So... What's New?

Slowing down to zero

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:32:00 GMT

Every few months I take a short holiday to visit my family in Southern Spain. The time has come again and here I am, in a small village close to Seville, enjoying better weather than in grey London. Apart from the obvious joy of seeing my family and the almost-assured good weather, there are many other perks to my holidays. One immediate advantage is having the space and time to slow down to zero. It's only when I get a few days to simply sit around and relax that I realize the enormous pressure we put ourselves under just to stay alive, every day. Doing, planning, sorting things out, accomplishing, tick-achieve and all the rest... which, I won't deny, a part of me loves; but then this space opens where there is nothing that needs doing or sorting, when the substance of life is almost palpable, and happiness is sitting in the sun while listening to the birds singing. You may or may not have the time and space to enjoy actual holidays right now; but for the sake of your own well-being choose to be on holidays if only for five minutes today... Sit somewhere comfortable, let everything go, tell yourself "I'm on holidays now", and relax...

Welcome to the Happy Carriage

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:24:37 GMT

I love what these guys are doing - this is the Love Police in the London underground:

Win a free copy of "Resistance Toys"

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:17:27 GMT

If you haven't entered this contest yet, then I urge you to participate: you can win a free copy of Deb Schanilec's ebook "Resistance Toys: Clever Distractions Designed to Change Your Mind One Neuropathway at a Time". This special ebook proposes a new and fun way to get rid of old negative thinking patterns - so original and creative that you will be surprised. Don't wait! Make your way to the review of "Resistance Toys" and enter the contest by using the form at the bottom of the page. Good luck!

Thankful for being thankful!

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:34:15 GMT

There are so many reasons... I know that there is a higher power and I strive to know him/her. I am alive. I am in excellent health, I have a fiancee

A biscuit with holes

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:37:58 GMT

Most of the time my life flows pretty easily. Every now and then, however, I have one of those days where things just don't seem to fall together, try as I may. I tend to ponder what's going on inside me and around me when I have one of those days. I believe that things don't just "happen" - we invite them to happen, if you like, perhaps because there's something for us to learn there. I ponder as well because I'm always on the path of making the best of myself, so I tend to look for what it is I can change in my behaviour or attitude so that life can roll smoothly. Today was one of those days. After much strain and upsetness at the office, I got home and had a chat with my husband, who showed to be very understanding and sympathetic. Still, I'm the one to deal with my own life. Later on I grabbed a coffee and a couple of biscuits. As I took the first biscuit, I realized something I had never seen before in these biscuits: they have mini-holes in them. Quite the same as us, I thought. Here is me, almost trying to be perfect, without realizing that I cannot be. As humans we all have "holes", imperfections, flaws. The end goal here, I realize, is not to be perfect. The end goal is enjoying the trip which we are taking towards perfection, knowing that we will probably never reach complete perfection. Here is for the celebration of ourselves as a full biscuit, with holes and all. That's us being perfect.

One step at a time

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:50:18 GMT

I am a great believer on making progress one step at a time. I trust the cumulative effect of taking just one step every day towards achieving whatever it is I want. Interesting situation at the moment, there are three major areas of my life which need change. I don't expect to change them all at once. What I do do is to take if just one small step every day towards each goal. Before I realize, I have actually made a lot of progress without stress. And I love how it all just comes out to fit together in the end, without a lot of intervention from me. Yeah, it's true, the tortoise wins the race :-)

Resistance Toys

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:07:12 GMT

Discover "Resistance Toys": the clever and fun way to change your thoughts and feel better.

Flexibility

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:36:22 GMT

One of the qualities that I believe can help us the most in our lives is to be flexible. You see, we live in an ever increasingly complex world, where tons of information are produced every day, and where events happen so quickly that we barely have time to assimilate them. And I believe that as more and more information comes to our lives, we will need to be able to be extremely flexible in order to keep on walking life in a calmed state. I can see that this flexibility not only applies to the little things, but also to perspectives in life, points of view, ideas, beliefs, and our sense of how we want things to be. The more flexible we can be, the more peacefully we can stroll down the path of life. As a little challenge today, find something that you have been rigid about, and see how you can be flexible and how that creates a change. Evolving? You bet we are! :-)

At your own pace

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:57:35 GMT

Over the years I have learned to listen to my body with attention, and little by little I have made life easier for myself as I act on what my body tells me. When we listen to our bodies we know exactly what it is we need - to stretch, to have a nap, to have some quiet time... Simple things really, but that have such a beneficial impact in our whole being when we do them. What is it that you need today? What is your body saying to you?

Laughing as a good cause

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:04:33 GMT

I found today this little news report video about a different type of association which is giving a hand in Haiti, in a way which seems very needed right now:

What's important

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:28:13 GMT

We run such schedules nowadays that we seem to be busy with a myriad things all the time. We find it important to have a clean house, to get to bed early so we can get enough sleep, to complete the tasks at work and to arrive on time wherever it is we're going. And while all that is fine, I find it even more important not to loose sight of the really meaningful things - those things that make it amazing to be alive. If something happened to you or I tomorrow (God forbid) and we couldn't carry a "normal" life anymore, we would soon realize how much more precious it was to spend five minutes with our partners, rather than getting somewhere on time; or how much more important it was at the end of the day to listen to our parents' concern with attention, rather than reading a book. Let's not wait until something else in life makes us see what's really important... we can take the step of seeing it today. Here are my suggestions for a few things that you can do today, which make being alive such a beautiful experience: look at the stars; hug a friend; smell the rain falling; savour some food you really like; feel the floor with your feet; listen to birds singing...

Blessed and grateful
for all that surrounds me!

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:54:29 GMT

I am very blessed and grateful that I have a mouth and muscles to be able to smile and laugh with those all around me, for that is a great healing power.

Positive Freebies

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:58:22 GMT

Find here some positive freebies - enhance your life for free!

How To Be Happy

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:42:24 GMT

Grab Michael Anthony's free ebook "How to be happy" and discover how you have the power to direct your own life.

Enjoying is the final destination

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:45:46 GMT

The other day I phoned home and talked to my father for a while. During the conversation, he asked me if I knew anything about the state of health of one of my uncles... This uncle of mine, who is around 70 now, had a successful career. After he retired, he lost all interest for doing anything at all, and spent most of his time going for walks and watching television. A yer ago or so he fell, and suffered an injury that left him unable to do most movements without help. Despite all of us wanting him to be well, his health has been deteriorating since. So when my father mentioned my uncle, he told me that his health had deteriorated much more since I last saw him, in September 2009. My father's point was another, though, and a very wise one. He confided that he had been thinking a lot about life as a result of seeing my uncle's health going down so much, so quickly. He said that he had been thinking about the point of life. Seeing us all rushing from one thing to the next, and in the end... what for? Why are we rushing so much? So that we can enjoy life at some point in the future? Is it not the point of life to enjoy the here and now?, we reflected. Leaving aside whether the reality you live at each moment is the one you'd like to be living or not, the whole point of existing, from my point of view, is to be able to enjoy the here and now. For it is true that we don't really know when our time is done, or what will happen tomorrow. With enjoying I don't mean go wild (though you may just), but more appreciating life for what is as much as you can. And if there's any situation which doesn't feel good to you, make a point of finding something about it that makes you feel better. My invitation to you today is that you aim to enjoy every moment that you live. Stop rushing so much, stop wanting to get so many things done; have (for instance) a relaxed conversation with someone you love. Now, that is Life.

Relaxing Nature sounds

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:34:24 GMT

Nothing better to relax at the end of a busy day than just sitting comfortably and listen to Nature sounds... like these ones... Enjoy!

Snowstorm in Darlington, US

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:11:18 GMT

My friend Susan, creator of the "High on Happiness" blog (which I highly recommend you visit) has put together a very cool presentation with the images of the snowstorm which fell yesterday in Darlington, US. This presentation has an inspiring number of pictures which goes along with beautiful music. Check her snowstorm presentation for a soothing dose of Mother Nature!

Night Sky Timelapse

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:02:55 GMT

Take two minutes of your time to be inspired and connected to Nature with this video which shows a night sky timelapse: so peaceful and well worth it.

Where are you running to?

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:59:17 GMT

The buzz of the Monday may have made you change your pace of living in relation to how you experience your weekend. That is, you may have found yourself today hurrying and running to get things done one after the other - and always thinking about the next one. But... where are you running to? In fact, why are you running at all? While it feels good to accomplish things and, generally, "getting things done", it's much more important to live fully this moment and realize that by rushing around we're not gonna really get anywhere faster than if we didn't. Take this from someone who loves accomplishing and ticking things off a to-do list... ;-) It's possible to get things done while still enjoying simply being, simply living. No need for any extra pressure, thanks very much. May this just be a little reminder for you to savour life while it's all happening :-)

Beautiful song to end the weekend

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:47:55 GMT

Enjoy with this version of "Somewhere over the rainbow" from Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole: Wishing you a great start of the week!

Practical letting go

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:25:12 GMT

One of the newsletters I'm subscribed to brought today a link for a web site which has a very cool and practical exercise for letting go. I urge you to do this letting go exercise; I did it, and I will surely do it many more times - after I completed it, I felt much more relaxed and really having let go. So check it out! You can find it on its web site, the Fetzer Institute, by following this link.

Gin the clever dog

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:05:01 GMT

I know this will bring you to smile... Here's a dog who does more than perform "tricks"... check it out - with her owner, in an audition for TV program "Britain's got talent":

One thing at a time

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:21:30 GMT

Taking into account the limited time we normally have available if we work a day job, and the amount of information coming through, you may find yourself wanting to deal with more things than your time every day allows for. If this is your case, my tip for you today to get done whatever you want to get done, without stressing and without rushing, is this: Do one thing at a time Sometimes I'm busy with something, and I'm already thinking of the next thing I want to get done as soon as I finish. The result is an artificial anxiety I have just created in myself, not dealing with the present moment and not being able to deal with the future one. Yet by doing one thing at a time and focusing all your attention and energy on that one thing only, you'll see you achieve much more and much quicker than you thought. Plus, it's a great way to live in the present and to feel at peace. Wish this is helpful for you today. All my love to you :-)

The scale of your problems

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:53:49 GMT

A newsletter this week brought in this amazing video of the universe as we know it. It's really beautiful and spectacular - and it made me put into context what I consider to be "my problems" - kinda small, you know, looking at the whole scale of things. Check it out...

Music to chill out

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:38:53 GMT

This evening I came across a radio station - chill out music from Ibiza... I've found it quite relaxing and at the same time positive and motivating - here sharing with you in case it also adds on to your life :-) Ibiza chill-out radio

A listening ear

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:56:57 GMT

Today I was helping a friend out with a problem he's having at present with somebody else. As he talked and I listened, I actively gave him the space and time he needed to explain his problem. And as we kept on talking and coming up with solutions and possible ways to move forward, I could see that sometimes all that we need is a listening ear. Not so much so that we find precise solutions, but because sometimes, through somebody listening, we seem to understand our situations better. And understanding our situations better helps us to come up with solutions ourselves, and to hear what our intuition says about it all. Can you offer a listening ear to somebody today?

Very interesting series of videos

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:05:14 GMT

What do quantum physics, living in the present and feeling good have in common...? I came across this series of 7 videos with Gregg Braden, in which he explains the power of feeling good now. And yes, I know it's not easy sometimes... yet these videos reinforce what I know already, "Let's give it a go and feel good again". Check them out. I'm sure you'll get a few things of value out of them.

The power of the pentatonic scale

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:50:42 GMT

This is a short video recorded during the World Science Festival 2009: it's Bobby McFerrin demonstrating the power of the pentatonic scale in a fun way... You gotta check it out - it's beautiful and musical and contributes to a gorgeous Friday!!

God has truly shown me his greatness

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:56:16 GMT

I am a lady by the age of 33, for years I have struggled to get a good permanent job... but God somehow revealed his preciousness - he blessed me with

A little exercise to gain perspective

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:21:19 GMT

Here's a short and fun exercise I do to help me gain perspective over any particular situation, or over my current time in life. I sit in silence, and imagine my brain having wings and flying up, out of my head, out of the building I'm in, up into the sky, until it is flying up high above the city. I keep my brain flying effortlessly high above from where I am, and after I few moments I imagine it flying down slowly and coming back into my head. Fun thing to do - and as I picture my brain coming back into my head I feel more centered, grounded and relaxed. Give it a go, check what it does for you :-)

Touching your soul with music

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:48:52 GMT

I like this song from Queen very much: "Love of my life". Really beautiful, it puts me directly in touch with my soul. Here it is for your enjoyment:

Stopping to appreciate

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:13:54 GMT

This afternoon, when I sat at my desk at home after I came from work, I had one of those "I really love and appreciate all I have" moments. I love the space I've created around me. I love that I'm surrounded by different plants; that I have a keyboard I just turn towards and play; that I have colours and pieces of art I've created; that I have a rose from a bunch my husband gave me on Sunday. I sat, feeling all these beautiful things around me, and feeling how blessed I am. Besides all that, I have shelter, I have food, and all the people who matter the most to me are alive and well, and I can easily communicate with them whenever I want to. I spent a few moments embracing all this and feeling gratitude to my bones for my current moment in life. And I simply wanted to share this with you. May your life be blessed in such a way you can always see through and appreciate what you have.

Gift from myself to myself

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:58:15 GMT

You know, as I look back on to the year that is finishing, I see the internal growth I've experienced - marked specially by the fact that I am getting to express more and more who I really am. And who I really am is a conglomerate of aspects - one of them being a musician. For a long, long time I have wanted to get myself a keyboard - since my piano has been at my parents' for the past ten years and I have only had access to playing it when visiting on holidays. Today, perhaps so that I can start 2010 with one more expression of myself, I got a keyboard. I'm sharing my happiness and excitement with you. Here's the baby: Have a great start of 2010!!!

Honesty

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:10:51 GMT

One of the things that I've re-discovered lately that has me feeling free and joyful is honesty - telling the truth. Not that I've ever been a compulsive liar or anything on the line. But you know, we all tell these little, "white" lies, for one reason or another. I've come to see that what the lies are masking is fear. Fear of being rejected, fear to hurt someone we love, fear to loose something we value. I've had enough of feeling fearful; I have immersed myself in being truthful, now more than ever, in an even deeper and more meaningful way than I've ever experienced before. Sometimes it may be emotionally difficult to tell the truth because of the beliefs we have attached to certain issues (I know, having been in both ends of a real-truth-on-the-table-about-a-big-thing conversation). Telling the truth involves, first and foremost, telling yourself the truth about yourself. Perhaps you've worn a mask of appearance in one or another area of your life and you have not admitted to yourself what you really feel and think. Give it a go. Start by looking at the areas of your life where you're not telling yourself the truth. What are you trying to protect? Here starts the wonderful and living-real path of freedom.

Byron Katie and The Work

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:55:10 GMT

Quite a while ago I discovered Byron Katie and "The Work" and this simple yet profoundly revealing system of enquiry never stops to amaze me and help me out in my own life. In case you're not familiar with The Work, it is a way to question our thoughts so as to see through them and avoid the emotional trap we fall into when we believe the thoughts we've made up, which are usually not true. You've got to visit The Work web site to fully know what this process of enquiry is about and how to use it for your benefit. I'll just give you a taste of it: regarding any thought that is making you suffer, ask yourself "Is it true?", followed by "Can I absolutely know that it is true?" It's astonishing how powerful just these two little questions are. Visit The Work and check it out for yourself!

"Relax kids"

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:01:23 GMT

A while ago I bought this book, "Relax kids", which contains 52 meditations for children. I thought that if I was to start with meditation I might as well make it easy and fun - like, for kids :-) So anyway - the meditations in the book are simple and easy to do, they take me between one and four minutes, and they are really relaxing. Plus, they are really fun as imagination plays a large role. If you're considering giving yourself a present, consider this book - the easiest and most fun way to meditate I've found so far.

Always Peace, Always Now

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 22:52:54 GMT

Whichever your religion, whatever your way to celebrate or not these days, my wish for you is that you experience a peaceful and loving time, and that you smoothly land on a new, greater stage of your life. Cristina - with Love, from The Benefits Of Positive Thinking

Positive Thinking Tips

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:57:35 GMT

Discover what is in these five positive thinking tips for you. Is the grass greener on the other side of the fence?

I am grateful for so many things

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:54:57 GMT

Many days I take for granted that my children are healthy and my husband and myself! Or that if we are hungry all we have to do is walk into the

When was the last time that you sat back and relax?

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:45:12 GMT

Specially at this time of the year, when we're all busy with a thousand things, it's very important to take time to just relax. Even if it's five minutes. Though for best results, take a good twenty to thirty minutes to just sit back and relax. Peace guaranteed :-)

Singing Joy

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:04 GMT

My friend @Blissmonger shared this video - so cool, so full of joy:

Melting hearts with his guitar at age 7

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:08:56 GMT

I watched this video the other day - a 7-year-old Argentinian kid who plays guitar just so lovely... well lovely does not even come close. See for yourself:

Blissmongering

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:17:04 GMT

When some see a kid starting to play an instrument or sing they see all that's missing there... Others, like my friend Blissmonger, see the joy in it. I love her approach and her comments to the video of the kid playing the ukulele: check Blissmonger's blog. And if I were you I'd visit her blog often, for it is full of gems of wisdom and it's a real uplifter :-)

A break for mind, body and spirit

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:41:24 GMT

Most of us spend a lot of time in front of a computer every day, be that at the office, or at home, or both. Sometimes we're so into the task we're doing that we don't realize two hours have gone by since the last time we actually stood up... I have it as a norm to get up from my chair every half an hour or so, walk about and get out on to the balcony if I'm at home, or on to the street if I'm at work, and breathe deeply for a few minutes. Getting my mind and my body away from whatever I'm doing for a few minutes refreshes me and helps me come back to things even more energized. It also helps me keep my spirit focused on what really is important - which for me it's not so much the task I'm busy with, but to maintain my center and my focus, appreciating and paying attention fully to the present moment.

Discovering Gangaji

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:21:02 GMT

Just yesterday I discovered a new spiritual teacher I had never heard about: Gangaji. Her style is similar to that of Byron Katie - yet she is unique on her own expression. Follow this link to find a series of videos of Gangaji's talks. They are really being a treasure in this Sunday morning :-)

Easy!

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:14:36 GMT

Relax! ...Breathe. All is well :-) Let that be your motto today.

Good music in good company

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:45:52 GMT

I had such a nice evening last night - a friend of my husband came to visit, and both of them played guitar and we three sang together... An evening full of music and good vibes; one of the songs we sang kept on resonating in my head this morning...

Sneezing panda

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:47:30 GMT

This is an oldie over the internet, but it's so funny... in case you missed it, here it is the sneezing panda:

On Intuition

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:32:54 GMT

We have the greatest tool to live, right in front of our noses: what is called our "intuition", "sixth sense", "gut feeling". I find my intuition is sometimes like a voice that speaks with no words. Over the years I've been learning to listen to my intuition more and more, and it makes all the difference in life. It is fairly easy to access our intuition - it may just take a bit of practice, if you're used to operating from your mind. Find a quiet spot. Let go of everything that might be in your mind - "having to" do things, worries, everything. Be still and "inside" yourself - it may help you to focus on your breathing. When you make space and time to be quiet, your intuition starts showing up more and more. After some time, it becomes easier to listen to our intuition. I'm not saying solely act on it, but do listen to it - it gives valuable advice. It lets me know that I'm grumpy because I need to sleep some more, whether I should go ahead with a venture or not, and even when I need to take time for myself and just relax! Gotta love life... ;-)

Send'em peace

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:31:37 GMT

I have come to find an excellent technique to diffuse tense situations with another person. All that it requires is that you do this "trick" sincerely, with a loving heart. So say you're dealing with a customer at work. The interaction starts fine. Then, there's something small that comes up, perhaps a little problem or a delay. The customer starts to get tense. You start to get tense too, maybe wanting to finish off the transaction and not wanting to deal with the situation. In these circumstances, as you're realizing how you are getting tense and how the other part is tense too, you can put in practice this technique. First, abandon your need to be "right", or to have anything done, or to finish the transaction. It will finish by itself quickly and easily when the situation is less tense. Then, mentally say to the person three times, with a loving attitude, "I send you peace, my brother". Mean it. Send them peace. Like I said above, all that it requires is that you do that sincerely - not for the sake of accomplishing anything but for the sake of a pleasant, fine interaction in between two people. It might be tricky to send the other peace when you're feeling tense. That's why it's important you first find your own spot of peace. With a little bit of practice, this is easy peasy - so go on, try it out next time, and observe the results...