Love is the best healing in the world!  Sit quietly for a moment and reflect on what love means to you.  Let yourself become aware of the last time you felt a deep and resounding love and appreciation — was it for your partner, your family, watching your child being born, new puppies, a sunset, a breathtaking waterfall — just let yourself feel what it feels to love without expecting anything but just basking in that moment, that glimpse of awe and appreciation.  This takes me to a memory of a hike my husband and I did in Newfoundland a couple of years ago after a hurricane came ashore.  We decided to go on the hike after the torrential two day rains because we didn’t want to miss the opportunity, seeing it was one of the main reasons we went to that specific area in the first place.  We hiked that trail that afternoon and there was absolutely NO ONE but us on it!  It was magical in every sense of the word.  We were alone with the eagles, the whales, the cliffs, the mud, and the ocean and I slip back into this memory when I want to feel that kind of freedom and love — for my partner, for nature, and for myself connected to it all.

To quote Mother Teresa, “to keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”  Children display this so well.  They love so easily.  They are able to live in the moment because they have not walled themselves apart from people and events.  They possibly have not experienced hurt, disappointment and rejection.  But as adults, how many of us love so freely?  Loving is really about no strings attached but yet we often find ourselves sitting in expectation of something in return or we fear getting hurt.  The best way to get love is to give it but easier said than done, you might say.  When you think about love in any given context – it is really the gel that holds everything together.  If you look at a couple – isn’t it the love that pulls you toward each other; in families – no matter what your place is – isn’t it love that holds you to the family?  In all relationships, love is the great tamer just as the trainer tames the lion.

Love is beyond affection and it can can conquer all obstacles.   The easiest way to start loving is to see something that you appreciate in every single person you meet.  Start a gratitude journal where you write who or what you love and appreciate.  Bringing love to your consciousness helps all relationships.  And don’t we all have a relationship or two that can benefit from love, hence healing.  I sure have a few and if you are being honest with yourself, you will find some too.

In closing, I wish you all a Love-Filled Day on February 14th and I also wish you LOVE everyday!

“Happy relationships depend not on finding the right person, but on being the right person.” –  Eric Butterworth

In summation,

DANCE as though no one is watching you

LOVE as though you have never been hurt before

SING as though no one can hear you

LIVE as though heaven is on earth.

Pets have always been extremely important to me.  I grew up on a farm and always had such a resonance with animals and they, in turn, trust me.  I have pictures taken of me as an infant in a cradle with new puppies.  And those pictures never stopped all my life.  In fact, when I was young I hoped I could be a vet or a vet assistant but quickly knew that would be impossible.  I get overly sad about animals who are sick, injured, lost or abandoned.

On Friday, September 3rd, 2010 we let our beautiful four-legged friend go.  Her name was Sharae and she was not quite 7 years old.  She was bouncy and fun and affectionate and smart and we loved her so much.  We would carry on conversations with her as if she could respond.

Two years ago she ruptured a disc in her neck and after many attempts at different “natural” healing, we agreed to surgery.  Well now just two years later, the same scenario played out only this time we couldn’t let her go through such an ordeal again.

Some people may think, “well she is just a dog” but she was so much more than that.  Now that our children have grown up we spent our time with her and she made us laugh every single day.  She was always excited to see us return home ~ unconditional love at its deepest.  We always had stories about her to share with our friends who are also pet lovers.

We see her everywhere and yet of course, we don’t.  Grief is grief.  There are various grades of grief and various ways it affects us.  We know we need to surrender to this and with each day, more clarity and peace will come.

Crying and reliving the special memories are part of the healing process.  Someone said to me “keep busy” but that won’t allow me to ‘feel’ this pain and in order to heal from it, I need to feel it, process it, and release it with gratitude.

So for any of you that are finding yourself in grief, for whatever reason, know that each day starts by putting one foot in front of the other, breathe and let yourself feel.

My belief is that we all have a journey on earth and that includes our family members that are pets.  When Sharae was barely seven months old, I went to someone who channels messages.  She said “do you have a new puppy?” and I responded “Yes”! and she said “she is an angel” and barely three weeks later my brother died and Sharae helped us through that tremendous grief.  And now I guess it is her time to move on ……..

Cellercising, as David Hall describes, is good for

• your entire circulatory system
• your muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons
• collagen, skin
• organs
• glands
• lymphatic system
• for building muscle mass and bone density
• cellulite
• lower and upper abs
• improves digestion and elimination
• for back, neck, knee, hip, and ankle health
• for strengthening the heart and muscles around the heart
• improves lung capacity
• drains the sinuses
• increases flexibility and balance
• and conditions every cell in the body, about 75 trillion of them
• + more benefits.

I bought a cheap one about 10-12 years ago from Wal-Mart but I couldn’t use it.  It hurt my back and knees so much so I got rid of it several years ago.  Thankfully, so!  David Hall warns about these types where the springs have very little give so when you bounce and come back down, you hit hard which jars your entire body.  In fact, he describes how his father has permanent nerve damage from the use of one like that.

As David Hall describes you increase the weight of gravity on every muscle over 100 times per minute, from a cellular point.  The range of Isometric, Isotonic, Calesthenics, Aerobic, and Flexibility it gives – it is ideal for almost anyone.  He has testimonials from people in their 80′s who are bouncing back to health.  In fact many medical doctors and eye specialists encourage their patients to cellercise.  Obviously, if you have any health concerns, first check with your medical practitioner.

If you are interested in a safe and fun way to exercise, go to my website, click on Links, and click on the second icon.  You will be taken directly to David Hall’s site and to the purchase of a fun and effective way to exercise.

David suggests starting off gradually, both in time and intensity, especially if you haven’t been working out in awhile.   Then increase the use to 10 minutes a day.  I do 10 minutes in the morning and evening, before eating.   I will keep you posted on my success!!

“I Am”

I am Cassidy Elaine Brown

I hear the first laugh of a baby

I see smiling Friends and family

I wish disease will be cured

I feel happy when I am surrounded by love ones

I get frustrated when some one dies

I am curios about how live works

I am afraid of wars and battles

I dream of a world full of peace

I wonder if this will happen

I plan to make my dreams come true

I hope cancer will be beat

I know this can happen

I understand why we have to pass

I have learned sorrow is not forever

I value my hopes and dreams

I love closest and farthest family

I will be myself forever.

May 2010

Keep shining your beautiful light, Cassidy!

We also have a Conscious mind.  This part makes up about 2-10% of our entire mind.  It is a very important part of our mind.  This is where we choose to make decisions and take action for ourselves.  Yet, some of these actions and decisions are based from the Sub-Conscious mind –the 90-98% of the unacknowledged part, deep within ourselves.  This Sub-Conscious is the part that runs us like a recording machine.

As an example, have you ever made a promise to yourself that you are going to quit smoking?  And yet every day you just can’t do it.  On a Conscious level, you truly want to stop for your health and your pocket book, but when you are faced with the concept of stopping, or are faced with some stress, you reach for the next cigarette.  You just don’t have the ability to stop.  This is the Sub-Conscious mind taking over.

Or, you experience headaches.  Your body is attempting to get your attention by way of these headaches.  Take notice when you get a headache — what is going on?  Sometimes you can see a pattern but most of the time, you may not.  Again, this is the Sub-Conscious mind letting you know that all is not well.   The good news is you can work with symptoms and learn what your body and life is attempting to tell you.

The Lifeline Technique is used with muscle testing to discover the root cause of symptoms.  The emotions that store in the body, mind, and/or spirit do so to keep us safe from feeling these emotions.  When you ‘feel’ the emotions and make the intention to heal, emotions release, providing you  with the opportunity to heal and be whole.

The Lifeline Technique tells a story.  What occurs for most people is a self-discovery tour of oneself.  There is freedom in choosing to handle life differently than you have been.  Give yourself the gift of a lifeline, and of a lifetime!

Life Coaching can help you do and be your personal best.  Life Coaching is a process that helps you face the changes you want to make in your life so that you can truly shine.  When I did my training to become a Life Coach, I learned so many things about myself:  my strengths and my challenges.   There isn’t anyone who can not benefit from being coached.  Athletes have coaches, big businesses have coaches, and individuals have coaches.  When we are given options and skills, we do a much better job making decisions and choices for ourselves.

I think all of us can relate a story or two of choosing from a place of fear instead of love, trust, and faith.  When we want or need to make a decision, it is important to drop down into our heart space and listen to our own inner wisdom.  What feels right?  Personally, what I have found to be true for myself is when I make my own decisions I feel empowered.  It comes down to personal responsibility and accountability to oneself.  Too often we rely on others to make our decisions.  What happens as a result of this, is the loss of personal power, self-esteem and the avoidance of personal responsibility.

Life Coaching is so helpful in getting to know yourself, learning what drives the decisions you make,  and acquiring new ways of handling life coming your way.

I like the fact that spring bursts forth with new life – the fawns are walking into my backyard, the robins are making nests near my front window, and the trees are full of buds and giving promise to another season.  So what do we do to prepare ourselves for spring, for a burst of energy that we witness in nature?

This is where spring cleaning,
so-to-speak, occurs.  Along with cleaning out the garage, we can detoxify ourselves. 

First, we can take on a colon and liver cleanse to release the debris that has collected and stored.  Many people are constipated and therefore toxins are not released from the body. 

The liver is also a hardworking organ and with the amount of toxic chemicals in our food, in the air, and in plastics and such, we want to detoxify our liver regularly.  We should eat a lot more raw food, drink plenty of pure water, get the body moving out of its sedated winter state, and breathe fresh air into our lungs.   Raw food has shown to have many health benefits.  You can go online or pick up a book and be able to understand how to prepare and eat raw foods.  You can juice, make smoothies, salads, soups, etc.  Your organs will be grateful for your kindness to them.  If the concept of raw food is new to you, then start slow and work more raw into your daily diet. 

As for cleansing the organs, you can purchase a detox kit from your health practitioner or local health food store.  The kits are designed to be straight forward and they provide you with instructions and suggestions.

Let’s model nature, in seasons.  It is time to wake up to spring, to growth, to renewal.  I hope yours is a healthy, nutritional and happy one!

Healing, according to the Oxford Dictionary, means to become sound or healthy again; to put right; alleviate.  Cure, according to the same source, means restore to health; relieve; a course of treatment.  So is one more permanent than the other?  According to these meanings, there doesn’t seem to be a glaring difference between them.  But there is.  Within us, lies an innate intelligence and the ability to completely heal and become whole.  No one does it for us.  Too often, we get caught up in the fear and anxiety and place the emphasis on someone or something that will be done for us or to us.  We step out of our role in our own healing.  When we quiet our mind and listen to our own inner wisdom, we may be surprised at what we hear and feel.  Sometimes people are cured of dis-ease but have not fully understood the journey they were a part of, and therefore do not necessarily heal.  On the other hand, sometimes people are healed but their journey may not include a cure.

When we are in balance physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, we are in a state of potential and opportunity – an opportunity to take stock of ourselves, to improve our lives and our health, and to feel gratitude for the discovery along the way.

My thoughts around this are as follows:  using a quality
multi-vitamin/mineral will help to fill the gap of poor food choices; poor farming, packing, and shipping methods; and overall maintenance of good health.  The use of EFA’s  (Essential Fatty Acids) is just that:  essential to our health and if they are not consumed, we are not getting them.  EFA’s have been shown to help in many areas of our health – in fact, everything from premenstrual symptoms – to skin ailments – to healthy heart functioning and lots more.

Let’s talk about Omega 3 and Omega 6.  Omega 3 includes fish (salmon, eel, sardines, mackerel, trout), flax, and chia seeds.  Omega 6 includes evening primrose, hemp, borage, and black current  and also included in this category is safflower, sunflower, corn, pumpkin seed, peanut, sesame, grape seed, walnut, and canola.

Today we consume too much of the Omega 6 type.  We are in desperate need of consuming more Omega 3′s.  If you are not consuming wild caught fatty fish and/or the regular use of flax and/or chia seeds, a supplement is often something to consider.

Keep in mind that you need a healthy digestive track in order to break down, absorb and assimilate the food and supplements you take in on a daily basis.  If you have any digestive concerns, seeking guidance from your health care practitioner will help to put you on the right track.  There is tremendous value to using good food and supplements when you have a healthy digestive system to efficiently make use of them.

There are other extremely valuable nutrients that are important for a healthy body and life, such as Vitamin D, Super foods, and Green-based foods.  But get started with the basics first!

Always remember, supplements actually supplement your good food choices.  Supplements do not replace healthy food and proper eating habits.  Remember to take your supplements with meals.