The
Consciousness Collaborative Update
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Register for Upcoming Workshops
& Events
Emotional Re-Education Retreat
 November
12th-14thAn intense weekend workshop of self-discovery and healing, lead by April Prita Manganiello (with support from many members of The Consciousness Collaborative). This is a residential retreat in Essex, MA. *Note - the summer Emotional Re-Education Weekend filled to capacity. Secure your space early. sign up on-line. ~~~
November 16th
This two-hour class, lead by Joanne Lutz, will introduce you to a new way to think about and "be with" whatever might be next for you. The evening includes a few simple methods to connect with yourself and visualize your possibilities. This class is offered through the Minuteman Community Education program. ~~~ Meditation Class
 November 17thJoin Jamie Thurber for another evening of shared meditation. Each month offers a new path inward, in alignment with the solstices. Interested? To Save Your Space Email Jamie~~~ Healthy Cooking Classes Mondays-Beginning January 3rdExplore healthier options to your everyday meal choices. This series of four classes will focus on Easy Breakfasts, Vegetarian Options, a "Make Ahead Dinner," and Sweet Treats. To register, email Nathalie Blitz and use "Cooking Classes" as the subject line. ~~~
What's Next?! Workshop Spring New Series Begins January 15thIf what you want is truly possible, what would you choose for yourself? Discover the unique gifts that make you extraordinary and learn how to come back to your most grounded self, even in challenging times. From this place, you may embrace What's Next?!If you missed the start of the autumn series, mark your calendar now for the spring session beginning in January. Sign up on-line today.
Click the workshop you are interested in for full details about any of these upcoming opportunities.
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Recipe
of the
Month
Vegan
Pumpkin Pie
'Tis the season to enjoy all things pumpkin! I make this pie in a food processor, as it helps to thoroughly process the ingredients. If you don't have a food processor, a macho stand mixer will do the trick. - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch glass pie plate. (I use Spectrum Organic Shortening.)
In a food processor bowl add:
- 1 14.5-oz can pumpkin - 1 1/2 cups plain hemp milk - 2 tsp bourbon vanilla - 2 tbsp light olive oil - 1 tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer - 3/4 C. organic brown sugar - 1/2 cup buckwheat flour - 2 tbsp tapioca starch/flour - 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp xanthan gum 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp cinnamon or pie spice 1/2 tsp nutmeg Directions:1. Cover and process until smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl, if necessary to incorporate all of the dry ingredients. 2. Pour into the prepared pie plate and smooth evenly. 3. Bake in the center of a preheated oven for about an hour until done. The pie should be firm- but still give a little when lightly touched. The center should not be wet. It will fall a bit as it cools. 4. Cool the pie on a wire rack completely. 5. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving. Makes 8 slices.
Need more recipes? Check out the Recipe of the Month page for previously published eats.
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Meditation
of the
Month
Walking Meditation
With the autumn weather in full swing, you're invited to step outdoors and try this walking meditation. In preparation, allow yourself about 20 minutes of dedicated undivided time. Try not to combine this meditation with running errands or walking as a means of exercise.
Standing - Begin by standing outdoors and allowing your attention to scan your entire body. Breathe deeply as you notice the variety of sensations in your body.
Walking - As you take your first steps, establish a "slow-normal" pace. With each step, bring your attention inward. Feel the sensations of your movement, notice them, and breathe into them. Occasionally your attention may be drawn to the sights and sounds you pass by. Breathe and bring your focused awareness back to each step...left, right, left, right. Notice the rhythm of your movement from step to step. Feel the swing of your arms. Be aware of any part of your body brushing against another part. Experience the sensations of your clothes against your skin, from your socks on your feet to the hat on your head.
Scanning - When you find and notice a comfortable pace, begin a full body scan. From the top of your head to the tips of your fingers, from your sternum to the soles of your feet, notice any tension or tightness and bring conscious breath to that space. Feel what's there, and simply offer those muscles breath. Again, it's natural to experience moments of distraction, and you may allow yourself to come back to the movement, the breath, the noticing.
Stillness - For the final few moments, breathe and honor stillness - the calm abiding you have created through attention to your body's motion.
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 | | "Birds don't try to fly, they fly." -Deepak Chopra |
Do you ever get into a "trying" cycle? You begin feeling like The Little Engine That Could, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." Personally, I find it exhausting! I wish I could tell you that I catch myself right away and switch tracks to an easier route, but occasionally I just keep trudging up the steep hill carrying the weight ...until I don't.
I have a friend who echos the thoughts of many field experts. He says, "Do more of what you love - things that truly support you, and you'll naturally attract more of what you love into your life." He further says, "If you hold an intention clearly, not as an attachment, but as pure intention, it informs your moment to moment choices which inherently propel you toward your goal."
For me, these statements absolutely ring true. When I do what I feel passionate about, engage in activities that I enjoy and support me, and create time and space for the people I love and feel nurtured by, all while allowing space for future possibilities - I'm not trying. I'm not trudging. It doesn't feel like a burden to carry. From this place, I instinctively move toward my visualized intentions, while living in the present moment. There's no part of me that wants to skip over the work I love doing with clients, the richness of growing What's Next?! Workshop, and my continued growth in my martial relationship just to get to the other end of the rainbow. It would be like missing the race just to reach the finish line.
I notice, carrying the load of having to "fix" something or "make it okay" drains me. Whereas, the practice of living each moment for the moment, while embracing the possibilities energizes my being. I believe Deepak Chopra would refer to it as the "Law of Least Effort." In his book, Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, he states, "If you observe nature at work, you will see that least effort is expended. Grass doesn't try to grow, it just grows. Fish don't try to swim, they just swim. Flowers don't try to bloom, they bloom. Birds don't try to fly, they fly. This is their intrinsic nature...And it is human nature to make our dreams manifest into physical form, easily and effortlessly."
Even now, I find myself emerging from the shadow of trying. For a while I knew something was off, but couldn't place my finger on it, like being lost in a construction detour. With support, I returned to the present moment while honoring ancient feelings and memories that stirred from events in my present life. Embracing the opportunity to resolve an old wound is a "Least Effort" action. When we ignore the wound we enter a "trying time." And trying always uses more energy with lesser results.
In the same book, Chopra says, "Every single problem that you have in your life is the seed of an opportunity for some greater benefit in your life. And when you have that perception you open up to a whole range of possibilities and this keeps the mystery, the wonder, the excitement, the adventure alive." My recent "detour" experience provided me with a seed. And as we know, seeds don't try to grow, they grow; and the mystery, wonder, and excitement are alive within me!
I invite you to join me in putting the "Trying Times" in the past. Be you, by being YOU! Celebrate your unique gifts and passions, engage effortlessly with people you love, and enjoy activities that support you. And when you hear your internal refrain of, "I think I can," take a peek at your cargo. Then, exercise the "Least Effort" by noticing what you're carrying with compassion and curiosity - within lies an opportunity - a seed ready to grow!
Living the adventure,
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Emotional
Re-Education
Workshop
If you've participated in this workshop before, you know that this weekend retreat of self discovery and connection, lead by April Prita Manganiello, provides a safe environment to explore old emotional hurts, decisions, and beliefs - cutting through the stuck places that inhibit your ability to live fully in yourself and to give and receive love. "It is a process of recognizing, releasing, and re-framing," explains Prita. "You will be encouraged to challenge limited self-beliefs and definitions and to try on new attitudes and ways of being."
This workshop provides a healing space to melt traumas, whether from intrusions, absences, betrayals, illnesses, accidents, or losses that have been frozen in our bodies. Designed for intense emotional exploration, release, and re-education, this workshop is intended for participants who currently have the regular support of a therapist or coach. The processes are facilitated in a group setting, where we realize our concerns are shared and that we can be supported by others. It is also an opportunity to experience non-invasive bonding, a basic human need sorely neglected in our culture.
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Things That Make You Say...
 Uggh! I don't know about you, but I HATE New Year's Resolutions. Yes, I know...it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but as the year draws to a close the notion arises. Why bother mentioning it? As the autumn What's Next?! Workshop series rolls into it's third day this month, I realize that the start of the spring series is right around the corner. When What's Next?! Workshop was developed, there was conscious intention about starting in January, perhaps appealing to those of you who feel a sense of excitement about starting something new in concert with calendar. The tricky part of the plan: What's Next?! Workshop isn't just a helpful forum for learning new tools to help you meet whatever might be next for you in the new year, it's not just an opportunity to practice, practice, practice coming back to your true, grounded self again and again, and the series isn't limited to Discovering Your Gifts and receiving support along the way... What's Next?! Workshop is also FUN! I know, I know, it just seems wrong. If you're really going to commit to a New Year's Resolution, you might feel like it has to be hard and painful, and some sort of a struggle, and while you can certainly do all of those things during the series (because I support all forms of human experience), you're probably also going to have a good time. You might make some new connections to yourself and others, who are walking the path right along side yours, and bubble with laughter as you appreciate that Everything You Need is Already in You. So, if you're feeling like you might want to switch it up a bit - and feel ready to allow yourself a start to the new year that could hold promise, excitement, support, AND fun, consider signing up for What's Next?! Workshop. The next series begins in January, and participants registered with payment by December 1st receive a $150 discount off the regular price. If you're not sure, read what others have said about their experiences. 01/15/11 - Everything you need is already in you02/12/11 - Discover your gifts03/12/11 - What gets in the way of your gifts04/09/11 - Feeling the flow05/07/11 - Integrating06/04/11 - What's Next?!
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Heating Things Up in the Kitchen
Healthy Cooking Classes
If you missed the start of the Healthy Cooking Class series last month, you have another opportunity right around the corner. Mark your calendar for four Monday evenings in January. When the holidays are over and the weather forces us indoors, heat things up with some new groove in the kitchen with Integrative Nutrition Counselor, Nathalie Blitz. If you are... - Uncertain about popular fad diets
- Have a health concern requiring an "upgrade" to your meal plan
- Want to impress your dinner party guests
- Or simply don't know what to eat!
This is the class for you! Designed to explore healthier options to everyday meals, this series will focus on: Breakfast - The first class will bring attention to the first meal of the day. Simply put - skipping it stresses us out! You will learn a few quick and easy-to-make variations to this important meal. Vegetarian Options - Many people are interested in incorporating some satisfying plant-based protein meals into their weekly diets. This is a chance to learn how. Make Ahead Dinner - Much of the struggle around healthier food choices is the lack of time and preparation. Let's face it, there is nothing like a nice dinner ready for you when you get home! This class will focus on healthier variations to your standard meal. A protein, grain dish, side dish, and dessert will all be included. Sugar Blues - "Sugar? In a Healthy Cooking Class???" In this session you will discover a different approach to sweets and how to incorporate this important flavor into your diet. Sweet vegetables, snacks, and desserts can be easy to make and should not be taken out of your daily menu. See how it's possible. All classes meet from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm in Arlington, MA on:January 3rd, 10th, 24th, and 31st
(no class on Martin Luther King day)
Series Tuition: $235.00(fee includes: hands-on experience, expert instruction, recipes, informational handouts and the cost of food - *note* ingredients will be organic) To Register: Contact Nathalie Blitz via emailand use "Cooking Classes" as the subject line This small group format (limited to five participants), will ensure that each person receives personal attention and hands-on experience. Think of it as a semi-private cooking lesson with an expert in the field!
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What's Next?!
A Night of Discovery
 Imagine getting up in the morning excited about your day, your relationships, your life... The essential resources to live a full life are already within each of us. So...how do we tap into those gifts? The journey to being all of who you are may begin right here, right now. It starts with a commitment to yourself - a choice to live the life you want. Then, allow yourself to learn some new tools to help you remember, in times of strife, how to return to your inner strength. And finally, it comes down to practice. Practicing grounding and opening to what might be next for you. This self contained two-hour class will support your journey, offering: concrete tools for connecting with yourself, personalized coaching in a small group environment, and the space to begin your practice. It also gives you a peek at what the six-session What's Next?! Workshop series might hold in store for you. Allow yourself to forget what you cannot do, and step into your unique possibilities! Join Joanne Lutz for this evening of discovery:
November 16th - 7pm - 9pm Fee: $29.00 SIGN UP ON-LINE TODAY!Offered through Minuteman Community Education Facilitated by Joanne Lutz creator of the What's Next?! Workshop programs. This stand-alone class will give you a good feel for the nature of What's Next?! Workshop. If you've been wondering about the series, you may want to try this first. The next six month series will begin January 15th. Sign up before December 1st and take advantage of the Advance Registration Discount.
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They Say It's Your Birthday...
is BACK!
It's that time of year again. The founder of The Consciousness Collaborative, Joanne Lutz celebrates a birthday this month and she is offering her presence to YOU!
With a new year comes a new offer. If you are an existing client, refer a friend (who schedules and pays for a one-to-one session or group workshop) and receive 50% off your next individual session.
If you have not worked with Joanne before, or have never received a complimentary session, schedule three individual or couples sessions, pay for the first two, and accept the third as a gift. What a lovely present to give yourself to celebrate someone elses birthday!
To schedule your appointment or refer a friend, contact Joanne at 617-827-0803 or via email.
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Quote of the Week Contest
Each week, an informative, inspirational, provocative, or consciously amusing quote is posted to The Consciousness Collaborative home page and on our Facebook fan page.
We invite you to get involved.
If you have a favorite quote that you'd like to share, click here. Each week, one quote will be selected to appear on the home page, and you will be credited for sharing the prose! If you've missed any of the great quotes that have been posted these past few months, read them here.
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Meditate Much?
If you have a favorite meditation or mindfulness exercise you'd like to share with The Consciousness Collaborative Community, mail it in! We'd love to know what works for you, and we may even post it as a Meditation of the Month.
Interested in a new way to meditate? Check out the Meditation of the Month Library. Or join Jamie Thurber on November 17th for his monthly meditation gathering in Arlington.
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