Part 1

Part 2

Flash forward to August 2008. I was turning 40 and wanted nothing more than to spend it at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California where I journeyed twice before from Dallas within the previous eight months. Beyond the lush lawn that invited long naps in the sun, the delicious organic food, and the mineral-rich natural hot springs from the Saint Lucia mountains, Esalen had become my spiritual home, a magical retreat, the kind of place where you have to be careful what you wish for because the potency of the land is so ripe with manifestation. The Gestalt therapy of Fritz Perls, Moshe Feldenkrais’ somatic method, Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms practice, and Ida Pauline Rolf’s bodywork technique, are only a few of the countless pioneer movements that were nurtured at Esalen, leaving indelible marks on the landscape of human potential. The visionary spirit that lingers in the soil of the grounds is palpable. In considering this significant celebration, it didn’t even matter what workshop I attended, but lo and behold there was a workshop with Spiritweaves, a dance practice lead by the facilitators Anneli and Michael Molin-Skelton. When I called to make the reservation, the woman who took my information asked me if I had ever danced with Anneli and Michael before. I told her no. (I was too big to be a dancer, remember?) She assured me, “They are delightful. Very special. You will love it.” I trusted Esalen, so I went.

I arrived at this dance without expectation, without a deep longing or a thirst to be quenched, not seeking yet another pathway to the truth. As a yogi for 14 years, I didn’t recognize a need for another practice. I simply followed the part of me that loves to dance. I stepped into the container of the dance space and my body instantly began to move. Before my mind could protest, I found myself on the floor rolling my spine and exploring the boundaries of my edges, then up on my feet, running furiously around the room, taking on shapes that were unfamiliar, buoyant, confident, and completely free. We danced for an extended period of time in silence. No prompting, no direction, no urging from Anneli and Michael. Instead they created space, and then held it for us, and allowed us to breathe in it for a while, to explore. The music was impeccable. They weaved in and out of us in their own dance, introducing us to their humility and their vulnerability, and their genuine desire to share their love of this practice with us. Within a very short time, I realized that my identity, my ego, any part of me that clung to my sense of self-importance was absent. The Divine was being expressed in my movements. This was prayer.

From that first experience with Anneli and Michael, I have danced with them time and time again, and each time I do, into their open arms I begin to drop in to greet myself, that familiar face at the window of my soul who often becomes a stranger to me between dances. They keep me safe while I run into the darkness of the secrets that my body has been holding, creating a space where I can be receptive to all that arises without binding me with rules, or tutus, or barre pliés. That darkness, they say, “is just one part of us, and the more we can embrace those parts of ourselves, the more we can be fully self-expressed.” Through their own study of 5Rhythms and Soul Motion practices, they invite us into a seemingly endless repertoire of exercises that evoke transformation and healing, and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to articulate the ones that have impacted me the most. So I’ll just share the one that I’ll never forget.

During one of our five-day retreats at Esalen, Anneli and Michael led us through a wave of music that was long and deep. I came to the end of it feeling especially open, and my mind intensely quiet. They invited us to make what they called “soul cards”. Around the room they had placed groupings of magazines, picture books, glue, scissors, X-acto knives, and stacks of five by eight-inch boards made from heavy cardstock. Their guidance was to begin by flipping through the magazines and books, and tear out anything that spoke to us – words, images, colors. They asked us not to intellectualize the experience, or try to analyze why we were attracted to certain things. Instead they gave us permission to let our creativity be expressed in the cards.

That evening we gathered in a circle after Anneli and Michael led us through another wave of music. They asked us to bring one of our soul cards to the circle with us, and explained the nature of the exercise. When we were called (which, by the way, is always a caveat that Anneli and Michael lay down at the beginning of every exercise), we were invited (another caveat) to enter the circle with our soul card, and take a shape that expressed the essence of how the card spoke to us. At that point, we were to be joined in the circle by at least two other dancers who would take on the same shape. From there we were asked to speak the words, “I am the one who…” and then finish the sentence with a word that organically completed it. The direction was to do so, again, without intellectualizing, as raw of an expression as possible.

I was eventually inspired to move to the center of the circle with my soul card. The shape that my body took on was similar to a child’s pose in yoga, hips at the heels, forehead on the floor, shoulders rounded forward, arms draped at my sides, hands near my feet, and palms facing upwards. Michael called several dancers to come out on the floor and take the same shape. Slowly my body began to uncurl, and I started to stand up on my knees with my arms hanging by my side. Out of my mouth came, “I am the one who was left behind.” I stood up a little taller on my knees and my arms raised up over my head, and I screamed, “I am the one who knows that if I’m not perfect, you’ll leave me!” With that, Michael cued the other dancers around me to begin to chant, “I AM NOT PERFECT. I AM NOT PERFECT. I AM NOT PERFECT.” And from there, he said, “Liz, I want you to dance imperfection.” My heart was pounding out of my chest in gripping fear, yet in that instant, I was crisply aware that it was the time to face this demon, to dispel the story that the only way to be worthy was to be perfect. So I let go, in a way that I hadn’t let go before. I stumbled. I was off beat. I didn’t care what it looked like. I let myself be seen by the other dancers and most importantly, by my teachers, the ones who I was certain would disapprove. I allowed the fear of being left behind to move my body and my breath. I loved myself inside this feeling of imperfection. At the end of the dance, I stood at the back of the circle and looked at the other dancers. They stopped chanting. Michael said, “Take a look around. You are not perfect, and they are still here.” I stood there as long as I needed to stand there, and I wept. Too tall to be a dancer? I think not.

To say that their gifts are immeasurable, that their partnership in life is inspiring, that their ability to hold space is impeccable, that their compassion, generosity, and love is boundless, would diminish the gratitude I hold in my heart for their presence in my life. Instead I will merely invite you to dance with Anneli and Michael. In the words of David Whyte, “Sometimes with the bones of the black sticks left when the fire has gone out, someone has written something new in the ashes of your life. You are not leaving. You are arriving.”

Anneli and Michael will be in Dallas August 6th through 8th at the Sammons Center for the Arts. To register, contact Monica Blossom Hochberg at 214/597-6800 and/or visit www.flowetryinmotion.com. For more information about Spiritweaves, visit www.spiritweaves.com.

The seven chakra system is part of the ancient Hindu system of energetic anatomy, and has become increasingly popular in modern Western culture since the 1960s. Each chakra, literally translated as “wheel”, is an energy vortex, a spiraling doorway into the very deepest aspects of our being, with each holding particular aspects of our reality. Although chakras transmit as well as receive energy, they can be thought of as doorways ‘opening’ from the inside for us as we seek our healing and enlightenment.

[pullquote]Chakras are neither totally “open” nor “closed”; they function with varying degrees of openness[/pullquote]Chakras are neither totally “open” nor “closed”; they function with varying degrees of openness. It is possible to train a sensitive person to be able to ‘feel’ the chakra’s degree of openness, the spin direction, the speed, various anomalies such as wobbles, and the deeper consciousness aspects that are indicative of the inner reality of the subject. A masterful teacher that has attained the rare ability to awaken an aspirant’s kundalini or life-force energy can permanently affect a student’s chakras through higher initiations, when the student has been made ready through a deep and disciplined spiritual practice. The effect upon the chakras is simply a reflection of the change in the disciple’s consciousness, not the goal.

Normally, then, a chaka will simply open when it is ready to open a bit more in conjunction with the progression and healing of the human being; in other words, as it becomes appropriate in one’s life path. This is not usually a quick process, but can be accelerated by a powerful experience that brings healing and expanded consciousness to the individual. It should be noted that “open” and even “balanced” are physical terms, and so these terms are not exactly descriptive of this non-quantum esoteric state.

A chakra will open and contract a few degrees from one moment to the next, much like the pupil of the eye, but the baseline average degree of openness will remain close to the same without the aforementioned changes in consciousness. The change may involve the release of trauma, blockage, fear, and associated pain in all its myriad forms, but to think it requires little effort is erroneous.

To effect a significant change in a chakra requires a fundamental shift in the spiritual level, also referred to as the “causal” level. Such a change will be felt throughout the person’s life experience afterwards. This change can be perceived by a healer with clairvoyant vision as a cascade of energy throughout the subtle bodies; the spiritual, mental, emotional, and etheric. From the etheric, which is a bluish grid-like overlay upon the physical body, the energies we carry filter into the physical body. All disease carries with it an energetic component. Advanced energy healing can often heal disease, as well as prevent it from manifesting in the physical. Prevention is easiest.

Let’s take an improvised example. A female client may wish to work on a blocked feeling that seems to prevent her from being able to give and receive love with her husband. She may only know that every time her husband opens up and expresses his love for her, she begins to subtly shut down and block him in various ways. However, during my initial scan, I may perceive a black wedge-shaped energy within her heart chakra connecting to her inner child in the second chakra. As I help her to identify the energy, we may discover that as a little girl, she was severely rebuffed and emotionally punished by her father due to a problem he had with the girl’s mother, which had nothing to do with the child. However, the child grows up feeling unlovable by men, and with no modeling of real love by her parents. Through several failed romances, the maturing young woman establishes a pattern of shutting down whenever a lover truly opens his deep heart to her, yet doesn’t know what’s wrong. In seeking out a partner to heal this pattern with, she marries a man with whom she desperately wants to find happiness, one that has a “matching” energy; he finds her shutting down pattern incredibly painful and frustrating.

With a healer’s gentle guidance as the story unfolds, and the woman clearly seeing the pictures in her mental body of the energy and the process by which it manifested in her life, the effect it has had on her relationships, and feeling the pain of all this in her emotional body, an agreement is reached with the energy through voice dialog and with the woman herself to release the energy.

Awareness moves energy. The pure focus upon the energy allows energetic techniques to be used to release the energy and bring in a beautific healing white light from above to replace the energy with the light of divine guidance. Often the energy itself begins to turn various shapes and colors; green, golden, and white, which both healer and client witness at once. This is a real, palpable light, but not the quantum photon light you see with your physical eyes. The woman may find herself floating in a profoundly silent, but dynamic state of healing reverie with this light infusing her heart and finally her entire being. Forgiveness of self and others will start to come in through the heart. As the lesson that the blockage appeared in her soul’s journey to teach her is learned on the causal level, true healing will take place, and the chakra will begin to undergo a deep and permanent change. The fabric of this person’s reality is now changing, and this can be seen in the images, patterns, and symbols woven into her subtle bodies. After a few follow-up sessions, the heart chakra that was opened to about forty degrees with a black, wedge-shaped energy containing deep-seated fear and self-hatred, can become a heart opened to about ninety degrees with a sustained beautiful new feeling of acceptance for herself and her husband within it. The second chakra, the seat of the inner child, as well as the third, will have undergone similar transformation. If deep spiritual progress is desired, this process, through time and effort, can lead to clearing and further opening of the higher chakras as well. Opening the higher chakras first, however, without clearing the lower ones, is common among spiritual aspirants, and is inevitably the cause of serious problems.

So, the “opening” of the heart chakra is crucial, not as an end in itself, but rather as a means to an end – the deep transformation that the original distress led to. Could this be attained by waving hands, shining lights, manipulating energy, or other such devices, while leaving the trauma from the original childhood emotional injury intact? Perhaps; there are many ways to heal; but this is one that engages the client’s conscious awareness. We are all unique, and the trauma that manifests in one way in one person can take a completely different turn in the life story of another, as each of us has our own complex web of life to unfold. Just know the difference between a “balanced” or “open” chakra, and a chakra that is in deep transformation due to healing that is happening in the depth of your being.

Andrew M Williams discovered his own innate ability to use healing energy in the 1970s, and after many years of alternative healing studies, he became a Certified Advanced Energy Healer in 1997, graduating the intensive Jaffe School of Energy Mastery, now a Sufi school. Andrew is currently expanding his Spiritual Energy Healing practice in Fort Worth, with plans to start his own school teaching clairvoyant healing skills. Andrew is a Sufi initiate, and draws from this powerful stream of ancient wisdom in his work. He can be reached at (817) 925 6824, andywilliams@hughes.net

Last year, I traveled to Bali and provided Thai Massage for residents of a foundation called Senang Hati (“Happy Hearts.”) Their vision is to help disabled people have a chance to be independent and to participate fully in the society around them. Through programs which teach economic and physical skills for a self-supporting life, the residents go from “disabled to enabled.”

This was the first time I had an opportunity to provide Thai Massage for the disabled. The experience was incredible. At Senang Hati, I was welcomed in as family and set up massage in their community room. While their legs were crippled from polio or a limb was missing, their hearts and eyes were filled with love.

If they did not speak English, they would point to a place on their body or say “sick arm.” Once on the table, they closed their eyes and I said “santai” (relax) This was an amazing experience of trust for giver and receiver. I felt connected to them. They opened their hearts to me.

A sense of belonging, creating community, and making a heart connection are qualities of life I believe are happening and shifting the lives of people. I share my story as a reminder of the goodness and joy present in the world.

Suzanne Miller is a LMT and Certified Master Level Thai Massage Practitioner. She can be reached at 972-319-3661. For more information on Senang Hati Foundation, please visit www.SenangHati.org

Even when we’re resting, we’re active. So much work is being done internally and on other planes of consciousness. We are busy reinventing ourselves, rediscovering who we are, and allowing more healing, and receiving of guidance. All this takes time and patience.

There is action in just being, imagining, visualizing, and dreaming. These are important efforts for choosing our grand new experiences. Now is the time to reach inside yourself and determine what you really do want. To fine tune your vision of yourself and your life. So focus on the joyful dreams you want to create, and prepare to fly.

©2010 Nicole Mizoguchi • www.nicolemiz.com • nicole@nicolemiz.com

Sometimes the planets tell a story that is so literal it’s easy to miss. In this case, Neptune is the planet that governs gas and some say oil, too. It makes a stressful aspect to Saturn, the planet of order and structure. Neptune is also powerful spiritual or soulful unity.

Jupiter joins Uranus all Summer and into 2011. Saturn faces and anchors them with structure or order. Neptune triggers Saturn for illumination, but could inspire lies. Saturn is now moving forward. After 9 months of labor, there is new life born from commitment and structure. You know when you’re in the midst of a Saturn transit to your chart: It feels heavy and sad. It’s like a cement overcoat you can’t take off. Saturn inspires us to change. Jupiter is the great teacher: The litigator and the politician. Uranus is the liberator: He is also anxiety. Look at your life. What would you like to be free of? Whether it’s fear, food, pain, debt or something else: Take a quick note of what comes to mind. Look for a teacher or mentor to guide you. Choose that person or method not by what it promises, but by how you feel when you hear or read about it. Jupiter and Uranus are in a place in the heavens that is all about the powerful life-force energy that moves through your spinal chord. Be guided by yours. Now: Make a commitment to structure. Saturn is all about tenacity and endurance. Will you commit to your freedom?

Saturn is the wisdom of age and experience. Each of us knows what holds us down or back. We know our addictions and which foods enliven us. Use Saturn to set the pattern: make a simple plan and commit to it. Stretch into it. Jupiter says to learn it. Find a coach, or therapist, or online program. Uranus says freedom is the prize. Set a plan or simple action and move it forward to freedom. No matter what holds you, you can do something to liberate yourself.

Neptune brings the invisible to light. It also brings opportunity for those with the foresight to know what works and what doesn’t. They are out there. This summer biology savvy engineers take the stage. Watch for success. It’s coming, but like life itself: success and great acts of generosity and compassion are often born from great tragedy and loss. This is the time to learn Saturn’s wisdom and carry it to all areas of life. It really is important to value structure and caution even when no one is looking but you. Perhaps the ultimate gift is to value integrity and to open the door to innovation.

July: Happy Birthday USA! Independence Day arrives as Uranus, the restless planet of change, innovation, anxiety, and accidents, appears to stand still in the heavens. Find Uranus in a section of the heavens known for powerful intuition. Jupiter, the great teacher, has just passed Uranus and is moving slowly. In fact, Jupiter will follow Uranus’ lead and appear to go backward, too.

This leads to opportunity that is there for all of us. Pull out that great idea and use the Saturn aspect to lay out a plan. Invest your time and energy to make it happen. If Jupiter is knowledge, and Uranus is freedom, then Saturn might be that degree or certification that opens the door to opportunity. Look around your life. What could you do to prepare yourself for the future? How could you enhance your skills? Are you willing to make a commitment to your career or in your personal life? Uranus resists commitment: take a little time to notice where you feel free. Look carefully: Commitment might free you more than your ego would imagine. With Pluto, the planet of catharsis, ready to meet the others this Fall, a little awareness is actually the beginning of BIG change. Your path to liberation might be a divorce, a job change or just a shift in perspective. What jobs are strong? In addition to those mentioned, counseling is needed in many areas. Many of us need help to find the gift of freedom in a sudden change of plans. Whew!

August: Mars comes to Saturn early this month. Mars and Saturn do not get along. Mars wants to fight and Saturn refuses. Mars wants revolution and Saturn wants resolve. Mars facing Uranus is an accident waiting to happen. Keep your eyes on the road. Be alert. That message you must send now can wait until you’re free. Tempers rise and so does the opportunity to face your fears. If Mars comes to Saturn, his impulse to fight could be a call to war. Caution: folks are easy to anger. Those who are aggressive or even a little unstable could end up on the nightly news. Use your internal antennae to tune into your surroundings. That place in line isn’t worth your life. That volatile lover isn’t either. Don’t throw down the gauntlet unless you intend to fight. Daily drama makes for a weary audience.

The Standoff of the Curmudgeons: Saturn, faces Uranus with both squared to Pluto. Each is a powerful planet. When Saturn lands on us we feel alone, old and as if the clock of our time on Earth is ticking away. When Uranus sends his jolt, he is so innately unpredictable that the most intractable folks are ready to let go. Neptune offers the gift of spiritual surrender, but also the cloud of illusion. As they send the cloud of uncertainyy to Saturn, we are more vulnerable and potentially powerful than ever. The trick is to be flexible like a reed in the wind and let it move around or even through you. How well you bend is obvious by the middle of October. These are anxious times. Stretch your faith and know your brain, but most of all, trust wise friends to guide you.

Retrograde Mercury: Mercury is the planet of communication and commerce. When he appears to stop in the heavens and go backward on August 20th it seems that communication goes awry. Particularly these days when every message can quickly go to a million people, it is essential to slow down and think about the power of your words. Most of all, it is essential to look at what you are signing. Jupiter says to get the new car, but Saturn reminds you that the payments go on much longer than the warranty and this could feel more like bondage than liberation. This is the best time to reflect, review and rest. Yes, all the “re” words you can imagine apply here. Mercury goes direct on September 12th- just in time to remember our national pain and to retool for the future.

September: The summer comes to an end. There is the promise of cooler days and tempers. Mars pulls away from the curmudgeons the first week. Saturn pulls away from Pluto and Uranus, too. The process of change is in place. What did you start this summer? If obstacles stood in your path, take careful notes and prepare to start again. Many of us will find the funds and the faith to get off the couch. The gift of youth is the tenacity to give your body what it needs. Saturn understands the value of commitment. As Saturn pulls away, Jupiter and Uranus might just test the waters and indulge in some way. Don’t worry, you’ve learned from the past and your liberation might be freedom from addictions.

The Governor of Louisiana: Bobby Jindal: Keep an eye on him for innovation and courage. He’s young but already experienced with disaster in the Gulf. In 1998 he oversaw a massive and successful evacuation in Louisiana. This year, his actions and fight for the people of his state, the coastal economy and beyond, will make President Obama appear distant and uninvolved. But Jindal pushed for offshore drilling. Now he is in the midst of the biggest cleanup ever. The summer’s transits are strong for his political power. It’s time to watch and see how he overcomes his legislative past. It will be interesting to see him handle the situation. I hope he and President Obama can work together. It’s not about one party, but about leadership: Whew! Will his actions now free him from the images of oil and economic destruction? Will he be held accountable or will his future actions free him from his past? We can all apply this somewhere. From the office to the dinner table: What you do from this point forward may free you from something in your past.

President Obama: The heavy transits to his birth chart in May will have lasting impact. The President will be haunted by oil spill images throughout his career. In Vedic astrology there are planets who are friends to your chart and those who are not. Mars is not a friend to the President, Saturn is. In fact his own plan or tenacity and commitment serve him well. He was born with Jupiter, the political planet, next to Saturn. Saturn often seems detached or cool because he is cautious and careful. His Jupiter is big ideas and great speeches. He was born with Mars in a very stressful place in the heavens: In the house of life and death. Every President has death threats. Every President has unfathomable responsibility. Every President is literally the Commander and Chief of the most powerful military in the world.

This summer, the President is pushed to take action and to command. I expect that he will be threatened at home and abroad. Nations like North Korea, Iran, and Afghanistan will compel him to make decisions he would rather avoid. I said months ago that the President’s Cabinet will change by next year. Incompetence in the face of this spill is the crowbar that will push them out so strong innovators can come into his administration. To the President: I wish him well, I expect he will meet innovative heroes and roll up his sleeves for the people, the marine life, and the economy of the Gulf. I believe he is in danger, but I also expect that he will seize the moment to liberate himself from political obligation and be the Commander in Chief we saw in the election. Political advisers can’t help him: The Gov. of Louisiana can show him the best of Mars. The President can show us all the gift of Jupiter when disciplined by Saturn.

How the Love Grows: It grows through compassion, but it continues to grow. Venus is the love planet. She moves through action-oriented lunar mansions this summer. Get up and dare to love. Get your hands dirty and help. Develop a plan to embrace others. It is a wise investment. I expect many engagements and marriages this summer. But most of all, I expect commitment and inner growth. We are touched by images of compassion and generosity and we learn that generosity brings great returns.

Where the Money Flows: Literally, it flows from BP to other companies. Watch the Market slowly rebound. Keep an eye out for innovators and new technology. Mostly, keep the faith. A plan or structure set this summer could bring lasting returns.

Cynthia Novak is a professional astrologer. She can be contacted at metro 817-261-2984. Read Cynthia’s daily astrological message at www.HolisticNetworker.com/dailymessage/ or see www.CynthiaNovak.com Come hear Cynthia’s talk at the Wellness Expo in Fort Worth on Sunday, August 15 at 11:30am entitled “Astrology & You”.

2. Who is involved in this with you?
Michelle Barr, Kim StAndre and I are the founders of the Chamber. We all had the same vision of forming an organization like this, so the inspired thought came and the inspired action followed. We spent many collaborative hours designing this model and reached out to several metaphysical practitioners for support as Board members. Each Board member brings a special area of talent and expertise to strengthen this endeavor. More information is listed about the Board Members on the About Us page on our website.

3. What is its goal?
The goal is to strengthen the metaphysical business community by helping to provide the tools for success as well bring a new level of awareness and credibility both within and outside this sector.

4. What are the benefits to members?
There are many benefits to being a member of the Chamber such as a directory listing for their business, opportunities to promote their business via networking events. Special events featuring guest speakers to provide timely information to develop and grow their business. The Chamber also has a benefits package, which includes limited medical, dental, vision, short term disability, hospital indemnity and life insurance, so small businesses and sole proprietors will have access to benefits at an affordable rate.

5. Do you have a web site?
Our website is dfwmetaphysicalcoc.org

6. How can people contact you to learn more about your organization?
Our website contains great information or people may email me at laurarose@dfwmetaphysicalcoc.org to setup a meeting.

Are you going to be doing the Fort Worth Wellness Expo?

Yes! We are excited about participating at the Fort Worth Expo.

I have often thought of the Pareto principle, which is also known as the 80-20 rule, which explains that for many events, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Joseph M. Juran, a 20th century management consultant, named this principle after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who noticed that 80% of the peas in his garden came from 20% of the pea pods. Pareto further discovered that 80% of the wealth from many countries was owned by just 20% of its population. Juran applied this principle to business, suggesting that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.

Many other applications of this powerful principle have since been found. Richard Koch, author of “The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less”, notes that hundreds of thousands of people have found this principle to be useful, not only in their work and careers, but also in the whole of their lives.

As Wayne Dyer notes, “When you change the way you look at things, the things that you look at change.” By deliberately choosing to focus on and be grateful for all that is going well in our lives, our lives can become an upward spiral of joy and fulfillment. I hope you, too, will choose to focus on the 20% of your efforts that are accounting for 80% of your success in all aspects of your life and that your life will become all that you are hoping it can be.

A debate is currently raging in business journals about multitasking. Some decry that by multitasking, you are doing a poorer job at each of the tasks. Others argue that executives (and moms) literally cannot do their jobs if they were to focus on single tasks sequentially. I believe that the optimal path is to discern which tasks you do easily and to mash them up readily. Save your concentrated attention for important things that require single-minded focus.

How do we concentrate in a world of Twitter, email, and text distractions? It takes great discipline, but I encourage you to set aside dedicated time to aim your laser attention on your career, book, hobby, or project until the rest of the world fades from your awareness. Runners, skiers, and race car drivers know that in moments of peak concentration time disappears—your mind works at the speed of light, making connections and integrating information from all parts of your brain.

Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi, describes this state of low as, “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time lies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

Prof. Csíkszentmihályi believes that the “low” experience brings people an optimal level of happiness. Too little mental stimulation — we become bored and depressed. Too much — we become worrisome and anxious. Find an optimal level of engaging work that challenges you, pour passionate attention into it, and you have a recipe for a happy, fulfilling life.

Wind down with a reflexology session, shop for essential oils or some unique jewelry and then top it all off with a healthy treat. Featuring over 100 vendors and 24 lectures, shopping, and plenty of good food the Wellness Expo provides unique learning, shopping and entertainment experience. Wellness Expo in Addison, October 16-17, 2010