In my previous post I shared my recent discovery of the 3 Principles of Understanding as a means of connecting to the core health that is innate in all of us. Today I’d like to share 5 ways to calm your mind that have proven successful for me and many others. I find it beneficial to vary my routine to prevent getting bored, which can lead to lack of motivation. The key is to create time and space for these activities, however it may best integrate into your daily life.
1. Meditate: This doesn’t have to involve anything formal, though a mantra is a very useful meditation tool. Really, any form of deep, rhythmical relaxation breathing from the diaphragm will do the trick. Make sure you can visualize (literally and figuratively) the outward expansion of your diaphragm on the inhalation and the opposite deflation of the diaphragm on the exhalation—like an accordion. You shouldn’t need a dedicated physical space for your meditation, but it certainly is helpful to have a quiet, comfortable spot. With practice, you will be able to effectively quiet your mind no matter where your body is.
2. Take a Nature Break: Get outside and breathe some fresh air for at least 20 minutes. I mean, really suck that stuff into your lungs and let it out slowly. I know it can be hard to motivate yourself—call a friend or family member if it helps (keep the conversation light and breezy or you’re defeating the purpose). For me, I get the greatest benefit from walking or biking in the woods or near water. I’m fortunate to live in an area with hundreds of acres of heavily-wooded county parkland within a stone’s throw. Be resourceful. Google nature trails and parks in your local area and try to break up your routine by going to different spots to keep it fresh. As with any of these activities, with practice, you’ll find it’s like a walk in the park.
3. Play or Listen to Music: This is one that many of us do subconsciously to relax as part of our social conditioning. If you don’t play an instrument but would like to incorporate one into your practice, I recommend getting a hand drum (some form of ethnic percussion like a Djembe or Dumbek). Remove any jewelry from your hands and arms, take several deep breaths and begin to slap, stroke, shake or beat. Try starting out at a slow tempo and tune-in to your center. It will dictate the pattern it needs you to play to synchronize your mind and body. Once you feel you have the hang of it, you can explore participating in a drum circle as an option.
You need not play an instrument at all. Most people appreciate the way just listening to relaxing music with eyes closed can induce a deep state of calm. Go online or to your favorite retail store and invest some time previewing what’s available in the “Relaxation” genre. There’s some truly wonderful stuff out there. Here’s a couple of sources to get you going: brucekurnow.com (requires iTunes) innerpeacemusic.com
4. Apply Shiatsu Self-Massage: If you’re unfamiliar with Shiatsu, very briefly, Shiatsu is an ancient Japanese healing method based on the pressure point and energy meridian philosophy of Chinese Acupuncture. Shiatsu helps to balance a persons energy flow, and strengthen the vital organs. It’s especially suitable for self-application and can be practiced literally anywhere. For example, there are specific pressure points on the bottom of the feet that correspond to tension. Applying the correct Shiatsu technique to these points causes a feeling of relaxation and calm that is often quite dramatic. If you haven’t already done so, give it a try. You can experience immediate results if done correctly. 
Shiatsu Self-Massage - Source: pedagonet.com
5. Journal: The key to journalling in order to calm the mind is to write whatever comes into your mind—literally in stream-of-conscious fashion. I have found it ineffective and counter to the purpose when I try to analyze the content while I’m writing it. Amazingly, when I just let it flow onto the paper, I come away from the exercise with a profound feeling of ease and lightness. It’s as if I’ve transfered all the thoughts from my head to the paper, which, come to think of it, is essentially what the exercise entails. Get out your paper and pen, take a few deep breaths, connect with your right brain and just let it go until the words stop on their own.
That’s my list of top 5 ways to calm your mind and bring more light in to your daily life. I’d love to hear your thoughts and personal experiences related to the subject as well as suggestions to add to the list.
Remember, practice makes perfect—or at least perfect imperfection! It’s not about getting it right, it’s about getting and keeping it REAL. Until next time…
Cheerio!
Richard
Filed under Health Realization, Music by on Jun 13th, 2009. 2 Comments. 
Recently, I re-discovered something very significant about myself—something I hadn’t even realized I’d lost. The impetus for my re-discovery was a forum I attended on Health Realization (based on the 3 Principles of Understanding) presented by Cindi Claypatch, Director of the Health Realization Training Center in Minneapolis, MN.
Going in, my curiosity had been piqued by the promise of learning about a philosophical model for daily living that would “offer ways in which people can stay clear and grounded and better navigate through their challenges, creating the lives they desire and assist others.” That sounded pretty good to me! It turned out to be something of an epiphany.
If you don’t know what Health Realization (HR) is, allow me, with an assist from Wikipedia, to share a brief overview.
In the HR model, all psychological phenomena, from severe disorder to glowing health, are presented as manifestations of 3 operative “principles” first formulated as principles of human experience by Sydney Banks. The 3 principles are:
1.Mind – the universal energy that animates all of life, the source of innate health and well-being.
2.Consciousness – the ability to be aware of one’s life.
3.Thought – the power to think and thereby to create one’s experience of reality.
Using a movie projector as a metaphor, “Mind” is the electricity running the projector and “Thought” represents the images on the film. “Consciousness” is the light from the projector that throws the images onto the screen, making them appear real.
According to HR, we experience our reality and circumstances through the constant filter of our thoughts. Consciousness makes that filtered reality seem “the way it really is.” We react to it as if this were true. But, when our thinking changes, reality seems different and our reactions change. Thus, according to HR, we are constantly creating our own experience of reality via our thinking.
When we are having insecure or negative thoughts, we tend to experience our reality as stressful. But HR allows us to choose not to believe these thoughts, thus quieting the mind down and permitting positive feelings to emerge. HR also teaches that we have health and well-being already within us (we are all born with “innate health” that can never be taken from us), ready to emerge as soon as the noise in our mind calms down. When this happens, we can connect with our common sense and intuition, tapping into the universal capacity for creative problem solving or “inner wisdom.” The end result of practicing the 3 Principles is an expansive sense of emotional freedom and well-being.
Getting back to my previously mentioned epiphany—listening to Cindi share her personal story and experiences with HR caused a reaction that reached the top of my “AHA” scale. Though the room was filled with people, I felt like she was addressing me personally, as if she had been observing me all my life and picked this exact moment to offer this incredibly simple and common sensical solution to all my fears and woes. I hadn’t been this jazzed about my personal health since I stopped eating red meat over twenty years ago! I wasn’t about to look this gift horse in the mouth, so I made a commitment right then and there to take action.
Fast forward to June 2nd, of this year. I enrolled in Level 1 Health Realization Training (dragging my wife along ’cause it’s just so cool and I’ve a spot of evangelist in me). We’re both very excited to be studying with Cindi Clapatch and look forward to quieter minds and optimal health and well-being. I am already experiencing the benefits as I incorporate the 3 Principles of Understanding into my daily practice.
I look forward to sharing my experiences and insights as I continue on this leg of my journey. Stay tuned for updates.
Cheerio!
Richard
Filed under Health Realization by on Jun 10th, 2009. 1 Comment.
I think I may be on to something here; or maybe I’m just on something. Either way, I’m feeling inspired. In my last post, which was also my first post, I successfully conquered my fear of blogging by following my inner Nike spirit and “just doing it”.
Now I’m on a mission; I have a purpose. I am the self-proclaimed Get it Real Guy with the dot com to prove it. I’ve decided to turn this blog into a no bulls**t zone. I know it’s only my second post, but as a child of the 60s, I ‘m entitled to do what ever I want—at least within these four virtual walls. So if I want to switch gears, I’m gonna switch ‘em (see, no BS, just total honesty).
So, from here on out, this site is certified 100% bull free! Getitrealguy.com is your official free-range, grass-fed, no pesticide source for real-life rantings and ravings on any and all things past, present and future. As the tag line suggests, the idea here is for me to call out people and events each week (or more frequently if I feel the urge) that cause the needle on my crap-o-meter to spike in the red. I’ll attempt to offer up a slice of real-life perspective in response. My motto is: I may not always get it right, but at least I’ll get it real. I’d really like to make this as interactive an experience as possible, which means I’m counting on you to share your comments and feedback. I’ll try to keep the Comment Police in check. I believe we are all adults here—right?
So there you have it! I hope you’ll check back frequently for the latest “real guy rant”. My next post will be about taking responsibility for our personal health. Again, your comments are welcome.
Cheerio!
Richard
Filed under Ad Hoc by on Jun 4th, 2009. Comment.
Okay, I admit it. I’m a baby boomer and this is my virgin blog posting. Why, you may ask, has it taken this long for me to get onboard the Good Ship Blogoshpere? The answer is simple, really: I’m scared to death that no one aside from my closest friends and family members will bother to read this (I’m not all that confident even they will).
Until now, there has been a host of other reasons why I would have preferred to set my hair (what’s left of it, anyway) on fire rather than dare to share all this data that’s been accumulating in my brain for more than 50 years. I’ve been holding on to this notion that blogging is the ultimate act of narcissism (Andy Warhol’s fifteen minutes of fame on steroids). That may indeed be the case, but it’s no longer sufficient reason to stand in the wings. At the very least, I figure I can charm and engage readers with some deftly placed self-deprecation to offset any narcissistic leanings I may exhibit.
Then of course, there’s the issue of what to blog about. The solution to that problem revealed itself to me this past February when I became a casualty of the current economic cluster f**k. It was the third layoff I’d experienced in the last six years. As fond as I am of poking my eye with a screwdriver, I made a commitment to myself (and now you are my witnesses) for it to be the last time it happens.
Now, I’ve successfully re-invented myself before, as recently as 2004, when I went back to school as a “returning adult” to complete my undergraduate degree. I was fortunate to have a spouse that set a shining example by preceding me in getting her Bachelor degree a year earlier (she subsequently earned her Masters degree, leaving her proud partner in her academic wake).
If I’m being totally honest (sometimes painful, but always liberating), I’ve made a career out of re-inventing myself. It’s one of the many perks to which we baby boomers are entitled. In the “Life is a journey, not a destination” scheme of things, having the diversity of professional experiences I’ve had has made for a rich and rewarding career. I’ve learned so much from both successes and failures. Most importantly, I’ve acquired sufficient trust in my ability to communicate via the language of words, sound and visual images and in the process, reconnected with my true passion for helping people realize their full potential through lifelong learning.
At this leg of my journey, it’s all about conquering fears and pursuing passions. I’m back in touch with my entrepreneurial roots. I’ve started a new business called REAL (Real-life Experience in Academic Learning) I’m blogging and Facebooking and Tweeting and I’m LinkedIn. My new Website is being developed as I write this posting and is slated to go live in mid-June. Feel free to invite a few hundred of your best friends and join me on any or all of these sites. I am committed to posting engaging and relevant content that consistently gets it real (hey, great name for a blog).
So listen up all you children of the boom. The time has come for us to claim our rightful place in the blogoshpere. When it comes to self-indulgence, what do we have to fear? Hasn’t it always been about us? We’re the “tuned-in” generation that brought “Power to the People”, tripped on LSD and the hems of our bell-bottoms and “made a groovy kind of love”. We gave birth to the new me generation, who in turn, gave rise to the new media revolution. We taught the world to sing in perfect harmony while tossing back an ice-cold glass of the Real Thing.
If I can do this, so can you. Keep it groovy.
Cheerio,
Richard
Filed under Baby Boomer by on May 26th, 2009. 1 Comment.
