The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing. ~Larry Dossey

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Appreciating Diversity During The Holidays: It's About More Than Just A Simple "Happy Holidays" Greeting Card.

By Simma Lieberman

Guess who's not celebrating Christmas this year? Millions of people in the US.

That's right. Tens of millions of Americans don't celebrate Christmas religiously, either as followers of non-Christian religions (Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews) or as individuals with no religious affiliation. Because many stores tap into the cash value of Christmas with their plethora of Santas, ornaments, and Christmas fanfare at your nearby mall, we can easily overlook the depth of the diversity present in America during this season. In reality, many different events, both spiritual, religious, and tradition based, are being celebrated in many different ways during these times.

It used to be that being inclusive meant sending out PC "Happy Holidays" greeting cards and changing Christmas office parties to "Holiday parties." Today, it's about more than just changing labels and titles. It's about using a time to be with friends and family to build understanding and awareness about others.

Three Ways to Build Your Awareness and Create an Inclusive Holiday Environment

1. Learn about other celebrations. Carve out some time from online shopping or a Holiday TV show to learn about another culture's celebrations during this time. Watch a TV special on other celebrations, do a Google search on a holiday, or check out books at your local bookstore while gift shopping. Share your learning with others, and use it as a chance to expand the conversation at parties and at the dinner table.

2. Make no expectations. Realize that people celebrate a variety of holidays during this time of year, and some people choose to celebrate none. Be respectful of these differences by taking interest in other people's traditions and making them feel welcome. Don't be afraid to ask people what holidays they celebrate. Find out what they do during this time of the year that is special. Let it be an opportunity to learn about different cultures and religions and the traditions that accompany them.

3. Mark your calendar and your address book. If the calendar or PDA you use does not list holidays like Kwanzaa, Hanukah, Ramadan, and Diwali, find out the dates and record them as reminders. Many programs like Outlook allow users to add calendar dates for celebrations from different parts of the world automatically, making this task quick and effortless. Take a few minutes to mark your address book with the holidays that people celebrate. When writing holiday cards, recognize their holiday, and include a little hand-written note acknowledging their celebration.

A Note for Employers:

Here are a few extra things employers can do to make their workplaces more inclusive during the holidays:

- Make sure your Holiday party isn't a Christmas party in disguise. Decorations and food should be general, and non-specific to any religion.

- Consider having a New Year's Party instead of a Holiday party. This type of party can get everyone on board with the company's mission and vision for the New Year.

- Post holiday greetings on your webpage and intranet for many religious holidays.

- Be respectful of these special dates, and plan events and meetings around various holidays.

- Display a multi-cultural calendar to help all employees stay aware of important cultural events for the rest of the year.

- Be flexible with the needs of different employees.

- Encourage employees to share their celebrations through stories, decorations, and foods that they can bring to their workplace.

About the Author: Simma Lieberman helps organizations create environments where people can do their best work and be successful. She specializes in Diversity and Inclusion, Diversity Dialogues, and Eliminating Fear and Self-doubt. Simma is the co-author with Kate Berardo and George Simons of the book "Putting Diversity to Work." She can be reached at http://www.simmalieberman.com

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My dear friend and Dharma brother, Lupe Rodriguez, has spent another year in a Texas prison. We continue to work for his parole with the assistance of Gary Cohen, a well respected parole attorney.

Please consider making a monetary donation and receive Lupe's Wandering Monk notecards.

Prison is a cruel and selfish place filled with people who have failed in life.... But prision can also be educational. If one learns how to do their time, instead of letting time do them, one can become strong---in a good way.... In the past, I had added nothing but confusion, judgement and a horrible act of violence to the world.

Now, I try to add compassion, kindness and understanding to it, along with selfless service." - Lupe Rodriguez

Please help the Prison Dharma Project at the Zen Center of Denver.You can make a 100% tax-deductible donation to assist in this effort to aid in Lupe's release. Note cards, a set of five different "Wandering Monk images, designed by Lupe Rodriguez are available at the Zen Center of Denver for a minimum donation of $10.

Internet orders are available now by check or credit card.

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Exercise — Take The Burn Out Of It!

By Kirsten Hawkins

Move it throughout the day! Get enough activity that makes you breathe a little harder. Five minutes here, ten there - add it up and go for thirty minutes a day. You don't have to suit up or climb on an exercise machine to get the benefits of activity.

Balance your activity so that you're still able to talk while you're exercising, but not as easily as you could sitting down or just standing. If you find yourself unable to talk, you're probably overworking yourself.

The more you move and use your muscles, the better fit you'll become. Your bones will become stronger, too.

Don't forget the stretching. It will help keep you flexible and able to move more easily. Do walk around a bit to warm up your muscles—save the stretching for the end of your workout so you don’t hurt or damage any muscles. If you save your stretching to the end of your workout, your muscles will be “warmed up” already and you’ll find that your flexibility is increased with each stretch!

Work on your balance. Begin by standing on one foot, bracing yourself with one arm. Work towards standing on one foot at a time without holding on to a support. Just practice this for a few minutes at a time. You'll find your overall balance improving greatly.

If your main occupation has been “couch potato” for several months, you'll want to start exercising gradually. Little by little build up your activities and how hard you work at them. Before long, you'll find yourself moving along with more energy and vitality!

You hear personal trainers emphasizing this mantra to their clients, "Breathe! Breathe!" For some strange reason, we tend to hold our breath when exercising. What you want to get into the habit of is breathing out while your muscle is working, and breathing in when it relaxes. So as you're lifting something, breathe out as you lift; breathe in when you stop. At first, you'll need to remind yourself of this frequently.

Drink plenty of water when you're doing activities that make you sweat so you don’t risk dehydration. Dehydration can be measured by pinching the skin on the back of your hand—if you can grab it when you make a fist and it (the skin) stays “up,” you’re dehydrated. You may also feel dizzy, tired, and be more prone to headaches. So stay hydrated!

Exercise shouldn't cause you pain. You may feel tired after exercising, but if you're actually hurting, something's wrong—you’ve overdone it. Try easing up the next day, and not doing anything that strains the aching muscle too much. Alternate cold and heat on the aching area, and if your doctor okays it, take ibuprofen or naproxen sodium to relieve the pain.

About the Author: Kirsten Hawkins is a nutrition and health expert from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.popular-diets.com/ for more great nutrition, well-being, and vitamin tips as well as reviews and comments on popular diets.

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Find information and support at Exercise Your Willpower

Exercise Your Willpower Support Group Mailing List

If you need more motivation and some group support, feel free to subscribe to the Exercise Your Willpower mailing list. There is a great group of people who help motivate each other. To get more information, visit the website at: http://www.exerciseyourwillpower.com

Online Fitness and Health Tools

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Creating Conscious Relationships

By Dr. Linda Miles

Do you ever recall walking into a room and immediately feeling the heavy, lingering negativity after a couple has had a fight?

How can couples learn to manage those powerful emotions that can be generated between them?

To create a conscious relationship it´s important to be aware of the feelings that are created between partners, especially for intimate couples, because their combined emotions are greater than the sum of their individual parts. When couples become aware and learn to be mindful of the energy that is created between them, rather than focus on their individual differences, they are creating conscious relationships.

I`ve observed the tendency of partners to first go through the romantic phase of their relationship, where their combined conscious remains buoyant, lively and fulfilling. At this point they don´t perceive differences in each other. The feelings between these couples shines a bright light across the world and life is viewed from a beautiful kaleidoscope. During this romantic phase, couples project on their partner and the world a canvas filled with images of beauty, goodness and love. And this focus on the combined rainbow of beautiful colors catapults them into a higher consciousness.

Robert Johnson observed that falling in love is meant to be an initiation into a world much greater than the individual - it is an introduction to the ideals of love, truth and beauty that transcend ordinary life.

When couples begin to become aware of the differences and faults in one another, they fail to realize that their partner is a symbol and catalyst for the poetry of life. During the romantic phase they view each other in an idealized manner. But, months or years later, when they are entrenched in power struggles, their partner becomes a cardboard-cut-out on which they project threatening characters from their own past. Such perceptions launch soulless, automatic, rigid, right vs. wrong games that separate partners not only from one another, but from the positive transcendent of their combined consciousness.

Instead of couples wishing for a judge and jury to litigate their individual differences, they can develop tools to manage the potentially creative or destructive powers which often unconsciously exist between them.

1. Focus on the process between you, rather than your differences.

2. Work on accepting the imperfections of both yourself and your partner, while looking for the deeper meaning in repetitive arguments.

3. Get curious about your learned patterns that you project onto your partner.

4. Learn to use the combined relationship emotions for creative life-enhancement, instead of destructive maneuvers.

5. Work to make each other´s lives larger, instead of smaller.

6. Co-create a picture of what your ideal relationship looks like and visualize that image daily.

7. Make a commit, to yourself and to each other, to not participate in destructive interactions that can damage and may ultimately destroy shared consciousness.

In "Embracing The Beloved", Stephen and Ondrea Levine write, how in a spiritual here and now process, they view one another as, "beingness" constantly unfolding. They also refer to combined consciousness as a, "beloved energy."

It can be a difficult process to transform our power struggles into creative energy. As Thomas Merton wrote, "... true love and prayers are learned in the moment when prayer has become impossible and the heart has turned to stone."

Marion Woodman describes the first time she saw her husband free of her own projections after three years of marriage, when she heard him rattling around the kitchen, attempting to poach an egg. At first, she began to think in terms of "shoulds", becoming judgmental of his inadequacy in the kitchen. Then, she let go of all judgment and became able to see him for himself for the very first time, as he stood on spindly legs in his bermuda shorts, holding an imperfect poached egg. She felt such profound love.

Learn to watch with "soft eyes." Watch without any judgment, with compassion and loving kindness.

Copyright 2005 Linda Miles Ph.D

About the Author: Author, Dr. Linda Miles, is deeply committed to helping individuals and couples achieve rewarding relationships. She is an expert with a doctorate in Counseling Psychology, and has worked in the mental health field for over thirty years. She has been interviewed extensively on radio, TV, and in newspapers and magazines. Find more relationship ideas and relaxation techniques on her web site and in the award-winning book she co-authored, The New Marriage: Transcending the Happily-Ever-After Myth, and Train Your Brain: For Successful Relationships, CD. http://www.drlindamiles.com

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Articles and Web Sites Worth a Look

National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy

Tibetan Nun Project

Citizens For Health

Gaiam - a lifestyle company

Alzheimer's Association

Common Dreams

Vita-cost. Save Up to 75%on Vitamins.

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"Great is the matter of birth and death,
Time passes quickly.
Wake-up! Wake-up!
Don't waste a minute."

-on the wall outside of the Zendo at the Zen Center of Denver

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From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life. - Arthur Ashe

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If you would like to submit an article, or place an advertisement in this newsletter, or if you have any questions or comments, send them to the Editor.

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Disclaimer

The information in this newsletter is not intended in any way to be a substitute for medical advice. Always see your doctor before you begin any exercise routine or make drastic changes in your diet.

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Go to Two Compassionate Hands Website

December 2005

Volume 1, Issue 4

Appreciating Diversity During The Holidays: It's About More Than Just A Simple "Happy Holidays" Greeting Card.

Exercise — Take The Burn Out Of It!

Creating Conscious Relationships

Articles and Web Sites Worth a Look

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