My Wellness Tips Are Now On Intent.com and Twitter...

You might have noticed that this blog
hasn't been updated recently.

That's because my blog has moved
to www.intent.com

Please visit me there and also...

Find out what I'm up to on Twitter

Now, Get Regular Updates On Twitter!

If you're not using Twitter yet,
it is the best way to get regular
updates from me!

I post inspiring quotes, tips and
insights regarding wellness every
day there.

If you don't have a Twitter account,
it only takes a moment to set one
up. You can find me at:

http://www.twitter.com/johnamaral

Dr. John

Check Out My New Posts At www.intent.com!

I'm now blogging regularly
as an expert voice on Deepak
Chopra's daughter's site:

www.intent.com

You can search for
John Amaral on the home
page to find my posts.

Warmly,

Dr. John

The 4-Legged Gift...

Our beloved family dog died
last weekend. She was 14.

She was blind, deaf, incontinent and
barely able to stand. Finally, after months
of avoiding the inevitable we decided to
put her down.

I sat with her in the field where she spent
much of her life romping about, and our vet
gave her the injection that would end her
life.

It wasn't more than ten seconds before her
head dropped into my lap and "whoosh", I felt
her leave her body. That was it.

We buried her and cried.

Life is such a gift. The power and the fragility,
the strength and the vulnerability, the joy and
the sorrow... all a gift.

We're here for a while in this form, and then
we're not. So, while you're here I suggest
you heed these lessons from the dog realm:

When loved ones come home, always run to
greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in
your face to be pure ecstasy…

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on
the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under
a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance a round and wag
your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent,
sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

We'll miss you Naala. Thank you.

Dr. John

Are You Really Paying Attention To Your Body?

I worked with a woman the other day who
came in with pain in her pelvic region
(her pubic bone to be exact). It had been
nagging her for 9 months and she's now
6 months pregnant.

She'd been treated by a number of people
who were all trying to reduce the pain with
various approaches but nothing had worked.
The pain wasn't going away.

I instructed her to locate the epicenter of the
pain with her fingertips and focus her attention
there. I asked her what it felt like. "It hurts!" she
groaned. I asked her to notice where the borders
of the pain were. She described a spherical region
around where she was touching.

Then I asked her to imagine the borders of the
pain expanding and spreading out so instead of
remaining concentrated at a specific point it
could become more diffuse. She did this and said
that she could feel energy beginning to move through
her pelvis.

I asked her "If you allowed this energy to fill your entire
body instead of keeping it bound in your pelvis, what
message would it carry to the rest of your cells?"
I added, "Since pain means pay attention, something
needs to change, what do you think you're supposed
to be paying attention to that you've ignored enough to
now need pain to get you to focus on it?"

She continued to hold the point and her eyes welled up
with tears, "I feel it" she said.

"This part is telling me to stop walking three miles a day
and just take a casual stroll around the block instead.
It wants me to get support rather than try to do it all myself.
It wants me to stop carrying my youngest son so much
because he's too heavy and it's hurting me." She
continued on with a number of other things as well.

As she received the message that the pain held within it,
the pain began to disappear. Her pubic bone suddenly
was no longer something to fix and the pain was no longer
a thing to take away or eradicate. Her body relaxed and the
color came back to her face along with a smile. "I'm going
to listen to this part of me from now on" she said.
"There's wisdom there."

Think about times when you have pain. What do you do? Do
you immediately try to make it go away? What if you put your
hands on the area of pain, focused there and sought to
discover what that part really wanted rather than cursed it for
being a nuisance instead? Then, what if you actually changed
your behavior to comply with what that part wanted?

Dr. John

Stop Waiting...

What if...

Every time you remember your past you
focus on the gifts that those experiences
brought you, rather than on the pain that
they caused you?

What if...

You trust in the gift of the present moment
rather than focus on the uncertainty of the
future?

What if...

You trust that you are guided into relationships
to grow and evolve, rather than focus on all of
the times that you've been betrayed or wronged?

What if...

You decide to be totally authentic in every moment
rather than try to be the person you "should" be to fit
in and be accepted?

What if...

You choose to express your passion and freely
express your true emotions rather than live
a logical and practical life where you feel dead
inside?

What if...

You accept that you always have the resources you
need inside when you need them, rather than focus on
what's lacking on the outside or why the circumstances
don't allow you to be, have or do something?

Your focus is powerful beyond measure.

You are so blessed. Consider that much of the world's
population lives on under $2 a day. What are you
focusing on? Is it on what you're not getting, what's
missing in your life, or why things are happening "to" you?

Where is your energy going? Are you helping others?
Are you contributing your gifts? Look around you. Our
world needs you. Stop waiting.

Dr. John

How To Improve Your "Luck"...

Here are some tips to improve your luck
(excerpt from Is Effort a Myth by Seth Godin):

1. Delete 120 minutes a day of 'spare time'
from your life. This can include TV, reading
the newspaper, commuting, wasting time in
social networks and meetings. Up to you.

2. Spend the 120 minutes doing this instead:

• Exercise for thirty minutes.
• Read relevant non-fiction (trade magazines,
• journals, business books, blogs, etc.)
• Send three thank you notes.
• Learn new digital techniques (spreadsheet
  
• macros, Firefox shortcuts, productivity tools,
  
• graphic design, html coding)
• Volunteer.
• Blog for five minutes about something
  
• you learned.
• Give a speech once a month
  
• about something you don't currently
  
• know a lot about.

3. Spend at least one weekend day doing
absolutely nothing but being with people you
love.

4. Only spend money, for one year, on things
you absolutely need to get by. Save the rest,
relentlessly.

If you somehow pulled this off, then six months
from now, you would be the fittest, best rested,
most intelligent, best funded and motivated person
in your office or your field.

You would know how to do things other people
don't, you'd have a wider network and you'd be
more focused.

It's entirely possible that this won't be sufficient,
and you will continue to need better luck. But it's
a lot more likely you'll get lucky, I bet.

I think Seth makes a good point. What do you think?

Stay positive. Don't listen to too much NPR or
watch too much news right now. Stock prices
might be falling but the sky is not. Focus on what
you can do something about instead of what you
can't control.

Dr. John