An approach that can also aid in the quest for a good night’s sleep is that of Chinese Medicine. This ancient healing system has offered relief to the sleep challenged for thousands of years. While new to many, Chinese Medicine is mainstream in China, and it is used today for a wide range of conditions by an estimated one-fourth of the world’s population.

The Roots of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine is considered the oldest, most continuously practiced, professional, literate medicine in the world. Written records date back over 2000 years, although the medicine is believed to go back even further. Some experts believe Chinese Medicine is at least 5000 years old.

Chinese Medicine employs acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritional therapy, tuina (pronounced “twee nah”) massage, acupressure, and qigong.

The Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon) is considered the Bible of Chinese Medicine, emphasizing medical theory and acupuncture. Some scholars estimate that it dates back to the first century B.C. In addition, The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica Classic) details the medicinal uses of 365 herbs and is believed to have been compiled around 200 A.D. Many of the protocols mentioned in these ancient texts are still used today.

Chinese Medicine and the West

The development of East-West relations has promoted the use and interest of Chinese Medicine in the United States. During the past 30 years, the practice of Chinese Medicine has dramatically increased here. The National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.) has reported that visits to Chinese Medicine practitioners in the U.S. tripled from 1997 to 2007.

At the same time, the United States is seeing an increase in the practice of integrative medicine. University centers and hospitals are offering Chinese Medicine. Integration has been common in China, where Chinese Medicine is often practiced side-by-side with Western Medicine.

The Chinese Medicine Approach to Sleep

Insomnia comes in various forms, such as trouble falling sleep, difficulty staying asleep, and having dream-disturbed sleep. When a Chinese Medicine practitioner is gathering information to put together a treatment plan, the pattern of the sleep disturbance as well as health and lifestyle issues will be taken into consideration.

A Chinese Medicine practitioner might use the term “calm the shen” when describing a treatment principle. “Shen” is best translated as the spirit of the person in a nonreligious sense. When evaluating Shen, the Chinese Medicine practitioner is looking for the emotional state and presence (or lack) of radiance, calm, and balance. Often with sleep disturbances, the patient will be experiencing patterns of stress, anxiety, or agitation. Chinese Medicine would call this “disturbed shen.”

Treatment for insomnia from a Chinese Medicine practitioner could include one or more of the following therapies: acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritional counseling, Chinese massage (acupressure/tuina), and qigong.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the insertion of needles into specific points of the body to reduce pain, to promote relaxation, and to treat various health concerns. Insomnia and sleep disorders are common reasons why people visit an acupuncturist.

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) lists insomnia as a condition for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown. Continuous research is underway to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture for sleep issues. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine published a review of randomized controlled trials of acupuncture treatment for insomnia. After looking at 46 randomized trials, the conclusion was that acupuncture appears to be effective in the treatment of insomnia, and larger, rigorously designed trials are warranted.

Chinese Herbal Medicine

There are many traditional Chinese herbal formulas to help regulate the sleep pattern. A formula is chosen for each person based on their symptoms, constitution, and medical history. It is best to have a licensed medical practitioner select the proper formula. Some herbs that are used in these formulas include Suan Zao Ren (Sour Date Seed), Bai Zi Ren (Arborvitae Seed), Fu Shen (Poria Paradicis), and Wu Wei Zi (Schizandra Fruit).

Hyla Cass, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist and integrative medicine expert, has reported great results with her sleep-challenged patients using a Chinese herbal compound Wulinshen. You can read more about this herbal approach in her blog on natural solutions to sleep.

Chinese Nutritional Therapy

Chinese Nutritional Therapy includes basic advice on healthy eating as well specific food recommendations for each patient. Some points emphasized in Chinese Medicine for better sleep include not eating for at least two to three hours before bedtime, as well as the avoidance of greasy or sweet foods. Chinese Medicine also recommends staying away from cold drinks. While Americans are big on ice-cold beverages, this is a huge no-no in Chinese Medicine. Also, when a patient seeks help from a Chinese Medicine practitioner for insomnia, a very detailed review will be made regarding the quality of their digestion. Chinese Medicine places a strong emphasis on the connection between digestion and sleep.

Chinese Massage Therapy (Acupressure/Tuina)

Chinese massage therapy consists of applying pressure to specific points on the body (acupressure) and techniques such as kneading, rolling, and pressing (tuina). Acupressure and tuina have demonstrated effectiveness for improving the quality of sleep. Research from China reported the effectiveness of acupressure and tuina in the treatment of insomnia patients. An Italian study reported improved sleep quality after acupressure stimulation for those suffering from sleep disorders, particularly in cancer patients experiencing insomnia.

Qigong

Qigong is a practice that uses movement, breathing, visualization, and meditation to reduce stress, improve flexibility, and enhance overall health. Like a physical therapist will prescribe specific exercises for the orthopedic patient, the Chinese Medicine/Qigong practitioner will often prescribe individualized qigong techniques for each patient. The regular practice of qigong is strongly associated with stress reduction and the encouragement of a deep, restful sleep.

Resources for Further Exploration

Understanding Chinese Medicine can be a bit daunting to the neophyte. Chinese Medicine has a different approach than Western Medicine, although some practitioners integrate both systems with a complementary approach. There is an explosion of interest in the West, and more is being written to bridge the gap between the Eastern and Western understanding.

If you are interested in Chinese Medicine, an excellent primer written for the layperson and novice is The Web That Has No Weaver by Dr. Ted J. Kaptchuk. Dr. Kaptchuk is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.

If you would like to further explore the Chinese Medicine approach to regulating sleep specifically, Curing Insomnia Naturally with Chinese Medicine by Dr. Bob Flaws is an excellent comprehensive guide.

For an even deeper look at Chinese herbal medicine, I’d recommend Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology by John and Tina Chen, experts in pharmacology and traditional Chinese Medicine. This 1,267 page guide details the traditional Chinese uses of herbs for insomnia and other conditions, the chemical composition, clinical studies and research, and herb-drug interaction information.

Dr Patricia Fitzgerald is a Wellness Editor, Licensed Acupuncturist, Cert. Clinical Nutritionist, Homeopath, Author

This article can be found:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-patricia-fitzgerald/calming-the-shen-a-chines_b_439771.html

When you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change.
Dr Wayne Dyer

I have heard it said that everyone’s problem is a lack of awareness about what to do in a situation. But your dreams can give you the awareness you need.

The difficulties you encounter might be the very things you need to stimulate more of your creativity and enhance your ability to lead a charmed life. That is of course, if a charmed life is something you might wish to have. Recently, my dreams have been waking me up to some amazing insights about blocks I have been meeting.

Over the past few weeks of the Sleep Challenge 2010, I have begun to explore my dreams. Not in any too intense a way. And not every night. When recording my dreams has involved me bolting upright at 3.00 a.m. and writing down my impressions, only to find that I could not go back to sleep again, then it was time to take a break. So I have given myself a night off.

When I started the process of recording my dreams, I had been experiencing a loud and insistent heartbeat. I would wake up with my heart thumping noisily in my chest. But I felt perfectly well, and did not feel motivated to rush off to the doctor for help. Some mornings, my heart was “clanking” in my chest. Somewhat unnerving. Only when I observed my heartbeat, it calmed down.

As sometimes happens, I had been pushing on myself, trying to do too much and feeling overwhelmed. My heart was literally telling me to calm down. Which I did. I just have let go of some unnecessary demands and all is quiet again in my chest. This kind of awareness prompted a change of behaviour.

The secret I am finding with dream awareness is not to be looking for the perfect recording of every detail. Just an impression can work fine. When later in the day I read through what I have written, I am taken back toward the dream world I left when I woke up. It has a very different quality to my waking preoccupations — more reassuring.

Working with my dreams is empowering me to know what is true for me and to honour it. I am learning how to relate better with a valuable aspect of my consciousness that is giving me greater peace of mind and trust in the process of my life unfolding. Greater self-awareness is proving to be a great gift and a blessing.

Reading Russell Bishop’s recent post: Could Sleep Aid Your Contact With The Divine? gave me good ideas for dream recall.

Here are some of my own Guidelines for getting the most from your Dreams:

1. Put aside perfection

It is too tempting to feel that unless you record every detail of your dream, that you cannot get any value from it. A simple word or feeling that catches your attention may be useful. Jot down a note about it.

2. Be open and uncritical

As above, let go of preconceptions about how or what you receive in your dreams. Keep an open mind and willingness to receive the information or guidance that will best serve you.

3. Assume the positive intent within words, symbols or feelings that you receive

Entertain the possibility that within you is a loving spirit that is serving your best interests. If a dream has been disturbing, even frightening, maybe it is calling your attention to an issue you need to address. Interpret your dreams in the light of compassion and kindness towards yourself.

4. Allow yourself to receive further insights during your waking day

At quiet moments, waiting in line at the supermarket, walking in a park, or standing in the shower I become available to inspiration that may come “from out of the blue”.

5. Experiment

Explore new ways to improve your dream recall. Go to bed earlier so that you have enough time in the morning to write in your journal. Write on a five by three card: “I wonder how it is possible for me to… ” and write the question for which you are seeking guidance. Read it over last thing at night for a few nights in a row. If there is no answer for you right away, let it be ok. Answers have a way of finding us when we need them.

Dreams can offer you the wake up call to greater awareness. That greater awareness can be a guiding light, changing the way you see things. A change of outlook may make an extraordinary difference to how you experience your life, the good and the less good of it.

You can find this article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-naylor/getting-the-most-out-of-y_b_438047.html

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Here are a few tips to getting a great reading.

1. Choose a caring reader that has expertise on your area of interest. There are some readers that are excellent in business, but might now focus on relationships. If you are trying to focus on a certain area, be sure to make sure the reader has experience and past success in that area.

2. Write down any questions that you have before you get into your psychic reading.
3. Before the reading clear your energy. Energy is such a big part of how the psychic reader picks up on you. Readers use different tools (clairvoyant, spirit guides, tarot, etc.) to pick up on your energy, it helps to have the clearest and best possible energy before speaking to the reader. You will want to have a routine. I personally like to get a cup of herbal tea (hot or iced depending on the season), light a white candle, and use my light blue sketch pad to take notes. I always take a few really deep breaths and clear my mind before picking up the phone to call the psychic reader. Good energy helps to get a great reading.

4. Go with your own intuition. If you feel the reader is off, hang up (politely) with them and call our office. Your gut feeling is one of your gifts that you bring to the reading. If you are not comfortable with the reader, call us back.

5. Let the reader use their gifts to read. I always like to listen to what the reader is picking up before asking any questions or giving too much information about my life.

6. If you have specific questions, ask them! Don’t be shy. The psychic reader reads because he or she love people and wants to help.

7. After the reading is finished, reflect on your notes. After about a week go back to your notes to remind yourself. Keep the notes so that in the future months and years you can look back at them to see what happened. It is always fun to see what comes true and what changed since your reading.

Does this sound familiar:

You arrive in the classroom and take your assigned seat. As you reach down to open your book the teacher says “Okay class, remember books away, it is time for the final exam!” Final exam, what is she talking about? Is that my boss sitting next to me? And where are my clothes? You wake in a cold sweat, still wondering where your clothes went.

One of the topics I get the most questions about is dreams. In my last post, we reviewed information about if we dream, why we dream, and one method for influencing our dreams (lucid dreaming). The content of most dreams seems to be dreamt once but many people can experience a repeat occurrence. Today I wanted to write about these recurrent dreams.

Recurrent dreams appear to fall into two main categories: stress related and full-on nightmares. Some of the more common dreams associated with anxiety and fear are:

• Dreams of being chased — Often you will feel like you are in slow motion (this may mean that you are having this dream while in REM sleep, when your body is paralyzed. This physiological experience occurs so that you do not act out your dreams).

• Dreams of falling — Some think that this may represent the transition from one sleep stage to another.

• Dreams of being in a haunted house — Some think that this could have something to do with your surroundings or sleep environment.

And most recurrent dreams are relevant to the person who is dreaming, according to Dr. Daniel Condron (Director and Dream Researcher at the School of Metaphysics). His theory is that the dream represents a question or message (often related to a limitation, habit, fear or doubt) to the dreamer. And he thinks that the dream will reach a conclusion (and may even stop repeating) once the dreamer understands the message and resolves to make a change.

There do appear to be some common themes in repetitive dreams for everyone:

(1) Being in school long after the dreamer has graduated.

(2) Being in houses that keep changing.

(3) Seeing a deceased person who is alive in the dream.

What these mean is still up for debate. You can interpret your dream and I can interpret your dream, and we could both be right or wrong — no one can know for sure.

However, remember that the dreams are about the dreamer, as are any symbols in them, so when looking at your dreams (after writing them down in your dream journal) it is important to personalize your interpretations of them. As an example let’s take a look at the three categories above and think about what a general interpretation could mean and then how to make it more specific to you.

In my opening dream report, the dreamer is back in school (one of the three most popular categories), what could that mean? It all will depend upon what school means to the dreamer:

• School may represent education to the dreamer, so maybe they have anxiety about a particular subject and need to learn something for work, home or with friends.

• School may represent a social scene to the dreamer, so maybe they feel anxious about an upcoming social event or party.

• School may represent a structured situation to the dreamer, so maybe the dream represents anxiety or stress about an upcoming training seminar or conference or time when they will need to take a test.

• School may represent a time of security to the dreamer, so maybe they feel anxious because they are in a situation which is currently dangerous.

Thus, an interpretation is best when the dreamer personalizes the content of the dream, by the theme, and then looks for things in the dream to help answer the question of why the dream occurs. Clues may include people, places or things that have meaning to the dreamer in particular. The higher the emotional attachment to the person, place or thing, the more likely it has a meaning regarding why the dreamer dreamt at all.

So in the above dream, the dreamer might have identified that they need to learn more about a subject that they fell inadequate about. Now for the Clues:

• In the dream they noticed that their boss was sitting next to them, so maybe this is a topic from work.

• Being naked is like being exposed, so maybe they are concerned that a colleague from work is going to find out that they need to learn more and expose it to their boss.

It is impossible to know if this is an exact and correct interpretation, but if the interpretation matches with the dreamer’s thoughts, then there is something to be gained. Hopefully there is some insight into the message, or problem, and hopefully some type of resolution.

One of the most famous accounts of a recurrent dream is from Abraham Lincoln. While discussing the war with General Grant during a cabinet meeting he told the general that there would be big news from the warfront. When Grant asked why he thought this he replied:

“I had a dream last night; and ever since this war began I have had the same dream just before every event of great national importance. It portends some important event that will happen very soon.”

That evening Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

What are your recurrent dreams? And what do you think that they might mean?

Follow Dr. Michael J. Breus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesleepdoctor

You can find this article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/recurring-dreams-and-thei_b_437633.html

Benevolent Guides:

Many people believe they have spirit guides. Some refer to theirs as angels or guardians. Regardless, if you believe you have one, a spirit guide is there simply to guide, not as an entity that you need to give yourself over to. If a spirit guide has a negative influence on your behavior, then chances are good that it’s not a spirit guide at all, but something else entirely. These are some of the more commonly found types of spirit guides:
Ascended Masters:

These are guides often found by people who do energy work, such as Reiki. A ascended master who appears as a spirit guide is often a being that led a physical life and has moved on to a higher spiritual plane — for example, Buddha, Krishna, even Jesus. Ascended masters usually work with collective groups of souls — in other words, if you’ve got an ascended master hanging around you, you’re not the only one he or she is helping. Their primary focus is that of helping all of humanity. It’s not uncommon for an ascended master to have access to Akashic records. Also referred to as Master Teacher guides.
Ancestral Guides:

An ancestral guide is one who can claim some sort of kinship with you, such as your dear Aunt Tillie who died when you were ten. It may also appear in the form of a long-dead ancestor. In some schools of thought, these entities are seen as reincarnated guides, because they are the spirits of someone who loved us during their physical lifetime, or who had some sort of blood connection to our family. Some people, depending on their religious upbringing, may see these types of guides as guardian angels.
Common Spirit Guide, or Teacher Guide:

A typical spirit guide is archetypical, symbolic or representative of something else. For example, you may find your guide appears in the form of a warrior, a storyteller, or a wise woman, and they have appeared to you for a purpose. Typically, that purpose is to teach you and guide you along a particular path. They may also introduce you to other archetypes along your journey, and help out with problem solving, based upon your needs. They are known to provide insight by way of dreams or meditation, and may only hang around as long as you need them, then move on.
Animal Guides:

Although many people claim to have animals as spirit guides, often these entities are more companions than anything else. It’s not uncommon for a deceased pet to linger around, keeping you company through the grieving process. In some spiritual traditions, such as various Native American or shamanic paths, a person may have an animal totem, which provides teaching and/or protection.
Is Your Spirit Guide Really There To Help?:

Every once in a while, someone will manage to contact what they think is a spirit guide – perhaps by way of a Ouija board or other method of divination — and the next thing you know, things are getting weird. If any of the following scenarios seem familiar, then chances are that what you’ve connected to is not a spirit guide at all.
How to know your spirit guide isn’t really there to help:

* You’re the only person the spirit has EVER contacted, and you’re really super special, which is why they’re sharing their message with you and not two hundred other people.
* Your guide talks about magical doorways, secret portals to other worlds, or gates that you somehow managed to open, and nobody else ever has.
* The spirit doesn’t mind you bragging about it to friends, but gets grumpy whenever anyone questions its existence or purpose. Not only that, it encourages you to isolate yourself from friends who think the spirit guide may well be full of poo.
* The spirit claims to be hanging around in order to protect you from some other spirit that you’ve never encountered. Weird stuff happens, and your spirit guide is handily there at all the right times to help you out.
* Your spirit guide claims to be from another planet or world that is as yet undiscovered by scientists.
* The spirit claims that it needs your help — and only yours — to help it do things like write, talk, etc., and basically wants you to become its instrument of operation. In exchange for this voluntary form of possession, the spirit will impart you with all kinds of nifty new wisdom, that only you will be privy to.
* The spirit seems to have no real purpose other than to share information with you, but the information you’re receiving is of no real use, other than to make you believe you are way more enlightened than everyone else.
* The spirit informs you that people who love you and care about you are secretly plotting against you, and that the only one who truly understands you is the spirit itself.
* All the information you’re being given by the spirit goes against common sense, logic, laws of science and physics, and basic human decency… and yet it all makes sense to you now, because you’re the only one special enough for the spirit to talk to.

You can find this article here:

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/divination/p/Spirit_Guides.htm

There is an old saying that if you never have a quarrel in a marriage then the first time can end in divorce. So the good news is it’s OK to have little spats every now and then. We have been married over 23 years, and, as in any marriage, we have been through both wonderful times and many challenges. We also work together, writing and teaching, and have two offices next to each other. And so, inevitably, there are times when one or even both of us loses it. We are, after all, very human. But, in all that time, we have a commitment never to go to bed angry with each other, or with anyone else.

What we have come to realize is that it is never really about the issue, but the need for the ego to be right. So we try to see how the ego is demanding attention, and then focus on what is really going on. Anger is a powerful and complex emotion– when it grabs hold it is difficult to control your mind or keep your bearings–but there are often layers of conflicting feelings hidden beneath it, such as hurt, insecurity, or fear, trying to make themselves heard. The power of rage is such that it can act as a defense mechanism and overshadow these other emotions, causing us to lose touch with ourselves and struggle to articulate what we are really feeling.

Getting angry may really be a cry for contact, having lost our connectedness with each other; it may be expressing feelings of rejection, grief, loneliness, or a longing to love and be loved. Often anger is saying I love you, or I need you, or please hear me, yet we are hurling abuse at each other instead.

The emotional fallout from anger can be huge and we have no control over the repercussions. It takes over and in the process leaves little room for awareness, our heart goes out of reach and we lose connection with both our own feelings and the person we are mad at. This can have irretrievable consequences.

As psychotherapist Maura Sills says in BE THE CHANGE:

I have done anger; I have harmed people. It has been done to me; I have been harmed. I come from a family that was angry; it was the way we related to one another. I believed that if people had trouble with my anger, it was their problem, and I had a right to act the way I wanted. But when we express anger, we are creating more pain and suffering in ourselves and in the world.

Taking anger to bed is probably one of the most damaging things we can do to both our relationship and ourselves. During the day we have a chance to process anger and let it go, to see what it is really saying. But at night it can become intensified and build from a simple story to a major drama. So here are five reasons why not to go to bed feeling angry:

1. Anger is toxic. It floods our body and brain with chemicals, so it will disrupt our sleep and could create nightmares.

2. We dwell on it, making it grow into something bigger than it really is.

3. It can create irreparable damage with our loved one, when what we really want is to reach out and be friends.

4. We can wake up feeling even worse, causing us to repeat it and drag it out through the day.

5. Forgiveness is a far more energy-efficient option. It releases us from the drain of holding a grudge, setting us free to love and laugh again.

Only by recognizing what the real emotion is behind the anger can there be more honest communication. Meditation can be very helpful here, as it not only invites us to witness anger, but also to get to make friends and even share a cup of tea with it. Meditation may not be a cure-all; it may not make all our challenges go away or suddenly transform our weaknesses into strengths, but it does enable us to rest in an inclusive acceptance of who we are. This does not make us perfect, simply more fully human.

How do you deal with anger before you go to bed? Do comment below. You can receive notice of our blogs every Tuesday by checking Become a Fan at the top.

You can order a copy of our latest book at: BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You and the World.

A few words to characterize most human brains: busy, loud, stubborn, and scared. For many of us, our overactive brains keep us from opening to our deepest, most loving, most comfortable selves. When we are not open to these aspects of ourselves, we either hide by hibernating (literally or figuratively), or we stay busy with hilariously misaligned priorities. So busy that we’re not sleeping as we should.

In myself, when my priorities are askew [I'm procrastinating, fast-forwarding, not paying attention to the present abundance], I’m actually just scared, and i don’t sleep. The fear that keeps many of us awake: that we aren’t seen, heard, felt – and therefore alive. As disorienting as this fear may be, it is quite human, but it gets us doing the darndest things, into the wee hours of the morning, and not sleeping.

Tangentially, if you’re not currently sleeping well and you’re tripping over yourself about it as we all do sometimes, play your guitar [or whatever instrument you've always wanted to pick up]. At least it becomes time more sweetly spent.

If and when you want to try a practice that may help you reclaim some nourishing rest, read on.

After careful observation, I’m here to report that the only break from this fear — whatever form it’s taking in your life — is breathing consciously. Breathing delivers me into the present moment. And breathing is key to getting your healing rest.

When my mind has such a hold that I cannot breathe, Reiki returns me to my breathing.
The brief practice below incorporates Reiki, which helps us breathe, combined with conscious breathing, which helps us sleep.

Consistency equals efficacy here; you’ll feel the cumulative effects.

1. For everyday situations (walking, waiting, sitting — right now), place your left hand over your heart, center of your chest, fingers spread, palm flat. With your hand there, breathe into and around your brain. Use your breathing to make space between your actual brain and your skull (be creative with the visual and you will feel it in your softening eyes); then you may even breathe some more space between the two hemispheres of your brain. Keep your brain porous, spacious, and notice how that quality of openness is actually a reflection of your spacious heart below. Hold the space and notice your thought-pace slow down. Use this in meetings, in conversations, with children. Or several breaths right now.

2. Ideally done lying down or reclining, try this placement right now if you can. Place one or both hands on the top crown of your head, one in front of the other, elbows out to the sides, and breathe deeply into your heart. Broaden your heart; widen the space in the center of your chest laterally. As you breathe, maintain your expansive heart and notice the reflection of that opening higher up, in your mind, as well. Put some attention on the resonance in and around your hands.

Take a few breaths here.

2A. When you’re using this placement specifically before sleep: lying on your back, place your hands on the top crown of your head and let your elbows rest out to the sides on your pillow. Let your eyes relax [closed or open, as you wish] and review the scenes of your day with no judgment: where have you been, how did you speak, what did you offer? Be objective and keep your heart expansive as you breathe here. This is information-gathering, not judgment time.

The aim of this nightly review is to learn your habitual tendencies with your heart wide open– what they look like, sound like, their consequences — so they don’t continue to infect your every interaction. You’ll see which attitudes drain you and which nurture you. Whether you’re horrified, pleased, psyched, mortified upon seeing your behaviors; see those judgments, and remember that no judgment can take you over once you’ve seen it clearly as you’re breathing generously. Notice you’re sad: there is sadness, say hello- sadness is present, but it’s not YOU. Notice you’re thrilled! Greetings, thrilled, that’s what that feels like; return to your breathing and simply do whatever needs to be done next.

Your attention on your breathing sits right in the middle of any two strong polarities; if you’re breathing, you can see more clearly what’s required of you. My teacher recommends 5 minutes for the review; it helps me to have my hands on my head as I watch, and to breathe until my heart feels softer and more open even in the face of what I’m seeing.

Both of these hand placements are incorporated into a full Reiki self-treatment.
Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide offers an enlightening history of this profoundly healing practice as well as details of the full self-treatment. To learn about Reiki, meet Pamela Miles, who’s committed herself to Reiki’s widespread scientific recognition and medical use in hospitals and critical-care environments [and, very thankfully, in my home].

This practice must be for yourself only – an intimate, quiet practice of self-care.
We must fearlessly breathe through each frightfully sabotaging thought, one at a time, in order to know what real acceptance looks like. It takes longer on some nights, but now we have a practice, a vessel, a direction for a rambunctious brain.

Is such a concrete practice of self-nourishing, Self-acceptance the most efficient salve for sleeplessness? Or is it your 2 a.m. solitary guitar strumming? Let me know what’s true for you.

Fun assignment: write the following phrase on 5 small sticky notes and place them at eye level in your kitchen, your fridge, your mirrors, your door.

Take care of yourself.

This article can be found here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elena-brower/art-of-attention-breathin_b_430050.html

Thousands of years ago, people spent hours gazing at the night sky. They found that by connecting the stars as if they were dots, patterns emerged that resembled animals, people and things.

Today, we call star patterns constellations. Eventually, 88 star patterns were identified. The patterns helped people navigate on land and by sea as well as tell time, appearing in different parts of the sky depending on the day and year. (The stars don’t move. Earth moves, rotating on its axis once every 24 hours and revolving around the Sun once every year.)

Do you enjoy stargazing? Here’s help finding the different stars and constellations. (You can also reference star maps on our astronomy links page.)
The Big Dipper

The big dipper is not a constellation, but an asterism (a familiar group of stars located within a constellation).

Look for seven major stars: four in the “bowl” and three in the “handle.” The two stars on the outside of the bowl are called the “pointer” stars. They point to Polaris, a bright star that is also called the North Star because with it you can figure out which way is north.
To find north:

* Find the Big Dipper.
* Find the pointer stars.
* Find Polaris.
* Look straight up.
* Turn your body towards Polaris.
* Now, you’re facing north.

Ursa Major, the Great Bear

If you find the Big Dipper, you have found the Great Bear: The Dipper’s handle is the Bear’s tail. Legends about the Great Bear abound. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that a mythological king grabbed its tail, swung it around, and swung it into the sky to whirl around the North Pole forever. Some Native Americans believed that the three tail stars were hunters chasing the Bear.
Ursa Minor, the Little Bear

Polaris will help you find the Little Dipper, also known as Ursa Minor, or the Little Bear. Polar is the star on the end of the Little Dipper’s handle.
Orion, the Hunter

This is easiest to find in the winter. Look for three bright stars in a line—these are Orion’s belt. The two tars north of this are his shoulders. One of these is Betelgeuse (”BETTLE-juice”), which is a giant red star. The two brighter stars to the south are his legs.

Ancient people used Orion to predict the seasons: If it appeared at midnight, the grapes were ready to harvest. If it appeared in the morning, summer was beginning. If it appeared in the evening, winter had arrived.
Canis Major, the Great Dog

This is named for the larger of Orion’s two hunting dogs (the other, Canis Minor, has only two stars).
To find Canis Major:

* Imagine a straight line through Orion’s belt.
* Move your eyes left (south) until you come to a very bright star—that’s Sirius, the nose of the dog.
* Look farther south to find a triangle of stars that marks the dog’s hindquarters.

Ancient Egyptians called Sirus “the Nile Star” because it always appeared in the sky right before summer began and the waters of the River Nile began to flood. In medieval Europe, people thought that a combination of light from the Sun and Sirius caused the hot and humid “dog days” of summer.
Pegasus, the Winged Horse

The secret to finding Pegasus is to know that its four stars make a square. The clearest view is in October, but it is visible from July through January. According to Greek myth, Pegasus carried thunder and lightning for the god Zeus.

On a clear and moonless night away from bright lights, you can see about 2,500 stars. Spend some time looking at the sky and connect the stars!

We are living in exciting times of great transformation. The speed of change both around us and in our own lives has gone from linear to parallel to constant and environmental. Change is no longer one of the dynamics that come and go in our lives, it is the environment in which we live.

Shift happens. If we are to thrive in this environment, we must be open to shifting our thinking, our perspective, our way of doing business and in many ways, our way of living. With the world changing so fast around us, we can’t afford to stand still and remain stagnant in our thoughts, ideas or our beliefs. What was current yesterday is already outdated today. This second is already gone.

Adults today have seen more changes in their lifetime than any other prior generation. According to the emerging futurist of our time, David Houle, author of The Shift Age, “There has been more change in the lifetime of the baby boomer generation than in the prior five generations combined. The amount of information created and the number of discoveries made in the last 10 years surpasses the prior 100 years.”

According to David, “We are entering the Shift Age and the disruption we all feel economically and elsewhere in our lives is due to the transition from the Information Age to the Shift Age. Those of us over the age of 40 were born in the Industrial Age, have lived through the Information Age and are now entering the Shift Age. We are the first generation in human history to have experienced three ages in a single lifetime. That is the larger context of why the acceleration of change feels stronger than ever before.”

We’re all feeling the effects of this shift, even if we don’t know that it exists. For most of us, this is a time of great transformation, upheaval, creative destruction and accelerating change. With that, there may also be some really rough times and situations. But while shift at that high of a rate of speed creates unparalleled change and disruptive bumps in the road it also creates unprecedented opportunity.

Never has the ability for one person to reach the entire world been greater than it is today. Think of it this way — what used to take years now takes months, weeks, hours or sometimes only seconds. Imagine how different your life would be if you were living about 150 years ago when it would have taken the Pony Express weeks to deliver a letter across the country. Today, it is commonplace to not only have instantaneous communication with any individual globally; we can also reach millions of people with the click of a few computer strokes. It took the television 34 years to reach 50 million users. It took Facebook less then nine months. That is shift.

The bigger question then becomes, at this rate of exponential growth, what opportunities will tomorrow bring?

At a recent conference I attended David asked, “Raise your hand if you don’t have enough information in your life!” No one raised his or her hand. David believes the Information Age is over, as scarcity adds value and if there is no scarcity of information, it no longer has value. Additionally, it is attention that will create value for information. If we can create attention, we will create value.

How do we create attention? To me, I believe that comes from following our own bliss. Each of us has an inner voice that speaks uniquely to us. Now, more than ever, it’s not only okay to follow it, but it is essential that we break out of the information crowd around us and shine. The best way to prepare for the changes ahead in what David calls this “Transformation Decade” is to create attention for our product or service by being the best “me” we can be.

According to David, The Shift Age will be one of the most significant, transformative times in human history. We are entering one of the great moments in the history of Modern Man. It is an exciting and transformative time to be alive. We will need all of the inspiration, creativity and individual contribution to guide us collectively through this decade.

The accelerating electronic connectedness we are experiencing is a technological model for a new human consciousness that David believes could begin as early as the 2020s. All signs point in that direction.

Therefore, now is the time to collaborate, encourage and inspire each other to get there. There’s no better time than this moment to create attention for our own projects and ideas and it all starts with following our own bliss.