Brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor experiences a major stroke from the inside out. Watch this fascinating Ted Talk that has attracted over 10 million views. Her book, MY STROKE OF INSIGHT, is a must-read for anyone dealing with a stroke-stricken family member, or is personally dealling with the aftermath of a stroke.
On December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven- year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. As she observed her mind deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life-all within four hours-Taylor alternated between the euphoria of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace, and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized she was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before she was completely lost. It would take her eight years to fully recover.
For Taylor, her stroke was a blessing and a revelation. It taught her that by “stepping to the right” of our left brains, we can uncover feelings of well-being that are often sidelined by “brain chatter.” Reaching wide audiences through her talk at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference and her appearance on Oprah’s online Soul Series, Taylor provides a valuable recovery guide for those touched by brain injury and an inspiring testimony that inner peace is accessible to anyone.
Like to start or end your day with a dose of spiritual encouragement? Here are three books that have inspired me to release anxiety, go with the flow, and embrace joy. They come at it from different angles and traditions, but they’re all singing my tune.
Stephen Mitchell’s translation of the 81 pearls of wisdom from the ancient pen of Lao-tzu in the Tao te Ching, or Book of the Way, is pithy and wise. The Second Book of the Tao picks up later Taoist philosophers’ stories and poems with a wry Mitchell commentary offering a Western take on Eastern thinking. These short expressions of profound ideas validate the notion that less truly is more.
*****
Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling has taken Christendom by storm. Young has all the right credentials for the Christian market from her education and to her mission field lifestyle. The book grew out of her personal journaling and receiving “messages.” The metaphysical world, would call that “channeling;” the Christian world is more comfortable with “inspired.” (You say tomaato, I say tomahto.) In any case, the daily devotionals resonate with readers looking for a vibrant relationship the Living Lord, Jesus, or the Christ Consciousness. Young mostly refers to “Me” or “My Presence,” but you know who she means.
*****
I’ve also found myself returning to Jack Armstrong’s Lessons from the Source. This self-published book is lesser known, but offers an excellent mental path of achieving your Greater Good. This channeled (or inspired) material has a Law of Attraction flavor. As the adage goes—change your thinking, change your life. This book is a good place to start.
*****
Feed your mind with uplifting thoughts and see what good things come your way. That’s part of Supernal Living!
Don’t you love Big Lots? Always an unexpected treasure to bring home. This week I happened upon an exercise video for a price so low, it would make you jealous. Gaiam is the go-to company for fitness products. Trudie Styler’s workout video PURE SCULPT is just my speed. Not too jumpy, not too bendy, and yet working all the falling parts pretty well.
Set against a Tuscany background, Trudie and her hunky companion (whose name I haven’t caught) flow through ten-minute segments of core strengthening, lower body, and pure arms. The movements feel like a cross between Tai Chi and yoga. Just about the time you start to feel the burn, you mercifully move onto another muscle set. The movements are easy to follow, even for the most workout-challenged participant, such as yours truly. The next day brings the slight muscular reminder of the routine–so you know something good must have happened.
Exercise is definitely part of Supernal Living, but everyone needs to find their style.If you like toning up in the privacy of your living room, consider give PURE SCUPLT a try.
I like to while away a Saturday morning by wandering the local Farmer’s Market in Cerritos, CA. Many Asian vegetables are offered for the local clientele and I confess to great ignorance of the varieties and uses of many displayed. This week I was drawn to a mysterious pale green bunch of stalks that turned out to be lemon grass. I threw caution to the wind and spent two dollars on my first raw lemon grass purchase.
My taste buds have long enjoyed lemon grass in tea and soups and a little research reveals a long tradition of lemon grass for healthy living. Here are a few of the benefits cited:
Improves circulation
Calming properties, especially effective for insomnia
Cleanses digestive organs or liver, bladder, and kidneys
Improves skin conditions such as acne
Contains folic acid and a range of B Vitamins
Anti-fungal and anti-bacterial
Traditional cold and flu remedy
Wow! All that and it tastes good too. I brewed some fresh tea and now have a pitcher ready to enjoy in the fridge.
Lemon Grass Tea
2 cups boiling water
2 stalks lemon grass, cut away leaves and outside touch layer. Cut into a couple of pieces and gently crush to release the oils. I used a rolling pin, but a meat tenderizer or hammer will also work.
Steep for 15 minutes. Drink warm or add cool water for iced tea.
Matthew Perry’s new sitcom, Go On, centers on a recently widowed man trying to get on with his life after the death of his wife. He joins a quirky support group and they become a soul-family struggling together through life’s challenges. Over the course of the last two months, my life has taken on a Go On theme, with my own little cast of quirky characters nudging me along life’s twisted path.
On February 11, 2013 I received a phone call informing me that, my husband, David Taylor, had died in a car accident at 12:36 pm on I-35 in Oklahoma City. Shocking. And yet, not really a surprise. You see, I’d sensed his days were short, I just hadn’t known how or when his passing would occur.
Leading a supernal life sometimes opens awareness to information of unfolding events. By last fall, David had a strong sense of his imminent departure. Life circumstances and choices had resulted in the two of us living in separate states during the past couple of years. We saw each other as often as possible, usually converging in yet another state to see our daughters also. We talked often and had conquered skype. Our family gathered together last Thanksgiving and I thought that would be it for our holiday visit. But one day after going to separate gates at the airport, he booked a flight to see me for two weeks at Christmas.
He seemed to be tying up loose ends. He personally purchased toys and books for grand kids and his grand nephews and mailed them off—himself. He arrived in LA with all his tax information ready to assemble and worked on it between Christmas and New Years to leave with me. We drove an hour and half to see his sister who’d moved back to California, something we’d only done once before.
We talked, really talked. Those last two weeks were probably the most compatible, no axes-to-grind, easy-going days of our 36 year marriage. I sensed it was our last Christmas together. We never came right out and said it, but I think we both felt it.
We took day trips—to a classic Craftsman home in Pasadena (for him), a show at the Los Angeles Music Center (for me), lunch at Seal Beach (for us). We rented movies and ate. Oh yes, we enjoyed his favorite, not-good-for-you foods. He bought a ham– a big, juicy one. Christmas goodies and candies? Sure, why not? I let all my healthy living rules slide and I’m so glad I did. We made love, and I’m glad we did that, too.
I’m grateful I didn’t realize dropping him off at the LAX airport would be the last time I would see him. I’ve been through wrenching goodbyes and I prefer, “See you soon,” even if you won’t.
During the first week of February our daughter, Cary, had a dream about her Dad, that she couldn’t quite recall, but left her with the impression she needed to call him. The urge hung over her like a cloud for three days before she finally talked to him. On Sat. February 9, she told David how glad she was that he had been her Dad and how much she loved him. He reflected on the blessings of his life, counting me as one of them, and the many years we’d shared together. How wonderful that our daughter could have such a significant final conversation with her father.
The morning of February 11 was busy for David. He had a court hearing; he did some work for a client; he went to the bank. He needed to be in Norman, OK at 1 pm for his mother’s surgery at the hospital. He spoke briefly to me and to our other daughter, Sara. The last thing he did before getting on the freeway was drop a Valentine in the mail to me.
Poorly marked road construction would lead to his accident. The off ramp he needed to take to the hospital was closed and he was trapped. When he tried to get back into busy traffic, he veered into a large cone, over-corrected, hit the guard wall and was then hit by a SUV. He perished immediately. Eight hours later, his best friend found my cell phone number and called me.
The people we love, never really leave us. They stay tied to our hearts, live in our memories, and continue in another dimension on their soul journey.
As for me, I am like Matt Perry’s character. It’s time to Go On.–Dana Taylor
My husband, David Taylor, died in an automobile accident last week at the age of 63. Our family believed that the healing gift of Delores Winder gave us decades together. Many people visit this particular blog. It seems fitting to re-post it, in thankful memory of David Taylor.
Sometimes heaven puts someone in your path just when you desperately need them. Twenty six years ago, Delores Winder was that person for me and my family. The summer of that year my husband, David, suffered a major heart attack at the age of 36 while we were on vacation in Colorado. Approximately a third of his heart died. In the months following the event, he experienced erratic heart beats and said he sometimes felt like he was about to leave his body. Needless to say, we were very concerned. Our daughters were only six and three. We wanted their Daddy to help them grow up.
It was also around that time that I was getting involved in healing ministry. Our minister invited Delores Winder to visit our church, tell her story, and offer her healing gifts. She was in her fifties, a petite woman with…
Brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor experiences a major stroke from the inside out. Watch this fascinating Ted Talk that has attracted over 10 million views. Her book, MY STROKE OF INSIGHT, is a must-read for anyone dealing with a stroke-stricken family member, or is personally dealling with the aftermath of a stroke.
On December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven- year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. As she observed her mind deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life-all within four hours-Taylor alternated between the euphoria of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace, and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized she was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before she was completely lost. It would take her eight years to fully recover.
On February 11, 2013 I received a phone call informing me that, my husband, David Taylor, had died in a car accident at 12:36 pm on I-35 in Oklahoma City. Shocking. And yet, not really a surprise. You see, I’d sensed his days were short, I just hadn’t known how or when his passing would occur.
