Doris Muna

An Attitude of Gratitude!

Last week we had a wonderful opportunity to join a spiritual group in Italy and reflect on “Blessings” as a subject.

This led me to reflect on my childhood and consider my awareness of the gift of gratitude and its meaning. I asked myself: “Did I feel gratitude when my Mom fed me? Was it when my Dad played with me? Or was it the complete love and wonder I saw in their eyes when they looked at me?” Gratitude can be expressed as a simple look, nod, smile, and hug or even energetically as a mutual feeling of warmth between individuals.

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October is the month notoriously associated with Hallowe’en. For those with children, it naturally conjures up thoughts of costumes, candy, pranking, skeletons, carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating but have you ever stopped to wonder about its origins and why we celebrate? One of the world’s oldest holidays started off very different than what we know it today.

It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain, which celebrated their new year on November 1st. Samhain marked the end of summer and harvest and the beginning of winter, a time often associated with human death.

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The child absorbs knowledge using no filter

The child is like a "sponge", which "absorbs" everything that is surrounding it. Already Dr. Maria Montessori warned us in the early 20th century that the children in their first six years of life are in an "absorbing" age.

But there is a slight difference in children up to 3 1⁄2 years and older children! The older the child is, the more it begins to question "why." Its brain is sufficiently developed to use a certain degree of discernment. These questions are an indication that cognitive development has initiated to a higher degree and it now starts to filter all the information the child gets. A toddler has not yet achieved this cognitive ability and takes in all the information without any filter. This unfiltered information according to neuro-science and psychologists – is programmed into the unconscious brain and even into the cell structures and form the first programs, patterns and impressions. This imbedded information will act from its level of unconsciousness influencing the persons entire life. To reprogram such information takes years. Therefore, parents and professionals should be very careful what kind of information is given to the child. It is also very important to think about the activities and life styles when children are around.

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By now, many of us are participating in our back to school rituals. Even if you don’t have children, the end of summer is often associated with new school beginnings, more structure and activity in our communities. Without the time constraints imposed by school, summer has always been a time for vacation, relaxation, and a season to enjoy extra time with friends and family. However, summer can also create feelings of general tiredness, particularly in regions of excessive heat such as Southern California. Our bodies naturally crave change after a few months. There are physical, mental and social factors at play with the change of seasons that are facilitated by cooler weather and shorter days. These changes can be difficult for some individuals. How can we go through this transition with relative ease? Some of the advice we suggest in our summer blog posts can also apply to the approaching fall season.

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You have reached the end of an arduous week at work; you are heading home, and looking forward to recuperating and having a relaxing weekend. TGIF you say! Does this sound familiar? However, despite good intentions, what happens next can be the total opposite. There may be many reasons why your expectations only become partially realized but some common obstacles expressed from my clients are:

• You over-schedule the weekend
• You underestimate how exhausted you are and how much down time you need before you can fully engage in weekend activities.
• You feel anxious, stressed and/or fatigued from either work or personal situations.

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I was having lunch at a cafe close to work and observed this family. Mom & Dad, a girl around 12 years old and a boy around 10 years old. All four of them held a phone in their hand and was busy texting and surfing the internet.

The waitress had to raise her voice and ask twice if they were ready to order before one of them noticed and steered from the trans of social media to alert the other family members it is time to order the food. The kids were quite upset to get their attention away from their phones, order whatever was their reply and shifted their focus back to their phones.

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Three tips to help you along

1. It can be, however a lot of preparation is a must!
Summer has arrived and for many of us this means vacation with kids. Where do you start? It can either provoke feelings of excitement at the possibilities or anxiety if you haven’t travelled often with young ones. Depending on the age of your child or children, their experience traveling and their temperament, there are an endless variety of options to accommodate all families. Half of the fun is exploring all the choices available. The other half of the fun comes when you arrive at your destination and get to enjoy the adventure.

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Ideas for Summer relaxation.

Are you feeling tired? Are you sensing that you have too much on your plate?
Stop and let your body rest and recover.

This is the time of year when I hear many of my clients express “I am tired”. The spring can be a busy time of the year with work, family, spring projects, graduations, summer preparations, or children’s year end school activities.

The summer can be a time to slow down, listen to your body and try to unplug if only for a short period each day. It can do wonders for your energy field. How can we give our physical bodies and minds the opportunity to rest? Many countries adopt a siesta habit to reenergize for the remainder of the afternoon and evening. Perhaps try a power nap or look up the 5-step guide to a perfect nappuccino! The body is like a car, it needs to refuel and recharge.

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What nickname do you call your father? Most kids make up a word that sounds like Pa or Papie. Oftentimes, fathers start referring to themselves with such names.

From the moment we are born, fathers spoil us with affection, gifts of love and are vested in our wellbeing and development. The male figure compliments the energy of the female figure in our lives: a sort of yin and yang of energy. As a father, you are in a position to exert a specifically masculine influence upon your child(ren). However, there are many characteristics that both mother and father possess that are expressed differently and children intuit at a very young age that mom and dad are different! Each has their unique roles in a family and provides a different balance and energy.

So let us celebrate the Dad you know. I asked some of my clients what most endeared them to their father and each one came up with something sweet and special.

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The Wesak Festival, generally known as the Festival of the Buddha, will be observed on May 18th. This spiritually significant event commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha and is celebrated through rituals, services and deeds. It highlights the fusion of two great streams of energy: one emanating from the Buddha and the other through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Celebrations that take place globally unite the world’s major religions in a shared holy day where a collective expansion of consciousness occurs.
Disciples of all schools including Buddhists, Hindus, Christ followers and secular individuals understand the Wesak period as a time to prepare their lives physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually in order to accept the Abundance of Divine Grace.

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