Summer of Music 2021 will take you to incredible dreamy places

You won't want to miss it,

but First

 

The Great Bell Chant (The End Of Suffering)

Dona Anderson

Hello, Hi and great to have you visit here today.  

Thank You for letting me come into your inbox, your day and space. 

My 5th Summer of Music starts next week and I wanted it to be a bit different this year.  

so - this year we're travelling to far off places.

We're visiting parts of our wonderful World, our Earth to see some of the many many Gifts She gives us.

For over a year we all have been affected by much stress, sorrow, hardships and many words have become new to us and many changes made.

It was I guess our turn to learn some of what our parents, grandparents, and those before them felt and experienced.

Our inter-generational memory has been updated.

Over the Summer You will find these words in the titles.

Amazing Beautiful Breathtaking Secret

But first I want to share this video to
help us relax and breathe.

The Great Bell Chant (the End of Suffering)

Summer of Music starts next week.

You will get to see a few of the Gifts from where we all call Home.

The Mountains and Rivers

Sky and Stars

Flowers and Birds

Animals and Fish

Forests and Fields 

This World is where all of us live as

well as our Dreams.

I hope over the Summer we will connect more to all our Earth has to offer us - her people, places, nature and more.

How many words would it take to describe it all?

Here are just a few ...

 Amazing  Beautiful  Breathtaking   

Eye Opening  Loving  Graceful  Nourishing

Share some of yours in the comments below.

PS. the 2 pictures I added to this post are from

my part of the World.

It all starts next week, 

The previous 4 years Summer of Music

posts are in the Archives for July & August

2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.

View and share at your leisure.

Thank you for sharing with others at the links below so these posts continue to travel the World to others.  

Together we're spreading Wellness Around the World. 💚

Qi Gong for Beginners

 Wonderful practice for 

Health & Wellness

Dona Anderson 

Welcome and hope you'll like what I have for You today.

I started going to a Tai Chi class at a Senior Centre several years ago and when it was closed due to covid last spring we moved to an outdoors park.

We had some really chilly days, windy days, rainy, sunny and hot days - we got it all over the spring, summer and fall.

Then feeling winter coming on we eventually moved to an indoor space we could use that had space for social distancing with masks when we were allowed to gather.

During this time I also started doing Qigong on You tube. I had done a workshop years ago and knew it was similar to Tai Chi.

I have really enjoyed finding routines from several instructors and the variety sure works my mind. (My new learning)

In Qi Gong I'm learning more about how these movements support my Health and  stimulate the acupressure points, move the chi and lots more. 

Don't let those easy looking movements fool you. Some days it really takes a lot of concentration to decide what is left or right and combine foot and hand movements at the same time. 

Don't worry, it will all come together and I think as long as I'm moving, I'm doing something good for me. 

The video below is by one of the first instructors I began with.

Hope you like it and want to learn more ... 

I also feel better when I can open the window to breathe in the fresh air and hear the birds sing.

More good and healthy feelings.

A lot of the exercises can be done standing or sitting. Do what works for You to start. It's also good to have a chair near by for support if needed.

There are many easy ways to take care of ourselves to improve our Health.  

We just have to start slowly, 

and only do what we can do. 

Stop & Rest when you need to and 

talk to your health care provider as needed.

It's always good to watch a new routine first and see if it's one that works for you or you want to find another video. (easier/less time??)

Remember this is about You not anyone else. 

There are many beginner and on going videos you can check out to find what feels right to you.

There are different time lengths from a few minutes to half hour or so.  

Somedays I might do 1 or 2 short ones and another day a longer one or whatever I have time for.

PS. In our Tai chi outdoor class there was a lady 89, who drove on her own and  came every week with a folding chair to use when she needed to rest for a bit.  

She was sure an inspiration to us "younger ones." 

Take Care - have a good week. 

This video & post is for information purposes only in our quest for Well-being. 

I wish I could share the beautiful
fragrance this lily had.

Thanks for sharing with others -

links below.

I almost did a big Oops

 

Oops

Dona Anderson

Hi, how are you today.

Here's what my Oops was about.

I almost forgot to post the top 3 from 2020

Summer of Music before the 2021 selections

start in a couple of weeks.

So a quick swap and here they are and for the first time we had a tie for 3rd place spot. (at least it was at the time of my writing this)

here goes ...

Link here to one in 3rd  and here's the other one

Happy to see both of these on the list. Love this one, check out #2

I knew this next one would be in first place.

The Winner  is! It really connected to 2020. 

All are wonderful.

PS. All the previous 4 years selections are available to view in the Archives for July & August.

You may find many favorites among them. 

Thank You for sharing with others.  

Together we're spreading Wellness around the World.

Links below.

2021 Summer of Music starts July 6.

and we have 9 weeks this year! 😄

there's always Music somewhere

I'm slowly learning to play the Cello. 

How am I doing?

It depends on the day and I'll need many more years. 

And, it doesn't help when I don't practice. 

After the songs You May 

Need a few minutes to relax, you can with this post.

Don't miss this - Tedx Talk Erin Gruwell

 Becoming a Catalyst for Change

Freedom Writers

Dona Anderson

I'm very glad you're here to watch this video.

It is amazing. 

The power of one.

Shared with us in 18.34 minutes.

What an interesting Story

Life Changing.

I am very thankful I got to watch an earlier video of her start to see what became a very inspiring story that I wanted to share with You.

Life Changing for 150 kids and many others.

Think of a big trip, meeting someone very special who helped others, a book and a movie.  

Think about possible drop outs that went on to be graduates and will change their life and future.

I hope each of you have had one or more  people in your life that helped inspire you on your journey. 

Someone you remember that Helped you figure things out, showed you a different  way, or showed you that they cared and believed in You.

It could be a teacher, friend, relative, parent or even a book ...

PS. It's funny how sometimes it takes me longer 

to find one of my photo messages that fits with the post than it does to write the rest of it. 

This one took a long time ....  

I hope you enjoyed this story and can imagine how it changed many lives.  

A lot to take in.

Thanks for your visit today.

New posts every Tuesday.

Links for sharing below.

Bye for now.

Everyday Places to find JOY even during Covid

Joy
Feelings of Happiness,

Delight, Pleasure.

 Welcome and Thanks for your visit today.

Dona Anderson                              

                                                                                          

Some of life's joy comes just in a smile, watching the sun rise, or looking up to the stars ...

It happens when seeing your family, your pets ...

It happens watching others grow and succeed or watching your Team Win.

It happens in the garden as the spring flowers and the trees  grow & bloom. 

It happens with that slice of the first ripe tomato. 

Other things may need to be planned like a vacation, a special dinner out, an unexpected visit or sending a special note to a loved one.

It may be something to look forward to in the future like date night the next weekend whether you're young & dating or an older married couple. Or it may be a visit with one of your friends.

Everything isn't always spontaneous - lots need to be planned ahead and looked forward to so our brain has little bits of joy or a quick smile appears because we have something in the future to think about.

Remember those special outings when we had to go shopping for a new dress & shoes - and then the day, doing our hair, maybe our nails. getting dressed up with all the makeup ... We might have been feeling that good nervousness or good stress at the same time as Joy.

What's on your calendar that you're looking forward to?

Don't feel bad if there's nothing much...

That's OK

Because now you get to decide what you'd like to do and plan to do it.

My calendar has been pretty blank this last year too but I did manage to be able to get to a Tai Chi class most Mondays and do some Music lessons when we could meet. 

A good attitude is also very helpful, getting in some exercise and enjoying the  time to laugh more or work on a special project that you love. 

And, as we had to stay home more instead of going to activities I wrote snow in my calendar one day or some online links to check out, or the few days I exercised (I had to remind myself I did it) or the one time we went out for lunch that month.

Other things may not have been on the calendar but we did have a wonderful Christmas Dinner for 2, a cheese fondue for New Years and other wonderful meals. (probably too many)

We got to enjoy sitting on the front porch for an hour or so on many sunny winter afternoons. Loved the morning sun rises and the birds singing and coming to the feeders everyday. 

Loved watching the spring flowers rise up to bloom and the trees fill out again. 

And now the garden is filling up and our eyes imagine all the wonderful things to come. 

JOY - Happiness Pleasure Delight

PS. from the photo above,

"Everything is amazing when I

receive the gift of another day to 

see the love and kindness in your

Sweet, Sweet Smile ..."

Message in photo is from my book

Moving Forward from the heart.

Information on the Resources page

Take Care!

Hey - like spices? check out this post from the archives.

This years Summer of Music starts on July 6,

I love it and hope you will too.

                                                                       

Links for sharing with others below.

Visit the Archives for over 650 pasts posts for you to view, save and share.

Here's one for you to start with.

Is there an end to all of this ...

 

Todays post starts with a comment I wrote for the post dated January 12, 2021. 

I thought I'd share it with you.

"This last year has been like a scary movie I wouldn't watch - full of stress, death, violence, hardship, loss, anger and more. 

And, it also has been full of much sacrifice, hard work, help, discovery and dedication. 

I hope going forward it will also be a time for seeing things differently. 

We can't keep old twisted thoughts, anger, language and feelings when there is a whole beautiful world of people wildlife & nature that we are ALL part of that also needs healing, love preservation and kindness.

Let's make our time here one of hope, peace, community and love to help mend our hearts and the world. 

A Huge Thank You to all the Health Care Workers, emergency response and all the others that keep us safe, who stand in lines to hand out food, do testing and the many others who are out working every day to keep our lives somewhat normal."

PS. Good news now is that things are beginning to change and open up. 

We're getting glimmers of hope that over the summer and into fall we'll feel more relaxed and continue to have more good news.   

I'm hoping we get to take in that deep breath to relax and start to let go of some of the layers of stress, worries and anxiety we've carried around for over a year.

Let's make our time here one of hope, peace, community and love to help mend our hearts and the world. 

Take Care.

Dona Anderson

Links for sharing below.

Thanks for your visit today.

Are You feeling a bit Lost these Days?

one of my photo messages 

Listen to the words

of your Heart.

Many Gifts appear

from the Found

Thanks for your visit today!

Dona Anderson

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Going back in time for this Story. 

Before I started Yoga I led a life full of routines - daily, weekly monthly and yearly. 

I took the bus to work and home and even though the ride home stopped at a grocery store, I never got off to pick up something.

I had to get home - to see if everything was OK, the kids, the dogs, the house and then get supper and the next days lunch started. 

Life seemed rushed, no spontaneity.

While our housework day changed as many times as there are days in the week, if something disrupted doing the chores on that certain day - you still had to do them and most days had something so that meant double up duties.

Only having about 4 hours or so when you got home went by very fast before bedtime and the start to the next day.  The weekends as you know were always busy too.

I used to go for lots of walks but I never really saw anything, missed little changes and even some big ones. 

My husband helped me get better at that but taking time to notice wasn't something I knew much about, learned or was taught when I grew up. 

Help is coming ... 

In this post I want to share with you the poem Lost and Found which I wrote after I finished writing Simply, One Breath At a Time. 

The book helped me grow and understand more about life, it guided me to make changes, be comfortable and the poem let me put it all together.

Through the practice of Yoga and my Writing about Breath, Body, Awareness, Connection, Gratitude and more I continued to learn about my needs, to feel and notice those parts of my life and health that were left behind, left unnoticed.

Luckily those valuable gifts of learning and growth continue throughout our life and in our later years we have the time to listen and respond.

Then as my second book came along it was time to share the poem in Moving forward from the Heart. 

An introduction and the poem are on pages 11 & 12. 

Now it's time to share the poem with You.

Go slowly and see what presents itself to you today and then ...

Pick one to sit with and see what you find.

  Lost and Found

    

"Lost myself – 

found out what’s important and brings me joy

Lost track of time – 

found the now in the present moment 

Lost imagination – 

found treasures, gifts, paradise, nature 

                  

         Lost comfort – 

         found softness from letting go, and smiling

Lost paying attention –

found myself choosing to be aware

Lost appreciation – 

found feelings of fullness from gratitude

Lost awareness – 

found time to see, hear, feel and connect

Lost my breath – 

found a nourishing breath flowing within me

Lost a quiet mind –

found that I can slow down thoughts and rest 

Lost peace – 

found a safe place for me to open up my heart"

© 2015 Dona Anderson
Moving Forward from the Heart

 Another post

you may like at this link.

Lost ...

Myself -Time - Imagination - Comfort -

 Paying Attention - Appreciation - Awareness - 

Breath - Quiet Mind - Peace

Did you relate to something?

PS. I still love routines to keep me on track but now I can relax with them, appreciate them instead of feeling pressure and dictated to. 

Now they allow me to keep time and space for the good habits I want and need to follow my goals and wellness plans.

Have a wonderful Day.

Where in the World do we travel too?

See some below the picture.

New posts each Tuesday.

My free gifts of Wellness.

Also check out the Archives

over 600 posts.

The labels at the bottom of the page will connect you to other posts. 

Links for sharing below.

 

Here's where our Visitors this past week were from - United States, Germany, Canada, France, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, India, Japan, Luxenberg, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Belgium,  United Kingdom, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden, Slovakia, & others.

Thank You & Take Care.

Here's your link to the Wellness Resources 

More on my Facebook Page

Eric Clapton - Over the Rainbow (with lyrics)

A great song
by the great Eric Clapton

and others.

Dona Anderson

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We're quickly going through this year and it's almost the middle of May.

I hope you're having a wonderful Spring or other season depending on where you live on this beautiful Earth.

Love this Song.

We often keep these kind of songs in the childhood memory box.

But I think they're the ones that offer us many gifts.

Gifts of opening up, letting go, feeling more free and thinking about the rainbows, stars, birds and all there is to appreciate that often we get too busy to notice.

Let's sing along as we are at any age and open the adult memory box and fill it with all kinds of goodies.  

Do you need to repeat it a few times ...

PS. Are there any other old songs you'd like to

remember and sing again.

Love to see all these musicians together 

performing this song for us. 

New posts every Tuesday and over 600

in the archives that you can view and share

at your leisure.

I started this blog back in 2010 and it later became my dream to help spread Wellness around the World. 

If you'd like to Help you can share using the links below for 

Facebook, Pinterest, Email, Twitter. 

Where in the World will we travel to this week.

Thank You.

Email subscribers please see the new page added above for Subscribers.  It contains  information regarding Changes coming in July.

 

I hope you'll come back to see what's coming up in the weeks ahead.

Blue Mind in the Desert | Dr. Wallace J. Nichols | TEDxFountainHills

What's YOUR Water?

The list may be long ...

This is a wonderful Ted Talk

Dona Anderson

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If you visit often you'll know I like to share a variety of things with You and this one is important to us and it will become more important as the population increases, our cities grow, and the world is challenged because of climate change. 

What is water to you?

It's many things and not just to drink or bathe in (although very important)

It's the freshly washed clothes, remember the line up for the water fountain, crossing the bridge and looking down, the energy of water falls, the smell of rain. It's crucial to grow our food.

Lets just say - we can't live without it.

  

It's also our recreation. A walk at the beach or ocean, a swim, a walk in the park to see the fountain or feed the ducks, going fishing, water skiing, surfing, deep sea diving and more.

It's about places to visit where you can lay down your beach towel or set up your chair and Relax with a picnic.

It's our memories our awe of our first time at the ocean, lake or river seeing the fish, a seal, star fish, ducks, whale, birds, plants and picking up shells, hearing the sounds of the waves or the feelings of connection to the world. 

There's ceremonies, romance, sunsets & sunrises, or perhaps you experienced the moon rising and casting what seemed like a road of light across the water coming directedly to You. 

It's places for tourists and landmarks like bridges, tunnels, places to see icebergs. It's even for where the bears catch the salmon, or millions go on cruises and you got to see Penguins. 💚

It's our feelings of cleanliness, health, freedom, motion and life.

This video is not just about water but goes on to our brain, how we live our lives,  think - Science.

Enjoy!

PS. remember those times you have to clean the sand out of your toes or you still may have a few shells you picked up somewhere. 

I love the ME to the WE attitude, just a flip of the M - it makes a huge change.

This is a video we can all connect to, We all need water.

Who would You pass your blue Marble on to?

Hi, I hope you liked this video, 

it's very interesting.

Love it when viewers sign up to follow by email to get future posts, and you can share this now with others or comment at the links below.

New posts every Tuesday and you

can visit the Archives for lots more.

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Our back yard Blue Mind space!

Wishing all the Mom's a Happy Mother's Day coming up.

It's been a really stressful year - thanks for all you've done.