Well Being Newsletter

March 2007
Vol. 2 No. 3

WELCOME

If you are open to the grace that flows after you forgive yourself or someone else, you will want to read this month's article, Cultivate Forgiveness. May it be healing for you.

Inspired by the film "The Secret", I have created an afternoon retreat that takes the principles discussed in the movie into a practical level. From Intention to Reality: Creating Deeper Wholeness for You and the World will be offered for the first time in Seattle on April 22. You'll find details below in the Upcoming Workshops section.

You'll also find more news about the November cruise to the Mexican Riviera aboard Royal Caribbean's "Vision of the Seas." You will have the opportunity to visit Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta while enjoying Nia and Body & Soul-Based Nourishment workshops during our days at sea. It would be great to have you join me!

In wellness,

Susan Tate, M.A.
Editor
www.wawellness.com

CULTIVATE FORGIVENESS

You may never change the person who has wronged you, but in the course of loving an enemy, the life that is transformed is your own.

Mary Manin Morrissey

Cultivating forgiveness is a powerful way to plant the seeds for a more peaceful heart and mind. I continue to marvel at the depth and significance of forgiveness and its relationship to wellness. The most important thing I've learned about forgiveness is that it is not for the other person; it's for me.

Years ago I entered the hospital for a simple surgical procedure and the doctor accidentally severed an artery. After life saving surgery, I was left with an unsightly scar and experienced many months of deep sadness and depression associated with this new body image. It finally occurred to me that I might need to forgive the doctor for the surgical mistake in order for me to heal my body and mind.

I eventually went to see a very caring priest to discuss my feelings. I remember asking him if I had to forgive the doctor for the trauma he had caused. He quietly answered, "Yes, but not today. You'll forgive him when you are ready." I remain so appreciative of his wise counsel and left feeling that I could choose when I wanted to forgive and not feel forced into it. I actually think that I forgave the doctor as the church doors closed behind me. The dark sadness began to drift away and I realized that I was the one to gain from the healing powers of forgiveness. I believe my heart longed for the blessing of forgiveness more than it valued the pain that had been trapped inside.

The act of forgiving doesn't make the other person's actions right or acceptable. When you choose to forgive, you set yourself free. Forgiveness frees you from the painful bond created between you and the other person by the actions or words that caused the wound in the relationship. After I ask myself the question, "Do I want to heal it or hang on to it?" I usually choose the healing route. I am now able to call the person to mind and mentally say, "Thank you FOR GIVING me the opportunity to learn and grow and heal a part of me that was seeking to be healed." Sometimes I don't get it all out of me on the first try--so I say it and pray it again when necessary. Like cultivating the soil by pulling out the unwanted weeds, I dig deeper to prepare a more receptive place for the healing to sprout and flourish.

It has been said that un-forgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Sometimes when I become aware of any poison I am carrying within, I have found it helpful to write a letter of forgiveness, where I pour out everything I think and feel about the situation. Sometimes it may be important to send the letter, but most often I have chosen to burn the letter with an intention of release, healing for all involved, and a quiet word of prayer. If you write a letter that you think needs to be sent, I recommend holding onto it for a few days first, just to be sure that is the action you really want to take. If you are sending it to get a certain response back from the other person, I'd suggest mailing the letter back to yourself instead. I usually find I have already said what needed to be said to the person and the letter provided me the opportunity to scrape out the last of the poison that was contaminating the garden of my own heart. I have also discovered that there have been times when I needed to forgive myself. When I write that letter, I have a sense of my most loving self holding the pen. A sense of relief usually follows the signature.

Is there someone in your life that you are ready to forgive? You will, when you are ready.

BODY & SOUL-BASED NOURISHMENT

I offer wellness education and counseling for people who want to improve their relationship with food, fitness and stress-reduction. Well Being Newsletter subscribers receive a complimentary 20-minute consultation at my Greenlake office in Seattle. This offer is good through June 1, 2007.

Telephone coaching is available for those subscribers living outside the Seattle area. Call (425) 238-2885.

Learn more about Body & Soul-Based Nourishment on the web.

NIA CLASS SCHEDULE

Tuesday 9:30 am (Susan)
Thursday 9:30 am (Pauline*)
Thursday 6:15 pm (Susan)
Saturday 9:30 am (Susan)
Saturday 10:45 am GENTLE NIA (Susan)

*Pauline Osborne, Certified Blue Belt Nia Instructor, will be teaching the Thursday morning class while Anna is in Africa! I will be teaching the Tuesday morning class until Anna returns April 20.

$13 drop in/discounted class cards: $88/8 classes in 2 months.
No prior Nia experience is necessary and all levels of fitness will find a welcoming atmosphere at The Dance Space!

For Nia classes worldwide: www.NiaNow.com Seattle classes can also be found at www.niaseattle.com

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Complete descriptions available at www.wawellness.com

Nourishing Body, Mind, Spirit & Emotions:
A Holistic Approach to Wellness