Category Archives: Life

“What Do You Practice?”

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“What Do You Practice?”
Cheri Harvey, January 29, 2018
Last week, I came across a video on Facebook and I want to share the video and the message with you today.
In this video, this young boy asks a profound question: “What do you practice?”
Note: OK, I found out today that this little boy is repeating the teachings of Prem Rawat, and from watching a video of Prem Rawat speaking about this, I learned that he based and created this teaching from a story he heard while in China. So, I’ll post links to all three videos below. :-)
I’ll summarize what he says here, but check out the videos via the links below.
——
[What do you practice? Because whatever you practice, you’ll become very good at it!
 
Do you practice joy in your life? 
Do you practice peace in your life? 
Do you practice happiness in your life? 
If you do, you’ll get very good at it!
 
Or do you practice complaining? If you practice complaining, you’ll get very good at it. So good at it, that you’ll find fault with everything, like you are the expert on things you know nothing about!
 
Or do you practice anger? Because if you practice anger, you’ll become very good at it. So good at it, that the most trivial things will make you angry. 
 
Or do you practice worry? Because if you practice worry, you’ll become very good at it. So good at it, that everything will worry you.
 
So, if it is a matter of practice, let us practice peace, joy, happiness…. Imagine the rewards!]
——
So, may I (Cheri) suggest that we practice happiness, kindness, love, mercy, grace, peace, enthusiasm, etc. because if we practice any of those things, we will get really good at them!
This is also how our yoga practice works. It is a practice! And whatever we practice, we will become good at it.
We practice balance.
We practice flexibility.
We practice strength.
We practice alignment.
We practice breathing and meditation to calm us.
And by practicing these things, we will become good at them.
So good at them, that we will experience balance, flexibility, strength, alignment, stress-reduction, etc. in our daily lives.
Yoga is not only about what you do in class on your yoga mat. It is about what that practice produces in your daily life that you live out!
—
Here are the links to the videos:
Prem Rawat (background to story): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmOFWiwfP1s
** Prem Rawat (same segment as what the little boy repeated): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udbvSl2r-3E
I hope this question “What do you practice?” will really cause each of us to notice and inspect what we practice every day and that we will make the necessary adjustments to practice the things that will have the greatest rewards for ourselves and those in our lives.

New Year, New Habits

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New Year, New Habits
Cheri Harvey, January 9, 2018
At the beginning of each new year, we have a tendency to think about resolutions, goals, etc. 
 
What I would like to propose today is that we think about new habits. Whether or not we realize it, our habits rule so much of our lives. We get into bad habits, usually without even realizing it, and it takes awareness and effort to break those habits and replace them with new habits that serve our highest good.
 
I’ve been studying about habits in the past few months. One thing I learned about is “Keystone Habits.” A keystone habit is a habit that if you adopt it, it will not only improve that one thing, but will help create success in other areas as well. Cool, huh?! 
 
What is one bad habit that you need to drop and what would be a keystone habit that you could adopt? Mine is setting a specific bed time and short routine when that time comes so I get in bed at a time so I will sleep through all the important sleep cycles and wake up shortly before my alarm goes off at a consistent time each morning.
 
Perhaps identifying a keystone habit can be a little daunting. If so, here are a few suggestions to help you get on your way. 
 
Instead of thinking about your entire life and all your habits, think about one category of your life at a time and then pick only one to start with!
For each category of your life below, think of a habit you’d like to drop and also a habit (practical and doable!) that you can do instead that will serve your highest good:
  • Habits related to your body and health
  • Habits related to your intellect and mental wellness
  • Habits related to your spiritual life and practices
  • Habits related to your relationships (family, friends, work, church, etc.)
  • Habits related to your finances
  • Habits related to your home and home life
Now that you’ve identified some habits to drop and some to adopt, choose the ONE habit from one category that you think will make the biggest difference in that specific area and that could likely lead to positive changes in the other areas also.
If you want some accountability, reply and tell me what you chose, and/or forward this email to a friend or family member and include your Keystone Habit choice. Once you get that new habit established for a month or so, keep doing it, and also add ONE other habit from one of your other categories if you feel ready.
My keystone habit is setting a specific bed time and short routine when that time comes so I get in bed and sleep through all the important sleep cycles and wake up shortly before my alarm goes off at a consistent time each morning. This will benefit my body and mind since so much repair and essential physical and mental processes happen during the various see cycles throughout the night. It also helps having a regular schedule during awake hours and makes scheduling and doing tasks and projects easier and more consistent. It creates time to include exercise, preparing health food, meditation, relaxation, recreation, etc.
 
I have gotten off track with my keystone habit over the holidays, but am restarting and getting back on track. Live and learn, right?! Keep moving forward!
Let’s do this!

Pay Attention To Your Daily Transitions

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Think about all the transitions you go through in a typical day…. Transitioning from sleep to getting ready for your day… transitioning from home to work, school or other activities… transitioning back to your home and family life… transitioning from all the various roles you take on in one day… transitioning between projects, phone calls, meetings, classes, clients, patients, etc….
Sometimes do you transition from one activity or role to another without even slowing down? Do you just rush from one activity to the next without ever stopping to take a break? Do you “take your work home with you”? Do you drag your home life frustrations into your work life or vice versa? Do you feel like all your daily activities just kinda slide into one another?
Instead, how about if you create some ritual or activity that helps you be more present in each current activity/role throughout your day? Here are a few suggestions – and feel free to make up your own and share them with me! 
 
1) Between activities, take a Five Breath “Breathing Break” to get yourself centered, leaving the activity you just completed and moving fully into the next activity.
2) Stretch and move your body for a One-Minute “Stretch Break” (Hint: You can do this simultaneously with your “Breathing Break”!)
3) Give yourself a double thumbs-up and say (out loud if possible <grin>), “I’m done with that. I did my best. I’m moving on.”
4) Say a short prayer, offering up what you just completed and seeking guidance and direction for your next activity.
 
What other ones do you come up with? 
 
Try these for today and notice the difference they make in your day, OK? 
 
Let me know how this worked for you!
 

Simplify Your Life

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“Summer Break” is here, yet sometimes with the extra activities of vacations, kids/grandkids home from school, lawn care, catching up on home projects and a multitude of possible activities, you may feel you need a break from Summer Break ;-).

Check out my RealQuickTip “Simplify Your Life” below as you get into your summer activities!

Cheri’s RealQuickTip: Simplify Your Life!! 
Our lives become so busy, so complicated, so hectic! Do you sometimes just want to” get off the ride”, catch your breath, and get away from the busy-ness for a while? Do you want to holler “Re-do!!” like when you were playing a game with friends when you were little?
You know, it’s not gonna spontaneously happen all on it’s own and some gracious benefactor is not likely to come along and say “You’re too busy. Let me handle everything for you… forever… for free.” (or if they do come along, send ’em to me too!! heehee!!)…
But the good news is, you can simplify your life! Everything doesn’t have to come to a screeching halt, but you can slooow down a bit and choose what you want to spend your time and energy on.
Sure, it takes some discipline and commitment, but you can do it! And remember, it’s your life – you get to decide!
So, look at your schedule… look at your stuff… look at your habits… and just start where you are to identify specific areas you can begin to simplify now. Stick with it – you can do it!
Imagine (see it and feel it) what a simpler version of your life will feel like, then take your first step toward it!