Five Pillars For Healthy Holidays - #181

As promised, more about Jon Burras. His response to my email request provides you with an overview of his book: 

  “My name is Jon Burras and I am the author of the a dynamic new approach to health in a book called Return to Nature: The Five Pillars of Healing. This work is a remarkably different model on life and health than most have been taught to believe. 

The Five Pillars of Healing were designed from natural concepts as opposed to many ideas these days which are birthed in a scientific laboratory. When we align with nature we obtain optimal healing; when we disregard nature or try to conquer nature we become our own worst enemy. 

The Five Pillars of Healing that I have created are the following; 
1. Recovery of the Mind 
2. Recovery of the Breath 
3. Recovery through Bodywork 
4. Expansive Movement
 5. Natural Recovery from Addictions. 

Within this framework you will begin to live a dynamic and vibrant life that unfolds within you as you become aligned with nature. Enjoy her journey.”

Namaste, Jon Burras

I found his address online and sent him an email to ask if he would be interested in collaborating with me for exploring the mystery.  This is what I love about the internet!

Which of the Five Pillars are you most interested in? We will be exploring them in the weeks to come.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

Photo of melting snow on sidewalk last year.(2014)

It's Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend - MOVE IT! - #180

"I believe in movement." Straightforward words from Patti Smith, writer, performer, visual artist.*

"Most people have very little idea about how movement works in our bodies, or how much movement is required for natural biological function." Warning words from Katy Bowman.**

Jon Burras speaks to us metaphorically: "Nowhere in nature do you see absolute stillness all of the time. Some movement is faster....a cheetah chasing after a  prey at sixty miles per hour is certainly much quicker than a glacier crawling down a valley floor at sixty inches per year."***

Smith, Bowman, & Burras join me in encouraging you to move after Thanksgiving Dinner: Walk, stretch, do some yoga poses or Tai Chi forms. Don't think of it as exercise, think of it as movement. Continue to move the rest of the holiday weekend. 


Email me or comment on blog describing what movement you make. Encourage me!

Thanks for exploring the mystery of movement with me -
                                                    Nicky Mendenhall

*Patti Smith, M Train (2015).

**Katy Bowman, M.S., Move Your DNA (2014).

***Jon Burras, Return to Nature (2011). You will be hearing more about Jon's approach soon though I can't get my computer to underline Return to Nature! A mystery to be explored indeed.

Promised Quote & Informal Poll - #179

"A friend of mine once abruptly announced: “I never do anything that will make me feel too good, because I know that when I feel very, very good, I start to marvel at the wonder of being alive. And then I become frightened. Partly it’s because the more I feel the beauty of being here on earth, the more I realize how fragile life is; how easily it can stop. And partly it’s because I just don’t know what to do with it all. I know I can spoil it if I touch it or even if I think about it. But it’s almost intolerable just to try to let it be. No, I’m really much more comfortable when I’m not too close to the wonder of life. When I’ve got problems or distractions or something to struggle with I feel much better, because then at least I know who I am and what I need to do.”
Gerald May
Source: Will and Spirit

Realizing how fragile life is is the line that speaks to me today. A few days ago (before I heard of a classmate's death), the phrase that spoke to me was "almost intolerable just to let it be." 

Do you suppose this is one reason we keep so busy - so we are not in touch with the wonder of life?

In brain group this morning, the discussion centered around whether or not we (as adults) have "fun"? The consensus was that joy described more our good feelings than fun did. This is an informal poll - if you are over 18 you may participate: Do you have fun?

What do you think? You may respond to the informal poll by email as well as letting me know how you deal with the wonder of life.  

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

Did I Stumble Upon Origin of exploring the mystery? - #178

A quote from Will & Spirit turned up on inward/outward last week - a quote I will treat you with next post. The quote was so intriguing it sent me on a search for my Will & Spirit book which was easy to find because of its distinct cover: dark blue with yellow block letters.

The seed for exploring the mystery 's origin may have been planted in my mind when I read Gerald G. May's book, Will & Spirit, April, 1986. (Were you even alive then?) From the beginning of my counseling career, I was interested in psychology and spirituality and May confronted the intersection of these two by creating a contemplative psychology. 

May says modern science recognizes that some element of mystery exists in all things, from the smallest subatomic particle to the very perimeters of the universe. He cites Einstein as saying:

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."

Was this the seed that grew in me for all these years that led to this blog? It is a mystery indeed. 

Thanks for sharing my excitement at how mystery works and leads to even more mystery. Do you like mysteries that you can't solve? What seems mysterious to you?

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

The image from Portland, OR., received April, 2015. When I read it, it seemed like another mystery. A tree producing cones after 6 million years!

I Bet Practicing This Will Be Difficult - #177

"The next time someone asks you a question, don't answer right away. Receive the question or sharing and let it penetrate you so the speaker feels that he or she has really been listened to.

"Only when we have been able to open space within ourselves can we really help others.

"It is easy to notice if someone has a feeling of spaciousness.....you feel comfortable with them because they are easy and relaxed. They are not already full of their own agenda."*

Give this a try when you are out and about this weekend. Is it automatic to offer your perspective on any subject? Let us know how difficult it is for you not to answer right away.

Email or visit: www.nickymendenhallwww.nickymendenhall.blogspot.com.blogspot.com by clicking on underlined words, scroll up or down, click on comments and enter your wisdom.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

*Adapted from The Practitioner's Quarterly, Winter, 2015, pg 13.

Body Language - #176

"His foot jerks, he sighs, he squints, his stomach rumbles. These movements are part of the body's voice telling its story without benefit of consciousness."*

Waiting in line gives us time to practice the Art of Standing Meditation and take note other people's posture, body language and clothing. 

The leather jacket in the image above was covered with painted rats on its back and sleeves, though it is difficult to see the rats in this shot. I received this image when we were in line to see Michelangelo's, David. 

Body language originates in the unconscious.  Like a foreign language, body language needs a skilled interpreter to help us understand its meaning.

Do you pay attention to body language? Do you realize the messages from your unconscious? Do you appreciate your body? Does body language help you understand others?

Let me know by email or blog comment by scrolling up or down after you click this link: www.nickymendenhall.blogspot.com

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall


*The Body in Recovery (1994), John P. Conger, p. 49.

What Do You Offer Your Spirit? - #175

"Stepping out of the busyness, stopping our endless pursuit of getting somewhere else, is perhaps the most beautiful offering we can make to our spirit."* Give yourself permission to stop whatever you are doing this weekend and take a few deep breaths. Really. Don't just think about it, actually do it. I had a busy morning with grocery shopping and a haircut plus a therapy session. After I publish this, I'm going to go rest. Probably read a few more pages of Diane Glass's new book, This Need to Dance: A Life of Rhythm and Resilience. I am on page 60 and have had trouble putting it down. Diane has attended my Tai Chi class and I have visited with her while in line for the women's room at Des Moines Metro Opera. I can't wait to see her again to tell her how much I resonate with her writing.   Let me know about your relationship with busyness. Do you ever take breaks? Do you think about taking care of your spirit? This is a new thought for me. I like it! And lastly, what are you reading these days? Thanks for exploring the mystery - NickyMendenhall *Tara Brach, A Network of Grateful Living, November 3, 2015.

Dangerous To Join Cliques (It's Not What You Think) - #174

An unintended consequence of exploring the mystery being absent the month of October is the presence of undue consternation regarding subject matter of Post #174. 

Unable to decide among several juicy options, I plop on my reptilian patterned chair stationed by fraudulent French doors. Resting, I admire multiple colors that still adorn the trees.

Leaves detach from the trees, one by one, fluttering gracefully to the ground. Each looks fiercely singular. 

This reminds me of one piece of frank advice from a Zen master that I read this morning: #4 out of a list of 17 -

"To you who think there's something to being `in`"

In this case, Kodo Sawaki Roshi (1880-1965) is referring to our tendency as humans to hang onto others and want whatever they want. 

He continues: "One at a time people are still bearable, but when they form cliques, they start to get stupid. We live in group stupidity and confuse this insanity with true experience. It is essential that you become transparent to yourself and wake up from this madness....take leave of the group and walk on your own two feet."*

One of my struggles is being too attached to agreement which occurs to me is another form of joining the clique.

Are you worried about being part of the group? Do you agree with Roshi that people start to get stupid in groups? What price do you pay for being part of clique or to get agreement?

Please let me know by email or go to comment section of blog. Click on this link: www.nickymendenhall.blogspot.com

Thanks for exploring the mystery!

*Article in Tricycle, Winter, 2015, "TO YOU" written by Kodo Sawaki Roshi, page 37+