 We welcome Marie Higgins, Advocate of Holistic Practices and Author, Sprouting Spiritual Growth, to our fall line-up. Marie teaches on a variety of holistic topics including meditation and spiritual journaling. The class on September 16 (2to 3:30pm) will help you develop your inner spirit wisdom through the process of journaling. Here Marie shares some of her own recent experiences with this holistic practice.
I’m so excited to be coming back to The Room to teach a class! I really enjoy sharing my daily practice and the reasons I journal. I also can’t wait to see what comes up when you do a few journaling exercises in class. One of the top reasons I journal is that there is so much value in the looking back. That’s where the magic happens! I’ve been journaling since 2009 and it has made such a huge impact on my personal growth and creating the amazing path I’m on. Let me give some key examples. Looking back over my journal entries allows me to see what progress I’ve made with different challenges I’ve had or what I still need to work on to become my best self. I also often write down ideas that come from books I am reading because it’s on my mind at the time of putting pen to paper. Other times I am reminded of a practice and I restart it. Examples include setting intentions for the day of how I want to feel when I go to sleep at night or restarting the practice of writing gratitude lists. Sometimes when I look back I am inspired to write poems. For a while, I wrote poems every time I looked back and came across one of my gratitude lists. When I wrote my memoir, the poems led me to a space of awe and wonder because the poems reflected what was going on at various points of my life. As a result, each chapter could be iced with one of these poems at the end. Lately, inspiration has led me to going back in my journals to find overnight dreams I have written about. The magic that happened this time is that I went an extra step and put the poems to water color. I leave you now with an example. Hope to see you in class! PUSHED (from the dream series) I know the truth. My baby fell in the deep end, but, my arms paralyzed, I did not reach for him. I coddled and nourished them, as was necessary, but did I tie their shoes for too long, or, not long enough? Their eyes grew big, and bigger still, as they came to rest on the bottom. It is the lifeguard who rescued them. Turns out, my child is fine. They had learned to breathe under water.
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 Just what is nature fitness class and what do you do in class?
Written by instructor Lyn Hicks. I teach this class outside when I can for it is more valuable to do any type of fitness outside. We are caught in rooms, offices, gyms, buildings all day long. The rewards just in air quality as you are increasing your breathing is enough to do things outside. The trees emit oxygen and take in our CO2, so there is an incredible exchange and clean, fresh oxygen. We are more present and participating in the movement of our body when we are outside. We smell, hear, feel the air and maybe even have to pay attention to where we step. This present awareness is good for our sensuality, our aliveness and vitality. We are actually participating in what we are doing in full alert which supports the body in so many ways. It also gives our mind and body a rest from all the rambling and intense feelings of anxiety or hurry. Our presence in nature is calming, soothing and resetting on a cellular level. Indoors has so much electricity and currents in the air that use our body to balance electrons. This creates oxidation which deteriorates our body systems. When we go outside, there is none of that, the negative ions outside fill our electrons shells so they are not unstable. Health wise, doing any fitness in nature is so beneficial on many levels. During my class, you learn practices that I call Tai Chi health. In some books, the movements I do are considered Qigong, which is the medicinal use of movement and the base of all martial arts. I was taught through an oral line of teachers from Maria Soledad from South America, The Dragon Gate Tai Chi Line. I do not teach the usual Tai Chi practice. I teach the health moves that we do every day and some of the wake up practices to keep the body fluid, aliven the organ systems and keep our body in a flowing energy. It reminds us what flow feels like, the pace we should be moving and how the body feels in this relaxed yet alert state. This is what I am required to do for my health as a teacher and it is practical health. You can take the moves I teach you and after a few classes, use them in your life to reset yourself if you are stressed, tired or needing fresh oxygen. I am all about being practical, finding tools we can use anytime of day to recenter ourselves in presence. These health moves are perfect and easy. We also walk, chat about energy and the flowing energy of oxytocin. This hormone is present when we are in the parasympathetic system. We all need to learn of this system and find ways to get our body working in this relaxed, renewal nervous system. Our world runs in high adrenal stress and it is killing our body. Understanding this, the ways to shift yourself in a moments notice and practicing being in oxytocin trains our body to do it naturally. It is our healthful way of our body and supports regeneration and rejuvenation. We just have been hanging in too much stress, panic and craziness for it to balance. A little practice and it will naturally use both systems more optimally. We also clear our chakras in a variety of ways. I am in a Himalayan line of The Northern Gate, where Aharaj Yoga is used to strengthen the body and immune system. This allows us to get rid of that anxiety energy that is just stored in our bodies. It supports us to lightness, feeling clearer and more focused. We gain angst energy in just living, to clear our field with easy processes gives us a lighter attitude. We also are less likely to flip out on someone or some situation for we are using a practice to release stress before it builds up into illness or emotional explosion. I will be teaching a weekly Tuesday evening class in September of just Aharaj Yoga. This art taught me to feel my energy field. It is so valuable in understanding our bodies, our health and our connection to the world. I teach numerous other eastern art katas I have learned in my 7 year study that support well being. Sometimes kidney practices for they our vital life organ in Chinese medicine and regulate our water which is the majority of our physical make up. I share some yoga asanas that I find healthful to support our spine. Sometimes we do breath movements that reset. I see what I need, what the students are needing and share from the vast practices I know. I am most interested in sharing tools with others that they can use in daily living throughout their day to reset. I was taught the yoga of living. So all is yoga, all moves can be made healthful, bring us to presence and support us in reset in a minute or two because that is often as much time as we have. My journey has been to gather tools for this. We are heading through our day, something occurs that throws us off or into stress and I have a plethora of physical, mental and emotional tools that take moments to reset myself back to control and direction. These are what I teach. We do it outside if weather permits for there is not greater air supply or healing space to move in. We reset our spirit, minds, emotions and bodies in one practice. That is practical to me and less time needed. I encourage you to join me either Saturday am at 9:30 am or Tuesday mornings in August at 9:30 am. We meet at the Room at Meadowbrook and then go up to Lake Nockimixon, less than a mile away or hang here in the gardens and a woods trail out back. I look forward to sharing this with as many who want a true understanding of their body vehicle, how to move it to health and how to claim the right energy to be moving about the world it. A fun class and the practices are easy to do on your own at any time. Both classes are for men and woman. Aharaj Yoga is more of a masculine practice but woman need it to strengthen their vital body. Nature Fitness Saturday and Tuesdays weekly, 9:30 am in August at the Room at Meadowbrook, $15 Aharaj Yoga Tuesday evenings, 7 pm in September at the Room, $15 Check our class listing of all our healing classes here. Details about Lyn Hicks and her classes can be found on her site lynhicks.com.  They say that the right things find you when you need them most, and I believe that these great little oils came to me at the perfect time. It all started when I was rescuing dogs with Bella Reed Pit Bull Rescue. We had fostered several puppies, and our own Hazel that we adopted. Hazel was having several issues, fear, anxiety, problems with her knees and hips, all due to being neglected and not treated so good in her past. I attended a class on oils , it was a fundraiser for the rescue and we learned about all the wonderful things oils could do for us and our animals.
I began my love affair with oils that week. I would make all my own concoctions for my family and myself, but really loved what I could do for all my pets as well. Hazel was very high strung, so Lavender is her favorite oil. Zeus has separation anxiety, and fear around some dogs, so his favorite oils are Valor and T away. My Toby has allergies, again , oils to the rescue. I have seen a huge difference using these oils on my own dogs that I had to start sharing with everyone. Not only have they helped them with their fears, anxieties and aches and pains, but help with ticks, fleas, ears… the list goes on and on. They have no side effects, no chemicals. All 100% grade seed to seal. These oils not only changes my families life, but became part of our pets daily routine as well. I also started using them for the dogs we fostered. Wells was quite the handful, very high strung, crate anxiety, fear, you name it. Wells hated, and I mean hated his crate. . Each day I diffused lavender in the diffuser for him, made a spray with distilled water lavender and peace and calming and sprayed his crate bed , toys and paws , played calming music and , I must admit, laid with him for about 15mts while he got sleepy, and in about 4 days, whoola… He not only went in his crate without a struggle, but went right to sleep. I truly believe in these oils and want to educate the rescue world, pet owners, and trainers on the many benefits for themselves and their pets. There are alternative ways to help your pet, and in collaboration with Dr Sue and Meadowbrook Animal Healing we will be providing classes to show you how these oils can help you furry friends. Here is our event information for July.  What is this you ask? Taking care of yourself first! It is the number one change that will dramatically change all conditions in your life. A challenge, yes, especially as a woman for we seem to easily serve others above ourselves. That doesn't negate the fact that if we fuel ourselves first, our life will transform, our health will excel, our beauty will be enhanced, our stress lowered. our joy lifted. Indulge yourself so you can be filled!
I, too, am on this journey to expand my health and life by using this elixir! My ministry is about this very thing, self ministery, aka self indulgence. Not in a negative way of escapism, but a positive way of self honor. I am very masterful at supporting and helping others. To my own demise often so this is a rule I play with and it does challenge me. None the less, I continue to make tracks, overcome outdated belief systems and truly find more joy and beauty in all parts of myself and my life. So I inspire you to go on journey with this practice as well. Incremental change is how we shift so do small doses until this is a new habit in your life. As woman, it is indeed the way we have greatest power for we are fulfilled and we overflow naturally. How do I do this? I check inwardly if I can support others when the call comes in. Many parts of me are screaming often with my empathic nature to help yet I see if I feel delighted or obligated or trained to say yes. In this question alone, I find the truth of whether it is highest good which includes me and my highest good. I have walked through guilt for moments but then let that go knowing serving is best done with a full heart. Otherwise resentment and expectation can come in and then I am not truly helping at all. I consider myself first as I start my day imagining a good day, a happy day so I make sure there are things in it that delight me and relax me. I put ideas of these first in the morning so I am more likely to do them. Maybe it is a walk in the woods that no matter what occurs, I will do this for myself. A bike ride or a meditation rest. Maybe it is connecting with others so I make sure I do it and not allow others needs to allow me to cancel. It may be writing or helping another for it will make me feel good. I have an ongoing list of those things big and small that I put into my day to relax myself. It maybe as simple as dancing to a great song. Either way, I am certain to do at least 2 things, my goal is 5, that satisfy just me! When I get overwhelmed or feel panicked, I take 5. I have learned not to continue forward in this energy. Things get worse, it is the law of energy. Panic will increase, error will continue and then I have a larger mess than the initial overwhelm. I step outside, I take deep breathes, I sit down and cool down. This is a powerful easy way to stop the craziness that works. I am the creator and creation in panic is negative in result. I heed this take 5 rule. There is great self honor and care in resetting yourself throughout your day! I take the best plate or piece of cake or whatever I am serving for myself!! Yes this creates amazing challenge to our beliefs! Yet I do it anyway for it honors me deeply. Why shouldn't I get the best half of the bagel? I do this at least once a week! It is nice to give the best to others only if it is balanced with giving to yourself. I like this practice most and watch the guilt and undoing of my training most here. It is quite funny and I feel like a princess! No one else notices and I honor the me that wants the best! I flow with the moment and decide as I go. Often we say we will do something then later regret it. I often let people know if I am not sure how I will feel so I can keep things open. Just incase something more honoring of me rather than obligated to another or plans I made when I felt different comes up. We overbook ourselves and as my friend Bob would say," I gotta feel it!" For those things that have that flexibility, I take it. Do remember often we dread doing something and then it turns out great that we were forced to go, so use this one wisely. Of course we need to remember the word "no" I am unable to right now!!!!! That could be a whole blog! You must be queen of your domain and know when you can help and when doing so will stress you. We all know this and people understand and will find someone else. You are not the only savior around, there are other woman! Teehee! If there is no one else, remember that often we are to manage situations on our own sometimes and that brings the greatest healing. Don't sacrifice yourself for another! It doesn't help either! I truly look for ways each day to inspire my sensuality, my senses! This alone fuels our feminine, nourishing side for ourselves so we can serve others in loving. I really notice the things, nature's beauty around me. I use essential oils for each has a different quality it stimulates in the brain and enhances our moods. Scent such a healer. I indulge in quality food pleasures in small doses like Owow Cow organic ice cream, great olives or a good piece of chocolate and really savor and taste it. Not often but when I do, I am in full pleasure and full indulgence! This supports me in health! I use music to elevate my mood, a shaman tool. I can easily get happy playing a great tune and move to it better yet. I give myself Jin Shin self care, a Japanese practice that involves touching points on your body that relax me. It only takes minutes to do these small things that truly make ourselves feel loved, honored and not worn out or the doormat. Only we can do things for ourselves in the unique way and timing that we need. No one else knows and we are woman so it changes rapidly. Play with this practice and watch yourself and your beliefs come forward of "selfish", guilt, etccc. It is quite funny for who made those rules anyway? We know they don't work! Helping others can be a tremendous gift and really fill us up but only when we are doing it for the right reasons, overflow. This will truly make your day to day much brighter and happier!! Enjoy this practice! Join our "How Lovely To Be Queen" Day long retreat June 24 from 7;45 am -9 pm! Details here!  It all comes down to how our bodies where made to function. We can think whatever we want in our minds and develop whatever ideas there, but our feminine body, our container has rules of operating and how it functions best. Masculine and feminine is an important understanding when it comes the physical reality of our body. The difference is clear by visual looking. Emotionally as well. Mentally we run a good equal. Give a man and a woman the same project and we all know it will be done completely differently. Both will achieve wonderful results, but it will not be the same path.
Our bodies where not made to compete, hunt, and run fast. Even the emotionality of hunting does not suit woman and why men have a harder time with their emotions for it is part of the body they are in. Woman were bearing children, nourishing all, community building, healing, growing and feeding. Gatherers says it best. A much more peaceful, playful, easy, laid back energy of living and safety. The hunter and gatherer's story tells us much of our of physical body being. Fast forward to modern times and what are woman doing mostly? Are they spending time doing these slower paced nourishing things? Or are they in a competitive, dog eat dog situation, running fast? Using our body this way creates illness for it is in an energy and hormones that does not bode well long term for our feminine body.We are not physically designed for this. It doesn't matter what we think about that or feel about it. It goes against the science of our body, so therefore we are not feeling so good on most levels. We can handle living in modern times if we grasp a greater understanding of our bodies and stop trying to act and be like men. Knowing the difference in the energy and resetting ourselves to work in a way that works with our physical needs. We need to stop minding so much for our emotionality has a power and a brilliance beyond logic and reasoning. There is great purpose to the opposites, to the different bodies and ways of being. Just because we don't get it doesn't make it true. Science is finally treating us differently, something that ancient cultures and medicine did from the get go.We can accomplish the same tasks we do now but in a way that supports our natural physicality. Woman get much accomplished using their own ways and whit. Woman have incredible powers of communication without words said. They have collaborative power bar none. They can run communities in their free time without batting an eyelash. It is their first nature, it is their gift, they need to claim and use it. Better yet, bring these powers into the business world to support and nourish rather than compete and back stab and win. .We play win win naturally unless we are in a field of competition. Better health, less stress, correct use of the emotions all gifts when we really slow down, embrace our natural way and get out of the competitive race. Woman get things done in a way of magic through collaboration that is matched by nothing in business. When we power through toward our heart inspired goals, we can do 2 weeks of work in one day. We move in a chattery, connective way that defies logic and moves mountains. We need to use and embrace this magic power we have. It is our nature, it is programmed in us and it has incredible purpose. That is why there is this surge of feminine power. The green movement, the local movements, even the coaching movement is all about nurturing and nourishing a larger world. The conscious business movement, even the Internet is all about connecting, collaborating, giving back and finding commonality in difference. Compassion and empathy forefront and natural to woman. When we own and embrace these very things within ourselves that are our nature, live them, put it all into practice in all pieces of our lives, we will get out of adrenal stress. Woman can compete next to the best of them but it is not for the long haul. It is for a surge here and there that this is healthy. To live in this energy, in this way of being is very disastrous for our body. It is all around us and most are living it. I did too but when I learned, when I heard the so simple truths, I shifted myself about. Life became easier, less stressful and even in stress, I know of ways to move that would support my artistic, creative way. These soothe and heal us. It is why I support and teach the healing and expressive arts. These are ways that nourish, soothe, remind and calm us to the beauty and wonder we are. They give us the power to go on reminding us the value of slower, nourishing ways. It doesn't really matter if our minds are on board. It is science, it is medicine and it is our history so obvious. We will figure it out sooner or later. I am about doing it now. Our world needs it. Woman need each other supporting and working together. When we realize our own truth about ourselves, there is no system as powerful as woman in unison. It is just the way it is. Beauty and Grace through Pleasure and Play Buy my book Find A Class to join and receive updates and wisdom! www.lynhicks.com Class schedule The "Room" at Meadowbrook Lyn Hicks, Health and Beauty Coach, Published Author, Educator and Event Coordinator at The Room At Meadowbrook in Ottsville, PA  The purpose of a sound bath is to allow vibrational frequencies to deeply penetrate your body to a cellular level for relaxation, inspiration, purging and release of tension. Sound journeys may be received lying down, sitting or on a massage table or futon. Sound “shifts energy” and may shift the patterns of our atoms, cells and thoughts, allowing you to enter a “trance” state, or even produce a thought free state where awareness of self is evident in the realization that you are a body of vibrating energy. The experience you receive depends upon your ability to hear harmonics, binaural beats or higher frequencies of sound. As your journey is individualized though this process, it is highly experiential and can offer guidance and informational streams as well as a deeper look into holding patterns of thought. Sound influences the brain waves encouraging theta trance like and relaxing waves to a more stimulated and activating brain wave like alpha and beta waves. My instructor, Mitch Nur of 9 Ways Academia has also stated that gongs and other harmonic instruments may be the opener of time portals which is why I like to call my work Sound Journeys! A more in depth explanation will be given before the Sound Bath and time for reflection and questions after your session.
Virginia McGrath Sound Journey Practitioner Certified Zen Shiatsu/ShinTai/Reiki Practitioner A fall class with Virginia will be posted as the details are refined! |
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January 2019
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