Saturday 31 August 2013

Open Focus Webinar






On September 4, 2013 at 1pm EST, you are invited to join Dr. Fehmi and Susan Shor Fehmi as they host their first "Q and A Hour" teleseminar.  All questions are welcomed -- from our listeners just beginning their Open Focus journey to those who feel confident in their advanced practice.  This is "Ask Dr. Fehmi" in its truest sense.

Listen in as Dr. Fehmi answers:

What should you do if you are having trouble "feeling" space?

 What is alpha synchrony?

 How long until you feel the beneficial effects of Open Focus?

 What are the differences between the 18 Open Focus exercises?

Dr. Fehmi will also be joined live by Certified Open Focus Coaches who will present their own questions to him along with our listener's questions that have been submitted online.  Questions may also be asked live by phone or web throughout the hour.

To submit a question prior to the webinar,

 email kurt@dissolvingpain.com


I will be one of the Open Focus Coaches  joining Dr Fehmi and Susan for this webinar and am looking forward to some more insights on this wonderful practice.

If you are new to this blog and have not heard of Open focus before I recommend the Youtube video below as an introduction.
What is Open focus


Open Focus has been part of my life since reading Dr Fehmi's The open focus Brain . I read the book in 2009 and trained with Dr Fehmi in Princeton the same year. Open Focus training literally did open my focus, thought me to experience my life in a whole new way. It opened me to new levels of awareness in my T'ai Chi practice. I feel it was also the catalyst for many other openings to many other realm of existence which I was not consciously aware of before my Open focus training.

If you are interested you can join next Wednesday's Webinar  via the link below.

Webinar Link





Friday 30 August 2013

Working on the details





Thursday night's practice this week was a ' Fight Set  ' intensive.  We took most of the postures of the first half apart and worked on them in depth. It was great to see how the summer's work paid off and we all had a much better grasp of the set since we  videoed " Work In Progress" last spring.






PRACTICE






PRACTICE






PRACTICE






Ray and Michael last night.






Three months ago.





Joan and Steven last night





Three months ago.





Sara and Marie last night.


It's great  to see how the summer's  work  can make such a difference.
Inspiration to keep working and playing.



Thursday 29 August 2013

Relaxation







Our cat Googles is the best relaxation teacher I know. It is  lovely to watch her as she prepares to nap.
She stretches her whole body  , she lovingly licks  places she feels need some cleaning.   She has already chosen the most suitable spot  for this particular nap. I often wonder how she chooses her spot , sometimes   (like in this photo ) she honours me and naps on my bed. But she moves around and naps in different  rooms .
Anyway I digress from my topic.
  Relaxation this undervalued art .

  Imagine how great you would feel if you could spend all day in complete relaxation ( and I don't mean napping ).
 Imagine relaxing into each meeting and greeting.  Whenever I remember to practice this my day goes so much better. I'm more present to myself and also to those I meet. All my work is more satisfying.

If you have been with me over the last few blogs you might recognise that I'm still on my 'new year' theme of resonance.
Lets practice Relaxation today spread that vibration , through our on bodies and allow it to radiate out into our world . Let's do that mindfully and relax as we observe what ensues.

I love that You take the time to read what I'm writing , it inspires me when I see hits on my map, it confirms that people are resonating with my experience. It feels connected and wonderful to have  ' cyber friends' who are sharing this life with me and it makes me eternally grateful to Google for the space.

I know I have digressed again but relaxation will lead to many digressions  and I can't wait to see where it leads me.

Hoping You have a fabulous day today.



Wednesday 28 August 2013

Kindness




When I was in my early twenties I spent one summer ' nursing ' a beloved aunt who was struggling with cancer. We spoke long on many subjects but often skirted the main topic. I look back now and wish I had known more then , had been able to go deeper with her. There was great love between us and I was really glad that I had the summer holidays and could spend that time with her.
 Life has a funny way of  orchestrating things, that was the only summer   ( before I got married ) that I spent in Ireland ,  I was home that year because I couldn't afford to go away having written off  my car !
 I learnt a lot from our time together but what stayed with me most was her emphasis on kindness.
Having just broken up with a boyfriend we spoke of the trials and tribulations of relationship. A. Lil asked me if he had been kind . She said  " Ann  kindness is the most important aspect of a partner " and she repeated this over and over, or so it seems to me looking back .
 Now with my life experience I agree wholeheartedly ,  kindness is a balm, a treasure  and a blessing, it too makes our souls sing.

 John O'Donohue puts all this beautifully in his -

Kindness: The First Gift

There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are able to trust and open ourselves. Here in Conamara, the mountains are terse and dark; left to themselves they would make for a brooding atmosphere. However, everywhere around and in between there are lakes. The surface of these lakes takes on the variations of the surrounding light to create subtle diffusions of color. Thus their presence qualifies the whole landscape with a sense of warmth and imagination. If we did not feel that some ultimate kindness holds sway, we would feel like outsiders confronted on every side by a world toward which we could make no real bridges.

"The word kindness has a gentle sound that seems to echo the presence of compassionate goodness. When someone is kind to you, you feel understood and seen. There is no judgment or harsh perception directed toward you. Kindness has gracious eyes; it is not small-minded or competitive; it wants nothing back for itself. Kindness strikes a resonance with the depths of your own heart; it also suggests that your vulnerability, though somehow exposed, is not taken advantage of; rather, it has become an occasion for dignity and empathy. Kindness casts a different light, an evening light that has the depth of color and patience to illuminate what is complex and rich in difference.

"Despite all the darkness, human hope is based on the instinct that at the deepest level of reality some intimate kindness holds sway. This is the heart of blessing. To believe in blessing is to believe that our being here, our very presence in the world, is itself the first gift, the primal blessing. As Rilke says: Hier zu sein ist so viel — to be here is immense. Nowhere does the silence of the infinite lean so intensely as around the form of a newly born infant. Once we arrive, we enter into the inheritance of everything that has preceded us; we become heirs to the world. To be born is to be chosen. To be created and come to birth is to be blessed. Some primal kindness chose us and brought us through the forest of dreaming until we could emerge into the clearance of individuality, with a path of life opening before us through the world.

"The beginning often holds the clue to everything that follows. Given the nature of our beginning, it is no wonder that our hearts are imbued with longing for beauty, meaning, order, creativity, compassion, and love. We approach the world with this roster of longings and expect that in some way the world will respond and confirm our desire. Our longing knows it cannot force the fulfillment of its desire; yet it does instinctively expect that primal benevolence to respond to it. This is the threshold where blessing comes alive.


Tuesday 27 August 2013

Resonance



Now that my ' new year ' has begun important to keep optimism,  and momentum up and in my experience the way to do this is through resonance.






Let me explain what I mean .
Firstly resonance is the response of a body to vibrations of it's own natural frequency .

One familiar example is a playground swing, which acts as a pendulum. Pushing a person in a swing in time with the natural interval of the swing (its resonant frequency) will make the swing go higher and higher (maximum amplitude), while attempts to push the swing at a faster or slower tempo will result in smaller arcs. This is because the energy the swing absorbs is maximized when the pushes are "in phase" with the swing's natural oscillations, while some of the swing's energy is actually extracted by the opposing force of the pushes when they are not.

So what has all this got to do with keeping up my momentum etc ?
In my experience of changing my habits to more effective and positive ones,  finding people and practices' that resonate with me has been and still is  the greatest support.

I look back to a time when life felt like a struggle , when most of my time was spent looking forward to the next ' break'.
 I am so grateful now for finding practices' that resonated with me and allowed me to find joy, peace , fun , and love right here and now.  Practices that showed me how to look inside and find my own answers.

We live in an amazing age which allow us to connect with others who are interested in similar topics , people we resonate with , books we resonate with , uplifting movies we resonate with .

 It is all out there to help us find what makes our soul sing.

So lets notice what resonates with our ' higher selves' and spend some time there .

I found this cool youtube video on resonance for those of you
 who resonate with my love for science.  Resonance

Monday 26 August 2013

Inspiration for the " New Year "

In Ireland the new school year has just begun today and I'm taking the opportunity to ' begin ' again.
To be inspired again. To reach for new heights in my work, my play , my learning. Reading Rose's story is a great way to be inspired I just loved it and am hoping it will uplift and inspire you too.


87 Year Old Woman Named Rose


,
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose.

I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.

She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.

I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this

whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with

regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

    --by Monsieur  
   
               Enjoy the Rose with Beth  Midler  here - THE ROSE


Figure 8's in the feet bow and arrow stance












These figure 8's are really a great groundwork for t'ai chi postures and movement. Thew develop awareness in the body , they help in teaching the body to keep the knees over the weighted foot.
 Keeping the knee directly over the weighted foot is a really important factor in  preventing injury and the pushing out of the knees also helps to open the hip joints and thus develop flexibility.


 Much and all as I love holidays and exploring new places , it is great to be back to my work. John is back to school tomorrow and it feels like a new year beginning.  Ever since I was a  schoolteacher September always felt like a new beginning , now with the school term starting it feels that way again. Lots of possibilities, new classes beginning , new clients for Reconnection and so much more to learn and experience.



Saturday 24 August 2013

The journey home








                       Farewell to Ballyvaughan it's time to head home









                      A last look back to Galway Bay









         Looking west across the valley towards Corkscrew Hill
            we climbed yesterday on our way to Doolin








     As we climb higher there are places where the bare Burren
     limestone is a all one can --  a stone desert









       A cow is ' dangling  'on the cliff  edge








       The grykes (crevices)  in the limestone provide moist
     shelter, thus supporting a wide range of plants
       including beautiful dwarf shrubs.







       
         The Poulnabrone dolmen  is a portal tomb and must be
         the most wondrous sight of our trip,  it dates back to the Neolithic
         period,  probably between 4200 BC and 2900 BC.









The dolmen consists of a twelve-foot, thin, slab-like, tabular capstone supported by two slender portal stones, which support the capstone 1.8 m (6 ft) from the ground, creating a chamber in a 9 m (30 ft) low cairn. The cairn helped stabilize the tomb chamber, and would have been no higher during the Neolithic. The entrance faces north and is crossed by a low sill stone.









A crack was discovered in the eastern portal stone in 1985. Following the resulting collapse, the dolmen was dismantled, and the cracked stone was replaced. Excavations during that time found that between 16 and 22 adults and six children were buried under the monument. Personal items buried with the dead included a polished stone axe, a bone pendant, quartz crystals, weapons and pottery. In the Bronze Age, around 1700 BC, a newborn baby was buried in the portico, just outside the entrance. With its dominating presence on the limestone landscape of the Burren, the tomb was likely a centre for ceremony and ritual until well into the Celtic period, or it may have served as a territorial marker in the Neolithic landscape.








       

              This  ' Holy ' space had a air of reverence around it.
              All spoke in whispers, it was as if the Dolmen
              commanded respect . It's imposing beauty is impossible
              to capture.  In some deep way it reached out to connect
              us to our ancestors , to remind us that we too are travellers
              here for a brief  time.  I felt privileged to be in '  It's  ' presence,
              privileged to be alive in this great  time of knowledge and
              connection.  A time when so many connections and
              reconnections are possible.
             





             

Thursday 22 August 2013

From Doolin back by Black Head






The sea was really rough on the way back 
 I was glad to be on terraferma







                             and watch our ferry from a safe distance







                            It turned round quickly and was on it's way
                                              back to Inisear







                   We drove back towards Ballyvaughan John
                     enjoying a big bar of chocolate while I tried to
                     ' forget ' about my sick stomach.








                          The beautiful Burren limestone landscape helped







But the road back seemed long








                             The limestone seemed endless






                        I was really glad to see the Ballyvaughan
                         seashore and know our hotel was nearby.





                                 

Wednesday 21 August 2013

From Ballyvaughan to Inisheer






                Ballyvaughan has lots of picturesque houses





                                         

Soft scenery on the road to Doolin  







Stooped to view this lovely garden






Up Corkscrew Hill








Leaving Doolan








On the Ferry







Rocking in the rough seas







The sea is calmer around the Island and it feels 
good to be on solid ground








Walking and viewing stone and stone
 walls in every direction







Mist blowing in







And clearing 








As we make our way past the 10'th century sunken Church







Back to catch the last Ferry

It has been a long and happy day and now I'm 
full of sleep so I'll curl up and write the journey 
back tomorrow.



Tuesday 20 August 2013

First stop  Coole Park

 During the Gaelic Literary Revival in the late 19th and early 20th century Coole became a haven in which famous literary figures sought refuge from time to time, drawn by the hospitality and enthusiasm of Lady Gregory, whom George Bernard Shaw once described as the 'greatest living Irishwoman'.






"These woods have been well loved, well tended by some who came before me, and my affection has been no less than theirs. The generations of trees have been my care, my comforters. Their companionship has often brought me peace."
             Lady Gregory, Coole, 1931






 
This ancient Lime Tree took my breath away, is it any wonder that Coole Park inspired Yeats,  Shaw, and  Synge to write and dream.



                 'Under my window ledge the waters race,
                 Otters below and moor-hens on the top,
                 Run for a mile undimmed in Heaven's face,
                 Then darkening through 'dark' Raftery's 'cellar' drop,
                 Run underground, rise in a rocky place
                 In Coole demesne, and there to finish up
                 Spread to a lake and drop into a hole.
                 What's water but the generated soul?'

                 W.B. Yeats 'Coole Park and Ballylee, 1931



         Sad to leave Coole Park we promised to visit soon again
                       and spend more time exploring .





                On to Galway just a fleeting stop on my way to meet Elsa.
                Even though it has been over a year since my visit , it feels
                like we know each other well. We are both ' shocked' to
                find that we have been reading the same books . In hindsight
                this is a confirmation that we are on a connected journey. It
                was a beautiful ' coincidence' and very reassuring for us both.
                Reconnection is such a new form of healing and there are only
                a few of us practising in Ireland so it was great to meet and
                share  ideas, discoveries, and insights.
                Then enveloped  in Reconnective energy and I said  farewell
                 to Elsa and Galway ( yet again wishing for more time ).




                                Passing through Kinvara







                                Famous for it's Galway hookers.


                            We arrived in Ballyvaughan tired and happy
                                    with much to contemplate.


                                                           

                                   
                                   
                                       




Off to Galway






     We are heading west tomorrow off to Galway.
     What a year it has been since my visits to Galway where I had
      my Reconnection with Elsa. Such an interesting time it has been
      I can't wait to  see her tomorrow and share some of the interesting
     Reconnection  experiences I have had since we last met .
     I'm availing of  the opportunity  to have a session with Elsa and  really
      looking forward  .  .  .  .      .

     Then in the evening we will drive on to Ballyvaughan Harbour
      in the northwest corner of The Burren.

     My mind is racing ahead imagining a million possibilities, don't know
     how I'll sleep, it's already 1.18 am  so I guess I'd better try.
     Looking forward to sharing the adventure here.


   

Sunday 18 August 2013



 " On a very basic level, you are what you remember – your very identity depends on all of the events, people and places you can recall. Improving your memory will help you develop a quicker, more accurate retrieval of information that will increase your intelligence. "  From,   The Art of Doing  by Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield

 When we relive how we felt at moments in the past – elated, sad, depressed, or angry. When we lose emotional memory of our own youth, we find that we no longer understand young people. If this forgetting progresses, we begin to lose touch with ourselves. And if we allow our emotional memories to disappear, as happens with Alzheimer's patients, we will find a stranger staring back at us from the mirror.

Here is  an exercise they  recommend for reacquainting yourself with your emotional memory.

Find a picture of yourself in which you are half of your present age. Stare at the picture for a while. Then write a letter to your older self from the perspective of the younger you in the photo, expressing all of the younger self's hopes and concerns about the future. Follow this with a letter back from the present self to the younger you, telling that younger self about all the things they will do in their future and who they will grow into. Hopefully you will uncover feelings and memories of things you haven't experienced for years.

I found this to be a really interesting exercise, interesting to review my ' life ' from  back then and my current perspective.  Plenty food for thought.

Hoping you will enjoy it and find it as revealing as I did.










Saturday 17 August 2013

Namaste







In India, when we meet and greet and we say "Namaste", which means: I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.

                           -   Ram Das

I'm off to a wedding today. A neighbour's daughter is getting married .  Looking for some inspiration ( I'm a bit shy at these affairs ) Namaste from Ram Das seems to hit the right chord .




Thursday 15 August 2013

Figure 8 exercise in the feet







This is the first figure 8 exercise focusing  attention primarily on and in the feet.
It is the most basic and yet still the most important one for developing awareness in the feet .
This awareness can then spread up from the feet to awaken the whole lower body.
In the beginning it is best to focus mostly on the feeling in one's feet ,
 and develop a good sense of moving around the outside edge of the
 weighted  foot,  feeling all the way from the heal around to the big toe of that foot .
 Really bring your mind down into your feet and get to know how they feel
as you make these 8's shifting your weight from the heal to toe.
This is the beginning of a magical journey with 8's that will move in and
 around your body as you practice, healing your body and mind in ways
 that are mysterious and wonderful.
This mysterious healing is what engages and fascinates me.
  Healing wounds and opening my body and mind to expand
in order  to live and love more fully.





Tuesday 13 August 2013








              Love ... It surrounds every being and extends slowly
                     
                                to embrace all that shall be.

                                           - Kahlil Gibran




Monday 12 August 2013

"This is the way of peace: Overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love . " - Peace Pilgrim



                         


                                                   ....Peace Pilgrim


From 1953 to 1981 a silver haired woman calling herself only "Peace Pilgrim" walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She vowed to "remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food." In the course of her 28 year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America. Her message was both simple and profound. It continues to inspire people all over the world.
   


In many cultures, when someone strays beyond the bounds of civil, decent or lawful behavior, the community's approach is to bombard the offender time and time again with a retelling of every wrong committed and every negative consequence rendered. Not so in the case of the Babemba tribe, in which the "treatment" given the delinquent, is the polar opposite.


Here is a beautiful inspiring story from her journal to illustrate their method.



The Babemba tribe of southern Africa has a social structure with an elementary criminal code. Their close community living makes harshness unnecessary. A visitor was deeply impressed by the tribe's handling of antisocial, delinquent behaviors, which are exceedingly infrequent. When a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he/she is placed in the center of the village, alone, unfettered. All work ceases. All gather around the accused individual. Then each person of every age, begins to talk out loud to the accused. One at a time, each person tells all the good things the one in the center ever did in his/her lifetime. Every incident, every experience that can be recalled with any detail and accuracy, is recounted. All positive attributes, good deeds, strengths, and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length. No one is permitted to fabricate, exaggerate or be facetious about accomplishments or positive aspects of the accused person. The tribal ceremony often lasts several days, not ceasing until everyone is drained of every positive comment that can be mustered. At the end, the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration takes place, and the person is symbolically and literally welcomed back into the tribe. Necessity for such ceremonies is rare!"

         from   Peace Pilgrim



Sunday 11 August 2013

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. --Gautama Buddha











The Keys To Self Acceptance

Self-criticism is pretty common. After all, we are usually the world's number one experts on our own shortcomings. If finding fault with ourselves was a virtue, most of us would be saints.

Still, sending ourselves self-hating messages leads to misery more often than to motivation. It leads to lower self-esteem and self-confidence. Meanwhile, it turns out that if you treat yourself with respect or even gratitude, you're likely to increase your effectiveness in work and even in your personal life.

Research has indicated that people who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. They may even have an easier time losing weight.

Self-criticism is so common that many of us just take it for granted. Learning to recognize it is one of the keys to making a change. When you see a piece of deliciously decadent looking chocolate cake and are planning to abstain from it in the interests of your health, self-criticism is the voice that says, "Why am I always being so careful and depriving myself?! Don't I know how to have fun?" And then, if you decide to eat that same piece of cake, self-criticism is also the voice that says, "I don't have any will power. I'm treating my body like crap!"

Self-criticism is the voice that tells you to stay up late working, and then when you feel sleepy in the morning, it's the voice that berates you for not getting more sleep.

When you notice self-criticism, one thing to remember is that hating yourself for it won't do a darn bit of good to anyone.

I like to think that the messages I give myself are like tuning into a radio. At any given time, there are many stations playing. Some have nice, loving messages. Others have mean, critical ones. I get to decide what I want to listen to.

So the next time you notice yourself being mean to yours truly, you might want to consider appreciating the observation, and seeing what would happen if you changed the dial. Maybe from K-HATE to K-KIND?

Dr. Kristin Neff, an associate professor of human development at the University of Texas at Austin, found in her research that: "The biggest reason people aren't more self-compassionate is that they are afraid they'll become self-indulgent. They believe self-criticism is what keeps them in line. Most people have gotten it wrong because our culture says being hard on yourself is the way to be."

An effective way to change patterns of self-criticism is to make friends with whatever good intent might underlie the mean message, and then find a more healthy expression for it.

The same message can have completely different impact, depending on the frame with which it is expressed. Just notice the impact of these common self-hating messages, and then consider how differently they land when they are adjusted.

"I'm going to fail the exam" can become "How can I prepare for the exam?"

"Why do I always miss my deadlines?" can become "Getting this done in time is going to take a lot of focus, and I'm going to give it my best shot."

"Why the heck don't I know how to do this?!" can become "I wonder what I might learn here?"

"I'm lazy and don't have the energy to exercise" can become "I can start slowly by going for a short walk."

My wife and I have twins, and they have autism. Sometimes they do things I don't like, such as screaming uncontrollably for long periods of time. It's easy to feel angry at myself, as if their struggles are somehow my fault, for not being a better dad. I am learning that instead of asking myself, "What am I doing wrong," it's more helpful to ask myself, "What's the best I can do?"

I'm learning that there's a world of difference between self-blame and self-respect. Self-blame just gets in the way of constructive action. Self-respect, on the other hand, gives me more confidence from which to make a difference in my kids' lives.

No matter what challenges you face, there is always a best you can do. Getting mad at yourself for being someone you're not won't lift your spirits or motivate you to take positive action. It will, however, make your journey more miserable.

If you want to move from self-hate to self-respect, here are some simple practices to help you make the transition:

Notice when you're sending yourself mean messages, and see if you can turn your radio dial to a higher frequency.

Make a list of the top three things you criticize about yourself, and then decide on some positive, useful messages that would better help you accomplish your goals.

Take time every day to think of at least one thing that you like about yourself.

Self-respect, it turns out, is not narcissism. Instead, self-respect helps to build the confidence and capacity to create the life you want. And since you're the only person who's been with you from the day you were born, and is guaranteed to hang in there with you to the day you die, it might be helpful to practice the art of being a good friend to number one.

--by Ocean Robbins, ( From Daily Good  News that inspires)















Friday 9 August 2013

New cross energy variation with a step










It is really interesting to notice the change in the feeling when we practice this exercise as shown above.
There is a much stronger sense of connection between us when we practice this version, and it is really interesting to do both styles one after the other to become even more conscious of the contrasting sensations.






This is the original version with a step.







Here in the original version without the step it is easier to see the energies  ' meeting '   . " This version feels like  pushing magnets of similar poles together" , said Steven last night and that's exactly what it feels like to me too.

When we practice these variations we become more familiar with subtle changes in energy,  and because the exercises are repetitive and  fairly simple it gives one the opportunity to relax into the energy feeling and build up experience in listening to energy .   Working with different partners is also a great way to gain experience and understanding of different energy,  as we all have a unique energy field similar to the way we all have individual finger prints.



Thursday 8 August 2013

More about Henry and friends








                Henry is spreading his wings, yesterday he was
                 relaxing in the street when I arrived home.









                   Here he is rolling over for his photo so  happy with
                   himself, he getting fine and healthy no more sore eyes
                   or sick sneezes.


                   


               


                      His friend Garry comes by for coffee


                       


                                                                 


                            They watch while Suzie gets some love from Ruth








                                  Henry loves  a cuddle









              And the pair  join me while I work in the kitchen.