The
Consciousness Collaborative Update
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Free Teleclass
Feb. 8th 
"Meditation: Ugh! Hand me the clicker" Have you thought about meditation and said, "I'd love to try it, but...I don't know how...I don't have time...Grey's Anatomy is on and I'll think about it later?" Or maybe you're an active practitioner, and you'd just like to be in a meditative space with a group of like-minded folks for a short while. Either way, this free, one-hour session, "Meditation? Ugh! Hand Me the Clicker!" is for you.
You're invited to join meditation leader, Jamie Thurber and together: - Experience short meditations
- Discuss how to begin independent practice
- Explore several meditations for "the busy person" for when time is short or when simply sitting is difficult
- Share several resources to support a regular practice
Meditation is all about connecting with the peaceful, beautiful you that's already inside. If you know that wonderful space, or would like to know it more, or to even experience it for the first time, join us. You're worth it! Also, mark your calendar for March 14th, when parenting consultant, Beth Sutton, will host the next free teleclass: "Parenting: Uncovering the Wisdom Within Hope and Fear." Free Public Event! February 8th Teleclass Instructor: Jamie Thurber 7-8pm (eastern time) REGISTER ON-LINE (for your personal dial-in number and access code) |
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Soul Food
"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love." -Rumi
Think for a moment of a food from your past... one that makes you feel great after you eat it, for no specific reason. Maybe it is macaroni and cheese, slow-simmered tomato sauce, ice cream cones or potato pancakes. Eating food like this (every now and then) can be incredibly healing, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious.
Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical well-being. What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother's cooking or our country of ancestry. Our bodies remember foods from the past on an emotional and cellular level. Eating this food connects us to our roots and has youthening and nurturing effects that go far beyond the food's biochemical make-up.
Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food. This month when we celebrate lovers and relationships, it's important to notice that we each have a relationship with food - and that this relationship is often far from loving. Many of us restrict food, attempting to control our weight. We often abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being. Others ignore food, swallowing it whole before we've even tasted it.
What would your life be like if you treated food and your body like you would treat your beloved? With gentleness, playfulness, communication, honesty, respect and love? The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt, and enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you.
-Contributed by Nathalie Blitz of Vitamin N |
Save
the Dates
March 16-18th
Emotional Re-Education Workshop
Led by April Prita Manganiello, the Emotional Re-Education Workshop provides a safe and healing place to challenge limited self beliefs and to cut through inhibiting stuck places. Within the safety of this container, you will have the opportunity to unwind and melt traumas you have experienced. It is a place to try on new attitudes, support your ability to give and receive love, and to be more fully connected to yourself and others. March 16th-18th Complete the to Participate
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Beans, or legumes, including peas and lentils, contain an excellent source of plant-based protein. Beans are found in most traditional cultures as a staple food, offering grounding and strengthening properties that enhance endurance. They offer a highly usable, highly absorbable source of calcium for the body. A very inexpensive source of high nutrition, beans can be rich, delicious and satisfying,
Lack of sexual energy is often due to overtaxed adrenal glands and kidneys. Beans are notorious for strengthening these organs (ever noticed the shape of a bean?) and can help restore vital energy as well as sexual energy.
Beans have a reputation for causing digestive distress, but this is usually because they have been undercooked or improperly prepared. To help reduce gas-forming properties, soak beans overnight prior to cooking, increase cooking time, add spices like bay leaf, oregano or cumin, or add kombu (a sea vegetable) when cooking.
Curious? Try this Recipe of the Month.
-Contributed by
Nathalie Blitz
of Vitamin N
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Holding Your Breath?
Your car runs out of gas in the middle of the highway...your son is racing to approach that first hurdle...your daughter is about to say "I do"...and what happens? YOU stop breathing! In moments of stress, we often seek to control something, and so we hold our breath. In that moment, though, we lose connection to Self.
Since ancient times, work with the breath has been used for inner opening and connecting with spiritual dimensions. Working with consciously directed breath, old physical and emotional patterns become clear, and we can connect directly with our innermost Self.
We manifest our state of being through the breath and can influence how we feel by altering our breathing patterns. But in order to do so, we first need to gain awareness of how we hold our breath or restrict it. Only then can we stretch and expand our ability to bring more life force into all parts of our bodies and marvel at how alive and joyful we can feel.
As a trainer and guide of this inner art, I perceive
breathwork as a self-help healing method using a combination of breath, music, sound, and the presence of a facilitator to give the client an experience of Self. Using techniques from bioenergetics, massage, and meditation, each client is taught a circular breathing method called, the connected breath. With the energy of breath, the client embarks on an inner journey into one's soul.
Through learning conscious connected breathing in a safe environment, clients strengthen their relaxation response, let go of tension, and use the energy and rhythm of the breath to connect with their deepest and most spiritual selves. This experience is the foundation of psychological and spiritual integration. Each Breathwork session is different and regular practice will enhance general health, promote well-being and connection with ones Self.
Whether you have never experienced the power of connected breathing or practice regularly and would appreciate the support of a facilitator, I invite you to join me for the monthly breathwork class offered at The Arlington Center in Arlington, MA. The next two-hour class will be Saturday, March 10th. You may view the full schedule on-line.
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"It's in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped. Choose well."
-Anthony Robbins
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Last month my step-daughter moved back home from D.C. mid-year through her freshman experience at George Washington University. Her mom and dad struggled tremendously with this decision. She heard everything from, "I think it's a mistake; you should finish what you started." to "You've just got to tough it out." and "No social scenario is going to make my daughter decide that she wants to leave school." And who knows, maybe they were right. From my perspective she'd finally dropped in and operated from more clarity than I've witnessed since she started touring colleges two years ago.
Teenagers experience such pressure to complete the college applications, get accepted by as many schools as possible, and above all land a space in their "dream school." And yet, these kids are still new. They just arrived in the world umpteen years ago and the expectations of and for these amazing young people astound me.
All of this got me thinking...this doesn't stop upon graduation. The drive to look successful, own the best car, make the most money, buy the biggest house, meet, marry, and raise a family with the perfect spouse...goes on and on...uggh! Where, in this model, is the space to "be" to explore, to allow space for unexpected experiences and not label those as "bad?"
I have a friend who says, "If you set an intention for yourself - not an agenda or a resolution, but an intention - and allow yourself to see it, feel it, and smell it, your moment-to-moment decisions will be guided by this intention." What if that's what we taught our kids? Heck, what if that's what we created space for in ourselves, because modeling provides a strong teacher, and it would be nice to reap the benefits of our own wisdom.
So, here's the mission, should you choose to accept it (yes, I just saw that movie). For a moment let go of the "should, shouldn't, must, have-to-or-else" language, and become aware of what you might want for yourself. Go beyond what you think you can have, and allow yourself to fully imagine what could be possible, without all of the expectations you place on yourself daily. Truly visualize it, feel the air there, hear the sounds in that space, be in the possibility.
Then, check in, what did that feel like in your body, spirit, and mind? If, in that space, you had everything you could ever want, but still didn't feel comfortable in your own skin, it makes sense. It's new; give it another go. Open to the possibility beyond what you believe its okay for you to have.
And if you're willing, allow yourself a few moments of connecting with those possibilities each day. This becomes the intention, and the feeling of connection to self and others you experience in your land of possibilities will inform your moment to moment decisions. Does this mean there will be no wobbles? Of course not! Welcome the wobbles, be curious about them, learn from the wobbles - both the lessons they may teach and the new found self-compassion that allows space for other possibilities to come forth. In turn, there's not an attachment to the intention; there is simply space for it.
One of my mentors used to tell me, "With new information, you can make different decisions." This notion holds great power for me. I don't need to attach to a singular path; I have the ability to learn and use that new wisdom to guide me toward my personal intention. I believe that's what my step-daughter learned. She has more information now, and with that, she may steer her own ship toward her island of intention.
May you create space for lots of new information to guide you toward your possibilities.
With love and wobbles of my own,
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In Need of a Paradigm Shift? 
Have you ever had the experience of absolutely knowing that something is true? In fact, it's not even something you think about, because it's a clear universal truth. And then, well, something happens...new information comes to light, and you discover that the belief you had previously taken for granted - not only isn't true - it possesses zero relevance to how you make decisions, live your life, and propel yourself forward. You experience a profound paradigm shift, without ever having realized you were stuck in a box to begin with.
Perhaps, you did notice the box, because you found yourself feeling limited in a variety of ways...not doing the work you love, beating yourself up for every decision made that didn't yield obvious positive results, feeling trapped in your relationships, and coming to terms with what you have to "settle for." Or maybe you've been actively struggling to make your life better - working incredibly hard, feeling pulled in a thousand different directions and with gritted teeth and single-minded determination taking on the world - dangit!
So, here's the question: What if you don't have to collapse and give up AND you don't have to struggle? Is that a concept you'd be interested in? If not, it's okay. I completely understand how hard it is to give up doing something the way you've always done it.
Sometimes, grief accompanies letting of the old way...can you be curious about that grief? You might find yourself questioning all of the beliefs you've held so tightly...are you willing to see what genuinely fits and what doesn't? And you may discover that who you are is exactly right - absolutely capable - with much to celebrate and offer - and yikes! That can be pretty scary stuff, if you've been taught that humility is the same as hiding your light under a bushel.
If this notion intrigues you. If you feel curious about what beliefs keep you painted in a corner or perhaps struggling to get out, the What's Next? Workshop may be a good fit for you.
Here's the tricky part: you need to be willing to shift one paradigm up front to even sign up. What that looks like for you, may be different from someone else, but if one of these phrases fits for you, I invite you to be curious about your own resistance:
"I can't spend the time or money on myself like that."
"My plate is full, and I don't really like groups."
"I've done other workshops, and they're fine, but nothing ever sticks...those things just don't really work."
"Maybe next time..."
Only you can know if signing up for a five month program to discover your unique gifts and learn to connect with your essential, wise self again and again makes sense for you. The long-term commitment invites a personal accountability, different from many programs, but perhaps the biggest shift of all is this: the operating belief in the What's Next?! programs is that everything you need is already within you - you are whole and amazing, and whatever experiences have taught you differently don't change this fundamental truth.
The next series begins February 10th/11th. If it feels right, sign up! I would welcome the opportunity to share the experience with you.
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Parenting As Path Workshop
A decision has to be made - graduation is near and there is no such thing as ignoring this one - any action or inaction is still a decision. You know the choice he wants to make is going to lead to trouble - but the thought of that door slamming, the ugly yelling, and the stamping out and not returning till late makes your stomach turn. So you say very little and put relevant articles on his bed (usually to find them crumpled on the floor later!). But you are treading carefully, respectfully giving him his wings.
Underneath the apparent calm and quiet, your heart is racing and you aren't sleeping - after all, in the end he is still your baby!~~~
Tomorrow is the Spelling Bee. You know your child can win and it would make him so happy - and validate your decision to spend extra time on his weekly words. But he is in his room alternately whining and stomping and saying he won't go to the Bee. You gently encourage him, patiently telling him for the umpteenth time that he is the best and to just imagine how happy he will be when he wins. But underneath the calm encouragement, you are anxious and full of dread - can't he just do this!
~~~ How many of us actually feel good and energized after smiling through scenes like these? I often tease that it seems like children come in with a "cheat-sheet" for how to trigger their parents into their most off-balance selves. They do; at the top it is labeled "Hope and Fear." The unimaginable love that is parenting triggers hope and fear like few other experiences in our adult life. In turn, personal blocks we've carried with us since our own childhood years come roaring onto center stage. Therein lies our opportunity; hiding in the very feelings we think are undesirable, is a voice of extraordinary wisdom. Consider the examples above. Where is the vitality in these scenes? So often we think the forced smile and surface calm show our strength and willingness to be who we should be. But, in truth, the frustration or anxiety is where the energy is, so that is where we must go to find our own wisdom. Something deep within is using all its strength to try to guide us in a genuine and positive direction. If we can free that hidden voice, our reactions do not spill out on anyone else but instead reveal a deeper and wider knowing. From that place, anger and dread (or any other overwhelming and unpleasant emotion) become doorways to wisdom and guides for clear, supportive, and non-resentful action. In this Parenting as Path workshop, through activities and discussion, we will begin exploring the treasure that is our child and the incomparable frustration and distress this same child can ignite in us. In so doing, both the wisdom and the internal blocks reveal themselves. We will devote the one day intensive to uncovering our wisdom, and a follow up consultation to applying that wisdom to our day to day life with the child. Together, this invites us to look at the ways we can use all of our feelings and insights to enliven our lives and enjoy our children, as we walk the path of parenting.
Parenting As Path Workshop
Facilitated by Parenting Consultant, Beth Sutton
April 21st ~ 9am - 6pm
Lexington, MA
REGISTER ON-LINE
sign up with payment before March 16th for reduced tuition
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Hidden Contracts
Silent Agreements
Increasing Your Personal Effectiveness
 Most months, I facilitate a one-day event, An Introduction to Family Constellations. This workshop offers participants clarity and resolution to long-carried legacies passed down from the generations that have come before. However, the Constellation Approach reaches far beyond the scope of our familial realm. Constellations allow us to directly and respectfully experience how unconscious patterns contribute to creating difficult situations and a sense of struggle. The process allows you to step into resolutions and new perspectives that support natural and sustainable changes in your life and provide direct access to your inner strength and clarity. In April, I invite you to join me, as I co-facilitate a full weekend of Constellation work with Volker Frank. Together we will use the Constellations Approach to explore the hidden contracts and silent agreements that strongly influence our perceptions and choices. Whether it's in your personal life: relationships, health, feeling like you are swimming against the current and struggling; or in you professional life: career, relationships at work, difficulties reaching your goals, etc.; this weekend will offer space for you to connect with self, remove obstacles, and get back into the flow. Wondering if this workshop fits for you? Here a few questions to stir the pot:
- Do you feel stuck deciding how to focus your efforts and take your next steps?
- Ar you so stressed that it is difficult to stay creative and motivated?
- Do you need to resolve tensions in the key relationships?
- Are you frustrated by office politics that make it practically impossible to do a good job?
Own your power in your personal life and at work! Two Day Workshop in Watertown, MA
April 14th ~ 9am - 5pm
April 15th ~10am - 4pm
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Natural State of Flow 
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. - Lao Tzu The beauty of facing life unprepared is tremendous. Then life has a newness, a youth; then life has a flow and freshness. Then life has so many surprises. And when life has so many surprises, boredom never settles in you. - Osho In Fairbanks, Alaska, where winter temperatures get down to -60 deg F for two week stretches while crime becomes almost non-existent, locals bet on when the nearby Tanana river will free itself of ice and flow again. The ice gets about 42" thick, and the townspeople will chop 24" in and plant a large pole attached by a heavy cable to a clock on the shore. It's configured so that when the ice breaks up and the pole moves, the cable pulls taut and stops the clock, thereby recording the winning time (down to the minute) and making one or several folks richer. It's called Breakup. From the picture above, one might get the sense that Winter will never end - that pole will be stuck on that crusty ground until the end of time. Sometimes in life we feel like this river looks - stuck, cutoff from the things and people we love, life around us changing and shifting and growing while we're just, well, frozen. Soon it may feel like our natural way: this hard shell that once just encased us actually IS us. We are cold, inside and outside. Unlovable, and unloving. Maybe we even begin to give up. But interestingly, Breakup happens not just because the ice melts on the top due to sunshine, but also due to the water that is always flowing underneath. Always. The natural state of this river, to flow, is never deadened. When the water releases from its frozen state, it begins to move. And though it may not feel this way, that's just like us. Even if we feel stuck, life is always moving within us. We might not be able to see it or even feel it - it feels so far beneath all this icy stuff - but it's there. The Chinese call it Qi, and the Tibetans Prana, and others life force, but whatever you name it, the natural state is the flow of this energy. An acupuncturist might help to support us in the movement of these energies, as might yoga, or chakra work, or sound healing, or life coaches, or therapy. All of these activities support us to return to what is already naturally there. Where meditation can support us is to help us to know this flow as the natural state. Each day, sitting for a few minutes and just tapping into that energy - the innate, beautiful you - can help you to know, on those frozen days, that the thaw will come. If you want to have it happen in you, see it in others. Take a moment each day and truly see someone you love with all of your heart. Don't focus on the ice - see the flow that you know is there. That moment when you've seen that person so in themselves - so wonderfully alive and free and joyously open. Bring that moment into your heart, and beam it back to them. Breakup is immediate - within you! The folks who, last year, guessed May 4, 2011 at 4:24 PM, split $338,062 in prize money. For each of us, that moment of Breakup is now, every moment, and the prize is such beautiful abundance - we just need to remember. To practice remembering the flow within, join us for monthly meditations in Lexington. And this month, you may also dial in for the Free Monthly Teleclass, " Meditation: Ugh! Hand me the clicker!" to learn more about how meditation may support you.
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Recipe of the Month
Easy Beans and Greens
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Yields: 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 can of beans (black, pinto, red, kidney - your choice)
- 1 bunch of greens (collard, kale, or spinach - your choice)
- your favorite toppings, such as: salsa, avocado or guacamole, and sour cream
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, heat drained beans. Add your favorite seasonings, if desired.
2. Fill a separate medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
3. Wash and chop greens (you can use the stems, too) and add to boiling water.
4. Cook for 2-3 minutes until greens are bright green and tender. Drain off water.
5. On a plate, arrange a portion of the greens, top with a portion of the beans, and finish with toppings of your choice.
-Contributed by Nathalie Blitz of Vitamin N
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Meditation of the Month
Bubbles of Joy
This month we return to meditative laughter, with a visual path to enjoy the fun. Inspired by the Bubbles Meditation offered at Lifescript, this simple meditation reminds us of the healing power of smiles and laughter.
Begin in a comfortable sitting position with your eyes closed. Allow your body to settle in, breathing deeply, and noticing where you come in contact with whatever is supporting you. Take another deep breath...staying focused on the in breath...and the out breath...
As you maintain your conscious connection to the breath, feel each exhale leaving your body in the form of a beautiful golden bubble. It may come from a source of pain or discomfort within; however, as it leaves you, this golden bubble transforms those sensations and becomes joy filled.
To access that joy, pop the bubbles as they exit your body. With every pop, feel the smile grow on your face. As you pop each bubble, witness the glowing streams of joy, flowing in through your finger, connecting with your heart, and filling your body. Poke at as many as you can, and feel the smile transform to giggles and let those giggles grow to gurgles of laughter. And if you find yourself rolling on the floor in uncontrollable laughter, know that this joy came from you and returned to you - you may have it with you always.
When the meditation feels complete in the moment, gently bring yourself back to the room...bringing the lightness and openness with you.
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Quote of the Week Contest
For nearly two years we've been featuring the "Quote of the Week" contest. Every Monday a famous amusing, thoughtful, provocative, or heart-warming quote is posted on the home page of The Consciousness Collaborative and shared via Facebook with our many friends. The winner receives credit and thanks for sharing the wisdom and being an active part of our community.
If you'd like to join in the fun, submit your favorite quote! And if you're seeking a little inspiration, check out the Quote Archive and follow us on Facebook to receive a weekly dose.
In the meantime, we'd like to thank those who have participated and won a place on our "wall of fame" these last months: Kathryn O'Brien, Laura Lyons, Maria Williams, Mark Lesses, Lysa Wilkins, Jill Rothmann Fournier, Mary-Lee Lutz, Dawn Lipinksi, Jamie Thurber, Luciano Airma, and Jill Gilkey. You are all a part of what makes this such a fabulous community.
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