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Well Being Newsletter
November 2007
Vol. 2 No. 11
WELCOME
Thanksgiving blessings to you and your loved ones! I trust you will create a day that is so full of gratitude that it will easily spill over into the other 364 days of the year. Feel free to print this month's article entitled "In Gratitude" so you can read it on Thanksgiving Day.
If you will be in Seattle over this holiday, please consider coming to a Thanksgiving morning Nia class at 9:30 am at The Dance Space. Anna, Katrina and I will be team-teaching a special class to benefit the families who lost their homes in the California fires. Proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.
You are cordially invited to attend my workshop (Gentle Strategies for Enhancing Your Wellness) and book signing at East West Bookshop on Saturday, December 15 from 1:00 - 3:30 pm. The details are on my website.
In wellness,
Susan Tate, M.A.
Editor
www.wawellness.com
IN GRATITUDE
I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I've just returned from a wonderful, sunny cruise to the Mexican coast so I am spilling over with gratitude. It was a treat to be asked to share Nia and my Body & Soul-Based Nourishment work while floating gently at sea. We had a few mornings of dancing Nia in the "Some Enchanted Evening" lounge on the 11th floor of the Vision of the Seas. Our own vision included a 180-degree view of the ocean and the gentle wake the ship created as it danced to its next port-of-call. Yes, gratitude continues to fill my soul.
This was my first cruise, and several things pleasantly surprised me. First, the crewmembers were quite an amazing group! These young men and women came from over 35 countries and seemed to create a spirit of a mini-United Nations. The smiles and diversity of faces just tickled me. These folks worked so hard to support the pleasure of the passengers who came aboard. We had fun with them and it seemed they were having fun with us too.
Next, the 2,000 passengers on board were all so friendly! Smiles and warm greetings in the hallways, restrooms, elevator or dining hall were just part of the trip. I commented on this to my friend, Phyllis, when I returned home: "Everyone was just so friendly! It was very different than the reserved greetings I receive in hotels." Phyllis wisely commented, "That's because you were all in the same boat!" I chuckled, and then pondered why that feeling wasn't more prevalent in my life.
The other time I felt that same vast sense of camaraderie and connection was on September 11, 2001. I remember the feeling of people pulling together as one and it seemed we were all in another kind of boat that day. So it has made me wonder, what is it about us humans that makes us often keep our distance from each other? What is it that makes us join together in joyful times or in times of crisis, but makes us go back into our own shells during the other times?
After every Nia class, I end with the Sanskrit greeting, "Namaste." I understand its meaning to be, "I honor the place in you where we are all one, all connected." I feel that connection deeply when I teach and when I share intimate moments with colleagues, family or friends. But sometimes I walk outside the door, or walk off the ship and on to the next part of my life, and I don't have my heart as open as I did moments before.
I am grateful for the times when the closeness of humanity is infiltrating my heart. I am grateful that I can sometimes pause to notice when that connection isn't there, as it can prompt me to call the feeling to me. I long for all of us to more deeply feel connected to each other. I believe that feeling must begin within me.
So, during this Thanksgiving season, my intention is to be more aware of how I can risk putting myself into the same boat as someone who may not look or act or speak or believe like me. Feel free to join me.
It is with gratitude that I send this message out to you this November day. Namaste.
NOURISHMENT COACHING
I love supporting people who want to live, eat and move with grace. Through Nourishment Coaching, I provide innovative solutions and soulful support for highly motivated clients who want to:
- eat with pleasure
- shape shift (lose weight)
- move for fitness and fun
- enhance energy
- manage stress
- cultivate overall wellness
If this work calls to you, please call me for an appointment.
(425) 238-2885
VISA and Master Cards accepted.
You can learn more at our website.
LOSE THE CRAVINGS
If you crave carbohydrates or sugar, you are not alone. When we consume high-glycemic foods, it causes an over stimulation of the release of insulin. The more we eat, the more we crave. Medical studies show that over 85% of the carbohydrates we consume in the Western world are foods that have a high-glycemic value. If you love bagels, breads, crackers, pasta, potatoes, rice and sugar--did I say, you are not alone? Fortunately, there is a way to reset the body at a cellular level to break the cycle.
I eat a good variety of wholesome foods, but for the last five years I have over-used chocolate to sooth my soul. My chocolate habit was clearly associated with the sweetness missing after experiencing a very painful divorce. I still LOVE chocolate, but I no longer need to eat it daily or in the amounts I was consuming. I finally realized that as high as my blood sugar spiked, it fell to a matching low and it did not fit in with my overall level of health and fitness. I was eating well, doing Nia several times week, enjoying a great spiritual practice and was still chasing down many meals with my favorite chocolate! It also kept me feeling constantly hungry.
In early April, I discovered a program that has successfully reduced my craving for high-glycemic foods. This clinically tested 5-day behavior modification program, recommended by Christiane Northrup, MD, has totally reset my metabolism. It's been four months now and I am sustaining its benefits. It is also proving to be successful in jumpstarting healthier eating habits in my clients. Please email me at susan@wawellness.com if you would like to know more.
WELLNESS WISDOM
Thank you for your wonderful response to my latest book, Wellness Wisdom: 31 Ways to Nourish Your Mind, Body & Spirit. I am appreciative of the support at the book signing events and through your email messages. The book is available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.iuniverse.com. You can also order it at your local bookstore. Let me know if you want a signed copy to give to someone as a gift.
NIA CLASS SCHEDULE
My teaching schedule is available at:
www.wawellness.com/Nia
Nia classes worldwide: www.NiaNow.com
Seattle classes: www.NiaSeattle.com
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS & SPECIAL CLASSES
Complete descriptions available on our website.
Benefit Nia Class - all proceed to American Red Cross
to aid those who lost homes in the California fires (Seattle)
Thursday, November 22, 2007
9:30 am
Young at heART - panel discussion
Seattle Repertory Theatre - Leo K. Theatre (Seattle)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
4:00 pm
Intro to Nia (Seattle)
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The Dance Space
1:00 - 3:30 pm
Nia Mini-Jam - Fun Fridays (Seattle)
Friday, December 7, 2007
The Dance Space
6:30 pm
Gentle Strategies for Enhancing Your Wellness (Seattle)
Saturday, December 16, 2007
1:00 - 3:30 pm
East West Bookshop
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth "You owe me." Look what happens with love like that. It lights up the whole sky.
Hafiz
I welcome your comments and would love to hear how this newsletter supports your wellness journey. Please email me at susan@wawellness.com
Please take a few moments to add this address to your email address book in order to give the Well Being Newsletter a better chance of reaching you.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is meant to support and guide you as you make choices to enhance your well-being. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Contact a qualified healthcare professional if you need medical assistance.
Feel free to reproduce, copy or distribute
this newsletter with people you know who want to enhance
their well-being. When doing so, please forward it in its
entirety, including our contact and copyright information.
If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Susan Tate is required. Joyful wellness is communicable! Thank
you for spreading the word.
Copyright © 2007.
Washington Wellness Associates.
All rights reserved.
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