Feb.20.2012… 21 Day meditation challenge is back!

In memory of the passing of Dr. David Simon, Deepak Choprah’s partner in the teaching of limitless possibilities, the Chopra Centre of California is launching a 21 Day Meditation Challenge called the Mind-Body Odyssey.

I had definately shed a tear or a couple more when I had learned of his passing. His presence at a conference I was at was tangible even though his brain tumor only allowed him to be present via sattelite.

He was the pioneer in discovering the mind-body-Heart connection. Deepak and him had worked together for over 20 years and have given birth to many programs, seminars, at the Chopra Centre, written many books and have presented around the world.

His mind was genius and he had a connection to the Universe that was visible.

Here are a few lines from one of his favorite poems by Hafiz.

The Sun Never Says

Even
after
all this time
the sun never says to the earth,
“You owe me.”
Look
what happens
with a love like that —
It lights the whole world.

So sign on to the Chopra Centre via email or facebook and join a sea of people who will do the meditation challenge to improve the practice in their lives, but will do it in rememberance of Dr. David Simon.

See you in the Gap!

The Four Agreements – Release the need to be right

Quotes from The Four Agreements By: Don Miguel Ruzi

“When you believe something, you assume you are right, and you may even destroy relationships inorder to defend your position.  Let go of the need to defend your position.”

When your always trying to be right, and need to prove it… You risk the chance of pushing some pretty important people away.  Take a step back, release the need and realize that you don’t always have to be right and you don’t always have to prove it.  Your feel better about yourself and less stressed to always be heard.  Hear your self, and prove to yourself that you can remain respectful to others while processing your own needs of why you need to be right…

Check this out…

Recently I took a course called Power to Parent, which was life changing. It was about more than just parenting, it was about attachment and relationships in general. I would recommend it to anyone working with people, for those looking to deepen their marriages, and continue to grow their relationships with their children.

Power To Parent

Part I: The Vital Connection

(A video course & discussion group facilitated by Laila Presotto)

This eight-session video course has been developed by internationally renowned Developmental Psychologist Dr. Gordon Neufeld, a best selling and award winning author. His revolutionary yet scientific approach turns parenting right-side up, restoring natural intuition to parenting and putting parents back in the driver’s seat.

In order for parenting to work, children – including teenagers – must be in right relationship to their parents.  Nothing is more crucial or pivotal in parenting than this seldom-recognized or addressed factor. Dr. Neufeld explains the concept of right relationship, providing practical suggestions for parenting children of all ages with attachment in mind.

Some of the many topics addressed include:

dealing with resistance and oppositionality

addressing the roots of aggression

how to keep from losing a child to competing attachments

addressing separation problems and anxieties

raising children who are capable of deep and fulfilling relationships

dealing with children who seek to dominate instead of depend on their parents

disciplining that is attachment-safe and developmentally friendly

Firmly rooted in developmental psychology, this approach is not technique or behavior based, but rather seeks to make sense of children from the inside out to provide insight for those who wish to understand and connect with children of all ages.

For course schedule and more information, please contact:

Laila Presotto at  HYPERLINK “mailto:lailapresotto@yahoo.ca” lailapresotto@yahoo.ca or call 604 849 0034.

Laila Presotto, M.A. Psych, RCC

Psychotherapist

Certified Neufeld Course Facilitator

 

Intention

Here are a few excerpts from an article on intention

It’s time to change the way we think and speak about our dreams. Transforming a conversation, just like manifesting a dream, begins by setting an intention. Your intentions will assist you in taking greater control of your life.

A working definition for intention is: “to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim.” Lacking intention, we sometimes stray without meaning or direction. But with it, all the forces of the universe can align to make even the most impossible, possible. My intention is to transform the conversation around dreams from fear and doubt, to hope and possibility, followed by action and results.

For example:

  • Before you get out of bed, you can intend to have a fun or productive day.
  • Before you leave the house, you can intend to have quality time with your family or roommate.
  • Before you start your car, you can intend to have a safe ride to work.
  • Before you enter your workplace, you can intend to learn something new or be helpful.
  • Before the meeting begins, you can intend to be brilliant or calm.

First Steps:

1. Get clear about something you want and write it down.

2. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action.

3. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention.

4. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step.

By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do. Set an intention to redefine what it means to be serious about your dreams.

 

Source article.

 

What comprises core strength

Your core is more than just your abdominal muscles. Indeed your abdominal makes up the majority of the core; with the rectus abdominus, external and internal obliques and the transverse abdominus. Your lower back and glutes; maximus, medius and minimus also contribute to your core stability. DO not forget that the top of your quads and hamstrings also play a part.

There is a difference between core exercises and ab exercises. The former works these muscles in unison strengthening them as they work together (more functionally driven strength), the latter works the ab muscles itself, which is necessary to be able to maintain form in core exercises. Both are important in overall stability and strength.

And example of a core exercises is a plank, where as an ab exercise is a crunch.

 

Trust the process

If you you have ever worked with me you know that I often tell people to be patience and trust the process. If you are meant to go in a certain direction in life what you need will be brought to you. By no means do this exclude taking responsibility for your life and working towards what you dream, but more so that the little things will take car of themselves and opportunities will be placed before you.

So take control of you life, do what you can and trust that you will get what you need, it may not always be what you want, but usually it is what you need. We do not always know what is best for ourselves in the big picture.

Keep your eyes peels and ears perked there are exciting changes happening in the next two months! It has been confirmed; the world is a beautiful and magical place!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Emotions and a healthy heart

Following is an editorial on the effects of emotions, specifically negative ones, on heart health.

Many Emotions Can Damage the Heart

Most people know that anger is bad for your heart’s health, but loneliness and depression affect your heart, too.

Volatile emotions like anger and hostility are bad for heart health. But studies have shown that some of the quieter emotions can be just as toxic and damaging.

“Study after study has shown that people who feel lonely, depressed, and isolated are many times more likely to get sick and die prematurely – not only of heart disease but from virtually all causes – than those who have a sense of connection, love and community,”

Raising Awareness

Ornish, the founder, president, and director of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif., and the author of Love and Survival, points out that today many people don’t have an extended family they see regularly, or live in a neighborhood with two or three generations of neighbors. Many don’t have a job that promises stability or go to a house of worship every week. “These things affect our survival to a much larger degree than people had once thought,” he says.

 

Unfortunately, says Ornish, “many people think of these as things you do after you’ve done all the ‘important’ stuff,” such as diet and exercise. What winds up happening is people often regard spending time with family and friends as a luxury. “What these studies show us is that this is the important stuff,” Ornish says. “We are touchy, feely creatures, we’re creatures of community, and we ignore these things at our own peril.”

Raising awareness so that people who are lonely and depressed can face these problems is very important, says Ornish. “It’s very hard to get people even to take their medication, if you don’t address these issues. That’s where awareness is the first step in healing. If a physician can spend more time with their patients talking about these issues, these people can begin to make different choices in their lives.”

Depression and the Heart

“The general results of studies are that, for the most part, we believe depression is a risk factor for the development of heart disease,” says Matthew Burg, PhD, associate clinical professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and Columbia School of Medicine.

Burg points out that in people who have already suffered a heart attack that requires surgery to unclog blocked arteries, depression is also associated with poor outcomes, such as an earlier death or subsequent heart attack.

Social isolation and low levels of social support are similarly associated with increased risk for heart disease complications, he says.

Most cardiologists agree these results are important, says Burg. But while cardiologists know what to do about cholesterol and blood pressure, they often don’t know what to do about depression and stress or even how to get patients to reveal how they feel. “It’s not like going to a patient and saying, ‘You have high cholesterol, and here’s the pill,'” says Burg.

Talking About Your Emotions

Not surprisingly, people have an easier time discussing their blood sugar and cholesterol than speaking about their psychological state. “People don’t like being depressed but, in our society, there is a certain stigma about things like depression,” Burg says. “When patients are not as forthcoming about these issues, it makes it that much harder to identify and treat.”

“A person who has suffered a heart attack is likely to say things like, ‘Of course I’m depressed, I just had a heart attack,'” Burg says. “But very often, when we take a closer look, what we find is the symptoms of depression predate the heart attack.

“The depression after a heart attack, which we would call an adjustment problem or adjustment disorder, actually dissipates within a matter of weeks. If the symptoms persist, we’re really talking about a depression independent of the heart disease.” These emotions, when prolonged, “are worth paying attention to, because of the potential effect they’re having on the cardiovascular system.”

For source website click here.

 

What inspired me….

Keeping up with a lifestyle change can be very challenging, often we feel like the payoff is not worth the effort, especially when the results can be slow coming. I have my own personal experience to share; after a long period of being ill, not working out, eating poorly in my late adolescence I decided to get my life in check, I was not happy with my body and I felt crummy. At the time I had not idea how much work it took to get the results I wanted. I had a dance background so for most of my life up until then, it was not something I though mush about. When I first started going to the gym I thought going twice a week was a lot of time, especially because it felt wasted. I was intimidated by other more fit women in the gym. I found a cartoon in a magazine that captured what I felt, it was accompanied by this editorial story; this woman had gone through the same thing I was going through. I was INSPIRED! I loved the cartoon, so I kept it. I taped it to my bathroom mirror, to remind me every day why I was doing what I was doing and to not give up. As I became stronger I enjoyed going to the gym more, I went more often, saw more results. It took me a full five years to really see all the changes I wanted, it had to build over time. That cartoon, stayed on my mirror all of that time. When I moved I kept it and took it with me. Now I can generate my own motivation, but I sometimes remember what it felt like to not have any, and that cartoon’s role in keeping me one track. Do not underestimate the power of the small things.

Do not give up, keep at it, it will come.

 

Moderation, rest and it place in creating sustainable change.

mod⋅er⋅a⋅tion  /ˌmɒdəˈreɪʃən/

–noun

1. the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance.
2. the act of moderating.
3. moderations, British. the first public examinations at Oxford University for the B.A. degree in mathematics or in classics.
—Idiom

4. in moderation, without excess; moderately; temperately: to drink in moderation.
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, even the healthiest foods, exercises can become dangerous and harmful when we abuse them, not only can it become an obsession, but it can also have detrimental effects in the body, thus in the energetic system and so on. Often when trying to maintain healthy habits we begrudge ourselves small slip ups, we feel we must be on the ball one hundred percent of the time, when in fact our changes would be more sustainable if we accept that we will falter, thus we should take it easy, be kind to ourselves and start with small steps. Taking breaks and taking stock are an important part of the process. It is comparable to what happens in the body when exercise training. There is a prescribed rest interval for different types to training which yield different adaptations. When training for increased strength and size, you would not use a rest time appropriate for endurance training. Furthermore you would not for go the rest period all together since it would limit the change in the muscle over time.
If we apply this principle to life and making changes in our lifestyle or perception then it stands to reason that depending on our goals and aspirations, different paths will be appropriate for different types of people. Do not compare your journey to that of another, we are all unique. take your time, as a wise person once said it is not the destination that matters but the journey there.