Tag Archives: Wayne Dyer

Blue Monday

There have been a lot of facebook posts going around (which I love btw) talking about couches being open to friends when they need a place to land, a shoulder to cry on etc.

I wanted to share this study I learned about awhile back that is so powerful especially so on blue Monday.

Many people especially in the Midwest suffer from seasonal affective disorder or SAD. Part of the problem is that we have less sunshine and the cold, dreary weather can contribute to isolation. We are social beings and need contact. Wayne Dyer describes a Swedish study of Random Acts of Kindness and serotonin levels. When a person practices an act of kindness his serotonin levels increase. The person receiving the act of kindness will also experience a boost in serotonin levels. And interestingly enough a witness to the act of kindness will also benefit with a rise in serotonin levels. What’s more is that this lift in endorphins has a lasting effect and because it impacts the giver, receiver and witness one small act of kindness can ripple out in the world. If the winter months leave you with a sense of dread this is a perfect time to practice random acts of kindness and contribute to not only your serotonin levels but those around you as well. The giver of kindness receives the highest boost in feel good endorphins but don’t be afraid to also receive kindness.

How many random acts of kindness can you offer your tiny corner of the world today? Lets raise up that serotonin! Share your stories on the facebook page. 🙂

I’ll leave you with this, my favorite happy pose, named fittingly so.

Happy Buddha

look up and laugh!

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Natural Remedy for Winter Blues

In Chinese Medicine it is pretty clear that the body is interconnected. When one organ or
channel becomes imbalanced, the rest will start to become imbalanced as well. This is the
same reason why an acu point on the top of the foot can be used on the opposite side of the
body to treat a one sided headache.
Modern medicine is catching up to ancient wisdom.
Wayne Dyer reports that in recent Swedish study of serotonin levels people who extend acts of kindness raise their serotonin levels. Not only does the person acting kindly towards someone feel the effect, the person receiving kindness and those witnessing kindness also receive a boost in serotonin levels. 
How is that for interconnectedness? 🙂 Help someone, feel good! Accept help from someone, feel good! Watch someone help someone else, feel good!

I felt so impacted by this notion of raising serotonin levels that I made it a practice to be as kind as I could to those around me. Not only did my mood improve, I also felt like I had more energy, that I smiled more for no reason, that life didn’t seem so stressful. What did it really cost me to give the man standing on the off ramp of the freeway the leftovers of the lunch I couldn’t finish, or reaching for a bag of rice for a woman too short to reach it at the grocery store, cleaning the toilet that hadn’t been washed in a month (instead of arguing about who’s turn it was), leaving a couple extra bucks for a waitress, the list could continue. The most amazing impact of this experiment that I found was that people, strangers, began extending the same kind of kindness to me in small ways, in large ways. I have become acutely aware of the goodness returning in my life ten-fold.

Imagine the impact you could have, not only in your own life, but in all the lives around you if you started to look for the small acts of kindness around you instead of the disasters, if you consciously made an effort to be kind, or if you consciously made an effort to receive kindness. Remember its the little things in life that can make the most difference. *And a friendly reminder to all of you that are used to being on the giving side: learn how to receive!  🙂

If you are prone to feeling down in the winter months, change your perspective or check out yesterdays blog on our winter blue’s meditation. 🙂 If you are feeling isolated find a way to build community: take a class, volunteer, try something you’ve never done before.

Let me know about your random acts of kindness. Share a comment here or on the facebook page. I’d love to hear about it!