WHAT MY BRAIN LEARNED THAT HAD ME JUMPING FOR JOY THIS WEEKEND

Have you been absorbed with the same things every day and find that your life has become rather monotonous and even dare I say it... boring?  Have you been craving something new? Ever wonder why kids get obsessed with 1 toy for a day or two and then move on to the next best thing? Well turns out both of these things are related.
It's because your brain is a junky for the love of new things like Justin Timberlake said.  Plus I want to offer you the thought that to be healthy as you mature you in fact SHOULD try something new every day.   I'm not kidding!  There's tons of research out there on the brain and how learning new skills and things in general help your brain grow and age well.  Plus it might even help you form new great habits! (see articles at the end)
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So this weekend I went to Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY with my walking shoes and my intention to learn new things.  I'm happy to report I did it!  Here's my list of what I learned, how I grew, and what new amazing habits I formed.

1. I ate homemade yogurt and peanut butter. Now I'm not a big fan of dairy - or shall I say my body isn't but I made an exception and wow it was delicious.  Both were not only amazing to taste but healthy!  I'm even thinking of making my own yogurt as I didn't have the usual side-effects that accompany dairy products. Go figure! :)  So I learned that not only are homemade product delicious, and good for you, but they may in fact cause less physiological trouble because of less preservatives and additives.

2. Qi Gong for 3 mornings straight with my son was a beautiful experience.  I have been doing this exercise on and off but now it's officially my favorite! Not only did it help me wake up because of the habit I acquired with the 7am sessions but it was fun and good for my body.  I feel more agile, less stressed, and did I mention it keeps your spine healthy?  A healthy spine is a healthy life.  Ask all the yogi's out there ;-)
There happened to be Qi Gong workshop all weekend and I joined 1 where the teacher spoke of people getting healed from ailments like chronic pains and scoliosis.  I personally definitely felt an overall body improvement and more deeply engrained flow in my body, thinking and life.  Plus the energy as we moved synchronistically with a positive higher purposes was invigorating.  Try some animal Qi Gong or frolics movements.  It was so funny and fun to act like an animal and improve my body at the same time!  My son loved it too!

3. 2 words.  Laughter Yoga.  Has anyone even heard of that?  It was incredibly funny and surprisingly hard.  The words fake it till ya make it started this session off as we pushed ourselves to laugh in 15-20 different ways with each other, alone, standing up, sitting or laying down, and in all kinds of acted out scenes.  I believe I got the heartiest laugh when we all laid down next to each other and heard each other laugh.  Did you know laughter is incredibly infectious!  Imagine doing that with a group for a good 10 min!  And by the way Laughing 100 times is the equivalent to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike!
Soooo pop in a funny movie and have at it!  You'll feel better, and you'll have gotten some exercise in.

4. I received a Shamanic Healing session.  What the heck is that you might ask?  Well it's an other worldy experience where you can get healed on a spiritual level and even receive message from guides, and the invisible world.  In the end it was a spiritual coaching session coupled with messages to help move my life along.  Quite amazing and useful in helping me process scenarios in my life that had me either stuck or overwhelmed.
What I continually learn with coaching and healing experiences is that they all contribute to the betterment of your life if you can truly open yourself up, take what you need and find the threads that tie things together.

What I ultimately felt as I explored and opened myself up to these beautiful experiences is that my brain jumped for joy every single time, I connected more deeply with myself and even the environment with people around me.  And mostly importantly I continued to learn and grow.  As Tony Robbins says if you're not growing you're dying which is why as we mature, it's VERY important to continue feeding not only your brain but your soul.

I hope to keep growing, and maybe even meet some of YOU along the way... :)

​Growth and light to you,
Coach Teany

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Related articles:

• ​LifeHacker: Why new things help us feel good
• Brain HQ: Life Long Learning