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Newsletter, April 2005
Winner of Free Massage:
Congratulation to Tess Compton.
She is April's winner of a Free Massage Gift Certificate.
Past winners include Pat Everatt of Okanagan
Essences, Lynda Millard, Kathleen McMurray, Karen Close of Yinward
Bound, Shelly Vida, Marie Dick, Jim Csek of Dot
Com Media, Scott Simpson, Sher Alcock of Sunshine
Farms, Kelly Christiansen, Bev Banks, Lynn Engelsjord, Pat Kimmitt
of Kimmitt
and Company, Helga Smith, Paula Morrison, Kara Sandercott and Laveryne
Green of Apples and Angels B&B.
*Remember if you've entered our draw, your name
will be included every month.
If you haven't entered, please click
here.
April's Health Tip - Emotional HealthAs a massage and energy body worker, I am constantly reminded of the need to address the "whole person". This is especially true when looking to offer relief from the stress and distress of modern life.
There are many sides to being human and many facets to the human psyche. One of our talents as human beings is our ability to dissect, separate, identify, sort, and classify. We apply this talent to nature, including human nature. This is an incredible tool for self- knowledge and understanding. The down side is that we tend to over-identify with one aspect of who we are at the cost of another.
For example we tend to associate with the intellect. We are proud of our intellectual achievements. We like to see ourselves as rational, thoughtful and logical creatures. Most of us are comfortable with and value our thinking processes. On the other hand, when it comes to our emotions, we're more ambivalent. We are not quite so sure whether emotions are a positive or a negative factor in our lives. We're unsure as to what our attitude should be. |
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We may have good reasons for this ambivalence. Emotions seem to have a mind of their own! They burst onto the scene uninvited and tend to make us feel quite vulnerable. Our experience with our own emotions may be causing us hesitations. We may also have had unpleasant experiences with other peoples' emotions. Childhood memories of negative outbursts may have strongly affected us.
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Yet, it seems to me that life always calls us to a balanced approach. Repressing one aspect of our nature in favour of another usually leads to trouble. It could be argued that a lot of the damage done when emotions burst out, has more to do with the fact that they were repressed for so long in the first place. It's not necessarily an indication that there is anything inherently negative about emotions. If we give no value to our emotional life and keep it tightly under wraps, we surely should not be surprised of the consequences.
It also becomes important to distinguish between our emotions and the way we express them. I'm certainly not advocating a cavalier attitude where anything goes! Just as there is a certain skill in expressing our thoughts and ideas in an effective way, there is a lot to the art of expressing our emotions honestly and appropriately. There is a certain level of risk in emotional expression. The first step is always acknowledgement. Once we are able to see how we feel, then we can decide how and when we may want to express ourselves.
Fear is a good example. It can be a crippling emotion. However, facing our fear, acknowledging it in our thoughts, acknowledging it in our bodies, breathing through the fear, will inevitably lead to a lower level of intensity. Anger is another example. Outbursts of anger spewed out irresponsibly and maliciously can make us leery but denial is not the answer. We cannot afford to repress, ignore and bury this volatile emotion! This would be a mistake, as anger is at times necessary and appropriate. In response to injustice or cruelty, it is totally justified. In my opinion, the key issue is how we choose to express ourselves.
Interestingly enough the so called "positive emotions" do not fare much better in our culture. Joy, compassion and love are not exactly welcomed with enthusiasm. Sadly, they are often met with scepticism, cynicism and even mockery. It's always a risk to acknowledge, trust and express any emotion.
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Another important side to this discussion is the connection between emotion and body. Emotions are energy in motion. They travel through the body. The two have a circular interconnectedness. If you want to know how you feel, check your body. If you want to know where your aches and pains are coming from, check your emotions. I repeatedly see this connection and its implications with the people that come into my studio. Many suffer needlessly due to ignorance or a deep seated fear of their emotions.
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Coming back to my introduction, it's important to remember that while we can analyse, dissect and categorise aspects of our being, we are a lot more than the sum of our parts. Our present self-knowledge is limited, incomplete and constantly changing. Science is moving away from the idea that our intelligence is located solely in our brain. Emotional intelligence and body intelligence are now new topics of discussion. The line between thinking and feeling is fading.
We are incredible creatures, with incredible potential. Michael J Gelb has written several books on the topic of what makes a genius. One of his key premise is the idea that what distinguishes a genius from all others is not the size of her brain but rather her ability to activate and bring into play several diverse aspects of her being. The words "genuine" and "genius" have the same root. Being genuine means acknowledging all of who we are. Whether it's left-brain over right-brain, thinking over feeling, logic over intuition, there is no useful purpose in denying and repressing different aspects of ourselves. Knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses and their most appropriate development and expression should be our only concern. Combining a flexible, open mind with an honest open heart is a dynamic formula. Give your emotional life as much value and respect as you would your thinking capacity. Life is as much art as it is science. Take a chance! Know yourself! Feel yourself! Express yourself! Be yourself!
A Reminder:
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Did you find this health tip useful? Do you have a personal story or
anecdote to share?
We'd love to hear from you. Your response may be posted (with permission)
in a future issue.
health tip quotes let's go special offer client feedback net gems past issues
Lifestyle Choice:
Emotional honesty takes courage. As with intellectual honesty, it is a choice. There is always a sense of vulnerability when a person chooses to look at their emotional reality. It is especially difficult if we have neglected this part of our lives for long periods of time and beneath our brave posturing lies a reservoir of unexpressed feelings. Fear, anger and grief are not easy to face. Yet the fullness of life depends on our ability to face all emotions. Joy will not be tricked. She will not come to the banquet if we deny a seat to her less pleasant cousins. If we desire to be as fully human as our nature allows, then all aspects of our humanity must be acknowledged. It is an inner decision. It is an inner lifestyle choice.
Quotes:
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"...When we work with our emotions, we work with our identity. Emotion is an expression of the self. If we decide we no longer want to hide behind empty shells then we will have to allow certain emotions more room. We will have to let ourselves laugh louder, cry louder and shout for joy..." |
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"...I think our culture is a head culture, that lives from the neck up. Many people try to pretend that the emotions are not there. Many people are afraid to express their genuine feeling at all, and that feeling is trapped in the body. So for me, in order to be a whole person you have to know what is going on in your musculature. Because if you don’t know that, that side of you is being repressed, and sooner or later it’s going to explode..." |
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Let's Go: 
This section features suggestions for places to go in the Kelowna area where you can "let go" and have a bit of fun. Its purpose is to encourage your support of "local" Kelowna area events and enterprises.
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The Art Ark GalleryLocated in Kelowna's cultural district, The Art Ark Gallery is one of the Okanagan's most unique and visually attractive art galleries. Every time I've visited this gallery, I've been impressed by the consistency with which it showcases artists of high creative calibre and powerful sensorial impact.
The Art Ark Gallery has six exhibition spaces and dedicates its main room to a new artist monthly. |
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This April and May (April 28 - May 15) will feature the works of Marcia Harris, a graduate (with distinction) from the Fine Arts Program at Okanagan University College in 2004.
All future upcoming events can be view on their web site. You may want to make a special note of Friday, June 3rd. when The Art Ark will be hosting an evening with Robert Batemen and his wife Birgit from 7 to 9 PM. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. Mark your calendar!
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Visit The Art Ark Gallery with friends, family, out of town guests or on your own. Aristotle is quoted on their web site as saying "The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance". The ambience at The Art Ark Gallery subtly hints at dedication to this philosophy.
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The Art Ark Gallery |
(250) 862-5080 |
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health tip lifestyle choice quotes let's go client feedback net gems past issues
Newsletter Special:
Buy four Mini
Hot-Rock Massage Gift Certificates and get one free.
You save $60!
Massage Gift Certificates are your lifestyle choice ideal gift.
Phone (250-717-1584) Jamie Rosanna for details.
*Valid till end of 2005.
Client Feedback:
"...When I first went to see Jamie the atmosphere was so welcoming and soothing that I began to relax right away. Jamie's personality invited easy conversation and put me instantly at ease and able to be myself. During the session my body felt completely cared for. Everything from the equipment to the massage is superb. I was so impressed that I invited Jamie into my business to set up her mobile service..."
Gloria Scott
Proprietor - Tukaluk
Campground
Former Proprietor - Cottage Gourmet Cafe
(more feedback here)
An Invitation to Share Your Feedback:
Have you experienced
Jamie Rosanna's work?
Would you like to support her work and share your feedback with others?
Please click
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health tip lifestyle choice quotes let's go special offer client feedback past issues
Net Gems:
This section
of the newsletter, features locations of interest on the World Wide Web.
Anyone interested in quality web design, should have a look at Zen
Garden - The Beauty of CSS Design. Chosen by my husband for this month's
"Net Gem", he tells me that what they have accomplished here
in terms of web design is pretty amazing. While I have no idea about the
technicalities of web site construction or what CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
stands for, I can certainly appreciate the results.
In all there are 568 sample pages to be viewed. I'm pretty impressed with some of the gorgeous visual layouts. Here are a few of my favourite sample pages:
Cube
Garden by Masanori Kawachi
Attitude
by Stephane Moens
Bollywood
by Amy and Courtenie
Sub
Zero by Neil Whitely
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Contact Information:
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Your Lifestyle Choice
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www.jamierosanna.com
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