How Well Do You Navigate the Holidays?

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How Well Do You Navigate the Holidays?Take a big, deep, beautiful breath: the holidays will be here before you know it. For many of us, this time of year brings with it the joys—and challenges—of family gatherings, gift exchanges, and holiday festivities. The good news is that with a little planning and thoughtfulness, you can navigate the holidays with grace.Take this self-quiz to see how ready you are for this year’s holiday season.

True or False?

1. I start planning for the holidays early so that I’m not on overdrive throughout December.

2. When my family is making plans, I make a point of negotiating what I really want to do and where I’d like to spend each holiday.

3. If my family exchanges gifts, I joyfully give what I can afford and enjoy giving. I stick to my budget.

4. I make sure that I eat healthy food that I enjoy every day. This may require me to take care of my own meals or contribute to meal planning and preparation.

5. When I accept a party invitation or a request for my time, it’s because I genuinely want to—and have the energy to participate wholeheartedly. I know how to say “no” to invitations I don’t want to accept. I don’t beat myself up about it or let myself get “roped in.”

6. I recognize the need for downtime and breaks, so I don’t fill my schedule to the brim with events, shopping and other holiday preparations.

7. I value my important relationships and give them the time and energy they need and deserve. If this means that I go to fewer gatherings outside of my immediate circle, so be it.

8. I don’t dwell on the changes in my family that make me unhappy or sad. I accept the way things are now, and enjoy the loved ones around me.

9. In the lead-up to the holidays and during the holidays themselves, I do something that I find fun or pleasurable every day.

10. The holidays are a time to appreciate loved ones and express my spirituality. I make a point of noticing what’s good in my life, and feel gratitude for those things.

If you answered false to more than four of these, you may want to consider ways to make this holiday season more enjoyable and less stressful.

Author’s content used under license, © Claire Communications

To learn of ways to help release some stress, check out the post Stress Free Holiday Tips.

Got Clarity?

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Got Clarity?Got Clarity? Replenish with your own mini-retreat!

One of my husband’s very favorite things to do is lie on a beach with no schedule to have to conform to (isn’t that everyone’s?). This isn’t always feasible, since we have busy schedules and live in the desert of southern Utah. So last week I took him to Jamaica for his birthday, and for six days, that’s what we did- enjoyed the beautiful Caribbean water and weather with no phones, computers, or agendas to stick to. Ahh…it was heaven!

It got me thinking…why don’t I add little mini-retreats like this into my life on a more regular basis?  Well, I mean without the amazingly clean smell of the ocean air, the sand between my toes, and meal prep all taken care of for me.

But I can still derive some of the benefit of big get-aways like this by finding ways in my everyday life to retreat and renew. Here is my list I came up with of things I can do to replenish my soul when my cup is nearing empty-or hopefully before! As you read through it notice ways that you can create a retreat yourself, without spending a ton of time or money, and without even leaving your own home if you don’t want to.

1. Visit a local art museum. Are you familiar with all the local talent in your area? I know I’m not, and would like to be. I’ve definitely calendared this for next month.

2. Take your camera and a notebook and go explore a part of your city that you have never really explored (as long as it’s safe). Take pictures, and journal about what you’ve discovered. Doesn’t this sound fun? I’m SO doing this!

3. Go to an afternoon matinee –all by yourself!

4. Spend a day in the garden, or the container pots, or community garden, or any other way to get your hands in the earth

5. Re-connect with an old friend over lunch –Who is the first person that came to your mind? Call him or her.

6. Go for a hike. Even an hour or two of one-on-one time with Mother Nature can reap huge relaxation rewards.

7. Plan a day off just to read! I tend to have several books partially read in different rooms throughout my house. Hmm..imagine taking a day to finish all those up and start new ones!

8. Do a media fast for a few days or even a week. Turn off all input—TV, radio, stereo, newspaper, internet, and see what amazing insights are there in the peacefulness for you.

9. Get a massage –it’s especially great if you know a massage therapist who does house calls. Be sure to follow that with down-time.

10. Take a long bath – add some candlelight, bath salts or essential oils, and relaxing music.

11. Spend a day doing what you love, not what you feel obligated to do. Give yourself permission to put your to-do list away for a day and enjoy yourself with no pressure to get something done! Don’t worry, you’ll probably get twice as much done the following day.

12. Take a class:  self-defense, cooking, dance, zumba, yoga, tai chi. Try something new you’ve always wanted to do.

I hope these suggestions spurred some ideas for you, and that you will follow through on giving yourself a mini-retreat often. Remember that when you take ‘retreat time’ it is a gift to yourself and to those around you. We bring our best selves to the world when we are replenished, refreshed and relaxed!  After all, it’s the pauses between the notes that make the melody beautiful.

April 28th is World Tai Chi Day!

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Did you know every year there is a day set aside for celebrations, demonstrations, and classes all about a special form of exercise?  And that YOU can take part in these celebrations?  I’m talking about World Tai Chi & Qigong Day which is held on the last Saturday of the month every April.  This even begins at 10 am in every timezone, creating a healing wave around the world!

To see where the celebrations nearest you are taking place go to the official WTCQD website: www.worldtaichiday.org

For more information from me about Tai Chi you can visit my site: www.TaiChiFlow.com where you find easy to follow DVDs and lots of articles about what Tai Chi is and what it can do for you!

Here’s a little more about this ancient art:

Health Benefits

Tai Chi and qigong’s health benefits have been studied for nearly 2,000 years in China and for only about 20 years in the west. However, western medical research is quickly discovering what Chinese medicine has long realized, that Tai Chi provides more benefits than any other single exercise. No wonder it is the most popular exercise in the world! Besides providing the lowest weight bearing exercise known, regular practice of Tai Chi can also:

  • Boost the immune system
  • Slow the aging process
  • Help ensure full range of mobility
  • Enhance body’s natural healing powers
  • Speed heart attack recovery
  • Increase breathing capacity
  • Reduce asthma and allergy reactions
  • Reduce risks of falls in elderly
  • Improve grip strength in elderly
  • Slow bone loss
  • Improve posture
  • Sharpen mental focus
  • Reduce anxiety
  • Improve coordination
  • Help with ADD and ADHD
  • Increase flexibility
  • Awaken energy
  • Improve balance TWICE as well as anything else known
  • Lower high blood pressure and heart rate
  • Help with gastric disturbances Reduce joint pain of arthritis, rheumatism, and fibromyalgia
  • Provide cardiorespiratory conditioning
  • Ease back pain
  • Stimulate circulation
  • Enhance muscle tone
  • Help with weight loss
  • Reduce amount of stress hormones
  • Calm central nervous system
  • May help with MS
  • Alleviate stress response
  • Promotes quiet mindfulness
  • Limber up joints

 

Tai Chi can change what the world looks like for us by changing our view of it. After all, our health and our lives are merely reflections of our state of mind. As the body and breath move, so does the mind, clearing energetic blocks that normally lock us into fixed emotional and psychological patterns. This empowering “meditation in motion” reminds us that change is always constant and that new beginnings always follow closures.

Operation Beautiful

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Operation BeautifulHave you ever had one of those days where you just feel “out of sorts”?

Well, I was having one of those days…

There I was, looking in the mirror in the church bathroom. Checking to see if the left side of my face was still a bit swollen.  You see, I’d had a little sinus infection the day before (yes, even with energy work I do get run down occasionally-not often, but occasionally).  With the combination of that, and getting to bed late the night before I woke up Sunday with a bit of a “puff” on the left side of my face.  Not too noticeable, but enough to make me feel ‘off’.  I also realized I hadn’t put on a slip that day (luckily my skirt was dark), and I had forgotten some important papers I needed. Oh, and now as I looked in the mirror I realized I’d forgotten to fix my hair.  Hmm…

“Ugh, I thought to myself, I need to go back to bed and start this day over!”

But wait…from the corner of my eye, I noticed a pink post-it note on the mirror.

This is what it said:

You are beautiful just the way you are!

Ha! I giggled out loud- what perfect timing! I had no idea who put it there, but I thought it was a great idea!  I later found out who posted it there and learned about Operation Beautiful. It’s a fun website/blog started by a 26-year-old girl from North Carolina to help girls and women stop negative self talk.

The founder, Caitlin says: “I began Operation Beautiful by leaving positive messages on the mirrors of public restrooms — at work, at the gym, at the grocery store.  I scribble down whatever comes to mind — “You are beautiful!” or “You are amazing just the way you are!”  My personal goal is to leave as many Operation Beautiful notes as I can. Maybe some people read them and just smile, but I bet some people are truly touched by the effort of a random stranger”.

To learn more about this movement go to www.OperationBeautiful.com

I’ve begun doing this and it is so much fun! I hope you too, will begin posting your positive messages today.  You never know who’s day will be brightened by your thoughtful note, just like my day was!

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year! To say goodbye to the old year and ring in the new, below are the top ten most-read blog posts of 2011. Enjoy! Read more

Q&A 1: Why Doesn’t Energy Therapy Work for Me?

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Question: Why don’t I feel like the energy work that’s been done on me in the past isn’t working like it should? Read more

My non-Martha Stewart Thanksgiving

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Note: I did not write this and haven’t been able to track down who the author is, but for me My non-Martha Stewart Thanksgivingit is very appropriate! Enjoy!

 

 

Greeting friends,

Just a note to let you know we are hoping to see you Thanksgiving Day. But…Martha Stewart will NOT be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I’m telling you in advance, so don’t act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won’t be coming, I’ve made a few small changes:

 

Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I’ve gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.

The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.

Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.

We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I’m sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds.

As accompaniment to the children’s recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don’t own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.

We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We’ve also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door.

Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress “private” meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that “passing the rolls” is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread.

Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.

Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it. I hope you aren’t too disappointed that Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won’t come next year either.

SimplyHealed Down South!

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Wow, I had such a fun time in Birmingham, Alabama last month! I taught my SimplyHealed Training to a great group of people. Many traveled to get there; one woman came all the

way from New Zealand and another came all the way from Scotland!

My fab assistant Melinda-we finally got to meet in real life!

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Are You a Creator or a Criticizer?

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Build up, don't tear downA good thing to remember
A better thing to do
Work with the construction gang
Not the wrecking crew.

 

 

Dale Carnegie said, “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most do.”  Do you find yourself falling into critic mode more often than you’d like? It’s easy to do. We live in a society of critics. It sometimes seems much easier to be negative and critical of everything from the latest movie to our neighbor’s choice of hairstyle. But we can learn to resist this impulse. It’s destructive not only to our fellowmen but to us too.

Dwelling on the negative, broadcasting it outward, will lower your vibration.  After all, you can’t throw mud without getting some on your own hands. Nobody likes a critic.  Like the Yiddish proverb says, “A critic is like the girl who can’t dance so she says the band can’t play.”

You may have good intentions in general, but you’ve heard what the man said about the road to hell and its paving stones. So instead we can connect good intentions with creative action. Many people think that once they get the motivation they will get things accomplished. Actually, the reverse is true: action precedes motivation and begets more action and motivation in an endless positive circle.

When my kids come to me with a problem, after hearing and validating it, I usually ask (and by now they know it’s coming), “How would an extraordinary person deal with that situation?” or “If you were a super-genius, what would you do next?” In no time they have a solution figured out because the super-genius and extraordinary person within themselves gets to work and figures it out! Creativity is built into every one of us; we all possess creative powers. Be brave enough to live creatively. And the bonus of that is that when you spend time improving yourself you won’t have time to criticize others.

Opportunities are Everywhere

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Opportunities are EverywhereYou can find opportunities close at hand by paying attention to the positive things that are working for you and having gratitude for them, rather than finding reasons why things won’t work. They are lying dormant waiting for the observant eye to discover them. Read more