Free 8 Week Zoom Class:Nutrition for Your Brain: Mood, Memory and Focus and Reversing Alzheimer's

Join my free 8 week Zoom class. Nutrition for Your Brain

Together we will create a restoration plan for you. Learn the real story about reversing Alzheimer's. Discover how to renew your brain, uplift your mood, improve your memory and focus, relieve pain and increase your energy.

When:June 19- Aug 12 1:30-3pm Pacific Daylight time

Cost: No charge

Link to enroll:

https://santarosajuniorcollege.formstack.com/…/non_credit_e…

Course number: OA 505 Section 9124 Brain Nutrition

For more information:email:drsiotabelle@gmail.com

or call 707-566-6895

You might also like: Super Foods-Fantastic Foods to Heal Naturally

Guest Post by Douglas Walker -Painting: Creativity is the flow of God's love

In my experience, healing is a whole lot more than attending to the physical body. It is the development of an integrated functioning of mind, body and spirit. It is the creation of a state of physiology where the light of the higher Self can flow unrestricted to all parts of the human experience—mental, physical, emotional, energetic.

When we are disconnected from our higher Self we not only lose touch with our spiritual essence, we also set the stage for physical and emotional suffering.

What is the solution?

*How do we reconnect with the Self?
*How do we remember our life’s purpose?
*How do we bring bliss back into our daily experience?

There are as many ways of reconnecting with our source as there are souls on the planet. Many turn to religion, others to meditation, others devote themselves to service to others.

As an artist, I find that opening yourself to the flow of creativity is a perfect way to reconnect to the divine Self. The process of painting (or writing, or sculpting, etc.) is in itself a process of healing.

Setting the stage:

To me the most amazing miracle of existence is the creation of the individual soul. Somehow, out of that divine, omnipresent hugeness we call God, an endless supply of tiny sparks of divinity bubble up. These sparks of divinity that we call souls, grow into great beings of light and incarnate into different nervous systems to play in this wonderful creation.

Some of these beings (over seven billion at this time) have taken on human nervous systems to enjoy life on our planet Earth. But Mother Earth is in a very dense part of multidimensional creation. In this dense human nervous system,most of us have a very limited range of experience. We forget that our essence, our higher Self, is that spark of divinity, that individualized particle of God.

Remembering:

Fortunately, that divine spark—our inner essence—is always trying to remind us of our origin, and give us clues on the best way to live our lives. By allowing the mind to settle down, we can listen to the messages that are being delivered. But for many this seems like an impossible task.

This is where the creative process comes into play. When we allow the paintbrush to flow, or “put pen to paper”, we are giving the higher Self an opportunity to express itself.

Healing:

It is in the refinement of the creative process that healing takes place.

“Does this brush stroke really express what my heart wants to say? Not quite. Okay, let’s make some adjustment. Yes—now it captures the right mood or meaning.” In this refinement, our physiology—mental, emotional, and physical—is transformed. It becomes a more perfect conduit for the divine Light that is trying to push through our nervous system.

Sometimes this impulse comes from within. Sometimes it comes from the environment. When you paint an inner experience of consciousness you are remembering the spark of divinity that you are. When you paint a landscape, you are attuning your nervous system to an expression of the Divine.

The Divine is present everywhere. Look for it. Look for ways to express it. With every act of creativity you will be transforming your nervous system to be a more perfect vessel of divine Light—a perfect instrument for the flow of God’s love.

Special thanks to author and artist Douglas Walker:

Douglas was born and grew up in Vancouver, Canada. Now he lives with his wife Nancy in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

His paintings include unique representations of Vedic gods along with depictions of the relationship between the human physiology and the Divine.

Douglas was gifted with the ability to paint late in life following a meditation experience of Divine Mother dancing in his heart lotus. Many who view his work report inner spiritual transformation and energetic healing.

“Divine Mother is the artist. I just try to be alert to what She is telling me, and not get in the way. The less the ego is involved, the better I can express Her Light and Silence in my paintings.”

Contacts: http://www.artofmahadevi.com/

Email: devipainter@gmail.com 

You might also enjoy: Painting Is a Technique of Consciousness

Join Siota August 9, 2014 in Oakland, California:

The Wholeness Project-Fulfilling the Heart's Desire for Oneness

Love, Healing and Finding Your Own Wholeness

I believe that loving ourselves is the first step to healing and achieving wholeness. Yet sometimes the burdens from an illness can send us into a downward spiral . If we can find a place within ourselves that we can love-no matter what the challenges of the illness-healing and recognizing Wholeness can begin to blossom within us.

The end was the beginning:

Once a successful nurse and health administrator  had 3 major challenges happen all at the same time:

*She got the diagnosis of Amylateral Sclerosis(ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease which is a severe and chronic illness.
*Her home  was burglarized.
*She lost her job.

Her doctors told her she less than a year to live. Within a few months she was in a wheel chair; barely able to move. Waiting for death- just sitting in her chair she realized that she did not want to die before she experienced unconditional love.

Instead of making funeral arrangements: 

But she hated herself, her body and inside she felt mean and critical of those around her. Somehow she understood that  unconditional love was not possible with so much self hatred. She began a daily practice of looking at herself in the mirror-no clothes- on just sitting and staring at her sagging body that could no longer support her.

Writing It All Down

At first she wrote down every negative thought she had about herself, and her failing body. It was a shock to discover  that she had no loving thoughts left at all. She stared at herself day after day until that moment when she found one thing about herself that was acceptable.  With that she began to rewrite  her negative thoughts into positive statement about herself. As she reached a point of complete self acceptance with her imminent death a shift began to occur. As she learned to love herself …..her body began to heal…

From getting to giving:

She stopped expecting something in return for any of her actions. She began giving to those around here without trying to impress anyone. Each night before sleep she would evaluate her day and ask had she been of service to anyone? Had she been loving? Slowly this practice began to transform her body.

Forgiveness replaced resentment: 

She realized that the only person resentment over past actions was hurting was….herself.

Self-hatred became self-acceptance and then unconditional self love:

Her lifelong disapproval of her own appearance was a heavy burden. No matter what her body looked like now-she came to understand that the first person to love was herself.

Love had to begin inside her. She made the decision to learn to love herself and her body before she died. It was not easy but she began to say out loud. “I love you”  Over time her affection and self acceptance became very real.

For the first time in her life she began to know complete contentment and love for herself that grew and blossomed. Soon she was able to begin sincerely loving those around her with no expectations of anything coming back.  As those around her experienced her change they began to love her and she grew to easily accept their love for her.

From escape with death to accepting life exactly as it is:

She realized that she had felt quite dissatisfied with her job and wanted to quit anyway. She now could look at her entire past and understand that other choices had always been available to her.

Celebrating being alive every minute: 

As she continued with her mirror; she awakened to the idea of celebrating every moment that she was alive-instead of planning her death.

Sharing inner feelings and hurtful emotions is how to let go of them:

Anger, resentment, disappointment  such painful emotions were difficult to identify at first. As she began sharing openly what was really going on inside her  she realized these old hurt feelings were no longer serving her and they began to disappear. Instead of avoiding closeness and intimacy she opened herself to love. With this shift opening her heart to emotional, spiritual, intellectual and physical love brought her the true experience of unconditional love.

So what happened? 

As this woman-let go of her past hurts, inner pain and resentment she was able to accept her self  just the way she was.  She opened to love in every remaining moment of her life. Her body slowly restored itself and she was able to walk again, resume work and begin a new career. Evy McDonald has now been in remission for 34 years.

This is a true story of a courageous woman who recovered her own wholeness and healed herself by discovering her ability to love.  You can read more about Evy's story in the references below.

For those who are close to death opening to love may not change the time of their passing-but it can lead to a more peaceful acceptance of what is meant to be. Opening to love can bring ease, healing and positive change and of course opening to love always brings well-more love.

I enjoy hearing about your healing adventures and respond to all communications so let me hear from you by posting your comments or emailing me direct.

References: 

1.Evelyn R. McDonald, M.S., Sue A. Wiedenfeld, Ph.D., et. al., “Survival in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: The Role of Psychological Factors,” Archives of Neurology,  Vol. 51, January 1994.

2. Evy McDonald, R.N., M.S., M.Div., “Another Perspective of ALS,” Holistic Medicine, March/April 1988. http://www.ahha.org/articles.asp?Id=55.

 Join me at The Wholeness Project-Fulfilling the Hearts  Desire for Oneness

August 9, 2014 Oakland California

Inner Guide to Fat Loss

Keep your brown fat cool:
A natural type of body fat called brown fat can enhance weight loss and fat burning because brown fat uses extra sugars and other types of body fat for fuel. You can trigger a 15% increase in your fat burning response by keeping yourself chilly during your exercise.

Being overheated from bundling up or being so cold that you shiver makes your brown fat stop burning fuel and your fat burning metabolism actually slows down.

So... to enhance your brown fat energy burning metabolism begin your exercise routine with appropriate layers make sure you feel comfortably cool.1

Caught up in new diets, good foods, bad foods, slow carbs, bad carbs and no carbs?
Fitness, weight loss and reducing body fat are on everyone’s mind. Have you noticed that thoughts about your body or the foods you eat can weigh you down and make you feel heavier than you know yourself to be?

I believe that each of us is the perfect expression of Wholeness and that the foods we eat are a spiritual form of substance and supply . We have the innate intelligence within that can guide us to the best way of eating.

If it's a challenge to know what food plan is best for you-- a health coach can show you how to get started. The food plan that works great for your best friend might need to be tailored to make it a success for you.... Our bodies and physical systems are unique and we each have different needs.

Are you stuck in a rut with sugar? Do you feel anxious late at night and find yourself reaching for the graham crackers? Has daily exercise become impossible because your schedule along with your clothes feel too tight?

Regardless of what foods have packed on extra pounds we can have loving, harmonious communication with ourselves that praises and supports healing results on a deep inner level.

Meditation

Here’s a meditation to read aloud morning and evening I think it can shift your heavy thoughts and help you enjoy new vitality, weight loss and healing:

My food agrees with me and I agree with it. I am guided to make the best possible choices in the foods I eat. Everything I eat is perfectly assimilated and digested and all my organ systems and every part of me is in harmony with all that I take into my body. I am in harmony with all my foods, my thoughts and the substance that supplies my body creates vibrancy, harmony, healing and fitness.

I enjoy your questions and comments let me know how this works for you and I'd love to hear about your healing adventures.

You might also enjoy: Super Foods-Fantastic Foods to Heal Naturally

The physical effects of obesity on happiness


References:

1.Recruited brown adipose tissue as an anti obesity agent in humans

Strung with Love-Making Prayer Malas

Every religion uses prayer and meditation yet they have something else they share. Many religions have a tradition of using beads or something like beads to count prayers, chants, mantras and affirmations. Catholics call their beads the rosary. Muslims pray using their Misbaha or Tasbih beads.  In Judaism worshippers count the knots on their prayer shawls. Hindus and Buddhists chant mantras and meditate with malas.

Recently I wrote about using chants to bring healing, improve well being, break through obstacles, calm the mind, restore vitality and even help with weight loss and sugar addictions. It  can be helpful to use prayer mala beads when you chant, pray or practice your affirmations. Mala is the Sanskrit word for garland.  With a prayer mala, you can stay focused in reciting mantras, prayers and affirmations. As you move your fingers along the beads your hands are slightly engaged- providing a place to release energy and allowing the mind to relax. So there is no worry about how many recitations you have completed and no need to focus on the clock.

“You pass the beads across your fingers, bead by bead, with each repetition of the mantra. If your mind wanders, the activity of the hand or the touch of the bead will remind you of the mantra. The rhythm becomes more compelling, the experience more total as your body works in harmony with the mind.”

Ram Daas 

Traditional mala beads are made from wooden beads, seeds and semi-precious stones. You can be creative in designing your own set of mala beads to make it unique and meaningful for your own purpose.

You are invited to learn how to make your own prayer malas, to chant with them and to discover how your mala beads can be powerful for you. 

Strung with Love-Making Prayer Malaas

with Sue Robson

Date: Saturday, August 16th
 Time: 10 am to 1 pm
 Center for Spiritual Living Santa Rosa
 2075 Occidental Road Santa Rosa, Ca 95401

Cost-$30

To enroll online:Prayer Mala Workshop


You can connect with Sue or get more information about her workshop and Prayer Malas at: https://www.facebook.com/#!/PrayerMalas

I use rudraksha and coral mala beads as part of my spiritual practice. I would love to hear how you use your malas. You can leave your comments below or email me at the address listed above.

World Peace & Your Divine Intention with "Dances of Universal Peace"

"The only way we can make peace is for each of
us to be the peace we want to see."

Susan Collin Marks:http://www.sfcg.org/

 

 

 

 

With the internet and social media the world has become a smaller more open place. Instantly we can have an idea of what is going on anywhere. Are you thinking about what is happening around the world right now? I know I am. But what is going on inside you?

One way to find peace within yourself and to become the peace you'd like to see everywhere.....is by moving your body to the rhythms of peace, unity and love with the Dances of Universal Peace.

From ancient times sacred movement, music and song have been used in celebration and to bring people together.  The Dances of Universal Peace were introduced in 1960 by Samuel L. Lewis- a Sufi teacher and Zen master. You may know of the ecstatic form of Sufi dancing known as Sufi Whirling practiced in many Islamic cultures.

The Dances of Universal Peace have their roots in Sufi traditions; but they are spiritual folk dances-easy to do. You don't have to be particularly fit to participate and anyone can learn them.

Sufi Dancing or the Dances of Universal Peace blend chant, live music and movement into a living experience of unity, peace and self integration. The mystery of these beautiful chants and music in Arabic, Aramaic, English, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Persian and Sanskrit. awakens your Divine Intention, sense of Oneness and community.

"Out beyond the ideas of wrong-doing and right-

doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there."

Rumi, Sufi Master and poet

Join hands to form a circle and celebrate the underlying Unity of all spiritual traditions. Enjoy a remarkable sense of well being and a greater revelation of your own Truth with this healing tradition. No musical ability or dancing talent is needed.

Sufi Dances of Universal Peace

Led by Tui-well known International Peace Dance Leader

Friday, September 27, 2013 7pm

Center for Spiritual Living Santa Rosa, Ca

2075 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa, Ca 95401-707-546-4543

$10 in advance and $15 @ the door

Register online: http://steppingstones-books-and-gifts.myshopify.com/
To locate a program in your area or find out more information check out: www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org.

If you have danced the Dances of Universal Peace  or used dance as a healing technique I look forward to hearing about your experiences. Please write me in the comment box below or at the email listed above.

Heal Your Bones-Can the Sound of Your Cat Purring Help?

Cosmo the cat was resting on my chest.  It was a warm day and she began to purr. The more she purred the more drowsy I became and finally I couldn’t stay awake. I took a relaxing nap with Cosmo and woke up feeling great.  Could it be that Cosmo worked some cat magic on me? Have you noticed the sound of your cat purring is soothing?Some say the sound is healing. For years researchers have studied the sounds of cats purring. Robert Eklund has measured the harmonics of domestic cat purrs within the range of 20.94 and 27.21 Hz.1 Apparently, different sound frequencies have potential for healing effects. 

Elizabeth von Muggenthaler, a bioacoustics researcher at Fauna Communications Institute  describes  the  frequency range of domestic cats purring as therapeutic for "bone growth/fracture healing, pain relief/swelling reduction, wound healing, muscle growth and repair/tendon repair, mobility of joints and the relief of shortness of breath"2

Cats don’t get osteoporosis or suffer from bone loss even though they like to sleep and enjoy long periods of inactivity. Perhaps it is because they listen to themselves purr.  You can hear wild & domestic cats purring with Dr. Eklund at http://purring.org/. 

While more research is needed to determine specific effects of cat purring on humans….it's possible that the healing frequencies of cats will be used to give us stronger bones with faster healing. In the meantime I hope Cosmo will reveal the healing secrets of her purring to me soon. 

Let me know about your healing experiences with your cats, dogs or pets I’d love to hear about them.  You can post your comments below or email me direct at the address listed above.

 

I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through. Jules Verne

 

References:
 

1.   http://io9.com/5934228/why-the-cats-purr-is-one-of-zoologiys-greatest-
      greatest mysteries

2.    http://www.animalvoice.com/horse.htm

3.    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-cats-purr

 

Healing From a Place of Wholeness

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I believe that inside you, inside me and inside everyone a Wholeness exists and that all healing comes from that Wholeness. I believe our thoughts, centered on this Wholeness, can heal us.

Our thoughts help us heal

Each time we  perceive ourselves as well, grounded, happy, calm, peaceful and at ease we strengthen our ability to make that our new way of being.

Have you ever noticed that you can hide your positive feelings about yourself with thoughts that are depressing or anxiety producing by worrying, or by comparing yourself to others? 

Feeling desperate about losing weight or not having a body we like, living with chronic pain and fatigue, inflammation, or more serious illnesses can make our opportunities seem limited.  Needing a new job, a place to live or struggling in a floundering relationship can be equally daunting. Of course not every condition can be permanently reversed but what can change is our perceptions about ourselves and for that to happen we can turn to the Wholeness within us.

Psychologists use Cognitive Behavior Therapy to help people change their thinking in the midst of such challenges.  We can also begin a change inside ourselves with meditation, practicing compassion, gratitude and cultivating the awareness of what makes us happy and what helps us to feel Whole.

"Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you."

Paramahansa Yogananda

A new reality of Wholeness for deepest healing

As we turn our attention to consciously experiencing Wholeness within we may begin to feel new feelings of oneness, happiness and have  life affirming thoughts. Repeatedly turning our attention to the Wholeness within we will strengthen our ability to remember these feelings.  Over time it becomes easier to call them up.  Focusing on these new feelings several times a week creates a new reality of Wholeness within us and about us.

When we can remember our Wholeness and allow ourselves to embrace it-truly our deepest healing takes place. Then, our remembered Wholeness can become the foudnation upon which our special diets, medications, natural remedies, what we have heard from our families, friends and even our self talk rests.

Stefan’s Story

Recently I was asked to meet a man I'll call Stefan to see if I could help him experience more joy. Stefan is an 80 something gentleman who has many challenges. He can no longer walk and uses a wheel chair. He has dementia and can only speak in short phrases of 2-3 words.

Using simple questions I discovered that he was a retired interior decorator who loves nature and classical music. He liked my idea of driving to see some of the beautiful homes in our area.

Summer is just beginning its end here and the weather for our drive was gorgeous. We took our time driving by homes with dramatic landscaping, covered verandas, entry ways twined with morning glories and roses. Stefan let me know that he liked what we were seeing with just a few words "Beautiful, oh so beautiful"

As the ducks were settling onto the lake I pulled my car close to the water and we sat there sharing the grace of the  morning. "Beautiful, oh so beautiful".

I dialed up Il Divo, Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. As the music filled the car Stefan began to sway his upper body with the music and smiled.

A friend was out walking and stopped to greet us. After she continued on her way Stefan turned his eyes fully on me and said “So warm.”

We looked at every tree slowly, winding through the woods. Together we became one with each leaf on every tree and one with all the spaces in between each leaf and tree. Stefan’s eyes were luminous and he kept smiling as we drank in the beauty. Each tree was Stefan’s own universe of joy and light. "Beautiful, oh so beautiful."

By the time I returned Stefan to his memory care facility his entire being was glowing. Even though we had few words to share we were able to experience an entire universe of Wholeness which enriched and healed us both.

Try this on yourself

Find a way to recognize your own Wholeness or Oneness and when you are really feeling it say "yes  this is truly me." Breathe it in and if you can stand up straight with good posture and repeat that a few times and then breathe some more.

Anyone can do this-though we may each have a different way of enhancing our experience of Wholeness. It might be with music that sounds beautiful to you. Some people like Stefan can be truly renewed while they are out in nature. Others may only feel at ease and free inside their homes. Whether it is your cat or your car or something different-experiment with what it is that takes you out of your every day self and allows you to remember your own Wholeness and the sense that truly we are all One.

May your heart open.
May joy emerge.
May love flow through you.
May you heal and help others.

  Charlene Costanzo from "The 12 Gifts of Healing"

Music that Stefan enjoyed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFZ7bBaYpcw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF5QKHC7VDA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5EiBOhSnas