Whole Health Project

03/03/2020

SELF-CARE #4-STILLNESS & RENEWAL
How do we sustain our passion for what is most important to us-our values. Also, can we learn and grow from our experiences everyday?
In order to do this people have developed personal practices.
Many have found personal time away from people and other distractions, an essential daily activity. This allows us to rest our bodies and minds as well as resolve and settle emotional issues arising from our day. In this space of stillness, we experience peace and healing and also welcome the inspiration and newness ready to appear in our lives.
Most of us have started out trying to achieve things by pushing and driving ourselves only to discover, as we get older, that anything of real value first comes from a still place. We may also have spent years searching far and wide for peace and fulfillment to eventually find it can only be experienced in this way.
Brief flashes of happiness do not provide any satisfaction as this can only come as we consistently apply ourselves in our daily lives.
Some people find regular group experiences such as church services or retreats enhance the experience of stillness. Others utilise less traditional settings such as yoga or reiki groups.
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This newsletter has been my privilege to perhaps provide some inspiration in your lives. This will be the last issue. But over the next year, I do plan to compile the last 7 years of editions into a book.
Best wishes to you all in experiencing happiness and fulfillment in your lives.

27/01/2020

SELF-CARE #3 MANAGING RELATIONSIPS
For the vast majority the most fulfilling but also the most stressful part of our lives is relationships with others.
So how can we manage our relationships with people so that we minimise such matters as conflict or dependence and maximise happiness?
In my view, the first step is knowing and being true to our values. When we are comfortable with who we are and have a sense of why we are here, we have a starting point for significant relationships with those around us.
Handling difficult people is a common problem. These ones can range from being strange and eccentric, uncooperative and unhelpful to outright angry or nasty. How vital for us not to make personal these people’s issues and simply focus on what, if anything, can be achieved with them.
An inability to draw boundaries is also a frequent stress. We have all no doubt experienced relationships which can become exhausting and often lead to feelings of anger and resentment. Learning to say “no” without guilt is a vital step to personal wellbeing.
It is great to be able to see the people around us, old and new, as providing an opportunity to give something from our hearts every day.

27/01/2020

SELF-CARE #3 MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS
For the vast majority the most fulfilling but also the most stressful part of our lives is relationships with others.
So how can we manage our relationships with people so that we minimise such matters as conflict or dependence and maximise happiness?
In my view, the first step is knowing and being true to our values. When we are comfortable with who we are and have a sense of why we are here, we have a starting point for significant relationships with those around us.
Handling difficult people is a common problem. These ones can range from being strange and eccentric, uncooperative and unhelpful to outright angry or nasty. How vital for us not to make personal these people’s issues and simply focus on what, if anything, can be achieved with them.
An inability to draw boundaries is also a frequent stress. We have all no doubt experienced relationships which can become exhausting and often lead to feelings of anger and resentment. Learning to say “no” without guilt is a vital step to personal wellbeing.
It is great to be able to see the people around us, old and new, as providing an opportunity to give something from our hearts every day.

25/11/2019

SELF-CARE #1 LOVING OUR BODIES
By far the most beautiful, the most ingenious and most complex physical form on our planet is the human body. Nothing human beings have made gets even close to it!
But how do we feel about our own body? Can we acknowledge how amazing it is or are we caught up in it being short of some image of perfection? Do we get upset by the genetic and acquired weaknesses that inevitably appear as we get older?
Caring for our bodies is easy when we are grateful for them and see that they are simply here to assist us to have a full and happy life.
Eating a balanced diet certainly nourishes us physically –proteins, grains, vegies and fruit are all important sustenance.
Exercising our bodies is also vital and while gyms may be helpful, regular walks can be quite sufficient to keep us fit.
Alcohol, caffeine and sugar play an enjoyable part in most of our lives but too much of a good thing can cause increasing issues as our bodies age.
By consistently loving our bodies, we have a great base from which to make our contributions in our worlds.

SELF-CARE #1

21/10/2019

BUILDING CHARACTER #4-PASSION
Passion-strong affection or enthusiasm for something- is essential for happiness and fulfillment. For life without passion, is a pale, sterile, lethargic state. Any significant achievement in our world starts with passion in at least one human heart.
Most people direct their passion into building families and careers and finding pleasure in friendships and hobbies.
But careers, families and friendships often come unstuck. This inevitably leads to distress and unhappiness. We can also find we become addicted to those pleasurable pastimes which can then disrupt our lives.
How do we sort out these common life problems?
This can happen when our passion for living is first and foremost directed to taking care of the people and situations around us. Then, doing the right thing by others, trumps seeking money, success and pleasure. This approach leads to the development of a strength of character enabling us to handle the increasing intensity in our wider world. And to the surprise of many, it also leads to the greatest experience of fulfillment and happiness.
The next E-news theme will be “Self-Care”

23/09/2019

BUILDING CHARACTER #3 SERVICE OVER SELF-INTEREST
We are all born self-centred. However, to develop a sound character we have to come out of the childish state. For this is to happen, sooner or later, we have to accept the integrity that is in all of us. And if integrity is doing the right thing by others, then serving others is the natural result of accepting our integrity.
Self-interest may cause us to create reputations or make money, but it does not lead to genuine fulfillment. On the other hand, service--taking an interest in and caring about the people in our worlds--is a sure way to a happy, healthy life. And self-interest and service are as mutually exclusive as self-centredness and integrity.
How do we make this shift from self-interest to service? We need to take a break from the mind’s restless scheming and the heart’s compelling feelings. Time out can lead to quietness and self-reflection. This allows us to listen to inner wisdom and begin to discover our usefulness to our wider worlds.

23/09/2019

26/08/2019

BUILDING CHARACTER #2 MANAGING PERSONAL ATMOSPHERE
The importance of atmosphere is emphasized when entering places such as a welcoming home, an inviting restaurant or a nurturing doctor’s office. There is also something called personal atmosphere that describes the air or aura around a person.
Having fine character involves the ability to sense the right thing. To do this we need to have a clear mind and a settled heart- a calm personal atmosphere. For when our minds are busy or emotions disturbed our sensing will be “all at sea”.
How do we maintain our personal atmosphere? This is done as we stay still and “centred”, not letting any of the people or events around unsettle us. Doing this, we fully in position to offer our something useful to those around us.
To sustain a healthy, personal atmosphere we need balance –time alone and for relationships as well as work. We also need to avoid “rush and push” in our lives by discerning the “right thing” from the many” good things” we could do.
As we manage our personal atmosphere, over time, we become increasingly aware of how we can contribute in our community.

06/08/2019

BUILDING CHARACTER #1 LEARNING LIFE'S TONE
We could describe the nature of our expression as having a musical quality to it. When that “tone” reflects fine character it is tuneful and uplifting- it is “on-tone”. However, when is negative and discordant it is “off-tone”.
To build our character we need to develop an ear for life’s tone. This is like joining the choir to learn to sing. We need to be around or in touch with people who express that tone consistently. Then, we can quickly learn the sweet tone of selflessness, kindness and optimism as well as the firmness of courage and reliability. We can also recognise the “off-tone” nature of negativity, aggressiveness and self-centredness and increasingly dismiss it from our lives.
As we bring a tuneful tone to our lives, we find ourselves increasingly at peace with ourselves. As a result our health flourishes. However, if we are stuck in “off-tone” behaviour we will be unhappy and unwell.
A delightful consequence of learning to live in this way is finding a resonance with like-minded people. How special to discover different ones who share our values and are keen to grow.

02/07/2019

CHARACTER IS THE MISSING PIECE
With ever more sophisticated and arduous physical training program, our society is producing better athletes, gymnasts and dancers than at any point in history.
Our community also provides an unprecedented range of training courses for the likes of professionals, tradespeople, clerks and managers. We have never had such a skilled workforce.
Despite all this skill development, every year in Australia, more structures and rules are put in place to regulate and monitor people’s behavior. Whether it is bankers, builders, doctors or sports’ people, there is a growing awareness that people are increasingly unreliable in “doing the right thing”.
In my view, we can develop our physical and mental skills as much as we like but unless a person develops their character these skills will be of limited value.
Character is the mark of a person and highly influences the way they conduct their lives. It can be simply stated that a person of sound character has integrity. (Integrity maybe defined as the ability to consistently do the right thing). More fully, that they have attributes such as honesty, responsibility, empathy, courage.
The next issues of the E-news will consider the building of character

03/06/2019

HARMONIZING WITH LIFE'S RHYTHMS #4 INTENSIFICATION
The final stage in managing a new chapter in our lives is intensification. This happens with the completion of a project or clarification in a relationship. It equates to the “high energy” birth process in mammals and humans and to flowering in plants.
We may not always pay attention to completing things but it is vital. This allows us to harvest the results of our work in the earlier phases. And it sets us up for our next opportunity.
In order to finish life chapters we have to develop the ability to manage pressure. Perhaps in the past we may have seen intense times as and good comfortable to avoid. But such pressure serves a purpose in energizing us to take timely steps and make vital changes.
There are 3 common ways we handle “pressure times”.
Firstly, we can resist the need to act and make ourselves stressed and unwell.
Or we may simply give up and waste all our work.
Alternatively, we can welcome the pressure, grow stronger and allow opportunities in our lives to develop and unfold.

30/04/2019

HARMONISING WITH LIFE'S RHYTHMS #3 CRYSTALLIZATION
The next stage of managing newness in our lives occurs after a “fluid” period of considering options. It happens when our new ideas “crystallize” into a definite plan or direction. This equates to shoots appearing on a plant or a foetus forming in mammals.
When a new direction clarifies how do we ensure we take good care of it?
Usually the practical aspects of such a step are obvious-planning a project or proceeding with a new relationship. However there are three common ways we can sabotage new possibilities.
The first is judgement. By being critical of what emerges we can miss out on the opportunity. But as we welcome whatever comes our way it leads to constant enrichment and challenge.
Fear of inadequacy can also stop us. But by accepting growth as integral to our lives we become accustomed to the regular need to “step up”. And we realize this simply involves taking “the next step”.
Finally, sometimes we can be distracted and neglect the new possibilities.
However, by developing the habit of caring for “new shoots” in our experience we have a strong foundation for a great life.