Mind Body Soul – Page 3

What is Prayer?

August 14, 2016September 22, 2017Leave a comment

I was raised Roman Catholic and for many years prayed the rosary and went to Church every Sunday and raised my children Catholic. My questioning began when my children were small and would refuse to go to Church. What really caught my attention was when my son ~ Michael did not want to make his confirmation. This is when I started IMG_0132-300x200 questioning God and prayer.

Today I realize that prayer is just as simple as saying “I love you,” “Thank You,” and more importantly loving whatever arises within me. Loving whatever arises within me has not been easy due to the fact I have been conditioned with the labels of “right and wrong.” It has been a longstanding pattern and when I fall into my labels I begin questioning “Is this true?” This helps disrupt the pattern. A wise person once told me “everything is God.” That was an eyeopener and very freeing! This lifted a great burden off of me and gave me permission to accept the greater version of myself. Freeing in the sense that every thought and emotion that arose within me was okay and that this happens with everyone. We are human after all! Being with my emotions altogether is a different animal! One thing I know for sure is I am more willing to allow my emotions to surface. Emoting has freed up space within me. I feel less depressed, compressed and stagnated. I feel more alive! It is as if weight has fallen right off of me. I am so happy to have discovered this within me and my hope is we all can do this for ourselves.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Anne Lamantia

I Did A 21 Day Cleanse And lost 10 lbs. Here’s What I Learned

August 14, 2016September 22, 2017Leave a comment

I gave up all my vices – Coffee, Alcohol, Gluten, Sugar, Dairy And Meat for 21 days! I did this because I wanted to lose weight and feel better. I also needed to eat differently but I did not know where to be IMG_0082-300x200 gin. A friend told me about Dr. Junger’s 21 day cleanse and I decided to give it a go. I liked the idea that he was a Doctor and had written a cookbook called “Clean Eats” and I was curious to see if I had any food sensitivities.

Not eating after 8 at night I must admit was the hardest part along with omitting coffee and cheese. I’m usually “not going by the rules” kind of person but I was curious to see what the results would be when I was finished. Low and behold I was blown away with my experience.

Here’s what I learned:

1. My Bloating went away.

For as long as I can remember I have always had a bloated stomach. After 1 week I did not have a bloated stomach and my digestive tract felt cleaner and healthier. After the 21 Day I re-introduced Gluten back into my diet and I became bloated and “gassy.” That is proof in the pudding!

2. At night I felt at ease and slept better.

Having a nursing background I have always known that the body needs rest and nourishment during the sleep cycle and the digestive tract needs a rest from breaking down food. Having that 12 hour period without food was quiet time for my body and my body was not hyped up from caffeine, sugar or alcohol. I also felt keeping a clean diet was effective of not having my system raise havoc. I also woke up feeling like I had a good night’s rest.

3. I pooped every day!

Need I say more.

4. I became more conscious of what I put into my mouth!

It forced me to be attentive to what I was buying and what nutritional value the food had. You would be amazed what sources of food has protein in it. It was also important to note how I felt after I ate certain foods. I felt much lighter overall and my digestive tract did not have to work as hard.

5. Brain fog went by the wayside.

My thoughts were clearer and I was less anxious.

6. My mood was brighter and my Central Nervous System was more at ease.

I’m attributing my calmness to no sugar, caffeine and who knows no gluten and dairy. I remember a week after I came off the cleanse I had a can of ginger ale and instantaneously I felt exhausted and my brain was in a fog. The first week of the cleanse “I was fit to be tied” and after that I felt more even keeled.

7. Put me on tract for a “better eating cycle”

I decided that my health was important to me and taking the time to investigate my eating choices was worth it to me. After 21 days I was more mindful of what I put in my mouth and how my body reacted to the food. IT was as if I broke an old habit and began a new one. I was making conscious choices and stayed on an eating schedule.

8. I became more Confident and looked better.

Doing something for myself and feeling healthier and lighter gave me a boost of confidence. Friends would ask what have I done differently and wanted information about this cleanse.

9. I loved my juices, smoothies and food choices!

The receipes are endless with this cleanse.

10. You don’t need to sign up and do his protocol (unless you find it helpful). I just got his information off line and did it on my own.

11. Your worth it!

Proper nutrition is important for your well-being.

12. Yes, you still can have dessert!

I love desert and that has always been the hardest part for me until I started experimenting with other options such as gluten free, whole foods and different replacements for sugar.

13. When you make conscious choices your life always improves.

With love, Anne

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Anne Lamantia

How To Keep The Heart Open!

August 14, 2016September 22, 2017Leave a comment

Why Do We Close our Hearts?

I can only speak from direct experience. First I would say that we are not brought up with the tools to keep an open heart. It is not something my parents taught me or I was taught in school. I’ve heard many times just open your heart ~ Well what the heck does that mean? At that point I became curious and I began noticing what I noticed. I noticed I would n IMG_0155-300x200 ot feel my emotions ~ for example my anger, sadness or grief, and I felt ill-equipped. I began to notice there was this heaviness I accumulated in my body and I believe it was because I did not process my own pain. As time went on I began to get in touch with my anger, sadness, hurt and fear. As I began to get in touch with these aspects I began to feel lighter and to my amazement less depressed. Oh here is another big one for me! I also noticed when I interacted with others I was too involved with their stories. Over the last 5 years I have been willing to acknowledge my feelings and as I do I unravel.

How to open your heart!

1. It has taken a lot of courage and trust to do this. A willingness to open to life and feel. It takes time and patience and a willingness to meet life from a brand new platform. It takes baby steps to put something new into motion. We all have our patterns so be gentle with the self.

2. If you have heard of that saying it takes a village to bring up a child I believe there is a lot of truth to that. Find support, people who are honest and who will empower you. Don’t take No for an answer. We are more alike than different. As mother Theresa says “do good anyways.”

3. I believe authenticity is vital to our well=being. It is so easy to get caught in societal roles and responsibility. when we are missing the point of just being ourselves.

4. Find something in your life to be grateful for. Make a list everyday. It takes time to change patterns.

5. Love on your pets!

6. Do good for someone in need!

7. Prioritze yourself. Spend an hour every day to nuture your spirit.

8. Walk away from people who drag you down.

9. If it does not feel good do not do it. The same goes for food choices.

10. Get out in nature.

11. Never go to bed angry.

12. Do more listening than talking.

13. Listen to your intuition.

14. Say I am sorry and as Mother Theresa has said, “forgive them anyway!”

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Anne Lamantia

Simple Steps to Practicing Presence!

August 14, 2016September 22, 2017Leave a comment

1. Stop, slow down and breathe.

pathocean-300x199 2. Witness your thoughts.

3. Notice where you are feeling discomfort in the body. Perhaps it is in the stomach, chest and throat. If emotion arises, accept and embrace the emotion. If it is anger feel the anger no matter how outrageous it may feel. The only way out is through.

4. If you judge it’s okay. Notice the judgement without making it wrong.

5. Pat yourself on the back for allowing yourself the space to be in presence!

https://annelamantia.wordpress.com

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Anne Lamantia

Measures to bring people into Balance.

August 14, 2016September 22, 2017Leave a comment

I will speak from experience. Balance addresses the male and female part of us. One can be female and be very controlling and non-sensitive and this holds true for the Male as well. Being female this is what I know ~ I can be very controlling and critical. When I am in this space I do not like it but what I have discovered I am in this space less and less than I have ever been in my life. I am allowing to express and feel my feelings with ease. I am giving myself permission to not hold back. I grew up in a household where it was not okay to speak my truth. I was born in 1962 and women at that time for the most part were not working outside of the house. My grandmother did not have a license to drive. I believe the female and male aspects parts of ourselves have been out of balance for some time, probably for eons. So, here we are in 2015 and most women I know drive, have a right to vote and work outside the home. We have taken back our power and this is balancing out our male energy. From my observation males are participating in child-rearing. The table has turned. Not only is this individual but globally. In order to be balanced we must seek harmony within our own lives. With the demands that present themselves it is important to slow down, breathe and feel the underlying emotion into completion. This goes for both genders -Male and Female.

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Anne Lamantia

It Takes Courage To Become Your Own Mother

August 14, 2016September 22, 2017Leave a comment

It takes courage to support yourself. The key is not to look outside yourself for approval and acceptance. We often look to others for are answers. Maybe our Mom, Dad, friends and family. I believe old tapes are running in are heads about how to be, what to do, we don’t deserve this, what will so and so think… well, the hell with that! I went to school to become a nurse 15 years ago and mainly I did it to prove to myself I could do this curriculum. Another reason I did it was because I was guaranteed a job. What I always wanted to do from a young child is write. I’m 51 so why not begin now!

Supporting yourself means getting encouragement from those who have your back. THis includes people who are honest with you, non-judgemental and love and accept you for who you are. One could say they see your light, they see your brillance and they have walked the road of loving and accepting all of who they are. Often are family are not that source probably due to the fact they do not love and accept themselves. More importantly support starts with us. Discernment has been a key factor in my relationship to “yes” and “no” questions.

Trust is a must! We must, we must trust! What does that mean? Try it out and you shall see. It’s like being your best friend and loving every emotion, every thought, accepting one’s doubts, embracing your fear, sadness, anger, guilt and shame. This is part of our humanity and a wise friend once told me this is the doorway to our divinity. When we start to do this we become “uncovered” and our light comes flooding in. The brilliant child is revealed.

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Anne Lamantia

12 Steps to Authentic Living

August 14, 2016September 22, 2017Leave a comment

First step; Begin now, not where you were yesterday or the day before or 20 years ago. It does not matter what went down in your life. Your perceived wrong doings do not matter. What matters is you showed up and you are ready to begin! So let’s begin.

Second step: Even if you believe you cannot do it, it’s okay because you can. I believe in you and the divine believes in you and 7.2 million people in this universe believe in you.

Third step: Take this moment and stop what you are doing. Slow down, and notice your breathe. Your breathe is a constant reminder of your infinity. It is the only thing I know of besides dying that we have no control over. It happens all on it’s own. It is amazing to me how miraculous our bodies are. Our systems know what to do automatically.

Fourth step: You have everything inside of you right now – in this moment to come into the fullness of who you are. Yes, you do my friend. And if something is in the way of you coming into your fullness —- go to the next step.

Fifth step: If you cannot come into the fullness of who you are, imagine you can. Jesus said it only takes a mustard seed to accomplish great things. Begin now!

Sixth step: Get out of your comfort zone. Be courageous, only you know what it takes to take the next step. Even if it is a baby step, it’s okay… Rome was not built in a day.

Seventh step: Seek Support. I have found the people who have supported me held me accountable and pointed me in the right direction to find my own truth and accepted me without judgement, were honest with me and empowered me to love and accept myself.

Eighth step: Take responsibility for your own life. Let go of should, woulda, coulda. Look inside for your own answers. Notice when you are giving your power away to others. Trust and use your intution. Follow your heart not your head (that only gets you into trouble).!!!!

Ninth step: You are your own master, your own guru. What is it you have been wanting to do but you are not out of fear of hurting others feelings or letting them down. The only person you can let down is yourself.

Tenth step: Embrace all of your feelings in any given moment. Anger, fear, depression, sadness, guilt. Feel it all. It is all of the human experience. A wise friend of mine once told me that unattended anger turns into rage and he also told me if we don’t allow ourselves to emote than it becomes density in the physical.

Eleventh step; Know that everything is unfolding in your life the way it needs to. There is no wrong turns, only bumps along the road.

Twelfth step: Life will get better. I promise.

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Anne Lamantia

What I know about Heart Disease

August 14, 2016September 22, 2017Leave a comment

I am going to start this conversation with a testimony. It begins with Eugene Carns who is my father. He is 79 years old and was diagnosed with heart disease when he was in his early 30’s. He had a heart attack. He was very thin and smoked cigarettes and drank Genesee beer. He sought the advice of his Dr. and was given a diet to adhere to. It included skim milk, magarine and lean meat. Yep, I remember drinking skim milk due to the fact it tasted like water. Oh yeah I forgot to mention my grandmother had artheriosclerosis. I don’t know alot about her circumstances. As a child I never understood why he would have heart disease at such a young age and being as thin as he was. Moving forward ~ 10 years later (age 40) he had another one. He had awoken in the middle of the night with indigestion that would not go away. The end result ~ Open Heart Surgery. When he arrived home he looked 20 years older and Mom began balling her eyes out. I knew he was going to be fine but I was afraid. My Aunt Mary Pat who was taking care of me and my 4 siblings was afraid too. Again, he needed to adhere to diet and exercise. He slept on the second floor and was told not to climb stairs. I remember he would never lift anything heavy (Dr’s orders). I had to haul wood from outside and up a flight of stairs into the second floor! Luckily there was 5 of us for this hard labor. He healed rapidly and was back to his old self. What went through my mind was: ” I don’t understand why he has this disease he is so skinny.” I did understand one thing ~ he had a blockage in his vessels which impeded his blood flow. I never understood how diet was related due to the fact he was a very thin man. When I look back at all of this I can see how afraid he was of dying. He always spoke about it and seemed cautious with life to venture out and try new things. Ten years later he had open-heart-surgery once again. Same protocol as far as diet and exercise. He was always mindful of what he was suppose to eat or not eat. He did cheat with bacon. He drank alot but did not smoke cigarettes since he was 30. Fast Forward; since than he has had another heart attack and stents put in and struggles with his body temperature and shortness of breath. In the past he has been on a beta blocker and has gone off of it due to the fact he was barely alive while taking it. Side effects are atrocious!

My observation;

I have always questioned what has caused his narrowing of his vessels and blockages. We all know it does not help to be type A personality. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate my Dad a 7 maybe a 8. What I do know about my Dad is I rarely saw him cry and he seemed angry and sad alot. He also was very controlling. It makes sense to me when we do not allow are feelings to flow we constrict and become tight and are vessels do the same. According to Panache Desai emotions are energy in motion and when they do not flow they get stuck in the body and this creates density. I read a study once and it said when we are stressed are DNA tightens up and when we are calm it relaxes.

Helpful hints: Breathe and relax. Let go of the outcome of situations and let go of control. Let go and let God. Feel your fear, anger and sadness. In the past it was easy for me to step aside from my feelings labeling them bad or wrong. A dear “old” friend reminded me that these feeling were the doorway to my humanity. Thanks to this “dear” friend of mine I feel free, alive and learning everyday in every way to love who I am.

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Anne Lamantia

Nourishment for the Body, Mind and Soul

August 14, 2016September 22, 2017Leave a comment

Nourishment is not just about what we eat but it also includes how we go about nourishing our “wholeness.” One aspect which comes to mind for me is “self talk”. For me it is about nourishing the soul. The aspects of ourselves that may feel scared, helpless or alone. I believe these parts of ourselves are little “orphans” which had an impact on us in childhood. I am recalling an experience when I was 10 years old. I grew up in a world where I felt judged, I had no direction, support, and a lack of kindness. This was very scary for me. I had to keep a stiff upper lip. I can see how it is playing out in my life today. I am learning to dialogue with myself in a more compassionate and loving way. Bringing kindness, understanding and love to the forefront.

When I dialogue with this 10 year-old I take her by the hand and let her know everything is going to be okay, that she is not alone. I treat her like I would have treated my 10 year-old children letting them know that they are not alone and everything will be okay. I use kind words, listen without judging and trust my wisdom and clarity in my ripe age of 50. Of course we need nourishment through food but take a look at how you dialogue with those “scared’” parts of yourself. Do you take the time to nourish your emotional body?

Expressing your needs and getting your feelings out of your body. Writing and expressing my thoughts have been helpful. Do you take the time to nourish your physical body? Take note of your eating patterns, exercise, self-care such as massage, energy work or getting out in nature.

Last but not least what do you feed your soul? What brings you joy, are you using your creativity? It is simple ~ take a look outside and you will see what I mean. From my perspective healing begins by acknowledging how we reacted to trauma in the first place and the next step is to let yourself know it is safe to feel and express. If it feels “unsafe” do it anyways. As you do this you will begin to trust.

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Anne Lamantia