Jul042009

DeStress in baby ( or giant ) steps

A wonderful person shared this in a forum that I am in and I couldn’t wait to pass on the love! I hope it delighted you as much as it did me. Challenge : Care to see how many are you already doing, and how many you can start incorporating into your life?

Cultivate gratitude.

Carve out an hour a day for solitude.

Begin and end the day with prayer, meditation and reflection.

Keep it simple. Don’t over-schedule.

Strive for realistic deadlines.

Never make a promise you can’t keep.

Allow an extra half hour for everything you do.

Create quiet surroundings at home and at work.

Go to bed at nine o’clock twice a week.

Always carry something interesting to read.

Breathe.. deeply and often.

Move.. walk, dance, run, find a sport you enjoy.

Drink pure spring water. Lots of it.

Eat only when hungry.

Be instead of Do.

Set aside one day a week for rest and renewal.

Laugh more often.

Luxuriate your senses.

Always opt for comfort.

If you don’t love it, live without it.

Let Mother Nature nurture.

Don’t answer the telephone during dinner.

Stop trying to please everybody.

Start pleasing yourself.

Stay away from negative people.

Don’t squander precious resources: time, creative energy, emotion.

Nurture friendships.

Don’t be afraid of your passion.

Approach problems as challenges.

Honor your aspirations.

Set achievable goals.

Surrender expectations.

Savor beauty.

Create boundaries.

For every “yes”, let there be a “no”.

Don’t worry, be happy.

Remember, happiness is a living emotion.

Exchange security for serenity.

Care for your soul.

Cherish your dreams.

Express love every day.

Search for your authentic self.
~Author Unknown~

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Jul042009

What are you taking for granted today? What can you be grateful of NOW?

What is it about our minds that is obsessed with what we DON’T have? And when we’re constantly focusing on the negatives, the nots, the should’ves, the could’ves… is it really a wonder that we often overlook the opportunities and gifts that constantly surrounds us?

Okay, some of you may disagree with me here, and will email me about how it’s all a struggle right now, but just for this one moment can you think of one thing that you can truly be grateful for?

My husband and I, for instance, always express our gratitude for the health that our small family enjoys. As cliched as it sounds, health truly is the foundation of true wealth. We acknowledge that and we give thanks to that. Every time we consciously direct our awareness to the fact that we DO have this wealth in the form of a body that serves and supports us in all that we do, our worries in other areas of our lives would fade into the background just a little bit easier.

Whether you believe in the Law of Attraction or not, the reality is that what you focus on expands. When you’re focusing on `I don’t have’ you’re essentially putting that situation under a powerful microscope and that becomes all you see. Then the Universe/God/Higher Power will see what you’re doing and go, ” Hmm… this person is not taking the time to see the gifts I have bestowed upon him/her, should I give more when there’s no appreciation?” How would YOU feel if you gave someone a gift and it’s chucked aside thoughtlessly?

On the other hand, maybe you can give your life a shot of paradigm shift? There is a Chinese saying that goes ( and I am roughly translating here )  ” There’s always someone/something when you look up; there’s always someone/something when you look down”. What it means is, if you concentrate on looking `up’ you will only see the not-enoughs. But if you try looking `down’ you will realize that there are many others who are wishing for the gifts that you already have.

I’d like to share a wonderful video a friend shared with me. It’s a wonderful reminder for us to make the most of the situation and no matter where you are, there are always options and resources for you to make it better and better!

Let me know what you think of my post and video – I’d love to hear from you!

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Jul032009

Can spirituality help you stress less?

Holistic stress release through meditation

Holistic stress release through meditation

I remember quite well the days before I would consider myself `spiritual’. That was when many things would throw me in an emotional and mental loop and that usually manifests itself into a massive struggle with migraine pains. Isn’t it funny how the outer body reacts to our inner realities? Not so funny, actually, and studies have and are still showing strong relationship between one’s inner sustenance and ability to cope with stress.

What is being spiritual, exactly? In my books it doesn’t mean that you have to subscribe to a particular religion. It simply means that you are open to accepting that there is a higher power not only outside of you, but inside of you as well. And so… if there is a higher power `out there’ that created this world, there is also infinite power within US to create our own realities.

Seems far-fetched? Yes… and no… It is quite impossible for this humble post to cover everything, but if you keep your eye on the pages here once in a while ( RSS hint here, people! ) I will certainly pass along to all of you what I have come to learn to be True.

So what kind of spiritual activities help you release your stress? Here are just a few, but they are more than enough to get you started:

Prayer, meditation…
I know this is hard for a lot of people to do, I felt that way before as well. If you are not ready to plunge into investing 30 minutes sitting cross-legged ( which is such a stereotype… prayer and meditation can be done while you’re jogging – you only need to decide it to be! ), then do what I usually recommend my clients: Just breathe in and out for five minutes. Do nothing but concentrate on your breath, how it fills you up then how it comes out easily and effortlessly from your body. Use visualizations such as warm bubbles floating in your body when you breathe in, sucking in all the stresses in your muscles and your bloodstream, then transporting the out again…. FIVE MINUTES. Can you swing that?

Keep a journal – specifically a gratitude journal
The Law of Attraction states what you concentrate on expands. So when you start and end your day with looking for things to be grateful for ( wonderful lunch with a friend, your flowers blooming gloriously etc ), then your inner self can’t help but ride on that positive wave. And whether you’re ready to believe it or not, this simple exercise has immense power to change your life. It has mine. It has thousands, millions around the world. Will you allow it to be your experiment and see how it changes yours?

Seek support…
Online forums are wonderful for this, so are trusted friends and family, coaches… Sometimes you need a fresh pair of eyes to get insights that are right under your nose but you were too distracted to see.

Spirituality first and foremost needs to start with a relationship with yourself. I cannot stress enough the importance of self excavation, and the reason why I love Meridian Tapping Technique in particular when it comes to spiritually de-stressing yourself is because it’s based upon loving, accepting and forgiving yourself. We are all worthy of the most perfect love from ourselves and from others. But it has to start with us.

Once you nurture yourself enough with love, acceptance and forgiveness, your authenticity to your inner being will show through in all your interactions with those around you. You will start to build boundaries that will not encroach in your well being. You will start flowing with life instead of against it. And flowing with life naturally means… aahhhh…. less stress.

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Jul032009

Are you afraid of your own brilliance?

Just want to quickly share with you a quote that affects me deeply from a wonderful teacher I adore, Marianne Williamson. I hope you gain strength and wisdom from it as much as I do….

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Marianne Williamson from her book A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles,

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Jul012009

Meridian Tapping Technique ( MTT ) – your key to inner and outer freedom

As a holistic coach I rely on many different tools to guide my clients in releasing inner and outer pains that ( obviously ) does not serve them, and replace them with fool-proof ways to gain more peace, calm, and reawaken the inner-compass that we all have so we live our lives from inspiration rather than desperation.

One of the main tools that I use in my own life and that I share with all who will listen, really, is called the Meridian Tapping Technique ( previously called Emotional Freedom Technique ). Meridian Tapping Technique can best be described as an emotional version of acupuncture, and though it has been used over and over again to relieve physical ( outer ) pain, it has been very successful in helping people ease their inner pains ( anger, shame, grief etc ) as well.

So what is Meridian Tapping Technique / Emotional Freedom Technique? I believe this video will be a wonderful introduction to all of you not yet familiar with it, so enjoy!

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Jun282009

Where did figure8flow.net go?!

For my dear readers who are wondering what happened to my old blog figure8flow.net, I am sad to report that I got the dreaded Wordpress White Screen of Death ( meaning you can’t see anything but a blank white page ) and because I am not a programming genius I decided, after a night’s worth of trying to figure things out, that I’m just going to have to start all over again.

It’s a shame, because that meant letting go of a google first page ranking… oh well… if I can do it then I can do it again.

So if you’re here and the scorpion design is still up, please know that this will not be permanent. Designing a blog takes time but I just wanted to post something to let all of you know what’s transpired.

So I will get this blog up and running as soon as I can. I appreciate your patience and continuous support. Talk to all of you soon!

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