THE BREATH

Do you take your breath for granted? Most of us have a tendency to just equate the breath to one of the autonomic nervous system functions, which simply means automatic. But I suggest to you that our breath is so much more than that.

Learning the “real” function of the breath, and how we can use it intentionally, can positively change our lives. Its simplest effect includes stress reduction and relaxation, and if we only utilized breath control for those goals, we would experience tremendous health benefits.

But I suggest to you that at the highest end of the spectrum the breath is the physical expression of our soul, our connection to our Source or the Divine.

Right now, sitting where you are, inhale deeply to a slow count of three, then exhale very slowly to a slow count of five. Repeat several times and then listen to what your body tells you about how it is feeling. Learn to repeat this simple breath exercise several times throughout your day.

Let’s look at our personal history with our own breath. At the instant we exited our mother’s body, if we had not taken our first breath, we would never have been born. In Genesis the bible says God breathed the breath of life into Adam, and he became a living soul. So the breath is clearly an expression of our soul.

Learning breath control can indeed open a door to our Source, the powerful creative energy of the Universe. I encourage everyone to learn breath control and begin to experience our connection to all that is, your personal:

Healer Within

I first learned the power of breath control to heal through Qi Gong and Hatha Yoga. Both disciplines employ breath work. Breathing exercises have been a major cornerstone of my recovery from Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. I cannot imagine my life today (after 15 years of daily practice) without the powerful healing energy created by Qi Gong.

We all have a healer within . . . we just must learn to go within to connect with it. How does one do that? Meditation and such disciplines as Qi Gong and Yoga opens that door for everyone.

"I frequently hear people say, "I can't meditate;
I have tried many times and nothing happened."
If you are one of those, I have good news for you.

For some people learning to meditate is easy, and for others it seems illusive. I was one for whom it did not come easy. But I learned that persistence was the key. Learning to meditate is simply teaching your mind a new habit – that of stillness and silence. In that silence profound insights begin to happen.

Check out my primary website, www.BettysHouseLifeAfterMS.com for details of my story. There is a free “meditation” report available there. Print it out and get started learning the incredible restorative powers you possess.

If you choose to make a small donation to the work of Betty’s House and its companion newsletter, Journey to Wellness, I’ll gift you with a very powerful four minute video on Spirituality. Response to that video has been phenomenal.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, surrounded by those you love.

Betty

IT IS WHAT IT IS - A Great Life Lesson

IT IS WHAT IT IS . . . Now that I am considered a senior citizen, it seems appropriate to review life lessons I am learning or have learned. Some time ago I heard a lecture entitled, “It Is What It IS . . . then move on.”

I cannot but think about all the times in my life I have wasted precious energy agonizing over something that ultimately proved to be irrelevant. For instance, isn’t it interesting how often we worry about what someone else will think, when the truth is that they rarely think about us at all!

When I was a young housewife and mother, I literally cowered in the presence of my mother-in-law. After all, I had been taught that mothers-in-law were “the enemy.” As I think back on that, all those years ago, it is hard to believe that I gave what she thought any consideration at all.

A few years later as a young single mother and business woman I was concerned that I always portrayed the best image of women in the work place. That was years before the so-called women’s movement. In truth, I just simply concentrated on doing a good job, and ended up advancing further than most of the men with whom I worked.

At this stage of my life I perceive that one of my most important life lessons is . . . still today . . . “IT IS WHAT IT IS . . . and then move on.” I was attempting to teach this lesson to my almost 15-year-old grandson the other day, and he looked at me as if I had lost my mind. He is a classic worrier. I told him that I am working on that lesson, and he said something like, “I’ll be watching, grandma.”

It occurs to me that “IT IS WHAT IT IS” is a great life lesson for all of us. I challenge you to think about developing that lesson even as I have. I believe it to be worth all the effort.

In my daily morning meditation I have added that as a primary goal. And in the evening, when I do my Qi Gong nighttime routine, just before I go to bed, as I do that relaxing and meditative routine I now think about my IT IS WHAT IT IS goal. I wish I had learned that lesson years ago, but I am equally grateful that I become aware of its importance at this stage of my life.

If you haven’t discovered the incredible healing and restorative powers of Qi Gong, the ancient Chinese healing form of Tai Chi, I encourage you to discover its healing capability. I think of Qi Gong as a healing meditation. It is one of the most important healing tools I have used to overcome multiple sclerosis.

I invite you to visit my primary website, http://www.bettyshouselifeafterms.com/, to read more about my story. I truly do believe that our bodies are innately able to heal themselves, and indeed are designed to do just that. And if I can do it, so can anyone else!