We are creating all the time. Creating initiates or establishes a particular thing. We create all the areas of life, business, sports, relationships, art, music, dreams and every day tasks. The most successful people take ownership to create what they want. 

Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.  ~ Voltaire

Gratitude grows when we appreciate others.  It’s has a rebounding mechanism that gets triggered and reverberates within our hearts and the hearts of others with whom we share gratitude and appreciation.

People are mirrors to us and what we see in others we have within ourselves.  Whatever shows up is a definite example for our inward disposition.  Often it lies just beneath the surface one step outside our awareness.  It could be something we used to do that we still hold against ourselves and haven’t forgiven.  At times we don’t acknowledge we have the trait or skill.  It’s easier and safer to admire it in others than to use it in our own lives.  What are you noticing in others lately?  

At any given time we have the ability to shift our perspective and consciousness by intentionally noticing the outstanding qualities in others.  It’s a simple shift that creates huge dividends.

Try this experiment and notice what happens:  Think of a loved one, it can be anyone, it doesn’t matter.  The results are faster if you focus on someone you will be coming in contact with soon.  However, this approach also works on those long distance as well.  Only think wonderful thoughts as you hold space for this person.  What are the qualities you enjoy most in this person?  Really focus all your heart and soul on the gratitude and appreciation you feel for this person and the traits they elicit to you and the world.  See in your minds-eye these qualities growing and impacting not just you but everyone this person comes in contact with.  Think back on the “Faberge” commercial with the tag line “and they told two friends, and they told two friends and so on, and so on.”  This is an example of how the reverberation and impact we and others have upon the world occurs.

What we focus on grows and what you think, feel and visualize about your loved one expands and increases not just within you because you are the thinker and feeler but also for them as well.  

The last step of the experiment is to take notice of what happens the next time you see or talk with this person.  How are they or you different?

This exercise can also be modified and used with strangers.  Try this the next time you are in a public place.  Airports, bus stations, parks, grocery stores etc are great places to experiment with this exercise.  Close your eyes and visualize yourself knocking upon your heart.  Your heart opens and inside is a wealth of love, smiles and sunshine.  It feels good to see all this amazing, positive potential to share with others.  Open your eyes as well and target a certain individual within your sites and beam this love to this person as if they were your own family member such as a grandparent, parent, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, son or daughter.  Send them loving thoughts and hold them in highest regard.  Notice what happens in the short time that you interact with them even but a brief passing, glance or exchange.  What happens?

Please consider sharing your experience here on this blog below in the comments section for others to appreciate and be grateful.  Let the impact and reverberating appreciation begin!

Love, Love, Love!  Love is the answer!  Whether we are loving ourselves or others love always opens the door to wholeness, completeness and feeling fully nourished.  Finding ways to love and accept ourselves lends us the ability to experience optimum nourishment in body, mind and soul.  As we love and accept ourselves we are also able to love and accept others and vice  versa.

Follow your heart - being authentic provides the environment to be your true self inside and out.  Staying connected and congruent to your values, passion and purpose will allow you to make the decisions necessary to support your best self.

Listen to your body - talk to your body and it will talk to  you. Connect to the quiet place in your heart and body and ask your body a direct question and then wait and listen for the answer.

Exercise:  Walk/bike/jog at least 5 miles a day.  Movement is dynamic nourishment! http://www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html 

Sweat everyday - allows our bodies to raise our core temperature, detox through sweat glands, increases the immune, brings vital nutrients to skin and tissues.

Choose alive foods:  bring as much life to your body as possible.  Believe in the nourishing ability of your food.  Foods that have the most vivid color, smell and taste are full of life giving solar energy and provide the most light, energy and nutrients to our cells.

Bless your food - Provides the conduit to step into the state necessary to become one with food, connects your heart to gratitude, raises the vitality and nourishment of food,  prepares cells to utilize food appropriately and creates community and sacred space.

Breathe - Breathing starts the flow of digestion, stokes the fire of metabolism, increases oxygen to tissues, initiates inspiration and connection to source. Breathe at least 10 deep breaths after every meal.  If possible take a walk after eating.

Water - a source of life.  Drink plenty of water for your weight and activity level.  Take this short and easy quiz to find out how much water on average is best for you to drink:  http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm 

Meditate at least once a day - connect to source and true self to revitalize an regenerate body, mind and spirit.  Getting quiet and connecting to your true self is rejuvenating and empowering.  Sitting in silence is the space where possibilities are abundant.  The nourishment of silence is profound!

Seek wisdom - nourish your curiosity.  Learn something new everyday.  It only takes a shift in perspective to stoke the fire of creativity and curiosity.  These areas bring us joy and allow a humbling approach to life.  Watch what comes into your life to be your natural teacher today.  We can learn from any and all things.  What are you noticing?  How is what you are seeing in your life a metaphor for something deeper, more reflective?  What can you glean from this perspective?

Connect to others - share your true self with others in an empowering and inspiring way everyday.  Be open to be yourself and you will see how opportunities gravitate to you to connect to the world around you.  Do you ride the bus, work in an office space with others, grocery shop, coffee shop, walk the sidewalks and parks?  These and many more are perfect places to beam a twinkle of your eye, a smile, love and light to others.  There will be a response, guaranteed!

Visualize and actualize your dreams everyday - send love and light to the desires of your heart.  Take at least one step everyday toward your dreams.  Take the dream challenge and write 100 dreams you have and watch the magic unfold in your life.  Create a “dreamline” and pick the dreams that inspire you to start moving forward step by step.  You will see how living your dreams supports your authentic self to thrive.  Connect and hold the meditative and creative force for your desires and intentions and then release and let them go knowing you already have the essence of that which you desire.  Focus on how this essence is in your life currently and how you can enrich this component to increase and grow.

Bathe Yourself in Light - Every night as you fall asleep flood your body with light and see your true self in all it's glory.  What are you grateful for in regard to your body, mind and soul?  What you notice and focus grows. Give yourself a blessing because you are!

Like all good metaphors the mountain represents that which we dream to achieve. 

In effort to keep our brains plastic, ever changing to adapt and evolve we take inventory of the things we would like to do that are new. 

Last summer was a time of renewed commitment to hiking.  Of course trekking around Portland is synonymous with mountains, forests, rivers and coast trails.  Mt Hood is a worthy mountain and challenge to explore.

Everything in life can be used as a metaphor when we look deeper to see how it reflects the inward journey.  It becomes a tool to allow us to gaze, raise awareness and shift our perspective to abstrusely reveal truth and/or an aha moment.

“Hindsight is twenty twenty” and metaphors are a way to bring hindsight into full vision faster.

Even still, time is the ultimate teacher and often it takes placing the last few pieces of the puzzle in order to see the whole picture.

The mountain has been the metaphor working it’s magic on an ethereal and superconsciousness level, outside my  normal day to day awareness.  The summer has long gone and winter, the time of reflection has brought the invaluable connection to the foreground.  Overwhelming gratitude for making the commitment to do something new and hike each week.  Reflecting on past trails connects the correlation of persevering and climbing my own mountains of opportunity.

Climbing mountains whether they be real or metaphor require commitment, perseverance and consistency.

Commitment is dedication to a decision.  It takes clarity to grasp the full vision and be responsible to the resolution.  Without clarity of purpose faith will fail and perseverance will not prevail.

Perseverance is the courage and endurance to stay committed.  It is not only about accomplishing the difficult.  Perseverance requires the ability to think new thoughts, do new things, bump up against obstacles and break through barriers.  It’s easy to see that your dream is challenging enough when the chief barrier to overcome is your own character. 

Consistency requires one step at a time.  Nike says, “Just do it”, while consistency cheers “Keep doing it”.  In order to be consistent it’s important to be congruent with the mission and purpose.  Reminding ourselves of why we are doing what we are doing keeps us connected to our motivators.  This clarity leads us back to renewed commitment and the cycle begins again, over and over until the dream is accomplished and complete.

What mountains are you facing at this time in your life?  Where could you apply a renewed sense of commitment, perseverance and consistency in your life?  Are there obstacles that you could see as opportunities?  How could it change the picture to shift your perspective?

If you would like support answering any or all of these questions please contact me for coaching.  It would be an honor to traverse the mountains of your life with you and explore the unique opportunities you are facing.

Click here to learn more about life coaching and the Heart Path method.

Purpose is the reason something exists or why it was created.  It’s a persons’ sense of resolve or dedication in life.

Living in a competitive and capitalist society impacts our beliefs and values regarding a valuable purpose in life.  Even if we know our purpose we might not have the confidence to boldly share it or live it.  Our world and families shape our beliefs about making money and living our life on purpose.  No wonder it’s a charged question and can catch people off guard to ask “what is your purpose in life?”  Everyone is at a different place to reconcile the collective thoughts and/or beliefs and find their own wisdom, life’s work and to live life on purpose.  

Most people do not know their purpose let alone are able to live it.  Therefore, many people could be living life to a higher level of empowerment, joy and fulfillment.

For many people it becomes their life long quest to determine why they are here and the value they have to offer the world.  It’s a worthy quest.  At times we all need support to move forward.

Often times, there is a fear factor in the form of an excuse for people.  It can manifest as a person pretending they have not found their purpose and keep looking in order to put off living their life’s purpose.  Another fear factor is continuing to search for the “perfect purpose” that is special and unique enough to fill the void and insecurity of feeling inadequate.  It’s not the purpose statement that is special and unique it’s the interpretation and living our purpose that becomes special and unique.  It’s not stating our purpose that makes it powerful it’s living our purpose that makes a difference in our lives and the lives of others.

It doesn’t have to be such a hard and complicated process.  In fact, it doesn’t even have to be written in stone or etched as your epitaph.  A person’s purpose can even change, grow and evolve as the person adapts and transitions through life.

What a relief, we don’t have to be perfect and we can even have more than one purpose in life.  There are no hard fast rules.  However, one piece of truth you can count on is the closer you are to a purpose that inspires you to be your true self the more motivated, committed and passionate you will be in life.  As most feedback loops go the more motivated, committed and passionate you are about life the more you will be living your life on purpose.

What are your aspirations?  What is your aim or goal in life?  What do you want to dedicate yourself to accomplish?  What are the gifts you have to share with the world?  If you could design and intend your life to do anything in the world what would it be?  From now till the end of your life if you could only do one thing that would satisfy you, what would it be?  Again, these are big questions.  If you don’t know the answers to these questions you are not alone.

The easiest way to determine your purpose is to find out what you have been really excited about in your past?  What have you already accomplished that made an impact on your life?  What are you really proud that you have done?  What have others in your life really appreciated about you?  What do other people ask you to do for them?  What has made a difference in your life?  What is your message you have to share with the world?  What is something that comes easy to you and brings you joy?  What is something you have done that uniquely defines you and your gifts?

Five Ways to Find Your Purpose

1.)  Write down three to five stories of things you have done at some time in your life that answers the questions above. 

2.)  Summarize what it was about each one that really thrilled and delighted you.

3.)  Think for a moment:  what is the common theme that correlates throughout all of the stories?  

4.)  Write down this commonality.  Look at it and re-read it.  Find different ways of stating this.  Work with it, change and add different words until it appeals to you and rings true.  The statement will be your purpose statement when it elicits the same excitement, delight and joy that caused you to write the story in the first place.

5.)  Keep the statement with you over the next week.  Read it every day.  Notice what begins to happen as you allow it to empower and inspire you You have more ideas as the passion begins to grow.  What can you do today that will be one step toward living this purpose statement?  Try it on, does it resonate with your true self?

Another litmus test is to evaluate how it aligns with your values.  Click here for a values exercise  If your purpose statement resonates with your values, get started on doing something that allows your statement to become alive.

Usually there are easy steps you can do right away that will allow some movement toward living your purpose.  If there is nothing specific you can think to do that will begin the motion of bringing your purpose statement to life do the following exercises.

Five Ways to Move Forward “On Purpose”

1.)  Imagine what it looks like to successfully live your purpose.  Pretend and visualize in detail living your purpose. (hint: it will be positive and you will feel good)

2.)  Tell someone you trust what your purpose statement is.  Speaking and sharing your purpose gives it power.

3.)  Write yourself or family member a letter sharing your success in living your purpose.  You don’t necessarily have to send it.  

4.)  Re-read your statement and or the letter in #3 frequently to recharge your vision.

5.)  Call a coach!  Ask for help and support from someone who can help you move forward with your purpose.  

Coaching bridges the gap from dreaming to doing.  Heart Path’s desire is to ensure everyone has access to their own internal wisdom to be their true self.  We believe in the inherent ability of people to listen to their heart and live their life on purpose.  Please let us support you as you awaken your purpose in a new way.

Start today with one step and you will see your enthusiasm grow.  It will be the spark to ignite your passion for your purpose you have been looking for.

Once you align your life with your purpose you will look back and be surprised how easily you become your true self.  By doing what inspires you, you will inspire others.  Abundance and prosperity will come to you in surprising and magical ways.  Joy will be automatic and you will increase love for yourself and others.  You will be empowered and fulfilled.  You will live your dreams!

There are many books, articles and slogans written on the law of attraction.  The law of attraction is the tip of the iceberg.  Diving deeper we find the key principles of not just how to attract what we want but to allow ourselves to be congruent with who we are.

Anything that is composed of atoms has a certain electromagnetic field, including people.  This energetic field carries a certain vibration and specific frequency or wave that is released into the atmosphere which has an affect.  As the waves collide and intermingle with other electromagnetic fields or waves, the exchange creates “resonance".

For example, clock makers experience resonance even for inanimate objects.  Picture a clock store with many grandfather clocks along the walls.  The clock maker winds the clocks and sets the pendulum in motion.  Due the pendulums’ being put in motion at various moments there will be a random array of swinging patterns.  However, and this is what is amazing, after a certain period of time the clocks will all be swinging together in the same direction at the same time “tick-tocking” in resonance.

The same is also true for people.  Hospitals have reported babies hearts beating in resonance with one another after being in the same room for a period of time as well.

Not to mention the very well known phenomenon of one baby crying that soon after sets off a cascading effect of most, if not all babies crying.

Women who are around one another for a significant period of time will begin to menstruate at the same time each month.  This is also true for certain other primates.

Resonance may also be why many people can pick up on good or bad “vibes” from other people even if they are strangers.

When viewed through the lens of physics all examples point to resonance or the vibrational frequencies or waves energetically coalescing.

Sound waves are slower and different than electromagnetic waves; however, both are capable of resonance.  Sound waves must be transmitted through a medium. Consider how sound “resonates” within a violin, cello or bass instrument.  The strings vibrate and the sound travels through the cavity which allows the merging vibrations to resonate.  This is similar to how the cavities of our sinuses operate to produce sound.  Breath is pushed over the strings of vocal chords creating the vibrational frequency or wave that travels throughout the sinuses to amplify the sound.  As the waves bounce off of the bony structures and coalesce in the sinus spaces causing the vibrations to resonate.  Voice is a wind and stringed instrument!

Electromagnetic or EM waves are energy that can travel through a vacuum without a medium. Most well known EM waves are light, radiation, x-rays and microwaves and are recognized as transverse waves.  EM waves can also exist in plasma or confined spaces. These are called plasma waves and can be longitudinal, transverse, or a mixture of both.  Plasma is a quasi-neutral, electrically conductive fluid.

When dealing with EM energy, it’s an interesting trip to travel briefly back in time to see one of many reasons we are caught in the “dark ages” due to the separation of Newtonian Physics from Quantum Physics.  When humanity across the world is stuck using fossil fuels, starving and/or at war it’s a dark, dark world.  Especially when the technology has previously been discovered to resolve these issues.

James Clerk Maxwell gave us an original electromagnetic field equation which was the first and perhaps only explanation of the unified field that included gravity and most if not all vectors of quantum physics.  Upon Maxwell’s death in 1879, Oliver Heaviside updated the EM equation to remove a large part of the equation which among other areas included quaternion algebra.  Unfortunately, Einstein based his theory of relativity on the condensed version of Maxwell’s equation.  This leads us to the present unresolved issues that scientist are still trying to decipher with the physics puzzle of the unified field theory to include gravity using Einstein’s relativity.

A few things left out due to Heaviside’s editing were possibly scalar waves and the torsion field. 

Quantum physics allows us to see that scalar waves are a special type of resonance called standing waves.  A vector is anything that has magnitude and direction.  When two vectors collide the direction is nullified and all that is left is magnitude.  Thus giving it the standing wave attributes or scalar component.  Due to this zeroing effect it is often called the zero point field.  The zero point field does not mean there is no energy present.  Quite the contrary, the energy is unlimited!

Earth with it’s deep caverns and core structures hold the properties for scalar waves.  Space is another example where scalar waves occur and continue at infinitum.  Many phenomenon produce the ability for scalar waves.  Water has special properties to allow scalar waves to be produced especially in deep oceans and fast moving rivers.

Our world, bodies, cells and the spaces in between are composed of cavities and many times these cavities are vacuum like which allow scalar waves to resonate.  Add the special medium and ingredient of water in combination of these vacuum filled spaces and a greater propensity of scalar waves exists.

Unfortunately history has lost ground in the ability to tap into this unlimited energy source.  It’s crucial for science to follow the bread crumbs back to an electromagnetic equation that not only accounts for magnetism, electricity, gravity and light but also the quantum aspects that although less noticeable will yield enormous returns.

Torsion field is the quantum spin of empty space.  Initially the work started in the 1920’s and was called the Einstein-Cartan Theory.  Scientist are still studying torsion fields and have found that the spin waves indeed have physical effects.  These fields produced from spinning particles do not consist of mass, travel up to 10⁹ times the speed of light and are not affected by distance yet spread throughout space instantly and interact and exchange information with material objects.  Powerful subtle fields!

Even though there is widespread debate regarding the “science” of consciousness and how thoughts may form torsion fields.  Many scientist even though not readily accepted into mainstream are still progressing with experiments to prove not only telepathy, homeopathy, telekinesis, levitation, clairvoyance, ESP  but the effects of consciousness.  Their findings regarding torsion fields may also explain how people start to feel better when in nature.  Since living things produce EM energy which would include torsion fields that communicate with the physical world.

The more sensitive and better the antennae operates, the more EM energy or torsion field is noticed and received.  This may also explain why some people are able to sense EM fields, waves and energy more than others.  Perhaps it also explains how dogs pick up on emotions of people, know when their owners are coming home and sense earthquakes or other natural phenomenon before people and at times even machines. 

Science continues to hold onto the theory of relativity like some holy grail in order to maintain Einstein as the savior of science.  Until we let go of our old paradigms of how electricity, magnets, light and gravity work we will never move forward to fully explain scalar waves, gravity and the unified field and/or zero point field.  When we resolve these issues we will be closer to gaining free energy.  We will also be able to explain the relationship that EM waves and particularly scalar waves and torsion fields have on life, us, the earth, planets and universe.  Until then, consciousness is the connection to the quantum level.  

The mathematics to explain the phenomenon of electromagnetism to include the scalar component and torsion fields no longer exists.   Nor is there proper scientific equipment to measure such things on the quantum level.  However, the body is the perfect laboratory to perform personal experiments and notice what happens.

There is an outstanding potential for resonance in the energetic soup of crowded places.  With everyone emitting their own EM frequency, scalar waves, consciousness and torsion fields there is communication occurring on a quantum level that impacts everyone on a grand scale.  As people become aware of their own antennae and notice what they send and receive; people will understand and communicate on a quantum level.

Life coaching is a method of supporting people to raise their conscious awareness in order to focus on how they want to be, things to do in order to have what they want.  As we hone the skills of consciousness and observation we increase the ability to "be" our true-self.

The following are a few consciousness exercises for you to explore with your body, those close to you and perfect strangers in your world.

1st Exercise:

1.)  Sit on the ground with your legs straight in front of you.  

2.)  Stretch as far as you can and notice the distance of your hands.

3.)  While keeping your hands on your thighs, close your eyes and visualize yourself reaching far past the original distance you were able to reach in step #2.

4.)  Keep visualizing yourself reaching past the original place for at least 30 seconds.

5.)  Now repeat step #2 and notice any changes.

2nd Exercise:

1.)  Find a sore spot on your body that feels tight with one hand.

2.)  Locate a second spot that is either the same degree of tightness or is related to the first spot and causes the tight place to get even tighter with the other hand.

3.)  Notice each spot and the relationship between them.

4.)  Without letting go of the two spots, shift your focus to the space in the middle of both spots you have chosen.

5.)  Notice this space with your mind and see it as a pond of water.

6.)  Imagine picking up a pebble and dropping it in the space you are now focused upon.

7.)  Watch and feel the ripples of the waves move out from where you dropped the pebble.

7.)  Allow your body to notice what happens and how it feels.

8.)  Take your awareness back to the initial spots and what do you notice that is different in comparison to the initial finding?

3rd Exercise:

1.)  Choose a person: this person may be someone who is close to you, may be someone you aren’t getting along with, may be someone you would like an improved relationship.

2.)  Think of something positive regarding this person: it could be a favorite memory, it could be how much you appreciate them, it could be the positive improved relationship, it could be as simple as the person smiling.

3.)  Hold this memory and thought in your mind for a few moments.

4.)  Take a deep breath and when you exhale release your thought and blow it out into the universe.

5.)  Do this at least once a day for the next week.

6.)  Notice what happens after a week.

4th Exercise:

1.)  Go to a crowded area filled with “strangers”.

2.)  Without smiling at people send them positive thoughts.

3.)  Send thoughts of how much they are loved.

4.)  Notice the connection if they are male they could be your grandfather, father, uncle, brother or son; and if female they could be your grandmother, mother, aunt, sister or daughter.

5.)  Continue beaming them love until they are out of your sight.

6.)  Choose another person and repeat the process.

7.)  Notice what begins to happen.

Please consider sharing your responses on this blog so others can hear your experience.

Physics of Miracles by Richard Bartlett, DC, ND

The Field by Lynne McTaggart

http://www.noetic.org/ 

David Wilcock:

http://divinecosmos.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=334&Itemid=30

Steps to Making Changes:

Many people are defeated before they start due to a lack of understanding of the change process.  Coaching is a way to transition from wanting to doing one step at a time.  

All things in our life including money are made up of core beliefs, thoughts, perceptions and behaviors.  When we align our thoughts and beliefs with our values, realities shift and behaviors become easier to change.

Financial Health

What is Financial Health?

Financial Independence - Financially free from external control or influence.
Financial Responsibility - Ownership of present & future financial health.
Financial Literacy - Financial intelligence that supports good decisions.
Financial Integrity - Thoughts and actions are congruent with financial plans.
Financial Security - Financial confidence for a stable future.
Financial Peace of Mind - Thoughts are congruent with Financial Security.
Financial Prosperity - Successfully flourishing financially.

Is there any area above you would like to improve to increase your financial health?  Coaching can help you make changes in these areas and more to increase your financial wellbeing.

Five Steps To Financial Health:

1.  Being clear on your values and what you want to accomplish with your money.

Having clear values will help your money situation and all other aspects of your life!  Setting goals that fully support your values is essential to staying motivated in order to get results. Click here to go to a value exercise.

Financial Coaching will help you articulate what is important to establish realistic, concrete goals with target savings, timelines and ability to track how you are doing in reaching your goals.  If you aren’t sure about your financial goals or if you need help removing obstacles, coaching can help.

2.  Changing and managing your money by monitoring your thoughts and behaviors.

Ensuring your thinking and behaviors match your values is the fastest way to reach your goals of financial health.  Understanding how money and thoughts are energy is the truth that sets people financially free.

Coaching will help you establish a healthy money mindset to build a firm foundation to support your financial growth.

Questions to help build your financial foundation:

• Do you have a budget?
• Do you have an emergency fund between 6 - 9 months of expenses?
• Do you actively contribute to your retirement?
• Do you have health and dental care?
• Do you have a college fund for children?
• Is your savings enough to support your big ticket items?
• Do you have debt other than a mortgage?

3.  Taking responsibility to gain knowledge and processes to manage your financial resources routinely.

Breaking up the tasks of managing money smartly into monthly activities can help you stay on top of maintaining your financial resources.   After all the time and energy you spend to create your assets, taking the time to monitor them appropriately only makes sense.  

Coaching provides tools and support to help you track your expenses and manage your money until you reach your new desired financial wellness.

4.  Obtaining qualified professionals to help support your financial health, wellness and longevity.

Are your assets enough for a financial planner?  Are you getting close to retirement?  What type of support is right for you at this time?  

Everyone has the ability to do these steps on their own.  However, Financial Coaching helps you reach your goals faster, easier and efficiently with support!   If you start now, in three months you will have established your new patterns and be getting more of what you want from your money!

5.  Preparing for the transition into retirement.   Establishing a financial plan is only one part of preparing for retirement.  What do you want out of your new life?  What do you want to do with your time and energy?  How will you ensure you thrive in your golden years? 

Most people who are nearing retirement are aware of the need to have a financial plan that will support them through retirement.  It’s a big change and coaching benefits people most with support and preparation for this special transition.

Sign Up Today For A Complimentary Financial Coaching Session!

Abundance and blessings flow!  This summer has been filled with many walks, hikes, family trips, gardening, Heart Path Coaching, Transition Your Nutrition Classes and Community.  Please click here for some great pics on Facebook! 

The trees and cool nights are tangible signs that Fall is riding on the wind and Summer time is coming to an end. 

With tomatoes still green on the vine, trees changing color ~ "leaves" mixed emotions.  Fall is a splendid season.  I welcome rain.  However, I also want the tomatoes to have their day in the sun to ripen to their full potential.

Whenever I catch myself in worry it’s a good time to ask:  “What am I afraid of?”  I’m afraid the beautiful organic heirloom tomatoes won’t ripen in time.  We won’t be able to harvest ALL the tomatoes before Summer ends.

Of course whatever is occurring in our world gives us a chance to look deeper based upon what is represented by our outward situation.  As above so below, as within so without and so on.

What are you seeing in your world right now?  As the seasons begin to change what are you feeling?

For me, the questions are:  what fruit on my vine that has not yet seen enough sun to ripen?  How can I nourish these undeveloped fruit to allow them the time and light to become ripe?  How can I shift my perspective to a more abundant mentality?  What fruit is already ripe that I’m not appreciating in my life?

Worry is a symptom of a lack of trust.  At times, thinking and analyzing allows us to recognize things we could do to improve our situation for ourselves, family and community.  Once those ideas are tended to the bottom line always comes back to trust.

Is the glass half empty or half full?  How do you see your current situation?  Einstein asked the question: “Do you see the universe as friend or foe?” How we see things currently affects how we will see things in the future.  Our perspective shapes our experience.  Our past experience shapes our perspective.  Here in lies the riddle and cycle.  If it’s a never ending circle how can we make a change?

As Michael Jackson’s song says, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror.  I’m asking him to change his ways. No message could have been any clearer.  If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change!” 

It starts with change!  If we want to have new experiences and new perspectives we have to make a change in one of these areas.  How can you see things differently in order to have a new experience?  What can you do to have a new experience in order to see things differently?  I look forward to hearing from you please share a comment on how you see the seasons of change in your life.  Here is a yummy raw recipe for your enjoying!  Click here for Lou's Terrific Tomato Soup 

Everything in due time

Will flourish on the vine 

Focus on fruit that’s ripe!

Blessings flow

Mindfulness knows

Abundance abounds

Sound that resounds

Deep in my bones.

Seasons that loom 

Echos the tune

Weave winds that blow

Whistle frequencies of soul

Unite the inner light

Blankets and covers

My heart in truth

Trust without proof...Faith

Opens the gate

To Change.     by Lou Ann Bennett

The key to optimum digestion is to increase the transit time while obtaining maximum nutrient uptake. The longer the transition time of digestion the higher the chance of fermentation and toxic problems can occur.

By incorporating this list you will give your body a chance to make adjustments naturally and have ideal digestion throughout your system.  If you have a digestive disease please consult your doctor first. 

Proper Hydration:  It's important to stay hydrated first and foremost for health and easy elimination. Drinking warm liquids aids digestion.  Drinking room temperature or luke warm water first thing in the morning allows the body to become hydrated after sleeping and encourages elimination.  Staying hydrated also helps with jet lag when traveling.  Trust your body and drink before you are thirsty.  If you are thirsty you are dehydrated.  Most people do very well by drinking eight cups per day.  Here is a good resource for more information to determine your specific needs:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283  

Breathing:  Breathing is the catalyst for all movement in the body. When we focus on our breathing especially during and after eating it aides digestion.  Only 10 deeps breaths after each meal is enough to kick start your metabolism and improve your digestion.  With your mouth closed, inhale deeply through your nose to a count between 6 - 8 seconds, hold a few seconds.  Exhale slowly by doubling your count 12 - 16 seconds and hold at the end for a few seconds.

Add More Leafy Greens:  The more greens you have in your diet, the better your digestion will be.  Greens have so many benefits!  Here are a few highlights that help digestion.  Naturally nutrient rich, greens are also alkalizing.  Adding more alkaline foods helps to reduce acid and free radicals which increase aging and disease.  Greens are anti-cancer especially colon cancer.  Greens are high in fiber and water which together aid digestion.  The best source of leafy greens is organic whole foods.  If you travel a lot or for convenience you may want to incorporate green powders and mix with juice and/or water. Here are a few suggestions: Greens Plus and Green Vibrance.

Have An Apple a Day:  Apples promote good digestion, prevent intestinal fermentation, and reduce colon inflammation. Apples contain high levels of water and pectin, a soluble fiber which is highly beneficial to the colon.  Apples are beneficial for both diarrhea and constipation.  Be sure to eat only organic apples so you can eat the valuable peel where most of the pectin resides.  If you buy non-organic apples be sure to peel them as they usually contain wax which allows even more pesticide residue to cling to the apple.  Red apples have more nutrients than any other color.  Try eating an apple by itself at least 20 minutes before a meal.  You will notice a big difference in your digestion the next day!

Eat Good Fat:  Fats lubricate our digestive tract and have many other benefits as well.  The best fats are those found in whole, raw foods such as: avocados, soaked nuts and seeds, sun-cured olives and young coconuts.

Several seeds worth mentioning for their digestive benefits are hemp, flax and chia seeds. Two oils, even though processed, are still very good fats are extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil.  All other oils are not as stable and have a higher tendency to become rancid.  Rancid oil is one of the most toxic foods most people generally ingest.  Processing fats especially with heat allows the fat to transform into a mirror chemical called trans-fats which our body uses in our cells.  These are not stable chemicals and cause our cells to lyse or die prematurely.  When you see “partially hydrogenated” on labels, companies intentionally force hydrogens into the fat to prolong shelf life and make more money.  This is outrageous and causes even more harm to our cells!  Partially hydrogenated fat means the substance is primarily made up of trans-fat. The reason companies try to increase the shelf life of fat is because generally the shelf life for fat/oil is so small.  Eating rancid oil or fat is a problem but suggesting the cure is partially hydrogenation is not a viable solution.

Coconut oil is stable at room temperature for up to two years!  For those who cook with oil, coconut can maintain it’s structure at higher levels of heat then even olive oil.  Coconuts generally get a bad rap from the medical profession.  Primarily because most companies who process coconuts do so at high heat which is bad for all fats/oils and allows fats to denature into trans-fats.

Coconut is a saturated fat but does not cause an elevation of cholesterol.  

In fact, coconuts actually allow our bodies to process other fat more efficiently.  Coconut oil is made up of medium chained fatty acids and is the only fat that can readily be digested and enter the Kreb cycle to be metabolized for energy.  All other fat has to be thoroughly broken down by the liver before it can be used as energy.  There are so many benefits of raw coconut.

When to Eat:  Trust your body.  Eat when you are really hungry and stop eating before you are full.  Over-eating is not good for digestion. The body can handle smaller more frequent meals easier than fewer and larger ones.  Eating late at night is harder on the body to digest and can interrupt sleep and the restorative processes.  During sleep, we usually aren’t eating so the body is able to go through important maintenance for the organs to be nourished and restored.  If we eat late at night we change the priority of the body to take care of digesting food instead of restoring and repairing our organs, tissues and cells.

Food Combining:  Fruit is made up of simple sugars that digest much faster than any other food.  Fats and proteins digest much slower because of their complex structure.  Eating fruit has a cleansing effect and speeds elimination which is a good choice in the morning.  Eating fruit either by itself or before a meal is a good start to resolve food combining problems.  If you have chronic heart burn or indigestion consider eating fruit separate from protein and fats.  You may even want to consider not eating meat and dairy even temporarily, you will find your digestion improves.  Go raw and your food combining issues will be solved. 

Exercise:  Exercise is another way to help keep your digestion moving.  Taking walks after meals stokes the bodies metabolism. Moving the body increases breathing, circulation and works muscles which also encourages peristalsis of the digestive track.  Peristalsis is the muscle movement that squeezes the “food” along the digestive tract. If you are unable to walk, run or work out, check out this video of stretches to help stimulate good digestion.

Massage:  Abdominal massage aids digestion by mimicking muscle movement.  The ascending colon, due to gravity is where most people’s digestion tends to slow down.  It's a good idea to massage your belly or abdomen at night before you go to bed and in the morning before you get up. Start at your belly button and rotate clockwise which is the natural flow our digestion follows.  Start to move your hand a little wider. Focus especially on the right side of your abdomen, your ascending colon which fights gravity to move things upward to the transverse which travels horizontally right below your diaphragm to your descending colon which is on the left side of your abdomen. If you feel a place that is tight or increases pressure just hold it until the peristalsis has a chance to engage. This will help stimulate movement through your tract.

Sleep:  Keeping a regular schedule allows your body to maintain it’s important rhythm which allows optimum digestion.  How many hours of sleep does your body require to thrive?  Know your body and pay attention to what works for you.  Include keeping a regular schedule on the weekends will do wonders for your health and digestion.