Tag / Book Review

Expand your Enjoyment in Life with Everyday Mindfulness

February 14, 2021February 14, 2021 by Christy

Giveaway Alert! Ready for something special? I’ve discovered a gem of book for YOU!

No matter HOW smart, capable, brilliant, or gorgeous you are (and you ARE more than you can possibly know!), it’s challenging in the BEST of times to incorporate the mindfulness skills we KNOW can improve the quality of our lives. And let’s face it, nothing in the past year has felt like the best of times..

There’s just so DARN many things we “should” do to take care of ourselves (and I DON’T advocate “shoulding” on yourself) that get lost in the flurry of the “must do’s” for everyone else.

You know exactly what I’m talking about, right? Because sometimes it feels like the whole world might collapse if we stop for a moment of peace.

This is where the genius of Melissa Steginus can help transform EVERYTHING with Everyday Mindfulness: 108 simple practices to empower yourself and transform your life. The lovely people at TCK Publishing sent me free copies of her book, and one of them may be for YOU!

Everyday Mindfulness guides you through powerful mindfulness practices that help you rewire your habits and rewrite your life. With step-by-step instruction and evidence-based exercises designed to integrate into a busy schedule, Steginus makes it simple to integrate the changes you dream of. Your time and energy are your most precious resources; how you spend these shapes your entire life. Everyday Mindfulness can ensure you spend them on what matters!

You’ll enjoy the “slow and steady” approach which makes it easy to explore simple practices in small doses while finding your favorites. Everyday Mindfulness is designed to use day by day over 108 days, but I also like to flip to a page – any page – for guidance that feels just right for that day. I discovered beautiful reminders about nourishing my soul (day 67), engaging in play (day 31), and sharing in wonder (day 106). Everyday Mindfulness reminds me of a lifetime favorite – The Joy Diet – with its simplicity and potency.

Now YOU can be entered into a drawing from my magic bowl to win a FREE copy. Just send a quick note saying YES by Saturday, February 27th to christy (at) thealchemistsheart.com and I’ll let you know if you’re the lucky winner!

With Love and Alchemy,

Christy

The Elusive Antidote to Helping Baby Sleep Through The Night

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

Do you suffer through sleepless nights, and then during the day listen to heartless advice to let your baby “cry it out?”

Join Christy Harvey and her well-rested guest, Elizabeth Pantley, in helping baby sleep through the night. Discover how to help your baby fall asleep peacefully – and stay asleep all night long! They will talk about Elizabeth’s book, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep through the Night.

Christy, an emotional health therapist also known as the Mommy Muse, knows first-hand that having adequate sleep can make all the difference in how a mom functions. Elizabeth, an educator and mother of four, is eager to offer tear-free sleep solutions to fit your personal parenting style.

Book Reviews The Alchemist's Heart

The Joy Diet

The Joy Diet changed my life.

8 years ago, I felt lonely and unsatisfied as a caregiver. I was homeschooling my 5-year-old while chasing after my toddler and caring for my elderly grandfather at home. My days were filled by tending to the bodily functions of other people (and rarely my own). Although I loved my family fiercely, I knew something needed to change.

With no time to read, but desperately seeking help, I downloaded an MP3 of The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life by Oprah columnist Martha Beck. Within 30 minutes, I knew I had hit gold. It turns out that the original meaning of the word “diet” had nothing to do with food, and everything to do with the way we live our lives. In her typical down-to-earth, unassuming style, Martha delivered on the book’s promise to help me add 10 simple behaviors to my way of living and thinking to enhance my life. Her action points were so remarkably do-able, even on my fully packed schedule that even I could follow through.

The ten “ingredients” of The Joy Diet will challenge and delight you. Martha recommends working through the practices in order, making sure each one feels like second nature before moving on to the next. Just one step a week is all it takes. The first assignment, “doing nothing” for 15 minutes a day, is tougher than it looks! By the time you integrate the next action steps, creating and absorbing a daily moment of truth and exploring one of your heart’s desires, you will be well on your way to creating a life you actually enjoy. And if you want to expand your enjoyment of life beyond what you thought was possible, add in the final seven ingredients: creativity, risk, treats, play, laughter, connection, and feasting.

Sounds easy, right? After all, you’re “just” tuning into your deepest truth and learning how to be good to yourself with play-filled steps. Yet it is impossible to incorporate these life ingredients without transforming long-standing patterns of thought and action. While The Joy Diet is technically a diet for the spirit, I found myself feeling healthier and losing weight as I filled myself up ecologically from the inside out. So whenever anyone asks me if The Joy Diet will help them lose weight, I say “it certainly may, but that’s just a side benefit!”

I longed for one thing when I finished the book – something to remind me of each day’s steps and provide space to write down notes about my journey. Customized journal pages just for The Joy Diet.

Well, they didn’t exist – not yet. My family commented that I should approach Martha (did I mention she’s Oprah’s life coach?) to propose the creation of such a thing. Me? Are you kidding? Who am I to do such a thing? I hardly thought that was in the realm of possibility. But I did create a template for my own personal Joy Diet Journal Pages to assist me in my journey. Two years later, on a delightful radio interview with Martha Beck, I asked if official Joy Diet Journal Pages had been developed. Imagine my surprise when she said “No,” and suggested I contribute my personal template to the Team. Here was the exact opportunity I couldn’t imagine how to manifest not so long ago. The ability to collaborate with Martha Beck and share a life-enhancing tool with other people embarking on The Joy Diet.

Interested? Read (or listen to!) The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life, then send me a note or a post to this blog with your email address and I will enthusiastically send the Joy Diet Journal Pages to you!

And darling, if you’ve been busy tending everyone else’s needs and are scared of losing your chance to live the life you want, let’s talk. Alchemy Sessions may be exactly what you’re searching for. I can help you move beyond the soul-numbing grind and reawaken into life full of connection, magic, and extraordinary possibilities. It’s time for you to feel ALIVE again!

The Alchemist's Heart

Engaging in Deep Play

I dedicate my inaugural post of The Alchemist’s Heart to my mother, Linda Semrau, on her birthday. She was the first to recognize my Alchemical nature, and consistently provided rich opportunities to nurture my unique gifts in life. Happy Birthday, Mom!

My passion in life is engaging in the field of deep play – the space that challenges me to bring my best, risking deep authenticity, daring to explore the boundaries of my client’s beliefs, joining up in the adventure of expanding our capacities for wellness.

There is rush when a client breaks through old limits into a new space of possibilities. In these moments, we both feel intensely alive, appreciative, and filled with a greater sense of Lightness. Every time, I marvel at our strength and courage as human beings, and feel privileged to be able to share the journey of growth with another beautiful spirit.

Once you have experienced this magical space, you will return to it in your mind, diving into the memory to reconnect with your truest nature. In this case, you will resonate automatically with the concept, but for those of us who also crave word play, here are excerpts from Diane Ackerman’s book (2000) Deep Play:

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning and maneuvering. It feels satisfying, absorbing, while offering rare challenges.”

“It always has a sacred space in which it happens…invites problem solving, allowing a creature to test limits and develop strategies. ”

“Play has a time limit which may be an intense but fleeting moment….or the exact span of a psychotherapy session.

“Play requires freedom – it happens outside ordinary life. ”

The original meaning of play involved the concept of risk. In early times, play was far from frivolous, requiring “daring, risk, concentration, the ability to live with uncertainty, a willingness to follow the rules of the game, and a desire for transcendence.”

THIS is what makes life worthwhile – the reason I love my work and look forward every day to the sacred space I am honored to hold with my clients. Alchemical transformation through life coaching and counseling inspires my days, but so does dancing, hiking to mountaintops, and fishing in beautifully remote areas.

I would love to hear from you. What are YOUR areas of Deep Play? What moments bring you vibrantly alive? Thank you for sharing YOUR your favorite areas of life!