Finding Peace of Mind. Isn’t that what we all want? Yesterday I went to my first clinical hypnosis therapy session. I posted about the process last week but hadn’t experienced it until now. Told you I’d follow up on it.
The practitioner is in the process of writing a book on the subject of which she has been practicing for 16 years. Her office was calming as expected, her music soft and relaxing and her voice ever so soothing.
It was a case of deep relaxation while opening the subconscious to work with the mind in order to achieve a peaceful feeling to overcome symptoms such as (in my case) anxiety, some stress and loss of sleep. Others use it to manage pain, kick bad habits such as smoking and change harmful attitudes. If you’re familiar with meditation and make it your practice you will find it much easier to achieve an hypnotic state.
I decided to do this because someone very close to me has a recurring cancer and I wanted to offer support and something positive to go along with the auto-immune therapy that this person is undergoing. A therapy not yet approved here in Canada, only successful in 4 cancer types with a 30% success rate and a multitude of possible side effects. After yesterday I realized the hypnotherapy could help me deal with the situation as well.
This could not have come at a better time for me because I had no more than one hour of restful sleep the night before for no apparent reason other than over-thinking and worry. But you can train your mind to push worry aside with training and diligence.
Most people in general find it easier to attain a restful body but the mind seems to stay active. The idea is to quiet the mind while a part of your subconscious guides you along to a restful place to offer helpful suggestions. It’s not meditation. Meditation is a blank state while in hypnosis part of your mind stays awake.
woman meditating on the beach in the Caribbean
The session lasted one hour. The tiny group of two other people and I were told that 15 minutes of hypnotherapy is the equivalent of 4 hours of restful sleep. We were under for at least 30 minutes so I figure by way of this, I was able to get my full 8 hours after all. I actually felt much more rested after the session ended. Good thing too because I had a very full day ahead and was able to make it through remaining alert (along with some coffee).
I will continue this journey longer by going to sessions and setting aside a specific time (5 to 15 minutes a day) to sit back, relax, imagine my colour (we choose a colour theme – mine was shades of fuchsia before she said to make it a relaxing colour so it became violet), a vision (private although I shared it with the others in the room) and see where this guides me. I can tell you that my set visual is the most wonderful inspiring sensation.It wasn’t this but I love this dream like illustration and since I live partially in a dream world it inspired me to include it.
Have you tried this?
Practitioner: Louise Evans Address: Suite #205, 2902 West Broadway Phone: 604 773 5595 Website: sparkhypnotherapy.com
This week I want to focus on the old cliché in a few different areas. I want to start with Hypnosis because it’s something that has always fascinated me. Maybe I just want to be a control freak.
My dad used to say corny things to my mom like “you hypnotise me with your eyes“
When I was little my dad took me to see the stage illusionist and hypnotist Raveen who came to Montreal quite regularly. All I remember is lots of people going up on stage and then after being hypnotized, they did some crazy things like bark like dogs or cluck like chickens. I remember wanting to find out if I could be hypnotized but not wanting to find out later that I ran around naked onstage or something equally (no; that’s the worst) humiliating.
And who can forget Woody Allen in the screwball movie Curse of the Jade Scorpion where his character is hypnotized into stealing jewels after hearing only one word by a crooked hypnotist. Case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is intriguing to think about…I mean if you had the power to actually play with people’s minds and try to control them. (not like it hasn’t been done before by some crafty players.) I would like to wave the wand and be like: you are getting sleepy, you are under my spell. Now give me your sandwich! But realisticaly….
It’s time to put aside all the illusions about what a hypnotist can do. A stage hypnotist might, for the purposes of entertainment try to make you bark like a dog or take off your clothes (I don’t think they really do that but I would if I had the power and wanted to see someone naked) but clinical hypnotherapy is not entertainment. It is therapy undertaken in a state of hypnosis.
I’m just beginning to find out because two people close to me have started seeing a clinical therapist to experience hypnosis for therapeutic and medical reasons. Next week I’m tagging along to see for myself how the process works. The mind is a powerful tool so if this helps someone deal with pain or a psychologically stressful issue, it can’t be harmful. It appears that it can also benefit anyone dealing with a friend or significant other who has a medical issue and the accompanying stress that goes along it. Apparently this kind of hypnosis makes it easier for your subconscious mind to understand how you can get the results you want.
The Doorway to Your Subconscious
To be a good subject you need to want to cooperate and you need to be able to focus and follow instructions (a challenge for me but I will make a mental state of focusing attention). The reason to use clinical hypnosis is to help you become receptive to suggestions for solving your problem (s) and to help you have more control over your symptons. It is not mind control. You cannot be made to act on suggestions that are not acceptable to you. You are not asleep during the process. You cannot be hypnotized against your will. It involves helping you experience a pleasant state of relaxed concentration during which your conscious mind can relax and the “doorway” to your subconscious mind can be opened with your consent. In this relaxed state (almost a meditative state – something else I want to explore) your openness to suggestion and your mental focus may be increased. Sensitivity to feelings, sensations, sights, sounds, smells and tastes can be made more or less intense. Also, your imagination can often be easily used for making helpful suggestions work for you. I have a very active imagination so this will be interesting.
Hypnosis can be used as a tool to help you:
Experience Deep Healing Relaxation, Identify what you want and how you can get it, use your imagination to help you solve your problem, become more open to helpful suggestions and ideas, gain relief from bothersome symptoms such as physical pain and anxiety, gain more control over how you deal with such symptoms, learn how to more effectively manage stress, control your mood swings, supercharge your motivation to make positive changes in your behaviour, free yourself from harmful habits such as smoking, have better sleep, become less depressed and less anxious, let go of self destructive resentment and guilt, solve emotional conflicts that hold you back from getting better, and change harmful attitudes, beliefs, feelings and behaviours.
I will follow up on this and if it turns out that I can bend people to my will, I hope I can do some good.
“Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone, “so I can’t take more.”
“You mean you can’t take less,” said the Hatter: “it’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
“Nobody asked your opinion,” said Alice.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
I’ve been planning to have a ladies tea party for the longest while. Mostly because it’s a good idea (nobody does that anymore), I have lots and lots of bags (but I’m more of a loose women when it comes to tea) and a large box of beautifully mismatched china cups and saucers from my Irish grandmother sitting in storage waiting to be useful. And I can make little fancy sandwiches. A grown up tea party on the deck when the weather gets warmer…whenever that happens. And I don’t have to worry about them getting home safely.
Which brings me to….
Have you been down the tea aisle lately? Doesn’t it seem that there are more assortments than ever before to choose from? Crazy considering there are really only five basic categories: white, green, oolong, black, and pu-erh (a variety of fermented and aged dark tea produced in Yunnan province, China). And all types of traditional tea begin with a tea leaf from the same plant, Camellia sinensis.
What about Rooibos then which is red? Turns out that Rooibos is not a true tea, but an herb. I just found that out. (There are hundreds of herbal teas – too many to be discussed in this post, for another time). You learn something new every day – even something as basic as a tea fact.
We’ve all heard about the many health benefits of drinking tea. Apparently all kinds of teas even black tea is good for us to drink, although some are more potent than others at fighting off disease…so we are told. In any event it’s always nice to enjoy a cup of tea.
It seems that almost every country you visit has their own kind of specialty tea with claims of medicinal benefits and the custom is usually to welcome you with a cup of the hot stuff.
Tea is taken seriously in most countries you know.
The English love their black tea, in Peru it is mate de coca (or coca tea made from the leaves of the coca plant), In India it’s Darjeeling, in Africa it’s Rooibus, in the Orient it’s types of green tea and in Egypt it’s Hibiscus. I’m sure there are others but these are the most common kinds.
What about the health claims?
There has been less research on herbal blends than on traditional teas, but one study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that drinking three cups of hibiscus tea daily could help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension. And evidence suggests that chamomile tea may promote sleep and that peppermint tea may calm the stomach.
Hibiscus
I’m focusing on Hibiscus right now because the red flowers are so pretty, the scent is sweet and floral but not overpowering….and I have several jars of the stuff brought back from Egypt. Good thing that dried tea keeps for a long, long time.
Hibiscus also goes by the names Sorrel and Roselle. It is said that that the properties can help ward off major diseases due to it’s high content of polyphenol antioxidants.
Other health benefits of hibiscus tea include relief from high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as digestive, immune system, and inflammatory problems. It helps to cure liver disease and reduces the risk of cancer. It can also speed up the metabolism and help in healthy, gradual weight loss. Hibiscus tea is rich in vitamin C, minerals and various antioxidants, while also helping in the treatment of hypertension and anxiety.
A cup of hibiscus tea is a simple, effective, delicious way to increase your antioxidant intake! I better get those jars out of the cupboard and into the pot.
So a tea party is in store!
“In Ireland, you go to someone’s house, and she asks you if you want a cup of tea. You say no, thank you, you’re really just fine. She asks if you’re sure. You say of course you’re sure, really, you don’t need a thing. Except they pronounce it ting. You don’t need a ting. Well, she says then, I was going to get myself some anyway, so it would be no trouble. Ah, you say, well, if you were going to get yourself some, I wouldn’t mind a spot of tea, at that, so long as it’s no trouble and I can give you a hand in the kitchen. Then you go through the whole thing all over again until you both end up in the kitchen drinking tea and chatting.
In America, someone asks you if you want a cup of tea, you say no, and then you don’t get any damned tea.
I liked the Irish way better.” – C.E. Murphy, Urban Shaman
Remember the post where I declared my love for the Vintage Airstream Trailer? That was 10 days ago although it seems like months now.
I found out that many travel companies are getting on board the vintage trailer bandwagon: In November, rental company Airstream 2 Go partnered with Texas boot-maker Lucchese (love them too – bought a pair in Nashville) on a custom itinerary through the Lone Star State, which includes a trip to the factory and a pair of custom boots.
Airstream says it’s selling five times as many trailers as it did in 2009, spent $6 million on a new office space, and recently hired 130 new employees. Sounds like the making of a major comeback story.
CHECK THIS OUT:
If you’re not the road trip type but want to experience the Airstream lifestyle for a night or two, here are five firmly planted and beautifully decorated hotels for your next vacation.
El Cosmico, Marfa, Texas
El Cosmico Photo: Courtesy of El Cosmico
There is probably no place more appropriate to situate a trailer than Marfa, the art-centric, holistic desert oasis of the Southwest. El Cosmico offers tepees, yurts, and, most important, several models of trailers that are sparsely decorated but seriously cozy. There’s a minibar in each but, intentionally, no Wi-Fi.
AutoCamp, Santa Barbara, California
Autocamp Photo: Courtesy of Autocamp
This tiny Airstream-based hotel is made up of five vintage trailers, some of which come equipped with flat-screen TVs, large bathtubs, and Malin + Goetz products. Each trailer also comes with two beach cruiser bikes for getting around the camp.
Hotel Daniel, Vienna, Austria
Hotel Daniel Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Daniel
Nestled in the garden just outside the boutique hotel, one silver Airstream trailer is available as a room option for guests. The 172-square-foot space was created by interior designers specializing in yachts and has a sleek, minimal feel. It nods to the experience of being out on the open road, but is in the middle of a busy urban center.
Italy Airstream, Venice, Italy
Italy Airstream Park Photo: Courtesy of Italy Airstream Park
The website touts this as “the first Airstream park in Italy,” and it’s certainly the first of its kind on the Adriatic Coast. Recently opened in April, the six Airstreams each sleep up to four people, with a shaded canopy bed outside. It’s 30 minutes to Venice by car, or you can take a longer two-hour ride to reach the Dolomites. There’s also a beach just outside the park.
Caravan Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Caravan Tokyo Photo: Courtesy of Caravan Tokyo
For those looking to skip the Ritz or the Park Hyatt for something a little more low-key, Caravan is the place to stay in Tokyo. It’s a single trailer that sleeps two, parked near the bustling Harajuku neighborhood in a mixed-use office complex. It’s a fantastic example of innovative, smart Japanese design, with a gray exterior, modern pendant lamps and paper stools inside, and a wooden outer deck and lounge area.
I know this is not the same thing but….
It’s what I have for now and it’s more easily transportable. I’ve made many meals in this rig including once in Texas a fully-cooked Christmas dinner. It’s true! Coffee anyone?
Source: Vogue Magazine Article (by Brooke Bobb) 5 Airstream Rentals That Trump Traditional Hotel Rooms
I’m always looking to incorporate new healthy ingredients for smoothies and teas but never lattes – so this recipe which was originally featured in a recent GOOP newsletter for Great Skin – Inside and Out kills two birds with one great caffeine-free latte. I used my favourite creamy almond milk from Califia Farms (California) in Toasted Coconut which is only 45 calories per cup. YUM! Both ginger and turmeric have incredible anti-inflammatory properties, which means this soothing and delicious latte is also really good for you.
Ginger + Turmeric Latte
SERVES 1
1 heaped teaspoon peeled and finely chopped fresh turmeric
1 teaspoon peeled and roughly chopped ginger
1 tablespoon organic coconut sugar, maple sugar or raw blue agave sweetener
2 teaspoons organic virgin coconut oil
pinch himalayan salt
1/4 tsp. high quality green matcha powder (optional)
1 cup almond milk
Combine turmeric, ginger, coconut sugar, coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt in a powerful blender.
Heat almond milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering.
Pour the hot almond milk into the blender and blitz everything until smooth and frothy.
TIPS: If you can’t find fresh turmeric, use 1 teaspoon of ground. I added a sprinkling of cinnamon on top – delish! *Try adding half a banana for additional silkiness & flavour.Beauty Tips:
Jean Godfrey June, goop Beauty Director
I think food makes an enormous difference in the look of your skin. Too much sugar starts an inflammatory glycation process that’s not just super-aging in the long-term, it makes you look puffy and lethargic in the short-term. Inflammation has been proven to be a huge factor in aging in general, and in the way your skin ages, in particular, so anti-inflammatory foods help—my current personal anti-inflammatory obsessions are turmeric and sour cherry. And avocados, like everyone else on the planet!
Fats got such a bad name for so long, and I truly believe they’re critical, especially for people with dry or aging skin: Avocado, sunflower, olive, and coconut oils are all incredible, plus I like to take wild salmon oil capsules. And eat oily fish: My boyfriend and I grilled some fresh herring from the farmer’s market and they were—so good. I’m a huge egg person also. I’m in favor of full-fat milk if you’re going to have milk for the same reason.
And again, antioxidants—in many of the foods I’ve already mentioned, but pretty much every fruit, vegetable, and nut in existence—are important to take internally as well as topically.
Turmeric is incredibly anti-inflammatory and incredibly delicious. My boyfriend got a pound of turmeric powder one day, and that started the whole craze. Fresh turmeric takes it to whole new level; put it with fresh ginger and the flavor is just…heaven.
This latte is pure comfort food, the creamy almond milk, the rich coconut, a little salty a little sweet, warm, spicy: Everything I love!
CHIA vs FLAX?I don’t know if one is better than the other so I use both.
Chia Seeds
Both are considered super-seeds. At least Flax was spared the humility of being sold as a pet. Let’s focus on chia seeds for now.
Not so long ago chia seeds were most well known for being spread onto terracotta pottery so that they would grow fur to resemble some kind of animal. I never had one of those and thought them to be in the same category as the useless pet rock.
But then we found out that the seeds are much more useful than for making novelty items; they’re incredibly beneficial for your health. So to be on the healthy safe side I put a handful into my vitamix to add to smoothies and top granola and oatmeal with the potent little seeds that have similar benefits to Flax except they don’t have to be ground prior to consumption, and they don’t go rancid as quickly either.
Chia seeds, along with mint, were a prized food to the ancient Aztecs and Mayans. “Chia” is the ancient Mayan word for strength, and the tiny seeds were valued for their energy-boosting properties.
A Rich Source of Healthy Fats and Nutrients
Chia seeds are a quick and easy-to-use source of protein, healthy fats, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, all rolled into one neat package. That’s a lot to boast about.
In addition, chia seeds contain a number of additional phytochemicals, each with its own unique benefits. This includes myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol, known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties, and caffeic acid.
As it goes with the latest “IT” health boosters, you can buy it in other forms like the “Mamma Chia” energy drink shown here which has other added health benefits like spinach, kale, mint & spirulina and tastes similar to bubble tea.
It’s like Spring cleaning but for your body, and many of us partake at this time of the year right after several weeks of over indulging in food + drink. We say this year will be different, we won’t stuff ourselves nearly so much at the office parties and celebratory get togethers around Christmas and New Years but how many of us really have the strong willpower to say NO to that scrumptious looking piece of chocolate cake? Having said that…
Are you confused about the difference between a detox and a cleanse?
Many people use the terms detox and cleanse interchangeably. But there is a slight distinction between the two. It’s that distinction that will help you to make the appropriate investment of your time and resources to reach your optimal health goals.
In a detox, the goal is to remove the foods and food categories that are muddying the waters. We’re taking out the substances that slow you down, make you sick, clog your sinuses, cause bloating, make you retain unnecessary weight and leave you feeling tired and foggy. Who wants any of that?! Sometimes the things we’re removing are foods and sometimes they’re more than foods. . . behaviors or beliefs, patterns and habits that are holding us back. The protocol all depends on the intent of the specific detox.
So if that’s a detox, what’s a cleanse?
A cleanse is all that and more. We’re definitely removing the substances that leave you feeling high and dry in the ways I mentioned above. Yet we’re also going in a bit deeper. We’re delving into a certain area to detoxify and actually working to CLEAN it. We use food and supplements and herbs and practices to get those internal organs functioning to the best of their abilities. And because many of our organs are so easily regenerated, the healing you bring through these intense cleanses serves you well throughout the entire year.
Your gut is your deep-seated intuition. Intuition tells me that healing the gut is the very first step in remedying almost any health issue.
As you are well aware there are many, many cleanses out there to choose from. The most well known is the Master Cleanse. But for convenience sake I’m going to direct you to the trustworthy website belonging to none other than Gwyneth Paltrow. You know the one I’m talking about. I believe that she (and the people who work on her site) will have one of the best cleanses to tell you about. I mean who better to give us advice on a 21 day or a mini 3 day (for newbies) post New Years cleanse? But to be on the safe side, always check with your doctor beforehand.
I find this timely piece written by Life Advisor Suzannah Galland to be totally inspiring. Galland uses a combination of intuition, numerology, and general “knowing” to help her clients recognize blind spots and acknowledge the truth—which they often already know but don’t want to believe. Below, she explains how we hold ourselves back by clinging to the energy of old relationships and traumas.
The Year of Moving the Present Forward
As another year closes and a new year makes itself known, we’re inspired to reminisce about the past and lay claim to what we want in the upcoming months and years. Yet, when we look back, many of us may find ourselves pretty much in the same place we were in years past—at least in certain areas of our life. We still haven’t met our dream partner, lost those 10 pounds, or risen in our career as much as we’d hoped.We can name our New Year’s resolutions till we’re blue in the face, but if we approach our life the same way as we always have, we can expect the same results. If our results have been disappointing, why not do something different? Why not move the present forward?
Moving the present forward is another way of saying drop the baggage and manifest the life you want. The only way to do this is to work with what you’ve got now—and to keep your head out of the past.
Manifestation is nothing new. The practice of intentionally creating what you want by visualizing it and feeling its energy has been around for thousands of years. It’s not hard. It’s not even time consuming. Yet most of us don’t do it. It’s possible we’re afraid of getting what we want (we might fear that we still won’t be happy). We might not honestly know what we want and, uncommitted, we put out a wishy-washy lackluster energy that peters out before it reaches the universal flow. But more likely than not (as I see this with almost all of my clients), we’re carrying too much of our past with us into the future. Of all the hold-ups to living the dream, excess baggage is the biggest culprit.
Baggage includes all our resentments, self-pity, and victim mentality—all the negative thoughts and beliefs we mutter to ourselves day in and day out. We’re too fat to date an attractive man, we’re too inexperienced to get the job, we failed last time so why try again. Combined, and over time, these thoughts and beliefs create our overall energy—the vibration level we project to the world. Maybe we had a horrid past or maybe we can’t seem to let go of an old love. We harbor these negative thoughts or resentments, and in doing so we lower our vibration level. Over time, we become our baggage. We’re consumed by it.
The Meter
Women have what I like to call creep meters. When a man enters a room or talks to us, we immediately get a sense of whether he’s got good mojo or is stalker looking for prey. We may not always trust or allow ourselves to tune into the reading, but we have it. We’re able to sense, or read, the energy vibration of another.
In truth, everyone has a meter, and we’re capable of reading more than just creeps. We sense when someone’s vibration is strong and in tune with the universe, and these are the people we want to be around. We’re drawn to them. They feel charismatic. We want to be near them. When the creep meter goes off the charts, on the other hand, we’re repelled. We can’t wait to leave the room.
Everyone has an energy vibration, and everyone is responsible for sustaining or strengthening their vibration. We are, in effect, walking balls of energy, showing the world each and every day what we’re made of. Our vibration level is a kind of personal branding. One subconscious feel of our vibration and people sense our authenticity, our mood, and more. We can show up at the table looking and feeling gorgeous and sexy, blindsiding our date momentarily. But we can’t conceal our vibration forever. Once our date sees past his libido, he’ll sense the real vibration. If it’s below his, he’ll lose interest and, sex appeal or no sex appeal, he’s out the door.
If we’re not attracting what we want, we need to increase our vibration. Good, good, good…good vibrations (the Beach Boys)!
High energy is less consumed by past experiences. High vibration people live more in the present. They feel good about life. They don’t dwell for too long on the past, and only reference it when they need information. The people with little or no baggage don’t work harder, they don’t study longer, they aren’t sexier or more beautiful, and they don’t have any special talents. They are pretty much the same as people with baggage, except for a one percent distinction—high vibration people avoid bringing their past into their future. Instead, they move their present forward.
The New Year is the perfect time to resolve to manifest because, coincidentally, the only way to reach this glorious future self is to raise your vibration by taking a short stroll into the fabulous parts of your past. Keep this visit short and sweet so you don’t wander into dangerous territory. You want to intentionally (not as if you were on autopilot) remember an event or a moment that brought you joy or great pleasure. Forget about the painful memories. Don’t even go there. You want to carry the joy forward. Go there and go deep. Smell it, taste it, feel it. Most important, sustain the feeling.
I loved this Vegas show – photo: d. king
Here is an example of how you could rekindle some passion by reminiscing a kiss.
A kiss says it all. Do you remember that rush of excitement or falling in love in that moment? It just took you time to realize it, but it was all there in his first kiss. His touch told you right from the start he was crazy about you.
The more you do this, the more you will remember what you can have. You develop a certain confidence, a self-assuredness, which is key, and in no time you will feel compelled to voice out loud how you know a love mate is coming in 2016. You’ll have a new story, and, if anything, your mouth will be craving a kiss.
Why does this work? Physics has proved it: The brain doesn’t know what’s real or not real. It knows what you tell it, what you believe, what you feel. So why not take some editorial license to delete what isn’t working and create a heightened, more evolved you?
The Power of a New Story
My client Stephanie is a public relations consultant for a prestigious firm in New York City. “I’m so sad,” she said, sheepishly in our Skype session. “I had just met this guy Rob. He’s handsome with wavy dark hair and his eyes are so intense. He’s exceptionally smart…we couldn’t stop talking about this and that…we had so much in common. We saw each other a few times. I didn’t sleep with him. He’d been texting me all week. The other night we were back at my apartment and he broke out into a cold sweat and chills. He opted to leave and fast…that was Thursday…and now I haven’t heard from him for four days. I mean we were texting every day regularly, and you should see his words to me. I’ve just spent the whole night crying. I don’t know what to do.”
I felt her pain and understood her crisis. To me, it was clear that she was lapsing into her history of pain and rejection. I wanted to help her.
I asked her if she could Skype me a picture of him. No kidding, he was definitely handsome. I found myself magnetized by his soft green eyes. I could see what she saw in him. He was super sexy. I had an overwhelming sense that this relationship was not over. I started to remotely profile him. He was sincere, embarrassed by the other night for sure, and extremely keen on pursuing her. He felt melancholy and removed. Yet, what was stopping him? I had a hit that he was a reactor. By that I mean that Rob was sensitive to her energy. And Stephanie’s energy was consumed by her story of rejection, abandonment, and lost loves. So if he thought of her, he was repelled.
“Stephanie,” I said calmly, “when he thinks of you, he’ll feel your pain. It’s not something he’ll be consciously aware of. But energy travels. It’s more subliminal. I mean look at how you’re feeling now? You’re full of toxic goo. Let’s shift this energy and right now!” I exclaimed boldly. “Let’s create a different story and move this forward to create a better future.” I took a pause. “Tell me how it felt being with him the first night?”
“OMG” she said excitedly. Her smile lit up the screen. “He took me to a fabulous restaurant and brought me a scarf as a gift. He said, ‘I want you to sleep with this tonight and when I next see you, wear it for me. I will smell it and know it will have your scent all over it.’”
I asked her to find the pashmina and wrap it around herself. She was delighted to do this. As our session closed, she looked (and felt) positively radiant.
Within 30 minute she texted me: “Amazing. Just heard from Rob. He explained he was out of town and not feeling well.”
Stephanie was sold. She was focused on creating a new story and understood the ramifications firsthand of carrying around the past in the present.
Letting Go of Your Go-To Story
When the past comes into the present, you become tied to this story—your go-to story. In a sense, you become addicted to this story—to your past—and you end up making history with this unwanted story. If you continue to support that story, it becomes your definition of yourself. You bring it with you. Likewise, you transmit it to others. It comes with you to a romantic dinner, to bed, while having sex, taking meetings—wherever you go, your past sits with you, smack bang in the middle of everyone and everything. The trick is not to let it define you. Even though it happened, it’s gone; it’s the past. It’s no longer your story. Let go of the story and create a new one.
Create a new and better go-to story, and make 2016 an irresistible year. Happy New Year.
Suzannah Galland is not a typical Life Advisor. Her work combines her innovative MindSense Method™ with compelling strategic and tactical guidance. She uses intention profiling (“both those of the subject, and the intentions of people in their lives”) to give her clients immediate access to their desired results.
Suzannah is a licensed HeartMath coach, and licensed in Kinesiology by Brain Gym®. She also has Management & Leadership training from Cornell University’s certificate program in Executive Leadership.
I’ve belonged to the same gym which is located a very short walking distance from where I live for more years than I want to admit. If I really stop to think about it, If I went every single day since day one, my body would be in perfect shape right now. But because I only go a few times a week instead, it is in almost perfect fairly good shape right now with room for improvement..always. My criteria is location, equipment, cleanliness and classes. The classes are excellent and I go to the varied yoga classes with different instructors and practices. I must admit that as much as I want to love working out with weights I don’t. I tried and tried and liked seeing the results because weights really do work but I didn’t enjoy it. I have some weights at home that are still sitting on the floor waiting to be picked up…someday. I don’t even enjoy spinning because I’d much rather ride a bike outside and I don’t like to sweat very much. So spinning is out. Running, Yoga and Dancing (tango/swing) works for me right now. And I always walk. I can walk and walk and walk for miles as long as my footwear is comfortable. Basically I feel better about myself when I’m doing a physical activity to improve my body, but sometimes…
No matter how dedicated you are to fitness, sooner or later, it’s going to happen: You’re going to skip a workout… and another… and another. Maybe you can blame a vacation, a mile-high pile of paperwork at the office or just your run-of-the-mill funk. Whatever the reason, before you know it, you’re out of shape.
A running buddy helps you to get motivated
Neglecting the gym every once in a while is nothing to worry about—after all, sometimes your body needs to rest and recover. But, when you hit pause on your workouts for more than a week, you might actually be throwing your fitness level into rewind. Here is an article I read on thedailybeast.com
How Fast Will You Fall Out of Shape?
You worked hard to get fit, whether by logging regular runs, or striving for new personal bests in your bench press. When your workouts fall by the wayside, how fast you fall out of shape depends on more than just how much time you spent away from the gym. Your overall fitness and the type of workout you’re missing will also impact your losses, says James Ting, M.D., a board-certified sports medicine physician with the Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, CA.
As a general rule, the fitter you are, the longer it will take your muscles turn to flub, he says. Your physique doesn’t like change; it’s constantly trying to achieve homeostasis. So the longer you have been exercising (and the fitter you are), the more time it will take for your body to say, “Well, I guess we don’t need to build muscle anymore.”
If it’s only been a week since you broke a sweat, don’t stress. Whatever your workout history, it’ll take more than seven days for your body to soften. But two weeks? You might not get away with that as easily. One Journal of Applied Physiology study suggests that easing up on your workouts for just 14 days can significantly reduce your cardiovascular fitness, lean muscle mass, and insulin sensitivity. Meanwhile, it can take two months or longer to see complete losses of your fitness gains, according to Ting.
Endurance vs. Strength: Which Will You Lose?
Your body will react differently depending on whether you’re skipping endurance exercise versus strength training, says exercise physiologist and trainer Marta Montenegro, M.S., C.S.C.S.
That’s because your muscles contain both type I (slow-twitch) and type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers. Type I fibers contribute to endurance performance. Type II fibers are more powerful, and their “fast-twitch” capabilities help you power through high-intensity exercise or strength training.
During your day-to-day activities (like walking, talking, sitting at a desk, etc.), your type I fibers are contributing to the bulk of your efforts. But you really have to work to get your type II fibers to switch into gear. So, when you take a break from exercise, your type I fibers are likely still being used, helping to prevent them from breaking down. But some of your type II, fast-twitch fibers may be rarely, if ever used, if you aren’t working out, she says.
That may explain why type II fibers tend to atrophy more quickly than type I fibers, she says. In other words, your max bench press will suffer before your 10K time does when you’re slacking. If you’re taking a break from strength work or high-intensity intervals, you’ll notice a huge difference when you finally do go back to the gym.
Endurance athletes aren’t entirely out of the woods, though. When you perform regular cardio, your type II muscle fibers gradually change from type IIx to type IIa, Montenegro explains. Type IIa fibers are key to endurance performance: They are powerful, but don’t tucker out as quickly as IIx ones, meaning they can help power your long runs. When you take a break from your long runs and rides, this essentially reverses, and your percentage of type IIa fibers decreases, while your IIx fibers increases, she says. So prepare to tire out way faster.
Breaks Aren’t All Bad
Before we terrify you into heading to the gym right now, know that it’s actually good for you to skip workouts from time to time. In fact, if you train hard , taking a break can actually help improve your strength, muscle development and aerobic fitness, says certified strength and conditioning specialist Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., assistant editor-in-chief of the Strength and Conditioning Journal.
Days off can also improve your mental fitness. “Your body and mind both need time to recover for overall health and in order to achieve optimal performance,” says Ting. “Failing to recognize this and training too hard can lead to fatigue and, ironically, underperformance, the so-called overtraining syndrome.”
If you’re sore more than 72 hours after a workout, you’re feeling ill, or your fitness progress is stalling, it may be time to back off. How long should your break last? “There’s no hard and fast rule for how long a ‘break’ from exercise should be,” Ting says. “It may be as short as a few days, but it’s important to realize as well that it can also be up to one to two weeks without any significant detriment or loss in previous fitness gains.
Just remember that taking a break from exercise doesn’t (and shouldn’t) equate to gluing your butt to the couch and Netflix-binging. “Taking up some light activity that isn’t part of your typical training regimen, such as yoga or even a long walk or leisurely bike ride, can all constitute a ‘break,’” Ting says. (Oh, I see…I’ve been taking breaks all this time instead of actually working out).
How to Jump Back Into Your Workouts
Depending on how long you took off—and lazy you were—you might not want to jump back into your workouts, but rather ease into them. If you’ve taken any more than a couple weeks off, you’ll probably notice some differences. After a month or more, you’ll definitely want to get started with a less-intense version of your regular workout, Ting says.
“The most important thing is to back off a little for the first week,” Schoenfeld says. “Choose a weight where you will be able to stop several reps short of failure on your sets. The following week you should be able to train at your previous level, assuming the reason for stopping wasn’t an illness or injury.” Meanwhile, if you’re getting back into running, start at a pace at which you can run comfortably and are able to speak in short sentences. After a week, try turning up the speed.
It can be frustrating to exercise at anything less than your max effort, sure, but gradual is the way to go to prevent injury. The last thing you want is to walk into the gym after a month off, try to squat your “usual” load, and throw out your back. (Hello, another month off.)
Luckily, when it comes to getting back into your pre-break shape, you do have muscle memory working for you, Schoenfeld says. There are two aspects to muscle memory. One involves your ability to carry out movements in a coordinated fashion. Wonder why your first rep on the bench press looked so sloppy? It’s because your body was learning which muscle fibers it needed to recruit, and which ones it didn’t, to properly perform the exercise.
Then second component of muscle memory involves your cells. “Muscles have satellite cells—basically muscle stem cells—that help to drive protein synthesis. Resistance training increases satellite cells and these changes remain for years,” he explains. “So even if muscle is lost from taking time away for many years, a person can regain the lost muscle much more quickly after an extended layoff.” Score.
Exactly how long it takes will vary from person to person, but by and large, you can expect to be back in fighting shape in a few weeks.
What kind of exercise do you do on a regular basis?
Source: K. Aleisha Fetters, Life by Daily Burn (thedailybeast.com)
Following yesterdays post re the ancient philosophy of Vedanta
Peace of Mind is the most important factor for feeling grounded and achieving happiness.
What disturbs your peace of mind?
No external factors can disturb you except yourself. You make yourself, you mark yourself. The world cannot disturb you.
Rule #1: If you operate on likes and dislikes, you will face the consequences thereof.
A man picks up a cigarette and finds so much pleasure in it; another guy can’t stand smoking. A man goes to a lawyer to divorce his wife, and he finds great pleasure in getting rid of her; another guy is desperately waiting to marry the same lady.
This happens everywhere: The lady produces joy to one, sorrow to another. Therefore, it is not in the object or in the being—it is in how you relate to it. It’s your mind that wreaks havoc on your peace, not the external world. It is a mistake to believe that joy or sorrow is in the external world.
The mind is replete with likes and dislikes. So when you’re operating at the level of the mind, you do what you like, and you avoid what you don’t like. And when you’re dependent on your likes and dislikes, it’s miserable. For example, an Indian comes to the United States and he only likes rice and dal, but you give him pasta. What is this pasta? Meanwhile, the pasta-lover doesn’t like rice. If you operate on likes and dislikes, you’re dependent on the world. The world is in a flux of change. It can’t cater to your likes all the time. Therefore, you will be frustrated. If you only like summer, you will enjoy three months and suffer for nine. When you operate on likes and dislikes, you operate on the mind. But when you operate on the intellect, you choose the right course of action.
See, what is pleasant to you in the beginning is not so in the end. Junk food is pleasant in the beginning, but not so much in the end. You don’t like exercise, and you avoid it, but it becomes a problem later. What you like is detrimental; what you don’t like is beneficial. This is not to say that you shouldn’t do what you like—I’m only asking that you examine whether it is proper.
One Indian man heard my lecture and he went home and he looked at his wife. She said, “Why are you looking at me like that?” And he said: “I was liking you very much, but Swamiji said that I should throw out my likes and so I’m going to throw you away.”
Crazy! I didn’t say that! For heaven’s sake, don’t throw your partner away! All I said is to examine your likes and dislikes. If you don’t like exercise, you can’t just throw it away. If you like junk food, and you eat it all the time, there are consequences.
Rule #2: Know the mind has a tendency to ramble.
When I’m talking to you, it’s impossible to follow everything I say, even though you might want to follow. The mind rambles. It’s natural. It rambles into worries of the past, and anxieties for the future. That tires you. Action doesn’t tire you. Action can never tire you.
Therefore, you are making the biggest blunder by getting away from action for weekends and rest. In my entire life, I’ve never taken a vacation. Every day is vacation. At the Institution, students are in a three-year course. They’re up at 4am and we go until 9pm, 365 days a year. There are no breaks for weekends or vacations. Come and examine the students—nobody wants a break.
If you don’t find rest in action, you will never rest by getting out of action. In fact, you’re working for weekend and vacations. But if you don’t know how to control your mind and act in the present, you will always feel tired.
Do you want proof? Examine your own children. Your children are never tired. They are bristling with activity. Because of the simple fact that children have no worries of the past and anxieties for the future, they’re happy. But you all have the worries of the past and anxieties for the future, and it tires and fatigues you. So you need rest. It’s as simple as that.
Rule #3: Uncontrolled desires create havoc.
Without desires, you can’t live. You can’t survive. So what do you do with desire? You have to monitor and control your desires, because when unmonitored, desire becomes lust, greed, and avarice.
That’s what happened in 2008—the greed mounted to the point where there was a crash, and crash after crash. But if you control your desires, it becomes an aim, an ambition, or aspiration, and that is alright. You have to watch your desires before they mount to greed.
Rule #4: Preferential attachment is deadly.
What you pass off as love is nothing but preferential attachment. And preferential attachment is deadly.
When there is love, I serve you.
When there is attachment, I look for your service; what can I get out of you?
The husband says: This is my right, I married you.
The wife says: This is my right, I married you.
It’s more a life based on rights than on duties. It’s because of preferential attachment. It’s passed off as love.
Love + Selfishness = Attachment
Attachment – Selfishness = Love
Get that straight!
I’m not against love, I’m against this deadly thing called attachment.
The home should be the center, not the boundary of your affection/love. It becomes the boundary when you can’t see anything or anyone beyond it.
When you change yourself, you change the world
You cannot change the world without changing yourself. Everyone has the ambition of changing everything except for themselves.
All the great prophets, they changed themselves, then changed the world. If you change yourself, you change the world. If you want to change your children, you need to lead by example.
There is an inscription on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in England:
When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.
But it, too, seemed immovable.
As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.
And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.
From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.
If you want to change the world, you must change yourself first.
It wasn’t this but I love this dream like illustration and since I live partially in a dream world it inspired me to include it. 
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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