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Showing posts from May, 2013

Do You Believe in Fun?

  “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” -   Rumi Today was a beautiful spring day, full of light winds, people flying kites, playing baseball, and mowing their lawns.  I had an opportunity to sit outside in the sun, just being and thinking; feeling the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair.  I felt alive and carefree. I see many people in my practice who are so driven by their inner voices that control them unconsciously that they don’t allow for much fun.  Some people consider fun juvenile or a waste of time. Then there are the people who surround themselves with drama or think that partying and drinking is “adult fun.”  What is the difference between true fun and joy and forced fun? One of the things I do with my clients is look at their belief systems: where they come from, who in their family carries these beliefs, and if they truly match their authentic selves; separate from their family, community, church, etc.

The Healing Power of Laughter

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow                                 ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” -   Marianne Williamson                                                                                                 Have you ever teased a small kitten with a ball of string, laughing until your sides hurt?  Have you ever shared an inside joke with a friend and just thinking about it made you burst out in spontaneous laughter?  What about reading an entire volume of Calvin and Hobbs before going to bed? Believe it or not there is such a thing as laughter therapy.  There is a doctor named Patch Adams who once suffered from depression and through his suffering he discovered the power of service and “helping others in order to help himself.”   From this painful experience he learned how to help others through a combination of medicine and laughter.  Yes, Dr. Adams is a physician and his most potent medicine is helping others to heal thro

Joy is a State of Mind

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” -   Abraham Lincolm It’s May; the lusty month of May.  It’s a beautiful month; filled with warmer days, blooming flowers and trees, animals shedding their winter fur, people shedding their warm clothes and walking, running, bicycle riding, and front porch sitting in the sunshine.  It is a time to get out, move our bodies, feel the sun’s rays on our skin and eyes, and take our dogs for leisurely walks.  For some it is a time for weddings or for falling in love with something new.  May is the month of picnics, gardening, and playing with grandchildren in the yard.  Oh, such joy!!! When I ask clients about their lifestyle and how they try to stay healthy, they mention things like eating well, meditating, finding acceptance, granting forgiveness, practicing yoga, doing daily introspection, and exercising.  I often have to ask, “What about finding joy and having fun?”  An apple a day may (or may not)

The Serious Work of Fun and Joy

  “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day”                                                                           - Henri Nouwen We began 2013 exploring the Power of Choice which led us to Acceptance, then Forgiveness, and then Authenticity.  The month of May is dedicated to Joy and Fun. When I began writing about the twelve Body Presencing™ Keys, I had no idea the journey it would take me on, how much work it would take, and how fun that work would become.  Finding the fun and joy in our lives, especially in the midst of things that can initially be challenging, is critical to our happiness and vitality. When I first began writing these blogs I asked a creative writing colleague to help coach me in finding an authentic style that clearly expressed in words what I usually express through my hands with clients when I am working on them in my office. Initially I resisted the writing pr