<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html> <head> <title>First Wealth is Health &ndash; Three keys to flourish</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf16"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="style.css"> </head> <body> <div id="content"> <h1>First Wealth is Health &ndash; Three keys to flourish</h1> <p class="large"> Add zip, pizzazz and enthusiasm to your life. This seminar uses a hands-on, empowering approach to explore and expand your horizons. Break free from all the &ldquo;should&rdquo;s and &ldquo;have to&rdquo;s while giving yourself permission to find, express and achieve what you really want for your life. A re-energizing and replenishing retreat/workshop. </p> <p> Taking care of our health starts by taking good care of ourselves. The key to a strong foundation that supports all our endeavors is acknowledging the whole of who we are, using an holistic approach. When we nurture all parts of ourselves we become balanced, productive and truly happy. To flourish in all that we do there are three cardinal rules to observe: Number one: Honor our mind. Number two: Honor our body. Number three: Honor the spirit of who we are. </p> <p> To Honoring the mind: <i>&ldquo;We can go on learning.&rdquo;</i> Words of wisdom spoken to King Arthur by Merlin the great magician, after their defeat and destruction. The human brain has unlimited potential if we are willing to tap it. We honor our minds by choosing to learn, to explore new avenues of interest which completely absorb our attention. Our heart guides our direction in choosing from the menu of life. </p> <p> The Russian poet Fyodor Dostoyevsky once said <i>&ldquo;Only the heart knows how to find what is precious.&rdquo;</i> Education guided by the heart aligns you with your calling and purpose. It has also been said that Great minds have found their purpose through action and courage. <i>&ldquo;You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face... You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.&rdquo;</i> a Quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. Every person has a purpose and a reason for being on this planet. To awaken our passion or enthusiasm, we must find our purpose through the door of knowledge and take the support of courage to explore the action required of us. <i>&ldquo;My business is not to remake myself but make the absolute best of what God made.&rdquo;</i> A quote by Robert Browning. Kahlil Gibran wrote: Work is love made visible . Rumi wrote And let the beauty we love be what we do. </p> <p> The second rule of our holistic approach is to honor the body. Honoring the body means supporting our body&rsquo;s optimal functioning by the balance of relaxation and activity. Martha Graham said <i>&ldquo;The body is a sacred garmet. It&rsquo;s your first and last garment; it is what you enter life in and what you depart life with, and it should be treated with honor.&rdquo;</i> Take time to regenerate and rejuvenate yourself and elicit the relaxation response in your body. A more relaxed attitude physically and mentally enhances performance by decreasing the &ldquo;fight or flight&rdquo; response, allowing us to function with clarity and effectiveness, permitting creativity to flow. Problem solving and overall efficiency is improved, as well as the ability to deal with change and meet new challenges. </p> <p> We take good care of our body by regular exercise. Try out different forms of exercise until you find one that works for you. Try yoga, martial arts, a gym or video tapes, or invent something you can do at home. If you are all wound up and angry, do a few rounds on a punching bag or go jogging and release your wrath as you run. Let go of your tensions while you&rsquo;re scrubbing the floor. Get a hold of a weed whacker and go to town. Go for a half-hour walk every day. Not only will you be in shape, but a good workout releases endorphins, the &ldquo;good feeling&rdquo; hormones, into your blood stream, creating a sense of well-being. Remember not to force your body to do anything that is jerky and uncomfortable. Listen to your body and its needs and it will support you in all that you participate in. </p> <p> The third cornerstone is: honoring the Spirit. To honor the Spirit of who we are, we need to have some down time. Shed that rushed anxious state we can get in. Take time out -- near an ocean, walk deep into the woods, watch a fire, climb a tree and listen to the leaves in the wind. The Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagorus once said, <i>&ldquo;Learn to be silent. Let your quiet mind listen and absorb.&rdquo;</i>&nbsp; It is during these quiet times that we absorb the peace of nature. This can be a time for communion with Spirit. Or spend a day in laughter. Laughter will bring us closer to God than a day of heavy soul-searching. Laughter frees the spirit momentarily and allows us to ride the waves of bliss which tickles our soul. Hop on the raft of laughter and flow with the current remembering to laugh at the bends and rapids. No need to push the river. Nature also reminds us that we are not our contracted worries and anxieties. Leonardo Da Vinci once said: <i>&ldquo;Every now and then go away. Have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer; since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment....Go some distance away because the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and a lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen.&rdquo;</i> </p> <p> The experience of the Spirit of who we are is a very personal, internal experience. We may experience our Spirit in church.... or while absorbed in beauty... or in stillness. Find what works for you. Mother Theresa said <i>&ldquo;We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.&rdquo;</i> Another tool to relieve tension is learning to meditate... Meditation promotes deep relaxation, contentment and sharpness of intellect. Another tool is to pray. Prayer is a powerful format for contact with our essential nature. Every three months take one week of solitude, or time off and time out. Taking this personal time will allow you to function from a powerful replenished place from where you can perform at peak and more easily achieve personal and professional success. Taking care of our health starts by taking good care of yourself. Katherine Hepburn said <i>&ldquo;Without discipline, there is no life at all.&rdquo;</i> - And As Mae West used to say <i>&ldquo;I generally avoid temptation unless I can&rsquo;t resist it.&rdquo;</i> .... Just remember, be kind and gentle with yourself. Make time for and explore what replenishes you and is soothing to the Spirit of who you are. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that <i>&ldquo;The first wealth is health.&rdquo;</i> Only you can decide how to create balance in your life in honoring your mind, body, and Spirit - The whole of who you are. </p> <p class="footnote"> This material is a basis for workshop/seminar program that uses an interactive experiential approach, tailored to meet your specific needs and time constraints. This can be presented effectively in a few hours or as a rejuvenating weeks retreat. </p> </div> </body> </html>