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Author: Maria Connolly

How to Live In Your Body — A Centering Practice Calms Emotional Chaos

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Controlling Stress, Life Skills, Mindfulness, Somatic Embodiment.

How to live in your body more fully, through a centering practice…

Learn to live in your body through a centering practice that helps you gain peace, clarity and focus.“If you are centered, you can move freely.” ~  Morihei Ueshiba

Do you really live in your body? Or are you so busy with life that you forget to connect with your senses and sensations? To cultivate more calm and presence, why not try a centering practice to reconnect with your body wisdom — to think, speak and act from your body, instead of reacting impulsively from mental chaos or confusion? Here’s what I mean…

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It’s Good to Be YOU: How to Feel Whole in a World of Conformity

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Self-Leadership Skills, Stepping Forward.

It's Good to Be YOU: Here’s how you can feel whole in a world of conformity “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” ~ Carl Gustav Jung

“You wouldn’t like me, if you knew the real me.” I couldn’t believe it when Katie, one of my clients, said this during a session! She’s a beautiful woman inside and out. Yet, she felt ugly and unlovable. Some past experiences had caused her to develop negative thoughts and feelings about herself and her worth. She’d become a master at blending in, conforming to what other people found comfortable. It took a lot of work for her to accept my words, “It’s Good to be YOU”!

We live in a society that prides itself on being open-minded and accepting of differences. It’s the subject of headlines, talk shows, movies, books. Yet why is it so necessary to call attention to it, if it really exists? If we are truly open-minded and accepting, it would be the norm, not newsworthy.

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How Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity…Promote Positivity Instead!

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Life Skills, Self-Leadership Skills.

Learn how complaining rewires your brain for negativity and how you can use this process to promote positivity in yourself and others.“It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.” ~ Confucius

You know THAT person, the one who opens her mouth and out tumbles complaint after complaint. Chronic complainers are draining and irritating. But could someone be saying that about you? It’s possible we’re complaining and not even recognizing it!

Of course, we all complain to vent and blow off steam. And that’s a good thing, right? It’s not hurting anyone. Um…yes it might be. Not only could it be hurting your relationships, it might be modifying your brain. For a starter, let’s examine how complaining rewires your brain for negativity…

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Dealing with Guilt and Regret? Be Courageous & Lean in! Don’t Hide It!

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Emotional Intelligence, Self-Leadership Skills.

Learn these 5 steps to dealing with guilt and regret, as you acknowledge what you feel and why you feel it, so you can step forward to something better.About dealing with guilt and regret: “There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.” ~ Sabaa Tahir

Don’t you hate being forced into making a decision, when you don’t have all the facts? Or how about when you react emotionally to a situation and it turns into a disaster? Times like these create situations where you’re left dealing with guilt and regret. We ALL make mistakes, but if we’re not careful our lives can become full of should-ofs, would-ofs, could-ofs.

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How to Engage The Power of Mindfulness to Lead a “Delight Full” Life

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Mindfulness, Self-Leadership Skills.

Do these mindfulness exercises to increase your awareness of self and the environment thereby unleashing the power of mindfulness.About the power of mindfulness: “The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.” ~ Pema Chödrön

It’s a hot summer day in the garden. Diana is miserable. All she can think about is getting done with work and getting in the house. On the other hand her sister, Daniela, although uncomfortable in the heat, is delighted to have spotted a swallowtail butterfly on the gloriously scented roses, as a delicious bit of breeze tickles across her arms. She feels filled up. Both women have the same physical reaction to the heat, yet one can’t wait to get the day over, while the other is savoring the delights around her. Would it surprise you to know that Diana, not Daniela, is the one that loves gardening?

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