My mindfulness challenge for you this week is to smile each and every time you see a reflection of yourself in a mirror or perhaps even in a windowpane. Invite yourself to smile if the image that you see of yourself shows a person who is sad or neutral in their expression.
You may say to yourself,
“What just a minute Rodgers, you’re telling me that if I’m feeling really low and down in the dumps I’m supposed to pretend as though I’m happy, I have to put a happy face on? That’s not genuine and I’m a person who thinks it’s important to be truthful about who we are and how we are feeling.”
I say to you that is all well and good. I honor you for that authenticity. However, what we have discovered is that forcing smiles transforms moods.
There is a technology known as Laughter Yoga which really consists of people sitting around a circle who are laughing. Jokes are not even a part of this therapy. People literally just force themselves to laugh. When they start the exercise I can assure you everyone is not feeling in a positive mood. When they finish, everyone is elated with how good they actually feel. Forcing smiles through forced laughter does transform moods.
When I walk down the sidewalks in downtown Olympia, I pass many people. I can assure you that when I pass by an individual who has a smile on their face, I feel yummy inside. It really transforms whatever mood state I might currently be in. I also know that when I walk in downtown Olympia, Washington with a smile on my face, each person that I pass by also has a transformation and they begin smiling as well. I affect others and I also have a profound impact on myself.
So again, to repeat, each time you see an image of yourself, whether in a mirror or a reflection in a window or any reflection – even if it is in water – look at yourself and smile. You’ll be amazed at what difference it can make with how you are feeling in the moment. Become mindful of your smiling acuity. It will make a difference on how you get through each and every day.
May you have a fun filled week with a smiling grim on your face.
When we are young, the systems used by our body to signal thirst and distribute water throughout our cells function beautifully. They function automatically and effortlessly. As we age however, those systems begin to atrophy. They begin to deactivate.
Many individuals as they age actually drink very little water. They are unaware that their body is starving to be hydrated because the thirst mechanism that is the critical clue you are thirsty is deactivated. It is a natural consequence of aging.
Even when a person drinks sufficient quantities of water it is very possible that the system used by the body to regulate the distribution of water to the cells becomes dysfunctional. It too is deactivated. What happens in this unfortunate case when the water is ingested? It goes straight to the kidneys and then exits the body. This is a well documented condition called short-path hydration.
What you need in order to be able to sustain health and wellness is long-path hydration. Here, water is ingested. It is distributed to the cells throughout the body. Then, the residue to be eliminated is sent to the kidneys. From there of course it is removed from the body through urination.
Dehydration is a serious challenge for any and all persons as they age which, incidentally, includes everyone. It is in particular a challenge for individuals who currently experience symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Neurons are juicy tissues. When they become dehydrated it is little wonder that they are unable to function as they were designed. I’ve heard stories from many, many individuals who report the following.
“I’ve tried so many therapies. I’ve tried supplements. I’ve tried going to one healthcare provider or another. It seems as though nothing much has helped until I began to realize that my body was seriously dehydrated. I began drinking more and more water and you know what? In no time whatsoever I began to get more energy and feel so much better.”
Try drinking more water. You will probably be surprised at how much better you will actually feel, especially in those moments when you become fatigued. Many people respond with fatigue by deciding it is time for a nap. That is my favorite response. Switch that response and take a drink of water. See if I’m not right. Notice if you actually see a surge in your energy level simply because your body is better hydrated. The tissues cannot be nourished by whatever you are eating if you are not adequately hydrated.
There is a remedy called Aquas (https://www.aquas.us) that I discovered from my interviews with John Coleman, an individual in Australia who is a naturopath and in the mid-nineties had a very advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease. John experimented with various therapies and after three or four years was able to resolve his challenges. He is symptom-free today. He now helps others who are on the path of recovery.
I learned from John that one of the big reasons he was able to reverse his symptoms was through using a homeopathic remedy called Aquas. I then acquired Aquas for both myself and Deborah. We began taking them and were able to confirm that, by George, John was right. This particular homeopathic energetic intervention does invite the body to reset the mechanism that is used to trigger thirst and distribute water to the cells first, then the kidneys.
I began then to actually answer questions from individuals who wanted to know more about the Aquas. I began to learn more about the people who developed them. I have completed several interviews with the two formulators of the Aquas; Leonie Hibbert from Australia and Dr. Jaraslov Boublik, who now lives in San Diego California.
This is an option to consider if you have realized dehydration is obstructing your recovery. The Aquas are homeopathic; it takes only a drop or two drops a day, sometimes less for individuals currently experiencing symptoms of Parkinson’s.
The first step, however, is to see what happens when you simply drink more water. If you are not seeing an improvement in your energy then it might be that your body’s system for regulating water and triggering the thirst mechanism may need to be jump-started through the Aquas homeopathic intervention. This of course is one alternative among others that are available for individuals who are on the road to recovery.
Enjoy the week as you become mindful of all sources of water. There are many. Water is the precious source of life. Honor it. Treasure it. Enjoy each sip of that spring water that you take when you come across a new source of water throughout the week.
May you continue the habit, week after week after week as your body becomes better and better hydrated.
The mindfulness invitation this week is to focus your attention on the primary source of life which turns out to be water. The challenge involves two steps. In the first step, please acquire a source of natural spring water. In the second step, locate a bottle you can use to hold the fresh spring water. Distilled water doesn’t qualify. Water from your faucet doesn’t satisfy this condition. The water in your bottle needs to be water that literally springs from a natural source.
Once you have acquired the source (and that might be readily available to you anyway) pour the spring water into your bottle and make sure that you have it accessible at all times.
The second part of the challenge is to notice throughout the week all sources of water. When you notice a new source of water (whether by sound, sight or touch) the challenge is to take a sip from your bottle of spring water. What possible new sources of water might you notice throughout the day and evening as you make a routine pass at living your life this week? Any possible source of water qualifies.
For example,
The sound of ocean waves as you first might encounter them.
The sound of water trickling down water fountains that you might pass as you are walking downtown.
The sound of water as it trickles down streams.
Raindrops as they might flutter upon your rooftop.
Puddles of water from rain that you might pass while walking down a sidewalk.
The sound of water as it swishes about washing your clothes in your washing machine.
The sound of water as it runs through the pipes in your house.
The sound of water as it pours out of your water faucet when it has been turned on.
The sound of water coming from the outside faucets.
The sound of water in your toilet as your toilet is flushed.
As you begin to become mindful of all of these many sources of water, you will likely spot many. Once a source of water is newly spotted, retrieve your bottle of spring water and take a sip. Of course if you are near the ocean and the waves keep coming crashing through, there is no need to keep drinking water over and over and over again. When you identify a source of water whether through sight, through sound or actually the sensation of feeling the water – take a sip from your bottle of spring water. Allow your body to become better hydrated. May you enjoy the challenge of spotting all sources of water as you become a certified water detective this week.
