Licorice, lollipops,chocolate and health fairs….

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

I attended a health and wellness expo last week to promote my business and share the methods I use to help people move better, feel better and get out of pain. I don’t participate in many events, but when I do, I always place a lovely basket of high quality dark chocolate at the edge of my table. Just the thought of chocolate brings a smile to my face. And the smell! Is there anything more comforting than the smell of rich, dark chocolate wafting over you? Especially when you’re feeling stressed or anxious. As much as I enjoy getting out in front of the public, these big health expos make me incredibly nervous. I’m always afraid of feeling inept, or out of place. As I organized my table, I set out my basket of chocolate. The heavenly aroma combined with the pretty wrappings...

Continue reading

Evening prayers, insomnia, and world peace….

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

When I was a little girl, evening prayers were part of our bedtime ritual. From as early as I could remember, my mother would kneel with me and my sisters at our bedside and lead us in prayer. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” I guess that explains my life-long struggle with insomnia. If there was a chance that I may die before I wake, I wasn’t about to fall asleep. Then we learned “Our Father, who art in Heaven….” When I asked my mother who “Art” was, she explained, “You know, like your father, who art in the mill.” Oh, well. That made sense, since our dad worked in the steel mill. She was really good at explaining things. I swear she had...

Continue reading

Surrounded by brilliance….and neuroplasticity.

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

Don’t you just love it when the gifts keep coming? Just as I am still marveling at my Sensei’s brilliance two weeks ago in martial arts,  I got another blast of brilliance from my ballet mistress. Dancers are visual as well as kinestetic in our learning experiences. We use our eyes as well as our bodies to learn choreography in our technique classes. We look in the mirror to check our placement as well as our movement patterns. However, sometimes we depend on the use of our eyes and the mirrors too much. For example, if we know we can look in the mirror and follow the other dancers, there is less pressure to learn the combinations. We can become complacent, and fall into the habit of watching each other instead of paying attention to the choreography. Last week our teacher gave...

Continue reading

Sense of smell. How neuroplasticity saved the day.

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

A few weeks ago I was hiking in the mountains with my husband. I was in  a terrible mood. I was irritable, sad, depressed and feeling sorry for myself. It was Father’s Day, and the first Father’s Day without my Dad. This was only 6 short weeks after going through the first Mother’s Day without my Mom. Trying to hide my bad mood, I did what I do best….I put my head down and stubbornly forged ahead, placing one foot in front of the other and forced myself up the mountain, oblivious to the spectacular scenery around me. After about an hour we stopped to rest. The wind shifted, and  I caught the indescribable fragrance of clean mountain air, pine trees, melting snow and damp earth. As I stood there soaking in that incredible smell, my mood immediately began to shift....

Continue reading