Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Leading a Spiritual Life

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Leading a Spiritual Life: In 1995 I went on a spiritual journey to Ubud, Bali Indonesia. I spent my days visiting holy shamans in caves and ancient dwellings and...

Leading a Spiritual Life

In 1995 I went on a spiritual journey to Ubud, Bali Indonesia. I spent my days visiting holy shamans in caves and ancient dwellings and going to dozens of ornate temples. In the morning, I watched devoted Balinese women making offerings to the gods and then sat in amazement as these same women carried huge stone boulders on their heads as they gracefully walked to take them to construction sites.

There are many definitions, perceptions, and misperceptions of what spirituality is and what leading a spiritual life consists of. When I ask others who come to mind when thinking of a person leading a spiritual life, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama, and the Pope typically come up again and again.

When I went to Ubud, I was transfixed by peaceful and smiling faces of local Balinese people dressed in their native clothing living a very simple life in an amazingly beautiful and picturesque place. In Bali, there isn’t a word in their language for an artist because everyone is naturally considered to be an artist.

Looking up the word spiritual at thesaurus.com, synonyms include: devotional, pure, blessed, blissful, sacred, creative, and refined….all the qualities I found in the Balinese people. Spirituality then is a path dedicated to making our little world a heaven on earth. Mother Theresa said, “It is not necessary to make a pilgrimage to India and to join me in feeding and caring for the poorest of the poor. But do this work within the community you live in!”

Writer Deepak Chopra says, “Spirituality is not some kind of religious dogma or ideology but the domain of awareness where we experience values like truth, goodness, beauty, love, compassion, creativity, and insight.”

Author David Mixner writes, “Nature for me has always been a healing place. Going back all the way to my childhood on the farm, the fields and forests were places of adventure and self-discovery. Animals were companions and friends, and the world moved at a slower, more rational pace than the bustling cities where I'd resided my adult life.”

One of the qualities that stand out for people who are on a path to bring more spirit into their day to day life is inner peace. Using this as a guideline, inner peace comes about because we have made peace with our past, let go of everything that causes us distress, and have learned to live more in the moment. In the Buddhist philosophy one of the keys to achieving inner peace is to let go of our attachment to things and outcomes that have no real value or significance.

Author and lecturer Marianne Williamson writes, “The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.”

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Brain Fitness

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Brain Fitness: The human brain is composed of over 100 billion cells, creating a network of 100 trillion connections, and over 400 miles of blood vess...

Brain Fitness

The human brain is composed of over 100 billion cells, creating a network of 100 trillion connections, and over 400 miles of blood vessels. This remarkable and elaborate communication system controls, coordinates, and regulates all the physical and mental activities you perform each day. Every action you engage in, every step you take, every gesture, every breath, every thought, every word you speak and write, the decisions you make, and the memories you store and retrieve require the direction, orchestration, and responsiveness of your miraculous brain.

Brain cells communicate by releasing chemicals allowing an impulse to pass from one cell to another. What you think about and the imagery you entertain directly affect the chemistry of the brain. The food you eat, like the thoughts you engage in, either support the healthy functioning of the brain or deprive it and starve it of the nutrients it needs. When you see and appreciate things of beauty your brain releases chemicals that support the good feelings associated with what you see. The memories and the future imagery you entertain immediately impact the neurotransmitters the brain releases.

Every day new research is coming forth from major medical universities and research centers revealing that lifestyle is the key to protecting your brain and caring for it as you age. By leading a healthy lifestyle, you can significantly increase your chances of slowing down the physiological changes that occur as you age.

The health of your brain depends on many lifestyle factors such as regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, incorporating mentally stimulating activities into your day, sleeping soundly, leading a satisfying social life, learning to effectively deal with stress, limiting TV time, maintaining a healthy weight, and drinking plenty of water. Another interesting component of brain health is to alter your daily routine by doing things differently. Try using your non dominant hand more often and taking a class on a totally different subject.

More than ever we need to be cognizant of the toxins in the food we eat, the toxins in the cigarettes we smoke, and the devastating effect of too much alcohol. We need to make a concerted effort to cut way back on the amount of refined sugar we ingest every day. The average American consumes over 150 pounds of sugar a year in a variety of forms, including high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, processed food, fast food, and starchy carbohydrates that lead to inflammation.

Begin thinking in terms of brain fitness and ask yourself, “What are the things I can do each day to assist this precious brain of mine to function at an optimal level? Am I exercising and moving enough? Am I maintaining a healthy diet? Am I managing my weight? Am I sleeping soundly? Am I spending time with people socially who I enjoy being with? Am I laughing and playing often and doing fun things? Am I effectively handling stress? Am I participating in mentally stimulating activities? Am I taking time each day to relax?”

Take the time to make the health of your brain a priority. What do you have to lose?

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Living an Extraordinary Life

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Living an Extraordinary Life: I heard a story about a couple who wanted to do something extraordinary with their lives and so they decided to take a kayaking journey...

Living an Extraordinary Life

I heard a story about a couple who wanted to do something extraordinary with their lives and so they decided to take a kayaking journey around the entire perimeter of Lake Superior. According to Wikipedia, Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes of North America. The lake is shared by Canada's Ontario and the United States' Minnesota to the north and west, and Wisconsin and Michigan to the south. It is generally considered the largest freshwater lake in the world.

The idea came to them after they had done some kayaking on the lake. In their excitement they decided to take a 2 month journey around the water’s edge to clear their minds and to bring their full attention to the question, “Am I doing the most I possibly can with my life?”

Lake Superior is not just large, 1,300 miles around; it is also unpredictable, capable of 20-30 foot waves, and high winds. It is one of the coldest lakes on the planet and for most of the year, the water temperature hovers around an uncomfortable 40 degrees.

When I lived on the California coast, I used to take 5 mile walks on the beach to clear my head and to ponder questions and ideas for the books and magazine articles I was working on. Some refer to it as writer’s block, but whatever it was the long walk on the sandy beach, which included carefully navigating over dozens of weather-beaten rock formations, would open the door to my imagination and the next chapter and next idea would suddenly appear. The amazing thing is that the beach walk always worked like magic.

Writer Sam Keen wrote, “Nothing shapes our lives as much as the questions we ask.” He followed this up by clarifying the value of the questions we ask. For example, it is a lot more powerful and helpful to ask a question like, “What do I want to do with my life at this point?” as opposed to, “What do people think about me?”

Kayakers Ann and Paul did not care about what people thought of them taking their long voyage around Lake Superior. They did what they needed to do to clear their minds and to allow an inner door to open to a wiser voice within. Ann said, “It wasn’t until I went around the lake that I discovered the biggest truth; that I want to have the courage to make spirit foremost in everything I do.”

Whether you are currently working at a great job, or are an executive, a physician, a teacher, a chef, an accountant, or a business owner, think about Ann’s realization of the importance of making spirit, passion, enthusiasm, and enjoyment central to everything you do. And since work takes up a big chunk of your day, make an effort to ask yourself often if the work you are doing is the work you really want to do? Am I doing the most I possibly can with my life?

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Getting a Good Job

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Getting a Good Job: I read a new Gallup Poll the other day which showed that 70% of US employees hate their jobs. The poll asked random workers how engaged...