Thanks to Matthew Hull and Morguefile.com for the great photo.

Well, it's a busy time of year. You're bombarded with a ton of information and advertising pulling you this way and that. Here's a technique I learned that takes only a minute or two and will make a huge difference in helping you feel centered, calm, and relaxed. 

Simply close your eyes and begin to breathe slowly, deeply, gently and as you take each breath, imagine that you are breathing in through your heart and releasing your breath through your heart. 


Scientific research has shown that with as little as three, easy, breaths the stress chemistry in the body begins to decrease! Ahhhhhhh......

That's it. 

Now, here is a soft piece of music, less than two minutes long. 
Give yourself the gift of purposeful heart breathing.

You are a blessing in this world, and so may you be blessed.
Love,
Aunt Laya

SING!
Yes!
I am not talking about the songs that make you cry or the ones that make you moody or sad. I am talking about the songs that lift your spirits. They can be gentle or fast, just sing. Do you need to know that science backs this up?  (I'm told that the positive effects of music on the immune system can last for hours or even days!) Would you like to hear that there are those who believe that the Heavenly realms are made up of music. Does any of that matter to you right now? 
Sing or hum, make some music with your voice. Move some, bang on the table. Repeat.
Don't take my word for it. 
Do your own experiment. Chart the results if you want to. 
At least give it a try. 

Need ideas for a song to sing?
Try "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley

Of course, I don't really mean a real shower or bath. I'm talking about the cleaning up of the emotions or thoughts. It's a theme here. :-)

What makes me an "expert" is that I have studied this area of life extensively. And I practice what I preach, too. In graduate school, we walked the walk; all the work we did to learn counseling skills was turned inwardly. As one person said to me, "Well, it makes sense: you can't wash windows if your glasses are dirty." Since I graduated (over 20 years ago!), I have continued to read books, attend lectures and online summits, even as I have written, given speeches, and been interviewed.

Guess what? Life continues to bring challenges into my life! I don't get out of it. So even as I share the ways to lift your spirit or live your dreams, I also face my own personal challenges. I apply all the same tools to my life as I recommend to you. I experiment on myself and if it works for me, I share.

If I'm the "expert" then I should have mastered this by now, don't you think? But that's as silly as saying that if I exercised for two years, that I don't need to exercise any more.
We eat, are sated, digest, get hungry, eat again.
We exercise, we rest, we need to move again.

Water is like emotions, they can be fluid, steamy hot, or icy cold. So to keep your emotional self healthy, you sometimes need to talk about it, sometimes let it go, sometimes transform, and all the time forgive (the truest form of letting go). It's like bathing. You bathe but that doesn't mean you're done for life just because you took one shower. You have to keep yourself clean.

Remember what bathing was like as a kid? You didn't always want to get into that tub. But usually, once you did, you could have some fun getting clean. So, take the risk of getting your thoughts and feelings clean and clear. Ask for help if you need help and don't stop until you get the clarity that brings you true inner peace. It won't last forever. You'll need to process again, but each time you do, you'll come out "smelling like roses." It's worth it!

Love,
Aunt Laya

Thanks to morguefile.com and 

Are you ready to shake yourself up for a better life with one of the best tools ever?
Simply say, “thank you,” plain and simple. A lot. Really. Powerful.
Understanding this will never get old. Knowing how to use this tool will remedy some of the hardest times in life.
 
If you find yourself anxious, or worried, feeling down, or especially lacking, take a step back from your troubles and say “thank you.”
 
Thank the mailman.
Thank the street cleaner.
Thank the checkout clerk at the grocery store.
Thank someone in your family who has done or said something kind.
Thank your pharmacist, builder, web designer, jeweler, inspirational speaker, virtual assistant, friend, client, teacher, or student for showing up in your life. 
(This list is inspired by some of the people who get this ezine—you know who you are!)
Heck, go ahead and thank God or thank goodness too, what the heck.
 
Try saying thank you for what’s missing in your life, because it’s what’s missing that makes you strive and grow to become more.
 
Gratitude will open channels for you to receive more.
 
Be creative! Draw a “thank you” picture. Do a “thank you” dance. Sing a “thank you” song. Eat a Thanksgiving meal—with an all original menu (or not)—in June. Have a “thank you” party.
 
My mom (who is nearly 89 years young) learned from a friend of hers to say, “What would I do without you?” when someone has helped her with something. It gets a smile. When you’ve given someone else the gift of appreciation, you’ve lifted someone’s spirits. You can’t help but find yourself lifted up too.
 
Last month I found myself focusing in a pretty negative space. I asked my husband (who is a very good sport) to go back and forth with me sharing gratitude. Sounds corny but we took turns saying something we were grateful for. The results were brilliant and peaceful.
 
You’re allowed to be grateful for anything big or small, in fact, nothing is too big or too small to feel gratitude about.
 
I hope your results are brilliant too.
 
“I find that the more willing I am to be grateful for the small things in life, the bigger stuff just seems to show up from unexpected sources, and I am constantly looking forward to each day with all the surprises that keep coming my way!”
~Louise L. Hay
 
Thank you for sticking with me as I blunder my way though ezine experiments.
Love,
Aunt Laya

Thanks to mouguefile.com and lukeok for the great photo.

When you feel helpless and you feel like crying, that is a time to be very tender with yourself. Sometimes it's a time to be alone, and sometimes it's a time to reach out and ask for help.

Sometimes people feel helpless because someone has done something to hurt them, or sometimes we're just too hard on ourselves. Sometimes we're just in a down cycle, sometimes we're sick. There are lots of reasons.

Here's the main thing I want you to know:

You are not alone.
You are not alone.
You are not alone.
You can reach out and ask for help.
You can reach out and ask for a hug.

Ask for a hug.

It's okay to ask for help and hugs.

One thing I do when I feel overwhelmed is to pick just one small thing that I CAN do. Then I do it. Then I pick one more small thing. You can do that too.

Sometimes, you really just need to rest. No one can do it all and we all need to just be gentle sometimes. Be sure you've had enough good food to eat and water to drink. Or maybe you need chocolate? Or... hugs.

Ask for help when you need help.
Take a deep breath; take a step back from what ever is upsetting you. Talk it over with someone you trust, someone you know is wise.

Remember, YOU are the song the morning brings.

Love,
And hugs,
Aunt Laya