Spring-ing An Idea

One day you have an idea. Why did it come into your consciousness? What do you do with this idea, ignore it or explore it? At first you try to ignore it thinking it is just a temporary hiccup. You label it as just another thought floating into your consciousness something that is beyond your reach. As life is so fast paced you don’t take the time to explore it.

You do not immediately know what to do with it, acting as if it really did not belong to you, thinking it is just a pipe dream anyway, saying to yourself “I am just a typical person leading a pretty good typical life already so why do I need to waste my energy on something that is probably impossible anyway”.

BUT WHAT IF IT KEPT PURSUING YOU….

Then you begin to worry about what others might think of this idea if you spoke of it so you keep it to yourself. You try to hide it away, don’t talk about it, and try to bring negative thoughts into this idea to make it go away.

BUT SOMETHING JUST FEELS SO RIGHT AND ALIVE ABOUT THIS IDEA…

It makes you feel more alive, younger and happier when you think about it. It keeps coming into your consciousness out of the blue more and more and it begins to share with you what it could mean to you and others if you gave it some attention.

SO YOU DECIDE TO BECOME FRIENDS WITH IT…

You step out of your comfort zone and seek out certain people you could share this idea with, those you know who would be supportive and validate this idea for you and role models who you might want to meet. You then become protective of this idea because you know many people you do know would think this idea is a waste of time and nothing would ever come from it.

SO YOU STRUGGLE WITH WHO TO BELIEVE…

Many times you think you should just give up on this idea. But there is a piece of this idea that has now settled into your heart and when you give it just a little bit of attention it makes you feel happier and you develop a spring in your step. You then begin to think thoughts like “what do they really know, this is MY IDEA!

You begin to realize that no one can feel the same as you do about this idea and it is ok if it is different.  Many won’t be able to relate to your journey.

So you decide that is does not matter who believes in it or not, you do and that is what is most important. You begin to discover and learn ways to nurture this idea. You begin to give it more and more of your attention.

THEN YOUR IDEA BEGINS TO GROW AND GROW…

You fall in love with this idea. This idea makes you feel more alive and with each learning curve you begin to see clearer and clearer how this idea can benefit you and many others. This idea encourages you to think bigger and bigger.

You and this idea love to brainstorm together sharing other ideas, together discovering it is good to have the ability to see things differently from others.

NOW YOU COULD NOT IMAGINE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT YOUR IDEA…

One day your idea started to change and grow right before your eyes and take a shape of its own. It went from being the two of you to now a part of everything.  You are available to all beings who want to share in this idea. Many great teachers say we are on this earth to discover and share our passion and you began to think you have found yours. You wake up each morning filled with gratitude that you did not turn your back on this idea from its infancy.

WITH ONE IDEA YOU CHANGE MORE THAN YOUR CAN IMAGINE…

I followed my own IDEA 18 years ago and I am so very grateful every day that I did. I am perfectly fine with people having a unique way of defining who I am. That is the greatest compliment they can give me because that means I am following my own path, and that I am showing others through example that we are all on our own unique journey. I will live and share MY IDEA that flourished into my passion until my last breath as it is a part of me to my core…how wonderful is that!

Embrace your idea and run with it

Come walk with me,
Marianne
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Namaste Soulful Being,

It has been many months since my last blog for many reasons. 2017 was a year in my life’s journey for personal awareness, lots of “enough is enough”, hearing the weariness of my inner self-compassionate voice asking me to look at many inefficient patterns…please! It was a year of feeling tired of still storing in my body many unhealthy reactive patterns. So what I did was hold space to listen and sit with my mud.

The wonderful part through it all was were the resources I have been building over the years there was great excitement as I knew in my heart I was so ready. The old felt too uncomfortable and heavy, I no longer wanted to carry the burden within. I knew that there would be a sense of lightness and youthfulness that would arise from it all! Those same resources where telling me that now was the perfect time and that this was a must for me if I wanted my continuation to unfold in the way it was designed to in this lifetime. So I hold space daily with awareness and curiosity so I can understand what “letting go” and “begin anew” means to me. My true self continually holds me in the awareness that if I do not pause, listen and take healthy action my path would get heavier as this awareness of “time to change at a deeper level” continues to become stronger, is continually pushing me to shift into this new space. BUT I have to have the daily mantra that I want growth in the unknown more than staying in sameness.

As my story now tells, I listened and held space and I will continue to listen and hold space as I know we are not designed naturally to be stagnant beings. I do not want stagnation any longer! I want to continually grow and learn what is true to my heart. I will take more time to not let heaviness in self find a resting place within me, as I want lightness of self. I will continually strive to turn the past to wisdom and reactive unhealthy patterns from dis-ease to ease honour more the healing they will guide me through. 2017’s gift to me was to realize this must be my priority if I want lightness inside and outside….so thank you 2017 for all the mud you shared and brought to my awareness.

I am also so blessed that 2017 gifted me an abundance of quiet time to listen and feel so I could make this a priority and to begin restoring my true self. Through rebuilding and strengthening this natural connection of heart, brain and body into my daily living, more and more of my true self begins to emerge organically for longer periods. It is exciting when my observers eyes pop into a daily situation and says to me “wow that was different and look how much better that made you feel”.

2018 was about mindful listening of heart so I take mindful action to continually water the seeds with greater ease to be present in healthy ways, rewiring new patterns in my brain with more ease then dis-ease. I now have this strong knowing that if I am to continue with lightness of heart in this physical body this is a must for me, as it’s my birthright. It was a year of holding the space of  continual unfolding of what is true in my heart, walking and responding mindfully and to stand with ease in the space of curiosity. These actions I know will organically resulted in  discovering and living from the space of my limitless potential and have the eyes of a wider perspective to view all universal beings and their actions.

I am also so very grateful to all my teachers, my tribe from around the world that have been guiding me and sharing their wisdom over the years  so selflessly. Through my teachers I have built the resources when my soul was ready to “let go” big time and begin anew, opening the door to live a more authentic, peaceful and happy life. I was blessed to be born in this world where there is much abundance so it is time for me to live more wisely acknowledging all the gratefulness, peacefulness and happiness that abundance is designed to give.
 I am super excited and ready again to sit back with lightness and trust in self and universe having the knowing that from the wisdom that was stored in all my mud a garden of Lotuses will arise.
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Come play in your mud with me in 2018!
Marianne

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Make Spring  the Best Growing Season of Your Life Yet

This Spring I invite you to soften your warrior and germinate more softness in all the wonderful moments this spring will gift you.

How much of your days are you a warrior over small unimportant stuff, losing sight of the bigger picture of your life?

Where does your warrior reside in your body...holding tightness?

How many thoughts does your warrior mull around in your head each day that do not serve your well-being?

I invite you to consciously let the warrior go on a much needed vacation to regroup, even if it is for a few moments each day. 

Find out what your warrior really wishes to stand for: I am sure it will not be the closest parking spot to the door of the grocery store, or to continually hold onto the pain in your shoulders, or take part in unhealthy interactions.

Discover all the corners in your life where your warrior can surrender.

Make your warrior count...open your heart, speak your truth, embody your wisdom, choose each day to walk the path that is unique to you.

Choose Deep Listening and Deep Speaking. 

Realize in this warrior stance your place of self-compassion, you are surrounding and embodying your warrior with lightness, choosing the wisest stance in each precious moment with which you will be gifted this spring.

Come walk with me,
Marianne

Make each day  a good day.​

​Acknowledge the gift of your life, and realize the only appropriate response to that gift is gratefulness.

The first step is appreciation for being given another moment, another day to live.  I invite you to savour the beautiful shape that each day makes.  Each day is unique and precious filled with lessons from which to grow new opportunities to discover and moments that will make your heart light.

The second step is to pause to bring quality into the moments of your life, with yourself, your family, your friends, as well as the strangers you meet.  I invite you to expand your friendship circle, find someone that will broaden your perception on life, someone that will nourish your soul, and someone that will cultivate your creativity.

Lastly I invite you to pause and listen to the voice of your heart, watering the seeds within that will strengthen your intuition, encouraging you to see and move through each day with the vision and the steps of limitless potential.

Come walk with me on this journey,
Marianne

Life is a journey. Life is a safari. Life is a garden.

Chronologically we’re at the end of the year but the beginning of a new journey, the year 2017 is a blank canvas waiting for you.

Before you welcome the New Year, I invite you to put the Old Year’s unfinished business – mistakes, regrets, shortcomings, and disappointments behind you.  

If you want you can write them down and say “good riddance” and then throw the paper away. 

Chill something bubbly.  Honour the Old Year with a farewell toast, welcome the New Year within.  Offer thanks.  Celebrate how far you’ve come, how much you’ve learned, and the wonderful person you are.

See 2017 as a blank canvas that was given to you on Christmas day.  This canvas is waiting for you to design your best masterpiece yet, so end this year with a joyful heart and an open mind to manifest the wholeness of your best human potential.

Come walk with me,
Marianne

Finding Peace in the Holidays

I invite you to see gratitude in the holidays and discover that under busyness there is always choice.  Choose wisely this holiday season for yourself and your loved ones.

Begin this holiday season with eyes of gratitude. Life is not perfect, but we can choose how we perceive it.  You can enjoy each moment; you do not need to complain more. It is ok if you don’t follow the herd of complainers.  Smile more, breathe deeper and relax your shoulders.

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with all the functions you have to go to realize what it is like for people who have no one and no place to go.  Do you need to go to all those functions or can you choose more wisely? Will the party still go on without you?

If you are overwhelmed with shopping, how can you choose more wisely?   Instead of old patterns and old ways, change it up, choose intelligently and find different ways to achieve the same delightful response from a loved one.  How many people do not have any money to purchase clean water?  Should we not be grateful that we do have the means to purchase material extras…do we give those material things too much value?  Is there something of deeper value that your loved ones might want instead of adding sweater number 18 to their closet?

In the midst of waiting in line or sitting in traffic practice gratitude, practice slower breathing.   Allow your gaze to see all the things around you and realize how lucky you are and that most of the people you meet this holiday season are experiencing similar luck.

I give you permission to wear your peace like a badge of honour this holiday season, like many will wear their busyness.  Instead of talking about how busy you are, talk about how much joy you are experiencing.  Be the black sheep of your herd: your mind and body will be ever grateful to you.  You might discover it was enjoyable and that it helped others along the way as well. Walk through the door to more inner peace as it is your birthright.  Live each moment with a grateful, lighter heart.   Choose to see each moment in a healthy way knowing each step is an invitation of choice. Choose wisely my fellow humans.

Come enjoy peace with me this holiday season,
Marianne

Letting Go...and Harvesting

"To exist is to change; to change is to mature; to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly." - Henri Bergson

I invite you to join the fall season and like the trees simply….let go of what does not serve you and cherish your own fall harvest of realizing the abundance that is already in your life and that you have more than enough this very moment.

Become more aware of yourself – how you hold on to things that do not serve you, an action, a thought, or your words and become curious on how you get unstuck from unhealthy habits of mind and how you can sustain the momentum of abundance.
How you do anything is how you do everything.

Acknowledging your abundance will make everything in your life happier.

Learn what makes you tick, what motivates you, what discourages you and what healthy inner qualities you have available to apply to any situation.

Develop a larger reservoir of self-esteem. Choose a habit of mind and a quality of soul you wish to harvest.

You can consciously choose the behaviours and skills you wish to learn, the life you wish to have, and follow through to a successful conclusion. Not perfectly, not always, and that is ok.

Feeling your abundance gives you hope that your future will be brighter and faith that you can bring into being more of what you desire in yourself and in your life.
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You have an opportunity to change and grow until your very last breath…

Pausefully,
Marianne
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Peace + Awareness = Learning

Scientific developments in a number of fields point to a similar argument –how well students do in school can be determined by how well they are able to self-regulate.  Some theorists believe that self-regulation should now be considered a more important benchmark of educational performance than IQ.

So what is self-regulation and what does it look like for your child in the classroom?

• When feeling calm, focused and alert and having the skill to know that one is calm and alert; understanding how a relaxed internal state goes hand in hand with our external state. Having this optimal state allows students to view the task at hand through their higher brain function, allowing them to work at a task to the best of their ability
• When one is stressed, having the expertise to understand what is causing that stress; to be able to advocate for themselves and take any actions needed to support their health and well-being to be able to move forward to learn in the best way possible.
• The ability to recognize stressors both within and outside the classroom and how they affect their academic performance and well-being both externally and internally;  having the environment to be able to take the appropriate measures to support themselves to deal with the stressors and to be respected as being the best advocates for themselves.
• Understanding how stressors take them out of the area of the brain that supports learning and consequently puts students in a survival state.  Acknowledging that when children are in their survival brain it needs to be respected and until they are feeling safe (in their view) learning will not be a priority.
• Having the desire to deal with those stressors. To have the desire you need to have tools so you don’t keep repeating the cycle of  being overwhelmed and helplessness.  Knowing you will be respected, listened to and given what you need through educational empowerment to move forward in a healthy way.
• The education of strategies for dealing with those stressors is key.  Without knowledge of how we are naturally wired and strategies to deal with self-regulation through stressors there is no growth in self-regulation and it turns inward building up negatively affecting a person’s future health and well-being.
  
  

Having strategies allows students to recover efficiently and effectively from dealing with stressors and empowers them to support their health and well-being and work to the best of their ability with what they understand to be true each moment for their day.

The better we understand the complex biological and experiential interactions involved in self-regulations, the better we can design classroom/home practices that will enhance a student’s self-regulation and mitigate the cascading effects of initial challenges.

So compelling is this vision that one might go so far as to argue that if IQ was the major psychological construct of the 20th century, in the 21st century it will be self-regulation; for unlike IQ, this new lens gives us hope that by providing children with tools to promote their self-regulation, we can significantly alter their educational –and life trajectories.

Come walk with me,
Marianne

Our Children Are the Most Precious of Stars

Aug 7. 2016

They are the utmost resource for the future of society.

I believe ensuring a beautiful future requires that we offer all our children “holistic education”.

Holistic Education is where every single person is able to flourish and take responsibility for his or her own well-being and that of others, to create of world characterized by interconnectedness, awareness and joy.

Two superpowers that greatly support this vision and empower our children need to be valued and adopted through education:

1. Educating children to understand how their brain and body are naturally wired to process information through Neuroscience.  Discovering that learning is not all in their head and that learning is a whole body experience.
 
2. Showing them how to tap into a wealth of natural gifts that are within them through Mindfulness. This inner knowledge will open a gateway for them to be able to process information in a way that assists them to learn with curiosity, ease and joy.

Mindfulness and Neuroscience are beautifully interwoven.  It is about being present with and to your inner experience as well as your outer environment.

I believe blending these two superpowers will allow children to have meaningful relationships, be caring and compassionate to themselves and others, do well in school, work efficiently, be responsible, and feel good about who they are.  

I invite you to open your curiosity to learning more about these two superpowers and how you can bring them into the lives of our most precious of stars.

By doing so you will soon discover that it will not only enrich the lives of your children but yours as well through an increasing sense of wonder and seeing greater potential in all aspects of life.

The deepest of discovery is realizing that when you tap into these superpowers they carry with them a great gift “the rippling effect”.   This rippling effect reaches outward touching more people that you can imagine, benefiting every living being.

Thank you for using your time to read my blog.

Walk with me,
Marianne

Isolation

June 5. 2016

Is our society setting us up for isolation?

We wear earbuds when we exercise.  We communicate via e-mail and text messages.  We enter and exit our houses through garage door openers.  

How open are we to talk to and meet new people?

How open are we to expand our circle of friends?

How open are we to venture out on our own without asking a friend to tag along?

Is that the way we were raised… not to talk but write what we wanted to say to a friend or family member?

Do you remember a time when families welcomed and ran to the door when the doorbell rang, instead of hiding so they could not see we were home?

How much easier is it not to watch our words when we do not see the person?

70% of communication is body language. When we know longer value that piece of communication how will that effect our interaction with others as well as the feedback we receive?  

How will this affect the social and emotional intelligence of the next generation?  What is happening to our own health and well-being this very moment?

May I see your smile and may you see mine,
Marianne

Rebirth and Renewal

May 1. 2016

What is the importance of the seasons in relationship to our own lives?

Each season embodies an individual “story”.  Each year we see the arrival of gentle spring showers that encourage seeds into new growth, then the warmth of summer comes to speed up the process of fruition, the winds of fall release what must be harvested and the chill of winter days seems empty of life…oh but what great gifts are hidden in the silence.
 
These same seasons unfold in us in much the same way. Inwardly, emotionally, we experience the range of these unseen powers on a daily basis going through what these “seasons” bring about within us.   We each have our own understanding of these seasons and how they can best be used to achieve greater peace through living our days within the flow of our natural rhythm.

What is the message of spring… rebirth and renewal!

We are now resonating with the knowledge we have gained from the stillness of last season, what worked and what did not. The quiet of winter gives us the gift to pause and listen to our inner wisdom on how best to proceed into the next cycle of the seasons.
 
Those seeds that we have reflected on over the winter awaken through spring showers. The seeds become active and new forms of life spring forth. This seasonal surge moves into and through us in much the same way.

We feel not only the need to make a fresh start, but we’re also provided with the energies needed to do so.  The stirring we feel to break out of the “earth” of our old patterns, to reach higher, comes to us from the natural energies of nature.  Although we may encounter obstacles, we are empowered to succeed and cannot be stopped if we are open to the gifts of the energy that spring brings to us so naturally.  Let us continually widen our curiosity and grow internally and externally through watering what makes our hearts sing and brings lightness to our steps.

Walk with me,
Marianne

The Emotional Structure of the Mind

April 4. 2016

Critical stages of the mind’s early growth happen before our first thoughts are registered.  These experiences are not intellectual but rather subtle emotional interactions.  In fact research states that emotional rather than intellectual interaction serves as the mind’s primary structure.

There exists an increasing disrespect for the importance of mind-building emotional experiences in almost every facet of daily life.

Prominent new results from a variety of disciplines from research into infant development, neuroscience, and clinical work with infants, children and adults are revealing the limitations of traditional beliefs that do not acknowledge the importance of the emotional structure of the mind.

We possess an extraordinarily sensitive “meter” on which to gauge our reactions and in a certain sense it almost possesses us.  Anyone who pays attention to the subjective state of the body will almost always perceive within it an emotional tone, though it maybe subtle or hard to describe.

If early emotional experience is the basis of our intellectual capacities as well as our moral sense and creativity, we must give it higher priority in our personal, community and universal planning.

Attention to emotional experiences is then not purely a humanitarian or visual activity, but one that is crucial to human survival.

Putting the care of children, relationships, and the quality of emotional experiences first in families, education and the institutions of social welfare is, I believe, our human responsibility.

Cultures that regard parenthood not as a private concern and a distraction from work but as the most challenging, rewarding and most socially constructive task any adult could undertake would encourage and support far greater parental involvement than many of today’s children now experience.

As Dr. Stanley Greenspan so eloquently states: If the split between, on one hand, subjective, spiritual, and emotional, and on the other, objective, rational, and materialistic conceptions of human nature continues to divide us as it has long done in Western culture, we will continue on the present course.  

Having children in wealthy nations suffering and showing record levels of mental illness, violence and obesity, is a testimony to our failure to meet their needs.  

From the view that emotional experiences constitutes the foundation of the human mind and that providing it positively is the essence of the demanding but infinitely valuable task of raising children, it follows that child rearing and family life deserve the highest priority among the many conflicting demands made on individuals, and in society.

To all the children of every nation, and the child in everyone, and to all who are yet to come

Walk with me,
Marianne

Be Your Own Valentine

February 6. 2016

I invite you to take the time this month to get to know, embrace and accept yourself with all of your faults and imperfections.

Become more mindful of your thoughts, feelings and behaviour.  Get to know your vulnerabilities as well as your strengths and achievements, and learn to love yourself for both.

Know Yourself - What is something that excites you that still lies within you that you might not have expressed outwardly yet?  Take the first step to bring it forward

Be True to Yourself – Be authentic to yourself and with others by taking the time to pause and listen to the wisdom of your heart’s intelligence.  Practice using mindful listening and mindful speech.

Respect Yourself – The most influential relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.  Learn to be your own best friend.

Value Yourself – Value all the things you already are.  Define your code of ethics.

Accept Yourself – See the beauty that is within you.  Accept your imperfections as much as your perfections.  Reflect on your struggles and challenges and have a grateful mind.

Love Yourself – You yourself, as much as any other person in the whole world, deserves your love and kindness.

Expand Yourself – Be curious.  Find delight in something new this month

Walk with me,
Marianne

January 1st x 365

January 1 . 2016

Let each day of 2016 carry the traditions of what January 1st brings…

Life is a journey, a safari, a pilgrimage and a garden.  Life is the highest form of art.  

Do not hurry the journey at all, be patient.  Bring pause to your steps and to the moments that make up your day, giving yourself space to discover the person you have always been.  This is your wholeness

Ask yourself new questions and listen for answers from your heart; this is your authentic self.   This is where you will discover what you desire for yourself.  This is where you will discover your passion and, with it, an invitation to share
it with the world. Live a year of delight and self-discovery.  

Know each day is a fresh start.  It brings to you the gift of a new page in your book of life.  Write a page that nourishes you, brings lightness to your step and peace at the end of your day.

Know each day you have 24 brand new hours to design the day that supports your health and well-being.
Feel that each day carries with it the opportunity for new beginnings within all areas of your life.

Wake up each morning and look forward to what is ahead of you.  Be grateful to be given the gift of a new day.  Know you are here today to bring a smile to someone’s face, as it will come back to you tenfold because we are all interconnected.

Each night cherish memories you made that day and be pleased with how you fulfilled the opportunities and the moments you were given.  Know that when you treat yourself with loving-kindness it ripples out to support all universal beings.

Each day set goals and plans for what you truly want for yourself; live the life you imagined.  Be open to receive learning.

Know your dreams give birth to change.  Feel an anchor in harbors you have never seen before.

Be the curator of your own contentment; embrace this year to the gentle desires of your heart.

These desires of your heart are your private aspirations, longings you have kept tucked away until the time seemed right.  Trust in yourself that now is the time.  When you listen to your heart the answers will come and you will discover day by day how to live them.

Take a leap of faith and begin each day by believing in yourself; there is a loving source in you just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true.

The present moment is the most important thing in life.  It is very clean.  It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in your hands.

I invite you to be authentic to yourself each day, listening to your wisdom, feeling your beauty, your strength and living each day in grace…. beginning 2017 feeling enriched and enlightened by all you have experienced along the way throughout your personal odyssey.

Walk with me,
Marianne

Winter Woman

December 7 . 2015

When winter comes to a woman’s soul, she withdraws into her inner self, her deepest spaces.  She refuses all connection, refutes all arguments that she should engage in the world.  She may say she is resting, but she is more than resting:  She is creating a new universe within herself, examining and breaking old patterns, destroying what should not be revived, feeding in secret what needs to thrive.

WINTER WOMEN are those who bring into the next cycle what should be saved.  They are the deep conservators of knowledge and power.  Not for nothing did ancient peoples honour the grandmother.  In her calm deliberateness, she winters over our truth, she freezes out false-heartedness.

Look into her eyes, this winter woman.  In their spaciousness you can see the future.  Look out of your own winter eyes.  You too can see the future.

Marianne

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Water

November 10 . 2015

How do you drink your water?

1. Do you tighten your fingers, squeezing the glass and have clenched teeth when you drink?
2. Do you not bother drinking water at all?
3. Do you pick up your glass of water, nicely balanced, and take a sip.  Using effort, but you’re relaxed?
   
   

Water is essential to the proper lymphatic function on which nourishment of the cells and removal of waste depends.  Psychological or environmental stress also depletes the body of water.  The average daily water loss for humans through natural body processes is about ten glasses.  How much water do you put back in each day?

Sipping water is an effective way to restore hydration, as light rain falling on dry ground, water is best absorbed by the body when taken in frequent small amounts.

Our bodily systems are electrical.  Ultimately, it is the electrical communications with our nervous system that makes us sensing, learning, thinking, action living beings.  Water is the universal solvent, it is essential for these electrical communications and for sustaining the electrical potential within our bodies. We find there to be a recognizable connection between sipping water, good cognitive function and emotional calm.  There are many doctors and chiropractors who have been advocating the health benefits of drinking water.

I invite you this month to notice how you drink your water.  Notice if you drink enough water daily to benefit yourself or if you wait until you are thirsty which means dehydration has set in.

The traditional way of determining how much water you need is to figure one ounce per day for every three pounds of body weight and double that amount if you are stressed. Foods that naturally contain water, like fruits and vegetables, help to lubricate the system as well, also keep in mind the amount of diuretics and dehydrating foods you consume too.

Utilize this natural health-giving source that you are fortunate to have at your disposal for very little cost and embody drinking consciously.

Relish in this universal gift by exercising its consumption to benefit you daily.  Thoughtfully show gratitude if you are fortunate to have clean safe drinking water as most of the world’s population does not.

Welcome each glass of water you drink this month, by drinking mindfully developing your awareness to all the benefits it gives you naturally.

I love my water!  I never leave home without a glass of water, it does not matter how long I am out for.   When I go out to eat I have a hot cup of water with lemon and a cold glass of water with lemon.  I have a few followers to this ritual of mine and I love it!

I play with what I put in my water on occasion and have surprised quite a few people on how good it can taste with these combinations and how fun it can be to play with your water, not only at tub-time!

Here are a few ideas that I have added to my water from time to time.  A basil leave with a slight tear or a cinnamon stick in your glass would be fun this coming holiday season.  You can have some fun with ice cubes, make watermelon ice cubes or put berries inside the ice cubes.   Using those crazy straws from the dollar store for children or a fancy fun cup is always a hit.

Most of the time I drink my water straight up as that is the way mother earth presents it to us and she has our best interest in mind at all times.

I will mindfully toast all my glasses of water to you this month, may you light up all your electrical potential that is within you with each mindful glass of water.

Cheers to you,
Marianne

Points to Ponder

October 5 . 2015

October is the season for self-reflection and re-birth, a time for harvesting and new beginnings. It is a time for reflection, balance and inner harmony, a time to let go of old hurts and worrisome patterns, creating more space for things that nourish our health and well-being.

Take a few breaths each day and breathe. Smell the scents of nature. Take a few minutes and do NOTHING.

Today’s children live in an intense society filled with images of violence, unhealthy competition, hectic schedules, pressure to succeed prematurely, and unrealistic expectations to behave like miniature adults.

Kids are kids and they need years of innocence for exploring, fantasizing and creating in a secure and nurturing environment. The challenges of raising children to succeed in this ever-changing, fast-paced world are significant.  Since they learn by our actions and listen to our words, children need to see adults take time to nourish themselves.

Together as a community we need to realize that we must actively and attentively prepare our children socially and emotionally to live in the society we have created.

Here are just a few examples of some common phrases in today’s society.  I invite you this autumn to use the energy of the season and take time and reflect on what your actions and words are exhibiting to our future leaders:

“I am stressed”
Stress is normal –Life is a gift, be grateful for all the moments in your life.  Each moment presents to you an opportunity to change an inefficient pattern or to bring you joy; be present to the unfolding of each day.  Always know you have a choice on how you respond to a situation, that  you have the means within you to act in ways that are truly supportive to your well-being.  You have more than enough to make your day a wonderful day.
 
“I am so busy”
Busy is natural –Making time in your day to relax and enjoy just being with the people you love, letting those moments take on a life of their own, is important as are mindful listening and mindful speaking. Don’t glorify the word busy; realize those are simply choices you make and can always choose a gentler, quieter path.  Always make your happiness the most important thing for you.
 
“I don’t have time”
There aren’t enough hours in a day –Be grateful to have a set of brand new 24 hours ahead of you each morning and you can choose to make it a wonderful day.   Act in ways that support your health and well-being, listening to the voice of your social and emotional intelligence within you.
 
“This is my week”
Life is about structure and sameness –It is important to nurture your curiosity, to explore, to find what you are passionate about, what it is that makes you unique, as that is what you are here to do in this lifetime.   Sampling new things throughout your life is important as you are an evolving being.  As humans we have the capacity to learn new things until our last breath; learning and curiosity are what will keep you young.  There are many wonderful things in life that are just waiting for you to discover.
 
“Where’s my phone?”
To relax you need to be with a group of people – Always take time to enjoy just being with yourself.  Those will be essential moments in your life as your greatest wisdom will come to you during those times when you stop and listen to your intuitive self.  This gentle voice is always there for you to listen to as it acts from a place that is paramount to your health and well-being.  Happiness is not found through others, it is an inside job.   Your soulmate is within you.
Bring more awareness this autumn season to your own balance and inner harmony; realize you have more than enough to make each day a wonderful day.  Then watch it ripple out to everyone you hold dear and beyond.
 
Points to ponder…
I’m curious…what would happen if tv shows held less value and social media was about stopping by and visiting each other and sharing a cup of  coffee/tea or calling that person on the phone to hear their voice so we would be present for them completely.

If we lived by a framework that made our happiness and well-being the most important thing, I wonder what might happen to the labels that we so readily want to put on ourselves and others to define or classify them… especially our future leaders.

Sincerely
Marianne

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Walk With Me

September 1. 2015

With deep gratitude and a thousand humble thank you, may they come back to you tenfold….

This is the moment I have been avoiding…writing my first blog.  What to say…what topic to pick…where to begin… 

Then I sat with it in the present moment and thought "what am I feeling now in this moment"? "What am I thinking about in this present moment"? “Now let’s see where it takes me”.  Then came a flooding of deep appreciation and gratefulness....

My first thought is to thank the many teachers that have taught and guided me to grow and learn these last 17 years which has led to me seeing the limitless potential in me and in others.  The list is so vast and precious to me, as it ranges over 17 years worldwide.  I hope I have honoured each of them along the way and have shown them how much I have appreciated all that they have shared and taught me with their heartfelt kindness. 

To the many people who have come through the doors of “Awakening Potential” where I was able to bring my passion to life to support others,  they too have been my teachers…may the light in me bow to the light in each of them.

I have been deeply blessed to have the family I do, they have selflessly allowed me the freedom to learn and be curious about the wonders and challenges of life.   Letting me find ways to learn that suited me to lessen life’s challenges that we are presented with and grow it into a private practice to support others.  I would especially like to thank the universe for giving me a life partner who has never said “no" to me or “it’s not possible” and is always there to support me in whatever direction I am drawn too along my journey. 

I would like to especially thank my very first teacher as he will always be my greatest teacher, my son Jacob.   I am so proud of him, not just for all the challenges he has overcome but also for the compassionate, gentle young man he is today.  I would like to say we have been an amazing team, never letting any limited boundary’s define him or his and our ultimate goal for him. Together we climbed a mountain many said was impossible so now we know we can climb any mountain that is in front of us because....WE DID IT!  I am honoured to be able to work together with him in the future to support others to see their limitless potential… what an exciting chapter it will be for us!   I will be cherishing each moment watching how he will define his life path, as he sees the pure goodness in the world and I can see how it shines for others to see as well. 

I feel truly blessed to be part of a worldwide like-minded community as I could not imagine my life without any one of them.  They are always there to support me in my growth at the drop of a dime and have shown me that we are all on this journey together and created equal.  Each of us having different talents and it is our mission to find our passion and share it to help the collective whole.  A special thank you to all the wonderful people that I have met at the University of Toronto during each class including the teachers that make up this truly special community that I am honoured to be part of.   All of them have been a wonderful surprise in my life, seeing such a united group of people each class there to support themselves and the collective whole.

I know I am now at a time in my journey where a shift is happening where all my teachings will begin to blend together developing into a community growing to see their limitless potential.  I am so looking forward to this next chapter in my life and excited to see the richness grow in the friendships that are already apart of my life and all the new friendships I will discover in this next phase.

I have a special thank you and deep gratitude for my nephew Ryan for helping me design and revamp my website over the years and for his knowledge that has guided and supported me in getting this next phase out onto a bigger scale.  He has always showing me unconditional understanding, listening to all my visions and ideas… even when I am sure there where many times he did not get me completely, thinking “this is interesting in a not so sure about where my aunt’s head is heading” way. Thank you Ryan for bringing my vision into the age of technology!

This is me in the present moment…blogging.
 
Come walk with me…..Marianne 

 What is this present moment feeling like to you?….Is it supporting your health and well-being or do you need to join this community to support you to live the life you desire for yourself which will nurture the collective whole.

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