You are unique. There is no one else like you in the entire universe. In honor of your unique self, it is good to acknowledge and embrace the special qualities that make you the person that you are. One way to do this is to not compare yourself with other people.
It is human nature to want to ... Views: 1360
"A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us." - Franz Kafka
When I was working abroad in Japan and going through a particularly miserable period of my life, a friend offered to lend me her copy of A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Though I had heard of The Power of Now several times ... Views: 1360
One of my iterations is as an energy healer, so I have a unique perspective on seeing the effect of the economy on our chakras. A friend's husband was laid off a year ago from his newspaper job, and she told me recently that he is becoming more and more depressed and she is worried about him. I ... Views: 1359
One of the things I do when I work with groups is I ask people to try out a few writing exercises, just to see where they may take them. Here’s one that may prove interesting.
Take a moment and recall all the times you caused your parents trouble. There must have been a few. Whether it was ... Views: 1358
Most of us are so busy with work, family, friends and life in general, we sometimes forget to take time to nurture and love ourselves. Maybe we find ourselves getting angry easily, or frustrated with things around us that we can’t control. Or maybe we are moving non-stop from waking in the ... Views: 1357
Is it possible to be a Spiritual Atheist
Religion or rather, spirituality, is a side of personal development which I often discuss with friends and family, but my most recent conversation was with my Doctor who asked me, "Is it possible to be a spiritual Atheist?" I asserted that it was, ... Views: 1356
Can a healthy serving of humility free us from ourselves?
After a decade of working in human rights and traveling the world, one thing that always strikes me upon re-entry to the United States is just how solidified our identities are.
Our role in society, who we hang out with, how we ... Views: 1355
“Don’t let your problems get you down, or you’ll miss out on life.” Mattie Stepanek
There are millions of people who have been diagnosed with chronic illnesses or other disabling conditions. If you are one of these millions, you have likely experienced a variety of overwhelming emotions ... Views: 1354
Perhaps you imagined that the people on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder would be pinching every last penny to make ends meet.
If so, you’re surprisingly wrong. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the poorer you are in the United States, the larger ... Views: 1352
Most of us begin our days with a continuous list of things we need to do to keep our lives running smoothly, but we rarely take time to note all the things we don’t need to do. For example, we don’t need to figure out how to breathe. We don’t need to find a way to make sure the earth continues ... Views: 1349
With childhood obesity, autism and other childhood disorders on the rise, everyone from doctors to teachers and parents are seeking solutions for better health. At the most basic level, everyone can agree that kids can benefit from eating healthier.
Truth is, with all the glitzy candy and ... Views: 1348
“It is better to perform one’s own duties imperfectly than to master the duties of another. By fulfilling the obligations he is born with, a person never comes to grief. No one should abandon duties because he sees defects in them. Every action, every activity, is surrounded by defects as a fire ... Views: 1348
Hey we all spend enough time prattling on about action sequence yoga practice: breathing, extending, sweating, chaturanga-ing. In the sweeping flow of all the power vinyasa-ing, restorative yoga kinda gets tucked under the blankets. But even without bolster and blocks we bet a good lot of you ... Views: 1347
I heard a wise phrase the other day: "in every moment, you are either serving or being served." The give and take, or giving and receiving, is a constant balance of life. How often to you serve others, and how often do you allow others to serve you? Is it easier for you to give than to ... Views: 1345
It's a hard thing to observe in a person: the loss of hope when her doctor has informed her she has an "incurable" disease; yet on a surprisingly regular basis I see someone who has cured the incurable, who has held fast to hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Perhaps it's ... Views: 1343
It's always nice to hear that something simple can be used to defend against a very complicated disease process. That being the case, here's some nice news: Researchers in Japan have found that plain vinegar can help in the breakdown of fat deposits.
Vinegar is a mild solution of acetic ... Views: 1341
Details about Michael Jackson’s passing are still fuzzy, but already people are drawing conclusions about the superstar’s premature demise. One media thread has him using prescription medications in what may have been a troubling way ... Views: 1340
There are certain voices that we have all disowned. The clue to discovering that a voice is disowned is when we can’t get in touch with it. We just have a difficult time. For example for me it was the voice of the Judge. I discovered that I had disowned this voice back in 1983-84, when I was ... Views: 1339
Spend a few minutes preparing your body through heart-opening stretching and breathing exercises to center yourself. Then, sitting comfortably, observe the inflow and outflow
of your breath for a little while to quiet your mind. With awareness in your heart, ask yourself this important ... Views: 1338
Have you heard of a “fear hump”?
No…it’s not a dance….or a sexual deed…..geez.
It’s the little energetic block that prevents you from taking risks, and as a result, keeps you playing at a small level.
It's the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach right before you try something new ... Views: 1337
Because so much time is spent in bed, special consideration should be given to this piece of furniture and this is the place to splurge on the best quality, organic products that you can afford.
· Choose a good solid wood or bamboo frame that has been assembled with non-toxic glue and ... Views: 1336
Question:
I'm having difficulty understanding detachment, specifically relating to my children. I want to rid myself of material and emotional attachments but I have (as we all do) a deep bond and love for my children. I really want to understand.
Answer:
The concept of detachment has ... Views: 1333
Part of vibrant health is remembering where we belong in the scheme of the Cosmos. When I have forgotten Whose I am, this practice restores me to my place in the Cosmos instantly. I learned this practice from Jennifer Reif, author of The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene, a remarkable gathering of ... Views: 1332
1. Make an effort to look good. Because when people look good and know it, they tend to feel good. When you are feeling too self-conscious about your baggy jeans or the stain on your shirt, you have less mental energy to focus on other people's needs and concerns. On the other hand, if you ... Views: 1331
Steak and potatoes, tuna-noodle casserole, scrambled eggs with toast... these classic American meals are also classic examples of why the Standard American Diet is making us fatter and more prone to disease.
After eating one of those traditional American meals, you might experience bloating ... Views: 1329
In a world of six billion people, it’s easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our ... Views: 1327
Has it ever happened for you that you’ve picked up a book, usually a highly recommended one, read it and disliked it? It’s rare for me. Such was my first response to Eckhart Tolle’s original offering, The Power of Now. More than five years have elapsed since then and since I loved his second ... Views: 1326
Question:
Can you tell me what it means when what manifests is better than your wildest dreams? Years ago I meditated for inner peace. Maybe I had other wishes for my life but never got very specific in my head. What eventually manifested was beyond what I could imagine for myself. I ... Views: 1324
Dry, scratchy, and even painful! We all know that discomforting feeling of waking up with a sore throat. It may be a sign of a viral or bacterial infection, allergies, dry air, or the repercussion of overusing your voice. First things first, always rule out the possibility of strep throat, acid ... Views: 1324
What does it mean to be a man? Strong and brave? Sensitive and sweet? Unfortunately, this is a question that gets little attention in the public sphere today, leaving so many of us gentlemen unenlightened. In my experience, growing up in a solidly progressive area of the US (the Pacific ... Views: 1323
Joseph Campbell said “I don’t believe that anyone knows what sex is. It’s the greatest mystery in human life…” Starting here, I believe is the most honest place for thinking about books on sexuality. It assumes that we give up our notions of right and wrong about sexual preferences, practices ... Views: 1322
In the aftermath of Michael Jackson’s death, I found myself in a surreal situation that gave me a glimpse into the dark side of bloodsuckers, media and celebrity.
In those few hours, I saw a side of humanity that saddens me – where people try to take advantage of vulnerability, confusion, ... Views: 1319
Do you have a dream that keeps resurfacing yet you ignore it or immediately dismiss it?
Why do you push it away? Do you think it is too grand?
Do you shy away from it because of what other people might think about you and what they may say, "Who does she think she is?"
Recently someone ... Views: 1318
How are you treating the temple that your spirit lives within? Each one of us living on earth is a spirit living within a material/physical body. The body is the temple within which the spirit lives during a life on earth. Some of us treat our bodies well while others do not. Food is the ... Views: 1317
The summer is the perfect time to start volunteering for worthy causes. The weather is nice, there is generally a more uplifting aura that pervades in the air, and there are many events and causes around the nation that are looking for volunteers that care for their cause (not to say that any ... Views: 1317
So often illness can be an habitual response to old stimuli. When I’m stuck in old patterns, I use an updated version of an ancient Hawaiian healing practice called Ho’oponopono. (hoe-oh-PO-no-PO-no) The four powerful phrases are a tool for forgiveness, reconciliation and transmutation of old ... Views: 1317
Seeking to help the growing number of people with eating disorders—anorexia, bulimia, and overeating—the medical community has been striving to understand and treat the causes. Theories abound about why some of us lose control over how much, or little, we eat. Some target cultural influences; ... Views: 1311
Micro IVF in general can be described as taking either solely oral fertility meds with or without minimal use or injectable gonadotropins when going through InVitro fertilization. The process is the same as doing conventional IVF which entails egg retrieval, fertilization, embryo culture and ... Views: 1309
Micro IVF in general can be described as taking either solely oral fertility meds with or without minimal use or injectable gonadotropins when going through InVitro fertilization. The process is the same as doing conventional IVF which entails egg retrieval, fertilization, embryo culture and ... Views: 1309
Do you ever wonder who could possibly help a homeless person? The answer is each of us can help. It's called direct service - helping someone in need ourselves.
But how? There are many ways to help a person in need, including giving a homeless person a blanket. That's how we started Children ... Views: 1301
Noah benShea’s Ten Commandments for Tough Times
1. Being broke is not the same as being broken,
losing money is not the same as being lost,
and finding your balance is not something you can do on a balance sheet.
2. Don’t confuse having less with being less,
having more with being ... Views: 1300
(continued... "Why a Pine Tree is a Perfect Metaphor for Life")
2. This pine tree is not trying to be anything other than what it is.
How many times have you wanted to be different from how you are? Maybe it is physical: do you want to be taller, thinner, younger, stronger? Maybe it is ... Views: 1297
One day when yoga instructor Kari Harendorf was practicing backbends, her dog Charlie padded over and started stretching out beneath her on the hardwood floor. In a flash of insight that may or may not recall some ancient yogic pioneer’s moment of inspiration for Downward and Upward Dog, the ... Views: 1296
So there I was... wandering around CVS Memorial Day weekend unable to find the sunscreen I knew we had in the house and trying to find a natural suncreen before we headed to SeaWorld. Alas, nothing. Nada. Zilch. So I guiltily grabbed an Aveeno and hoped that no one saw me and sprayed just a ... Views: 1294
The words we speak and think hold great sway over the kind of life that we create for ourselves. Many people live their lives plagued by negative thoughts and never even realize this. They tell themselves and others that they are doomed to fail, not good enough, or not worthy of love, yet they ... Views: 1293
Did you ever wonder how the power of your thoughts can affect your body? Dr. Bernie Siegel, the author of Love, Medicine and Miracles, was giving a talk to a room full of skeptical doctors when he brought out a copy of Lady Chatterly’s Lover and proceeded to read the most erotic part. As he put ... Views: 1291
Solid Wood
Solid wood is a good choice, unless it comes from an endangered species or has been harvested in an unsustainable manner. When purchasing wood furniture, check that the wood is certified as ecologically sound. The FSC certifies wood and wood products that are ecologically sound ... Views: 1290
Question:
How much of our life is really in our control? Are not the events in our life (and maybe also how we react to them) influenced and driven by a higher consciousness, which we are not aware of? Say, for example Arjuna's life.. Isn't his succumbing to despair in the battlefield of ... Views: 1288
As a mother, I read with horror a news article from CNN.com last week about Masika Bermudez, a mother who found her dead eleven-year-old son Jaheem Herrera hanging from a belt in a closet. In the article, Masika said she believes that Jaheem could no longer cope with the bullying that was ... Views: 1280
I never felt that I was close to my grandmother. I was always slightly scared of her because she always had something to say about the way I look, my choices, and any other small detail she could pick up. I loved her - but I never felt close to her.
Three summers ago, she passed away from ... Views: 1275
In the last 114 days, my little daughter graduated from pre-school. My elder daughter completed 1st grade. My little nephew began to speak in full sentences. My husband and I have fought and made up several times. I have traveled to NY, Colorado, SF, Paris and London. We have had several ... Views: 1272