Creating Alignment
Photo by: Susanna Marsiglia @sushimi
Creating alignment within the mind, body and home takes practice. Alignment is in constant movement, wherever your focus is, everything else in your environment shifts in that direction.
Alignment in the mind happens during meditation or when you stop a negative thought with a pivoting counter thought. Alignment in a literal sense for the body affects posture and organs while also reflecting your state of mind. If you’re depressed and slouched then your spine is curved and your organs are compressed. Standing straight with an imaginary string pulling from the top of your head, chin parallel to the floor, pelvis slightly tucked and weight evenly distributed on the feet will create automatic shifts in mood and joint pressure. Alignment in the home is effected by the placement of furniture and the arrangement of your favorite items that bring a sense of comfort mixed with safety. Now would be an appropriate time to take a deep breath, say your favorite mantra (use Sat Nam if you if your mind just went blank) correct your posture and walk around your home tidying up and adjusting items until they feel refreshed. Doing these three things are the mental and physical acts of creating alignment. Anytime you feel off, repeat these steps…oh and drink water too.
Here is a meditation for alignment
"Little Joni's Life Lessons"
Are you looking for an entertaining and lighthearted book to add to your fall reading list? Well, get to making some tea or cocoa, grab your coziest blanket and dive into “Little Joni’s Life Lessons,” a humorous collection of the hard learned lessons of author, Joni Myers. This book will be hard to put down and make those around you wonder what all of the giggling is about. Just tell them they will have to read it for themselves to find out. “Little Joni’s Life Lessons” is a great holiday gift for anyone you know that likes to laugh and be inspired to start writing down their own life’s lessons. There is more humor in your blundering past than you may realize. Enjoy and be sure to share this book with friends and family.
Intro from the backcover:
“Did you ever look back over your life and wonder how and when you learned certain lessons? It’s an interesting thing to do. It’s also a scary thing to do. It makes you think about all the times you screwed up. What’s even scarier is that you don’t always remember the lessons you’ve learned and you have to repeat the screw-ups in order to learn them again.
Joni shares what she has learned during her journey from childhood curiosity, Catholic confusion, growing up in the groovy 1970’s and finding her soul mate to starting her family and so much more.”
“Little Joni’s Life Lessons,” is available now on Amazon and be sure to visit JoniMyers.com for updates on the release date of her upcoming book, “The Obitchuary.”
ABOUT JONI MYERS…
What can we say about Joni Myers? Hmmm, well, we could go with statistics, but that would be boring. We could go with looks, but that would be scary. Let’s just say that Joni Myers is a writer. She loves the art of storytelling and loves to move people with her words. She likes to make people laugh. She likes to shock people. She likes to thrill people. She likes to excite people. She doesn’t really like to make people cry, but if one of her stories compels tears, she’s okay with that.
If you still want to know the statistics, read her first book, LittleJoni’s Life Lessons, which is a memoir that should tell you all you need to know.
I hope after reading “Little Joni’s Life Lessons” you will be inspired to get starting on writing your own story. You absolutely have a great one to share!
Photo by: Etienne Girardet @etiennegiradet
Weekend Design & Wellness Project
Photo by: Rana Sawalha @ranasawalha
This weekend get your life’s story started by writing an intro to your autobiography. Yes, you have a unique story and it IS interesting. One day you can look back or share this record of your life’s legacy with your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews. You will also be pleasantly surprised at how much you’ve overcome and achieved in your life. With every life, there are ups, downs and many tragedies that confuse the triumphs. Nevertheless, these are your stories and they make up your whole existence. Most people will never know how much they have touched another’s life through a ton of small yet very impactful actions. Writing out your memories will prove to be enlightening and most likely humorous exercise that will bring you and your family and friends joy for years to come. To get started, make your favorite beverage, put some of your favorite things around and get to writing your awesome adventures. P.S. Maybe keep some tissues handy for those bittersweet memories.
Free Writing
Photo by: Aaron Burden @aaronburden
Free writing is a method of clearing out the mental clutter that triggers stress, anxiety and overwhelm. To free write, simply write down the first things that pop into your head and avoid correcting any spelling, grammar and punctuation. The string of words does not need to make any sense, however, it can consist of writing questions out and move on to keep writing. The key is to not stop writing. During this writing ramble, the answers to your questions or solutions to other issues you’re experiencing may come through your free writing session. Doodles are also acceptable since they can lead to words or sketches that keep the brain and hand in communication. Practice this in the morning to empty out anticipated anxieties for the day. It serves as a form of meditation.
An ideal morning would be start with a breathing exercise consisting of 30 deep breaths, a 5 minute morning meditation, then stretching side to side and touching toes, maybe a few yin/restorative yoga poses followed by free writing or morning pages from “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. This could take about 30 minutes so set the alarm earlier to include these practices into your day. It may take a few attempts to turn this into a routine and you may also find that you’ll respond to some more than others so focus on those.
Your Fear Can Kill Your Dreams
Photo by: Thought Catalog @thoughtcatalog
The opposite of fear is joy. Who wouldn’t want joy in their everyday lives? How much would a fearful person pay for clarity? Probably a lot. Here are 3 steps to creating clarity to achieve joy in your life.
Write down 5 things you are grateful for in your life.
Write your 3 favorite things to do; hobbies, activities, experiences (Things you would do for free and when time ceases to exist.)
What scares you most in life? (Choices you made, those you didn’t or ones you’re hesitating to make for any number of reasons/excuses.)
This exercise is to help you create/design your most joyous life. Itty bitty baby steps in the direction of your vision are perfectly fine. There are many ways to make shifts in your life, schedule and budget to softly accommodate the path toward your life filled with clarity and joy.
Everyone you’re putting ahead of pursuing your dreams because somehow their needs are more important than your happiness, will benefit greatly from your actions. Their “needs” are simply serving as an excuse for you not following through with your personal interests. This does not mean abandon all adult responsibilities and dependents while bankrupting yourself. The moment you realize that your desires matter, is the moment just before your first step toward your new life. Wouldn’t it be nice to be an example of what a purposeful life can be by following your passion and dreams?
A great book recommendation on this subject is “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert. She explains how she has changed her relationship with fear by coexisting with it and tell it what to do. Her fear has to “sit in the backseat and cannot control the music.”