Inside The Polished Apple

Thank you to Margaret Kennedy, Acupuncturist with Elan Family Wellness Centre, for these words on Mindfulness for our May newsletter.  The whole world, as we have known it, our individual world has been rushing around for ages with little or NO MINDFULNESS. We have been so busy rushing around, cut off from ourselves. one another, our environment  and NATURE,  that it has affected our whole lives, our world  - negatively.    Now, a virus, something we cannot even see, has forced us  to slow down,  to isolate from “our NORM”. All our negativeness arise now, we become stressed, angry, anxious, worried,  agitated, depressed, fearful  - How to change this?    This is our time to BE MINDFUL of ourselves, our lives and our world. To CHANGE ourselves, our world. Mindfulness is being aware moment by moment of our thoughts,  emotions, where we hold our feelings in our bodies and our environment – locally and in the world. To...

Thank you to Dr Robert Clarke, Chiropractor at Elan Family Wellness Centre, for these words on Mindfulness.  We are always sending and receiving information, this is how we interact with the world. The obvious example is our interactions with other people. Not just the words, it’s gestures, posture and eye to eye connection. Expand that to the environment around us and what we see and what we don’t see. There is a constant flow of energy and information between us and the world around us. Take a few minutes to reflect on the lens or filter that you use when engaging with your environment. Is it optimistic, fearful, combative or loving? Of course, this is a dynamic process and changes as we move through the day.  Observe yourself and see if there is a filter or lens that you default to most often, then ask if there is a better energy that you can defer to. Become a skilled observer of your own energy. As you learn to shift your own perspectives, you will then be able to enhance...

Thank you to the information shared from Modern Loss (via Instagram) and @goodgriefnj With reports of stress levels rising as we continue to self-isolate, we at Elan Family Wellness Centre, thought it would be timely to focus on Mindfulness for the month of May and to provide you with resources for your mental well-being. Please let us know if we can provide more specific help to support you. For Access Mental Health in Alberta, visit  here. 7 Tips for Reducing Feelings of Isolation:  Name Your Emotion- It's an effective way to reduce and regulate difficult emotions. It may help you to feel more control and that you can manage them more effectively.  Seek Out Regular Social Interaction (phone, video, letter)-We may need to be more proactive in setting up those online "dates" and connections. Regular interactions can lessen the likelihood of feeling lonely or isolated.  Get Physical-include some measurable goals to be active and increase your heart r...

Thank you to Margaret Kennedy, Registered Acupuncturist with Elan Family Wellness Centre in Bowness, NW Calgary, on this article on the benefits of Mindfulness.  Mindfulness  is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. To be  mindful  is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing. There are many ways to practice Mindfulness and even more books that can be obtained either via the internet or library to learn more on the art of mindfulness. Some ways that mindfulness can help you: It reduces overthinking which damages the spleen meridian. It alleviates stress, improves memory, the ability to focus and improves learning. It helps one to be non-reactive to others, so that in the midst of crisis you can remain calm. It allows us to think differently, so de-stressing our lives It enhances our compassion, empathy and kindness to ourselves and others so increasing our ability to be happy. This lessens our...

Thanks to Ally Morberg for this post on Mindfulness & Observation. Ally is a Homeopath with Stepping Stones Homeopathy and works out of Elan Family Wellness by appointment.  Mindfulness to me is the art of observation. Slowing down and taking the time to experience and notice what   is. Not why it is that way or how long it will be that way or how did it get that way…just what   is . I once took a mindful meditation class where each week was dedicated to different mindful practices. We did mindful walking, mindful tea drinking, and my favourite… mindful chocolate eating! It was so interesting to take the time to observe and really experience each of the activities through all of our senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Who knew one little square of chocolate when eaten mindfully, could be so satisfying!? By slowing down and taking the time to be present we can learn to experience a whole new world. It can feel so refreshing to stay in the moment and no...

Elan's Theme for January is Fresh~Here's Dr Lynn Hoffman-Tempel's Perspective on this and Meditation. Dr Lynn will be offering a Taming the Monkey Mind, a Mindfulness meditation night on Thursday, January 19th at 7:30 pm.  Welcome to a New Year and to a new season.  We understand this time as a time of new beginnings, it is also the time of year that is associated with the water element in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  The energies that support and surround us at this time of year encourage us to look deeply inwards, to be very curious about out own lives and experiences.  We are motivated to create change and momentum towards things that we would like to experience or be different.  I often hear from people – “I know what I need to do, why can’t I do it?”  Creating something new or different requires small or big changes made consistently over time.  How do we make this a reality in out lives – Be Curious!!!   Be Curious about yourself.  ...