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A Kinder Heart

Cultivating a Life of Compassion

by Amy Leigh Mercree

The path to mentally transcending the world’s intrusive bustle is to be compassionate with our self and others. It begins in a relaxed heart from which emanate daily thoughts, words and deeds. Here’s a helpful centering exercise.

Sit or lie in a quiet spot for about 10 minutes with eyes closed and become aware of breaths moving in and out, then feel each one fully by filling the lungs from bottom to top. With each exhale, slowly and completely empty the lungs. On each inhale, refill the lungs again. Mentally reciting “optimum oxygen” three times helps the body deeply absorb the nourishing element.

Then bring both hands to the center of the chest to connect with the emotional heart centered there. Feel it pulsing beneath palms and fingers while quietly saying aloud, “I relax my heart.” Let the shoulders release coiled tension and drop gently. Repeat saying, “I relax my heart” and sense the heart fluttering open a bit more. Rest in this feeling.

Again say, “I relax my heart” and notice awareness drop into it, a feeling of being present in the heart. Feel all tension and holding-on melting down and out onto the floor.

Then fill the lungs deeply and release the air through puckered lips; blow out with strength and purpose. Continue for a minute or two, allowing each exhalation to come straight from the center of the chest. When it feels complete, the feeling of active release will subside.

Sense how much lighter the heart feels. Further relax the heart and shoulders, letting go into the ocean of love native to our heart. Envision floating safety in this ocean. See it stretched into infinity. Feel its warm embrace

Now choose kindness in this moment. Relax into kindness without judgment or pressure, only loving acceptance. Accept the infinite ocean of love available and open to it. It is filled with compassion, and now so are you.

Rest gently for a few minutes, until once again aware of everyday surroundings. Rub hands over both arms, legs, hands and feet to feel present in the room. Then go about a heart-centered day with the waves of the infinite ocean of love gently lapping there.

 

Amy Leigh Mercree, of Naples, FL, author of The Compassion Revolution, is a medical intuitive and relationship and wellness coach. Learn more at AmyLeighMercree.com.

Image: Andrea Danti/Shutterstock.com

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Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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