Belly Laughs

As children, we laugh hundreds of times each day, delighted by the newness of living. When we reach adulthood, however, we tend to not allow ourselves to let go in a good belly laugh. Inviting laughter back into our lives is simply a matter of making the conscious decision to laugh. Though most of us are incited to laugh only when exposed to humor or the unexpected, each of us is capable of laughing at will. A laugh that comes from the belly carries with it the same positive effects whether prompted by a funny joke or consciously willed into existence. When our laughter comes from the core of our being, it permeates every cell in our physical selves, beginning in the center and radiating outward, until we are not merely belly laughing but rather body laughing. Read more

Riding lessons for life #9

Release:

When you are jumping a horse your body position changes as the horse jumps the fence.  When you go over a jump your seat lifts out of the saddle and your hands slide up the horse’s neck.  The reason for these position changes is that they free up the horse’s back and neck, allowing him to use his body to stretch and push over the jump.  The motion of sliding your hands up the neck is called a “release”.  You create a looseness in the reins by doing this and allow the horse complete freedom of his head, neck and shoulders without restriction from the rider.

Learning to do the release properly is hard for a lot of riders.  Some riders want to hold tight to the reins and feel that they have control over the horse at every moment.  But in order to safely make it over a jump you must trust the horse.  You have to trust that his energy and power is going to get you to the other side if you just release and let him do his job.

In life people also want to feel like they have control over the obstacles that come at you. Read more

Denise Kelly’s classroom intention – week #17

Below is Week 17 of my 2nd grade classroom’s Weekly Intention. This week there are several versions of the intention, all created by the children. We sometimes base it on one of Dr. Kiltz’s Intentions and other times create our own. Visit my Bio to read about how we began the Classroom Intention.

Let It Be
Let it be, let it be!
Take care of me!
Forget the past
Forgive the past
Let it be!!!!
Look to the future for that bright light and leave the past in the past.
Let it be!!!!
~Written by Mrs. Kelly’s Second Grade Class Read more

How fear blocks creativity

To understand how fear blocks creativity, take a moment to imagine yourself telling a story. First, imagine telling the story to someone you love and who loves you. You probably feel warmth and energy as you fill in the details of your tale to your friend’s delight. Now, imagine telling the same story to someone who, for whatever reason, makes you uncomfortable. The wonderful twists and turns, the fine points and colorful images that unfolded in your mind for your friend probably won’t present themselves. Instead of warmth, energy, and creativity, you will probably feel opposite sensations and a desire to close down. When we feel unsafe, whether we fear being judged, disliked, or misunderstood, our creative flow stops. Alternately, when we feel safe, our creativity unfolds like a beautiful flower, without conscious effort. Read more

A place for worries and fears

There are times when our minds become too full. Our to-do lists, worries, plans, and dreams may be so crowded together in our heads that we don’t have room to think. We may believe that we are somehow taking care of our desires and concerns by keeping them at the forefront of our minds. In maintaining our mental hold on every detail, however, we may actually delay the realization of our dreams and the resolution of our worries because we won’t let them go. At times such as these, we may want to use a surrender box.

A surrender box allows us to let go of our worries and desires so the universe can take care of them for us. We write down what we want or need to happen and then place the note into a box. By writing and placing our thoughts in the box, we are taking action and letting the universe know we need help and are willing to Read more

Video: Stop trying in your life

Watch Dr. Rob’s video of today’s daily intention below. Enjoy!

Things we can’t control

The idea of trusting the universe is a popular one these days, but many of us don’t know what this really means and we often have a hard time doing it. This is partly because the story of humankind is most often presented as a story about struggle, control, and survival, instead of one of trust and collaboration with the universe. Yet, in truth, we need to adhere to both ideas in this life.

On the one hand, there is much to be said about exerting control over our environment. We created shelter to protect ourselves from the elements. We hunted for animals and invented agriculture to feed ourselves. We built social infrastructures to protect ourselves and create community. Read more

Staying afloat, riding the wave of life

Our lives are continually in motion, buoyed by the wave that is the universe’s flow. As the wave rises and falls, we are carried forward, through life’s high and low points. The universe’s flow may take us to a place in life where we would rather not be. As tempting as it can be to fight the direction and size of this wave that propels us, riding the wave is intended to make life easier. When you ride the wave, your life can evolve naturally and with minimal effort. Riding the wave, however, is not a passive experience. It is an active process that requires you to be attentive, centered, and awake. You must also practice stillness so you can flow with, rather than resist the wave’s motion. Read more

Releasing negativity

We all have days when the bad things seem to outweigh the good ones and we begin to think that life isn’t fair. You get stuck in traffic, which makes you late for an important meeting, and then your car gets towed. You might ask yourself, “Why me?” Events like this one can test anyone’s ability to be grateful and feel optimistic. If you have a tendency to feel sorry for yourself, and many of us do, things usually progress to the next stage: the pity party. You begin to feel like the innocent victim of a dismal fate because you are seeing your life through inaccurate lenses. Most of the thoughts that run through your mind at times like these are not helpful, and they mainly serve to increase your indignation and feelings of powerlessness. What these feelings and thoughts don’t do is change your circumstances or make you feel better. Read more

Video: Letting go of stinking thinking & a message for Mrs. Kelly’s class

Dr. Rob created a video intention with the title, “Letting go of stinking thinking.” At the end of his daily intention he has a personal message for Denise Kelly’s 2nd grade class and recites one of their Classroom Intentions. Thanks Mrs. Kelly and enjoy everyone!