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breathe
90 Seconds to Breathe With Intention
Posted in Balance, Man on the Go, Mindfulness, Relax, Video | 
Tags: Balance, breathe, Man on the Go, quieting, Relax, Video | 
No Comments »A Guided Relaxation Session
Listen to this soothing practice of relaxation breathing. Inhale calm and quiet, exhale tension and stress…
Posted in Audio, Mindfulness, Relax | Tags: audio, breathe, Mindfulness, quiet, Relax, soothe | 1 Comment »Relax! 60 seconds is all it takes…
Relax!
60 seconds is all it takes…
It is well accepted that in our society, we are immersed in a fast paced way of life. Much is known about the potential negative consequences of unrelieved stress on both our physical and emotional health. While there may be some opportunity to alleviate your own personal stress triggers to some extent, two more realistic and immediate choices are available to you. One is to modify the manner with which you respond to a stress trigger, and the other is to practice the elicitation of a relaxation response on a regular basis.
Both of these choices are appealing, because both are attainable, pleasant, and very beneficial. Read the rest of this entry »
Front Porch Morning
Summer mornings are peaceful at my house. All mornings are actually, but the summer at 6 AM is a special time to enjoy. The air is simply delicious—fresh and cool and inviting. With a cup of coffee, I head out to the front porch. First I must check to see that the resident frogs are not hiding under the cushions on the couch. I don’t know why they seek shelter on the couch, but there they are most mornings. Assured that it is a frog-free zone, I can settle in.
How delightful it is! A rooster from a far-off neighbor greets the brightening sky. Some mornings I can hear the coyotes howling as they sign off for the day. As I sit quietly, the sun slowly ascends, illuminating the sky and lighting up the treetops. Over several minutes, I witness the subtle change from dawn to day. In harmony with the morning, I feel my own energy shift internally, as I transform to what will soon become my daytime vigor.
But it is the birds that lure me out at 6 AM, day after day. Ah, the birdsong! Variety is the spice of life, and we have it: Grosbeak, Robin, Chickadee, Nuthatch, Finch, Stellar Jay, Woodpecker—acorn and my personal fav, the pileated—and some mornings if I am really lucky, I can discern the call of a Kingfisher up on the irrigation canal that meanders through the forest. The birds serenade me, they sing to celebrate the new day, their various sounds merging into one fantastic symphony. I breathe, I quiet, and I breathe some more. I express gratitude for this gift of nature—the sunrise, the forest, the fresh air, and the birds. My heart is filled with joy! I am ready to jump into my day.
Posted in Updates | Tags: birdsong, breathe, Grass Valley, morning, Nevada County, peaceful, Relax, sunrise | No Comments »Mindful Living
Savor the moment to enhance your well-being.
Life is hectic! Our days are filled with commitments, family, obligations, activities (hopefully exercise fits in here), shopping and cooking, reading, driving to and fro…it’s a busy day. Many of us live in a “hurry up and get it done” mode—either multi-tasking two or three activities at the same time, or while in the midst of completing one task, already thinking about what is next on the list to do.
When did we buy in to this mode of existence—getting as much done in one day as humanly possible? Don’t get me wrong; efficiency and effectiveness are important to our personal and business success, but what is the price we pay for life in the fast lane? And one thing is certain, this ramped up performance expectation that has become the norm in our society does carry a price.
I believe that in our rush towards completion, the richness of each experience becomes diluted, leading to the loss of a certain amount of depth and sensory awareness. A superficiality is attached to the event, minimizing its’ value and contribution to our quality of life. Regardless of how ordinary or extraordinary the task may be, our attachment to the experience is minimized, and to counterbalance, it is mindfulness that allows us to fully engage in the depth and detail of the event or task, however mundane it may seem to be. Read the rest of this entry »
Women in the Workplace—is that the Office or Home???
For most of us, it’s both.
Women today do it all…contribute to the family finances, in some cases as the sole provider; nurture their children, partners, and extended family members; take care the house, which may include shopping, preparing meals, cleaning, laundry, or minor repairs; help with homework; talk with teachers; soothe hurt feelings and broken hearts; walk the dog; empty the cat litter box; write out the bills (all the while balancing the family budget); and mow the lawn in summer. While there may be a family effort exerted for these daily living tasks, much of the coordination, if not the effort itself, is left to the woman of the household.
Given all the energy women devote to household/family needs, how is it that we find time for success within our work life? Because we must. Whether we go to work full time or part time, at an executive or laborer level, love our work or just tolerate it, women give as much of themselves to their job as they do to their family and home.
That brings me to my point: What’s left over? Where is the energy or the time for our pleasures, our personal pursuits, or our self-nurturing? Yes, we derive pleasure from our family and work successes and challenges, but is that enough? NO, it is not!
We need balance in our lives. This is easier said than done, yes, but it can be done. Finding balance is a practiced skill, meaning that it must be practiced to become familiar. As working women, our path has been obscured by our sense of obligation to others, so that we can no longer see the way to care for ourselves. This is evident on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level.
Balance incorporates three key components: relaxation or a quieting of the mind, eating foods that are health sustaining, and engaging in some type of physical activity. The quieting of the mind is the most important aspect of this balance. The relaxation achieved from this quieting can have a tremendous positive affect on your physical and emotional health. Give yourself permission to take just one, or three, or six minutes a day to sit and breathe is all I am suggesting. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Balance | Tags: Balance, breathe, Business and Professional Women, Mindfulness, nutrition, real food, relaxation, Women in the Workplace, Women Misbehavin' | No Comments »
