Yoga Poses to Relieve Insomnia

Yoga Poses - Health.com

Authenticity

"Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” ~ Dr. Brene Brown, The Gift of Imperfection

Our deepest calling...

"Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks--we will also find our path of authentic service in the world." ~ Parker J. Palmer, Author/Educator

Perfect (Music Video)

If you could only sense how important you are...

"If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person." ~ Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers

What Great Teachers Do Differently

Accept no one's definition of your life

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself." – Harvey Fienstein, Actor

How to save your memory

You don't have to be old to have memory problems. We all live very fast paced lives often with high stress and poor diet. Studies show that memory problems can begin in your 20s and continue on through life. Here are tips on ways to keep your mind and your memory active and healthy: 9 Foods That May Help Save Your Memory - Health.com

How Love Dies

"Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings." ~ Anais Nin, French/Cuban Novelist

Let us work together for unity and love

“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Gather up the joys and sorrows...

You are to gather up the joys and sorrows, the struggles, the beauty, love, dreams and hopes of every hour that they may be consecrated at the altar of daily life. ~ MacRina Wiederkehr, Benedictine Sister and Author

Excellent Lessons in Life

The famous CBS pundit Andy Rooney shares some amazingly simple life learning treasures. Read the list here: I've Learned... by Andy Rooney.

Gadgets for Stress Relief: Do They Work?

If you are like me and often find yourself with knots in your neck muscles and battling stressful situations then you might find some help here: Which Stress-Busting Gadgets Really Work - Health.com

I am responsible for my life

I am completely responsible for what I have created in my life. What I have created, I can un-create. What I like, I can produce more of.  ~ Sheryl Ellis, Life Coach

True strength is not about force

How do we make strong choices in life? How do we pull from inside us resources to do the hard things, the best things, the good things? It requires inner strength. Here are some brief, excellent thoughts about how we do this: Strength by Kent Nerburn

What weaves the stories of our lives?

"Love, soul, and freedom: these three weave the stories of our lives.  The who, what, when, and where fill in the details and give variation to the plots, but the themes don't get more basic.
     Love is what we all want in life and what we look for first.  It's our passion for living, forming the sea in which our souls swim.  Like the sea, love nurtures and sustains us, but it also offers us somewhere to go with our lives.  Love creates the worlds that our souls explore.  Who and what we love channel our energies, drawing us to this person or that, down one path or another.  Led by our loves, we connect with the worlds around us.  We create places where we belong, where our souls are nourished with meaning and purpose, as well as where we relax, play, and have fun.  Through the intimacy of relationships, we come to know both others and ourselves in love's mirror.  Love brings our souls into focus.
     Soul is our guiding center, our touchstone for what feels right in life and what's ours to do.  Soul is our reason for coming here as well as our reason for staying.  Soul tells us about us--not as others want, expect, or imagine us to be, but as we are in our innermost being.  When we go to the depths of sorrow, confusion, or despair, it's our souls that take us there and see us through.  Or if we experience exhilarating joy, it's our souls that lift us up with a bigger-than-life knowing: 'So that's what it all means!'  Soul is our core, our essence, the ground of who we are, even if we're not at all sure who this soul of ours is or what he or she has in mind for us.
     Freedom gives our souls and loves air to breathe.  Like the air, freedom is a given, at least as far as our souls are concerned.  It's not granted by people, institutions, or governments, or else it'd be theirs to withhold.  Freedom is air to us, because it gives us the space we need to follow our souls and pursue our loves.  Without freedom, our souls suffocate.  With it, they take off; we create, experiment, fumble, and learn.  Freedom says that anything is possible and that it's our birthright to explore possibilities wherever our souls and loves take us.  Sometimes our souls take us down the path of losing everything--a terminal disease, divorce, bankruptcy, or scandal--to show us how free we are beyond externals.  With 'nothing to lose,' we abandon shoulds and oughts and go for our dreams.
     Love, soul, and freedom are natural companions, together creating the fire in the mind, heart, chest, belly, or wherever that makes us happy to get up in the morning.  United--love, soul, and freedom are the Force incarnate, guiding us and permeating our lives with meaning and purpose, even if their presence isn't evident until hindsight.  Love, soul, and freedom are inseparable, and on the deepest levels of our being, that's how we experience them.  When we're on vacation, for instance, we get a taste of these three living happily together: we surround ourselves with who and what we love, let down our hair, and do as we choose."

~ Denise Breton and Christopher Largent, Love, Soul, & Freedom: Dancing with Rumi on the Mystic Path

It is better to conquer yourself

It is better to conquer yourself
Than to win a thousand battles.
Then the victory is yours.
It cannot be taken from you,
Not by angels or by demons,
Heaven or hell.
~ Buddha

Eating Disorders

An eating disorder is a painful and difficult experience for millions of Americans, mostly women and girls. Here is a terrific article about how a young Disney star is handling her own dilemma with food. See the link here: a Disney star's eating disorder

The Power of Words

My Grandson

Austin

There are times

When special angels gather around

And gently hover over someone they love

Someone having trouble in their life

Or someone just needing to know they are safe

When you arrived

They saw the struggles that you faced

And all the fears that filled our hearts for you

And so they came to spread their wings across your bed

And guard you with their care

In the shadow of their wings

Stand others there to touch your face

And kiss your hands with tenderness

And hold you in their arms of so much love

And on beyond all of them

The angels sweet and Mom and Dad

Are others too somewhere near looking out for you

Keeping watch day and night

To never leave you by yourself

They have names you do not know

And in their lifetimes they never saw you here

But where they are they see you now

And how they huddle close to where you rest

And whisper to each other the beauty that they see in you

They are Daddy’s grandparents and Mommy’s too

And an uncle here and an aunt there

And others who cherished your family across the years

And now they cherish you and give you love

And send you healing from their hearts

Golden, full of grace, and so good

© 2011 Timothy Moody

(Written for my grandson Austin Moody, born February 18, 2011, a Down syndrome baby who struggled with respiratory issues but is doing fine now.  He is beautiful!)

How We Learn to Know Ourselves

In the main it is not by introspection but by reflecting on our living in common with others that we come to know ourselves. What is revealed? It is an original creation. Freely the subject makes himself what he is, never in this life is the making finished, always it is in process, always it is a precarious achievement that can slip and fall and shatter.  —Bernard Lonergan, Jesuit 

Build the Life You Want

I propose a radical, yet ancient notion: To build the life you want--complete with inner satisfaction, personal meaning and rewards--create the work you love.  By this I mean invent a way to earn an income doing what you do best, while serving others, becoming authentic, fulfilling the highest standards of your vocation.  This is spiritual work.  It's life's assignment.  And most of us are well-equipped to do it. ~ Marsha Sinetar, "To Build the Life You Want, Create the Work You Love"

Dive down into your self...

Dive down into your self,

And there you will find the steps

By which you might ascend.

-     Saint Isaac the Syrian

Our Best Work

Our best work, our finest moments, our joy--happen when we're centered, listening to and trusting ourselves, allowing our hearts and souls to guide us.  They happen when we allow ourselves to fully, completely, and in love, be who we are. ~ Melody Beattie, "Journey to the Heart"

Woe is Me

Oftentimes, we are our own worst enemies. We commit acts of sabotage by doubting our own competence. Because of self-loathing, we close off avenues that could lead to personal growth. Due to feelings of inferiority, we put ourselves down, and because of grandiosity, others. Aiming for perfection, we are not satisfied with anything we do. None of these approaches are part of the spiritual practice which banishes "Woe is me" and "I am the master of the universe" mood swings.

The ideal is to live with both our strengths and our weaknesses. – Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat, www.spiritualityhealth.com

Things That Can Ruin Your Smile

Here are some very good tips on maintaining a healthy smile. Some of the items might surprise you! See the article here: Health.com

When we love...

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are.  When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too. ~ Paul Coelho, "The Alchemist"

To the Brain, Being Burned and Getting Dumped Feel the Same - Health News

Here is interesting evidence that feelings of rejection or a difficult breakup can effect your health. See the article here: Health News - Health.com

What Sex Can Do

Certainly sex can be “I will do that for you if you will do this for me,” but what a lonely arrangement.  A caress should say, “I love you,” not pay off a debt.  An embrace should fill the heart as well as the arms. ~ Hugh & Gail Prather, Notes to Each Other