Tag Archive for health and wellness

Making a (Genuine) Living: Putting Who You Are Into What You Do

March 2, 2014 John Uncategorized No comments

The Chi For Yourself guest this week is Jennifer Louden, author of The Life Organizer. Jennifer is a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the self-care movement. She’s written five books on well-being and whole living, a national magazine column, and she can say that she sat on Oprah’s couch.

You can hear the interview with Jennifer Louden this Thursday March 6th at 4pm Eastern time, 1pm Pacific at chiforyourself.com.

Article…

Making a (Genuine) Living: Putting Who You Are Into What You Do

I just returned from Central America. I’m considering moving to a home outside my native United States. I am grateful to be able to make surch a trip, and for the reasons I made it. Doing print and audio/video related work allows a person to live just about anywhere in the world while doing the things he or she feels inspired to do. One of the areas of my life where the small “inner voice” becomes my navigator is the type of work I do. I’ve felt this way since I was a small boy, but I’ve learned that what I do and who I am are two distinctly different things. I would advise anyone to make that important separation. And I’ve also felt the satisfaction of knowing that what I’m doing is what I must do- kind of taking a page from Maslow’s idea of Self Actualization.

So many of us feel that to present who we are to the world means to point to our occupation. But society puts different professions on different levels and it’s easy for a person to feel “less than”. Less than for holding what others see as a menial job. Less for being in a not very glamorous position. But history is full of the names of people who have been able to give us their skills and talents while holding down jobs seen as ordinary. Whether you’re in real estate or retail, a business person or a bus driver, your worth is folded into who you are an not what you do for a living.

Doing something that you enjoy and lets you meet your needs while allowing you to live in line with your values will always be more fulfilling that being in a high-status job you dislike. But it’s possible to find happiness in most any line of work. That’s because what you are doing is often not as important as how you you’re doing it. There’s much to be said for a good attitude. Couple that with good intentions and you can turn a so-so working situation into one that fulfills you because of your attitude.

If your efforts are benefiting others you’re adding value to the world. And if you’ve found happiness in your work and you feel that you’re living genuinely while also getting your emotional and physical needs met then you are are adding value to your life. If you’re sweeping streets then be the best street sweeper you can be. Know that you can bring your ability and skill to us no matter what work you do. Choose to be of service and your choice will be a wise one.

John K 3/3/2014

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Valentine’s Day: Love Offerings and Getting to The Conscious Core of The Matter

February 14, 2014 John Uncategorized No comments

The Chi For Yourself interview with Meagan McCrary on January 9th saw some problems in our Google + Hangouts presentation. The podcast was posted and has been up and running, but if you haven’t heard that show (and your tastes lean toward YouTube) I’m including the finally finished ‘Tube version of Chi For Yourself with guest Meagan McCrary..

On the surface it may appear that yoga is yoga is yoga, but take a closer look and you’ll discover myriad different yoga systems and lineages. There are dozens of yoga styles to choose from, and while yoga is for everyone, not every style is the perfect fit for every person. But how do you choose between mysterious-sounding names such as Ashtanga, Kundalini, Bikram, and Kripalu? Our Chi For Yourself guest Meagan McCrary says finding the right style is essential for establishing a steady yoga practice. Her book Pick Your Yoga Practice: Exploring and Understanding Different Styles of Yoga is described as the first book to describe the most prominent yoga styles in depth, including teaching methodology, elements of practice, philosophical and spiritual underpinnings, class structure, physical exertion, and personal attention. Meagan encourages those new to yoga that they will discover they have options and can confidently attend a class of their choosing, while experienced practitioners will expand their understanding of the vast world of modern yoga, and perhaps find themselves venturing into new territory.

Click on Meagan’s picture to hear the show..

Meagan McCrary

..and, don’t forget to listen Valentine’s Day Friday February 14th- 1pm Eastern for the 2012 interview with guest Dr. Debra Reble, author of Soul-Hearted Partnership: Creating the Ultimate Experience of Love, Passion, and Intimacy.

Click on the BlogTalkRadio logo to hear the show..

On Valentine’s Day the Core Values of Love Matter

By Dr. Charles D. Schmitz and Dr. Elizabeth A. Schmitz, the Official Guides To Marriage

By America’s #1 Love and Marriage Experts.

Commit to the seven core values of successful love and marriage and you can make your Valentine’s Day the best ever.

We have learned a lot about successful love and marriage in the USA and around the world over these past 32 years. The results of our studies are shared in our multiple award winning book entitled Building a Love that Lasts. In this article we would like to do is share with you what we have found to be the Seven Core Values of All Loving Relationships.

Over the past 32 years, we have learned much about what makes great marriages tick – about what makes them successful. Even in spite of ominous odds from time to time, the best marriages survive and thrive, and we know why! They survive and thrive because they are committed to the Core Values present in all great marriages and successful loving relationships. Here they are in a nutshell.

1. The couple in love is committed to always putting each other first in their relationship with each other.

The first thing you notice in all highly successful loving relationships is that those who purport to be in love recognize that their relationship is not about you and me, it is about US. Discovering that YOU are not the center of the universe is the hallmark of a great relationship. Actually putting another human being number one is a powerful indication that you are truly in love.

2. The couple in love is committed to democracy in their relationship.

Always remember, successful loving relationships are egalitarian. Namely, the best relationships understand that theirs is a shared relationship. If one person has all the power and makes all the decisions, it is NOT love! True love is a very democratic thing!

3. The couple in love is committed to ensuring their mutual happiness.

Remember, true love is not just about ensuring your happiness. More importantly, and often for the first time in your life, you actually enjoy and are motivated by ensuring the happiness of someone other than yourself. It is a good feeling!

4. The couple in love values absolute trustworthiness and integrity in their relationship with each other.

If you cannot trust the one you love, then it is not true love! Trust us on that. The most successful loving relationships report that they trust their mate unequivocally and without hesitation. To violate that trust is to undermine and, ultimately destroy, the relationship with the one you say you love.

5. The couple in love is committed to caring and unconditional love for each other.

When you truly love someone you do so without conditions. It is not about loving you IF . . . True love is unconditional.

6. The couple in love is committed to being mutually respectful towards each other.

There is a Golden Rule in true love and it is like the one you learned early in your life – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Do not expect to be treated with respect when you are disrespectful to the one you love. Respectfulness is at the heart of all great loving relationships.

7. The couple in love values their mutual sense of responsibility for each other.

People in love care for each other in ways that they have never cared for another human being. They feel a sense of responsibility for another person that they have never felt before. It feels so good to put another’s needs above your own. To do so is to love deeply.

The Core Values of all successful loving relationships are at the heart of the matter. If you and your mate master these values, your love will, in all probability, last a lifetime. What a Valentine’s Day gift that would be!

Simple Things Matter in Love and Marriage, particularly on Valentine’s Day. Love well!

Read How to Marry the Right Guy, to find out if the man you think you are in love with is marriage material.

By Drs. Charles and Elizabeth Schmitz
America’s #1 Love and Marriage Experts

* Creating a successful marriage is not always the easiest thing to do. Your visiting our blog suggests you are highly interested in making your relationship work! And truthfully, we have learned over 30 years of marriage research that there are proven effective ways to ensure a happy and healthy marriage. In fact, as love and marriage experts we took hundreds of tips from the thousands of happy couples we interviewed throughout the world and put them into our award-winning and bestselling book, Building a Love that Lasts

Author’s Bio:

Now you can order the Doctors’ multiple award winning book Building a Love that Lasts, the Mom’s Choice Awards Gold Medal Winner for Most Outstanding Relationships and Marriage Book. With 32 years of research experience on successful marriage and their own 47-year marriage, Drs. Charles and Elizabeth Schmitz know what makes marriage work. From their hundreds of interviews with happily married couples, representing 15,000 years of marriage, they’ve discovered the seven pervasive characteristics present in all successful marriages. Their book exposes the secrets for success through these poignant, real life stories.

During their distinguished careers the Doctors have received some 65 local, state, and national awards; published nearly 350 articles and manuscripts; delivered over 1000 speeches, workshops and public presentations; traveled throughout the world; and appeared on radio and television and in the print media. Dr. Charles D. Schmitz is Dean and Professor Emeritus of Family and Counseling Therapy at the University of Missouri in St. Louis and Dr. Elizabeth A. Schmitz is President of Successful Marriage Reflections, LLC.

Additional Resources covering Marriage can be found at:

Website Directory for Marriage
Articles on Marriage
Products for Marriage
Discussion Board
Dr. Charles and Liz Schmitz, the Official Guides To Marriage

Overheard..”Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

~ Rumi

John K. 2-14-2014

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Notes to Start the Week- January 20th, 2014

January 20, 2014 John Uncategorized No comments

If you logged on to chiforyourself.com for the Meagan McCrary interview on January 9th you noticed that there was no Google+ Hangouts on the Start page. I’ve been doing test posts on Hangouts and I believe the problem in getting our embed code has been worked out. I’ll have more to say in a future post about who our next guest will be. If you have yet to hear the interview you can get caught up here…

Meagan McCrary

It seems that everyone, from athletes to celebrities to high-powered executives and politicians to stay-at-home moms and college students, is practicing yoga. Our Chi For Yourself guest has put together an encyclopedia of different yoga styles as a reference for those new to yoga and experienced yogis and teachers alike. But Meagan McCrary’s approach digs deeper than the physical descriptions of the practices to include everything from a style’s philosophical foundation and teaching methodology to what-to-expect and health benefits. Meagan is a certified yoga instructor and freelance writer. Her teaching path has been greatly influenced by Anusara yoga founder John Friend as well as Noah Mazé, Elena Brower, and Martin and Jordan Kirk. Her yoga, wellness, and lifestyle writings are widely featured in print and online in publications including Elephant Journal, GaiamLife, and Glo. Meagan McCrary is the author of Pick Your Yoga Practice: Exploring and Understanding Different Types of Yoga.

Click on the player to hear the show:

While we’re on the subject of yoga..

Hot Yoga: The Sweaty Truth

Travelers Today- Hot Yoga, a growing trend among exercise aficionados, is an experience that opens your mind to the spiritual and the disgusting. Share This Story.

Restore After the Holiday Season with Yoga | 16 ROUNDS to …

Sara Bock – Restorative Yoga Postures. The holiday season, from Thanksgiving through New Years, can be a time of great joy, family gatherings, feasting, and fun.

Affirmations for Healthy Eating | Afro Flow Yoga

Leslie – James Allen said “ As a man thinketh so he is.” As we speak so we are.” Affirmations and positive self talk are key to affirming the direction you want to …

Article..

Law of Attraction: New Years Resolutions that Create Effective Change

By Lorna Sophia Levy

Make resolutions that are more about how you want to be – how you want to relate to the world – than about specific changes in behavior. They should be spiritual goals. Changes in behavior don’t last unless preceded by a change in consciousness. New Years Resolutions, to be effective, must be about changing our consciousness to be receptive to our desires.

Let your resolutions take the form of affirmations. That way you can say them or sing them or chant them to yourself, have fun with them, and remind yourself of the energy you are stepping in to.

One of my resolutions is the same as last year: to know that “I have multiple sources of passive income that support me lavishly.” This one is in wonderful unfoldment. I developed a product this year that is doing better than I expected and I have a lot of ideas to create in the future. I’m even hiring a virtual assistant to help me. This is so much fun! My work this year is to appreciate what I have while expecting more to come.

My second affirmation is that “I consciously, constantly practice the presence of Spirit within me.” This one is huge. It encompasses just about every spiritual goal I have and it influences every part of my life and my behavior. It says I am always aware that Spirit is my Source – so there can be no lack or limitation. It says that Spirit is always present and acting in my life – kind of like having an imaginary friend, except its not imaginary – more like an invisible friend beside me (or in me) at all times. It says I am always allowing Spirit to express through me – so I am non-judgmental. I speak kindly – even when aggravated. It causes me to allow my good to flow to me – to keep the channel open for the flow of love and energy and inspiration and comfort. This affirmation keeps me healthy because where Spirit is there is only vitality, ease and health.

A few years ago one of my resolutions was to more often find thoughts that feel good and do more things that I enjoy. This year my affirmation is to “Love myself”. Similar, but broader this year. As I love myself I bring to me all things that are loving. That means bubble baths, and fresh flowers; satellite radio and laughter; friends who brighten my light not diminish me; and it means appreciating myself, encouraging myself, and saying kind words to me. The only relationship we really want is between self and SELF. And that self love is the key to allowing. Self love leads to feeling deserving which leads to more allowing. Self love also lets us feel a little bit of the vast and endless love that Spirit has for us. I want a taste of that this coming year!

Lorna maintains an international Law of Attraction Coaching practice. From time to time she has openings for new clients. If you would like some help in consciously using the law of attraction in your life with ease, visit her website: http://www.transform-u.com.

John K 1-20-2014

chiforyourself.com home page

Normal Is An “N” Word: Strike It From Your Consciousness Dictionary

November 18, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

If you missed the Annemiek Douw interview last week you can listen to it here by clicking on the BlogTalkRadio logo:

Annemiek Douw says you can tap into and master your inner GPS. Annemiek Douw is the author of 21 Layers of the Soul: Healing the Karmic Ties with Friends, Lovers, Family and Enemies.

Here are some talking points from the interview with Annemiek Douw:

An illness caused her to re-arrange her life
Those who “pass over” remain much as they were in life
People take their issues with them when they pass on
Some people can’t stop cheating on their partners

Article: Normal Is An “N” Word: Strike It From Your Consciousness Dictionary

Are you normal? Are you sure? Then again, what is normal? Is it wearing the latest styles, or voting as your parents did, or being blonde, or adhering to the “true” religion?

Starting early in life most of us felt the pressure from our schools and our tribes to be normal. For generations society has put the emphasis on not being individual but on being like other people. Think, talk, and act like the crowd and you fit in. Step outside that box and you are called “weird” or at the very least “different”. But, drill down on this idea just a bit and you find that there is no such thing as normal. All of us are different. We all come from different backgrounds. Different nationalities, Different families with different looks, sounds, and actions. So why is it so important to be normal?

History is packed with the names of people who had no time for the notion of normal. The names are familiar- Socrates, Galileo, Jesus to name a few. Those who dared to live their truth knew that walking that path means not always being comfortable, reasonable, and “normal”. They knew that living in the moment set them free. They accepted the challenges and ignored the voices that said they won’t be able to or should not try to bring about positive change in their world.

At times you’ll hear “you can’t” or “no one has ever done that”, or “it’s impossible”. Resist the call to return to normal. Instead, go inside and find that strength that is born of who you really are. What I call your genuine self. All my life I heard the reasons why I must not do what I knew in my heart was really right, such as “we don’t do that”, “it’s too difficult”, and one of my favorites: “what will the neighbors think?” I was forced out of normal and onto the fringes of my environment. But as the years passed I felt more and more comfortable on the fringes. And as the years go by I find that a bonus of living my genuine life is a continuing sense of serenity. No feelings of euphoria, no bells and whistles. Just a knowing that I’m on the path laid out by my inner GPS.

Normal is realizing that all of us are different. Make self love your motivator and know that there is perfection at your inner-most level. You are unique. And that’s just fine.