Mastery of Health and Happiness
  • Home
  • Who am I
  • What is Mastery?
  • Pearls of Wisdom
  • Media
  • Store
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
May
10
2017

Our Children, Our Teachers

“A thousand names for joy. “ ~ Byron Katie

For us parents, it is a wonderland of surprises to watch our children grow up and live their lives. Whoever would have guessed as they grew up and became adults, that they would have chosen this or that… or this or that opportunity would have unfolded for them. I gave up trying to control that a long time ago!

Right now my oldest daughter, Holly, is in East Africa and just finished a safari. She actually left Vancouver in September 2016 with a backpack, hiking boots, a swimsuit, and money she had saved from working two jobs. She left Canada on a one-way air ticket, travelling on her own. How cool is that?

She is a young woman with dreams, and one of them is to experience the world. She decided the time for this dream was NOW, and she went for it! Personally, I am very excited that she is following this dream – that she has put this all together, created it.

I am sharing this with you because my children have been, and still are one of my biggest teachers in life. They inspire me to keep growing in ways that are really important to me.

She sent many photos. I loved all the “big 5” animals in Tasmania, but there was one photo that really caught my eye. It’s the one you see… her holding a little creature in her hand.

I was mesmerized by the expression on her face. She is so alive in the moment with total appreciation and delight for this small creature. I remember thinking, “wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all our lives with such aliveness and appreciation”. It was a reminder for me of how juicy life can be when we are really in appreciation, especially for the little things in life.

It’s wonderful to have an ‘elephant’ of experience or a ‘lion’s’ worth of active fun. Most of us are the most alive when things are going our way. But to be alive because we are simply in delight about a small creature or thing in our life, that is really hitting the jackpot of health and vitality.

From my experience, the consistency of joy and happiness is related to our ability to find delight in the small things in our life rather than take them for granted. Everything can be beautiful. Even the way the wax melts off a candle can have us smiling in wonder.

Day-to-day delight comes from our appreciation of all the small things. Of course I love it when a big thing comes my way, but the daily emotional, spiritual, and physical nourishment comes from our joy in all the small creatures or things in our life.

Now of course there is another layer to this experience that I found really interesting. The small creature she is enjoying is a chameleon. A chameleon can be a symbol for us of the power we have if we use it wisely. A chameleon changes colours… easily and effortlessly. It has the innate capacity to do that. As humans we have the innate capacity to change the colour of our moods, perceptions, and life experiences.

We have been gifted a lot of power with this capability. We don’t have to stay ‘blue’. We can change our colour to bring us vitality and happiness. Both vitality and happiness are inwardly charged. There is a tremendous amount in literature about this. The well known saying, “what we focus on, expands” gives us a great deal of power to change the colour of our moods.

Everything we experience is dependent on how we process it… what meaning we give it. We are chameleons in a very positive way. All the innate gifts we have are dependent on how we use them. Use them well!!!

I would love you to invite yourself this month to be more alive to all the good stuff around you. Bring in appreciation, especially for the small creatures or things in your life. And know you have tremendous power, like the chameleon, to change your colour to a tone that fills you up inside with vitality and happiness.

Tags: acceptance, awareness, Bev Pugh, choice, happiness, life, love, Mastery of Health and Happiness
Posted in awareness, Gratitude, Happiness, Health and Happiness, Health and Wellness, Love, Self Growth, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Jun
09
2015

SLEEPING: How to Sleep Your Way to the Top

wake up happy“Is it you snooze you lose, or you snooze you win?” ~ Bev Pugh

We all have restless nights. If I am overwhelmed, overstimulated, or have a lot on my mind my sleeping can be off. How do we cultivate good sleeping patterns? It’s important for our immune system, our nervous system, and our strength and power.

So many people are using sleeping pills. The difficulty with sleeping pills is that they can be psychologically and physically addictive. They interfere with our brain wave patterns. We don’t learn and practice the relaxation response.

If sleeping is an issue for you and you want to improve your sleeping patterns, this is what I would recommend.

We sleep in five phases which repeat themselves every 90 minutes. Five cycles equate to 7and a half hours of sleep. This is pretty good.

Your Pre-Sleep Ritual

This is pivotal. We prepare for many things in life…why not sleep?

  • 90 minutes before bed start turning off televisions, mobile phones and other electrical devices.
  • Have a shower prior to sleeping. When you come out of the shower, your body temperature will cool down. This will help you ease into a state of sleep.
  • Turn your heat down. A cool 16-18 C is ideal.
  • There is truth to the belief that a glass of warm milk before bed helps with sleeping. Dairy products are rich in tryptophan, which aids the production of the sleep-inducing chemicals serotonin and melatonin.
  • Watch what you eat and drink in the evening. Caffeine and liquids high in sugar, as well as fat laden meals take longer to digest. They raise our body temperatures. This slows the process of falling to sleep.
  • Do some slow stretching and deep abdominal slow breathing to release the stress of the day, and help your body feel relaxed. Our breath signals the body that there is no reason for fight or flight and it is safe to relax. Sometimes I listen to very relaxing music while belly breathe.

Your Sleep Environment

Is your bedroom cluttered or inviting? Of course as I write this I realize I have to clean up my room! Look around your bedroom. Do you like it? I love mine!! Do you like your bed? Your mattress? Your sheets? Your duvet? Your pillows? I love buying good sheets and a duvet that is very inviting.

Take time to create a sleep environment that welcomes relaxation

I remember when we moved into our house the master bedroom had a very busy wallpaper. It was way too stimulating. It was one of the first things to go.

When you go to bed

  • Read a gentle book. My husband often read thrillers, and he is up into the wee hours because he has to find out what happens next. I deliberately choose a slow moving book.
  • Reflect on your day and everything you are grateful for.
  • Belly breathe.
  • Sink into your bed and really enjoy the feel of it.

I recommend that you go to bed and wake up ant regular times. It is very helpful.

Our bodies have two built in nap times when energy levels dip. The first is between 1 and 3pm and the second is between 5 and 7pm. It’s okay to have a snooze or siesta. Listen to your body.

Sleeping is so important for all of us to regenerate. I know I am grumpy if I miss a lot of sleep. My creativity falls, and I am more in survival mode than really being present in life.

Play with your sleep rituals and notice what works for you.

What lulls you to sleep? Be aware that having some practices around good sleep habits is very important, rather than just hoping for the best. A delightful woman I worked with said she always read the wall street journal in bed and was asleep in minutes!

Happy Dreams!

Tags: Beverley Pugh, breathe, energy, music, nap, relaxation, release, ritual, sleep, stiulating, stress, wake up
Posted in awareness, Gentleness, Health and Happiness, Health and Wellness, Meditation and Relaxation | No Comments »

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. NEXT

Beverley Pugh

Beverley Pugh

Beverley Pugh has international experience in Individual, Marital and Family Therapist services. Areas of practice include counselling in: individual, couples, family, anxiety, addictions, grief, depression, pain management, multicultural, workplace and others.

Join Our Mailing List

Mastery Practice Tool

If I feel funky, I know that I have closed down in some way. I probably reacted to one of my thoughts, or to what someone was saying. I actually ask or direct my heart energy to open again by saying this out loud: "My heart is open in the front and the back, and my mind in one with my heart. My heart is connected to the highest part of me." I imagine something I love - often swimming in the ocean - and I savour the love of it so I can feel my heart open again. I have turned my focus to it, and directed my heart energy to open. I do this before I begin an activity, or see anyone that for some reason feel I may be reactive towards. A tip: I have been known to do it in the bathroom when I am taking a break from dynamics, and I come out feeling more open and wiser. This works! The bathroom is a great place to bring yourself back into balance!!

Testimonial

My daughter, Trinity, attended her first Children’s Empowerment Workshop and she loved it! It has helped her deal with some of the real anxieties that all children go through - from the not so nice kid at school, to the imagination that runs away with her at night time, when we are getting ready for bed.

She practices her rooting and the different breathing techniques that she has learned, and has become stronger and more confident in dealing with different situations.

Pauline M.

Archives

  • May 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • September 2017 (1)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (1)
  • April 2017 (1)
  • March 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (1)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (2)
  • May 2016 (2)
  • April 2016 (2)
  • March 2016 (2)
  • February 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (2)
  • October 2015 (2)
  • September 2015 (2)
  • August 2015 (2)
  • July 2015 (2)
  • June 2015 (2)
  • May 2015 (2)
  • April 2015 (2)
  • March 2015 (2)
  • January 2015 (4)
  • December 2014 (2)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (2)
  • September 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (2)
  • July 2014 (2)
  • June 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (2)
  • April 2014 (2)
  • March 2014 (2)
  • February 2014 (2)
  • January 2014 (2)
  • December 2013 (2)
  • November 2013 (2)
  • October 2013 (2)
  • September 2013 (3)
  • August 2013 (1)
  • July 2013 (2)
  • June 2013 (2)
  • May 2013 (1)
  • April 2013 (2)
  • March 2013 (2)
  • February 2013 (2)
  • January 2013 (2)
  • December 2012 (2)
  • November 2012 (2)
  • October 2012 (2)
  • September 2012 (4)
  • August 2012 (3)
  • July 2012 (3)
  • June 2012 (3)
  • May 2012 (3)
  • April 2012 (4)
  • March 2012 (3)
  • February 2012 (3)
  • January 2012 (2)

Categories

  • awareness (30)
  • Balance (8)
  • change (16)
  • Choice (28)
  • Feeling Gratitude (14)
  • forgiveness (8)
  • Gentleness (10)
  • healing (17)
  • Health and Happiness (35)
  • Health and Wellness (18)
  • holding power (9)
  • Inspirational (32)
  • Learning to Adapt (18)
  • Love (30)
  • managing emotions (20)
  • Meditation and Relaxation (15)
  • Parenting (6)
  • Pearls of Wisdom (21)
    • Breathing (3)
    • Creating What You Want (4)
    • Gratitude (6)
    • Happiness (7)
    • Heart Space (2)
    • Meditation (2)
  • Relationships (4)
  • Self Growth (57)
  • Stress (3)
  • transitions (6)
  • Uncategorized (3)

About Beverley

Beverley Pugh has international experience in Individual, Marital and Family Therapist services. Areas of practice include counselling in: individual, couples, family, anxiety, addictions, grief, depression, pain management, multicultural, workplace and others.

Contact

Telephone:
604-925-1513
Email:
bev@beverleypugh.com
Location:
120-1451 Marine Drive
West Vancouver, BC
V7T 1B8
Canada

Disclaimer: The information presented on this site about various psychological conditions, is of a general nature and is not a substitute for an assessment by a competent therapist and/or medical professional. If you believe that you or an important person in your life is in need of an intervention please seek qualified help as soon as possible.

(c) 2023. Beverley Pugh Counselling Services. All Rights Reserved. Site Designed by Pureze Web Media.