Today’s Re-Powering Information – Stress – its every where. We have physical stress, mental, emotional, environmental, chemical and mechanical stressors all around us. We have moved so far away from what is natural regarding sleeping and eating and recovering that our bodies many times are under chronic stress. Since stress is everywhere, we have no choice but to manage it as best we can. You should have an arsenal of stress relievers. Boot camp is a great one. Everyone always compliments about how fast the hour goes (most of the time) and that they leave feeling wonderful! Another wonderful and easy to apply stress reliever is breathing exercises. I have taken classes in breath therapy and can tell you first hand that your breath can make you feel very heavy, very light and completely invigorated. Read on to see some stress relieving breathing exercises. You may feel silly doing them, but they work!
Dr. Mercola''s Comments
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
As many of you already know, I am passionate about finding simple, inexpensive resources that can have profound impact on your health. And breathing is one strategy that can make a tremendous difference in how you feel and age, yet it receives little attention. After all, you breathe in and out without conscious thought. As soon as you stop, you die. Surely everyone’s got this one all figured out already?
Not really. In fact, improper breathing is more the norm than the exception these days.
So implementing a breathing technique may actually be one of the most beneficial things you can do to elevate your physical health and soothe your mind.
Actually, one of my first journeys into natural health was in the early 90’s, when I attended several week-long seminars in Southern California to learn different breathing practices. They were all very useful, but a bit complicated to perform without proper instructions and practice.
There are many different breathing practices that you can try, but here I’m going to share with you one that is both powerful and very easy to perform.
I like to do it before each meal as that ensures that I will do it at least three times a day. I also like to combine it with gratitude for my meal, so for the two minutes it actually takes to do the technique, I seek to focus on gratitude for not only the food, but all the blessings in my life.
I recently learned this one when I attended a presentation by Dr. Weil at Expo West in California.
In the presentation summary he outlined some of the best resources he’s learned over his clinical career for improving health, and topping the list, interestingly, was a breathing exercise called the 4-7-8, or Relaxing Breath Exercise.
On his site, he states:
"Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders."
The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise
The key to this exercise is to remember the numbers 4, 7 and 8. It’s not important to focus on how much time you spend in each phase of the breathing activity, but rather that you get the ratio correct.
Here’s how it’s done:
1. Sit up straight
2. Place the tip of your tongue up against the back of your front teeth. Keep it there through the entire breathing process
3. Breathe in silently through your nose to the count of four
4. Hold your breath to the count of seven
5. Exhale through your mouth to the count of eight, making an audible “woosh” sound
6. That completes one full breath. Repeat the cycle another three times, for a total of four breaths
You can do this exercise as frequently as you want throughout the day, but it’s recommended you don’t do more than four full breaths during the first month or so of practice. Later you may work your way up to eight full breath cycles at a time.
The benefits of this simple practice are enormous and work as a natural tranquilizer for your nervous system.
Personally, I think one of its greatest values may be gained when you combine it with your meals. Most of us eat three meals a day, so it makes remembering to do it easier. Also, I believe that combining it with the attitude of gratitude for the healthy meal you just ate, or are about to eat, can have a powerful, beneficial influence on your health.
The Health Benefits of Breathing Exercises
Self-applied health enhancement methods like the 4-7-8 breathing technique are particularly remarkable because of the broad array of real health benefits that are triggered.
Learning to breathe mindfully can modify and accelerate your body's inherent self-regulating physiological and bioenergetic mechanisms.
These changes are in large part due to the fact that you’re oxygenating your body properly as well as correcting your internal and energetic balance, and it has a direct impact your nervous system.
This in turn affects your entire body and its countless cellular functions, including all of your subtle energy systems.
The web site breathing.com offers a list of clinical studies into the health benefits of optimal breathing. One such study, which spanned a 30-year period, concluded that the most significant factor in your health and longevity is how well you breathe.
It focused on the long-term predictive power of forced exhalation volume as the primary marker for life span. According to the researchers,
"This pulmonary function measurement appears to be an indicator of general health and vigor and literally a measure of living capacity."
It’s also important to realize that much of hypertension is controlled by the way you breathe, so breathing exercises are an excellent adjunct to your other healthy lifestyle strategies to control high blood pressure.
Breathing exercises such as the one I showed you above have a positive impact on your:
* Respiratory system, which can reduce mental and physical fatigue, as well as relieve symptoms of asthma and bronchitis
* Circulatory system; improving blood circulation and cell oxygenation throughout your body
* Nervous system
* Digestive system, by acting as a pump to massage internal organs
* Endocrine system. The action of your diaphragm helps push lymph throughout your body, which helps eliminate toxic waste and strengthen your immune system
* Urinary system, by helping to eliminate fluids and massaging your kidneys
* Skin. Toxic CO2 waste is eliminated more directly through your breath, and your skin can also be positively affected by improved blood flow and oxygenation
Breathing Your Way to Optimal Health
Another obvious use for the 4-7-8 breathing technique is to use it whenever you feel stressed or anxious. It’s a powerful way to help relax your system without drugs.
Best of all, it doesn’t cost you anything but a couple of minutes of your time! And, if you commit to it, I believe you’ll be absolutely shocked, and pleasantly surprised, by how quickly and easily it can center and relax you and allow you to achieve high levels of health.
For even more breathing practices, I recommend you read the article Breathing Exercises and Self Healing, written by Roger Jahnke, O.M.D., or see Dr. Weil’s website for additional exercises.
Do something special for yourself today!
Showing posts with label personal growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal growth. Show all posts
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Feed Your Skin
Today’s Re-Powering information – I don’t mention the skin too much, however it’s our largest organ. If you are taking care of your body from the inside, the outside will take care of yourself (unless exposed to things from the external environment like too much sun). If you are having challenges with your skin, breakouts, moles, rashes, etc, more times than not, its from something going on in the inside that surfaces on the skin. The good news is that many skin conditions can be reversed with great nutrition. Not only that, but with exercise and good nutrition. You can appear up to 10 or more years younger. I’m 70 and don’t look too bad!!! (that was a joke). Read the article below for some skin saving and soothing foods that you can both consume for younger looking and feeling skin. You can even use real foods to make your own scrubs and masks..
Feed Your Skin
By Helen Hawkes
Forget plastic surgery. All you have to do is eat your way to great-looking skin.
Can you look younger by stuffing your face? Absolutely! The healthier the foods you consume are, the better your skin looks. No vitamin C and you'll have no collagen.
Too little vitamin A or essential fats and you'll have dry, rough skin, and too little zinc is a recipe for greasy skin and stretch marks.
So forget plastic surgery. For glowing, gorgeous, youthful skin, it makes sense to eat your way to fewer wrinkles, pimples, age spots and other beauty plagues.
Resurfacing your skin
It's no accident that vitamin A is the number one vitamin used topically to improve the texture and appearance of ageing skin.
Vitamin A is a powerful agent for increasing cell turnover, so that skin looks more youthful.
This skin vitamin comes in two forms: retinol, the animal form found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products; and beta-carotene, found in red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables.
Apricots, carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin are all good sources of beta-carotene.
Sydney-based naturopath Penelope Sach, author of Natural Woman (Penguin), advises: "Include a raw carrot juice daily for the natural vitamin A content, which helps to regenerate skin cells. "
Foods to tighten and tone
Thanks to New York Times bestselling author Dr Nicholas Perricone, we now know that good skin is a very fishy business.
Fish is not only a good source of the antioxidant co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10), but an outstanding source of high-quality protein that helps with cellular repair and essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are responsible for healthy cell membranes, he says.
EFAs hold water, so the stronger they are, the plumper and younger your skin looks.
Fish also contains a powerful antioxidant compound called dimethylaminoethanol or DMAE.
"This chemical stimulates nerve function and the muscles to contract and tighten under the skin," says Dr Perricone in The Perricone Prescription (HarperCollins).
"It is a magic bullet for great skin tone, keeping your face firm and contoured."
Sach says: "For radiant skin, eat cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel or tuna, three times a week."
Other good face firmers are walnuts and flaxseed oil, soya oil, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Flaxseed oil may also be useful in the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema.
Natural wrinkle fighters
Perhaps your skin's biggest enemies are free radicals, produced by UV rays as well as pollution, stress and even breathing.
These nasties lead to skin inflammation, as well as the degradation of collagen, the support structure for your skin, according to Leslie Baumann, of the dermatology department at the University of Miami in Florida.
But nature has designed some pretty clever foods that, if eaten regularly, act as natural wrinkle fighters.
Start with apricots and tomatoes, rich in lycopene, nature's sunscreen.
For maximum anti-ageing, add a daily bowlful of berries, a glass of red wine or a freshly brewed pot of tea.
In a 2004 study by the veterinary science faculty at the University of Sydney, a potent free-radical scavenger called pycnogenol was found to reduce the amount of inflammatory sunburn in mice.
Pycnogenol can be found in grape seed, grape skin, cranberry, blackcurrant, green tea, black tea, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, black cherry, red wine and red cabbage.
Still want a stronger defense against free radicals and the surgeon's knife?
Here's a potent free radical-busting combination: vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione and CoQ10.
A 2002 German study published in the Journal Of Pharmacological And Biophysiological Research found that, together, these antioxidants could reduce inflammation caused by UV rays.
You'll find vitamin E in vegetable oils, nuts and green leafy vegetables, and vitamin C in leafy citrus fruit, berries and green leafy vegetables.
Asparagus is high in glutathione and CoQ10 is found in seafood, spinach and nuts.
Other antioxidant-rich foods are prunes, plums, capsicum, beetroot, parsley, figs, raisins and legumes such as red kidney beans.
And don't forget herbs and spices, an often neglected way to boost antioxidants in the body.
"Herbs and spices contain several natural water-soluble phenolic acids and flavonoids that can protect the body against oxidative stress and inflammation," says Dr Michael Fenech, principal research scientist on the CSIRO's Genome Health and Nutrigenomics Project in Adelaide.
Add cinnamon to your cappuccino, drink tea made of fresh mint or ginger, roast lamb with herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme, and indulge in turmeric-rich curries.
Try Gourmet Garden's herb tubes if you can't buy fresh.
Out, darn spot
There are two types of spots that detract from youthful skin: age spots and pimples.
And Australasian soils are notoriously short of a trace element called selenium.
This deficiency, along with sun exposure and sugar in the diet, is believed to be a factor in age spots, says Erica Angyal, an Australian nutritionist now based in Tokyo and author of Gorgeous Skin In 30 Days (Lothian Books).
To stop spots, you should not only wear an SPF15+, but eat selenium-rich foods, including garlic, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and sesame seeds.
A study published in 2003 in the British Journal Of Dermatology also showed that skin was less likely to suffer oxidative damage when selenium levels were high.
Eating garlic, which also contains vitamin C and sulfur, can help banish blemishes.
Zinc is another natural substance that is necessary for good skin. Rich sources of zinc are oysters, ginger root, lamb, pecan nuts and brazil nuts.
Softening up
Extra-virgin olive oil has a high concentration of a monounsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid, one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods in existence, says Dr Perricone.
"Oleic acid is a member of the omega 9 family," he says. "It can make the difference between a complexion that resembles a piece of old shoe leather and one that looks and feels like a rose petal."
For younger-looking skin, aim to eat about 20g - or two tablespoons - of good fats a day, including olive oil.
Avocados contain oleic acid, as well as the antioxidants vitamin C and E.
Try having some on toast with lycopene-rich tomatoes, accompanied by a cup of green tea, for a super skin-boosting meal.
For baby-soft skin, avoid dehydrating drinks too, like alcohol and caffeine.
"Try Campari and soda during summer, as this is less dehydrating than wine and champagne," says Sach. Of course, cool, filtered water is great too.
Debloat and depuff
Your capillaries are the pipelines for your skin cells, says Angyal.
"When they are weak, or not working efficiently, your skin cells don't receive all the oxygen and nutrients they need."
This leads to poor elimination and sallow, puffy, prematurely aged or dull skin.
Bioflavonoids in citrus fruits can help to protect your capillaries, as well as support collagen production. So, next time you're at a juice bar, mix pink grapefruit, orange or lemon into your fruit or vegie blend.
END
If you are following the 30 Day Detox Fat Burning Meal Plan, yesterday was your first detox day. Fruit in the morning, veggies in the afternoon and a regular dinner from the list of foods provided. Continue following the plan for the best results. Below is a recipe I make, but I eat it without the tortilla’s (I do eat them occasionally)
Feed Your Skin
By Helen Hawkes
Forget plastic surgery. All you have to do is eat your way to great-looking skin.
Can you look younger by stuffing your face? Absolutely! The healthier the foods you consume are, the better your skin looks. No vitamin C and you'll have no collagen.
Too little vitamin A or essential fats and you'll have dry, rough skin, and too little zinc is a recipe for greasy skin and stretch marks.
So forget plastic surgery. For glowing, gorgeous, youthful skin, it makes sense to eat your way to fewer wrinkles, pimples, age spots and other beauty plagues.
Resurfacing your skin
It's no accident that vitamin A is the number one vitamin used topically to improve the texture and appearance of ageing skin.
Vitamin A is a powerful agent for increasing cell turnover, so that skin looks more youthful.
This skin vitamin comes in two forms: retinol, the animal form found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products; and beta-carotene, found in red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables.
Apricots, carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin are all good sources of beta-carotene.
Sydney-based naturopath Penelope Sach, author of Natural Woman (Penguin), advises: "Include a raw carrot juice daily for the natural vitamin A content, which helps to regenerate skin cells. "
Foods to tighten and tone
Thanks to New York Times bestselling author Dr Nicholas Perricone, we now know that good skin is a very fishy business.
Fish is not only a good source of the antioxidant co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10), but an outstanding source of high-quality protein that helps with cellular repair and essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are responsible for healthy cell membranes, he says.
EFAs hold water, so the stronger they are, the plumper and younger your skin looks.
Fish also contains a powerful antioxidant compound called dimethylaminoethanol or DMAE.
"This chemical stimulates nerve function and the muscles to contract and tighten under the skin," says Dr Perricone in The Perricone Prescription (HarperCollins).
"It is a magic bullet for great skin tone, keeping your face firm and contoured."
Sach says: "For radiant skin, eat cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel or tuna, three times a week."
Other good face firmers are walnuts and flaxseed oil, soya oil, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Flaxseed oil may also be useful in the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema.
Natural wrinkle fighters
Perhaps your skin's biggest enemies are free radicals, produced by UV rays as well as pollution, stress and even breathing.
These nasties lead to skin inflammation, as well as the degradation of collagen, the support structure for your skin, according to Leslie Baumann, of the dermatology department at the University of Miami in Florida.
But nature has designed some pretty clever foods that, if eaten regularly, act as natural wrinkle fighters.
Start with apricots and tomatoes, rich in lycopene, nature's sunscreen.
For maximum anti-ageing, add a daily bowlful of berries, a glass of red wine or a freshly brewed pot of tea.
In a 2004 study by the veterinary science faculty at the University of Sydney, a potent free-radical scavenger called pycnogenol was found to reduce the amount of inflammatory sunburn in mice.
Pycnogenol can be found in grape seed, grape skin, cranberry, blackcurrant, green tea, black tea, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, black cherry, red wine and red cabbage.
Still want a stronger defense against free radicals and the surgeon's knife?
Here's a potent free radical-busting combination: vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione and CoQ10.
A 2002 German study published in the Journal Of Pharmacological And Biophysiological Research found that, together, these antioxidants could reduce inflammation caused by UV rays.
You'll find vitamin E in vegetable oils, nuts and green leafy vegetables, and vitamin C in leafy citrus fruit, berries and green leafy vegetables.
Asparagus is high in glutathione and CoQ10 is found in seafood, spinach and nuts.
Other antioxidant-rich foods are prunes, plums, capsicum, beetroot, parsley, figs, raisins and legumes such as red kidney beans.
And don't forget herbs and spices, an often neglected way to boost antioxidants in the body.
"Herbs and spices contain several natural water-soluble phenolic acids and flavonoids that can protect the body against oxidative stress and inflammation," says Dr Michael Fenech, principal research scientist on the CSIRO's Genome Health and Nutrigenomics Project in Adelaide.
Add cinnamon to your cappuccino, drink tea made of fresh mint or ginger, roast lamb with herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme, and indulge in turmeric-rich curries.
Try Gourmet Garden's herb tubes if you can't buy fresh.
Out, darn spot
There are two types of spots that detract from youthful skin: age spots and pimples.
And Australasian soils are notoriously short of a trace element called selenium.
This deficiency, along with sun exposure and sugar in the diet, is believed to be a factor in age spots, says Erica Angyal, an Australian nutritionist now based in Tokyo and author of Gorgeous Skin In 30 Days (Lothian Books).
To stop spots, you should not only wear an SPF15+, but eat selenium-rich foods, including garlic, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and sesame seeds.
A study published in 2003 in the British Journal Of Dermatology also showed that skin was less likely to suffer oxidative damage when selenium levels were high.
Eating garlic, which also contains vitamin C and sulfur, can help banish blemishes.
Zinc is another natural substance that is necessary for good skin. Rich sources of zinc are oysters, ginger root, lamb, pecan nuts and brazil nuts.
Softening up
Extra-virgin olive oil has a high concentration of a monounsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid, one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods in existence, says Dr Perricone.
"Oleic acid is a member of the omega 9 family," he says. "It can make the difference between a complexion that resembles a piece of old shoe leather and one that looks and feels like a rose petal."
For younger-looking skin, aim to eat about 20g - or two tablespoons - of good fats a day, including olive oil.
Avocados contain oleic acid, as well as the antioxidants vitamin C and E.
Try having some on toast with lycopene-rich tomatoes, accompanied by a cup of green tea, for a super skin-boosting meal.
For baby-soft skin, avoid dehydrating drinks too, like alcohol and caffeine.
"Try Campari and soda during summer, as this is less dehydrating than wine and champagne," says Sach. Of course, cool, filtered water is great too.
Debloat and depuff
Your capillaries are the pipelines for your skin cells, says Angyal.
"When they are weak, or not working efficiently, your skin cells don't receive all the oxygen and nutrients they need."
This leads to poor elimination and sallow, puffy, prematurely aged or dull skin.
Bioflavonoids in citrus fruits can help to protect your capillaries, as well as support collagen production. So, next time you're at a juice bar, mix pink grapefruit, orange or lemon into your fruit or vegie blend.
END
If you are following the 30 Day Detox Fat Burning Meal Plan, yesterday was your first detox day. Fruit in the morning, veggies in the afternoon and a regular dinner from the list of foods provided. Continue following the plan for the best results. Below is a recipe I make, but I eat it without the tortilla’s (I do eat them occasionally)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Vision Board, Law of Attraction
Today’s Re-Powering information:
Today at the end of camp I mentioned vision boards. Some of you did now know what they were. They came into vogue about 3 years ago from the movie the Secret when John Asseraff used a vision board and ultimately purchased the house, watch, car, etc that he had placed on his board years earlier. I have been doing this for years. As a kid I would use a journal and cut out the haircut I wanted, car I wanted, vacation I wanted to take and so on. Now vision boards have gotten more fancy and you can even use software to create yours. I’ll bring my vision board in tomorrow morning for you to see one. Mine always changes. Sometimes it’s very specific with things I want to accomplish, places I want to go and so one. This last one is more philosophical including how I want to act and the state I want to be in. It still has things like “Pay off mortgage” and “Trip to Italy”, but there are more pictures of family, playing, spiritual presence, etc.
I start out with a blank board and have somethings in mind that I want on my board. I may find images by searching the Internet, I may cut pictures from a magazine or use real photo’s I have taken of people I want to pray for or connect with. There is no right or wrong vision board. Its something you want to keep in the front of your mind that you want to bring into your world. It’s for attracting things into your life that you want rather than randomly letting things come into your world and becoming cluttered and distracted.
Below is one website I found that gives you details on how to create a vision board. It’s a fun exercise for the entire family. In fact I”ll bring my kids vision boards. They are a work in progress. Of course Anthony had one thing on his vision board – a new Harley Davidson Screaming Eagle V-Rod. He went out and bought it the next day. That is NOT how a vision board is meant to work! It’s not only about things we can buy. I encourage you to try it. You’ll be surprised at what’s possible.
http://www.christinekane.com/blog/how-to-make-a-vision-board/
How to Make a Vision Board
February 1st, 2007 by Christine Kane
One of my most popular past blog posts is Vision Boards: A Quick Story. I wrote it months before the DVD The Secret was released. Then John Assaraf’s story of manifesting his giant mansion by using vision boards (in The Secret) popularized the concept. Many of us, however, have been doing them for years. (I’ve been using them at my women’s retreats for about 5 years now.) And the value of a vision board goes way beyond just mansions and gold watches!
What is a Vision Board?
A vision board (also called a Treasure Map or a Visual Explorer or Creativity Collage) is typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you’ve torn out from various magazines. It’s simple.
The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.
For instance, before I ever started performing music and I had no idea how I’d ever get a gig, write enough songs, or assemble a press kit, I drew a picture of myself in a bar with people watching me perform (I’m a terrible visual artist, so I actually had to label the people “people!”). And though it wasn’t the only factor in making it happen, I had a calendar full of bar and coffeehouse gigs by the next year.
My drawing was a kind of a vision board. Vision boards do the same thing as my drawing did. They add clarity to your desires, and feeling to your visions. For instance, at the time I did my drawing, I knew I wanted to play in bars and coffeehouses. (I have since left the that circuit, and I’m performing in theatres and at conferences. But in my early twenties, I wanted to play in bars and coffeehouses. I was pretty clear about that!) Taking the time to draw it out, even poorly, made it indelible in my mind.
There are several methods you can use for creating your vision board. I’ve written about each one below. You can choose which one works best for you, depending on where you find yourself on this path of creating your life.
Supplies you’ll need for creating a Vision Board:
- Poster board. (Target sells a really nice matte finish board. I highly recommend it.)
- A big stack of different magazines. (You can get them at libraries, hair salons, dentist offices, the YMCA.) Make sure you find lots of different types. If you limit your options, you’ll lose interest after a while. When I facilitate my women’s retreats, I always make sure we have plenty of Oprah, Real Simple, Natural Home, Yoga Journal, Dwell, Ode, Parenting, Money, Utne, and an assortment of nature magazines.
- Glue. Not Elmers. (It makes the pages ripple.) I like using Yes! Glue or Rubber cement. Glue sticks are my second choice because they don’t last.
Before you begin your vision board:
No matter which method you’re choosing, have a little ritual before you begin your vision board. Sit quietly and set the intent. With lots of kindness and openness, ask yourself what it is you want. Maybe one word will be the answer. Maybe images will come into your head. Just take a moment to be with that. This process makes it a deeper experience. It gives a chance for your ego to step aside just a little, so that you can more clearly create your vision.
Put on soft music. My favorite music for activities like this is Anugama Shamanic Dream I and Shamanic Dream II . I love these CD’s for massage or any activity where you want to keep your mind quiet.
The Five Steps of Creating a Vision Board:
Step 1: Go through your magazines and tear the images from them. No gluing yet! Just let yourself have lots of fun looking through magazines and pulling out pictures or words or headlines that strike your fancy. Have fun with it. Make a big pile of images and phrases and words.
Step 2: Go through the images and begin to lay your favorites on the board. Eliminate any images that no longer feel right. This step is where your intuition comes in. As you lay the pictures on the board, you’ll get a sense how the board should be laid out. For instance, you might assign a theme to each corner of the board. Health, Job, Spirituality, Relationships, for instance. Or it may just be that the images want to go all over the place. Or you might want to fold the board into a book that tells a story. At my retreats, I’ve seen women come up with wildly creative ways to present a vision board.
Step 3: Glue everything onto the board. Add writing if you want. You can paint on it, or write words with markers.
Step 4: (optional, but powerful) Leave space in the very center of the vision board for a fantastic photo of yourself where you look radiant and happy. Paste yourself in the center of your board.
Step 5: Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it often.
Three Types of Vision Boards:
1 - The “I Know Exactly What I Want” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You’re very clear about your desires.
- You want to change your environment or surroundings.
- There is a specific thing you want to manifest in your life. (i.e. a new home, or starting a business.)
How to create this vision board:
With your clear desire in mind, set out looking for the exact pictures which portray your vision. If you want a house by the water, then get out the Dwell magazine and start there. If you want to start your own business, find images that capture that idea for you. If you want to learn guitar, then find that picture. I remember at the last retreat, one woman yelled out, “If anyone finds a picture of a little girl with red hair who looks happy, give it to me!” And someone else yelled out, “I’m looking for a Cadillac!” Pretty soon, a lively trading session began. Following the five steps above, create your vision board out of these images.
2 - The “Opening and Allowing” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You’re not sure what exactly you want
- You’ve been in a period of depression or grief
- You have a vision of what you want, but are uncertain about it in some way.
- You know you want change but don’t know how it’s possible.
How to create this vision board:
Go through each magazine. Tear out images that delight you. Don’t ask why. Just keep going through the magazines. If it’s a picture of a teddy bear that makes you smile, then pull it out. If it’s a cottage in a misty countryside, then rip it out. Just have fun and be open to whatever calls to you. Then, as you go through Step 2 above, hold that same openness, but ask yourself what this picture might mean. What is it telling you about you? Does it mean you need to take more naps? Does it mean you want to get a dog, or stop hanging out with a particular person who drains you? Most likely you’ll know the answer. If you don’t, but you still love the image, then put it on your vision board anyway. It will have an answer for you soon enough. Some women at my retreats had NO idea what their board was about, and it wasn’t until two months later that they understood. The Opening and Allowing Vision Board can be a powerful guide for you. I like it better than the first model because sometimes our egos think they know what we want, and lots of times those desires aren’t in alignment with who we really are. This goes deeper than just getting what you want. It can speak to you and teach you a little bit about yourself and your passion.
3 - The “Theme” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- It’s your birthday or New Years Eve or some significant event that starts a new cycle.
- If you are working with one particular area of your life. For instance, Work & Career.
How to create this vision board:
The only difference between this vision board and the others is that this one has clear parameters and intent. Before you begin the vision board, take a moment to hold the intent and the theme in mind. When you choose pictures, they will be in alignment with the theme. You can do the Theme Vision Board on smaller pages, like a page in your journal.
Some things to remember about vision boards:
- You can use a combination of all three types of vision boards as you create. Sometimes you might start out doing one kind, and then your intuition takes over and shifts into a whole different mode. That’s called creativity. Just roll with it.
- Your vision board might change as you are making it. I was just talking with a friend of mine who said that she had been making a vision board for the new year. The theme was all about what she wanted in this year. Then, as she pulled pictures and began to lay them out, the theme changed into a simpler one about her everyday life and the moments in each day. It surprised and delighted her to experience that evolution. You might find that you have little epiphanies from making a vision board.
Make a Vision Journal
Another option is to use these same principles in a big sketch book. Get a large sketch book and keep an on-going vision journal. This is especially effective if you’re going through many transitions in your life.
I welcome anyone who has created a vision board to write your own experience in the comments…
Have a fantastic day and make it a great adventure!
Kelli
www.KelliCalabres.com
www.ArgyleBootCamp.com
Today at the end of camp I mentioned vision boards. Some of you did now know what they were. They came into vogue about 3 years ago from the movie the Secret when John Asseraff used a vision board and ultimately purchased the house, watch, car, etc that he had placed on his board years earlier. I have been doing this for years. As a kid I would use a journal and cut out the haircut I wanted, car I wanted, vacation I wanted to take and so on. Now vision boards have gotten more fancy and you can even use software to create yours. I’ll bring my vision board in tomorrow morning for you to see one. Mine always changes. Sometimes it’s very specific with things I want to accomplish, places I want to go and so one. This last one is more philosophical including how I want to act and the state I want to be in. It still has things like “Pay off mortgage” and “Trip to Italy”, but there are more pictures of family, playing, spiritual presence, etc.
I start out with a blank board and have somethings in mind that I want on my board. I may find images by searching the Internet, I may cut pictures from a magazine or use real photo’s I have taken of people I want to pray for or connect with. There is no right or wrong vision board. Its something you want to keep in the front of your mind that you want to bring into your world. It’s for attracting things into your life that you want rather than randomly letting things come into your world and becoming cluttered and distracted.
Below is one website I found that gives you details on how to create a vision board. It’s a fun exercise for the entire family. In fact I”ll bring my kids vision boards. They are a work in progress. Of course Anthony had one thing on his vision board – a new Harley Davidson Screaming Eagle V-Rod. He went out and bought it the next day. That is NOT how a vision board is meant to work! It’s not only about things we can buy. I encourage you to try it. You’ll be surprised at what’s possible.
http://www.christinekane.com/blog/how-to-make-a-vision-board/
How to Make a Vision Board
February 1st, 2007 by Christine Kane
One of my most popular past blog posts is Vision Boards: A Quick Story. I wrote it months before the DVD The Secret was released. Then John Assaraf’s story of manifesting his giant mansion by using vision boards (in The Secret) popularized the concept. Many of us, however, have been doing them for years. (I’ve been using them at my women’s retreats for about 5 years now.) And the value of a vision board goes way beyond just mansions and gold watches!
What is a Vision Board?
A vision board (also called a Treasure Map or a Visual Explorer or Creativity Collage) is typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you’ve torn out from various magazines. It’s simple.
The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.
For instance, before I ever started performing music and I had no idea how I’d ever get a gig, write enough songs, or assemble a press kit, I drew a picture of myself in a bar with people watching me perform (I’m a terrible visual artist, so I actually had to label the people “people!”). And though it wasn’t the only factor in making it happen, I had a calendar full of bar and coffeehouse gigs by the next year.
My drawing was a kind of a vision board. Vision boards do the same thing as my drawing did. They add clarity to your desires, and feeling to your visions. For instance, at the time I did my drawing, I knew I wanted to play in bars and coffeehouses. (I have since left the that circuit, and I’m performing in theatres and at conferences. But in my early twenties, I wanted to play in bars and coffeehouses. I was pretty clear about that!) Taking the time to draw it out, even poorly, made it indelible in my mind.
There are several methods you can use for creating your vision board. I’ve written about each one below. You can choose which one works best for you, depending on where you find yourself on this path of creating your life.
Supplies you’ll need for creating a Vision Board:
- Poster board. (Target sells a really nice matte finish board. I highly recommend it.)
- A big stack of different magazines. (You can get them at libraries, hair salons, dentist offices, the YMCA.) Make sure you find lots of different types. If you limit your options, you’ll lose interest after a while. When I facilitate my women’s retreats, I always make sure we have plenty of Oprah, Real Simple, Natural Home, Yoga Journal, Dwell, Ode, Parenting, Money, Utne, and an assortment of nature magazines.
- Glue. Not Elmers. (It makes the pages ripple.) I like using Yes! Glue or Rubber cement. Glue sticks are my second choice because they don’t last.
Before you begin your vision board:
No matter which method you’re choosing, have a little ritual before you begin your vision board. Sit quietly and set the intent. With lots of kindness and openness, ask yourself what it is you want. Maybe one word will be the answer. Maybe images will come into your head. Just take a moment to be with that. This process makes it a deeper experience. It gives a chance for your ego to step aside just a little, so that you can more clearly create your vision.
Put on soft music. My favorite music for activities like this is Anugama Shamanic Dream I and Shamanic Dream II . I love these CD’s for massage or any activity where you want to keep your mind quiet.
The Five Steps of Creating a Vision Board:
Step 1: Go through your magazines and tear the images from them. No gluing yet! Just let yourself have lots of fun looking through magazines and pulling out pictures or words or headlines that strike your fancy. Have fun with it. Make a big pile of images and phrases and words.
Step 2: Go through the images and begin to lay your favorites on the board. Eliminate any images that no longer feel right. This step is where your intuition comes in. As you lay the pictures on the board, you’ll get a sense how the board should be laid out. For instance, you might assign a theme to each corner of the board. Health, Job, Spirituality, Relationships, for instance. Or it may just be that the images want to go all over the place. Or you might want to fold the board into a book that tells a story. At my retreats, I’ve seen women come up with wildly creative ways to present a vision board.
Step 3: Glue everything onto the board. Add writing if you want. You can paint on it, or write words with markers.
Step 4: (optional, but powerful) Leave space in the very center of the vision board for a fantastic photo of yourself where you look radiant and happy. Paste yourself in the center of your board.
Step 5: Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it often.
Three Types of Vision Boards:
1 - The “I Know Exactly What I Want” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You’re very clear about your desires.
- You want to change your environment or surroundings.
- There is a specific thing you want to manifest in your life. (i.e. a new home, or starting a business.)
How to create this vision board:
With your clear desire in mind, set out looking for the exact pictures which portray your vision. If you want a house by the water, then get out the Dwell magazine and start there. If you want to start your own business, find images that capture that idea for you. If you want to learn guitar, then find that picture. I remember at the last retreat, one woman yelled out, “If anyone finds a picture of a little girl with red hair who looks happy, give it to me!” And someone else yelled out, “I’m looking for a Cadillac!” Pretty soon, a lively trading session began. Following the five steps above, create your vision board out of these images.
2 - The “Opening and Allowing” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You’re not sure what exactly you want
- You’ve been in a period of depression or grief
- You have a vision of what you want, but are uncertain about it in some way.
- You know you want change but don’t know how it’s possible.
How to create this vision board:
Go through each magazine. Tear out images that delight you. Don’t ask why. Just keep going through the magazines. If it’s a picture of a teddy bear that makes you smile, then pull it out. If it’s a cottage in a misty countryside, then rip it out. Just have fun and be open to whatever calls to you. Then, as you go through Step 2 above, hold that same openness, but ask yourself what this picture might mean. What is it telling you about you? Does it mean you need to take more naps? Does it mean you want to get a dog, or stop hanging out with a particular person who drains you? Most likely you’ll know the answer. If you don’t, but you still love the image, then put it on your vision board anyway. It will have an answer for you soon enough. Some women at my retreats had NO idea what their board was about, and it wasn’t until two months later that they understood. The Opening and Allowing Vision Board can be a powerful guide for you. I like it better than the first model because sometimes our egos think they know what we want, and lots of times those desires aren’t in alignment with who we really are. This goes deeper than just getting what you want. It can speak to you and teach you a little bit about yourself and your passion.
3 - The “Theme” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- It’s your birthday or New Years Eve or some significant event that starts a new cycle.
- If you are working with one particular area of your life. For instance, Work & Career.
How to create this vision board:
The only difference between this vision board and the others is that this one has clear parameters and intent. Before you begin the vision board, take a moment to hold the intent and the theme in mind. When you choose pictures, they will be in alignment with the theme. You can do the Theme Vision Board on smaller pages, like a page in your journal.
Some things to remember about vision boards:
- You can use a combination of all three types of vision boards as you create. Sometimes you might start out doing one kind, and then your intuition takes over and shifts into a whole different mode. That’s called creativity. Just roll with it.
- Your vision board might change as you are making it. I was just talking with a friend of mine who said that she had been making a vision board for the new year. The theme was all about what she wanted in this year. Then, as she pulled pictures and began to lay them out, the theme changed into a simpler one about her everyday life and the moments in each day. It surprised and delighted her to experience that evolution. You might find that you have little epiphanies from making a vision board.
Make a Vision Journal
Another option is to use these same principles in a big sketch book. Get a large sketch book and keep an on-going vision journal. This is especially effective if you’re going through many transitions in your life.
I welcome anyone who has created a vision board to write your own experience in the comments…
Have a fantastic day and make it a great adventure!
Kelli
www.KelliCalabres.com
www.ArgyleBootCamp.com
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