Blog-a-thon Day #19

It's Friday morning and I'm trying to decide on an intention for the day. We have been talking in yoga about setting a daily intention and then watching what life does with it. The point is we never get exactly what we want but we can point ourselves in the direction of our intentions. Then,  with awareness, we can observe ourselves reacting to going on and off course.

So far, I'm drawing a blank on what I would like my intention to be for today. But I have come across this inspiration once again and am reminded that the list makes for some great LIFE intentions.

How to live a life without regrets:

~~be true to your real self

~~don't work so hard you miss your life

~~have the courage to express your feelings

~~stay in touch with your friends

~~let yourself be happy

From Top five regrets of the dying

Quotacious:

"Having good intentions isn't enough when actions fail; you also need some bad intentions so that you look competent."

~~Benson Bruno

Blog-a-thon Day #18

At our last team meeting we all agreed we wanted to address Kyle's noise level. While he does not have words, he has a great variety of sounds in a wide range of decibel levels. His volume is related to excitement, stress, sensory stimulation, joining within a conversation, and who knows what else.

As a team, we are working on teaching Kyle to quiet down in certain places and situations. I admit to not being sure he had that much control of himself. Therefore, I thought it was going to be pretty difficult to help him adjust his noise level.

We brainstormed and came up with a few strategies. Certain rooms of the house are quiet rooms and we all will talk quietly to him and ask him to be quieter in these rooms. Even if he just tones it down a few notches, that's a positive adjustment. We will really whoop it up and get loud in the loud rooms like his bedroom and downstairs TV room. We will help him stop and slow down in the community when he is loud and fast and ask him to quiet down before moving on. We will play with contrast especially in music therapy. Very loud /very soft. We have even cut the paper he likes to flap into squares so in the quiet areas, the paper is quiet. We will address sensory stimulation with gum and massage. These are just some of our starting points.

Kyle's response has been nothing short of miraculous. I am amazed at how much he has been able to control himself sometimes going from loud to completely silent. Or sometimes adjusting to a much softer voice.  It is so beautiful to see Kyle learn right before our eyes. We've only been at it a week and everyone has reported similar results.

I believe I have not given Kyle enough credit in this area. Quieting his voice is not something we can prompt him to do. It has to come from him. We can ask, but ultimately he is in full control of that.

This takes a lot of mindful awareness on our part. And perseverance. Kyle's response has been an unexpected bonus reward. Often it takes a very long time of trying for something before we see changes. I thought this would be much harder so I have been pleasantly encouraged and surprised. I am fully aware that Kyle has the option of not responding at all. And that happens too sometimes. But if we give it enough time, there has always been some kind of response.

And the life lesson is:  point yourself in the direction of what you want, take action, adjust when necessary, and keep trying.  Don't be thrown off course by lack of results. Appreciate small movements. Try as best  you can not to decide ahead of time how the process will unfold. You'll be wrong anyway.

Quotacious:

"The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people."

~~Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

Blog-a-thon Day #17

It's Wednesday evening,  a little before 6:30, and Kyle is waiting on the couch for Steve, the bowl guy. Every Wednesday, Steve, a man who goes to my yoga studio and also lives in our neighborhood, shows up with his array of Tibetan bowls.

Kyle gets his own private concert. The melodic tones of the bowls fill the room. The vibrations can be felt from head to toe. I usually get drowsy while listening. Kyle has a wide range of reactions. Tonight he was listening intently and quietly. Occasionally, he chimed in by harmonizing or matching one of the bowl tones.

Kyle's response after the bowl concerts varies. Sometimes it helps calm him down. Sometimes he is more excited. Sometimes we hear the tone of a bowl coming from Kyle after Steve has left.

It's a nice opportunity for Kyle. There are many demands made on him during his day. His life is full of challenges from the time the day begins. Listening to the bowls taps in to something he enjoys: sound. It is also a full body experience. And I am sure it goes even deeper.

Nothing to do. No response required. Just listen.

Quotacious:

"Sound Healing is an effective and proven modality that uses vibrational sound to help reduce stress, alter consciousness and create a deep sense of peace, well being and better health.

During our waking state, the normal frequency of our brain waves is that of Beta. Sound tools entrain the brain to move into the deeper Alpha and Theta brain wave frequencies. These are the frequencies that induce deep meditative and peaceful states, clarity of mind and intuition. Modern medicine can now measure and thus confirm the practice of sound as a means to promote healing. Thus, sound is a type of energy medicine that creates the sacred space in which people can heal from stress disorders, pain, depression, the emotional roller coaster and more.

How does it work? Ancient instruments, including Tibetan singing bowls are 'struck and sung' in specific rhythmic patterns to create vibrational sound harmonics at the frequency of "AUM" or "OM". This sound frequency known as that of Perfection impacts the sympathetic nervous system as your brain waves synchronize to the vibrations of the bowls. The harmonic vibrations engage the relaxation reflex and slow down the respiratory, brain and heart rate and disrupt the pain reflex creating a deep sense of well being.

What are the benefits? Among the many are relief from pain, stress- related conditions and the ability to alter ones consciousness. It is an integral part of healing the effects of chemotherapy, reduces pain and discomfort from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression, After sessions clients experience improved memory, clarity, vitality and the ability to take action. Many report out of body experiences, a deep sense of tranquility, sleep soundly and feel the effects of the treatment for several days."

~~Diane Mandle, SoundEnergyHealing.com