Taking an Inventory of Your Life

By Misako Lauritzen

The year 2014 is fast approaching, and many of us have started to contemplate on new year resolutions.

Today I would like to talk about taking an inventory of our life, so we can begin the brand new year a lot more powerfully. There are two words that we will be focusing on: integrity and commitment.

First, integrity. The word Integrity gets thrown around a lot, but I define it simply as ”You are what you say you are.” When your actions match your words, you have integrity. It is a very powerful way to live your life.

The problem is that most of us have integrity issues, which leave us unhappy and ineffective. We may not break promises that we have made to others; however, we tend not to be so honorable with ourselves.

Take a moment to reflect on your life. Think about where in your life you currently lack integrity. What are the things that you have told someone you are doing to do but have not? What have you said or thought to yourself that you are going to do this year but have failed to do so? Write them down.

It can be something as trivial as "I will exercise every day.” (This is me!) You may think falling out of integrity with yourself is not that big of a deal, because you are not hurting anyone. Well, you are dead wrong about that.

What happens when you don't do what you've said you are going to do, it conditions us to be a certain way. In other words breaking promises, slacking off become a habit. When you break a promise, you are not just breaking that one promise, but you are setting off a chain of broken promises.

When we break a promise with ourselves, we also tend to beat ourselves up. We say stuff like, ”I'm no good, ” or ”I can't do anything right.” Creating a self image like that dis-empowers us and reinforces the negative behaviors.

When we find ourselves lacking integrity in our lives, the thing to do is  to restore integrity to where it is lacking. Here is how to do it.

Examine the list that you have just made and divide the items into two groups. One is ”What you are willing to re-commit yourself to,” and the other is ”what you are not willing to re-commit yourself to.” With the latter, declare powerfully to yourself and to the universe that you are not doing them.

By owning the fact that you have failed to keep the promise with yourself and choosing NOT to commit, you can regain your sense of power and control. This is very important, so you can really focus on the list of things to which you have decided to re-commit.

With commitment, it is either you are 100% committed or not at all. If you find yourself on a sinking ship in the middle of the ocean, and if you are not 100% committed to keeping yourself afloat, you will die. When you make a commitment to something, approach it as if your life depends on it. Commitment is that serious. This is why we have to be selective about our commitments.

Taking an inventory of your life will organize your thoughts and create an opening for you so you can better focus your energy and resources on things that matter most in 2014.

Next time I would like to talk about ”being kind to yourself” which would increase your chances of accomplishing your goals and being a happier person in 2014.

Namaste.

Apply for a scholarship for our 30-day coaching program for 2014!!!

All you have to do is to 1) write a paragraph or 2) to express what you would like to get out of the coaching program and email us by 12/28. You will get four (4) weekly coaching sessions (one hour per session) free of charge to begin the new year to get closer to your goal.  

Spiritual coaching complements traditional coaching techniques like goal setting with spiritual practices such as meditation. 

The winner will be announced on January 1, 2014 via email.

The Confession of a Tai-Chi Dropout

by Misako Lauritzen

My encounter with Tai-Chi goes way back to my teenage years.

I had always been fascinated by martial arts, but was intimidated by any kind of athletic activities imaginable. You see, I wasn't very well-coordinated, to put it mildly. You ask any of my peers from high school, and they can recall how much I dreaded gym classes; I would do almost anything to avoid taking part in it.

Martial arts appealed to me the way that sports did not. First of all, I saw it as a survival skill. As a young  woman who aspired to venture out all on my own into the world, I thought I should be able to protect myself. Second of all, I felt that martial arts involved both physical and spiritual aspects; I felt that for what I was lacking physically, I could make up with the strength of my mind and will.

Still I was not bold enough to try my hands at such things as karate and aikido; however, I thought I might be able to handle Tai-Chi. Tai-Chi seemed slow enough for me to follow, and, as I understood it, it did not require physical strength.

So I enrolled myself in a class offered through this community center in Hiroshima, Japan. The class consisted of about twenty people, mostly housewives in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Among them, I stood out in more ways than one; I was the only teenager in the group, and I was clueless. In a Tai-Chi class you follow the movement of your teacher as a group; there is a minimal amount of individual instructions, and, when you are lost, well, you are screwed.

I tried to ”fake it,” but the more moves I learned, the more confused I became. I became embarrassed that I kept mixing up my left with right. It would have been better if I had been able to review and practice my moves after each class, but living in a school dormitory made it nearly impossible to do so. I would have died rather than be caught doing that in the mess hall or the rooftop where we hanged our laundry to dry. Eventually it became too painful to make the same mistakes so many times, and I stopped going altogether.

When I enrolled in another Tai-Chi class about two years ago, things unfolded in much the same way. My attendance was sporadic at best, and when I realized that I was not making much progress, I convinced myself that I was just not wired for Tai-Chi.

Therefore when I showed up for Master Shao Pen's class on last Saturday morning as the co-organizer of the class, I was apprehensive. I hoped to stay out of everyone's way and to not embarrass myself.

However, to my surprise and delight, I actually enjoyed the class. Master Shao Pen made all the difference. What sets him apart from other teachers are the three things.

1. He is absolutely masterful when it comes to teaching.
Master Shao Pen Wang was one of the first (if not the first) ballet dancers that China had borne. He danced in the national ballet theater in Beijing and taught ballet in China, Japan, and the U.S. When he teaches, he not only makes it look easy but also actually easy to follow by breaking the set down to bite-size sequences.

The energy that he brings to his instructions is also amazing. He really knows how to direct people's attention and how to use his voice.

2. He truly relates to you, and makes you feel that your presence is appreciated. 

When you first meet him, Master Shao Pen shakes your hand with his both hands. He is genuinely interested in what you have to say; he often invites you to ask questions, too. He is eager to share himself. He is quite a storyteller, but he knows when to stop. All in all, his demeanor allows you to let your guard down and to open up your body and mind to learn. 

3. He educates you on the physical and spiritual aspects of Tai-Chi, which leaves you more knowledgeable about how to keep your body and mind healthy. 

In our first class, he taught us a very simple exercise for keeping ourselves stroke-free. It is as simple as tapping the inner arm joint located opposite of your elbow for twenty times or so. You make a fist with the opposite hand and use it like a hammer.

Master Shao Pen also taught us that Tai-Chi is about balancing Yin and Yang, the opposing forces in the universe such as hot and cold, male and female, good and bad. I drew a powerful insight from that. Oftentimes, I have a fixed-view of myself such as ”I am not athletic enough,” and ”I am not strong enough.” However if I see the world as not so fixed, and If I take a more yielding approach to life, possibilities that I have overlooked so far in my life will open up for me. 

I highly recommend Master Shao Pen's class to anyone who is looking to see the world with a new perspective and to approach life with the mindset of infinite possibilities in 2014. Come check it out. The next class is Saturday, January 11, 2014.

Master Shao Pen Wang's Tai-Chi Class
When: 9am - 10am & 10am -11am
Where: Pro Dance Center at 910 Roosevelt, Irvine, CA 92620

What to expect from energy healing (REIKI)

by Misako Lauritzen

The first time can be intimidating especially for people like me who are logical-minded.

I was there with you before I had taken a dive to experience what it could do for me. Today I wanted to take the time to explain what you can expect from energy healing. I hope in the end I will be able to remove some of the anxieties that you may have.

1. Practitioners do not have superpowers.

We do not possess any kind of super or magical powers. Some say they do, and it is great for them, but I sure do not. Practitioners like myself are trained to channel universal life force (energy) into a client so it may awaken natural healing abilities that the client herself possesses. I also believe that practitioners are highly disciplined individuals who maintain physical, emotional, and spiritual balances with daily practices such as healthy eating habits, working out, and meditation.

2. Energy healing is not a form of religion.

Energy healing is not affiliated with any kind of religious practices and do not require you to participate in any belief system, except for a belief in yourself! Some people ask whether taking part in energy healing may be in conflict with their religious faith. I can assure you that people with any religious background can benefit from energy healing without violating their faiths. Practitioners, in fact, do not and should not ask you to do anything that you are not comfortable with.

3. Practitioners do not and should not ask you to do anything that you are not comfortable with.

I said this before, and I will say it again. For instance you can request the practitioner not to touch your body directly. In energy healing such as reiki we channel energy through your chakras and joints, and often practitioners' hands are applied directly on the client's body. If you are not comfortable with physical touch, let the practitioner know that you prefer not to be touched. Reiki can be performed either hands-on or -off, and it will not diminish the benefits of it either way. Once I had a specific form of reiki performed on me in which a group of practitioners stood a distance away from me channeling energy, with me lying on the floor. I still got the maximum benefit.

4. You bring your intention to the table, and let the healing take care of the rest.

Your intention makes a big difference, so, before we meet, we ask you some questions to identify what you would like to get out of the session. Contemplating on your intention begins the healing process for you. Your knowing what you intend to accomplish, instead of vaguely hoping to feel better, brings you closer to the goal even before the session takes place.


During the Reiki session, the practitioner channels energy through seven chakras and joints, starting with the crown chakra and working all the way to the root chakra. While the practitioner works, the client will be lying down on her back. It is not uncommon for people to fall asleep within the first few minutes of a reiki session. It is one of the great benefits of reiki; it relaxes the most tense and anxiety-ridden people and puts them to sleep! 

Do not worry and enjoy the slumber. Practitioners have no problem working on a client while you are asleep. Healing energy can work its way through, whether you are awake or not.

When the session is done, the practitioner can gently wake you. Make sure to drink lots of water; the healing process continues even after you go home. 

I hope this post has done something to put you at ease for your first Reiki appointment. Should you be interested in Reiki, join us on December 14th from 10a.m. to 2p.m. at our Anaheim and Pasadena locations offering 30 min. sessions to the community. Please note that all our Reiki sessions are by appointment only.  If you have any concerns, you can always contact us or visit our website at www.shizen-health.com, and we will do our best to answer any questions you may have!

Making Peace with Our Mind by Working through Our Body

by Misako Lauritzen

Sometimes our internal voices are so loud that we can hardly hear ourselves speak, which may sound like a funny thing to say, but it accurately describes what happens with me from time to time. It is as if there are multiples of us, talking over each other out of turn. In the beginning you, as the Master Self, are thinking that you are going to talk some senses into these little voices. However, after a few minutes of the cacophony you are no longer certain which one of you is dominant. You feel that you  have no control over your mind any longer.

Having been a career researcher/consultant for much of my adult life, I have relied upon "logic" to solve problems that come up in my daily life. Sometimes it worked, but very often with the most complicated issues.... such as the matters of the heart, it didn't quite work as well. Multiple voices argued; each one with its own logic, and it all sounded "valid." I could not pick sides.

When you realize that the way you have been making sense of the world no longer works, you have to come up with new ways: new ways of seeing, of knowing, and of experiencing the reality. New strategies to make peace with our own internal struggles.

Meditation is one option; however, not all of us are wired to sit down quietly. For people who are more action-oriented, there are ways to make peace with our mind through our bodies.

Today I would like to share with you some yoga poses which I practice to calm my mind and to achieve compassion for myself and others.

                                            Tree Pose

Stand up straight and shift your weight to your left foot. Lift the right leg and place your right foot on the inside of the left thigh near the groin, ideally as high as it can go. If you have difficulties, you may place your foot against the knee or calf. Put your palms together in the center of your chest. Fix your gaze on a specific point.

Tree Pose is great for developing the sense of balance and ability to focus. When your mind is unsettled, you are more likely to fall out of balance. If you do, just pick yourself up and start over. Also in real life we stumble sometimes. When that happens, we just have to pick ourselves up and start over. There is nothing wrong here; it is just that there is work to be done.

                                          Archer Pose

Step into a lunge with your right foot and bend the leg until the knee is directly over the ankle. The left leg remains extended. Make sure to keep your upper body vertical and not to lean forward or backward.

Raise both arms horizontally. Stretch your right arm to the front and bend the left arm against your chest as if you are drawing a bow. Make fists with both hands. Turn your head toward the right hand and fix your gaze on the right thumbnail. Expand your chest. Make sure that your torso is upright and that the arms remain parallel to the floor.

Your legs will get tired and may start to shake. Try to keep the pose for as long as you can. Keep your gaze on the horizon. You are aiming toward the future, and you are developing courage, self-confidence, and willpower. Make this pose a daily practice. Gradually increase the duration of the pose.

Today I introduced some yoga poses, but another great way to make peace with our mind through our body is Tai-chi. On Saturday, December 7th, Shizen Health is hosting two Tai Chi classes in Irvine. We are honored to have Master Shao Pen Wang as our instructor. If you are curious, we invite you to check out his Tai-chi demonstrations on YouTube!

Meditation for Gratitude

by Misako Lauritzen

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, today I wanted to share with you the perfect meditation for preparing ourselves for the season.

Step One: Pick out an object which makes you happy. Make sure it is small enough that you can hold in your hand.

Step Two: Sit comfortably on the floor or in a chair. Your back is straight but relaxed. Breathe in and out slowly. Bring extra attention to your breathing. When you breathe in, say ”in” to yourself silently. As you breathe out, say ”out.”

Step Three: Hold the object in your hand and place it right in the center of your chest where you feel your emotional heart.

Step Four: Experience how the object makes you feel when you touch it, hold it in your hand, or use it. Think of the color and warmth of this feeling. Feel it spread from the center of your chest outward to your entire body. Savor the feeling.

Step Five: Say to the object silently or aloud, whichever you prefer, ”Thank you for (Fill in the blank).”

For example, if your object is a harmonica, you may say, ”Thank you for bringing joy to my life. When I play, I feel happy and free to express myself. Also when I play, my family and friends love it, and it brings smile to their faces. Thank you for the blessing.”

Step Six: Slowly bow your head to the universe, showing the humility and gratitude. Either silently or aloud, thank the universe for bringing the object into your life.

Start from a week before the day of Thanksgiving. I pick a different object every day and do the meditation. It will raise your gratitude sensitivity!

One added bonus. I make a practice of expressing gratitude to people in my life every day, at least one person per day, all year round. Gratitude is an essential ingredient of happiness. This practice will lead to not only your own increased sense of gratitude and happiness, but also to the snow ball effect of happiness all around you!

Namaste and Happy Thanksgiving!

Next time you are Angry, try this

by Misako Lauritzen 

Pema Chodron, a beloved and respected monk, talks about our tendency to "fuel the feelings." When we have feelings, be it sadness, anger, jealousy, or whatever else, we do not just have them, we add our "stories" or interpretations of them.

Have you ever said to yourself, "No one likes me," when you invite a bunch of friends to a party, and no one shows up? How about "He does not care about me," when your partner leaves some dishes in the sink for you to do? We keep having these internal dialogues with ourselves and keep these elaborate storylines going, which, by the way, have nothing to do with what is happening in the real world.

Pema tells us that, neurologically speaking, these "feelings" only last about 90 seconds. The reason why they persist for a whole day, a week or even ten years instead is because we keep fueling them with our own stories. Next time you feel sad, angry, lonely, or what have you, open yourself up to experience the full impact of it. Do not be afraid. Do not think you are wrong or weak for having them. Just be present to the fact that you are having it. Embrace your feeling as is. Neither add anything to it or make light of it. The greatest paradox in all of this is once you allow yourself to have an authentic experience of your feeling, it starts to dissipate. 

Meditation for Embracing Your Feelings

This is a short meditation which can be practiced anywhere, even in the middle of a conversation. 

Try to concretize your feeling. Name it. Where in your body is it present? What shape and how big is it? What kind of sensations do you feel? Does it have a color? If you squeeze it, would it be soft or hard to a touch?

Do not ask why you have it. Stick to your feeling and stay away from narratives. If you catch yourself running "stories," acknowledge them and move on. 

Allow yourself to have a complete experience of this feeling. Bring awareness to how its vibrations travel to your toes or to the top of your head. Keep the natural flow of your breath in and out during the entire process. 

When you feel the intensity of the feeling is ebbing, inhale deeply and hold your breath for ten to fifteen seconds. Breathe out slowly and completely, while kindly letting go of your feeling.

Slowly restore the natural rhythm of your breathing. Regain your sense of the physical surroundings by naming objects and people one by one. 

Start and keep relating to what is happening out there in the world. Start living.