Sign up to receive our newsletter via email>>
Manage your subscription>>

Live Well Words
February 2010

“Love or Fear”

With Valentine's Day upon us, I invite you to ponder the notion of where you live from – Love or Fear? According to the yogic perspective, when we live from love we live in the energy centers that are located from the heart upwards to the crown of the head. Fear resides in our lower body where the first, second and third energy centers are. For me, living from love is about living with an open heart, living in trust and acceptance of myself, my situation (good or bad) and those around me. I know we have all experienced moments of living in total trust and allowing. Yet, it is difficult to live from this place constantly. It takes discipline to do it daily and experience a place of deep understanding that all is well and everything serves our growth.

The experience of living from fear is more about control, fearing what others will think, and self-sabotaging negative thinking about ourselves or others. It is in this fear mode that we become stuck in our minds. Have you ever noticed that the minute you start moving your body, be it running, walking, dancing or working out, you are able to release stress and shift to a more positive frame of mind? It is important then to keep our body moving, relaxed and open in order to not get caught in the downward spiral of our mind and its negative thoughts. In this openness we allow ourselves to trust, feel and intuit more.

An easy exercise that keeps me present and relaxed is simply long, deep breathing. The breath is known to some as the "Tender Charge of God" because it is the vehicle between physical and non-physical reality, the bridge between the physical and the spiritual and a massage for all the systems of the body and mind.

On this week of Valentine's Day, I invite you to live from LOVE, the place inside yourself that believes and acknowledges the wonderful human being that you are. So many think Valentine's Day is only for lovers, but it is also about loving yourself and all those around you. What is it about yourself that you love and want to acknowledge? Who in your life do you want to share the gift of acknowledgement with and how has their love had an impact on you? Consider what you love about the people you are close to. Valentine’s Day is a great day to share those thoughts with them! This helps open the heart and spread the vibration of love to yourself and others. And as we all know, love heals.

So take time this week to notice whether you are living from love or fear. If you are not where you want to be, take some deep breaths, move your body, relax and open your heart to the love that surrounds you and fills you with words of acknowledgment and gratitude. Because you are worth it and the people in your life are worth it too.

Meditation to Open the Heart:

Touch your palms lightly together in front of your face with your arms horizontal and parallel to the ground. The tips of your middle fingers should be at the level of your brow. Look within, at your brow.

Relax and breathe normally for 3-11 minutes.

This helps open you to receiving love and heals a broken heart.

For more downloadable stress reduction exercises and meditations visit:

http://www.katiebsmith.com/store.html

Live Well,

Katie

---

Live Well Words
January 2010

“Pausing in Possibility”

The New Year is a perfect time to pause and reflect on what we want to create in our lives. This fresh start is filled with possibility and potential. How often do you pause in your week or your day? It helps to remember that a pause can be pregnant with possibility. It is the space where we plant seeds, set intention and hold the space for new opportunities to grow and emerge. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of our work and our busy daily lives that we can forget to stop. If we take a moment to pause at the beginning or end of every day, how different would our lives feel and what possibilities could stem from those moments?

At the beginning of the New Year we may be filled with excitement and so many ideas about what the future holds. Yet the trick is not getting so caught up in all the action of attaining it that we overreach and cause ourselves more stress. Pausing allows you space to sit in silence, hold what is dear to you and remain mindful of what your heart is calling you to do. Where should you put your energy? Where will it best serve yourself and others? Truthfully, you are the only one that knows what is best for you and it does not matter what others think. When you listen to your intuition you build trust in what you hear inside yourself. The pause allows you to differentiate what you need to act on. It clarifies what energizes you and creates the space needed to realize it. Trust that what grows out of your intentions and what emerges in the spring or days ahead will be exactly what you need. It may not look the way you imagined it, it may not happen the way you expected it to, but by planting the seeds, by holding the idea of what you imagine your life, work or relationship to feel like will help it grow and emerge.

We can nurture our intentions in silence, in the quiet of our being. This in itself holds the opportunity for learning how to be still and sit in the initial discomfort of doing nothing. By just being, we allow ourselves to accept what is. How comfortable are you doing nothing? While some may view doing nothing as unproductive, it is actually the space from which we can create what we want, to allow things to appear and observe without responding, judging or analyzing, but noticing and allowing. I encourage you to take time in your day or week to sit and notice what is bubbling up inside of you as we embark on the New Year. What is it that feels like it needs to move through you? What is it that is calling for you to take notice? What is it you want to create for the year ahead and for your life? Take time to pause, listen and feel what you are being called to observe.

Live Well,
Katie

Sign up for weekly blog posts http://katiebsmith.wordpress.com/

Check out upcoming events http://www.katiebsmith.com/Events.html

---

Live Well Words
December 2009

“Happy Holidays!”

December is always a busy time and this year, with so much emphasis on the economy and the re-evaluation of our lives and work, it is especially so. This is a perfect time of year to reflect on how this economic shift has served our growth. While providing an opportunity for growth, it has also been incredibly challenging for many people. It is times like this past year that help us expand beyond our limits and the confined thinking that we get comfortable in. Expanding into new territory can be exciting, painful and require deeper focus inward and a different strategy outward. Yet without growth and shifts like these, life can get pretty sedentary and rote. What have you learned about yourself this year? How have you grown in your thinking and the way you live your life? Are you doing things differently than a year ago? All of these questions help us realize that change can serve us in ways we never imagined, so take heart.

Now, maybe you’re not making as much money as you did last year, but you are employed. Or maybe you’re having a hard time finding employment but you have time to reflect and be clear about what you really want and what will work for you in your life this next year. Think about all those in your life that have laughed with you, cried with you, supported you and loved you. When the waters of change begin to rock your boat, know that it is for your own good, for your growth and if you can be courageous and look inside yourself rather than blaming external circumstances, you could surprise yourself with a gift you never knew you possessed. Stepping into our fear allows our courage to strengthen and our fear of the unknown to dissipate. When the unknown is no longer scary, we trust and when we trust we can truly love ourselves and all those around us. This allows us to live with more ease and joy.

Allow yourselves to slow down, breathe, take heart and acknowledge the gifts this year has given you. Wishing you a holiday that is filled with joy, ease and allowing. Breath Meditation: Sit with your spine straight. Place your left hand inside your right hand gently cupped with the thumb tips lightly touching. Your tongue can be lightly pressed against the roof of the mouth. Allow your eyes to be half open, gazing down in front of you. Breathe long, deep and slow. Count your breaths from one to ten. When you reach ten, begin again at one. If you lose track of your counting, just begin again at one without judging yourself. Whenever you notice a thought, place the thought in the palms of your hands. This meditation creates concentrated awareness and a quiet mind.

Live Well,
Katie

Subscribe to my blog and newsletter on my website and get email notices of new blog posts and newsletters right in your mailbox.
http://katiebsmith.wordpress.com/

Check out the events page on my website for new events coming in January.
http://www.katiebsmith.com/Events.html

---

Live Well Words
November 2009

“Gratitude”

Welcome Everyone,

Thank you for your interest in receiving my monthly newsletter. I hope it will inspire and give you some new ideas on how to live more fully. Please let me know if there is anything specific you would like to see in future newsletters.

With Thanksgiving here this month, I thought it would be appropriate to focus on gratitude and how to become more grateful as we embark on the holidays.

When you focus on what you have rather than what is missing, you go from thinking there is not enough to realizing there is more than enough. You shift your mind from negative to positive. The universe itself is complete – nothing is missing. We create negative thoughts and a belief that there is not enough or that we don’t have enough. But by simply aligning with abundant completeness and having gratitude for what you already have, you open yourself up, attract more of what you want and experience more joy and happiness. I find when I can’t sleep at night, I start thinking of all the things I am grateful for and I fall right to sleep. Being in a place of gratitude relaxes our mind and our body. We move from our head where fear lives to our hearts where love lives. By thinking thoughts of gratitude we allow ourselves to appreciate the abundance that surrounds us.

Gratitude Exercise:

Sit with your spine straight, on the floor or in a chair. Close your eyes and let your hands rest in your lap. Begin to breathe long and deep. As you inhale, feel the breath expanding your belly, ribs, lungs, throat and back, and as you exhale pull the belly toward the spine. As you breathe, begin to relax into your heart, the center of your chest. This is the seat of truth, compassion and unconditional love. If you find it hard to concentrate, think of a word that resonates peace for you or simply repeat the word “allow” to yourself with each breath. Set the timer on your cell phone for three minutes and do this anytime you feel overwhelmed, fearful or agitated.

The breath is the tender charge of God. Without it we could not live. So take a moment to honor your breath, your heart and all that you have. You are enough and you have much to offer. Remember to breathe, allow and open so that the abundance in your life can surround you.

In Gratitude,

Katie

Additional Notes:

Interested in subscribing to my weekly blog? Please sign up on my blog page, on the right-hand side of the page.

Please check out the Events page on my website. I have a weekly “Live Well” coaching group starting January 5th in Golden, CO.

I am available to speak on various topics tailored to your company, professional organization or group. Please contact me>>

---

Sign up to receive our newsletter via email>>