Embracing Balance, Harmony and the Holiday Spirit December 18, 2013 • 4 Comments Unfortunately, most of my childhood holidays were steeped in tension. Every year, there were a lot of expectations wrapped up under the flocked Christmas tree that held explosive power when things went even slightly askew. One fateful Christmas Eve, we arrived home from the annual neighborhood party to the unfortunate discovery that my brother had eaten the tub of cottage…
Being Present: One Thousand Healing Moments December 16, 2013 • 2 Comments I heard a statistic that, on average, people look at their cell phones a thousand times a day and I find this fascinating. It makes me wonder what we are looking for on our phones: Validation? Connection? Belonging? A way to look busy or feel important? I’m part of the generation that grew up pre-cell phone, and I’m trying to…
Healing Yoga and ‘The Promise’ by Mark Whitwell December 11, 2013 • 2 Comments Yoga has been an integral part of my healing, and I’ve found tremendous solace on a mat, in the middle of a room of sweaty people. I prefer heated yoga because I feel like I have wrung myself out. It’s not for everyone, but it has worked for me. Although I have practiced yoga off and on for many years,…
Stress Neutralizing Daily Green Smoothie Recipe December 6, 2013 • 3 Comments There is a certain pulse to the holiday season that seems to summon stress, and it is very easy to get caught up in the pressure to buy more and put on a happy face. It requires a very concerted effort to protect the precious resources of our mental and physical eco-systems. “We need to mount a stress response in…
Conscious Healing Through Mind Mapping November 27, 2013 • 5 Comments Although healing is an organic process, it requires a pro-active mindset. And, making the choice to heal is the only way for it to begin. Let’s face it, being a victim is powerful stuff and you can get a lot of mileage out of it. But, it limits your range because you will be driving the same stretch of highway…
Hybrid Holidays: Finding Peace Amidst the Season November 25, 2013 • 1 Comment I wonder if you are experiencing this hybrid-holiday conundrum. Here it is a few days before Thanksgiving and I have already (I hate to admit this) broken my Christmas décor out of the boxes. This is new for me. I have always been a strict adherer to the one-holiday-at-a-time rule, however, I now have a blended holiday going on in…
A Writer’s Retreat with Jennifer Louden November 18, 2013 • 0 Comments I originally posted this a year ago, and as I was reviewing the last twelve months as a blogger, this retreat stands out as one of the hallmark experiences in my healing and writing process. The week spent under Jen’s tender guidance gave me the permission I needed to start exploring what I wanted in life, and write it down…
Traversing and Embracing Uncertainty November 15, 2013 • 3 Comments I don’t know about you, but when I became a parent I was somewhat clueless. Right next to my desire to be a mother sat a rather large field of dreams, but not a whole lotta solid thought about what it might mean ten, fifteen, twenty years down the road. I am reminded of this phenomenon as I work on…
Healing & the Power of Receiving November 13, 2013 • 11 Comments “Receiving is much harder than giving. It can be emotionally risky: it requires opening up to a possibility or desire that may not be fulfilled. Giving is easy. Not only do you get to showcase your more saintly qualities but also your ego enjoys the reward – the payoff of giving.” Amanda Owen I was never taught much about receiving…
Healing Tools: Inviting Awareness In November 8, 2013 • 2 Comments “Awareness builds its own momentum.” Stephen Covey My mother was famous for saying, “This is the way I am. I can’t change.” And, by dint of osmosis and observation, I too believed that I was the way I was and couldn’t change. It’s a rather dangerous and dead-end way to conduct a life and I am living proof of the tragic…