Make Positive Changes Now! Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Relaxation Response Series in HoHoKus

There is no time like the present to make positive changes that an affect your entire lifetime!  Contact Mary Beth at mbdelbalzo@gmail.com or register at http://tinyurl.com/p934cvw
 
On Friday evenings this winter from 6-7:30 pm, join Mary Beth Del Balzo, LSCW, CHt, Psychotherapist and Certified Hypnotherapist for group mindfulness based relaxation response for decreased stress, better focus, health, confidence and peace. You will learn techniques that you can use in everyday life to defuse the effects of stress on your body, mind, emotions and spirit. You will experience increased peace and vitality, decreased aggravation and better rest. Cost is $25 per class or $175 for all 8 classes in advance.  On January 24 and 31, Mary Beth will be joined by Nutritionist Jess Cording, MS, RD, CDN.
 
If you have already taken a class with Mary Beth, these techniques may be familiar but there are also new materials and additional techniques to enhance or reinforce your practice.  Individual classes can be taken, but it is encouraged to participate in all for maximum positive benefit.
 
Dates include:
Fridays 6-7:30pm
 
January 24, 31 - Learning Mindfulness and Eating for the Season part 1 and 2, with guest Nutritionist Jess Cording, MS, RD, CDN (see additional information below) 
 
February 7 - Getting Better Sleep Using Mindfulness and Creating Clean a Sleep Routine
 
Feb 14 - Mindfulness for Relationships, Communication and Compassion
 
Feb 21 Mindfulness for Better Health and Exercise
 
Feb 28 Mindfulness for Pain Management through Mindfulness
 
March 7, 14 Creating Your Own Practice of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Relaxation Response Parts 1 and 2
 
Did you know that 60-90% of doctor visits are due to stress related illness? Mary Beth draws on techniques including self-hypnosis, meditation, the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn (Professor of Medicine Emeritus and founding director of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School), Herbert Benson (Founder of the Benson Henry Institute at Harvard Medical Center and author of The Relaxation Response) and others.
 
Everyone feels stress. You will learn the tools needed to diffuse, cope with, and avoid it, through this workshop series. Channel energy otherwise spent on stress into positive energy in order to achieve abundance, happiness, and health. Benefits include immune system support, pain management, stress relief, relief from anxiety and depression.
 
On January 24 and January 31 we will be joined by Nutritionist Jess Cording, MS, RD, CDN, who will coach us on healthy eating habits, seasonal eating and combining a healthy lifestyle.  We will combine her techniques and suggestions with our mindfulness training for maximum positive effect. You can read more about Ms Cording on her website; jessicacordingnutrition.com  

Turn over a new leaf – make friends with yourself!

from PinWords and crookedstripes.wordpress.com

Recently, and, actually, quite often, my clients come wanting to improve relationships with others. Good relationships often elude us. With many of us, it is often apparent that the relationship most in need of mending was relationship with self. How do we make friends with ourselves?  Also, why bother?

The Untouchables

There are often people in your life who I call untouchables, meaning people with whom you forgive all and almost always employ understanding.  The upside to this type of behavior is that you already know how to forgive, to let go. Try pretending that you are one of those people. After a while, if something is for your benefit, the result could very well be lasting.   The downside of this behavior is that we sometimes stuff down feelings rather than feeling them, coming to terms with them and then letting go.  You will know which you are doing by your feelings. If you feel good, you have let go.  If you do not feel good, you are probably stuffing.

Let go – it’s a good idea 

Why is letting go a good idea?  Sometimes we are conditioned to want retribution, or understanding, love, compassion or an apology. You might never receive these from some others. They just might not be capable, or, they don't understand that they have wronged you.  More good news - you are capable of understanding, of forgiving and loving yourself. You know how you feel. Practice compassion.  Begin with yourself.

Why Bother?

What happens when we do not let go?  It gets stuck – stuck in our heads, stuck in our hearts and feelings, and ultimately, stuck in our bodies.  By letting go, we allow ourselves to also let go of the feelings and symptoms that result when we hold on.  Our bodies get loud when we hang on by manifesting symptoms that can build up over time.  By letting go we give ourselves a chance to heal.

Just say it - I love myself

Try saying this short phrase: "even though I (whatever is upsetting you about yourself), I completely forgive and unconditionally love myself at this moment in time".   If you want to, you can put your hands over your heart as you say it, or even hug yourself.

The answer is yes

You don't need to sustain the feeling - just say it. At first it may be foreign or feel like a lie, but keep it up every day for 21 days. Many studies say that it takes about three weeks to break a habit and start a new habit.  Maybe it will take you a bit longer, but hang in there.    Won't it be worth it?  Just in case you are not sure, the answer is yes!

On My Way Home - Healing Home

What exactly is home? Billy Joel says home is just another word for you. The Beatles can't find their way back home, or are on their way home. It got me thinking about home. Where exactly is home? And why do we want to be there? Why does it elude us?

Home can be a place or a metaphor. Home is a place where people want to be, or they want to leave home. Home can be a place that restricts growth or a place of nuturing and restoration.

What do I want home to be? Home can be wherever I am. If we think of home from a mindfulness place, home IS where I am. First we have to acknowledge the I am, that I can be, I have a right to be. Then notice how you feel when you start thinking about home. Is it a good feeling? Grow that feeling. Is it a negative feeling? Replace it with a good feeling. We have a right to be home in a good place.

Home is the place we each create for ourselves. We can create home in whatever way we want.

Birth of Peace and Creativity

I just got off the phone with a colleague of mine, Anton Bluman, a NeuroBiofedback Therapist. Just trying to set a time to meet, to join him and our two colleagues Rory Pinto, specializing in spiritual Recovery, healing, meditation and guidance, and my dear friend Paul Lamb, reiki master, chi gong therapist, for a return to their fantastic program, New Perspectives, on RocklandWorldRadio.com, was a daunting task. (Check out my last visit to the program at
http://www.rocklandworldradio.com/player/player.php?media=mms://wm.vitalstreamcdn.com/rocklandworldradio_com/ar_new_P_04-02-09.wma&clr_session=1 )

I have concluded that life is just too busy! How does this happen? I am mindful in my daily practice, but also usually multitasking. While my weekdays are very full, I promise myself that this weekend I will allow myself at least one hour each day for reflection, meditation and peace.

I already know that I am at my most creative when I give myself the time and space for new ideas and feelings to emerge. If I give myself some time, but not enough time, the ideas remain ungestated in my mind or heart, but nag away at me until I give them the nurturance to bring them to full term, when they joyfully spring forth.

I promise to continue to give myself the space to give birth to myself!

4-Square Breathing for Mindfulness and Calm

I've learned several techniques for square breathing. Basically, it is an easy way to help yourself feel calm and bring your thoughts back to the present moment. Awareness is the first step to mindfulness. We can make changes in the present moment and breathing helps us be in the present.
Breathe in for four seconds
Hold breath for four seconds
Release breath for four seconds
Rest for four seconds
Repeat this four times.
That's it.
We often breathe in our throat only. This shallow breathing doen't allow enough oxygen into the lungs. Deeper breathing helps the oxygen circulate throughout our bloodstream, relaxing our muscles, soothing our mind and helping us get renegade thoughts in check, bringing us back to ourselves.