More on mindfulness

so, mindfulness, #1 is a state of being. I explained a bit about being in the last post, but much to the credit of many many healers and sages that came before me, i am in no way stating anything new. In fact, one of the reasons i got into this "state of being' was because of my hectic lifestyle. I know others can resonate with this. In fact, anxiety and stress are among the most common threats/killers of the human race today.
Okay, back to "being". Did you hear that? The sentence before "in fact, anxiety and stress..." can be examined to demonstrate this point. Most often, people tend to listen and either react, judge, interpret and/or think about an answer or comment about what they just read. When you read that sentence, what did you think of? What did you interpret? My point is this:
When you are Being, you are not thinking, analysizing, interpreting, or anything of the like. In fact, YOUR BRAIN is not actually necessarily even in the cognitive state. (more on that later). Point being that if you catch yourself doing ANY number of things while listening or reading this blog, you can go ahead and NOTICE that and then IDENTIFY your reaction.

So, here is a little quiz:
1) if i am reacting,judging or interpreting, am i being mindful? No.
2) So how do i become more mindful? I'll explain in the next blog.

MINFUL MOVEMENTS: By Alison Leigh, Mindfulness Instructor

Welcome to MM (Mindful Movements, Inc.)
We would like to share some mindful movements which incorporate
a) yoga
b) mindfulness
c) meditation
d) guided imagery
e) dance
f) fitness

Visit our site soon for
*Instructional and useful VIDEOS (with Alison leigh)

Women who stray ... to be with another woman

i recently came across a few gentleman, and ladies too, that were concerned with what recently has transpired in their marital lives. It seems this has become a trend in society lately, at least we are finding it more in the Bay Area. We are finding women who are leaving their husbands to pursue other women. Both men and women who are faced with divorce is one thing, but think about the added element of surprise when you hear that your lover left you for a same sex partner. If you are faced with this new problem, and not sure what to do, start here. I welcome anyone male or female who is struggling through a heterosexual marriage and feeling overwhelmed and anxious because of this added dynamic.

For beginners on the road...

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ROAD, WE PAUSE, LOOK AND LISTEN.
Well, this is at least our hope anyway. When you begin therapy, you are taking a closer look at yourself, and how you are in relationship with others. In this therapy, you have chosen to do this work and allow yourself to feel because something made you or led you here.

Whatever that was, perhaps an instinct, a drive, or even another person telling you to come; whatever the reason, you are here and that same feeling that got you here, is the same feeing that will keep y ou on your path. My intension for you is to gain what you need to further your life in the direction you want it to go. It is also my full intention to keep you safe and comfortable in this setting while at the same time, allowing for your growth and push your edges so you can feel what it is like to be challenged.

I am not here to tell you what to do or how to do it. Your parents, friends and colleagues can do this for you. You pay for this service because I have expertise in solving and working through situations that you feel you can’t do on your own, or you feel you can’t do it the best way you can. I am your support system, an ally. I do not condone your decisions, nor do I judge you. I only am here to work with the part of you that rarely gets to be seen. In other words, anything you can’t tell someone else, you can say here. Anything you feel embarrassed about, this is the place to share that.

I am here to provide the space for you to see, feel, touch and sense what is the best thing for you. I provide the care for you so you don’t have to be in this alone. We are together, on this path. Whichever way you want to go, I am there in support of your process, no matter the decision you make.

About Therapy

I received an email recently asking me if i could describe how therapy works. My answer is not simple, however i can tell you a bit about how I see things..

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ROAD, WE PAUSE, LOOK AND LISTEN.
Well, this is at least our hope anyway. When you begin therapy, you are taking a closer look at yourself, and how you are in relationship with others. In this therapy, you have chosen to do this work and allow yourself to feel because something made you or led you here.

Whatever that was, perhaps an instinct, a drive, or even another person telling you to come; whatever the reason, you are here and that same feeling that got you here, is the same feeling that will keep you on your path. My intention for you is to gain what you need to further your life in the direction you want it to go. It is also my full intention to keep you safe and comfortable in this setting while at the same time, allowing for your growth and push your edges so you can feel what it is like to be challenged.

I am not here to tell you what to do or how to do it. Your parents, friends and colleagues can do this for you. You pay for this service because I have expertise in solving and working through situations that you feel you can’t do on your own, or you feel you can’t do it the best way you can. I am your support system, an ally. I do not condone your decisions, nor do I judge you. I only am here to work with the part of you that rarely gets to be seen. In other words, anything you can’t tell someone else, you can say here. Anything you feel embarrassed about, this is the place to share that.

I am here to provide the space for you to see, feel, touch and sense what is the best thing for you. I provide the care for you so you don’t have to be in this alone. We are together, on this path. Whichever way you want to go, I am there in support of your process, no matter the decision you make.

Decisions..make them or break them?

When faced with decisions, people are hard-wired. We think we have to choose something and we think we have to do it now. What happened to mulling it over? ,"marinating in it? "
What is the hurry?
Many decisions are done in haste, when people are vulnerable or desperate. What are we really choosing between and what tools are we using to choose?
What about the notion of not choosing any of it, or perhaps maybe just waiting it out...
What about if we took a breath before we decided to do anything. Sure, some things must be done with time sensitivity, but i'm talking about when someone asks, "who should i pick, a or b" or "what school should i go to, a or b?"
i invite you to think outside the box. before you could even contemplate making a decision, what kind of choices did you give yourself? did you include the whole map? Did you think outside the box? where were you?
Asking the question itself makes us feel like we need an answer of some certainty, some decision. But if you choose, NOT to choose, and you just stayed in that moment for one second, what do you think might happen?
my answer next blog...