a deep breath and inhale the freshness that only comes during the springtime. Mother nature is renewing herself once more.
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Contemplating Valentine's Day
This is the day to celebrate Love and the important place it holds in your life. Love is more than just a feeling or an emotion, but an energy from which compassion, forgiveness, acceptance and connection develop. It is not enough to just feel love. It is the expression of Love that adds meaning to our existence. Unconditional Love for others emerges from the personal knowledge or experience of Love that lives on the inside. So, while you are busy with the desire to show others how much you care for them, take a little time to acknowledge yourself for being the source of this love. It all begins with you.
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Healthy? What Does it Mean?
Can you be healthy if you are angry, anxious or depressed? Surely these conditions effect physiology, but the impact is more about how energy is being handled by the physical body. The emotions can be looked at as E-Motion “Energy in Motion”. Anger is a reaction to fear and is used as a defense when boundaries are unclear or violated. Depression is energy being continually pushed away from conscious awareness or we become chronically locked into the expression of sadness. Either of these situations leaves us flat and empty. Anxiety is the activated energy of fear that rises in the system and keeps us from relaxing into life’s experiences. In order to be truly healthy, we must have access to all of our emotions along with the ability to express them appropriately.
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Becoming Conscious
The ultimate and abiding purpose of our work with the breath is to become fully awake and aware in each and every moment. Through this method of healing, we break the trance of the victim along with it’s identification with the “story”. Fear is projected from the past into the future causing great pain and anxiety as the unknown future becomes shaped by decisions made before the age of discernment. These beliefs about ourselves and life has become the blueprint for our expectations and reactions. Life becomes the self fulfilling prophesy.
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Meditate with Mindful Breathing
Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment!
Do you live a life of action while maintaining a life of peace? The two do not seem to coexist and we often find ourselves striving to achieve one or the other. Do you relate to being determined and yet patient as you move through your life? We plan and organize for the next moment, week or year then forget the actual intention for the planning in the first place. We are much better at doing than being.
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The Developing Child
We know the fetus is experiencing whatever is going on with the mother. This is the good news or the bad news as the case may be.
In an ideal world I would focus my attention on creating a pleasant and harmonious environment for the developing child. This could look like connecting with the fetus, sending love and messages of welcome. This can be especially important if the pregnancy was not planned or initially unwanted. In the altered state of breathwork, this can be done fairly easily.
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Cancer Patients
Over the years I have worked with adult cancer patients in Israel. Omri Citron, an enthusiastic supporter of our work, and well respected psychologist and leader of two Cancer Support groups, has organized several workshops for cancer patients and their families. I have been invited to speak to several of his group meetings and he sends his clients and group members to workshops, individual sessions and the trainings. We even did a day for the Cancer Support group leaders allowing them to learn a few techniques to integrate into their group meetings and have a personal experience of the breath at the same time.
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Migraine Headaches
A migraine is a throbbing or pulsating headache that is often one sided (unilateral) and associated with nausea; vomiting; sensitivity to light, sound, and smells; sleep disruption; and depression. Attacks are often recurrent and tend to become less severe as the migraine sufferer ages.
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Your Authentic Self
Our journey through life can lead us to surprising and unexpected destinations. Life as in nature has no straight lines. It is overflowing with corners, curves, dips, and unpredictable twists and turns. In life you might find yourself on a straight route for a period of time, but don’t expect it to last. Up ahead there may be a sudden detour and you could find yourself going off in a completely different direction, backtracking, or moving into virgin territory. At some point in time, life will bring each of us to the point of dealing with the necessity to alter, modify or adjust ourselves in response to life’s circumstances. How you cope with this depends on your interpretation of change and your relationship to the experience.
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Breathe!
Breathing is the key ingredient in physical, emotional and mental health. It is a grossly underestimated source of life giving, healing and purifying energy. When we breathe, we take in more than just physical substances. An interaction takes place between our inner selves and the surrounding reality. It is essential, therefore, both for physical and psychological well-being that our breathing is optimal. It unifies and integrates the body, mind and spirit.
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