How Switchwords Helped Me Down The Mountain

How Switchwords Helped Me Down The Mountain

                                                  




  I remembered to use switchwords to help me get down a steep rocky trail. The forest was damp with mist.  I was afraid of slipping. I stopped at the top of the trail. I placed my hand on my third eye and spoke these switchwords with the intention of calling forth help and to open my mind to have faith.

 TOGETHER         DIVINE           FAITH 

After uttering the words, I instantly felt I was not alone. Together with the divine I had confidence to make my way down the mountain. Where before it looked to difficult to walk, I could now clearly see stable places where I could place my feet without slipping. I felt relaxed and confident, at one with the earth.  It was a magical feeling throughout my whole being. 

Switchwords have a mysterious feeling to them. They work better than affirmations because they pass by the anaytical mind and straight to the subconscious. You can say them silently or aloud, write them in a journal, write them on a bottle of water, and you can chant them. Think of them at the beginning of meditation. Here are some resource where you can begin to learn more about switchwords. The Internet is also full of information. Give it a try if you are inspired. 

 

Resources:

 

Clear negative Energy Now-Here !!! Video on You Tube

Here are links to lists of switchwords you can use

 use https://spritualbeing.com/switchwords-list/

https://switchwordswork.weebly.com/switch-words

 

Books

Activate Your Abundance book by Kim Caldwell

Switchword Magic book by Natasha Williams


Thank you for visiting Deborah's Little Gems
Until then

Be Well ! 

 

 

 

Deborah Moen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance-How You Can Do It !

 

                    Students using the wall to practice balance. 

Always consult with your doctor before doing these exercises.

As we go through life we tend to be up in our heads thinking about to do lists and schedules, work, family, and daily challenges.  We may forget our connection to the earth. Many people eventually have trouble balancing. We may have stumbled or lost our balance  at one time and came to believe we did not have balance from that moment on. 

Tai Chi practice helps us become very conscious of the earth and how it support us.  As we bring attention down to the feet and relax the mind and body, we can feel how our weight sink into our feet  in a balanced way.  These students below are beginning to retrain their mind to accept their balance. 

Ask a friend or a family member to stand near you while you do this exercise. Have them make sure your back is straight and your eyes are looking at the wall without leaning. It is also nice to have some encouragement. 

1. Step up to a wall 
2. Place hands flat on the wall directly in front of the shoulders.
3. Feet are about 8" apart.
4. With hands flat on the wall, adjust your distance from the wall so you can stand up straight without leaning. Elbows are bent. 
5. Keep hand flat against the wall. Pick up your right foot a few inches off the ground. (see image below) Use the wall for balance. If lifting your foot off the ground is too much for you then lift up your heel only as you feel the weight shift into your other leg.
6. Feel how the weight transfers to the other leg and foot. Hold 10 seconds and put the foot down.
7. As you do this keep you eyes on the wall. 
8. Repeat on other side.
9. Make this part of your day
10. You can gradually increase your hold in time
11. You can get to where you barely touch the wall and when you feel confident, eventually just touch with your fingertips then after you practice this for a few days lift your hands from the wall. 
12. The wall is there to support you if you need it. 
13. Keep your body straight and eyes ahead.
14. In a few weeks when you get stronger, try this without the wall

Beginning to relearn balance, by strengthening the legs
feeling the connection to the earth by sinking the weight into the feet. The mind also discovers you can balance !

Many people come to Tai Chi Class to learn balance.

And many of these students rediscover their balance within weeks by learning basic principles and practicing these principles.

Balance is possible even with an inner ear challenge. This woman (above image) was sent to my class by her doctor.

Never had balance? Now you can !

His friends didn't believe he could balance.  He read an article on how Tai chi can help with balance and made a bet with a close friend he could balance on one leg. He followed along in class and as you can see he has succeeded!

Accomplish what others say is impossible

Can you do this ?

You can do it if you have the desire and willingness to learn and practice.


One of my students who always came into class with her walker.
Left after class without her walker. We noticed her walker in the back of the classroom and ran to find her. She was already in the parking lot. We had a good laugh !

Thank you for visiting Deborah's Little Gems

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Until next time,

Practice your balance. 

Deborah Moen

How I Learned To Meditate- Personal Story

How I Learned To Meditate

My Personal Experience Learning Meditation

When I was introduced to meditation, I had no idea how beneficial it would be for my mind, body and my life. There came a time in my late 30's when I needed to quiet my thoughts. My head was so busy it was hard to relax or sit still. I could only look at magazines with pictures because I couldn't even focus enough to read. My life had become unmanageable, I began meditation with a 12 Step group that practiced 5 minutes of silent meditation in their Sunday meeting. 

Silence and stillness was very uncomfortable at first. My palms would perspire, my heart raced, and my mouth went dry. This does not happen to everyone, of course. What helped me was the group allowed us to focus on the St. Francis Prayer in our book.  Slowly my fears of being still, dissolved. In time my mind was became calmer and my body felt more relaxed. Meditation became something to look forward to.  

As my mind became clearer, I was able to memorize the entire St. Francis Prayer " Lord make me a channel of thy peace...".  See prayer below. You may recognize this prayer with a a few differences. 

St Francis Prayer - 12 Step Version

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace;

that where there is hatred, I may bring love;

that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;

that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;

that where there is error, I may bring truth;

that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;

that where there is despair, I may bring hope;

that where there are shadows, I may bring light;

that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;

to understand, than to be understood;

to love, than to be loved.

For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.

It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.

It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.

Amen.

Every Sunday, a person was chosen to read the St. Frances Prayer out loud before our 5 minute meditation. One day I was chosen and recited the prayer by memory. I had come a ways from the person who couldn't read a magazine because her mind was too busy. 

My next adventure was attending a special meditation group that met in a small building on the beach. This group had a silent meditation for 20 minutes! The longer meditation added a whole new dimension to my practice. I was able to reach a new level of deep relaxation. It was this practice that sparked my interest and inspired me to begin seeking a spiritual path.

I also attended a meditation class open to the public at the beautiful Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple in Hacienda Heights, CA. We were guided to breathe deeply and slowly and on the exhale we would count from 10 down to one equaling 10 breaths. We would inhale then exhale count 10, breathe in then exhale count 9...

We were instructed to stop if our minds wandered and begin all over again. I was nervous at first but after practicing a few minutes I began to relax and enjoy the experience. The session began with 3 distinct chimes and ended with them.  One night we were lead in a walking meditation in a serpentine formation. I had some deeply profound thoughts, creative visions and experiences during this time. It is different for everyone but the benefits of relaxation is well worth the experience. 

Where my thinking was limited before, I now see endless possibilities. My relationship with myself grew and I began to know what I wanted to do in my life.. I grew to love many activities such as Tai Chi. I changed from being a dressmaker and became a Fitness Specialist as a Tai Chi Instructor. I utilized meditation in the beginning of my classes to relax the students minds and bodies. 

Thank you for visiting, Deborah's Little Gems

Until next time,

Be Well !

 You can listen to some easy guided meditations on my Meditation Page.  

Deborah Moen

Experience Is The Greatest Teacher

Sparrows on icy winter branches and
ravens  flying over head with frosted wings.

The temps have been dropping down from 20 to 6 degrees between 4 am and 7 am the past few days. I made my mind up before going to sleep that I would get up early to turn on the heat lamp in the coop.



I got up at 5 am got my warm clothes on and filled the water buckets, with warm water, in the kitchen sink. I stepped out into the new snow. It was so beautiful outside. Everything was enveloped in an icy fog. I made my way to the coop. I had my Yak Trax (crampons) on. They help me feel confident on the new snow. The snow from last week had turned to ice.

I Love My Yak Trax
You can get them on amazon.com
They are awesome !

I took off the blue tarp I had clamped across the front of the coop to stop the wind and snow from entering. I noticed one of the door latches were unhitched by the strong winds last night.


I opened the door with gloved hands because flesh can stick to freezing metal. The freshly filled water bucket was set inside the coop, the heat lamp was turned on, and the feed was replenished, along with some very desired dried meal worms, and sunflower seeds.



The bucket I had in there was frozen solid so I removed it and set it where the sun would help the ice to melt. My ducks and hens have a small insulated room where they roost. There was not so much as a quack or a peep while I was in there except for Fae, our white Plymouth Rock hen who came out and began eating. She looked great, unscathed by the bitter cold.

I shoveled the paths and cleared the corral along the fence so the llamas could eat their hay. The green hay looked so beautiful against the white snow. My hair was frozen and I had white frost where my breath had flowed in and out. 

Overhead I saw the ravens flying from the west. I could see their under wings were frosted with ice. 

Raven's wings and power line were frosted with ice.

I enjoyed my time out in the snow. As I opened the gate to walk back into the house, I looked back at the at the rising sun and low clouds which hung along the foot of the mountains. 

I looked back as I opened the gate and felt so thankful.

I can not express enough what living on this little farm has taught me about caring for our animals and myself. It has made me strong and capable of doing things I did not know I could do.



Being a farmgirl is not easy at first but you learn by doing. All the books about farming and animal care can help but it is the experience that is the greatest teacher.

Deborah Moen
Deborah's Little Gems
Little Utah Farm

I thank you for visiting, Deborah's Little Gems
Until next time,
Believe in your dreams
They do come true.