Living Intently in December and Beyond
December 1 Be Present NOW
December 2 Practice Non-judgment
December 2 Practice Non-judgment
Be Present NOW
During this season of giving, practice giving the best gift you can give: your undivided presence. Being present is cultivated by doing only one thing at a time with a pause before changing tasks.
Offer your undivided attention as you listen to your friend, child, or parents, look her/him/them in the eye and be genuinely interested in her/his/their words.
Give yourself the gift of a break from feeling overwhelmed. Breathe, right now. Take a deep breath in for four counts and exhale for five counts. Repeat 5 times. Feel yourself in this moment and return to your center through the breath.
The present is where life happens. Allow your presence, to both others and yourself, to be the best gift of the season.
December 2 Practice Non-judgment
December 2 Practice Non-judgment
December 2 Practice Non-judgment
Practice Non-judgment
As conscious beings, we place ourselves in relation to things and beings. We exercise our discernment through the lens of our perspective and what we value. We are in agreement to be discerning about everything: “I like this and I do not like that”, “this is good and that is bad”, “I am right and you are wrong.” The simple act of discernment creates suffering for ourselves and all those around us. 1
Try to go one hour without a discerning thought or word. Notice how you feel. It’s not as easy as you might think.
Discernment occurs whenever we notice a preference, thought or action for one thing over another or when we judge what is. It’s an automatic behavior we learned from childhood and agreed to adopt without questioning how it serves our well-being. Pause and question it now.
How long you were able to practice non-judgment and how did you feel?
"The principle of polarity is at the heart of the Taoist thought. Yet this emphasis on opposites must not be mistaken for a situation of conflict - everything implies its opposite and indeed is only meaningful because the opposite is there. And so, death and life, light and darkness, good and evil, positive and negative, ebb and flow, male and female coexist as parts of one and the same system. The elimination of either would also mean the disappearance of the other." 2
This is why practicing non-judgment is the way to peace. Practice non-judgment by living on the line that separates the polarity of the Tao symbol.
1 D'Ansembourg, T. 2007 Being Genuine Stop Being Nice, Start Being Real PuddleDancer Press
2 Sacred Symbols: Tao, Thames and Hudson, 1996. Vital Force Journal Spring 1998 page 13.
December 3, 2023 Listen mindfully
December 2 Practice Non-judgment
December 3, 2023 Listen mindfully
Listen mindfully
When we use all of our senses to listen to the words of others, we listen mindfully. Yes, our ears do all of the hearing while the practice of mindful listening allows us to really listen with our whole being.
To do this, we must be willing to allow all the time needed for the speaker to talk. Sometimes setting up an appointment to allow for this time works best.
When you meet, sit near each other at equal level. Invite your friend to share his thoughts while you do nothing but listen with your ears and an open heart. Look at your friend as he speaks making eye contact so he knows you are fully present. Feel the energy of the encounter through the air on your skin. Notice the taste of your saliva as you listen to the sound of you acknowledging what is said or to the sound of you asking your question to fully understand. Smell the sweetness of fully listening to your friend.
Allow your mind to be clear of all other thoughts while you listen. Allow the time to pass without regard to how much.
Mindful listening is a rare practice. I hope this intention is one you are open to adopting and practicing as you continue on your evolutionary path.
December 4, 2023 BE Flexible
December 6, 2023 Be Playful and Laugh
December 3, 2023 Listen mindfully
Be Flexible
“Be flexible,” the LifeSkill of the day I recall echoing throughout the building of my children’s elementary school. The intention to be flexible means to be open to changing your course as your situation demands. Upon reflection, the LifeSkill lesson I remember may have been more for the teachers in that building than the children since the nature of children is rooted in unexpected behavior.
We can start being more flexible just by intending it: “Today, I will be flexible when the situation takes an unexpected shift. I will be open to new ideas and actions.”
The practice of being flexible allows ridged habits to break, excites the daily humdrum of life, and supports personal growth. Living with this intention to be flexible allows you to be okay with the unexpected and fosters creativity in the moment of a course change.
December 5, 2023 practice openness
December 6, 2023 Be Playful and Laugh
December 6, 2023 Be Playful and Laugh
Practice Openness
Upon the wings of a dove, I fly with openness. When we practice openness in our relationships, we cultivate peace from within ourselves.
Imagine being able to walk through your day unbothered by what is and open to what can be.
Allow your mind to be free from judgment and open to what is in this present moment, the gift of now. Say to yourself, “I am open to what is now.” Softly repeat it. Notice how you feel.
There is nothing to resist when openness is the practice. Allowing openness now does not equate to no response in the future. Being open right now means you accept what is in this moment without tension, judgment or action. You breathe, listen and observe. You feel calm for what is NOW.
Practice openness to feel more peace in your mind and heart.
December 6, 2023 Be Playful and Laugh
December 6, 2023 Be Playful and Laugh
December 6, 2023 Be Playful and Laugh
Be Playful and Laugh
Children are so playful and naturally laugh at all softs of things that go unnoticed by adults.
When playing, children are present, non-judgmental and flexible. They listen wholeheartedly and are open to fun.
When was the last time you got caught up in playing?
My granddaughter is full of imagination and we play in all sorts of way when we are together. Spontaneous play offers so much enjoyment.
She has also restored the gift of laughter in her Papaw and Gigi for this I will always be grateful to her. She laughs at the silliest things, like how the dog sleeps, the way sprinkles bounce when poured in a bowl, and the way leaves dance as they fall from our honey locust trees. She will laugh for the sake of laughing and so will we.
Laughing engages our parasympathetic nervous system, releases our feel-good hormones, and calms us. Play gives us a break from the seriousness of life. Laughter and play come naturally for most children. As adults, we lose our youthfulness when we stop being playful and stop laughing.
May you embrace laughter and playfulness as gifts to your spirit and well-being this year.
December 7, 2023 Integrate Patience
December 9, 2023 Elevate Mood with Smile
December 7, 2023 Integrate Patience
Integrate Patience
Patience is a virtue, an art and a valuable quality in personal and work interactions. Those who integrate patience into their life are rewarded with inner joy and peace, healthier relationships and greater potential for promotion in the work place.
Patience according to en Wikipedia.org is “the ability to endure difficult circumstances”, and mindtools.com notes “patience is the ability to stay calm while you are waiting for an outcome that you need or want.” This ability to be calm includes not only the state of your mind but also the response of your body while you wait. Other skills useful to support your desire to be patient include self-discipline, focus, expanded self-awareness, and empathy. (1)
To begin a practice of being patient learn to pause. Take a minute or so before you act. Use this slowdown time to breathe consciously. Close your eyes and imagine your next action in slow motion. Meditation helps to develop this virtue, too. Learning to rest and notice your thoughts without reacting is a practice in patience.
Dietforbalancedhealth.com hosts a Discover Your CALM with Breath and Meditation program.
(1) “Patience.” Mindtools.com,
https://www.mindtools.com/a4xvpkl/patience. Accessed 04 Dec.2023
December 8, 2023 Practice Acceptance
December 9, 2023 Elevate Mood with Smile
December 7, 2023 Integrate Patience
Practice Acceptance
In relationships, acceptance may also mean ‘to yield’ or ‘to surrender’.
The first time I heard about this idea to surrender to what is was back in 2014 the summer my daughter received her diagnosis of a painful lump in her jaw. I wondered, “How was I supposed to surrender to this life event of a cancer diagnosis?”
Finally, from expanding my awareness and reading more on the topic of self-care, both physical and mental, I was able to grasp the action of acceptance. The practice of accepting what is in this moment is about recognizing that all of our life’s events, our words and our thoughts up to now are in the past. The future is still unknown. When we accept this moment for just what is we feel calm. A sense of peace and reflection overcome our habitual reactive ways.
Through acceptance, we allow for creative response, as needed, moving forward. This creative response is in the future and the only action in this moment is to accept what is.
My most recent encounter working with acceptance is through the lens of our body. Our Discover and Grow Book Club studied in 2023 Deepak Chopra’s book titled The Book of Secrets. The first chapter explores the unity of the body and how it lives with all of its healthy cells to support our survival. I gleaned from this read and created the following inspiration as a way to live with others with acceptance, just as my body does: Through acceptance I recognize each person I encounter as an equal and equally important to the world. Flexibility and openness are the right action. Interdependence is the heart of acceptance. Going at it alone is not an option.
December 9, 2023 Elevate Mood with Smile
December 9, 2023 Elevate Mood with Smile
December 9, 2023 Elevate Mood with Smile
Elevate Mood with SMILE
Above my desk is this quote by an unknown author etched into a glazed tile, “a smile is a little curve that straightens everything out”. When I read it, I am reminded of the power this little curve has to change the way I feel inside.
A smile softens our face as it is shaped and allows for the release of our feel-good hormones: dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. We feel better when we genuinely smile. The energy of anxiety softens with that little curve.
A genuine smile, aka Duchenne smile in psychological jargon, is a natural part of our body language. Many interpret it as a warm, friendly gesture. The practice of engaging with a smile, especially when passing by a stranger, is known to occur naturally when we are about 10 feet apart. Making eye contact is important to this social gesture, as well as, being genuine. Smiling at someone lets them know you see them and fills their basic need for attention. And, of course, their returned smile reciprocates.
Engage with others through smiling and elevate your mood. Begin now. Take in a deep breath and on the exhale give yourself a genuine smile in a mirror or not, then notice how you feel.
December 10, 2023 Practice Appreciation
December 11, 2023 Connect with others and Celebrate Life
December 9, 2023 Elevate Mood with Smile
Practice Appreciation
When you complete a task, like giving appreciation you know is deserved, you feel good because the reward chemical dopamine is released. By expressing appreciation or genuinely giving a compliment, the love hormone oxytocin is released. The practice of appreciation which is a connection task elevates your mood.
Appreciation involves recognizing something that someone else did that genuinely made you feel good or made your life easier.
DIETforbalancehealth’s Discover and Grow Book Club began with a study of Non-violent Communication: A Language of Life. One aspect of this book, written by Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD, focused on giving heart felt appreciation, a basic human need shared by all.
With each expression of gratitude, whether verbal or written, silent or aloud, "express your appreciation to celebrate, not manipulate" as stated by Rosenberg. Sometimes, when you express appreciation, the receiver may interpret your expression as a form of manipulation. When you offer gratitude as a celebration and express it with a heart full of joy, the receiver accepts it fully with a heart filled with joy, too.
Rosenberg teaches three components of appreciation:
• Tell the receiver what they did with details to contribute to your well-being.
• Tell the receiver what needs of yours were fulfilled by their actions.
• Express what pleasurable feelings arose within you by having your needs fulfilled.
An example: In appreciation for the 2023 Mindful Movement Hiking Society - When we meet on the trails of the Colorado outdoors, my need for interdependence is fulfilled. The sharing of our time hiking in nature while conversing about our lives supports my needs for physical movement and connection. I feel wonderful both physically and emotionally. Thank you! -- JoEtta Heck
December 11, 2023 Connect with others and Celebrate Life
December 11, 2023 Connect with others and Celebrate Life
December 11, 2023 Connect with others and Celebrate Life
Connect with Others and Celebrate Life
Since the world-wide pandemic event, people are embracing sharing more time together. The travel industry is breaking many records including TSA screenings and highway usage. Make it a priority to frequently connect with your most significant relationships: family, friends, and business/professional allies and supporters.
Meeting with others in person or through sound and sight elevates our well-being. The act of just thinking of contacting someone sends warm fuzzies throughout my being.
Listening to someone’s voice or seeing and hearing them as you make contact via videochat supports our need for connection. Taking the time to visit in person and respectfully touching with a gentle embrace, pat, or handshake supports our need for affection. Everyone has a need to be seen and heard. Connecting with others in person, with a phone call, or video chat supports many of our basic needs. When our needs are met, we feel good both physically and emotionally.
Be intentional with your time together: engage in fun activities, volunteer together for a common cause, practice mindful listening as you exchange words, celebrate life, and be empathetic. Getting together with intention deepens your connection, strengthens your social bonds, and supports healthy longevity.
December 12, 2023 I am enough
December 11, 2023 Connect with others and Celebrate Life
December 11, 2023 Connect with others and Celebrate Life
I AM Enough – A Passionate Relationship with Mind, Body and Spirit
The routine practice of a guided meditation began most of the community gatherings for the students joining me in our education of Chopra’s Perfect Health Ayurvedic Lifestyle program. These meditations always included the four soul questions: Who AM I? What do I want? What is my purpose? For what am I grateful?
From silently asking myself for four years the question, “Who am I?”, I discovered I am not the roles defined by my name. Once released from these roles, I discovered I am pure existence. I am a unity of mind, body and spirit created by a higher power and worthy of my unique existence in this world of time and space. My belief that the Universe created me to be just as I am allows for this intention ‘I am enough’ to be real.
The relationship most important to support this belief is the one you have with yourself. Once you compare yourself with others in this world, you lose faith in yourself and develop doubts about being enough. My own experience in this space of lifestyle education has at times created self-doubt. When I see what others are sharing in the social media scene, I often ask to myself, “Why bother? There are so many doing this same thing and appearing to rock it.” Then I remind myself, I, too, am rocking it one person at a time while practicing what I teach and transforming myself in the process.
Now it's your turn to rock it for yourself.
I invite you to reconnect with yourself through breath. Slowly breathe in silently repeating “I am enough”. Breathe out more slowly silently repeating “I accept this as my truth”. Repeat this breathing pattern for five to six repetitions several times daily, especially when the doubt monster visits.
Our thoughts create our emotions, our emotions create our actions in the world. Once we shift our thoughts, our emotions shift, allowing our perceptions of the world and our actions in the world shift.
Believe and live every day the intention ‘I AM ENOUGH’ to create a passionate relationship with your mind, body and spirit. This is an every day practice for both you and me. It’s so easy to think we are not doing enough in this world to “make a difference”. When we believe wholeheartedly we are enough, we behave in ways that support our belief. Our actions that follow our beliefs are enough for our unique expression in this world. This becomes our difference.
Another "I AM ENOUGH" graphic here.
December 13 Share WITH OTHERS your time, talent, and gifts
December 13 Share WITH OTHERS your time, talent, and gifts
December 13 Share WITH OTHERS your time, talent, and gifts
Share With Others Your Time, Talent, and Gifts
Throughout this season of giving, many people share their time, talent and gifts. Some share because it’s their family tradition. Others share because it makes them feel good. The practice of sharing elevates our feel-good response and supports our well-being. Do you know why you share? How does your act of sharing make you feel?
Since Earth Day this past year, my husband and I consciously chose to share time with acquaintances who, through the sharing of our time, have become our friends. We have shared our time exploring many trails in the Colorado wilderness. This also included our park passes and transportation without desiring anything in return. Our intention was to create a small community of like-minded hikers who enjoy and appreciate the colorful Colorado outdoors as much as we do. Through this sharing, unexpected gifts were revealed: increased physical strength and stamina, expanded acceptance for what is especially with weather and trail conditions, and a stronger than imagined connection with others. Our giving created a deep sense of appreciation from within us for those who were willing to say yes, be vulnerable, and share their life with us. For this, we are truly grateful.
You are encouraged to reflect on your life’s desires. Imagine them manifesting as you share your time, talent, or gifts. Allow sharing from your heart to become your way of living. Envision your life in 2024 and allow the intention of sharing to shine brightly.
December 14 Be Creative
December 13 Share WITH OTHERS your time, talent, and gifts
December 13 Share WITH OTHERS your time, talent, and gifts
Be Creative
The act of creating covers a broad range of aspects. Each human being breathing on this Earth was created from DNA material into something uniquely expressed as self. This act of reproductive creation is witnessed throughout the animal, plant, and insect kingdoms. I find it to be absolutely amazing.
When I use this ‘be creative’ as an intention, I am referring to our mental ability to create. Every person on Earth, through choice, creates the life they have. When we accept responsibility for our life’s choices, we can reflect upon them to determine if they support our life’s dream. Then, if needed, we can opt to make different choices to create a life that will fulfill our dream.
In Ayurveda, I learned about our biological constitutions and their elements. People with the air and space elements naturally have a strong desire to be creative. The element of space is like a blank artist’s canvas: full of potential and open to possibilities. The air element moves this creative energy to make something new that was not present before, like this post. My biological constitution has a lot of air and space. When I am not engaging in creativity, I feel agitated and stagnant. Do you have a strong need to be creative?
The nuance about creativity is you cannot make it happen. Creative ideas arise at the most unexpected times usually while doing something totally unrelated. Meditation, a practice of noticing when you have a new thought, fosters creativity. It’s that space right before you notice the thought where creativity gets is energy. This space is known as ‘being in the gap’. Being in the gap lasts for a split second for most, yet being there allows for creative solutions to arise for the problems or projects relying on them.
The next time you have a problem to solve or project to complete, express your need and wait for the answer to arise while you are engaging in something totally unrelated. Embrace your own creativity routinely and witness your life bloom and grow in ways you never imagined.
December 15 Be MIndful
December 13 Share WITH OTHERS your time, talent, and gifts
December 16 Just breathe
Be Mindful
The qualities of mindfulness: attention, awareness, now – as in this present moment, nonjudgment, kindness, compassion and grace. The practice of being mindful goes beyond action. It’s truly an attitude rich with the qualities listed. Many think it’s about doing one thing at a time. While this is also a truth for today’s intention - be mindful, the attitude felt from within our essence of doing only one thing at a time is where the true benefits develop.
How does one develop an attitude of being mindful? One small, slow step at a time.
Let’s see how it works. Stop what you are doing now. Close your eyes, if that’s comfortable, and connect with your body through breath. Just notice your breath. How does it feel? Is it warm or cool? Fast or slow? Stay with the breath for a few minutes. Just notice it, without any thoughts of judgment. Allow the breath to be as it is now.
Next, offer yourself gratitude for your life sustaining breath and all it does to support your life’s action. In your mind, say “Thank you” to your breath. Repeat this again, silently. Be with this gratitude for a few more minutes.
This is one practice of ‘How to BE Mindful’ and includes all the qualities of mindfulness.
Invite the practice of mindfulness to become part of your everyday life, like brushing your teeth. Practice this simple breath awareness when you begin to feel discomfort in your body any time during the day. Pressing the PAUSE button allows for a different response to arise from within. By continuing this simple practice, you will soon notice that the qualities of mindfulness overflow into others areas of your life. You may begin to feel calmer, happier and more energized.
December 16 Just breathe
December 17 Reflect Inwardly with Grace
December 16 Just breathe
Just Breathe
Use the practice of breathing to center and balance yourself.
Try this box breath now. Sit comfortably with your eyes softly lowered or closed. Breath through your nose only. Inhale for four counts. Rest for four counts. Exhale for four counts. Rest for four counts. Repeat this pattern for four to six rounds. Let your breath return to normal. Notice how you feel.
NOTE: Stop the repetition with any signs of discomfort letting your breath return to its normal flow.
December 17 Reflect Inwardly with Grace
December 17 Reflect Inwardly with Grace
December 17 Reflect Inwardly with Grace
Reflect Inwardly with Grace
A profound action I learned in my Chopra training was to reflect inwardly. Reflecting inwardly requires time alone where you become the nonjudgmental observer of your life’s choices. You pay attention to the pivoting points where life took a different turn. You notice the time when life was easy. And, you are gentle with yourself as you observe the not-so-great periods of your life. What came out of this was a list of limiting beliefs that no longer serve me today. And, I let them go.
Each one of us creates our life through the choices we make. Each of our choices are made based on two basic feelings related to our needs: comfort and discomfort. Consciously or not, we decide to act based on whether the action will allow us to feel more comfort or less discomfort as it supports our needs.
Our needs are shaped by several factors: our thoughts about ourselves, our values, our agreements, and our beliefs. When we take the time to reflect inwardly with grace, our awareness of these factors can be evaluated using this simple question: Does this belief, value, agreement or thought serve me well now to support my identified need? If your answer is no. Let it go. By letting it go, you no longer base your decisions to support a need on that factor. Letting go of your limiting beliefs and values or the agreements of society that no longer serve you now allows for something new to come into your being. Hopefully, the new supports your life’s dreams in this moment.
December 18 Practice gratitude
December 17 Reflect Inwardly with Grace
December 17 Reflect Inwardly with Grace
Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is a quality of thankfulness for the good in our lives, be it something big or small. Gratitude affects our emotional state and shapes our perception of the world. Gratitude can be both given to others and received. Gratitude allows us to live in this world with a sense of abundance for what we have, rather than a sense of lack.
The four soul questions asked during most of my meditations includes one on gratitude: “What are you grateful for?”
Through repetition we develop a gratitude practice which allows us to focus on what is good in our life that we truly appreciate. When we express and receive genuine gratitude, we feel warm and fuzzy throughout our bodymind. We smile.
The practice of gratitude may be the impetus needed for holistic change.
A simple and genuine ‘thank you’ received and given creates a flow of change within our bodymind. The flow of gratitude affects the brain’s pathways shifting old worn-out perceptions of the world. This flow allows new pathways to be created. With the creation of new neural pathways in the brain our perception of the world both inside and outside changes. The outside world mirrors our inside world. Our inside world is affected by our daily practice of gratitude.
Begin your practice today. Ask yourself in this moment, “What am I grateful for?” Wait and see what arises from within.
For me, a gratitude for my ability to read and write arose from within. My practice of gratitude includes repeating silently what arose: “I am grateful to be able to read and write.” In my minds eye, I see myself reading and writing which further confirms my gratitude for this ability. This simple visualization of what I am grateful for supports its abundance and shapes my perception of the world.
December 19 Live adventurously do new today
December 20 Just observe ‘what is’ without reaction
December 20 Just observe ‘what is’ without reaction
Live Adventurously: Do Something New Today
What do you desire for your life? Do you feel you are in a rutty routine of dullness? Are you looking for something new, yet you are not sure what it is?
It’s so easy for us to do the same thing over and over. When we do this, we usually get the same results. Too much ‘same’ makes Johnny a dull boy. So, what can be done to shake up the routine of life?
Set an intention to do something new every day. When you do something new each day, you experience adventure. If you keep this practice going, soon you will create a life full of new adventures.
Let’s begin now. State aloud: “Today, I will live adventurously. I will be fearless like nature and do something new.”
Here are a few ideas of some new dos: offer gratitude for the newness of the day, get up with the sun, take a new route to work, talk with a co-worker whom you usually ignore, use a different restroom, try a new food, drink tea instead of coffee, turn off your phone for one hour, attend a yoga class with an unfamiliar teacher, write a thank you note to a corporation for a product you like, do a chore that’s not yours, go to bed early, meditate, learn a new dance, take an unexpected trip, travel without a plan, tell someone you forgive them, keep that thought to yourself, surrender to what is, share a comment with me or sign up for one of my classes.
The ideas for something new to experience are endless. If you have done it before, pause and choose to do it differently. Life is worthy of being an adventure. All you have to do is choose something new.
December 20 Just observe ‘what is’ without reaction
December 20 Just observe ‘what is’ without reaction
December 20 Just observe ‘what is’ without reaction
Just Observe ‘What Is’ Without Reaction
Today, I will observe life’s experiences without reaction. If action is required, I will pause and reflect first. I will leave the judge at home today. I will make notes about what is transpiring just as it happens, removing all attachment and judgment.
Enjoy today and feel the peace of this season through observance.
This is an example of just observing: I noticed the brevity of this intention post dated December 20 titled, “Just observe ‘what is’ without reaction”.
December 21 Trust Life's Process
December 20 Just observe ‘what is’ without reaction
December 22 Let Go of What No Longer Serves Your Wellbeing
Trust Life’s Process
Trust as defined on Google includes feeling safe, having confidence that no harm will come, and being reliable. It’s a belief in the character qualities of someone or something.
When trust is focused on the processes of life, the quality of circularity comes to mind. Birth, life and death are the circular processes of human existence. This has been reliable for as long as existence itself: a process to trust.
Today is the winter solstice: the shortest day of sunlight for the year in the northern hemisphere. A day I feel an energetic shift in life. The sun’s light reaches its pivoting point for its journey to Earth. Minute by minute daylight begins to lengthen and life feels lighter and brighter, literally.
This life process is worthy of trust, too, as our life on Earth relies upon this annual shift. And, it’s a process worthy of celebration. Express gratitude as you live it today. Trust that it will be this way for eternity. Embrace the life-sustaining qualities of the sun’s light: warmth, openness, and energetic transformation.
Join me in celebrating the winter solstice: Release something that no longer serves you. Write it down and burn it with fire, like the sun’s focused quality burns. Then, pause and reflect upon what you desire to grow in your life. Set an intention, which becomes your focus for the new year, and allow the life-sustaining qualities of the sun to help bring it to life.
December 22 Let Go of What No Longer Serves Your Wellbeing
December 22 Let Go of What No Longer Serves Your Wellbeing
December 22 Let Go of What No Longer Serves Your Wellbeing
Let Go of What No Longer Serves Your Wellbeing
Letting go is a difficult process for many. When we consider all the options of what we have to let go of, we find letting go of the things that make us unique (roles, beliefs, values, titles, possessions) to be the hardest. Yet, when we remain attached, the opposite of letting go, we often have an increase in our own suffering.
“Who Am I?” is one of the four meditative soul questions learned as part of my Chopra training. I answer silently with a reply of my first and last name. With the next ask of “Who am I?”, I reply with only my first name: “I am JoEtta”. When asked for the final time, my first name is dropped and only “I AM” remains. What this practice does is allow the attachment of everything tied to my name to be let go. What’s left is the mind, body and spirit of “I AM”. It is very freeing to practice this ritual and spiritually let go of all identities, even if only briefly. The practice instills that I still exist when all my roles tied to my name no longer exist. Roles like wife, mother, daughter, sister, cousin, friend and neighbor. Other roles like dietitian, educator, designer, gardener, hiker, and pet guardian. When all of these go away or are let go of, I still exist as me. And, I smile.
When we consider letting go of grievances, trespasses, grudges, and actions others have committed toward us, we are also set free. When we give attention to the way we feel while holding on tightly we realize that our emotional freedom can only be realized by letting go.
Take some time as the year ends to consider what you wish to let go. Then, LET IT GO.
December 23 Praise Progress
December 22 Let Go of What No Longer Serves Your Wellbeing
December 24 Rise Above Pain with Forgiveness
Praise Progress
As we continue to move forward on our life’s path, we need to remember to praise our evolutionary progress that brings us to NOW.
Our life is not about living perfectly.
Life is about understanding and accepting our unique and personal journey of evolution. Therefore, we move forward not in perfection, but as a work in progress with the goal to be the best version of ourselves. This is also a practice of self-love.
Stop and say “thank you” to yourself for the progress you have made up to now.
December 24 Rise Above Pain with Forgiveness
December 22 Let Go of What No Longer Serves Your Wellbeing
December 24 Rise Above Pain with Forgiveness
Rise above pain with forgiveness
On December 21 with others, I celebrated the winter solstice. One of the activities was a release of what no longer serves those who attended. This ‘let go’ was written on a piece of paper and ‘burned’ in the Yule Log flame. I chose to let go of my grief.
Then, after a few sun salutations asanas, the group learned about setting intentions in positive action language. This activity included setting an affirmation for ‘how to’ realize the set intention and a mantra for a simple reminder.
I selected RISE as my mantra to remind me to live my intention: to rise above my pain with forgiveness. My affirmation includes the following actions:
1. To forgive myself first when I feel negative and full of stress.
2. To forgive others when from my perspective, they have trespassed against me.
3. Once I realize I am holding onto energy, beliefs, agreements, possessions, roles, and values that no longer serve me NOW, I will forgive myself for hanging on to them too long as I let them go.
4. I will also forgive ‘life’ for being as it is and not always as I thought it would be.
Forgiveness will set me free from pain and suffering. I will rise above all of this pain practicing forgiveness every day.
With reflection, how can you, too, rise above your pain and suffering with forgiveness?
Inspired by https://aimhappy.com/positive-new-year-intentions/
December 25 Celebrate Love
December 26 Practice Humility
December 26 Practice Humility
Celebrate Love
Love expresses itself in many dimensions similar to awareness. When love is celebrated, it too can be done in a multitude of ways. Allow your own uniqueness to create a celebration of love that fills you with joy. Or if needed, celebrate love in a way that releases pain and may elicit tears as that pain leaves your essence.
My granddaughter, who turns three in January, routinely celebrates our little dog, Rudy. While she does not say specifically that she is celebrating her love for Rudy’s companionship, she celebrates her existence genuinely. It’s really a beautiful gift to witness. Almost always, Rudy gets a cupcake, Hape style. Often, she gets a card. The other day she got an opportunity to wear a pair of dancing socks, Bambas style. Rudy recently got a gingerbread piece to play on her new Candyland game. Sometimes, it is important to her for Rudy to get a new toy and a shopping trip is required. Her creativity is endless in the simple ways she celebrates Rudy. Being a part of this reminds me to celebrate those I love and what I love routinely.
May you discover the joy of celebrating everyday at least one person or thing that you love.
December 26 Practice Humility
December 26 Practice Humility
December 26 Practice Humility
Practice Humility
Those who possess the gift of humility genuinely believe they are not better than anyone else (1), and possess an accurate view of themselves while being other-oriented rather than self-focused (2). As humans, our view of the world is shaped by our beliefs, values, and traditions. Imagine how our relationships in this world would shift if we all possessed the gift of humility.
Many of the traits commonly attributed to humility are the same as several of the intentions already shared this month: openness, non-judgment, acceptance, appreciation, patience, forgiveness, celebrating others, and gratitude. Other qualities you might adopt as practices to become humbler include being vulnerable, recognizing the work of others that supports you, and encouraging others to be the best version of themselves. (1)
When you are vulnerable, you show up as your true self with your egoic mask removed. You feel comfortable with your shortcomings and your insecure feelings. You know you are doing the best you can in this moment and all of those surrounding you are doing their best, too. Most of the success experienced by anyone happens with a network of supporters. Humble people know this. Practice exercising your humility muscle by freely and genuinely recognizing the people in your life who work alongside you supporting your success. Continue to strengthen your humility by uplifting and encouraging others to be the best that they can be instead of trying to look better than them.
Practice humility and enjoy growth in all of your relationships and your emotional well-being.
(1) https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/measuring-humility-and-its-positive-effects
December 27 Notice Beauty
December 26 Practice Humility
December 28 Live Abundance: The Feeling
Notice Beauty
To notice beauty goes beyond just seeing with the eyes. “Notice” in the context of this intention includes using all of your senses with a non-judgmental openness and allowance for the beauty of something to be revealed in its unique way. Noticing beauty requires present moment attention and clarity of the mind.
All of this together creates a practice that is adoptable for you to notice beauty every day.
For more natural beauty to practice this intention visit: https://dietforbalancedhealth.com/our-engaging-adventurespage and have fun exploring the beauty of nature.
December 28 Live Abundance: The Feeling
December 29 appreciate the uniqueness of others
December 28 Live Abundance: The Feeling
Live Abundance: The Feeling
Thoughts create feelings. The thoughts you have about abundance create your feelings of abundance. This abundance is not about how much stuff you have or money in your bank account. Abundance is a feeling you have enough while being grateful for what you have NOW and believing there is enough to share with the world. Living abundance is about the internal energy behind what you think, desire, or do in the outside world. ‘Abundance the feeling’ becomes the ‘why’ for any action. Reframing thoughts about abundance allows more abundance to flow. My lifestyle training with Chopra teaches the natural law: like attracts like. So, it stands to reason that your thoughts of abundance and fearlessness create more abundance and fearlessness in your life.
On the other hand, when your thoughts are based in fear, lack, and scarcity, you grow fear, lack and scarcity in your life. Fear supports the energy of anxiety. So, it stands to reason that your thoughts create your anxiety which is deeply rooted in fear. Lack and scarcity both mean not having enough; so, you hold on tightly, you constrict, and you guard what you have. When you live scarcity, the flow of life stops. You become stuck in patterns of a limited mindset. The natural flow of creativity, imagination, openness, learning, healing and sharing stop. You believe you will never be enough or have enough. You block life’s opportunities to thrive.
If you are ready to abandon your limited thoughts and life based in fear, lack and scarcity, practice living the feeling of abundance. Say to yourself, “I am enough, I have enough, there is enough for everyone in this world.” Notice how you are feeling and why you are doing your outside action. If you are feeling fear, lack or scarcity STOP. Only proceed with doing when you feel the energy of abundance in the action: fearlessness, openness, allowance, generosity, and grace. My favorite affirmation for abundance is “I have all the time in the world”, stating this reminds me and time seems to slow down. What affirmation will you adopt to live abundantly?
December 29 appreciate the uniqueness of others
December 29 appreciate the uniqueness of others
December 29 appreciate the uniqueness of others
Appreciate the Uniqueness of Others
Everyone you know has qualities about them that are both similar and different from you. These qualities combined make for a unique human being. The creative expression of the universe is present in everyone. When the uniqueness of others is appreciated, universal creativity is also appreciated.
The world has a need for the uniqueness of everyone created. This includes you, too. And everyone in the world has a need to be appreciated.
The next time you feel uncomfortable with someone’s uniqueness, pause, and ask yourself if your uniqueness is also uncomfortable to them. This practice of questioning allows time for personal reflection and a chance to shift your perspective. Over time, your appreciation of humanity’s uniqueness may increase. And in turn, humanity may appreciate your uniqueness more, too.
December 30 Discover Bliss and Follow it
December 29 appreciate the uniqueness of others
December 29 appreciate the uniqueness of others
Discover Bliss and Follow It
Bliss is an expression of love as described in the writings of Deepak Chopra in his book titled Ageless Body, Timeless Mind. When you feel your bliss, you feel a tingling sensation or rush which is love in action. Love is present when you feel real and truly alive.
Stand back, be your true self, and allow your life’s passion to blossom. Set yourself free from narrow attachments and sow the seeds of the essential self: “passion and commitment, love and dedication, self-worth and fulfillment, which are all born in Being”. As you become liberated and free, the narrow attachments tied to expectations, preconceived outcomes and egotistical points of view are released.
You begin to know unity. You feel connected to your body, your breathing slows down and almost becomes still, the mental activity of your mind calms, you feel a sense of belonging, your inner world opens to infinite possibilities as your awareness expands in all directions, and you accept yourself united from within to the world outside as a liberated extension of your true self. This unity is love. You experience love’s essence when you are in contact with Being.
To follow your bliss, you need to find an outlet for love. This is a place where it can be freely released and flow. When love is stifled, it is lost; and, what remains are feelings of longing and yearning.
Let love flow. Feel its rush. Know bliss as “the tingling rush of love in action, the flow of Being as it reaches out to meet itself and curls back with delight in contact. Love wants to find itself, and when the circuit is complete, bliss flows.”
Notice love and discover bliss.
Source: Chopra, Deepak. Ageless Body, Timeless Mind. New York: Harmony Books, 1993. pp 326-329.
December 31 Celebrate renewal
December 31 Celebrate renewal
December 31 Celebrate renewal
Celebrate Renewal
In the forest, nature allows for the cycles of growth, rest and renewal. As humans, we can learn from the natural rhythms that surround us. We can welcome and celebrate growth, rest and renewal as a natural process.
In the mountains of Colorado, the fire plant is prevalent. After the destructive force of fire, the earth in a burn scar becomes exposed allowing more sunlight and its energy to pop open dormant seeds. In perfect timing after a period of rest, the forest begins to renew itself. The early evidence of this renewal is witnessed as the summer growth of the fire plant with its stately, bold, fuchsia bloom. The image here was taken in 2022 on the Coral Creek Trail near Cameron Peak, CO of the burn scar of the so named fire of 2020.
The cells in our body renew themselves routinely and usually without our awareness. When this renewal happens, growth is witnessed. Then, the body rests for a bit and the process begins all over again. This process is celebrated by many as a birthday celebration.
When we embark on living life with intention, as I have shared this past month, we allow for our personal growth. We rest in our chosen intention for a while. Then, we feel its action as renewal, in perfect rhythm with the renewal of a new year, month or day.
Growth, rest and renewal are the cycles of all life. Be intent in celebrating renewal as it allows us to be who we are in this moment, to live the life of our dreams now, and feel joy for its continued process.