Learn how to practice mindfulness and meditation to improve your health.
February 17 & 24
March 3 & 10
Instructor: Susan D’Agostino, RN, CMMI
Certified Mindfulness and Meditation Instructor.
As you start the year, take a pause and decide how you want this year to be. What do you want to achieve? What dreams do you want to make a reality? What things do you want to let go? The first day of the year is the perfect time to make that decision.
You may say, this year I want to be happier. I want to be more spiritual. I want to be successful.
You may have different goals. However, these may be too abstract. What I suggest you do, is to be more specific and be clear on what these goals mean to you.
These are just simple examples. However, they make a difference. Furthermore, instead of saying this year I will try to be more spiritual, start doing something towards being more spiritual today. There is no room for trying, as it gives the possibility of not happening. Start with taking the first step to make that unique goal a reality. It will make a difference in how you feel. It will make a difference on how the year evolves, and eventually how 2018 ends. You will be able to look back and say to yourself: This year I made it happen. Instead of saying, another year went by, and I wish I would have…
It is not about focusing on regrets. On the contrary, it is to learn from things that happened or didn’t happen in the year 2017. 2018 is the year you commit to making it happen. You may want to review how you ended 2017 following the suggestion I shared on this blog.
At times we move automatically in our lives by not paying attention. The end of the year came, and you may have said (I said it!) Wow! This year went by so fast! Well, it may feel it goes fast. However, we can also make it meaningful, make it special to us; make it special to our loved ones; to our community; to the world. Keep in mind that any small action we take can make a difference in our lives and in the lives of others.
Now, I want to give you this suggestion to start putting all these plans into action.
Take a piece of paper and make two lists.
On the first list, write down all the things you DO NOT want to happen this year. You may want to let go of things that are not contributing to your wellbeing. You may want to start saying no to things that are not adding to your productivity; to your meaning; to your spirituality; to your happiness.
Then, make a list of the things you want to happen this year. State them in the positive and in the present tense:
Evaluate these important goals, and start today taking the first step. Today is the first day of the year, and if you take action, it will give you a great sense of accomplishment; it will give you a sense of hope; it will give you a sense of empowerment; It will give you a sense of control.
Make 2018 a meaningful and special year.
Ligia M. Houben
If you are like me, you live in a world of distraction. Multiple things have the potential of distracting us from what we intend to do. For example, you may be one of those people who logs into the internet with the intention to look for something that would take few minutes, and then go back to what you were doing. However, what may happen? You start clicking on ads you see, articles, or images, and instead of being on the internet for 15 minutes, you stayed for an hour! This action distracted you from what was important and took precious time from your work; your family; your life.
I would say it is the information overload syndrome and most of us, from time to time, suffer from it.
Another distraction you may encounter is when you are watching the news or a program on TV. Suddenly, a pop up of an upcoming program, shows up. You intend to focus on the program, however, the breaking news announcement appears at the bottom of the screen. We find ourselves looking at different sources of information at the same time.
What about when you are with your family or exercising at the gym (having some me-time), and suddenly your phone starts beeping. You are either receiving a text, a message on WhatsApp, or a message on Facebook. We are constantly bombarded with distractions, and my theory is that, because of this distraction we are suffering, the need for being present in our lives has increased. The need of paying attention has augmented. The need to take a break has become imperative. This sense of being overwhelmed has created the need to embrace mindfulness which has become almost a movement. It is becoming part of our culture because it promises what we need the most…to be present in our lives. It teaches us to be present in what we are doing; to be present with our thoughts; with the people we love.
The idea of mindfulness is not a modern concept. It started with Gautama Buddha 2,500 years ago. I remember when I taught World Religions at the University, each time we talked about Buddhism and the concept of mindfulness, it was a challenging notion for my students to embrace because they loved to be distracted. They just loved to be doing multiple things at the same time. I remember telling one of my students, that the next time he lifted weights at the gym, to go lighter and paid attention to the effort of his muscles. The next time he came to class, he said, Professor Houben you were right! I dropped the weight and lifted slower, and my biceps were so sore! So, this concept of living mindfully can be applied to many things, including exercising, eating, and conversing.
Now, how can you apply mindfulness to other matters such as experiencing a health issue, feeling physical pain, or grieving? It is natural, when we are facing a challenging situation, to resist it or try to ignore it. However, it doesn’t make it disappear. We cannot escape grieving. We all grieve over one loss or another and what we need to learn is how to manage our grief. One of the meditations I will start doing at The Center for Transforming Lives once a month, will be on “Mindful Grieving” and it will be for any loss: the loss of a loved one; a breakup; a challenging change in your life that is making you feel lost and sad. It will help you go to that space and connect with your grief. Once you do that, you can release it, and bring some peace to your heart.
In case you are interested to know about the origin of Mindfulness, we will also be having a talk on Mindfulness from East to West. I will be doing this workshop with Susan D’Agostino, RN, a certified Mindfulness teacher on September 2nd. 2017.
Mindfulness: Health and Wellness with Susan D’Agostino R.N. & Ligia M. Houben
Now, take this moment to be mindful and connect with your inner self. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, and pay attention to how you feel. Throughout the day, take a pause and pay attention to that moment and notice how you feel. This practice will help you be in touch with your emotions consciously. I will ask you to take a step further. Observe your thoughts (without judging them); this will also give you information about the effect they have on your emotions. It is just a simple practice that can make a huge change in your life.
Remember…your life has meaning.
Ligia M. Houben
Speaker, Author, Grief Expert & Life Coach
A few days ago, as I was driving and listening to NPR, as I usually do, and I heard an amazing interview on the program Fresh Air with Terry Gross. The interview was with Jordan Peele, director of the film Get Out, which is a horror movie. As Terry asked him how he got inspired to write and direct this film, Peele shared his story. He said that as a child he was extremely scared of horror movies and felt that to cope with his fear he had to “shift his mind.” He chose to be empowered instead of being a victim. Peele was able to master his fear to the point of creating what he feared the most.
I found this story incredibly powerful and inspiring because many times we allow fear to control us, instead of shifting the perspective.
Now, what is a fear that you are experiencing in your life that you have not confronted yet?
Are you currently facing any of these types of fear?
Sometimes the fear of the unknown keeps us stuck in a suffocating place and we do not give ourselves the opportunity to expand our horizons. Any situation that gives you fear will continue to exercise that power over you if you allow it. It may be that the situation itself does not change; that it is your reality. However, you can change your perception and response to it.
Do you think that running away from your fear will make it go away?
Things do not disappear just because we do not think about them, or we do not expose ourselves to experiences where we feel scared. Do you want to live your life feeling like this? Do you want to live your life in terror, which is just expecting something bad to happen, or do you want to feel free?
If you could foresee the future and imagine yourself without fear, how would your life look life?
So let’s do this exercise. Close your eyes and think about something you feel extremely fearful. Now, imagine a year from and see yourself free from that fear and feeling immensely liberated. See yourself doing the things that you want to do without the fear. How is the quality of your life? Is the quality of your life better without fear? If that is the case, what is stopping you? Make the decision now, let go of your fear now, confront if so then you can overcome it and even more…you can transform it.
If you want to learn more techniques on how to transform your fears, I invite you to our upcoming workshop at The Center for Transforming Lives on Saturday April 22nd, 2017 in Miami, FL. We also have it available in Spanish on Saturday May 6th, 2017 in Miami, FL.
You will see how your life changes at that particular moment you decide to let go of the fear, and embrace freedom and happiness!
Remember, your life has meaning!
Ligia M. Houben
Happiness is not something you expect for tomorrow; it is something you decide for today.
-Ligia M. Houben
Are You Choosing to be Happy?
All human beings strive for happiness. When we face a life-changing event, time does not stop. Life continues, and we continue living as well. One of the greatest reasons for embracing life after loss is the need for creating a sense of joy and meaning in our lives. Many people think that happiness means not having problems or pain when in reality happiness comes from experiencing inner peace, having an accepting attitude towards the things we cannot change, and cherishing the good moments.
If you find yourself grieving a loss, know that you may experience an array of emotions. Be compassionate with yourself. Acknowledge each emotion and take time to grieve. Still, do not dwell on it. Take each day at a time, and give yourself permission to be happy again. If you are feeling down…remember it is temporary. But, most of all, remember you have all the resources to feel better. You are not a victim of destiny. You are the designer of your own happiness.
Be Happy! Be happy from the inside out, do not allow either situations or people determine your happiness. Make the choice!
Remember that our emotions are a direct response to what we think about. Have happy thoughts and you will evoke positive emotions. Today choose to be happy. Even in the midst of difficulties…..You can!
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I know that sometimes it is difficult to take the first step but….if you are not happy with your life, reflect on what is holding you back to take action. Don’t settle for “hanging in there”….make each day an opportunity to grow and be happier. Choose to be happy and your outlook will take a whole new perspective.
Now is the time to bring that joy to your life. Now is the time to start a process that can transform your loss and change your life. In order to do this, and based on my own life’s experiences, I offer two workshops to bring us closer to live with more joy and…to be happy!
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One is the core of my message, The 11 Principles of Transformation which was designed to take you from loss into growth, as you learn to apply the necessary tools to transform your life. The other workshop, Happiness is a Choice! is to remind you that….Happiness is a Choice! After my accident, I could have chosen to be bitter, angry, or depressed. Still, I chose to be happy because I have focused on being grateful to be alive, to enjoy doing the things I can do, and to keep hope in the future.
You cannot fake happiness.
This comes from within. Still, the beauty is that, with practice, it becomes your state of being. So, what can you start doing right now?
Start each day with a sense of gratitude, enthusiasm, and empowerment. You can make each week meaningful, loving, and productive. Focus on what you can do instead of complaining on what you “have” to do. Choose to be happy!
Remember…your life has meaning!
Ligia M. Houben
