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How The Flu Affects Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Man oh man, I got reminded of how much I hate being sick once again.

On a whim I decided to go to Portland for a day trip. We left at 7am, and here in the Pacific Northwest, depending on the weather, the day actually doesn’t brighten up until about 8:30am – 9:00am. That morning the sky was showing off in a fabulous way. The silhouette of the Cascade mountains, the sun peeking over from behind the mountains, and the sky…. the beautiful mix of orange, red, pink, and purple. It was a masterpiece.

And Portland? Portland was a blast! The coffee scene is on point and people are incredibly friendly. One of my favorite parts of the day was walking around the different neighborhoods and getting a feel for what each had to offer. I even had a chance to go to the Saturday farmer’s market and pick up a set of pasture raised farm fresh bacon. Let me just tell you – DELICIOUS!!!

Unfortunately I didn’t dress for the occasion and was freezing while walking around. I was lent a scarf and beanie which saved me from the worst misery 😉  Though I could tell by the way I was going from freezing one second to burning up another second that this wouldn’t end well.

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Friday Focus – 1/27/16

How do we want to remember our lives?

I was struck by a passage in one of the books I am reading, “The Mindful Path through Worry and Rumination: Letting Go of Anxious and Depressive Thoughts“, by Sameet M. Kumar Ph.D.

This made me think, through what lens have I been remembering my past? Through what lens am I living my life NOW? And finally, through what lens do I want to live my life in the future? At the end of the day, how do I want to remember all this?

I come back, again and again, to reminding myself of the infinite power we have within ourselves to choose our thoughts.

If your current state of being is one of anxiety, worry, fear or chronic stress, ask yourself the question – what am I predominately thinking about? Very often what we think about induces your state.

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Cause And Effect

Every thought is a cause, and every condition is an effect.

~Joseph Murphy

Compassion As An Aspect Of Surrender

Many times I have spoken about surrendering all attachment in difficult times. Most recently I mentioned how surrendering allowed me to make healing in leaps and bounds toward complete recovery from adrenal fatigue.

Perhaps it’s the peace that comes with complete surrender that allows for the body and mind to heal. When we give up hope (in a sense) of any outcome or attachment to any ideal (or not) situation, we allow ourselves an opening, a space in which we can feel the immense presence of the moment.

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Are You Aware Of Confirmation Bias?

Did you know that in every moment you actually have the power within yourself to choose what you want to think about? In previous posts I’ve written a lot about how important it is to, yes, CHOOSE your thoughts.

Did you also know that you and the person next to you, on average, have 50,000 – 70,000 thoughts per day? And furthermore, did you know that 95% (some even say 98%) of those thoughts are the same exact thoughts you had yesterday?!?!?

I don’t know about you but when I first heard this fact it was astounding to me. And when I heard it the second time around it made me stop everything I was doing and truly take it in.

Something changed within me when I decided to pause and truly think about this.

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Hearing The Silence In Bali

It was hot. Hotter than hot. As we stepped out of the airport I was suddenly aware that we were enveloped by a warm blanket of humidity. (If humidity took form I would have been able to slice through it with my arms.) Helloooooo Bali!

As we traveled to our temporary abode, what I immediately noticed about Bali was it’s serene presence and reverence for spirituality.

It was in the many quiet moments, whether by the beach, in the jungle, among the lily pads, or rice fields, where I was able to hear silence. You know, non-existent chatter.

Here are a few moments where I experienced serene moments of peace…

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Connect To Your Heart In Minutes

Have you ever gotten so stressed from life, whether from work, family, relationships, obligations, that you feel disconnected from yourself?

Lately, when it comes to transforming stress, I’m realizing how important it is to take a step back and stop feeding the stress…and ultimately the story. Furthermore, I’m realizing there is power in the NOW, the present moment, to stop feeding the vicious cycle of stress.

One practice that I thought was particularly helpful is called Quick Coherence, a technique from the HeartMath solution. It involves three simple steps which I explain below:

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