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

Events: Seva Acupressure for Self-Care

Acupressure for Self Care: Seva Stress Release: Part 1 (3 hours)

Many cultures around the world practice giving service from the heart. Giving to another person with no expectation of personal gain (Seva) benefits the giver as well as the receiver. The Seva Stress Release program helps manage stress and promotes general relaxation, well-being, and Self-healing.

In this interactive 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 and breath practices, mindfulness, journaling, and body-mind movement (Chakra Tai Chi).

Fee: $60 (Seva Part One is a pre-requisite for Seva Part Two)

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Seva Stress Release: Part Two (3 hours)

In this dynamic 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 other class participants, seated in chairs and lying fully clothed on massage tables. You will also deepen Self-awareness through practicing Chakra Tai Chi, meditation and breath practices, mindfulness, and use of an Awareness Journal.

Fee: $60

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Holmdel, New Jersey Class Schedule: (pre-registration required for Introductions and classes; Introductions not required for Seva Class)*

*Questions/Registration: Regina Rosenthal — 732-706-5216

May, 2013: 

Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 7-8:30 PM: Free Introduction to Seva & Self-Care

Saturday, May 4, 2013: Seva Acupressure for Self-Care Part 1 AND Seva Acupressure with Others Part 2

Seva Part 1: 9 AM – 12 Noon. Seva Part 2: 1 – 4 PM
(Part 1 & Part 2 can be taken on the same day or on separate days)

June, 2013:

Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 7-8:30 PM: Free Introduction to Seva and Self-Care

Saturday, June 15, 2013: Seva Acupressure for Self-Care Part 1 AND Seva Acupressure with Others Part 2

Seva Part 1: 9 AM – Noon. Seva Part 2: 1 – 4 PM
(Part 1 & Part 2 can be taken on the same day or on separate days)


                                                                                          

Healing: Self-awareness, Self-Care, & Returning to the Authentic Self

The healing journey takes us along many different pathways. As we travel, healing challenges us to remember and reestablish our internal and external connections within the Great Mystery that surrounds and enfolds us. It is this grand design that comes alive within us each time we reconnect with our heart and authentic Self.

Healing asks us to show up and be present. This is a huge challenge in today’s world, where we encounter constant stress and change. During three decades of practice as a physical therapist, clients continuously demonstrated how three strategies enabled them to live and maximize daily health and well-being:

1. increase Self-awareness
2. use Self-care practices
3. reconnect with the heart and authentic Self

These strategies and practices enhance our ability to respond and create a greater sense of wholeness throughout our being — body, mind, emotions, and soul or life force.  Learning and applying these practices is key to developing strength, flexibility, resilience, and a sense of personal empowerment during life and healing.

All healing involves Self-healing. This heart-and-soul journey and evolutionary process leads us “home” and endows us with the ability to engage and grow through the paradoxes of life — the sorrows and the joys, the efforting and the effortless, the doing and the being. Each of us who participates in any healing process, our own or others, are like stars that inhabit the realm, shedding light amidst the darkness, in service to everyone and everything.

What Self-care strategies and practices have you explored to increase Self-awareness? Many are available: meditation, mindfulness, yoga, journaling, movement/exercise, time in nature, music, dance, art, hobbies, etc. Any and all of these bring reflection on three questions:

1. Who am I?
2. What do I want and/or need now?
3. Where am I going?

The answers will not be revealed through logical reasoning and everyday mind. The answers will be found within, as you listen to and become present with the wisdom in your heart and authentic Self. This is your inner GPS system that will always guide you toward what has heart and meaning and your own North Star.

Take time in stillness to become present with your heart and authentic Self or true nature. Hold your hand(s) over your heart. Start with a simple breath practice, inhaling and filling your lungs with new, clear energy. Release what no longer serves you with each exhalation — stress, tension, confusion, anxiety, etc . Count or focus on each inhale and exhale, noticing how your body, mind, emotions, and life force respond. After 5 - 10 minutes reflect and journal about Self-awareness that arose through this breath practice. Then reflect and write your responses to the above three questions. What did you witness and learn?  

“The Heart of Healing” Book Launch Celebration

We travel together on life’s journeys.

Come celebrate your life and the publication of

  “The Heart of Healing: Discovering the Secrets of Self-Care”

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Hope Lutheran Church

211 Elton-Adelphia Road

Freehold, New Jersey 07728

2-5 PM

 RSVP: Regina Rosenthal

732-706-5216

OR

Ginarose88@comcast.net

The Heart of Healing Blog

2013:  A Year of  New Beginnings

“To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.”    (Confucius)

I’m thrilled to start 2013 with all of you, sharing a new website, a new blog, and a new book, The Heart of Healing: Discovering the Secrets of Self-Care. I’ve envisioned this book for decades, after physical therapy clients encouraged me to write about our sessions so others could benefit from them, and from the use of Self-care practices.  The birth of this book seemed like the longest pregnancy on record to me. It is now time to give birth and bring this new “baby” alive, in service to our individual and collective healing. However, this healing will not occur through my words, but through the heart-and-soul wisdom and guidance that arises in each reader as insights and Self-care practices are applied.

The Heart of Healing describes the heart-and-soul journey and evolutionary process that occurred as I witnessed and experienced the healing journeys of clients, colleagues, family, friends, and my Self.  It recounts the journey home to our heart and authentic Self that occurs through healing, and reveals how the journey and Self-care practices guide us to empowering discoveries at the heart, or core, of our being. Through client and personal sessions I was shown that healing is often a lifelong process of growth and development, not always a single life event. Clients and I also learned that healing is stimulated each time we commit to showing up, being present, and connecting with our heart-and-soul paths.

Like the symbolism of the lotus, healing reflects a journey of regeneration and rebirth that brings awakening and enlightenment. Lotus flowers provide inspiration for us when we face healing challenges. They manifest pure beauty as they emerge through murky, dark waters. We, too, are summoned to rediscover what is beautiful as we trudge through swampy waters during healing. The lotus plant’s stalk bends easily, but is very hard to break because of its strong fibers. Healing reminds us of what is unbreakable and infinite in our core being, each time we reconnect with our heart and authentic Self on healing journeys. And, like the lotus, we also reach toward the Light for nourishment and guidance during healing.

We will explore healing together through this blog, learning and growing in ways that stimulate healing for ourselves, our families, our communities, and our world…..one person at a time. Like the constellations above, we are all interconnected and interdependent; we are all conduits of healing for ourselves and one another. It is now time to activate this connection to maximize well-being, promote world healing, and facilitate a return home to our hearts.

As a first step, I invite you to answer the Healing Questionnaire under the Publications tab on my website. This will increase your awareness and set a foundation for deepening Self-awareness during healing experiences and Self-care practices we will explore in future blogs.

Namaste…(the Light in me honors and bows to the Light in you)

News Release: The Heart of Healing: Discovering the Secrets of Self-Care

For immediate release:

New Shelves Distribution
614 Fifth Avenue
Troy NY 12182
(518) 261-1300

Contact: Nicole Riley – nicole@newshelves.com

Regina Rosenthal brings three decades of experience to The Heart of Healing: Discovering the Secrets of Self-Care.

Exciting new book explores the seven universal themes of healing and serves as a guide on the journey home to the heart.

TROY, N.Y. – January 11, 2013 – As a child, Regina Rosenthal stood alone in her family’s backyard, lost in awe while pondering the Great Mystery in the night sky. But Rosenthal acted on her wonder. Today, she is a respected physical therapist, teacher, and health coach, and she has distilled her three decades of experience in the field into The Heart of Healing: Discovering the Secrets of Self-Care (Dimensions of Wellness Press, ISBN-13: 978-0-9885267-0-9, $16.95).

The Heart of Healing fulfills a promise Rosenthal made to clients, to share insights gained during sessions, to help others searching for a path to clarity, Self-awareness, and harmony.

Rosenthal’s exciting manual explores the seven universal themes encountered during healing, while awakening readers to the dynamics of Self-care and life-affirming qualities of the joyful heart.

“We’re living in a world that’s so challenging and heavy,” Rosenthal says. “How do we lighten the load and restore balance to daily life?”

As noted, The Heart of Healing is aimed at anyone interested in maximizing well-being through Self-care, but it is also an invaluable tool for health-care practitioners, social workers, clergy, and others who need to survive, deal with the very real threat of burnout while caring for others, and thrive.

“Healing,” Rosenthal says, “is a path to Self-discovery.”

The Heart of Healing fosters well-being at every stage of life’s journey. It shows readers how to utilize inner strengths, resources, and wisdom, and guides readers on the journey home to their heart.

Regina Rosenthal, PT, MA, lives with her husband near the New Jersey shore, where she becomes present daily with the heart of healing as it emerges in individuals she works with in her private practice.

Visit www.reginarosenthal.com for more information.

To arrange an interview with the author, or to request a review copy, contact Nicole Riley at New Shelves Distribution – nicole@newshelves.com, (518) 261-1300.

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