tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39073338403146621432024-02-19T17:22:39.425-08:00It Is What It IsInspiring others to learn from the circumstances of their lives...Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-78647113043443073852023-03-05T13:20:00.001-08:002023-03-06T06:06:37.437-08:00The Future of It Is What It IsThe best way to predict your future is to create it.Abraham LincolnMy posting to this blog came to a screeching halt in July of last year. That was when my email subscribers no longer received an email announcing a new post. I knew this was coming but failed to determine a path forward. I decided to take time to consider this. And as time has a way from getting away from us, I am with no resolve.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16020735744397973166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-60057547589968620942022-07-29T16:18:00.005-07:002022-07-29T16:32:07.560-07:00Cultivate to RadiateWith growth I radiate like the brilliant beams of the sun.In garden lingo cultivating is what we are doing when caring for growth in our garden. I previously posted about cultivating joy, but here I am focusing the need to cultivate and give rise to growth in many directions in life.In the first few months of the year, I was exploring tai chi martial arts as an additional part of my Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16020735744397973166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-78542869644506405342022-06-14T11:47:00.003-07:002022-06-18T13:38:31.757-07:00Be Kind“Ben’s Bells teaches individuals and communities about the positive impacts of intentional kindness and inspires people to practice kindness as a way of life.”Ben’s Bells ProjectI love things that surprise me, delight me, fill me with joy, and make me smile. Whenever I see a Be Kind mural, such as the one above, it makes me smile. It reminds me we could all use a little more kindness these days. Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16020735744397973166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-90278750955742208852022-04-05T13:28:00.002-07:002022-04-05T13:31:58.137-07:00Inviting SilenceWhen I embarked on meditating about 18 years ago, I began to invite silence into my life. Ever since those remarkable building blocks of meditation, I’ve continued building silence into each day. I always used to have music playing in my car, home, yard, in my ear while doing other things, and even in my office at work. I was using music to drown out anything and everything around me to create a Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-61461735731295088142022-02-25T13:19:00.001-08:002022-02-25T13:20:06.293-08:00Cultivating JoyI began this year by choosing the word theme of grow. With that in mind, I’m picturing my life as a garden. I cultivate joy by providing proper nourishment, light, and hefty amounts of love. One of the big challenges in any garden are weeds. The key here is not allowing them to hang around for very long in the first place. If my garden is healthy and well cared for, I have fewer problems with Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-88128057381974289132022-01-31T15:24:00.001-08:002022-01-31T15:24:56.807-08:00Positive FeedbackLast year I published 17 posts specifically around my word theme of mindfulness. It was a how-to guide breaking down many aspects of bringing mindfulness to the present. Mind you, pun intended, it was just a beginning, but it made a difference to several of my dear readers. Most often comments to me centered around realizing various things about themselves they had never thought about. Then thereMichelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-82548528562702520642022-01-07T15:01:00.003-08:002022-01-07T19:48:27.698-08:00Begin Again in the New YearGeorge Bernard ShawMost of us seem to like the idea of a fresh start, a point in time we can mark as a chance to begin or begin again. While a fresh start can happen any time we choose, a new year seems to be a popular time for many of us to begin again.Since 2005 I have chosen a word as a guidance point or theme for the entire year. It’s a word that brings me closer to being the best version of Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-29423201190192014732021-12-23T12:52:00.003-08:002021-12-23T12:59:09.226-08:00Have a Mindful HolidayMy gift to you this year has been to focus fully on mindfulness. I hope you have found some sense of peace and that it has opened the door for you to fully embrace mindfulness and explore on your own as you’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. Just because it’s the end of year holiday season doesn’t mean you need to allow the holidays to take over. Don’t forget about what it Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-49660012777823278732021-11-23T15:48:00.002-08:002021-11-23T15:52:47.714-08:00Meditation Practice 2 Unlocking GratitudeApproaching the holidays can bring on a mixture of feelings and emotions. A great way to deal with this emotional jumble is to unlock gratitude. Let’s get you started on your way to unlocking the gratitude within.Find a comfortable quiet space to be.
If you are sitting, rest your hands on your lap, your knees, or on your stomach if you are lying down. Tuck your chin slightly, relax your jaw, and Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-44180932406289510612021-10-28T14:29:00.004-07:002021-10-28T15:43:52.352-07:00Meditation Practice 1 Say AhThe word meditation means different things to different people. It can be a connection to a deeper faith or realm, but that may sound just too woo-woo for you. And that right there may stop you from even trying. So, let's just keep it simple! Look at meditation as a universal form of expression, an extension of your breathing/self-care practice, and a way to relax your mind and your body. Then Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-86488663912023329382021-09-17T16:35:00.004-07:002021-09-18T05:47:02.473-07:00Shining the Light on MindfulnessThe more you change how you see things, the more the things you see change.Wayne DyerDuring our year of mindfulness, we have taken on many new ideas to expand our mindfulness thinking. This year's posts show the connectedness of mindfulness to many things in our lives. As you move through your mindfulness journey you will find it all connects.When I began digging deeper into mindfulness and Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-44902648569791408692021-08-22T15:46:00.003-07:002021-08-22T15:49:33.627-07:00Breathing Practice 6 HummingWhile we’ve continued with our breathing practice throughout our mindfulness instructions, we’re going to add a different experience to our breathing. This is an easy one as it takes little thought to perform.Take a deep, slow breath in through your nose. As you exhale, lightly press your lips together and hum as you slowly exhale through your nose. That’s it!Why humming?We are not engaging in Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-24950726422332850412021-08-06T15:48:00.000-07:002021-08-06T15:48:03.216-07:00Self CareLiving your life in a mindful manner is taking care of YOU! And that’s what self-care is all about. If we are trying to take care of everything and everyone else, there’s usually nothing left at the end of the day for our self. And, quite frankly, this is a recipe for disaster in terms of emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health.We cannot be for others if we are not be-ing for our Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-26444761204971991762021-07-30T14:27:00.007-07:002021-08-22T15:50:50.039-07:00Creating Mindfulness SpaceI’ve written about creating space many times over the years. As we explore mindfulness this year, it begs to be mentioned again. Why, you ask? Ah, nice to know you are asking why. It’s because mindfulness happens when there’s a space for it.Basically, our brains are on overdrive - think of it as non-stop madness. So, it’s up to us to find mindfulness through observation/awareness/acceptance and Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-9182045402912273612021-06-30T20:17:00.003-07:002021-08-22T15:51:10.911-07:00FYI Email SubscribersSince my first It Is What It Is blog post in August, 2010, Google Blogger has been the content management system hosting service I’ve chosen to use. In July, email subscribers will no longer be supported through the web feed management service on Blogger known as Google Feedburner.What this means to you - you will no longer receive an email notification when I publish new posts. While this has Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-79987064423884813822021-06-19T15:42:00.011-07:002021-08-22T15:51:26.747-07:00Thinking About What You Are ThinkingMindfulness is thinking about what you are thinking!As children we are naturally open to asking questions. But somewhere along the way we got sidetracked and stopped asking. With this exercise, let’s release that inner child and explore questions.Consider your thoughts, your feelings, and ultimately your actions (behavior) by paying more attention and begin asking questions. A simple way to bringMichelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-76189239431955824462021-06-03T14:36:00.023-07:002021-08-22T15:51:39.506-07:00Breathing in NatureA walk in nature walks the soul back home.Mary DavisFor the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring our five senses to better understand what we see, hear, smell, taste and feel. We checked with ourselves throughout the day and gave thought to these amazing senses in order to expand our mindfulness awareness. Now, let’s take it outside and breathe-in nature the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku (Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-70973691806681448972021-05-10T16:12:00.005-07:002021-08-22T15:51:53.818-07:00Mindfulness Senses Spot CheckIn January we began the year with the intention of being mindful for the year ahead. Since then, we have explored the practice of breathing fully into ourselves with focused breathing exercises. During the last few months, we’ve brought conscious thought to what we were feeling and opening the doors to awareness. We concentrated on our body as we paused and created a moment of space in the gap Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-26532301187053000402021-03-26T15:59:00.013-07:002021-08-22T15:52:08.791-07:00Breathing Practice 5 Double ExhaleBreathing is automatic; an involuntary process that just happens. But breath is life. So what happens when we actually give this amazing process attention? That’s when the magic happens!I hope you have enjoyed the last month trying out heart focus breathing and going back over the previous breathing practice posts. I understand many of you have had difficulty with breathing exercises in the past.Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-42934082276456547352021-02-19T14:31:00.004-08:002021-02-19T14:35:46.495-08:00Breathing Practice 4 Heart FocusJust you, your breath, and the beat of your heart.Since the month of February is heart month, it’s the perfect time to add the beat of our hearts to our breathing practice. I think of this technique as heart focus. It’s one of my favorite breathing techniques and I know it will become one of yours. Our heartbeats will take us deeper into our breathing practice, and our minds will become intenselyMichelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-58839685080546142472021-02-03T14:45:00.007-08:002021-02-04T06:13:10.499-08:00Breathing Practice 3 Pause"It’s not so much knowing when to speak, but when to pause."Jack BennyWe’ll continue to build our breathing practice this week by hitting the pause button. There are times in our lives when we wish we had a pause button. Now, we will create one in this simple breathing exercise. By controlling breathing with a pause, we are creating a gap. In this gap we are creating space. We suspend Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-79855813570089209622021-01-22T15:12:00.008-08:002021-08-22T15:52:46.618-07:00Breathing Practice 2 Awareness "Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body."Thich Nhat HanhLast week we began our year of mindfulness with a simple breathing lesson to get used to considering our breath. This week we’ll take it a bit further.As with Breathing Practice 1, find a comfortable space to sit or lie down. This time make sure it’s a quiet space. In the morning I prefer a bright room, and at night I prefer Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-82209572253766933662021-01-13T15:20:00.007-08:002021-02-03T14:24:22.477-08:00Breathing Practice 1 Just BreatheIt sounds so easy to simply take a breath, but most of us don’t breathe fully, and thus don’t receive the full benefits of what taking-in a little more oxygen can do. Focused breathing is how we begin to be mindful. It guides us to being fully present in the moment.So, let’s begin the year of mindfulness with a simple breathing exercise to get you used to considering your breath.Sit with a Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16020735744397973166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-49518619644514622412021-01-04T14:54:00.002-08:002021-01-04T15:03:57.484-08:00Finding Mindfulness in 2021It was good, it was bad, it was ugly, and now it’s over. While January may not feel any different from December, a new year gives rise to the possibilities of the year ahead. Like so many of you, I’ve felt the pull of the ups and downs of this last year more than any other time in my life on global, national, and personal fronts, but I am driven by the vision of a better life for all of us as we Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907333840314662143.post-50837502787811850802020-12-10T13:36:00.010-08:002020-12-10T19:24:53.799-08:00Finding Peace of Mind Amid Turbulent TimesIn October I spoke at an outdoor, socially distanced, masked-up book club meeting. This club read my book, It Is What It Is, back in March and I was scheduled to speak in April at their next meeting, but we all know what happened last March. At the October meeting, book club members commented on the timing of reading my inspirational words as our day-to-day lives changed drastically and Michelle Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03438308957979732965noreply@blogger.com