| A New Approach to New Year's Goals & Resolutions |
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At new year's time, it is common to make resolutions and set goals or intentions for change, growth, success and healing for the new year we are entering. Often these center around breaking old, "bad" habits and starting to embrace new, "good" ones.
Whatever your New Year's wish or intention might be, or the desire that burns in your heart, here is a simple suggestion to help shift your starting place for working towards it. I urge you to start from a place of self acceptance, self love and self compassion. Start from a place of accepting yourself exactly where, and as, you are right now.
Adopt this as your mantra for 2017,
I love and accept myself just as I am,
and still I want to grow and change.
I want to change (fill in the blank), because I love myself and can do better. I look upon the old habit with empathy vs judgment and rejection. I want to embrace it, in order to re-member it as part of the whole and touch it with mercy and awareness, so that I may learn what it might teach me.
Often the parts of us that we want to change and be rid of are actually scared and helpless and need love first before they can transform.
The first step on the journey of transformation, healing and awakening is acceptance of who you are and where you are starting from. It is an embrace of the truth of the now... of what is. An important aspect of the first of the 12 steps of recovery is an acknowledgement of a painful truth.
As Krishnamurti teaches,
"It is the truth which liberates,
not our efforts to be free."
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An obvious example is a person who wants to lose weight and may be coming from a place of self-loathing or self hatred. They might be motivated to lose weight because they believe, "I'm fat and ugly and I hate myself for being this way."
I invite you to imagine an approach to weight loss that starts from a very different intention and motivation. It would begin with, "I want to lose weight because I love myself and I want to take good care of my body."
In this context the practices of mindfulness and compassion brings us face to face with ourselves just as we are and with the now just as it is, and allow us to move forward from this as our foundation - profound acceptance of what is.
I teach 7 intentions for meditation and healing that can guide us in cultivating a healthy perspective from which to work towards change and growth:
Embrace a beginners mind
Non-judgement
Patience
Trust
Acceptance
Non-Striving
Letting Go by Letting Be
This is the beginning of moving towards change in a peaceful, loving manner... whatever the issue, challenge or habit.
Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year and may all your wishes and intentions for change be guided by self love and self compassion.
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The beginning of a new year is always a good time for reflection. I find myself reviewing my past year and looking forward to the next.
This year has been a busy, productive and gratifying one for me.
My work this past year has allowed me to partner with some amazing people and organizations, and for this I am a truly grateful. I feel privileged to be delivering presentations on the healing power of Mindfulness, Contemplative Medicine and the Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Disease. I am encouraged to see these very important issues beginning to make their way into the mainstream of medicine and our culture. I have devoted my career to helping this transformation happen!
In addition to my private practice and teaching locally, 2016 found me attending and presenting for many professional conventions and conferences including the OAND, NYANP, CNPA, AANP, ILANP and the NMSA.
I taught professional continuing ed courses and webinars for doctors and other health practitioners with
Health Masters Live, Bastyr University and the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) and, as I do every year, I
traveled to the Bahamas to teach a healing yoga retreat/vacation at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center.
Finally, I joined the faculty of the Interprofessional Fellowship at the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM). I will be facilitating my course there twice a year.
As busy as this past year has been, it has only made me more excited for what's next. 2017 is shaping up quite nicely. I'm very excited about the teaching and speaking opportunities that I'm already adding to my schedule.
I'm starting off the year by heading to Portland, OR where I'll be speaking at the National University of Natural Medicine (NCNM) and presenting two lectures at Tori Hudson's Pediatrics conference. Later in the year I will offering a workshop with the OAND, teaching at the Copper Beech Institute, offering healing retreats at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm Ashram in CA and continuing my work with the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine.
There will be much more in 2017, so please stay tuned for more information.
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Make sure and check my
event calendar
regularly for details on all my upcoming classes, lectures, workshops and Webinars.
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Paul Epstein, ND
Mindful Healing: Mind-Body Integrative Medicine
(203) 226-3923
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Patient Appointments Available via Skype
In addition to my local, private practice in Westport, CT, I also see patients from all over the world via Skype.
Distance and time zone differences don't need to be a barrier to getting the help you need to facilitate your healing journey!
Take the first step towards your optimum health and healing: Call today to set up a Skype appointment!
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Mentoring Sessions Available via Skype
An important part of my work is to Mentor health care practitioners, students and physicians to become more fully Integrative in their approach to caring for their patients and clients.
Skype is a wonderful way to hold these sessions - convenient and easy!
If you are interested in learning life changing Mind-Body Therapies to add to your practice, call today to discuss a mentoring session, or mentoring program!
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Serenity is not freedom from the storm,
but peace amidst the storm...
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About Dr. Paul Epstein
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Paul Epstein, ND is a graduate of the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM), specializing in Mindful Healing and Mind-Body Integrative Medicine.
He has more than 30 years experience in private practice successfully treating patients with powerful, life changing therapies.
Dr. Epstein is currently accepting new patients into his practice. He also works with healing professionals as a Professional Mentor to teach practitioners how to work in a truly integrative fashion in their own practice.
He is a pioneer and leading voice in Mind-Body Integrative Medicine lecturing internationally to both general and professional audiences.
Dr. Epstein is an extraordinary teacher who presents compelling topics that inform, educate, motivate and inspire. His work is helping create a much needed paradigm shift in the practice of medicine and the healing arts.
Don't ever miss the opportunity to experience Dr. Epstein!
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42 Richmondville Ave
Westport, CT 06880
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"Connecting the cell and the self"
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