New Face of NLP

As a student of NLP for about 24 years, I've found that I use aspects of NLP every day in life and in practice.  This coming year I've decided to hold a new form of an NLP training that reflects a more holistic bent on the old methods.

I was speaking with a colleague about the upcoming NLP training and he asked why I didn't just stick with what works.  I realized that the mentality of 'sticking with what works' has more than one side to it.  I am a believer that if something isn't broken, sometimes you don't need to fix it - however, I don't think life is that simple.  I believe upgrading can save time and create a more inventive and reflective life.  Where would we be if people thought books were enough and never invented computers?  Where would we be if we 'stopped' at cars and never invented trains, planes or telephones?  I believe that there are times to leave things as they are, and I believe their are times to change and grow into new and even better options.

That is the New NLP that I'm teaching.  Upgraded, inventive, useful in today's way of living.  Like upgrading your brain and the mind-body connection.  

Hope you can join us for the classes and/or the training.

Blessings,

Jenifer

Teacher VS Guru

I've never been a follower. I've always walked my own path. As a teacher and healer I've always encouraged all clients and students to learn from the work and teachings and recognize that I am a human being on my own path which may not coincide with theirs at times, and other times may coincide.

I find a natural inclination for many to attach to something that is attractive for them and lose themselves to the teacher/guru of the teaching. From my perspective, this misses the point of the teaching. It is the TEACHING that is attractive, the package or form it comes in may or may not be attractive and if we get stuck in the package, we miss the teaching.

I met another teacher recently who was a bit 'puffed up' from ego. She said she had the 'right way' for this particular method and spent much of her time downplaying the other teachers of the method saying they didn't know their stuff like she did.

As a teacher of alternative methods myself, I felt uncomfortable with the way she was acting as if no one could learn the right way unless it was from her.

I offered that my thinking on the subject differed from hers and that I in no way intended to look up to her, or down on her. I intended to look directly at her and assess whether the teaching she was offering suited my curiosity and interests at this time on my path. She immediately dismissed me, almost as if she didn't see me, and moved on to the woman next to me, one of her greatest fans.

I look back now and think, mmm, I don't actually think she did see me as a being who isn't part of her consciousness may never be seen.

The teaching had some interesting aspects which I'm sitting with to see if I align with them. Not sure yet, sometimes my process takes time to gain full clarity.

Blessings to you on your own unique path. Enjoy the day, Jenifer

Power of Pacman

As a holistic individual, people often view me as someone who would never play a videogame or watch youtube. That is simply not true.

I loved the original computer games. Pong, centipede, asteroids, and my absolute favorite - Pacman. And now I have found a free pacman online that I'd like to share...it doesn't require anything more than your keyboard to play and it works really well.

http://www.theempowermentcentre.com/Links.htm

Let me know what you think!

Jenifer

Bluebirds and Butterflies

What an amazing day here in PA. It's one of those days when you feel the earth breathing as if nature is holding a conversation directly with you.

I walked out on my deck and there was a beautiful sparrow who had built it's nest in my flowerpot. I sat with her as she sat on her nest for a bit, side by side, taking in the beauty of the day thinking what a gift life is.

When the earth turns to fall, I love to feel everything start to settle in. I also find my body starts to move naturally to foods that are a bit 'earthier' - like carrots and beets and greens. Such a natural connection our bodies make when we take a moment to listen.

I wonder what message your body and this day will give you if you take a moment and ask - what do you need today. It may sound odd but in a world where thinking often takes precedent over feeling - you might find your body actually has something it's been trying to tell you about.

Enjoy the bluebirds and butterflies. Until next time, Blessings, Jenifer

Back to Blogging

It's been a long time since I've written here. A lot has been going on this year and I've been making a lot of changes. One which may have led you here today is that I've decided after years of running Holistic Hometown and The Empowerment Centre sites seperately to merge them. I believe it is important to consolidate resources to make the most out of your time and I've realized that separately, I simply can't manage both sites the way I want to and together, I can. At least I'm going to do my best. And this is going to give me time to keep creating, which is what I thrive on and need more of right now.

Being in the holistic health field, people often think I relax a lot. Actually, I'm kind of a type A holistic person sometimes, consistently reminding myself that meditating and yoga alone are not enough. I'm the type of person that needs the key seven ingredients of health in my life - love of good people, outdoors, healthy food, loving my work, taking care of my body, taking care of my mind, connecting to Spirit, God, guides and whatever you call that magnificent energy of pure love we are so blessed to be open to receiving.

Whenever I'm out of balance, you can bet it's one of those areas. Right now I'm thinking it's taking care of my body so I'm off to bed. Sleep well. I'll look forward to updating this blog much more often now that I have more time on my hands:) Blessings, Jen

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying the new year thus far. In January it's such a great time to release the old and bring in the new. Focusing on what you want instead of what you don't want will help you start the new year off right, here are some tips and tricks for clearing out the old closets of life.

1) Make a list of those in your life that bring you joy and love and send them a card telling them how much they mean to you.

2) Make a card for yourself supporting you for the wonderful things that you are!

3) Take 3 trash bags and go to your closets, toss 3 bags of ANYTHING you don't use or need. Fill to the brim!

4) Make a 5 MUST DO list for the new year. What are the top 5 things that if you did them you would free up thinking/ruminating energy for your life and health?

5) Taking care of you. How can you take the best care of you mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, career-wise, relationship-wise this year?

6) What lessons did you learn last year that you don't want to relearn this year:) and what can you do to move forward?!

7) How can you enjoy your life more?

Have a great month and wishing you a beautiful day of sunshine and light!

Jenifer

Fear - a philosophical perspective

Ok, my philosophy roots are coming back as I was reading Emerson and the following came to mind.

We've become fearful as a society. Fearful of 'living' our lives. In living, we have the entire vibration of life. Not just what feels good or looks right to the societal standards. In living we get to actually try things out, play with them and find our way through practice but somewhere along the way practice got lost and the demand for perfection became a prerequisite and it's scary to think you aren't allowed to learn something unless you are in school. There is no way we can know everything without trying things out. To say you do means you are actually simply taking something for granted, either you are taking anothers words as truth or you are guessing because the only way you can know something is real is to experience it and in experiencing something for the first time, while you can estimate, you cannot KNOW the outcome until AFTER the experience. Allowing yourself to experience this process of experience allows you to LIVE instead of trying to control life.

In living a life there isn't fear because what is there to be fearful of if you allow yourself the time to experience something and THEN make a decision. When that occurs even challenges become opportunities. Each challenge becoming a learning.

When we try to stop things to make sure everything is perfect we end up in stress because life is moving whether we want it to or not. Like water, life will flow and if we try to hold it tight in our hands, while at times we may be able to create a damn to temporarily hold it up, eventually it will overflow and then we will be faced with all that pressure that has built up when we could have chosen to swim in the river of life and allow it to lead us. It's so much less pressure.

Also, when we allow life to be lived, we realize that we are not beings in one time, but beings in all times. What I mean is we are not our past, our present or our future. We are in fact all of these and when we realize that, we get to see the multi-dimensional life. We get to see how our present is affected by how we experienced our past and choose whether that works for us or not. We also get to craft our future and change it when we see our view isn't what we really want, or what we want anymore as we get to be flexible in our lives and stop holding to one way. As life flows, we can change as well. What I liked yesterday may not be what I like today and instead of fearing that, I get to explore it like a scientist endeavoring on new behaviors that I get to choose.

So lets learn to release the fear. The fear that searches for control in an uncontrollable world. The fear that leads to the insatiable cravings for an unerred existence when life IS learning, therefore, there will be times when things aren't perfect. Actually, perfection in itself can become imperfect :). The clutching to a perfect life means pushing away illness and emotions as only controlled passions can allow for a sense of control and sickness is scary as well. Where is the LIFE in that? And what happens when things fall apart? Where is the existence in that?

This month I challenge you to choose to LIVE!

Instead of trying to hold it all together, what if you let things happen and watched your life unfold? What if you enjoyed the experience of choosing each day a new and releasing the need to make sense of life, or of yourself. You just might find some new aspects of YOU that you find interesting to explore. Explore away!

I wish you freedom. The freedom to laugh, freedom to embrace the Self and all it's quirks and temperments, the freedom to be human - and enjoy the ride.

Blessings, Jenifer