Your Well Being Tip of the Day
Within every particle of the Universe is that which is wanted, and lack
of it. By looking for the positive aspects of whatever you are giving your
attention to, you maintain your connection to Well-being.
The Joy & Value of Play!
This email came to me shortly after I put out the last newsletter and I thought it encapsulated the joy and value of play so perfectly... thanks Mikki for sharing!
"I just did a fun performance with my kids and sister and good friend for a 16 year old friend that is leaving for Italy for the year to study. We put on an 'ABBA' performance, for her going away party and had a blast. Lots of practicing, laughing, dancing and was really blessed to be able to do this with my kids, sister and good friends. It made me realize that I need to play more, my life just seems much more balanced and happy. I think that I will try to join up for Pilates and a singing group."
Healthy Holiday Treat!
Healthy
Chocolate Turtle Bonbons
Like the famous chocolate candy, these chewy treats are sweet and decadent with a surprising,
pleasing crunch, and so easy to make. I tasted these at a recent healthy fair and fell in love ..
they’re so simple to make, so special to serve and so healthy to eat … Lee
Makes 12 turtle bonbons.
12 Whole medjool dates (or other large dates)
12 Whole pecans or walnuts
¾ cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Line a tray or flat plate with waxed or parchment paper or plastic wrap.
With your fingers, remove pit from each date, and replace it with a nut. Gently squeeze the date closed around the fruit.
Melt chocolate.
Roll each stuffed date in chocolate using a fork or tongs.
Place individual treats on the prepared tray so they don’t touch, and allow to cool and set on the counter or, if the room is warm, in the fridge.
When coating has hardened, serve on a glass or decorative plate or in individual small baking cups or candy holders.
From “Health By Chocolate” by Victoria Laine (Canadian Chocolate Chef!)
Learn to Love What is
Byron Katie, the guru of acceptance of “what is” has
developed a simple process to help us become aware of the realities of life.
Katie teaches that, if a situation is causing you stress, it may be your
perceptions that are behind it. She offers simple-to-use free tools at
www.thework.org. You can use these
tools to change your thinking and accept what is. When we embrace what is,
worry and stressful thoughts lose their grip.
Banishing Burn-out. Five Basic Tips!
A film crew from MSN.com traveled to Dr. Joan Borysenko’s mountaintop home
in Boulder, CO and produced a 5-minute video with her on five tips for
banishing burnout. Yes. We teach what we need to learn!
Check it out here or read about it
below:
- Recognition
Check in with your body and rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. 10 is juicy, alive, joyful and 1 is depressed, lethargic and irritable. If you’re “off the edge”, the first suggestion Dr. Borysenko makes is to “check your priorities”. Be sure to put yourself on the list.
- Friendship
We really are the medicine for each other. When we play and socialize together (people and pets included!), brain hormones changes and stress levels go down.
- Gratitude
Being thankful improves immune function, mood and motivation for success! Think of five things to be grateful for as you awaken each morning.
- Meditation or Centering Attention
This elicits the bodies’ relaxation response and improves our happiness set point. Walking, sitting, breathing, yoga, Qi Gong, Tai Chi. You could simply focus your attention each morning during your shower … enjoy the feel of warm water on your skin, etc.
- Eat Well and Exercise
Whole fruits, vegetables and grains really do help to balance our hormones and boost our mood and energy levels. We can go out to exercise feeling tired and irritable and we come back feeling rejuvenated. How great is that?
The Power of Pure Leisure!
I received so much positive feedback on this little article that I
thought
I'd share it again, for those who may have missed it the first time. Enjoy!
PS: It was also published in Self-Growth magazine and the ByRegion Healing Arts Newsletter.
After
25 years as a Leisurologist (teacher, student and lover of leisure), I still
stand in awe and absolute amazement at the power of pure leisure. What do I
mean by pure leisure? It’s the kind of thing we do simply because we like
it. Pure enjoyment, fun and/or pleasure are what drive us.
For so many of us, pure leisure feels like a distant memory – our lives are
so full of the day to day tasks of living and taking care of business. And
when we do take time out for leisure, there are often ulterior motives. For
example, we walk around our neighborhood or play tennis in order to stay fit
and/or lose weight; we go dancing so that we can meet other single people,
we do crossword puzzles in order to keep our minds sharp because we’ve read
somewhere that that helps.
Of course these are all wonderful activities and it’s possible to enjoy
ourselves immensely at the same time as reaping the other benefits; and yet
it’s also possible (and common) to neglect the enjoyment factor in pursuit
of the other pay-offs we’re seeking. And when that happens, even our “free
time activities” can begin to feel like work … another task to add to the
long list of daily to do’s.
Last week I really noticed the power of pure leisure in my life. I had been
struggling to make an important decision and felt confused, tired and
irritable – out of touch with myself! So I asked for divine guidance (aka
“help, please!”) and the immediate thought that popped into my head was “go
do something fun”. This inner voice didn’t say “go make a list of pros and
cons” or “go read another self-help book”, it said “go and do something
fun”. So I did.
I got out of my head and into my heart and my heart led me to walk from my
apartment in Kitsilano to one of my favorite little coffee shops in Yaletown,
buy a coffee and the daily edition of the New York Times (just on a whim),
and sit on a park bench, savouring this delicious coffee and the sights and
sounds of the Times and the people, dogs and boats surrounding me. How
lovely! How rejuvenating. Pure, pure leisure.
Needless to say, about 5 minutes into my return home this juicy, wonderful,
calm and beautiful clarity came to me, out of the blue it seemed. It came
easily and effortlessly… it had arisen above all the confusion sometime
during my pure pleasure. I literally felt myself returning from some far-off
place… and I felt such gratefulness.
So, am I saying that it’s not a good idea to make a list of pros and cons or
read self-help books when we’re in need of clarity? No. Anyone who knows me
well knows that I love a good list and a great self-help book. When my
intuition says to go there, I do. Am I saying that one dose of pure leisure
will give you the answer to any question you’re pondering? Maybe, maybe not.
What I am saying is that a dose of pure leisure feels really, really good …
and that it alone will often surprise you with brilliant gifts you might
never have imagined on your own. And it will do all that quite effortlessly.
And that’s a great thing, don’t you think?
I wish each of you an abundance of pure leisure, and so much more, this
summer, and always!
Love and blessings, Lee.
