VBAC for any pregnant client?

For pregnant clients contemplating a VBAC: read on!

Wow! I am so glad they ran this story!
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/17/birth.plan.tips/index.html

Hope you're enjoying the Holidays!

Lisa

The Pink Glove Dance

This was forwarded to me from my friend Tamra. This lifted my heart and made it sing watching what one group of hospital employees could do to help bring awareness to breast cancer.
Read below, and be sure to share with others!!

In health,
Lisa


I don't know how many hits this has gotten, but it's great to watch plus Medline will make a donation.

Pink Glove Dance

A friend's daughter-in-law created, directed and choreographed this in Portland last week for her Medline glove division as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. This was all her idea to help promote their new pink gloves. I don't know how she got so many employees, doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on and they all had a lot of fun doing it.

When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community. Please check it out. It's an easy and great way to donate to a wonderful cause, and who hasn't been touched by breast cancer?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw

Some Research for Childbirth

For my pregnant clients out there: here's some interesting information regarding childbirth and labor:

There was a Univ.of Col. (2007 study) that showed laboring women were less likely to tear while giving birth if they engaged in massaging their perineums.
What's that you ask? Not for everyone. But, for those willing, it's an opportunity to stretch the muscles for the baby to navigate more smoothly and easily through the birth canal. Ask me if you want to know how to massage!

A 2004 study from Nijmegen Univ in Netherlands showed that there were shortened first and second stages labor from women who sat or squatted during this time.
Now, the image here would be to imagine that more space (up to 1 cm. more) can be opened in the pubic symphysis. Structurally, our bodies open to support labor.
This means SQUAT, SQUAT, SQUAT! And... only if it feels right to YOU. That's what's so great about preparing to birth your baby.
It's like parenting. Take what you want, and leave the REST!

2006 Cochran study showed those women that engaged in self-hypnosis or relaxation were more able to manage the pain of labor (if that's how you'd describe labor).

I love teaching meditation and the use of guided imagery for birthing in order to relax oneself. I love being a guide towards witnessing your body's way of unfolding to the relaxation process.

Today I meditated and I feel the energy moving through me as I type.

Go meditate! Try it!!

In peace,
Lisa

Yoga on The Beach - It's so Much More Than Just That!

A past client of mine got 9 of her best women friends together this past Saturday. I got to teach them yoga. There's so much more going on than just that. There's the act of setting up our mats in a semi-circle formation, while able to look at the ocean in front of us. There's the energy created from women in friendship. There's also the blue sky and sun above warming our hearts and our minds, as we shift our energy from the "go, go, go" to a softer, more peaceful place.

During the end of "class" I love guiding these women in partner poses. They pair off and support each other through touch, encouragement, and hold space to take risks and fight through the fear of trying something "new."

There's just so much more going on. I leave feeling so full. So enriched. And so hopeful for where these women then go to spread this powerful energy....

Smiles,
Lisa

"Changing My Mind" Parenting

How often do we change our minds throughout the course of a day? What we eat, where we shop, which road we travel. Why isn't it okay to change our minds when we parent?
I think it is.

One of the biggest issues facing most of us today is whether we receive the H1N1 vaccination. I have been reading so many mommy-blogs where someone will make a case for vaccinating. Another will plead for the opposite.

I know for today my family will not be receiving this vaccine. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. We may change our minds!

The reminds me of my clients who chose to birth in a hospital for their first born and then opted for a home birth for their second child. Or, the ones that opt to have an epidural first time around versus birthing without one the next. Or, the folks that advocate for sleep training, while for the next child they use family bed-sharing in their homes. These people must have changed their minds along the way as to what they thought was best for themselves and their families.

Recently, there was a mom that emailed me. She said that she was answering from a "more enlightened" place in response to some information I wanted from her. How true is that! I know for me I am always trying to become more enlightened! What I may have done with kid #2 may have changed from what I did with kid #1. My hope is that we all stay open instead of operating from hard and fast rules! The scary part for me is when I start using the words, "Always/never". I will be on the look-out for the exception to that disclaimer.

My kids get to see me change my mind and therefore they (and me) can adapt and be all the stronger for it!

Here's to embracing changing of our minds,

Lisa

How Could My Son Call Me a Name?

My soon to be 11 year old son was snuggled up with me on the couch tonight. As we were hugging I was lying there thinking about how much love he had for me and I for him. Now that he's asleep I sit here thinking, "how could this same boy call me a name?" That's just what happened for the first time this summer.

He joined Junior Lifeguards and was with kids older than him. He was most likely exposed to things, words, actions, feelings that I'm sure he never heard/saw or felt before. Maybe that's why I heard him call me the "b" word. And maybe that was the start of what it will look like during his teen years?

I knew that this was an opportunity for growth on both our parts. Which is why I said, "I know you meant to hurt my feelings and you did. I feel hurt." I then told him I needed to to think about how I would respond.

I then weighed my options. I could send him to his room. I could punish him by "taking something away." Nothing felt more right then to surround him with love and come from a place a love in my parenting.

This is what I did:

I told my son that I was sure that he would use this word again in his life. I just hoped that he wouldn't use it towards me. I told him this was a "low vibration" word and that we needed to balance out this energy with doing some "good" for the world. I thought of his gift of piano playing and made a call to a local retirment home. I spoke with the Activities Director and asked if my son could have an opportunity to play some songs.

My son went kicking and screaming on the date of his "performance." When he was done he had the biggest smile on his face and said, "Mom, I want to do this again."

He hasn't called me a name since. In fact, tonight he told me I was the best mom ever and I'm basking in this glory as I write.

I keep learning that sometimes my best parenting moments come when I take time to reflect on what has come before me, instead of parenting from a "knee-jerk reaction" place. I can only hope that I can bring this thoughtfulness to the next time my children need me to bring my best "game face" to the next problem/dilemma/name-calling!

Smiles,
Lisa

My Aunt Was Supposed to Die Today...

Being in the birth world, I am very priveledged to work with new life. New energy. Happiness for another entrance into the world.

Death usually doesn't embrace all these things. My aunt was diagnosed with a brain tumor this past August. I flew back east to be with her, even packing clothes for what I thought would be her funeral. She had told me on the phone prior to my flight out that she wanted to die. I told her that I would help her for this transition.

In my role as a birth doula, counselor, prenatal yoga teacher, etc. I support my client's wishes and desires. I am not the one in charge. This was the theme that I brought with me for my visit to my aunt.

My aunt surprised everyone, including (of course) the doctors. She woke up, even after her priest had visited her. She told him, "You know that journey you said I was about to take? Well, I postponed it for a while."

These last 2 months my aunt chose to have aggressive chemo and radiation. The tumor was inoperable yet was shrinking in size. She has had these last months to reconnect with my family. My family has had the opportunity to say good-bye.

Yet, today she was supposed to die.

Yesterday, my aunt didn't wake up in the morning. The ambulance took her to the hospital and my uncle and cousin were discussing the need for hospice.

Today, my aunt woke up! I called her and she was sitting in a chair. I told her I loved her. She has decided to eat whatever she wants.

Why is she still here? Not for me to judge. Who am I to make such a marked statement as, "My aunt was supposed to die today?" I am not in charge. I need to get out of the driver's seat and watch this process unfold.

Just like my role in the birth world. I watch as the process unfolds....

Abundance

During my yoga practice today I was meditating on life's abundance. My yoga teacher, Valinda, asked us to ask a question and then pick up one of her "spirit" cards. My question was, "How can I manifest more clients?" I thought of this question because I often think I need to go find another job to supplement the work I do have in my private practice. What keeps me from doing so is that the phone will all of a sudden start ringing and new clients will seek out my services!
The last couple of weeks has been a bit slower. I trust it's b/c I have been more available as a mom to foster a good start for my boys' school year.

Back to the card...
The one I picked up essentially said that I needed "patience" and that life was unfolding just as it should be.

I then went for a massage with a woman who it feels like I've known forever. (Hilary Roebuck, for those that are in the South Bay). When I shared with Hil my card story she told me there were 2 meanings for the word "patience": the one that means to wait and the other (different spelling) that means "patients."
So, I guess I can trust those clients will come when they are ready.

In the meantime, I can keep taking care of myself. I can keep growing and get to that state of grace to attract clients that want that same sense of self that I experience.

And you know what happened next?
I came home to find a card with no return address. Inside it were five $100 bills.
The universe is really listening! The giver obviously wants to remain anonymous.
I feel so humbled and so connected right now!

Abundance....
Yes, it is so.

~Lisa

Watching My Children Grow

I am amazed. Truly amazed at the abilities and talents of my boys. Like most parents, I love finding the time to watch them find their way in life.

For the moment, my oldest son (10) is relishing his time in the ocean. He spent his day as a participant in the Junior Lifeguard program. He ended up back at the beach this evening with a friend and his dad surfing. My son is doing things that I've never done in my life. There's this sense of seperation that has happened, and I am amazed at how the time has passed so quickly.

My youngest son found his calling this evening at his Summer Baseball game. He was the youngest on either side, yet exuded such confidence in his abilities and knowing of the game itself.

I am hopeful for many more moments like these. When the spirit of the moment captures my boys and they so easily move through life's activities.

It is bliss.

Happy summer!
Lisa

I Wrote on a Scrap Piece of Paper

Here's what I found and wrote on a scrap piece of paper:

The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance.
The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as
unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life.
You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose. -Arnold Bennet

When my friend Nancy and I conduct "Leaf Turning" workshops (a group where we learn to turn over new leafs in our lives through a series of mindful exercises) I always like to read the quote above.

The problem is, I'm always searching for my scrap piece of paper! My new leaf turned over today is that I "wrote" it on my blog. It's here for me forever and will never again be lost.

Time well spent.

The sun is here today and I am smiling,

Lisa

Painless Birth - Reality For lots of Russian Women .

Painless Birth - Reality For lots of Russian Women .


Are the Russians on to something?
Is that why I work on breathing so much in my life and with others?
"Remember to Breathe" is, after all, a good reminder!

Happy 4th of July!
Lisa

Summer is Definitely Here

Today is one of those days unlike most where I live. Instead of the "June gloom" in the morning, the sun is out in full-force. There are times that the sun doesn't show itself until 2 P.M. (and I feel as though we are living in Seattle with all the grey). But today is different.

There's something about the sun shining down upon me. It brings warmth to my heart and soul. It shines down the promise and hope of what's yet to come.

Today, as I'm watching my son's baseball game, teaching a prenatal yoga class and seeing a client, I vow to use the sun as a metaphor for radiating all that's good.
I vow to pause and feel the sun's glow before I speak. I vow to pause.... and be still... like the sun.

Happy sunshine day,

Lisa

Hard Candy at a Farmer's Market?

Isn't the image I'm sharing supposed to be what a Farmer's Market looks like when you go to shop? For years, the Hermosa Beach Farmer's Market has sold hard candy. You know, the kind that you find at Cosco or your local grocery store.

I want my kids to grow up having an image in their mind's eye of the picture above. An image where they think of local, fresh produce and hand-made items. Not an image of candy laden with high-fructose corn syrup, dyes, and artificial ingredients.

I wrote a letter to the local Chamber of Commerce and the issue received support from other concerned parents. Today I received word that there will no longer be the sale of hard candy. It's the little victories that really do make a difference.

If I had a horse, I think I'd get on it and ride off into the distance. :)

Your Farmer's Market Image Lover,

Lisa

Could I Be Silent for 1.5 Years, like Jack Kornfield?

It's been 2 days since my mindfulness training with Jack Kornfield and Dan Siegel. I find myself slowing down and being mindful of every thought, spoken word and action. Just being in those 2 men's presence has definitely reinforced the notion that I am on the right path for this lifetime.

Could I ever go live in silence for 1.5 years, as Jack Kornfield once did when he lived in the forest as a Buddhist munk? I'm not sure. I know I'm open to the idea, however. Dan Siegel (amazing neuro-biologiest) reminded us that focused intention really does create new synapses in the brain. So what I may have never thought possible, actually is.

I didn't go to the forest today, but I do live 3/4 miles from the beach. I took a mindful run and went down by the water's edge. It's cloudy here in Hermosa Beach today. I thanked the clouds for creating that moment of perfection. Everything and everyone is as they should be.

Leaving the beach, I found myself more able to answer work emails, schedule my family's day. I just blessed each activity, trusting that it's my mind that needs to stay calm and feel like I'm in the forest or at the beach, even when I'm not.
Since my brain really doesn't know the difference between what is real/not real, I might as well keep imagining myself in a forest monestary.

Thanks Jack, thanks Dan, as I know have pieces of you in me. We are all one.

Mindfully,

Lisa

What My Grandfather Almost Failed to Share with Me!

I have been blessed with knowing my grandparents. Really knowing them. In fact, I lived with them part-time while completing my internship during graduate school.
We've had many conversations, yet it wasn't until a few years back that my grandfather shared with me something that no one else in the family ever knew.

During a visit back to Massachusetts I sat on that all too familiar, comfy couch at my grandparent's house. My grandfather asked me what the word "doula" meant, after I shared with him some of my current life happenings. When he heard the word "baby" he said, "Oh, yeah, that's what my mom did. She delivered all the babies in the town where we lived."

Now, a doula isn't exactly a midwife. She is there to emotionally support the laboring woman. But it is pretty close to being a midwife, isn't it? I began to wonder if working with pregnancy and birthing wasn't something that was handed down to me from my very own Great-Grandmother! It must be in my bones to do this work!

My grandfather told me he remembered as a child driving his mother in a horse and buggy to a birth. He also remembered boiling water on the stove. I still can not believe that I would not have ever known this information had my grandfather not shared it.

I learned a big lesson that day. We think we know people. We think we know our own family. Life is just full of surprises. And my surprise that day has allowed me to embrace the idea that my great-grandmother's inner-wisdom is pouring through me with every client I encounter....

Ever mindful,
Lisa

Receiving Help From My Village

I think I have a lot of villages. There's my kids baseball community. There's my yoga community. There's our church community. All these villages seem to help keep our family ticking.

My parents just left from an extended vacation. We see them 3x a year, being 3,000 miles apart. With my parents afar, those villages listed above seem to be why my family needs villages.

Growing up, all my grandparents lived in the same town as many of my aunts/uncles/cousins. My parents made the big move, and raised myself and my brothers 1 hour away from their extended family. This may have started the trend towards becoming independent, but the need for a village would never be forgotten.

I am so grateful to all those that help my family. The postal worker pets my dog when he delivers our mail. She LOVES him! So many moms help bring my kids to/from school when I have a client or work that sometimes keeps me from these duties. Rides to swim practice, neighborhood block parties, food for when I was recovering from my ACL surgery 1 year ago all remind me of the many ways I feel blessed to have my "villages."

What is a Doula? Read on...

I found an old file that I thought I would share about my decision to be a doula (another word that most people don't know the meaning of)! "Doula" really means companion in Greek. How wonderful my journey has been to work with my clients prenatally and then be there with them to witness one of the most important moments in their life.

Read on about my "doula" letter.


I wanted to share with you what happened last week! After saying "No" to many pregnant clients over the years, I finally agreed to be a birth doula. I was afraid that I would be too sleep-deprived (I was right). I was afraid that I wouldn't have the support of my husband and friends (I was wrong).
You see, I need to be at these births. My IBP training has helped me with my own presence and I can therefore truly be in the moment for my clients.

One tool that I used for my client was for her to draw an imaginary circle around her hospital bed. This served as a boundary for her to find her center, go within, and do what she needed to do to meet her baby. My client became aware of how her energy would go "out" each time someone talked or a new person walked into the room. With her energy focused "outward" her pelvis would literally shut down, thus slowing the labor process. The circle became the one place where she could pull inward.

She used the circle to also contain the plethora of feelings that would surface with each contraction. The predominating feeling was... FEAR! We worked on her breathing, and this is where my prenatal yoga teaching really took hold. My client was able to connect the importance of taking long, deep breaths in order to effect her parasympathetic nervous system. Because she chose to be hooked up to a monitor, my client was able to see her blood pressure lower right before her eyes!

I myself witnessed the connection I had made with my client's baby. Because this woman had attended my prenatal yoga classes, I had the opportunity to teach some of the good mother messages. The baby received such messages as "I love you" this each time I talked to the baby who was ready to be born. My client had a fetal monitor on and every time I talked the baby's heart beat got stronger and louder.

I went with my intuition and followed my client's lead as to what she wanted for her baby's birth. I began massaging my client's feet/toes. Each time I did so she would get a stronger contraction. She said, "Keep doing that." When her little girl finally came into the world, I began telling her how hard she worked to get here and how happy we were to finally meet her. You wouldn't believe it. This baby turned her head around to see me!
This was all the evidence that I needed to know that I am on this planet to help women have safer, undisturbed births. Ones where love shines through instead of fear.
Thanks for listening. And, as my children keep growing, I will do this more and more. If you ever have a friend that wants what I have to offer, please send them my way.

What Do You Call This Kind of Poem?

Several months ago I went to a seminar on journaling. I wrote the following poem taking the letter "A" of the alphabet and went all the way to the letter "R".
Read on and please... will someone tell me what this kind of poem is called?


****This photo is on my website (somewhere). I can't believe how little my boys look! I am grateful for the love we shared with each other the day this photo was taken...





~~~~BIRTH AS A MINDFUL BEGINNING~~~

All
Babies
Care and
Desire a world that
Embraces,
Fights for and
Gives a chance for a
Heart-Centered birth.
I'll
Just
Know that
LOVE is what
Makes this cycle of life possible.
Now is the time to
Open our minds to the
Possibilities,
Questions and
Revelations that only a birth can bring.

~~~~Copyright 2009, Lisa Pedersen, www.mindfulbeginnings.com~~~~~

Ricki Lake Is a Passionate Woman

I helped coordinate a screening of the movie, "The Business of Being Born" this past Friday evening. There were close to 50 people there. Some pregnant couples, some moms who are way past the baby/diaper stage, some interested in women's health. They all came and watched the movie with wider eyes than normal. They saw Ricki Lake allow herself to be completely vulnerable on the camera and tell a story of how birth is becoming a business where it's being "done" to women, instead of women finding themselves empowered to make their own choices.

There were some women who wanted or had, like Ricki with her 2nd baby, a home birth. There was history shared about the lack of midwifery presence in the U.S., as opposed to other industrialized countries (Japan having an 80% midwifery presence).

Asking the question "why" is an important one in order to make informed choices in regards to birthing babies, taking our children to their pediatricians, selecting foods for our family to eat, etc., etc...
Home birth may not be for everyone. However, as Paul Crane, OB/GYN stated at another panel presentation: "Why can't we bring the home birth to the hospital?"
I would add that it is our baby's birthright to come into the world filled with love.
A room where his/her mom births in awareness. This is the right start for one's future.

I'm curious to see what these babies will look like when they grow up, having been birthed with this love. What a wonderful world it will be (thanks, Nat King Cole)!

Mindfully,
Lisa

Smelling Like a Skunk While "Salsa-ing"

Okay, talk about staying present in the moment.
My dog was inadvertently sprayed by a skunk. While bathing her, I, in turn picked up "remnant" smells. And then I went salsa dancing with my husband.
The smell could have distracted us, or those around us.
Instead, we laughed and moved on.
I'm kind of getting used to the smell and think the universe is just testing me to see how I react when life throws a curve ball.
I think I passed the test today.
And I am grateful for my first ever "skunk-salsa" dance.

Smiles,
Lisa

Taking Time for Love

In my inbox, from my husband was the following e.e. cummings poem:


i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you


You see, my husband reminds me with poems like these, that our love for each other is never finished. There's always another chapter to be written, and if I stop the writing, I stop (although momentarily) the flow of love between us.

I have so much going on in my day with clients, my kids, my own exercise, etc..
These poems remind me to be mindful and take the time to love. When I look back on my life and all the chapters we wrote together, I know and trust that my husband and I will feel thankful for the time we fostered together. And I know that our kids will be all the better for it!

With a mindful heart,
Lisa

My Favorite Pediatrician

My favorite pediatrician, Jay Gordon, M.D., recently sent me his newsletter regarding the swine flu. After reading, you will understand that any additional stress in our lives can also contribute to illness, etc..

Read on:
The New York Times reported this week that the World Health Organization raised the Swine Flu alert level to phase 5, one level below all-out global pandemic. "All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans," warns Dr. Margaret Chan, director general of the W.H.O. Phase 5 hasn't been declared since the Avian Influenza in 2005.This should make you feel better, unless you or someone you know came down with the Avian Flu.Two salient characteristics of a virus are transmissibility and virulence.This H1N1 so-called "Swine Flu" virus, like almost all influenza A, is VERY transmissible. Similar to colds, stomach bugs, chicken pox and more
BUT---Unless it's a virulent (i.e. vicious, dangerous, killer-type) strain of influenza, the answer for most of us can be "so what?" And the CDC certainly seems to be saying that this virus lacks those characteristics. Not to be too facile about the 10, 20 or 30 thousand deaths that influenza causes in an average year, but that translates into a very small percentage of our population. For instance, influenza is fatal to about 35,000 Americans every year. Nine out of ten of these fatalities occur in people over age 65-70, and a huge percentage (nobody quite agrees) occurs in people with underlying medical issues like heart disease, lung disease or immune compromise. Illness and deaths in otherwise healthy people will always occur and make the best news stories, but this is an inaccurate portrayal of influenza. Stephen Hume's article in the Vancouver Sun perhaps says it best: "'Eighty-one dead in Mexico; U.S. declares emergency,' read one of the headlines Sunday. Yes, 81 dead in Mexico is something to grieve and is cause for public concern. Each one of those dead represents the anguish of a family. Yet, as the aphorism goes, one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. It's confusing the statistic for the tragedy that exaggerates fear." (Emphasis added.)This virus will spread all over, create panic, be identified as the cause of many, many, many more deaths than it actually causes and then will fade away with the real data gathered over the next year or more.Today or tomorrow... Just to say it again, this flu poses no great threat to you or your family.
Best,Jay Gordon, MD FAAP

always mindful,
Lisa

Business of Being Born

On May 8th I will be part of a panel discussion after the screening of Rick Lake's "Business of Being Born." For years, I have worked with many pregnant and birthing couples and I am happy that we can now come together to watch this film together.

Just like my surgery 1 year ago, where I was an "active" participant in my healing and recovery, I wish those things for any mom birthing her baby. This film will help generate discussion as to how that might occur. We may agree/disagree with the nature of how one gives birth, however, we can not lose sight that we MUST have the choice.

The word "Mindful"

One of my son's past baseball coaches asked me what "mindful" really meant. For me, it means to slow down and think. It's such a lovely word that it keeps cropping up all over.

On May 29 and 30th I will be attending a two day workshop on "The Wise Heart and The Mindful Brain." The leaders are Jack Kornfield and Daniel Siegel, both prominent writers and educators in the field of mindfulness. I can't wait to gather more information from these leading experts!

In the meantime, let's all slow down and be mindful!

Happy day,
Lisa

Women Do it Again!

A colleague recently forwarded an article from UCLA. Apparently, researchers found that women who hang out with friends can counteract stress. Wow! They got paid to research that?
While two women scientists (Klein and Taylor) were talking one day in a UCLA lab, they noted that when the women who worked in the lab were stressed, "..they came in, cleaned the lab, had coffee, and bonded," says Dr. Klein. Men generally hid on their own in response to stress. Because 90% of the stress research has been done on males, this "hypotheses" has serious implications for women's health.
Here's another example of the hormone "oxytocin" clicking in; not just for birthing (as I share with my prenatal clients) but for women in friendship.
Thanks to all my girlfriends for helping science learn that women live longer when they are in community.

Lemonade Fast?

Inspired by my youngest son's 1st grade teacher, I began the process of fasting with lemondae!
Not the kind with sugar that you pour on a hot summer day, but the kind with cayenne pepper, maple syrup and lemon.

I did it! For 10 days that's all I drank, barring water and an occasional herbal tea.
Yesterday I had wheat grass and some green juice.
Today I finally introduced vegetable broth.

I have to tell you that I am so amazed at how many choices of food we have in this country. Veggie broth was like tasting something with newly enhanced taste buds!

I have more energy, lost between 10-15 pounds and can't wait to see where the journey takes me next...

Always mindful,
Lisa

1 Year Anniversary!

No, not my wedding anniversary. 1 year ago I was at Kerlan Jobe undergoing an ACL repair to my left knee. I was reading a magazine yesterday entitled, "Experience Life". There was an article discussing how to be an active participant in your health care. And ... that I was!
My surgeon, Dr. Gambardella, was very willing to work with me in regards to my need for mind/body healing. He read me (5x) after the surgery was complete a healing mantra: "Your surgery was successful and your knee will achieve optimal health very soon."
I will always be grateful to him for his willingness to do these extra things.
Friends, clients and family can attest: I was in virtually no pain! Off my meds within 48 hours.

It's because of my experience that I feel led to help others recover from surgery quickly, as I did. It's kind of like having a "surgery coach" and I welcome the opportunity to work with others as they, too, become active participants in their own recovery.