Tag: hobby

Monday, April 18

Today is Monday, April 18, 2022. Feeling curious for what this new week will bring.

A quote by Albert Schweitzer, “Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

Photo taken by: Franck Legros

April is about Springing forward.  Let’s take some time to explore strategies and activities for continued growth.  Re-connecting with an old hobby or learning a new hobby is a great way to foster your imagination, bolster your self-care routine, and experience some mindful moments.

    • Join a club: a chess club, sewing club, ski club, book club….
    • Take a class: cooking, painting, poetry, gardening
    • Start a walking group with your neighbors
    • Fly a kite

Use this Mindfulness Activity to Re-energize your Body and Mind whenever you need a moment to reset – while waiting, before, after, or to transition between activities:

    • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
    • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
    • Continue to belly breath. As you breath in, open your arms wide and lift your chest; as you breath out, wrap your arms around the body bringing the chin towards the heart. Notice the sense of flow; we can choose to open AND close.

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:  

“I am [*Name*]. I can do this. As I connect to my vision, courage, strength, and wisdom, I am open to the Love and positive energy around me. I send loving kindness and compassion to all people including me. Together, we can do great things.”

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Monday, December 20

Today is Monday, December 20, 2021. Appreciating the beauty and light from December’s Cold Moon (full moon).

A quote by Angie Weiland-Crosby. “As the full moon finds its place in the darkest skies, Love will uplift despair.”

Photo by: Kym MacKinnon

December Delights is here. This December let’s focus on gifts of Love and Joy- to yourself and others.

Start a new hobby or return to a favorite hobby.

    • Baking or cooking
    • Playing a musical instrument
    • Jigsaw puzzles
    • Crossword puzzles
    • Painting
    • Fishing
    • Knitting/sewing

Use this Mindfulness Activity to Re-energize your Body and Mind:  

  • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
  • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
  • As you continue to Belly breath, do the 5 senses exercise:
      • Notice 5 things you can see.
      • Notice 4 things you can feel.
      • Notice 3 things you can hear.
      • Notice 2 things you can smell.
      • Notice 1 thing you can taste.

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat:  

 “I am [*Name*]. I can do this. As I connect to my courage, strength, and wisdom, I am open to the positive energy around me. I send loving kindness and compassion to all people including me. Together, we can do great things.”

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Wednesday, April 28

Today is Wednesday, April 28, 2021. The days continue to get longer in the north and it seems to be adding more uplifting moments.

Ascending through April. Share something special- that you have created- with those you interact with often.

    • Prepare a family recipe and share it with your group at work, school, or home.
    • Draw or paint or sculpt something meaningful and put it out on display in a common area.
    • Share a video or audio recording you have created.
    • Send a copy of something you have written.
    • Knit, crochet, or sew an item for the group.

Photo by: Gonzalo Facello

Recharge yourself and share positive energy when you repeat: 

“I am [*Name*].  I am open to the positive energy around me. I appreciate myself and others as I connect with love and kindness. As I think about those I love and care for, I send loving kindness and compassion to all people including me. We share our humaneness. Together, we can do great things.”

A quote by Erma Bombeck, “It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.”

Use this Mindfulness Activity to Re-energize your Body and Mind:  

    • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
    • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
    • If you want to release tension, try the STOP technique taught in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses.
      • Stop
      • Take a Breath
      • Open and Observe
      • Proceed

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, December 4

Today is Friday, December 4, 2020. On an island off the coast of Australia, there are Maremma sheep dogs protecting a colony of the smallest penguins from extinction from foxes.

Delights in December. This month use the Daily Gift of Vitality, to allow a moment to pause and connect with what delights you. We will provide prompts and ideas along the way.

Engage in your hobby or create a new one:

    • Sketch, paint, color in your coloring book
    • Create music, listen to music or record your practice
    • Knit, crochet, needlepoint or sew
    • Sculpt, carve or engage in woodworking
    • Invent recipes, cook favorite foods, make beer
    • Add to your journal, write a blog post or work on a book
    • Fix an engine, build that model trainset, launch the model rocket
    • Go fishing, hiking or take time for bird watching
    • Learn about the night sky using an app to help you identify what you are seeing
    • Take photos, create a photo album or scrapbook
    • Explore a museum (even online), read a book, learn a new language
    • Play solitaire with real cards, work on a puzzle, etc.

An inspirational quote by Colin Wilson, “The mind has exactly the same power as the hands: not merely to grasp the world, but to change it.”

Photo by Hudson Hintze (NOT a Maremma sheep dog)

Recharge yourself when you repeat:    

“I am [*Name*]. I am human. My mind, my body, and my spirit are connected, and I am a part of a global community. I love myself and others because I have kindness and love in my heart and soul. As I think about those I love and care for, I send loving kindness and compassion to all people. We are all human. We can create positive energy together.”

The Mindfulness Activity to practice this week to create Calm Moments:  

    • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
    • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
    • Open hands and rotate palms out and shake out and shimmy your shoulders. Smile.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP