New and Valuable Holistic Therapies at TurningLeaf

We have two exciting holistic, alternative therapies now being offered at TurningLeaf Wellness Center. Teri Iverson of Innergy Bliss is teaching Kundalini Yoga on Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. I have done Hatha and Anasara yoga in the past, however, I had never tried Kundalini yoga; and I love it. Anyone is welcome to come and join us. It is just $10 a class. On Mondays, Susie Wilkinson of the J'Coby Foundation, is offering massage and other holistic treatments at TurningLeaf. As well as being certified in massage, she also certified in cranial sacral and other energy work. I have had treatments with Susie and the benefits were immediate and long term. Several of her techniques are different than others I have experienced with other massage therapists. I highly recommend you give her a try. It is $50 an hour and worth much more. I promise you if you come to yoga or come in for a massage, you will also be excited and be back for more.





Sue Judd, M.S.S., L.S.A.C.

Fear is a Sticky Emotion

Have you ever noticed that fear is sticky? The harder you try to let it go the more it clings. It can start very subtle and then explode into an out of control fire in our mind and heart. I have found that fear is like a fire, it needs fuel, air and heat. The beliefs we cling to are the spark, what follows are thoughts that act as fuel, soon a breeze of emotion fans the flame that gives life to the undisciplined imagination, which provides the heat. The sticky fear comes from the beliefs we cling to, What are your beliefs?

Dean N. Nixon - Seminar Facilitator / Life Coach

Recovery is Learning How to be Proactive rather than Reactive.

A few months ago one of my clients gave me a bookmark with part of the 3rd Step prayer on one side and a short prayer on the other. I misplaced it and just found it again and I am so glad of its reminder. The 2nd and 3rd Steps are spiritual. Step 2 is: "We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity". Step 3 is: "We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him." The bookmark states: Give it to God and quotes: "God, I offer myself to Thee to build with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always." On the flip side: Lord, Help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that you and I together can not handle and I am not alone. Good thoughts!





Part of recovery is learning how to be pro-active rather than reactive and defensive. If I am pro-active I pause and think how to act rather than reacting with no thought. Deepak Chopra has defined "responsibility" as the "ability to respond". Responding is a proactive rather than a reactive approach. Max Lucado in the day by day book, "Grace for the Moment suggests: Yesterday, you can't alter, but your reaction to yesterday you can. The past you cannot change, but your response to your past you can." It is empowering to shift my beliefs, perceptions and thoughts.





Sue Judd, M.S.S., L.S.A.C.

How to best deal with a child with ADD?

Recently I was asked about ADD in children and how to best deal with the issues associated with it. One of the most important things we can do is become aware of the energy we are carrying. Most children struggling with ADD are very sensitive to energy. To often we shift into a fear based energy worrying about the child and those dealing with them, this becomes a platform for other fears and soon we feel lost and frustrated. Skills can replace the fear and knowledge can calm the heart, when these two needs are met the answers will follow.

Dean N. Nixon - Seminar Facilitator / Life Coach

Change Ourselves First!

If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.

-Carl Jung

Shifting Our Core Beliefs - 6/16/10

The process of eliminating unwanted thoughts begins with the shifting of core beliefs. Core beliefs such as; I am not appreciated or I am not good at my job, etc. These core thoughts become attachment points that allow like thoughts to enter into our minds and unsettling peace.

Dean N. Nixon - Seminar Facilitator / Life Coach

How Living In The Moment Helps You with Your Sobriety

I recently read “Breakfast with Buddha” by Roland Merullo.  It is a great read if you are looking for fiction and inspiration.  It reminded again of the Buddhist concept of mindfulness and living in the present moment.  Twelve Step programs talk of just staying sober/clean today.  Often people new in recovery, talk about staying sober/clean one moment at a time.  Mindfulness expands that concept to living my life and being aware of each moment in each day by living mindfully.  For example, last week I talked about my gratitude to angels helping often as I drive.  Too often, I am on auto-pilot with my driving and need to be present.  I even have some beads hanging from the rear-view mirror in my car as a reminder to stay present and aware of my driving.   Being mindful and aware, as well as my angels, helps me.  This morning, driving mindfully, I had all green lights.  Perhaps red lights are to bring me back to the present moment and as well as a lesson in patience.  Perhaps mindfulness helps me to be more patient.  We can be mindful in every area of our lives.  In the book, Otto, the main character, is driving from New York state to North Dakota and his birth home.  His sister, talks him in to giving the Rinpoche, or monk, a ride all in the name of brotherly love.  Otto is a food editor and loves “good/gourmet” food and enjoys gourmet meals along the way.  The Rinpoche on the other hand eats simply and mindfully and enjoys his simple meal just as much.  How much of my life, other than driving, is done on auto pilot.  I am making it my goal to live mindfully one day at a time.

 

I have started meditating again, another benefit from reading “Breakfast with Buddha.”   Prior to this I was meditating now and then, however, meditation is a daily practice.  I was a regular “meditator” for a long time and I let it slip.  Meditation and yoga are both powerful tools to help in being more mindful.  As I am getting older, yoga has become an important part of keeping my body moving, however, sitting in meditation got lost somewhere along the way.  It feels so “right” and good to spend those few minutes meditating.  Mindfulness, meditation, and yoga are also powerful stress reducers.  If you are new to meditation, and these concepts and practices and you want to begin, it is important to realize that meditation is a “practice” and needs to be practiced regularly, as are all aspects of mindfulness.  We will be supported in our practice, as Kahlil Gibran,  author of “The Prophet, reminds us:  “Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”

Sue Judd, M.S.S., L.S.A.C.

Screw it baby let the good times roll!

Screw it baby let the good times roll. How can that statement which is so simple and not even accepted in some social settings, be so liberating. Just think about all the crazy stuff you are worrying about right now and then say, “screw it baby, let the good times roll.” Can’t ya just feel the liberation. When my mind begins to over think it reminds me of a hamster on his wheel, running, and running as fast as he can, trying so hard to get some where yet accomplishing nothing. Running and running, and running until he can barely breathe, pushing with every last ounce of strength until “thump” he cant run any long and is tossed around the circular tread mill like a rag doll. Thump, thump his head hits each time he lands until the wheel slows down, eventually he’s just lying there on the bottom as it rocks up and down. He is so exhausted he just can’t move and then he thinks, oh “screw it baby let the good times roll.” And then some where out of nowhere someone gives the wheel a spin and whoo hoo, he is just along for the ride. Off the hinge the wheel spins, where exactly he’s going he is not entirely sure, but he is going somewhere. And he will enjoy the ride.

So often we let our minds take over our LIFE. We waste so many countless minutes in a day just worrying over things that just don’t even matter. We think it matters, and in that moment it seems like a HUGE deal. In that moment, forgetting your kid’s lunch seems like you are the worst mom. Taking the wrong kid up to soccer pictures seems like you are an airhead mom. But in the bigger picture of our life we would enjoy more of our life if we just said, “Who cares” and let it go. Cause all those worries lead back to worrying about what OTHER people think of you. So you ran over the diaper bag today, you are still a good mom. So you backed into your sister’s car for the 3rd time, it will still be ok. She may not be very happy with you, but trust me, I have experience with this personally, and your true friends love you no matter what. They are just happy to know someone just as human as they are. Let it go, stop over thinking. We can either ride this ride of life freely, taking in each moment, learning from the up hills and down hills, or we can over think and fight it. But in the end over thinking will make you feel like the hamster spinning his wheel. My Dad used to say to me, “Jamie, don’t sweat the small stuff.” And just before I could utter the words “um, this isn’t small stuff,” he would interrupt and say “and it is ALL small stuff!”


Jamie Lightner - Life Coach

What our children can do for us?

Children keep us in check. Their laughter prevents our hearts from hardening. Their dreams ensure we never lose our drive to make ours a better world. They are the greatest disciplinarians known to mankind. -Queen Rania of Jordan, Hello Magazine

Is just doing enough to get by enough?

Louis L'Amour was a western writer who always talked about a part of the old West code of "Doing your part and a bit more". My dad also had a similar philosophy that whenever we would borrow a tool or a piece of equipment for the farm we were always required to send it back a little better than when we received it. This usually meant clean it up or tighten some bolts. I wonder if we today have this attitude or is it "do only enough to get by." Do we care if we give a full measure in what we do whether it is our job, our marriage or as a father or mother? To often just getting by is not enough. This attitude often leaves things or people ignored or unattended. When you "do your part and a bit more" it comes back in the form of increased love, better communication or just a better feeling overall.





Richard Moody, Ph.D.