Serendipity

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. This gives us all an opportunity to examine what we are grateful for. A moment of serendipity changed my world and my life for the better. It introduced me to a new place that allowed me to have adventures I may not have had otherwise. It also was the back drop for years of self improvement, helping me to become a better version of myself.

It all started with a Groupon. My friend Emy and I enjoyed going canoeing and kayaking. Although, we had not done much of it, at that time. I saw a package for a 3 day canoe trip. I envisioned Emy and I out on the water, enjoying the wilderness and the sun. I did not comprehend what this canoe trip really was all about. We bought the deal and the adventure began. I could not have envisions how my life would change because of it.

The canoe trip was in a place called the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA). If you love the outdoors, isolation, and camping, then this place is for you. It is untamed wilderness. Lakes and forests provide a beautiful sanctuary for the area wildlife. Motorized vehicles are not allowed in most of the BWCA. Even a cooler with wheels is considered mechanized. The only way in is to canoe. When you need to move from one body of water to the next, you pick up all of your gear and your canoe. You portage (carry) it all to the next body of water. Quite the enterprise. Each lake will have campsites. They are far apart and isolated. A lake may only have 3 campsites on it, or less if it is a small lake. A campsite consists of a cooking grate and a pit toilet. There are no walls around the pit toilet but lots of trees and wilderness to provide for your privacy.

What you have is what you bring with you. Literally what you carry on your back. This untamed wilderness provided us with challenges we had not faced before. We had adventures that have kept us coming back year after year. The BCWA provided us with growth, individually, and as a team. It has provided me with a sense of pride. These trips have reminded me that I am capable of great things. If you put a challenge in front of me, I will do everything in my power to overcome it and succeed.

I am grateful for this moment of serendipity that improved my life and I am grateful for the changes I have made in myself. This first adventure helped me to be a better person and hopefully provide a positive influence to the world around me. It fortified my belief in magic and in myself.

What moments of serendipity do you have to be grateful for. How has a moment or experience changed your life for the better?

6 Actions You Can Take Today to Make the World a Better Place.

I would like to introduce you to my Adventure Sister, Emy Minzel. She wrote todays blog post about some ideas she is passionate to share with you.

The overload of information we receive every day can feel overwhelming. We watch the news, read the papers, and surf the web taking into our subconscious an abundance of negativity every day. Even when we close our eyes at night the thoughts that keep us awake are usually cringe-worthy, disheartening and can lead us to feel helpless. This leads me to wonder, what can I do today that will help make this world a better place?

Start at home – Make sure to water your own grass, so you aren’t comparing ‘lawns’ with your neighbor. I am not actually speaking of grass, but using it as a metaphor for our closest relationships. The family, partners, and friends we spend our days with. If you are putting in time to keep your relationships healthy and maintain a low stress environment everyone around you will be happier. They will then go out into the world with a higher vibration, having the Butterfly Effect on the Universe.

Pray – Speaking of the Butterfly Effect… Praying and meditation help to raise our energetic vibration. It has a calming side effect that will sooth your mind, body and soul. This in turn will raise the vibrational frequency your body may emit that can help to promote a calming effect on the world around us.

Play – Enjoy time doing what makes you happy. It could be camping, fishing, cooking, travel, hiking, music, or anything that floats your boat. Make time to do it. As often as you possibly can. Not just once a year on vacation. Remember to enjoy children and pets every day. I love to get down on the floor to play with them. They are pure energy. Embrace the silliness! We all love to laugh and play. Any mess is worth the memories.

Recycle – The world really needs you to give a shit. Recycle your plastics, glass and metal. This will reduce the amount of garbage in landfills, waterways, and oceans. It’s a very small chore or expense that we should be invested in. Call it earthly maintenance, like brushing her teeth. It’s imperative for the future of our children.

Volunteer/Donate/Share – There are plenty of organizations close to home that need all kinds of help. If you don’t have time to volunteer, donate money or goods. If you don’t have money, speak the name of your favorite charity often to friends and acquaintances. This helps charities recruit more volunteers and donations. Advertise for your favorite charitable cause.

Focus on Blessings – Quit your bitching. Appreciate blessings all around you, including family, friends, pets, career, or even that your car still runs. If you choose to complain all day every day, you choose to not appreciate the wonderful world around you. The quality of life you live depends on what you focus your energy on. Choose to see your blessings. Be thankful for them. Now prove it.

So, there you have it, I know there is so much more, but this is where I have started. I may not be able to donate a million dollars to my favorite charity. What I do have is a little time and a heart full of good intentions just waiting to come out. I know you do too.

~Emy Minzel, Adventure Sister

Choosing to laugh

Life is full of moments when you get to choose if you laugh or cry. We all cry sometimes. Sometimes crying is the best or only option. When you find yourself in a place where you get to choose your response, try picking laughter. Giggles will roll out of your chest and your belly will shake with the rhythm of your laughter. Hearing the ring of joy in the sound that erupts from your body will help you feel lighter. Here are a couple examples from Emy and my Boundary Water adventures that caused us to giggle.

During BWCA adventure #2 my water shoes were a cheap pair I bought at a discount store for a family cruise many moons earlier. This years trek in was treacherous and require much more hiking then canoeing than what we had done the first year. When we got into camp I realized I had walked holes right through the heels of my shoes. These were my only option for the long hike back out at the end of our 5 days there. I wondered if they would totally dissolve! How funny that I could totally walk holes into the soles of my shoes. I could have worried and fretted about what this meant for me on the journey back out but why ruin our trip with that. We simply laughed at the holy soles and made the best of it.

Both Emy and I can be a bit clumsy from time to time. Our cooking in the BWs was not at all safe from these momentary oops’s. Emy and I like good food. One of the luxury items we brought on our extreme camping trips was a pepper corn and sea salt grinder. There was one meal Emy went to pepper and the top came off the pepper grinder and our food was filled with pepper corns. We just picked out as many as possible and carried on. When we were eating our meal we had to watch out for the occasional pepper corn. It kept us on our toes. Another year I was cooking and dropped the whole Salt grinder into the boiling water, not once but twice. The rest of the trip the salt was a damp clump and the top had to be opened and you had to reach in to pull out a wet mass of sea salt to season the food. It struck us funny and we giggled about it and carried on. Our food continued to taste fabulous even if our salt had a little issue.

When life presents you with a chance to choose to laugh or cry, I highly recommend laughter. There is something magical about the way in which we choose to look at the world and our experience. By choosing to notice the good and view the bad with humor we improve our life. Go ahead, give it a try. Do you have any stories of laughing and your trials you would like to share?

11 Tips for Creating a Powerful Vision Board

Vision boards can be a powerful tool to help you focus on the things you want to bring into your life. I first heard of the practice when the book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, was on the New York Time Best Seller list. I have since created many vision boards and have had amazing results. Here are some tips to help your vision boarding be magical.

What do you want? ~ New car, travel, happiness. It might be all three or it might be you want the new car because it will allow you to travel, which you think will bring you happiness. Make a list of what it is you really want.
Variety of sources ~ There are several sources you can use to find images to attach to your project. Cut them out of magazines. Print things off the internet. Use photos of yourself. You can even draw images yourself.
Meaningful photos ~ I wanted to loose weight for one of the vision boards I was creating. I used pictures of myself from a time in my life when I was thin. Another time I wanted to have endless energy. I used photos of myself, wearing my bike helmet with my bike.
Words ~ Words have meanings. Using powerful words on your board along with pictures can really help clarify what you are manifesting.
Choose with feeling ~ Choose pictures and words that evoke a feeling in you. Feelings will make your board more powerful.
Creativity ~ The more of yourself you put into your vision the better it will work. Using your creativity connects it to your heart. Draw pictures or decorate words. Add your own flair.
Size matters ~ Don’t pick a really big size if there is no where to keep it up. Don’t use something so small you wont notice it.
Location, location, location ~ Will it live in your office? Hang over your bed so you see it when you wake up? Are you mobile so it has to be carried on your clip board. I wanted a grandfather clock once, because it reminded me of being at my grandparents house. I carried a picture of it on my clipboard until one day it was delivered to my home.
Have fun ~ The more fun you have while creating, the more happy, grateful, feel good emotions that will be attached to your board. When you look at it this is what you want to feel.
Make it an event ~ Invite a friend or two over to create with you. This will again attach happy fun memories and set the intention with positivity.
Believe ~ Just believe in the possibilities. You do not have to believe everything on the board will come true. You just have to believe everything on the board may come to you.

I enjoy the fun creative process of vision boarding. I hope, with these tips, you will find it a great way to improve your life. Do you have other tips? Do you have successes that could inspire others? Please share.

Dysfunctional relationship with time?

I have had a dysfunctional relationship that I am in the process of healing. It is with time. I have had this belief that there is never enough time. A friend once told me that time is the most precious commodity because you can not make more. That made a lot of sense to me at the time. I am now changing that belief. So many of us have this same constant battle with time. What new beliefs can we substitute? What could life be like if we flowed easily within the ethereal nature of time.

I have been a workaholic. Something needs to be getting done for me to find it a worthy use of my time. “There is not enough time”. “I am running late”. “Time is running out”. “Time flies”. “Don’t waste time”. How often do we say or hear these mantras and so many more. Living in a fast paced world can feel draining. It may even seem that it is speeding up. Think about the frequency with which we hear someone say how quickly the year/day/season has gone.

Let’s work together to start to shift these beliefs. “There is an abundance of time”. “Divine time will assist me to arrive exactly when I am supposed to”. “I flow freely within the flexible nature of time”. “I can slow time to meet my desires”. “Cherish this present moment”. When you feel tempted to use one of the old ingrained mantras, try substituting one of these and see how your world changes.

Imagine a world where time is flexible and it bends to our thoughts. We live in such a world. Time is not a constant. We have the power to slow time down. Try it the next time you are really enjoying yourself. Consciously say, “I am going to slow down time. I am going to cherish every moment. There is plenty of time”. How would this change your enjoyment of that event? Living in the present or the now, you would not be distracted by worry of everything else on your mental “to do” list. Divine time says that it flows fluidly. There is not lack. There is plenty. If you trust in the Divine timing you will find you arrive perfectly when you should. Time is never wasted. Things are experienced. It adds a whole new appreciation and ease to life.

Let’s heal this relationship. Let’s live consciously in the present knowing there is plenty of time. We flow freely within the ethereal nature of it. We have the power to adjust its flow to meet our desires. We can experience life and enjoy the natural flow.

Have you tried this? What have been your results? Do you have other technics you use?

7 Ideas for Giving Feedback with Love

Are there ways we can open our heart and give honest feedback without hurting peoples feelings? Yesterday was a day for giving people feedback. It can be a scary thing to do honestly. People do not always want to hear that you don’t agree with them or think something can be improved upon.The day started with Toastmasters and letting two people, who are part of a group I just joined, know how they could improve on their speeches. The day progressed into sending feedback on chapters for the book my Adventure Sister, Emy and I have written together. Did I handle these situations in the best way possible? Did I open my heart and share my feedback with love? Here are some ideas on sharing feedback with love.

1. Be honest – don’t say it was great if it wasn’t. People respect your honest opinion. They can also smell through fake compliments.

2. Use a sandwich approach – I learned this one from my daughter. She gives the more difficult assessment sandwiched between positive observations .

3. Set the intention – prior to giving a critique I open my heart and set the intention that it will be heard with the love it was intended. I often ask Jesus to help me speak with love. After all Jesus was all about love.

4. Don’t sugar coat it – provide the information in such a way that it is not sugar coated. Be direct. If we use to many flowery comments or words the true message may be lost and the person may walk away not really understand what you were saying.

5, Don’t pretend to have all the answers – we are all just human. There are as many opinions as there are people. Be willing to discuss the response, if the person wants to talk about it.

6. Use your Heart Chakra – your heart chakra is an energy center in your chest. It is a great way to infuse love into your words. Just visualize all of your words coming through this energy center.

7. Provide a solution – give them another option, example, or an idea of how they could accomplish what they were intending.

Giving kind, honest feedback is a gift. We can not improve unless someone takes the risk to share how they perceived what we said or how we did. It can help us realize blind spots and move forward to be the best version of ourselves. Do you have other strategies that have helped you deliver difficult assessments with love?

Sending Love in Response to Pain

I believe in Love. I believe in the energy of Love and the intentions in conveys. I believe that Love is not just for our family and friends but for the whole world. I also know it is not always easy to share love. When someone has hurt us, how do we send Love their way instead of a lower vibrational emotion like hate, jealousy, fear, anger, or disgust. I want to share a story with you about sending Love.

One day my house was broken into. I was on the other side of the country for work and my roommate called me to let me know that he came home to the door open, things ransacked, and many of the electronics gone. I had to let my boss know and book a flight home the next morning. I entered my home alone in the middle of the day. It was a mess. My bedroom was the worst. Things had been tipped over, pulled from the closet, and strewn about the floor. Drawers were pulled open and dumped out. My laptop with all of my photos on it (many that were not backed up) was gone. I sat on the floor near the closet and cried at the feeling of violation. My bedroom was obvious that it belonged to a woman. I wondered how someone who had a mother, maybe sisters, or even a daughter, could violate me in this way.
As I sat there on the floor in front of my closet, I knew what I had to do. I had to send him Love. I sent prayers and intentions that his life would improve in such a way that this would no longer be an option for him. I put a post on Facebook and asked all my Facebook friends to do the same. It has been several years since this happened, but I also request that those of you reading this do the same. Please send Love to this person and intentions for improvement in his life so that he no longer feels the need to break into homes to support himself.
It was not an easy thing to do. I had people comment on how messed up it was to pray for the person who hurt me. I stand by the fact that it was the right thing to do.

I find that when people who we have been very close to hurt us, this can be much harder to do. The pain we feel causes us to want to lash out and protect ourselves. Only Love can begin to shift this. Sending other lower emotions does not benefit us. I know it does not seem easy or even possible. Please try it. It may never repair the relationship and you may be better off to be out of that relationship anyway. When someone hurts you or a person you Love, send Love to the offender. They are likely hurting in someway too. Love will only bring more Love to you.

Have you ever done this? What was the result? Please share any experiences you have with this.

More Than Just Warm Milk – natural treatments for insomnia

I read once that people used to sleep eight hours at night but not in one sitting. They would go to bed and sleep for about four hours or so and then they would need to get up and stoke the fire. They would get up and write letters and visit in the middle of the night and then go back to bed and sleep the last four hours of the night. I think there is a part of my being that remembers these old ways because to be awake in the middle of the night used to be an every night occurrence. It still happens to me on certain nights. I have a list of a dozen things that are worth a try if sleep seems elusive for you.

Cool room – I have always noticed that I slept better in a cool room but recently my Chiropractor was informing me that a cool room has been proven to improve sleep.
Hot bath – A nice warm bath before bed will help relax muscles. Water is also very grounding. A warm bath before bed may be just what you need to get some serious Z’s.
Essential oils – I can’t say enough about all the great things essential oils can do for you. Some great ones to help promote sleep are Lavender, Bergamot, and Geranium. I also like Frankincense. It is a great oil for a multitude of things and my personal favorite.
Magnesium – Recently I have been hearing about a connection between Magnesium deficiencies and trouble sleeping. I have personally not tried a magnesium supplement for my insomnia, but I may consider it. If I give it a try I will let you know in a future blog how it works for me. Of course check with your doctor before taking a supplement to see if it is a safe choice for you.
Notebook and pen – Keep a notebook and a pen next to your bed. Is a “to do” list of items keeping you awake? Jot those thoughts on the notebook. Then your brain can trust they will not be forgot and move on to dreaming.
Left nostril – A trick from my Kundalini Yoga training is left nostril breathing. Holding your right nostril shut and just breathing through your left nostril will help to relax you. It will induce feelings of being tired.
Mudras – Mudras are a yoga pose for your hands. One that I find helpful for sleep is to pull your thumb in against the palm of your hand and then wrap your other four fingers down over it. It is like you are making a fist with your thumb on the inside. Holding your hands in this position can help bring about slumber.
Salt Lamps – Salt lamps have recently become very popular. They have all kinds of great healing properties. They are said to help reduce the contamination from all of our electronics. By reducing this contamination they allow us to get better sleep.
Cup of tea – Chamomile, Valerian, and Kava Kava are three herbs that can be found in teas to aide with sleep. There are even teas with Lavender in the blend. A cup of one of these before bed can be a great way to drift off.
White noise – White noise or soft relaxing music can be helpful. I personally like a fan on in the room but there are lots of choices. There are apps that play, white noise, fan noise, nature sounds, etc. I feel the fan helps me saw logs because I can’t hear the other noises the house makes.
Rocks – The little girl in me loves rocks. Crystals that could aid in you finding your relaxed state are Amethyst, Labradorite, Jade, Moonstone, and Celestine.
Meditation – Kundalini Yoga has several meditations that can help promote restful sleep. Any type of meditation can be effective in helping you achieve that Zen state to drift away.

Do you have other tricks that help make you sleep that you would like to share with others? Please share those that are effective for you. Sweet dreams. I hope you get plenty of dream time and rest.

What is wellness?

Have you ever stop to think “what is wellness”? Is it having a healthy mind? Is it having a good work life balance? Is it having a fitness program? Is it having a sense of connection? Wellness is all of these things. Wellness is about your mind, body, and spirit. It is greater than the sum of its parts. Lets examine each of these aspects of wellness.
Mind – The mind is an important part of wellness. Think about a time when you were worried about something. Maybe you were meeting someone new who you perceived as having some importance in your life, a new boss, a blind date, your future mother-in-law. Maybe you had a big project looming with a “to do” list a mile long. I am sure you can think of many other times when you were worried about something. This is certainly a part of wellness. Although, you may be physically healthy, the worry and stress is taking a toll of you.
Body – The body seems to be the default part of wellness everyone thinks of first. When you think about your body do you feel good or do you have a shopping list of things you want to improve upon? You may be mentally healthy, able to manage what life throws at you but you are dealing with things on a physical level that leave you feeling drained and criticizing yourself.
Spirit – This is the aspect of wellness that is most often missed. Do you have a sense of connection with something greater than yourself? This could be God, Nature, Artistic Inspiration. What is it that makes you feel whole and fulfilled? What is it that you are apart of? Without a sense of connection, life can feel lonely and pointless.
Lets put them all together – Wellness is greater than the sum of its parts. Although you can have wellness in each of these areas, you can see how having one part left out, can disrupt the balance in the other areas. By moving forward to achieve wellness in one of the three aspects, the other areas improve as well. For example, you decide to train for a marathon. The process of running improves your physical body. Your legs strengthen. Your lung capacity improves. Other things also start to happen. Running can be very meditative and therefore strengthen your sense of connection. If you run nature trails, you may see the beauty of nature and experience a sense of God, therefore improving the spiritual realm of wellness. When you run healthy endorphins are released that reduce stress, improve mood, and decrease anxiety. With this example we can see how making a choice to improve one aspect of wellness made an impact on the others. You can start in any of the three realms and see how it is interconnected. Think about if you start a program to manage your stress, whether it be counseling, reading a self help book, or taking a yoga class. You can think through how the scenario would affect, not only mind, but also body and spirit.
Wellness is a constant work in progress. I do not know anyone who has complete and total wellness. Taking a simple step in one direction can make a big difference for your overall wellness. What is one step towards wellness you feel you could take today? Which aspect of wellness do you feel inspired to initiate improvement?

9 ways to improve meditation

I can remember when I first started to learn about meditation, I really just didn’t get it. I became frustrated and was apprehensive to do it. I dove into learning about meditation, sought out teachers, and pursued learning more about it. Some people meditate for the health benefits, some for a connection with God, others to clear their mind, center, and find peace. Whatever the reason meditation has been proven to be a powerful tool in wellness. Here are some ideas to help you improve your meditations.

1. Mantra – mantra is a repeating of words or sounds. Often it is in Sanskrit but can be in any language. It can be silently repeated in the mind or out loud. I recently listened to a meditation lead by Deepak Chopra and he used the Mantra, “So Hum”. It is Sanskrit for “I am That”. In Kundalini Yoga we often use “Sat Nam”, which means “I am Truth”. “Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful” is another mantra used in Kundalini Yoga. You can choose a word that is something you want more of in your life or a favorite Saints name. For Catholics, saying the Rosary can be a form of mantra meditation.

2. Breath – focusing on your breath is a technique many teachers and people use for meditation. Let your focus rest on the rise and fall of your stomach. Feel the breath pass through your nostrils. Any time you start to notice thoughts, bring your focus back to your breath.

3. Guided meditation – there are many guided meditations on YouTube. These can be helpful especially when you are new to meditation. More experienced meditators may find this distracting. I have also seen apps for meditation; they provide a reminder and a short meditation.

4. Visual aides – meditation is about remaining present. Gazing at a candle flame or tracing a pattern in a piece of cloth with your eyes can be helpful in remaining in the now.

5. Music – soft peaceful music can be helpful in preventing the mind from wandering to background noise. I heard a wise Buddhist teacher say once that when we meditate in the forest we do not become upset when the birds chirps because we do not think we can control the bird. Background noise can be distracting during meditation so adding some music can help distance it.

6. Coloring or mandalas – adult coloring books have recently become very popular. This is a great meditation technique. Take a deep breath and just be present while coloring in the small spaces. A mandala is a circle you fill in with color, pictures or designs. They can represent your subconscious or reflect your inner self.

7. Essential oils – Frankincense and Sandalwood are two of my favorites. Other nice options are Lavender and Chamomile because of their calming nature. Many of the essential oil manufacturers also make blends that are helpful attaining a meditative state.

8. Crystals – stones and crystals all have their own vibrational qualities (think back to your science classes about atoms). Having certain stones or crystals near can help you in your meditation. Some of my favorites are fluorite, amethyst, aquamarine, and quartz (either clear or smokey).

9. Have a cup of tea – have a cup of tea with an herb to aid in relaxation prior to meditation. After you finish your tea make sure you empty your bladder. You do not want to get in a nice Zen state only to have your bladder distracting you. Some nice relaxing herbs that can be found in teas are Kava Kava, Chamomile, and Valerian.

Meditation can be such a big step towards wellness. It is certainly one worth taking. These are some things that have been helpful for me on my meditation journey. Do you have other suggestions for new meditators? I would be interested in hearing your ideas or how any of these things work for you.