Ann Bizzarro, Ph.D.
Health and Fitness Lifestyle Coach
Category Title
Energy Life Force
Beginner's
Mind Being an Expert is
OVERRATED
Happiness Happiness comes from within
Beliefs You see the World as you are,
not as it is. Huh?
Epigenetics The Science that life is controlled by factors other than Genes
Energy: Life Force
Many people when they hear “life’s
energy” or “life force” immediately associate it with new age. From my way of thinking since the East has
been managing their life force for 1000s of years, there in nothing “new” about
it. This energy has been referred to as
Chi, Prana, and Mana. In the Star War
movies, the energy that surrounds us was described as “The Force”.
For the right brain people you can
feel the energy. Have you ever been
around someone, who through his or her words and actions makes you feel
drained? Or have you been around
someone, who through his or her words and actions makes you feel good? Pay attention the next time you look at the
caller id on your phone. Are you looking
forward to the call or are you screening the call.
For the left brain people Quantum
Physics is finally acknowledging that everything is composed of energy. This energy has always been around (did I
mention it’s not new) and is everywhere.
This could explain how a flock of birds are able to fly in unison as if
one spirit connected each individual to the whole.
Hold your hand in front of you and
what do you see? A hand . . . so far you
are doing well. Your hand is composed of Skin Tissue and
with the naked eye that is what you see.
However, if you were to take your hand and look at it under a microscope
what would you see? A little more
difficult for you to answer, don’t worry I will walk you through it. First you would see Cells but if you kept
magnifying further you would see Molecules, Atoms, and then Subatomic particles
such as electrons and protons. Since
electrons and protons are actually energy then in effect, you are energy. The same hand that you see as a solid object
when viewed under magnification is energy.
If this is your first introduction to
life’s energy, I recommend you give yourself time to contemplate on the
following:
Why do I sometimes
feel full of energy and at other times I feel drained?
Am I more
than my physical body? When a person due
to illness or an accident looses a limb are they a different person?
How does a flock of birds fly in unison?
Beginner’s Mind: Being an
Expert is OVERRATED
We go through life gaining knowledge
on the way. As we become more
knowledgeable we have a tendency to become rigid in our way of thinking. Our way is the only way and we become upset
when others have different viewpoints. Although
our lives may not be perfect, we have all the answers. We want more from life but we are unwilling
to try new things. If you want something
different, you have to do something different.
If you continue doing the same thing, you will continue getting the same
results.
Try having a beginner’s mind. Have an attitude of openness and a lack of
preconceptions when hearing or reading about new concepts. According to the Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki’s
: In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the experts mind
there are few.
There is a story that tells of a professor
who went to see a Japanese master to inquire about Zen. The Japanese Master served tea. He poured the professor’s cup full and then
kept pouring. The professor watched in
frustration as the cup was overflowing and said, “Stop pouring. The cup is filled;
no more will go in!”
The Japanese Master replied, “Like
this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty
your cup?”
Being an expert is not bad but when it causes your cup to overflow BEWARE! If the tea is hot, you will get burnt.
Happiness: Happiness
comes from within
What is the common dominator in all your
life circumstances that leave you feeling mad/calm, fearful/peaceful, angry/happy, or disappointed/satisfied? Take a guess. It’s the most important person in your
life. It is YOU.
People are always looking for
happiness outside of themselves and it’s not out there. A “Live Science” Poll show Americans are no
happier today than they were 50 years ago despite significant increases in
prosperity, larger living quarters, and a better overall quality of life. However, for whatever reason, we continue down
the same path hoping things outside of us will change and we will be
happy.
A new partner, a new job, a new boss,
a new car, etc…. and then you will be happy.
Sometimes these things can bring short-lived happiness but eventually
you will find yourself in the same unhappy place again because happiness comes
from within.
Okay I know what you’re thinking. How does one find the happiness within? Well if you don’t know the answer to that
question then it’s time to do some searching on how to find inner peace. Inner peace comes when you learn to quiet
your mind and manage your thoughts.
There are many practices that can assist you in finding happiness
within.
You can practice a discipline such as
meditation, prayer, yoga, breath work, Gigong, Tai Chi, etc… You can read self-help/self-discovery
material and/or attend seminars. Check
out the reading list on my website; especially the book “It’s the JOB … or is
it … Empowering workers to live life on their own terms.”
Beliefs: You see the
world as you are, not as it is. Huh?
This may raise some eyebrows. You see the world as you are, not as it
is. What is your first reaction to this
saying? Are you thinking that I see what
my eyes see unless of course you wear glasses and misplaced them or had one too
many to drink. I have to say you are
correct that you see what your eyes see; however, your perception (interpretation)
of what your eyes see is filtered by you.
I have a friend who loves antiques and will
spend very good money to purchase antique items. I on the other hand have only one thing to
say about antiques , JUNK! Once we were
touring this mansion and I was appalled at the furniture in the living room. My friend immediately started to tell me who
made the furniture, hold old it was, the style, and how well made it was. All I
have to say is when a seat cushion looks like a laundry bag, bumpy and lumpy;
it’s time to throw out. In this
instance, we both saw the furniture but our perception of the furniture was
very different.
In all relationships or circumstances in your life, your perception of what you see and how you react comes from your beliefs and life experiences. It’s important to mention that perceptions are not right or wrong they are just different interpretations of the same thing. We go through life with filter glasses and just accept what we see as being true when in reality what we see is only a perception.
Epigenetics – the science that sees life to be controlled by
factors other than genes
If you really want to test your belief
system see how open you are to the possibility that genes do not control your
life but instead your beliefs do. Your initial reaction may be “No Way” but what
if it is true?
First let consider that no scientific
theory is considered “Absolutely True”.
The best anyone can say is that it’s supported by objective
evidence. As scientist gain additional
knowledge many theories are revised.
Could this be the case with Epigenetics?
Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized authority in
bridging science and spirit. A cell
biologist by training, he taught Cell Biology at the University of Wisconsin’s
School of Medicine, and later performed pioneering studies at Standard
University School of Medicine.
His experiments, and those of other
leading-edge scientists, have examined in great detail the mechanisms by which
cells receive and process information.
The implications of this research radically change our understanding of
life. It shows that genes and DNA do not
control our biology; that instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the
cell, including the energetic messages emanating from our positive and negative
thoughts. [Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., The Biology of
Belief: Unleashing the power of consciousness, matter, & Miracles (Mountain
of Love/Elite Books, 2005), cover.]
If this is true it could lead to a major overhaul in our health care system. This could explain the placebo effect which scientist usually just label as unexplained phenomenon. One example of the placebo effect is when a patient is given a sugar pill and told that it may improve their condition, but they are not told that it is in fact inert. After time passes, the patient’s condition improves only to find out that they were given a sugar pill. It is believed that since the patient believed the treatment would work, it did.