http://www.odemagazine.com/article.php?aID=4350 I wanted to share this article from Ode magazine about a new way of fighting cancer. Lately it seems like everyone I know has a friend dealing with this challenge.

As Dr. Gorter says in this article: "softness, warmth and love are particularly effective in healing cancer" they are also particularly effective in creating a connected, peaceful relationship with ourselves and others.

May you have a soft, warm and loving day!

Reminder

http://www.thedashpoemmovie.com/ My friend Annie sent me this link and I decided to pass it on. It takes about 3 minutes to watch. I find its helpful to be reminded to live in the present and this short movie is one opportunity to do that.

In coaching I get to support women to explore living life with no regrets. Working with all levels of self; body, mind and spirit.

As I've learned to be more present with each moment and look for the opportunities for beautiful things to happen, guess what...they do. Don't wait to be diagnosed with cancer or get in a bad car accident to be living your best life.
Do it. NOW!

half-way

"It is tempting to sleepwalk through life.
To tell half-truths, listen halfway,
be half-asleep, drive with half attention...Wake Up!" -Sark

How often do you find yourself halfway present?

It seems harder sometimes to stay fully awake with someone or something but as you practice it you may find you feel more alive. Your connections with others feel more vibrant as does your connection with yourself.

And it's completely up to you halfway or fully AWAKE!

Pausing

I believe that pausing is very underated in our world and that it is one of the keys to peace and happiness.

How often when you have been triggered by what someone said or did do you pause, take two very slow deep breaths and check in with yourself before you respond?

How often when you have a big craving for a food have you paused, taken two very slow deep breaths and checked in with what you are feeling and needing before you begin to eat?

To pause and check in with yourself is an art. It takes practice. When I remember to pause I recognize I can be uncomfortable for a couple of moments and I will be okay. I can wait to speak or to eat and by doing this sense the bigger picture around the "why" of my choice. When I do this I respond differently, I am less likely to blame, judge or resent myself or others. I take full responsibility for my actions with better understanding and acceptance of myself. That creates more peace and happiness within me which is such a beautiful thing because then that is who I am with others.


Pausing...pass it on.

Fear

How often are you in fear?

If you begin to pay close attention you may recognize we are a world that is focused on fear. Afraid of the sun, the terrorists, what we eat, job loss, our childrens safety...

What I notice about this is that fear creates confusion, hate, disconnect. If takes us out of our hearts. It brings into question anyone who lives differently than we do. It doesn't seem to support individuals or groups. We become more isolated, more in need of protecting our assets versus giving and sharing.

I want to notice how fear is being used to develop new needs that create disconnects rather than connection.

I want to recognize when I am being driven to do or be out of fear and in that moment shift into love instead.

How about you?

What is the opposite of fear? Practice that.

Greens and beans

This is one of my favorite savories. It’s a delicious and warming meal for fall and winter.
Serves 3 to 4
One bunch mustard greens
One can cannellini beans
Three to four cloves of garlic chopped finely
One tablespoon or more of Dijon mustard
Asiago, romano or parmesan cheese grated
Two to three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Tear, wash and steam mustard greens until just soft but retain bright color, rinse with cold water.
Heat olive oil in pan and sauté garlic until lightly browned. Add cannellini beans without rinsing. Stir together and add mustard. At this point you may want to add a little water to create more of a sauce. I generally add ½ cup. Chop cooked greens add to the beans. Next you want to add your salt and pepper taste it and adjust flavors with adding more mustard, salt, pepper or even a bit of lemon zest if you have it on hand.
Plate it up and add the grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
Extras:
I’ve also sautéed radicchio and added it to the mix, or if you don’t eat dairy you can add nutritional yeast to the sauce.

Neutral

What does being in neutral mean?

For me neutral is when I feel able to see both sides of a challenge without an emotional charge. If I'm not in neutral I am coming from a place of wanting to be right or for my belief to be more important than someone elses.

If I check in with my body and sense what I am feeling and needing, empathize with myself, take a couple of deep breaths and take some time I can come back to neutral.

I want to come to neutral in order to see the bigger picture, to learn more about what feelings and needs shift me out of neutral and to learn how to stay connected during charged situations. It seems there is so much separation when we need to be right or more important. Your not being charged creates an opportunity for whoever you are with to not have to defend their position and then you have created a moment of connection. Each moment you offer this is another moment where we get to choose peace.

I want to respond from neutral more often. Because when I respond from that place I am not denying or identifying strongly with the part of myself that was triggered and I am not identifying the other person as the enemy. I am consciously able to be the observer and in that moment I am no longer attached to needing to be right or in control. What I am choosing is to be connected. I want to play with this concept in every area of my life. Most particularly with my family as this is where it can be the most challenging and the most rewarding for me.

Neutral, it may sound boring but what I have found is it's a beautiful place to explore!

My computer is a bit off, I believe it may have a virus so if you are trying to contact me in the near future, please call instead.

How was your weekend? How was the whole thing and how were moments of it?

It's interesting to take time to reflect the whole and the moments. Usually in the moments there will be joy and frustration or happiness and sadness but the overall feel could be wonderful. Focusing on the whole as well as the moments can give you a greater sense of awe for all you have.

I had an incredible overall weekend of connection, learning, stretching and being still. I had moments of beauty, peace, love, frustration and sadness. Life feels bigger and more alive for me when I can see it all. I can carry the general energy of gratitude for it being so full and alive into my week!

The Voice

"The voice in the head has a life of its own. Most people are at the mercy of that voice; they are possessed by thought, by the mind."
-Eckart Tolle, The New Earth

When I read these words I remember smiling and getting how right on they felt to me. I can be found stuck in thought at times throughout the day.

After reading Eckart's book I catch myself when I am lost in old thought patterns and bring myself back to my breath, and my body and it feels so connecting. My life continues to be more joyful and fulfilling as I practice these simple acts.

How about you?

Visitors

We had a visiting artist stay with us for the past two nights. I find it amazing when I invite someone into my home and the energy, conversation and connection shifts. Our home had more light, more aliveness. This man was fully present and joyful and I marveled at how joyful and curious we became.

My son was so engaged and awake, a ball of energy. I was more awake and alive too! I find myself feeling enormous joy when I watch my child so engaged and alive with someone. Thanks Cedric!


Shake it up, life...its meant to be!

Connecter

I had an “aha” moment with my coach yesterday. I recognized that my service to others is simply supporting them to connect. Be it to their inner self, others, work, service… it’s staying present and focused on connection.

I have to say it comes as a big relief to recognize that I don’t actually have to “do” something different than be who I am, if that makes any sense. My focus is on you the client, friend, co-worker, stranger…I get to shine a gentle spotlight on you; you are the star of your show. I feel lighter today.


“In form, you are and always will be inferior to some, and superior to others. In essence, you are neither inferior nor superior to anyone. True self-esteem and true humility arise out of that realization. In the eyes of the ego, self-esteem and humility are contradictory. In truth, they are one and the same.”
-Eckhart Tolle

To do

What would happen for you today if you let your “to do” list go?

What would it feel like to be free of the list for one day…hummmm, I wonder…


In Zen they say: "Don't seek the truth. Just cease to cherish opinions."
excerpt from Eckart Tolles
The New World

Balance

As I grow and learn more about what balance means for me and the clients I work with I recognize how much of it is internal. It's not about how much we do.

The important aspects of balance are who you are being, how you are feeling and what you are doing things for. For instance if you have a full day and are able to be present, awake and bringing your best self forward with each task, person or situation you may feel a great sense of connection and gratitude, that is a balanced day. If you have a full day that doesn't have meaning for you, you are exhausted, overwhelmed or anxious that would indicate an unbalanced day.

Many of us may find our to-do lists full of things that we label "have to's" because everyone else does them, or your mother did them, or your best friend asked you... If we are doing them because we are wanting to please someone, get recognition, be identified as good, worthy, smart, amazing or... to others we might be out of balance.

Because guess what...you are good, worthy, smart and amazing without doing anything!

The more in balance each of us is the more the world is. We can do our part to prevent another 9/11 by doing our own personal work so that we can hold the world with compassion.

Tostadas

As the school year begins I gravitate toward quick healthy meals for those evenings when there is more activity and I choose to spend less time in the kitchen.
Lots of fun ingredients can go on a tostada shell.
I tend to use whatever vegetables we have available (carrots, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, onions garlic…) plus canned black or pinto beans, cheese, pumpkin seeds, salsa and plain yogurt.
Sauté up some of your vegetables and leave some raw.
Pile it all on top of a warmed tostada shell and enjoy!
*We’ve also used no beans and spread goat cheese, sautéed onions and garlic, kalamata olives, and thin slices of roasted red peppers on top.

If you have an avocado available here is a quick guacamole:
1 avocado
Juice of ½ to 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Tablespoon of salsa
Teaspoon of cumin or to taste
Mix it together with a fork and add a dollop to the top of your meal.

How busy do you want to be?

When I sit back and listen to conversations around me I recognize that in many circles of our society “the busier the better” is the motto we live by. Being busy is a sign of importance.

If you find yourself comparing or evaluating what you do in relation to friends, family members or coworkers you can begin to do things for reasons other than what may be in your best interest.

I’m not judging having a full busy life here, for some that is absolutely what they want and it works for them. What I am have come to understand as I work with more women is that not everyone has the energetic capacity to keep up with what we have created as a societal norm.

Simply acknowledging that it is challenging for you is a first step. The second step could be starting to pay close attention to what feelings and needs are met when you have gone beyond your energetic capacity and what feelings and needs would be met if you stopped. Acknowledging that the societal beliefs and norms are not something you have to live by but choose to live by is another way to begin shifting.

Ultimately to find your balance point be willing to explore your values, needs and feelings then strengthen those that will serve you best. Change is an inside job!

“I must find a balance somewhere, or an alternating rhythm between these two extremes; a swinging of the pendulum between solitude and communion, between retreat and return.”
-Ann Morrow Lindbergh
A Gift from the Sea

A new year

Today I took my son to his first day of school as a fifth grader. We have had such a wonderful, connecting summer. I found myself emotional, grieving the end of this summer together.

I feel good knowing I was in the moment with him a lot this summer, I watched him be kind to his sister, engage with his dearest friends Buck, Reed and Maddie, as well as his cousins, Aunts, Uncles, friends, and of course his Dad and I.

I cherished hearing many "I love you Mom", the moments we snuggled in bed, watching him kayaking, swimming...the list goes on.

He's ten, we won't get this summer back. I'm grateful I paid attention.

As I said Wednesday, each season brings its own rhythm and it can be inspiring and fundamental to your growth to explore what shifts for you. Understanding what your inner spirit wants will allow for you to gain what you need in your outer world. It takes trust to believe in the process.

For myself and a lot of clients and friends Fall is a time for reflection and renewal.

Taking some time to revisit my priorities, to write, to reaffirm the direction I am headed are all keys to meeting my needs. A conscious connection with my heart comes first. I do this by being in nature, enjoying a 15 minute tea break and watching the fall light shift, connecting with my coach, creating a plan of action and stepping into something new that is on my edge!

What comes first for you?

When will you do that?

"If your everyday life seems poor, don't blame it, blame yourself; because for the creator there is no poverty, and no poor, indifferent place." -Rainer Maria Rilke