Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Gift that Keeps On Giving: Thanks for Giving

Thanksgiving for me is all about gratitude. Increasing my appreciation or thanks for giving is a powerful evolutionary force. This generous act has numerous happy returns: increased wellness, joy, and all around better well being. Now this healthy and wholesome attitude of gratitude improves me in so many invaluable ways.

This skill to better exercise my optimism increases my connections to all things. When I count my blessing I prosper. I feel better and I most fully live by this practice to reciprocate. Gratitude is a gift that keeps on giving back to me.

There are bountiful ways to I can show my appreciation. Creating a daily journal about specific good blessings that happened. Adopt a gratitude buddy to share your list of good things or write thank you note to someone who has assisted you. Celebrate your day by a daily pause to stop and focus on what’s right and how lucky you are. If you can’t sleep or in a bad frame of mind review what you appreciate about yourself and life. Use language that encourages instead is disparages to reinforce the positive. Surround yourself with inspiring and beautiful objects, music, pictures, and writings. The more you create a setting filled with reinforcing grateful reminders these loving kind acts multiply.

When I count my blessings I plant future seeds of increased wellness. Instead of dwelling on my problems and negative mind-states I shift to the bright side. Being upbeat allows me to become occupied with blessings instead of preoccupied with my curses. Paying attention to my shifting my temperament to “what I have” instead of “what I lack” transforms me. Appreciation creates an optimistic mindset. Replacing my derogatory attitude to focus on being grateful is like walking out of a cave.

When I become focused on thanks I can see the positive in very difficult and dark experiences. Gratitude is a beneficial way I can cultivate my thanks and so enjoy this gift that keeps on giving.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Thanks to Vitae

Recently a dear friend of mine Margot wrote a wonderful tribute about her departed husband Vitae. He did so much more than just designed my web pages your reading from. Vitae embodied the kind, and compassionate spirit I write about in this blog. He inspired me in so many blessed ways to cultivate light, love and joy.

I was fortunate to see him in some of his closing days. They were filled with a fantastic celebration of song, dance, laughter and profound love.

Vitae blessed us with his diverse talents. He was a friend, teacher, writer, lover, husband, father, philosopher, chef, sailor, web master, video-maker, to list a few. Vitae devoted himself in his authentic way to bringing joy and awakening. Now in the beyond, Vitae’s spirit will continue to transform from his legacy of love and light.

Below is what he wrote about himself and below that what Margot wrote.

http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=


http://www.positiveimpactmagazine.com/tribute-to-vitae-bergman/

Friday, November 5, 2010

Strengthening Our Heart to Better Our World

In every moment we can take refuge in our body, which so connected and similar with our beloved earth. The simple beat of our heart can ground us to arrive here and now. Our world is filled with increased stress and constant pressure. This fast pace of life has heightened mental strain, since there is less natural balance. Simply put, we suffer from greater, illness, injury and tension unless we exercise great compassion. Just pausing for a moment can lessen anxiety. I find the eye, or “I“ of the hurricane in response to the little everyday problems, noise and increased demands.

Stress can be self inflicted and caused by our emotional reactions to events. The key is to reframe our relationship to the course of events with a new attitude based on gratitude. Things then can be transformed “its no big deal” or “no worries”. Remembering to cultivate inquiry in what is true in each second is of enormous benefit to me.

Quieting my mind and listening to my heart is how I have been reframing my stress. Awakening to my heartbeat I can learn how to manage it and reverse the damage stress and worry can cause. Can I picture a world filled with joy, love and peace? Yes. Beautiful, peaceful, compassionate, loving people are all around me. If I can step into the consciousness of the heart, I can run with the deep inner harmony.

Wise teachers from the beginning of time teach us about the power of this emotional regulation. Simply by focusing on positive feelings such as appreciation, care, or compassion, I can create dramatic changes in my heart rhythms. This process allows me to alter a series of neural, hormonal, and biochemical events. This lessens my stress and anger and leads to greater well-being. There is a chain of biological changes including lowering blood pressure and stress hormone levels. I can increase my immune system activity, and anti-aging hormones by simply focusing on my heart energy. If I can learn how to engage in my heart more, I bring my emotion, body, and mind into balance. Quieting my mind and listening to my heart brings focused clarity, optimal health, and high performance. Taking the word grace and making it happen, I find happiness not far behind.