by admin on February 22, 2012

What happens to your mood when you hear the words, rising unemployment, failing economy or war?  Chances are you begin to feel anxious or stressed. The world is in transformation and the upheavals can be seen in every aspect of life. These are affecting each person in different ways – but know this – no one is immune to the changes being demanded from us now. Our worlds – inside and out – are under siege and we need a plan that will help us navigate through these stressful times.

You probably know that stress causes pain and disease, but did you know that it is human nature to “download” and “replay” negative messages and that this behavior is how stress is created? Inside the mind those same negative messages you hear echo and compromise your health and limit your life experience.  Emotions from unsettled thoughts can lead to deep physical or emotional pain. If you are like most people, you may try to manage your emotions or handle any pain with what is there in the world for the offering – quick fixes to feel better – distractions like overwork, addictive behaviors, pain relievers such as prescribed or nonprescription medicines and alcohol,   – such fixes provide only temporary relief.

As a result, you can get caught up in doing – in busyness, denial or escape and later become more stressed out, feel unhappy in your work and personal relationships and/or suffer from poor health.   Now more than ever, in a world of threatening turmoil in the earth’s surface, economy and political climates, this thinking has become even more prevalent. We are overwhelmed with negative messages from the media and the demands of everyday life. Though they can be hard to eliminate, the more we resist dealing with these negative feelings and emotions, the stronger they become blocking us from solutions to these troubles.

But this is not necessary as it is also human nature to heal – the body can heal itself if the mind gets out of the way. By learning and practicing self healing practices, you can heal your body-mind-heart and enjoy a rich life of vibrant health and a deep peaceful state of happiness and contentment.  Self healing practices are methods that help you to disengage  from the negative conversations in your mind so that you can connect to a hopeful, honest and joyful voice within that has all the answers you need to improve your health and life with positivity and compassion.

How do you deal with stress? Would you like to know another way?

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Fun is a state of being like meditation, yoga and creativity.

by admin on February 14, 2012

Peace Love Fun Cow

The Pink Peace Love Fun Cow ...look at this cow and have more fun!~

 What’s fun to you these days?

A few years ago, as I stood looking out at the Lake below the Self Realization Temple, I remarked to my friend, “that was fun!”. I was quickly reprimanded by a man standing by her and told  “that is not fun” he said with authority.  Since then I wondered, if that ‘s not fun – what is?

According to Wikipedia, “Fun is the enjoyment of pleasure and, according to Johan Huizinga, “an absolutely primary category of life, familiar to everybody at a glance right down to the animal level.”[1] Fun may be encountered in many human activities during work, social functions, recreation and play, and even seemingly mundane activities of daily living. The distinction between enjoyment and fun is difficult to articulate but real, [2] fun being a more spontaneous, playful, or active event. The perception of time is shortened when one is “having fun”.[3]

That man at the temple sent me on a journey to learn about fun. I didn’t find it in Wikipedia though I agree with everything that they wrote. They did not tell me what fun is other than I will know it when I have it or find it. So, here is how I found fun after a few years of looking.

First you can’t find fun, I know, at the start of the journey, I searched with others to find it in all the usual places, the places I once remembered experiencing fun. I found others who wanted to have fun too. We went to all the places that people called ‘fun’ like live music venues in the afternoon and fashionable cafes. We went to the mall to ‘hang out’ and look at things with other people. We went to wine bars and coffee houses. We always asked each other after a fun hunt – if we had fun.
One day I watched my dog chasing a leaf in the wind. Her pleasure was plain to see and a neighbor commented to me, “She is having so much fun!” It was easy to see, she was completely wrapped up in the moment and having fun. She was aware enough to find a game and play with her world. She was active, creative, unselfconscious, and open to play. She made her day fun. It

So, why weren’t we having fun, we ‘tried’. These activities used to be fun, why not anymore? Were we getting old? Surely there must be something wrong with us, there were others in those places who seemed to be having fun -  why couldn’t we?
The answer was not a simple one to find. What I found on this journey was almost as surprising as the reprimand that day at Lake Shrine Temple. You cannot find fun. You cannot try to have fun. Fun is a state of being – it’s not in your mind or in a place. And if you are having fun, there is no question about it – you know it and everyone who cares to see knows that you are having fun. It is as Wikipedia said, familiar at a glance. Fun coomes from the heart and if the mind doesn’t get in the way – EVERYTHING IS FUN.

A few days ago I left yoga silently thinking, ‘that was fun!’ I dared not say it but I knew at that moment, that I had fun there. I always do and it’s because I always get  ‘out of my mind’ when practicing. But sometimes I get deeper and farther out of my mind than others. So I have more fun than others – it’s totally individual and up to the individual.  Sometimes, fun takes you by surprise – it is a completely new and unplanned event or experience.
Could it be that fun changes with age? Like cell phones … or stages of life  -  from dolls and games to parties and mind games to  yoga and creativity?  There are stages in life and in each person’s life path. Each stage is different, just like each person so activities that inspire fun for one can be dull for another. Either way, fun is a personal and intimate experience that can be felt alone or with others whose hearts are in the same place at the same time.

Lets have more fun!~

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Writing a Book is a Path to Self Realization

by admin on February 6, 2012

GrowingPassion Flowers Within a garden and writing a book have provided decidedly similar emotional experiences- both projects proved to be challenging creative ventures that in the end changed my perspective on life – and of myself.  The time felt endless as these tasks required constant attention – all consuming, the garden took over my life during the stages of preparing, planting, weeding and replanting and harvesting; the book, lingers still being  the focus of my days, the source of my dreams, and the distraction from my mundane duties.

Originally my book writing project was prompted by the urgings of colleagues’ to promote myself and my practice as it is a matter of meeting the needs and requirements to fit a business practice into the internet marketing and publicity structure. It was expected, after all,  and so many of my colleagues hired ghost writers or just pasted together old articles and blogs to make a book and get this out of the way. It was just a necessity and part of being included in this community – the new internet business paradigm required that everyone be an author.

In the same way, my garden was prompted from the subtle urging of my community and was again expected as part of the personality and process of being a conscious and aware person.  So the book and the garden were not really mine in the beginning – they were assigned by the matrix outside of  my heart and so, I questioned my purpose and associations as I became aware of a deeper need to create something  useful to help ease pain – the kind of pain I was feeling then.

I looked for inspiration and joy to catapult the writing first by blogging, then I rebuilt my website uncountable times, and I took photo expeditions to share and source out passion; there remained a constant anxiety and lack of direction for the project. I looked everywhere for clues as to how to write from my heart – books, articles, writing prompts , and finally I hired an astrology coach to guide me with the astrological transits that were affecting me.

The astrological timings provided a comfortable net including my work and path as part of the plan and the connection to it eased me into the process of the writing. Just like the vegetable garden project that ended up with edible flowers for my body and heart – my book project became the source that healed my body and heart. What began with the urgency to meet standards and expectations from the new business world, grew through a natural unfolding of creativity and beauty . These projects became a creative expression and co-creation with life itself to add passion and purpose  with the desire to create beauty that would heal and methods to inspire perhaps a new way to live.

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Breathe Joy into Your Life Now

by admin on January 26, 2012

THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THE BEST OF EVERYTHING; THEY JUST MAKE THE BEST OF EVERYTHING. H. H. DALAI LAMA

Sometimes things happen suddenly, without warning or invitation – that change life forever. Events or losses such as a relationship ending, health challenges, losing your home, or work can easily create chaos in your life.  You can feel like fish out of water, off balance and unsure,  as you look for a new way to live in a permanently altered world.

After a dramatic event, every moment feels different – newer than before. Like a child learning to walk, it can feel scary; leaving you feeling alone or empty – or excited, frustrated or anxious. It can bring on feelings of despair and make you want to run and hide from the world. Depression or fear can creep in and restrict your every movement or you can feel angry, react fiercely and fight it armed with disbelief and disillusion. You might even try to  ignore your feelings and try to understand why it happened with intellectual reasoning. No matter how you react – change is afoot and how you live through it is up to you.

We’ve all suffered losses; we each have knee jerk reactions, ingrained patterns of response, that can limit or expand our life experiences.  Being that we are different, our ways to grieve loss and manage change are unique. But you can change the way you respond to anything in life.  Time heals wounds and restores  wholeness when we participate in the healing process with positive conscious attention to each moment.

At the moment of impact – the moment your life path shifts from straight and steady into a bumpy patch or a long curve with no foreseeable end in sight – your breath changes. Depending on the event, your breath might even be knocked out of you. When this happens, you gasp for air and it can come through you as a long sweet sigh of relief or as a fast and furious fearful pant. One is health and heart affirming the other is harmful to your health and mentally restrictive.

No matter how your react, the Dalai Lama reminds us, as do most spiritual teachers and leaders throughout the ages, that we have a choice of how to feel about our life and circumstances.  We can choose to feel what is happening at the moment and let it go with appreciation and  gratefully acknowledge what we have now, or we can choose to stay stuck in the past and suffer the loss over and over again, denying growth or joy into our lives.  When we cling to what we no longer have and  hold on to a loss – we stop living – we lose our purpose -  to love and be loved.  So how do you do that? How do you move past a disappointment or serious loss and into a loving present moment?

Since your first reaction to stress, fear or change, is the pattern of your breath – this is your first and most powerful tool to navigate loss and change. You can bring yourself into the moment by being consciously aware of your breath. A practice of breath awareness will help you ease your body, quiet your mind and awaken your heart. So when you have a loss or change, notice your breath.  Use a breath awareness practice to transition from fear or negative thinking into the present moment. In this moment you can find so many things to be grateful for, especially in the shadow of a loss, you can see all you do have rather than what is no longer there.

Drastic losses and changes can become the impetus to improve your life. It is how you choose to think about them – your attitude – that can turn these losses into a positive and exciting adventures in living, learning and creativity.  You were given breath to live – use it when you feel threatened or afraid, stressed or sad – to create new life. It is in your breath you can change your life by transforming moments of chaos to peace or fear to love. One moment at a time your breath will lead you to your answers and you can  find solutions for living positively – no matter what is happening in the world. Breathe new life into your old ways – your breath will show you the way to your truth – your heart – and a new way of living with joy.Can you remember a time or event that took joyfully your breath away? Focus on bringing that element into your life consciously now.

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Martin Luther King – Focusing on Love and Peace

by admin on January 16, 2012

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King Day was declared in 1994 – it was declared a day that would be a call to action honoring King. He was a preacher who lived and died to achieve peace and equality in the world. King spoke to many about his dreams and in his dreams – a new world was born. this world would allow his children to be free from being judged by the color of their skin; in his new world, the hills and valleys of life would be more even; there were less struggles for the afflicted. In this dream world there was equality. King promoted the struggle to make the changes needed – he led the marches with passion and commitment that inspired a movement – others gladly followed.

He was a great leader and his following was brave and strong. He preached that “A man who would not die for something did not deserve to live.” He meant his words – his life personified – walk the talk. He loved those he led towards his dream and the ones he had to fight to get that dream. His dream place was a place built out of love. And so, even after he was shot and died, the struggle to make his dreams true, continued. His love marched on inside so many others. Though he died for his dreams and because of his dreams – it was not in vain. His integrity and great love for all continues to inspire others to make that dream come true.

Today the color code for success and power in the US has been erased; we have an African American President. In many ways the work has just begun – we have more dreams to reveal before this world knows compassion first, fear last. Love is the call for action. Love is the fuel that makes dreams last forever. That’s why the quote “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too much of a burden to bear.” inspired me today. I realize that when a dream or action comes from hate, fear or any negative emotion, it is destructive rather than constructive. It promotes struggle and more hate, more destruction more negativity. Love is the answer to your dreams.

How can any one person effect a change in the world? It is plain to see that the world is suffering; we know this is a fact. There is war, brutality exists among men and women, races, religions and countries in all parts of the world. The economy is faltering, governments are failing, the environment is unhealthy, our food is tainted, it goes on and on…hope is hiding behind fear. We have a shameless society – one that condones or looks the other way when there is lying, cheating, stealing and worse. It has to change – we hear our hearts cry – but how?

Change is a sure thing. We have a choice to fight to create it from a place of hate and judgment or to come from a place of compassion and love. We are all human and humans are complicated. But underneath it all we are all the same – we all have choices and we can choose to to live from love or hate. This is how “I have a dream. ” lives on – the dream is love.

It is not people we must fight to make the world a better place – it is the way people are feeling that must change. Fear is our enemy not each other. Fight your fears and help others feel safe too. Today my call of action is to free my dream from fear and feed it love. Today, I give my dream a chance. Today, I promote and reveal my loving dream in all that I do. And I will do that by loving what is here now in my life. This is the way dreams come true. My mantra today – As I am inspired – the universe conspires to make my love filled dreams come true.

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Chopra Center Cerified Instructor Denise DeMaras