Category: Mindfulness

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Mind-Full or Mindful? the Art of Writing answers

You don’t know what you don’t know

Through my recent coaching certification process, I discovered a lot of things about myself.  I set out on a path of certifications, believing that I needed the piece of paper, the validation of being a “coach”.   My certifications are in Mindfulness, Meditation, Spiritual, Law of Attraction, Therapeutic Art, and Life.

Well, duh?!

I have been practicing these tools most of my adult life.  From my morning pages of writing; to my favorite drawing mediums of pointalism, doodling, and zentangles; combined with my habits of affirmations and creative visualization. Sprinkle in my curiosity of the metaphyscial things like tarot cards, oracle cards, crystals, yoga, mudras, and aromatherapy, and top it off with my inner pursuit for happiness, serenity and self-improvement.

My morning pages ( 3 pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, ideally done first thing in the morning) is the epitome of mindfulness, meditation, law of attraction, a sense of therapeutic art and yes, my life. Back when I started morning pages, over 30 years ago, mindfulness and meditation were NOT so mainstream.

That was back when my “mentors” were people like Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Shakti Gawain, Julia Cameron, Melodie Beattie, and a host of others.  My walls were lined with Self-Help and Metaphysical books.  I was a voracious reader trying to soak up and assimilate all the knowledge that I thought would “change” me and give me a better life.

My mind was always full of ideas, dreams, and the pursuit of being “good enough”.  It was  a hamster wheel where life just seemed to repeat it self and spin round and round and round.  I just wanted to be good enough for people to like me, and at times, just adore me. Perhaps, even good enough to be loved.

Sometimes I think I am just a slow learner, or maybe it is just something that comes with time and age.

Journaling and Morning Pages have been my mindfulness tool for over thirty years.  I have started most days with my journal and my zen pen often calling them my daily brain dumps. In retrospect this is the one tool that kept my fears, anxiety, and negativity at bay.

During the most difficult times in my life, the times when I got overwhelmed by life’s circumstances, I told myself, I didn’t have time for morning pages or self care, are the times I would focus on the external, all the things outside of myself, and thinking I could control things if I just worked harder.

All it did, was make life more unmanageable, and each time (in hindsight) I was left with the feeling of “I lost me.”  Those were the times I made myself small, put others happiness in front of my own, and told myself I was good enough or working hard enough or all the other “not enough” negative things.  You know, not young enough, pretty enough, thin enough, kind enough, not enough in my bank account, and the list goes on and on.

Whether it is journaling, morning pages, or the creative art of writing, it all comes from the zen pen.  It is one of the best tools for mindfulness.  Beyond meditation, beyond mindfulness exercises, beyond mindful minute distractions.

The zen pen, the flow of pen to paper, will give you the answers you have within yourself, and you will discover you ARE ENOUGH just as you are.  The zen pen is the quickest way to be in the moment and release all the hamster wheel thoughts.  It is proven that if we don’t get the thoughts on paper, they will just run around your brain, looking for a way to escape.

Do you journal?

Do you write morning pages?

What stops you?

If you have a few more moments, travel over to my YouTube channel and check out a few of the mindful minutes or the short meditations to help quiet your thoughts and then ask yourself, how can I be more mindful and less mind full.  Let me know!

Namaste   – Love and Light!

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Mindfulness, Recovery, & the Ruby Red Slippers

You’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself!

This quote is my life mantra.  Isn’t it true for most people?  Until we learn to believe in ourselves, life just seems to be one struggle after another.  The feeling of being powerless to what happens to us, when in truth, we do have the power to create the life we want.

It was 7 years ago; I published my first book.  A book that haunted my spirit for years.   It was how I integrated the 12 steps of recovery with characters and scenes from the Wizard of Oz.  I thought the day I published my book; I had arrived.  The universe had a different plan for me.  I wasn’t as solid in my recovery as I thought.  I missed the most important lesson.

Recovery isn’t something you achieve; it is an ever-growing foundation that helps to create a lifestyle worth living.  You see, many people that seek recovery have come to the point of admitting life has become unmanageable. Whether they are forced by circumstances outside of themselves or have an awakening of some kind, life feels out of control.

One issue, I found for myself, and yes, it is only my opinion, I got stuck in the belief that recovery was something outside of myself.  It wasn’t until I realized that while a lot of the behaviors and actions changed, my inner relationship with myself hadn’t.  I still didn’t trust myself.  I still would slip, and my addictive thoughts and feelings still could run rampant, at a moment’s notice. On the outside, I seemed to have it all together, but on the inside, I was still living in fear of losing.

And when I did lose, the most important thing, life seemed to crash down around me.  I lost ME, again. I had come to rely on circumstances and people outside of myself for happiness, validation, and the misconceptions that life feeds us.

This is when I went back to square one, became friends with myself, treated myself with the compassion and love I was known to give others.  I immersed myself in the practice of mindfulness.

The last few years have been a lot of self-examination, reflection, truly getting to know me, forgive myself, and yes others too. More importantly the realization that my early years of recovery were seeds of mindfulness that I didn’t tend to.  I can see clearly, so many things I did, even as a child was the beginning practices of mindfulness. But that will come in another blog post.

And I will end with this quote by Anais Nin

Namaste

Love & Light

Jules

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Brain Tattoos

Memories of my first tattoo bring about the inner struggle I went through for months. That was 30 years ago but today, considering all that is occurring in the world around us, I am feeling that same inner struggle.  The struggle with stigma.

The stigma that surrounded people with tattoos, especially woman, was at the forefront of trying to balance an inner voice of making a statement for myself and the “what would the neighbors think” mentality I grew up with.

My 1st tattoo was my own personal design.  A dolphin jumping out of the water. The water wave made from a music staff with music notes floating above the dolphin.  It represented the person I longed to be.  Beautiful, Bold, Intelligent and Playful.  The person I kept hidden to stay small and not put myself out their too much.  I am not a musician, but the music staff and notes were the song that played deep in my soul to remind me who I am deep inside.  How I longed to dance within my life but kept that hidden to the confines of my living room.  The dolphin represented the freedom I sought from being oppressed, especially as an overweight woman. The weight I carry is the armor I used to stay small.  I desperately wanted to move beyond my fear, jump out from the things that held me down, and to be happy and playful and enjoy my life.

The attempt to balance the stigma of what others would think of me and who my inner, true self longed to be, I placed the tattoo on my ankle to keep it small, protected and hidden from most to see.

Today, tattoos don’t hold the stigma they use to, yet it still lingers. I find myself back at the place of the same struggle with a different kind of tattoo.

Brain Tattoos represent our mental health.  Our thoughts and feeling are the energy that drives the design of these tattoos.  The energetic force of thoughts goes out like an electrical current and draw the feeling back in like a magnet.  The thoughts start in our brain, but the feelings have a strong physiological place within our bodies. Our bodies hold on to the memories, deep within our subconscious, and the experiences of the past can take hold with a moments trigger.

Imagine with me for just a moment.  You enter a tattoo parlor within your brain that is the limbic system. The place where pain and trauma live.  The top dog tattoo artist is the amygdala gland.  He is well known controlling artist for your stress and fears.  He is good at what he does.  He sends out the flood of adrenaline to ward off the enemy and shuts down the reasoning and problem-solving part of your brain. He puts you smack dab in the middle of fight, flight, or freeze.  There you sit in autopilot, as if the danger is occurring right now.

With each thought that reminds you of the dangers, real or imagined, you unconsciously allow him to continue his tattoo work on your thought patterns.  This amygdala tattoo artist continues to engrave with permanent ink the path to our choices. It is the pulse of that tattoo needle that inks the past feelings not the experience into our bodies. These tattoos become our constant loop of feelings that grow with every thought.  They then become stress to anxiety to panic to depression to until they finish up as personality traits and our mental health. Personally, I have decided to hire a new tattoo artist.

 

As with any tattoo, over time, it fades.  However, the amygdala artist is so good, it adds more ink to that tattoo with each trigger pull.  My new tattoo artist, Mindfulness, is becoming better than the last with each daily practice.  A daily practice for just 5 minutes, three times a day, is changing those faded tattoos into beautiful, bold, and playful new thoughts.

It allows me to change the path of the tattoo needle.  I can choose each and everyday to get closer to my inner self and allow her to come out of hiding.  It breaks the stigma of mental health and puts me in the strength position rather than the survival mode.

The three core skills of mindfulness are:  Awareness; Observing the Present Moment; and Acceptance with non-judgement.

Depression is living in the past, Anxiety is living in the future, but Peace lives in the present moment.  95% of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors come from our subconscious mind.  When we practice the 3 core skills of mindfulness, we learn to change the old tattoos.

When we can apply awareness, being conscious about the experience in the present moment, and accepting with non-judgment we can begin to change the design of our tattoos and also see the beauty of others and their brain tattoos.

A stigma is just a socially constructed relationship between stereotypes that are viewed as socially undesirable characteristics.  Once we can see the brain tattoo for what it is, a past memory, then maybe just maybe we can begin to break the stigma and become a healthier society.

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Mindfulness & Mental Health – World Mental Health Day

Today is World Mental Health Day!

A day for global health education, awareness, and advocacy against

the social stigma of mental health issues.

There is a need for a call to action, today, especially due to the mental health stresses of COVID-19 and how it affects our mental health.  The added addition of forced lifestyle changes from social distancing, wearing masks, and changes in work and school habits, has created an added burden on our mental health.

Statistics are staggering. Close to ONE BILLION people have a mental disorder and anyone, anywhere can be affected.  Depression, anxiety, and substance use are some of the most common mental health conditions.

The theme for World Mental Health Day 2020 is Greater Investment – Greater Access.

The importance of mental health and well-being has been brought to the forefront this year with the worldwide consequences of COVID-19.  The stress and fear cause a heavy burden on our mental health.

One of the greatest investments we can make is to our own mental health practices.  That is where mindfulness comes in to play.   A daily practice of simple mindfulness techniques can bring forth change faster than any other action you can take.

Mindfulness is simply being aware of your thoughts – without judgment.  That right there is a beginning step to help break the stigma of mental health issues.  It is the judgment that creates the barriers, especially within yourself.

The more we practice, the more we invest in ourselves.  It is one of the best self-care tools we can maintain on a daily basis.  Mindfulness is an awareness; moment-by-moment, through a gentle and kind lens of focus.  We pay attention to our thoughts instead of following the runaway train that drags us down the tracks of stress. We can put a halt to the anxiety and stress of the things that are out of our control.

Mindfulness is easy access to mental health care and the greatest investment we can give.

Today is a day for the call of action to do your part.  It is as simple as sitting still with yourself for just a few minutes.  Take a deep breath.  Notice your thoughts.  Notice what you say to yourself.  NOW how can you change that to non-judgment?  Be kind, be compassionate, and be aware of this moment.

It all starts with YOU!

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Losing Track of Time

It’s been since the virus pandemic started since I have Lea on my blog.  Certainly stress and a world wide pandemic can make your routines and priorities change on a dime.

It was one week before my “Leap into Mindfulness” workshop that I posted the brief teasing post for “As Above, So Below” and left it hanging with My thoughts coming soon.

I, as many of you, have spent the last 6 months living moment to moment.  The stress and anxiety has affected us all as we move into an entirely new way of self-care with masks, social distancing and facing the unknown everyday.

Now, more than ever, mindfulness is needed to ward of the effects, not only of a deadly virus, but also the virus of fear and negativity that is running amok in the hearts and minds of society.

This time of reflection, reprioritizing life, and honing in on my purpose in life has been one of the best gifts that could have occurred within the constraints as life as we know it now.

My intentions and my next steps become clearer each and everyday.  I have completed my goal of certifications in several areas of  life coaching that are near and dear to my heart. I am ready to put action behind my thoughts and step up to my potential.

What has the pandemic  made you realize about your life?

 

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Daily Mindful Practice

One of my daily mindful practices is journal writing.  It is a practice I developed 25 plus years ago.

It is about the flow of the pen to paper and let the thoughts flow unedited.  I have written much lately on the blog as I have been preparing for my upcoming workshop – Leap into Mindfulness – on yes, Leap Day.

I have been diligently working on flyers and a workbook for the workshop and then perhaps up on my site or on Amazon.

I have done a lot of reflecting these past few weeks and I am making goals to step out of my comfort zones. I honestly have to give credit to my mindfulness practice.   There are several ideas in the works that I will share soon.!

But until them…. just 2 to 3 minutes a day of mindful practice – over time – can completely change your life

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Is Mindfulness Really Law of Attraction?

Is Mindfulness really just a form of the Law Of Attraction?

This is a question I have been pondering quite a bit lately.  First thoughts, of course, are that is probably just my perspective; especially since my coaching certifications are in Law of Attraction (allowing success) and mindfulness.

But, as I continue my path of discovering and accepting who I am within, I believe that a mindful practice is tapping into the “Vortex” as it is referred to by Abraham-Hicks, the ones who wrote the book of the Law of Attraction. The first step to understanding the law of attraction isn’t just about “The Secret”. It is learning or at least acknowledging all 12 of the Universal Laws. I consider these laws the true 12 steps to recovery.  The recovery of who you truly are, the recovery of your spirit.  Within these 12 steps, the law of attraction is actually  Law number 7.

These 12 Laws have become my roadmap. It makes sense to me in a way like no other. I will be delving into these more in the coming weeks,  as I prepare for my upcoming workshop and publication of a few more books.

 

 

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Mindful Tip of the Week

As Above, So Below

My Mantra for living life:    As Above, So Below.

For me that means:  The Moon, the Stars, the Sun, the clouds in the sky are here to remind us that life on earth is linked to those constants that we may not always see but we know they are there.  We are part of a larger universe than just our day to day existence.

To learn a bigger understand, the ground work for mindfulness, read the 12 Universal Laws

In the coming weeks, there will be more , on this subject.

Until then….  read them and see how they make you feel……

 

 

 

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Practice What You Preach

Have you ever gone in search of “Your Purpose”?

 

I think we all, at some point in our lives, question our purpose, what we are here to do.  I know for a long time, my purpose was to teach.  But not necessarily in the traditional standards of school teacher.

I have been a group facilitator, a vocational instructor, lead workshop and an on the job trainer.  However, all of these things have never been a full-time job for me.  Always something I did – in addition to my full time job.  It has suited me well.   It gives me a balance of security from a regular, steady paycheck and my inner desire to help others.

One thing, that has always been the basis of what I teach, is to “practice what I preach”.  Hence, the start of my current path.  I have dabbled in yoga, meditation, and mindfulness for years.  More stops than starts, actually.  It is hard to admit, sometimes, but my body image often stopped me from teaching this. Of course, I would share my passions and beliefs with those close to me, but putting myself out there to share with those I don’t know, often over rode the passion.

After a year of conscious, deliberate actions to renew my spiritual path, embark on a journey to find happiness, or even just a little less stress, mizmindful was born.  I had to learn to step out of my own way, allow things to unfold with a lot of self-compassion and to practice what I preach.   Deliberate actions ;the context of GOALS that I talked about in my last post.

As I stated on that post, my intentions for January, is to use my own Mindful Movement Intention and Activity Tracker Book and to start a more consistent practice with Curvy Yoga.

The mindful movement tracker is also about setting intentions.   Inside the book is a weekly movement tracker asking for your Moto of the Week.  It is followed by daily pages that ask the questions:

Today I will be mindful of:

Here’s what would make today great:

I am:

Some amazing things that happened today:

What could I have done to make today better:

I intend to share my progress here every week.

I will start the tracker on Monday.  My curvy yoga app is on my phone and this weekend it will be on my Fire Stick and my Roku.  I am in the progress of choosing my yoga practices and setting myself up for success.  Where the mindfulness will come into play is paying attention to my thoughts.

Taken from the back cover:

Movement isn’t just about exercise.  Exercise can sometimes be a dirty word fueling all types of negative self-talk and harsh attitudes. Exercise for some of us directly ties to weight loss.

The overall intention is to learn to be aware of how we feel when we take the weight issues out of exercise and to learn the blessings and benefits of movement.

How do you feel about exercise?   I would love it if you join me as when I practice what I preach I also learn from those that share too…… You don’t have to purchase the book to join in.  Write down the daily questions and make a plan for your daily movements. But I have provided the link if you want…..

See you next week!

 

 

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