Inner Peace: Yoga

Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. My yoga instructors in my yoga camp class this week have been reminding us of what this means every day.  It means, simply, that yoga is a state in which the mind is not cluttered with thoughts not based in reality. When the mind is clear of clutter, it is as if more space opens up creating more room for insight.  Yoga is about leaving all egos at the door. It is not a competition. It is not about how strong or flexible you are. Yoga is the practice of creating peace within the mind and body by performing poses and stretches while using breathing techniques. Again, it is about finding inner peace and connecting within, it is not a competition. Love and respect your body for what it is capable of doing. 

Namaste 

Practice saying Namaste to all those that really drive you nuts today. 

Don't Take It Personally

Don't take it personally if people in your life go their own way. People grow and change and that's a beautiful thing. People often get stuck doing the same thing those core people in their lives do. Many times family, friends, classmates, work associates, etc can keep you from learning and growing in ways that are more satisfying and fulfilling for you. Be conscious and aware of who you are and don't fall prey to what others think you should do. Most importantly stand up to those core people in your life and be free to develop your own ideas, thoughts, beliefs and philosophies on how you choose to live and conduct your life.

Holistic Counseling Center

Namaste 

Melissa Samartano, MA, LMHC

Holistic Counseling Center

825 Broadway

Raynham, MA 02767

508-819-0441

401-263-1599

http://holistichealingmindbodyspirit.com/

http://www.holisticcounselingblog.com/

No Tears in Heaven

There are many things in life that no one understands, like why a life so very young can slip right through our hands. One moment life is perfect and the next it falls apart, leaving us with nothing but an eternally aching heart. Our souls cry out in agony amidst the suffering and despair. We feel the pain and tear our clothes and scream “It’s just not fair!” Spirits are now shattered. Hearts will never be the same. We grasp at straws and seek to find the one who is to blame. Horrific as our life now seems, one thing remains quite true. Our little ones have now been freed to do things angels do. They can’t recall the suffering of those last days they were here. They remember not the sorrow, the hurt, nor the fear. There are no tears in Heaven. No more sorrow. Only Joy. Heaven is filled with peals of laughter from each little girl and boy. We can only try to imagine, in spite of all earthly wrongs, our little angels are learning the words to the Angel’s songs. Amidst the children’s laughter and their Heavenly play, there’s also more important work going on there today. Jesus is building mansions, never taking time to sleep, for Reunions are being planned, yes, even as we weep. The children gather around Him and listen to Him speak, for He has all the answers that they curiously seek. He tells them for a time, in Heaven, they must wait, and then they can greet us at Heaven’s pearly gate.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

PRAYER OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

 Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is 

injury,pardon; where there is doubt, faith;

 where there is despair, hope; where there is 

darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. 

 O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much 

seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood 

as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in 

giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we 

are pardoned; and it is in dying that 

we are born to eternal life. Amen

What gives people the right to treat others poorly?

What gives people the right to treat others poorly? Is it growing up school came easy to them, so they have this belief they are better than everyone else because supposedly they are so smart? Perhaps it's because they went to Ivy league schools. Maybe they have wealthy parents and lead privileged lives. 

My friend who is a successful business man deals with a lot of folks in the Newton/Wesley MA area. Great place to live, but lots of difficult people. Snobs can be hard to please. I'm not saying everyone who lives there is a snob. Just some people. This one woman I am thinking of always critiques him on his emails. It's always about his poor grammar and misspellings. Now this guy makes so much money. She stays at home, no children, and doesn't work. She's supported by her husband who  makes over 300,000 a year, and yes, she did graduate from Harvard. If you ask me she's an emotional mess. I told my friend not to be so accommodating with making corrections and to deliberately misspell words and use poor grammar. He'll feel better and she'll still want to buy his products. What makes her feel so much better than everyone? Is it all that money she is so accustomed to?? Is she really better off because she has a better handle on the English language, or because she went to Harvard, or maybe it's her privileged upbringing having such wealthy parents?

 I have certainly come across many people who look great on paper however, they struggle so much with working out their emotional issues. Maybe they are the CFO, CEO, or VP of large corporations. Sure they can dazzle you with how intelligent they are. However, if you can't handle your emotional world, and you can't learn to work through your issues, and all you can do is spell words correctly and use good grammar are you really any better off?? 

Money is the root of all evil. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. All that power and money isn't going to make you happy. A perfect example of that is the woman mentioned above. She has to critique others to make herself feel better. Going to Harvard, having a privileged life with wealthy parents, and a wealthy husband isn't enough for her to feel happy about herself. I see many of us use poor grammar and misspell words all the time. Who cares. In fact, I really don't care what you think of me. I choose to work from an internal framework of being happy with myself first. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life living up to other peoples expectations? You misspelled this, and you used poor grammar, and you didn't do this correctly, and you really need to get married, and you really need to join this country club or I can't be your friend, and the list goes on and on.

 What you need to do is ask yourself why am I around these people who make me feel bad about myself? Tell them you are happy just the way you are with all your misspellings, poor grammar, and imperfections. How unfortunate it is for them that they have to put others down in order to feel good about themselves. 

Try to listen to your inner wisdom in order to find true happiness and peace of mind. Also, try to be aware of the types of people you are hanging around with. Remember they will drag you down if you let them.  

Namaste

Dr. Melissa Samartano PhD, LMHC, RYT

Holistic Counseling Center

825 Broadway

Raynham, MA 02767

508-819-0441

msamartano@comcast.net

Boundaries and Limits

Boundaries and Limits:

So many people struggle with creating healthy boundaries with loved ones, family, friends, coworkers, business partners, etc.. What happens is they end up resenting these people so much it effects their health and overall lives. Many end up “playing the game” or “sucking it up”  b/c that’s how they’ve  always been treated and as a result become miserably depressed and anxious. When you are mistreated by someone and I don’t care if it’s your mother, sister, brother, father, cousin, friend, coworker, or spouse you have the right to set limits and boundaries accordingly.  It is never good when someone repeats the pattern of abuse no matter if it is emotional, physical or sexual.  Setting healthy limits and boundaries is necessary when that difficult person in your life continues to be destructive. You may have tried to resolve the problem with them, but they keep on continuing the abuse.  That’s when you know you have to change the dynamic. You may choose to not see that person anymore until they get themselves help and prove they are stable enough to be around. However, those wounds maybe too deep and you may never want that difficult, destructive person to be a part of your life. So you absolutely have the right to KICK THEM TO THE CURB.  Hopefully, over time you can learn to forgive them and send thoughts of peace and loving- kindness from your heart from a distance. My yoga and mindfulness instructor shared a story this past Monday about how he is the oldest of 10 children and he does not see over half his family. He mentioned how toxic they have been in his life and it never felt better to set healthy boundaries with them. He mentioned he has not seen them in years and probably will never see them because they are so destructive in their own lives and also at a time in his life. He doesn’t want that toxicity around his family.  He did mention how he forgives them and does send them love and peace from his heart.  He doesn’t harbor any resentment and wishes them well. He mentioned how he thinks positive thoughts about them and how they do not effect his life negatively as they once did. He feels free of that pain and has moved on in more productive healthy ways. Yes, this can be a difficult thing to do. Just remember, if you have tried to resolve the problem with this person, and they continue to mistreat you, and you feel bad about yourself for being around them, you have the right to set healthy limits and boundaries and put an end to the destructive behavior pattern in your life. 

Namaste

Prayer to My Body

I open my heart to explore the sacred that is inherent within my body. I recognize that my body is the 

temple of my entire being that I am not just this body but the embodied spirit itself. During this practice, my 

intention is to be totally present in my body and in the light of consciousness. When I move in life I move 

with great reverence toward my body. I recognize that it is an opportunity to release any fear of failure or 

success I may have. For this time, I am not bound to be anything or anyone other than fully myself in each 

moment. I make a commitment to myself to engage my attention and awareness in the experience of the 

moment: the union of body, mind and spirit.  

(Psychotherapy, yoga & Expressive Therapy)