Happy Mother’s Day

Several years ago I watched in awe as a family of doves created the nest pictured above near our garage. The doves patiently sat upon the eggs, which would soon break open and bring forth new life that spring. I was reminded of this event and the birthing process as Mother’s Day approached this year. Clearing out boxes of photos and memories last month, I unexpectedly came upon a Mother’s Day card I had made for my mother when I was six years old. This precious memory was with other memorabilia I had saved since Mom’s passing in 1992. The drawings I sketched on her card, the love I so freely expressed, and my handwritten note took me back to childhood — a time of innocence and magical beliefs.

On Mother’s Day I still miss buying a card for my Mom and my other mother, Aunt Lilly, who is no longer in physical form. They each walked with me, held me in their hearts, and shaped my childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Today I felt a strong sense of their presence surrounding me, an unbreakable connection that is alive and runs like a thread through time. As I sensed the magnitude of this poignant connection I began to consider what they each birthed in their lives, and what they helped me birth in my own through their presence, modeling, and love.

My mother’s example taught me about unconditional love. She continuously demonstrated the joy of giving from a full, strong, clear, and open heart. Her love of family and cooking attracted many to our ever expanding family circle. Mom’s best friend, Aunt Lilly, was the one who recognized and nurtured the real me that was hidden behind defensive walls in childhood. She demonstrated the power in speaking her truth without blame or judgment. Her feisty spirit showed me that this was not only possible, but beneficial to myself and others. Her knitting needles were magic wands, from which she created heartfelt gifts that surrounded others with her love. Aunt Lilly was a character, whose strength, determination, and tough exterior were balanced out by a great sense of humor and deep love for her family and friends. She helped me give birth to the strong, heart-centered woman I am today.

There are many other women who continue to act as midwives in my life. They support each new birth and help me manifest the ever-evolving being I am. Counselors and therapists help me recognize my strengths and growing edges – places of new growth and development. Bodyworkers engage my whole being with their presence and hands, which serve as reflecting mirrors, revealing and connecting me with body wisdom within. “Giggle friends” continuously remind me to bring joy, play, creativity, and laughter into each day. And soul friends grace my life, as we share beauty, honesty, gratitude, compassion, and love.

Who and what are you grateful for this Mother’s Day? Who have been the midwives in your life, and what have you birthed that has affected your life and our world?

Happy Mother’s Day! May your day and hearts be filled with love and joy,

Gina

Mother Nature and Healing Gifts of Springtime

Spring has arrived and is bursting forth here in the northeast — a welcome respite from the long, cold winter season. Daffodils, symbols of rebirth and new beginnings, are such a welcome site! Spring draws our attention outward, to the beauty Mother Nature brings us, as we go from inward times of stillness and hibernation to outward times of flowering and activity. 

The natural world provides captivating and enchanting passageways for healing, nourishment, and coming home to our hearts and true nature, beyond the stress and busyness of the everyday world. Nature provides a menu for our senses to take in, digest, and feast upon — glorious colors and hues; fragrant aromas; sounds of wind, birds, bees, and flowing waters; tastes of fresh fruits and vegetables; going barefoot again and walking gently upon Mother Earth; feeling the sun’s warmth as it shines down upon us.  

During the still, silent moments when we touch upon the beauty and mystery in Mother Nature, we can also remember the beauty and mystery within our human nature. At these times we can reconnect with what is blossoming and coming alive within us — dreams, creative projects, relationships — new beginnings. We can reflect upon what seeds we want to plant in our life garden, when, and how to tend them for the most abundant, robust blossoming.

Self-care practices will provide ways and means to fertilize the soil in your garden. Meditation, mindfulness, movement, and breath practices will furnish you with your own “Miracle Gro,” which will enhance your garden’s blossoms. 

• What do you want to grow in your life garden this spring?
• When and how will you plant the seeds or seedlings?
• Who and what will you include to nourish new growth in your life garden?
    

I wish you an abundantly beautiful, nourishing, and healing springtime…….

Namaste,

Gina  

What Self-care practices will best nourish you and your life garden? 

Events Schedule

UPCOMING EVENTS

MAXIMIZING WELL-BEING THROUGH SELF-CARE:  Learn about how to live and remain healthy and resilient amidst daily stress and change. Three solutions will be presented during each FREE introductory evening. See Seva Acupressure classes below for opportunities to learn a specific acupressure program for Self-care following this introduction.   Location: Holmdel, NJ   Wednesday:  May 1 OR  June 12:   7-9 PM
Registration required: 732-706-5216

SEVA ACUPRESSURE FOR SELF-CARE: Seva Stress Release: Part 1 (3 hours)
The Seva Stress Release program helps manage stress and promotes general relaxation, well-being, and Self-healing. In this three-hour workshop you will learn Seva through demonstration and hands-on practice, and take home six valuable and practical Self-care tools: acupressure, meditation, breath practices, mindfulness, journaling, and body-mind movement (Chakra Tai Chi). $60. Location: Holmdel, NJ.
3 CEUs: massage therapists, nurses, social workers

SEVA ACUPRESSURE WITH OTHERS: Part 2 (3 hours)
Seva Part 1 is a pre-requisite for Part 2. In this three-hour workshop you will learn how to use the Seva Acupressure protocol with others. You will learn through review, demonstration, and practicing the Seva protocol with class participants, seated in chairs and lying fully clothed on massage tables. You will also deepen Self-awareness through meditation and breath practices, Chakra Tai Chi, and use of an Awareness Journal. $60. Location: Holmdel, NJ.
3 CEUs: massage therapists, nurses, social workers

Saturday: May 4 OR June 15  (Take Part 1 & 2 together or separately)
Part 1: 9 AM – Noon      Part 2: 1 – 4 PM
Registration required for Seva Part 1 and Part 2: 732-706-5216

WOMEN’S RETREAT, VILLA PAULINE, MENDHAM, NJ, May 24-26, 2013

Deepen Self-awareness using meditation, reflection, movement and play. Learn to navigate from your heart and authentic Self. Enhance your ability to show up during change and transforma-tion. Redefine and renew your intuition and life purpose. Explore the beauty and wisdom in Mother Nature and your own nature. Strengthen your connection with Spirit and the Divine Feminine. Presenters: Monique Arcand, Spiritual Advisor; Lu Pierro, Health Coach; Sharon Rasa, DC; Regina Rosenthal, PT, MA
Registration: $444 includes lodging & meals 
www.rasahealth.com/teleseminars-and-events/

SEVA ACUPRESSURE FOR SELF-CARE: WELLNESS ROCKS, Clinton, NJ
Saturday, June 1:  9AM – 12 Noon. $60
Registration: www.WellnessRocksNJ.com  908-268-0724
3 CEUs: massage therapists, nurses, social workers


MAXIMIZING WELL-BEING THROUGH SELF-CARE: Brandeis National Committee, Wednesday, June 12:   10:30 – 12 Noon, Jackson, NJ

Happy Spring!

March 20th is one of my favorite days. It’s not only the beginning of spring, but it is also my daughter’s birthday. Today she celebrates four decades of being here on Earth, an almost surreal passing of time. Each year on her birthday I am reminded of the sweetness of spring blossoms, the feelings of expanded freedom to be alive, the unfolding of new life all around, and the welcome joy and sunshine in each day. The flowering cherry trees that grow in Holmdel Park, near my home in New Jersey, are harbingers that remind me of the beauty and expansive gifts Mother Nature presents us with each spring.

Spring takes us from the stillness and hibernation of winter into brighter and longer days, more hours of warmth and sunshine, and a time of new growth and blossoming. In spring we begin to consider what we want to plant in our gardens. Our lives are like a garden. We need to consider what, when, where, and how we will plant. What part(s) of your life are calling for new growth and blossoming? What seeds will you plant this spring? When and how will you plant them, and how will you nourish them? Like a garden, your life needs water, Light, and tending. How will you nourish yourself and the soil in your life garden? What do you need to add so that your blossoms contain abundant beauty, color, and fragrance?  Don’t forget to add the magical elixir within your heart to your gardens….your personal ”Miracle Gro.”

Self-care practices will bring you home, and cultivate increased awareness about new growth pushing forth from within. There are many practices to choose from: meditation, mindfulness, yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi, dance, music, art, pets, gardening, sports, etc. Each will nurture you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Become aware of how practices change with each season, especially as spring brings you once again into the warm outdoors.

Take time to consider what you will plant and grow in your life garden as spring begins. How will new growth add meaning and purpose to your life? Cultivate your garden with Self-care practices, clear out the weeds, enjoy watching each new blossom burst forth, and witness what grows when your heart becomes the master gardener.

Book Release: “The Heart of Healing”

It is with great joy that I welcome a new “baby” into the world…a book that has been incubating and developing over the past ten to fifteen years. The Heart of Healing: Discovering the Secrets of Self-Care is here and available at Create Space, www.createspace.com/3970183, and at Amazon.com.

Throughout life we witness births and new beginnings in our families, our jobs, our relationships, our careers, etc. Can you remember the ones that stand out for you?

I still remember watching my father breed and raise canaries when my siblings and I were small. I was filled with awe as each baby canary broke through their shell at birth. Their mother patiently stood by, trusting their ability to do this. I loved being present when my father’s stern exterior softened, as he fed each newborn canary with a small eye dropper, until they could eat on their own. His gentleness revealed the very sensitive heart that existed beneath the surface. Births and new beginnings have a way of opening our hearts and enabling them to blossom.

My children, too, had many pets as they grew up…hamsters, gerbils, goldfish, parakeets, the snake my son brought home during summer break from college, and our dog Max. Each pet needed tending and care, as did my father’s canaries. On most days, this occurred without complaints. Looking back I can see how each pet provided companionship and taught us about showing up and being present from our hearts. The greatest lesson our dog Max gave us, over 14 years, was how to give and receive unconditional love. I find it interesting that we often take better care of our pets and cars than we do of ourselves. This has been true during many times in my life, when I was challenged to learn and practically apply Self-care as a way to regain health and balance.

A significant problem we face today is how to live and be healthy in a world filled with constant stress. During the thirty years I have worked with clients in physical therapy, three solutions to this problem continuously became apparent:

1. increase Self-awareness
2. use Self-care practices
3. return home to the heart and authentic Self

It was these experiences with clients that pushed me to write this book about the themes we encounter during healing, and how to maximize well-being through Self-care. The healing journey is challenging, and often brings us into the dark, muddy waters of life….like the waters in which the lotus grows. Healing tools and strategies help us to become empowered and grow through these times. As we come out the other side of healing journeys, we frequently discover what remains beautiful in ourselves and our life. We, too blossom, like the lotus, as we reach up and out of darkness into the Light.

The Heart of Healing will be a valuable resource guide for each reader, one which reminds us of the vast widom that exists in the last place we often look, within ourselves.

Namaste….Gina