Greetings!

Welcome to the Soul Wisdom Therapy newsletter!  

Present Moment Awareness:
Some Pointers for a Contented, Stress-Free Life 

Place your hand on your heart and take a deep breath. Do you feel that? It’s the rhythm of life beating within you. The sound of the universe that tells you that you are alive. You are invited to create a new world each day with your thoughts and actions. It’s a big undertaking and your call to action. What will you do with it? Will you launch headlong into tasks that might involve parenting, taking care of an elder, school, work, housekeeping, errands and bill paying? As you contemplate that schedule, what is your heart doing? Likely pounding. And your breathing? Rapid and shallow. 
Here is an alternative. Ease into your day. Unless there is a crying baby that needs tending or the call of nature heads you into the bathroom, take a moment to sit on the edge of your bed and repeat the heart exercise. This time, consciously slow your breathing which will take your heart along with it. Allow thoughts of ease and grace to flow through like a gentle stream. Set an intention for your day, that the details fall into place, that you will be led to the right place at the right time. Imagine meeting the right people who will enhance your life and you, theirs. See miracles in whatever form. Allow your intuition to guide you. 

Time is a mental construct. As a species, we have decided what it means. Sometimes it seems as if it speeds up or slows down, depending on the activities we are engaged in. If it is a ‘have to’ obligation, the hands of the clock (remember analog clocks?) move at a snail’s pace. If it is a joyful immersion, it is as if it happens in the blink of an eye. Those are the experiences to savor. 

The reality is this moment is all that exists. The past is behind us, and the future has not yet been born. Can you live in this precious moment, in joyous anticipation, rather than heart pounding dread? 

Mindfulness is one doorway to the former and a way of quelling the latter. 

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is the author of Wherever You Go, There You Are, and the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) claims that “The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” 

· Remind yourself when pulled into the past which is generally where depressing thoughts are formulated, “I am here and now, not there and then.” 

· Anxiety nags at us, telling us that because the future is uncertain, it is something to fear. Make a list of what you can and can’t control in your life. 

· As simplistic as that might sound, consider how often throughout the day, particularly when in the midst of stress inducing circumstances, you hold your breath. Breathe consciously. 

· Observe what is around you. Remember the childhood game, “I spy with my little eye”? You can adapt it to, “I spy with my mindful eye,” and then state what you see around you. 

· Engage in object awareness. Hold a flower, stone or strawberry in your hand and experience it with all of your senses. Attempt to describe it as if to someone who has never seen it before. 

· Full sensory eating. Pick a favorite treat and smell, see, taste, touch and hear it in silence. 

· Wash the dishes or fold clothing with total attention to what you are doing. 

· Take a walk. This too can be meditative as you focus on each step as a distinct movement. A labyrinth can be an effective tool to assist in slowing your movement. 

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
In this video Jon Kabat-Zinn teaches a 10-minute mindfulness meditation.
Max's Corner

Cat's live in a perpetual state of mindfulness as they watch the world, ready to pounce playfully. 
Soul Wisdom Groups

Are you interested in joining an online spiritual community - The Awakening to Spirit Group? Participants come together over Zoom once a month to meditate together, work with practices for living life to the fullest and for awakening to our true nature. Please visit the website at awakening2spirit.org for more details. We meet the third Saturday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Pacific Time.
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Soul Wisdom Therapy 

Deborah Cohen, M.A., M.P.H., LMFT 
916-491-1216 (voicemail)
707-301-0252 (for texting)

Mailing Address
 P.O. Box 4254
Hidden Valley, PA 15502