Welcome to Life Art Healing – a new resource for learning how to heal through art, Reiki, meditation, and more!

New from Life Art Healing! The Healing Power of Nature! In this workshop, you will learn the healing power of nature from Life Art Healing’s Amy Roemer and Amy Ryan! Our classroom will be the beautiful Boerner Botanical Gardens themselves, located in Hales Corners, WI! Learn as we walk through the gardens, meditate among the roses, and learn simple gentle yoga poses for every day life with beautiful views! Give yourself the gift of rediscovering the gift of nature and all it has to offer! (prior meditation or yoga experience not required!). For more information, contact Monica Jeske at  414-525-5659 or mjeske@fbbg.org To learn more about the Boerner Botanical Gardens, visit www.fbbg.org.

I know to use a neti pot when I feel a cold coming on. I know to do yoga and exercise on a daily basis, to eat right, to sleep well, to stay balanced, get into nature….I know, I know! Yet, when my daughter recently came down with a cold, I neti potted once, then went into Mom mode and forgot to keep caring for myself! Oops! Guess what happened? I got the worst cold I’ve had in years! Why? I kept asking myself. So, I listened. My head was too dizzy to read, to think! What was this all about?

Day #3 revealed the answer. Here I was, being sick. How do we Americans do sick? We hunker down, when possible, and watch tv and lay there until we are either needed or feel so disgusting that we actually get up and take a shower, or we go through the motions of our daily lives and down some medicine or other in hopes that it will make us feel somewhat better.  So, when I got to that point…the so disgusting I needed to take a shower, I thought, this is how I learned to be sick!  Now, here I am, with all the knowledge I have, doing the same old behaviour! Yikes!!!!

So, I vowed to put the remote away and step #1 get out that neti pot and cleanse my sinuses…..wow, did I feel a million times better, just doing that! Next, I meditated. A nice calm, untimed meditation, first with the vision of myself feeling better soon, then off to a gentle zen state. Then, I sat on the balcony for a long time with a sketchbook in my hands. Mostly I watched the clouds move across the sky. Then, I wrote a short poem. Watched the clouds more…nature gets you into the present, I remembered, nature is so healing. Again, I was so improved by this day of really staying with myself, not escaping because I had been invaded by a virus.

The next day I took a walk, tissues in my pocket, but oh….how nice it was to breathe fresh air and have the kind of magical moments nature can bring you. I came upon about 13 deer in the woods, 3 of them were taking a little nap under some trees! Now, those deer know what to do!

I am trying to redefine what being sick looks like. If you stay home sick, you’re supposed be laying in bed, right? What if your boss saw you taking a walk? Rest is absolutely important and some laying on the bed is a very good thing, but seeking out what heals us physically and emotionally, is a road to a more meaningful and perhaps quicker recovery.

Now, I’m recovering, but deeper still, I realized how I am always reaching for perfect wellness and while that is a good goal to have for lots of reasons,  is it healthy to expect any aspect of my life to be perfect all the time? The imperfection of life is what makes it so beautiful.

-Amy Roemer 3-15-10

Life Art Healing is honored to present an article from guest writer, Steve Garrison, Author of The Five Secrets from Oz!

Steve Garrison, a single dad and a student of personal development study, has summarized his 20 years of learning into five secrets to truly transform. Steve works as a motivational speaker, personal coach and author to help others find their inner light. With his passion, energy and enthusiasm, he shares his profound knowledge of these secrets with people who are ready to make a change in their lives. A native Bostonian, Steve now lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his three children.

Now recently endorsed by the prestigious Cleveland Clinic as a powerful book who help patients to cope with surgery and to recover with the most optimal attitude and mindset. The Clinic will begin medical trials in 2011 using “The Five Secrets from Oz” as a guide to help patients heal after surgery. www.thefivesecretsfromoz.com

Waterskiing 101: Rule #1: Let go of the rope!

I like to think of myself as a very good athlete. One of the sports that I have a little fear of is waterskiing. I think it is because I had a traumatic event when I was 10 trying to get up and out of the water and failing time after time. When I finally got up I proceeded to fall. Now the normal person would let go of the rope. This by the way is the number one rule in waterskiing when you feel like you are falling or about to wipe out. So, not me…not Mr. “I don’t listen to instructions” (typical male right). Anyway, I was dragged what seemed like a mile (actually it was 50 feet or so) before I actually let go. Now, here I am, 28 years later and on a boat with my two nephews, both great athletes in their own right. As my nephew David was driving the boat, he looked at me and said, “Uncle Steve, here is the life jacket, do you want to ski!”

Now I had a choice to make and I know what most of you are thinking. “Oh, what a great story, after all these years he got right back up…awe…good for Steve!” Well, I wish I could have told you a Rudy or Karate Kid story with a happy ending, but alas, I chickened out. I am not sure if it was because I was having a flashback of when I was ten or if it was because I was terrified of looking like a complete idiot in front of my two nephews?

What does this all mean you ask? Sometimes in life, we need to just have faith to let go of the rope. We as adults are constantly getting in our own way, just like I did when I chickened out from waterskiing. We make excuses as to why we can’t do something. We convince ourselves to not let our new boyfriend/girlfriend see our feelings for fear of being hurt. We make excuses as to why we can’t start a business or tell someone we love them for the first time for fear of rejection. We are forever letting our past dictate our present reality because we can’t let go.

No matter what ropes are dragging you through the water, remember the first lesson of waterskiing. Don’t be afraid to let go. Understand that you have a life vest and it will keep you from drowning so just let go. Many of us think it is acceptable to allow ourselves to be dragged through the water. That is not O.K. and it will only keep you from getting back in the water of life.

As for me, I have decided that next summer when I am at my family lake cabin in Maine that I will put on the water-skis and enjoy the ride. Now that I realize that it is O.K. to let go and to get out of my own way!

Remember. The past is HISTORY so finally let it go, the future is a MYSTERY, but today is the PRESENT. That is why they call it a GIFT.

Happy skiing!

-Steve Garrison  March 1st, 2010  www.thefivesecretsfromoz.com

Today on my way to the woods, I first heard a police siren, you know that short bwoop -bwoop, not the long high-speed chase kind. I then saw a police car, lights flashing, had pulled over one of my neighbors in his driveway. He was standing arguing with the police officer. As I continued walking to the trail, I could clearly hear what they were saying to each other. The police officer was upset because the man had not pulled over right away “How did I know how far you were going to drive?!” he shouted. “I knew you would follow me!” The man insisted as he stood in front of the open door where his young child was sitting in a car seat.

Their voices drifted as I entered the woods. The grey-brown trees dark from the moisture of the snowstorm last night, the branches covered with a thick layer of snow, like the whole world had been frosted for some king’s birthday. How quickly I had left witnessing such a tense situation to seeing such peace and beauty. So, I thought, why did I see that today? I believe that everything that happens in our experience is a chance to learn, so what would I have to learn from these two men arguing over a traffic stop?

As I noticed deer and squirrel tracks in the new snow, I thought about the conflict and the two main characters. The police officer believed he was right. The man believed he was right. The truth, I believe, is they were both right, at least to themselves. The police officer would report that my neighbor did the wrong thing. The man would tell his friends about the crazy cop who pulled him over.

A woodpecker high up in a dead tree pecked away for his winter meal. I was circling back home, when I realized the lesson in what I had observed. As Aimee Mann, one of my favorite singer-songwriter’s, lyrics say “perspective is everything”. In every conflict, there is a truth to both sides of each story, a truth so strong that we will raise our voices, slam doors, turn to addictive behaviors, isolate and even cut ourselves completely off from each other. I was able to have a neutral perspective on the cop and my neighbor, I could see both truths.

So, perhaps from this perspective I had today, the next time I am in disagreement with someone, I will be open to not only my truth, but have compassion for their truth and to quote myself from my painting titled pure truth, “The truth exists pure somewhere…”. -Amy Roemer 2-22-10

Pure Truth by Amy Roemer

To view more paintings by Amy Roemer, visit www.amyroemer.com

Something happened to me! Have you ever said that? Did something really happen to you? “Of course!” you may say “That guy just cut me off, didn’t you see that???” Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can become offended, defensive, victimized by something that “happened” to us? What if we took the perspective that we have control over what happens to us, most of the time. For example, instead of seeing a guy cut you off in traffic, you see a guy pull into the lane ahead of you ( notice I said “the” lane, not “your” lane) very close. You are okay, he is okay, and you drive on. Wow, how easy was that? You chose to just observe and spent no energy on being mad/angry/victimized by an action that the other person may not even be aware that they did. Maybe driving is not his strong suit, or he was late, or driving his desperately sick dog to the vet! Don’t we want compassion when we do something wrong or that we are not good at?

I remember experiencing the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, when I lived in Los Angeles. The whole city was shaken and several days after, I was in my car, stopped at a traffic light. I was a bit zoned out when the traffic to the right of me began to move, I instinctively pressed on the gas before looking straight ahead! I ran right into the car in front of me. The man in the car just waved and said “It’s okay!” He didn’t even get out to check if there was damage. We were a community of people who had just become one by experiencing something together and he had compassion for me in that moment and I was so thankful for that. So, notice when you tell those stories of what “happened to me”. Try to see a situation from all perspectives. Remember when you did something that wasn’t perfect and how great it would be next time to get a kind reaction. It stretches our muscles to break out of old habits, and this one is worth it, you save so much energy that you can use for what you choose to have happen!-Amy Roemer 2-6-10

It’s 2010! A new year, a new decade, a new chance to start living life the way you want to! The Mayans belief was that the number 10 represents the end of a cycle and the beginning of another. The ten was regarded as being the number of the life and the death. What do you want to let go of, let “die” in 2010? What do you want to bring alive in 2010? A Vision Board is a great place to start! The top 3 percent of wealthiest people in the world all write down their goals. Writing goals and adding visual cues to remind yourself are key to making your life work the way you want it to! Plus, it’s fun!

Start by getting a piece of poster board or foam core.

Create a half inch border around the outside edges using gold or yellow markers (paint, glitter…be creative!)

Set aside, you’ve done the first step! Now you have a blank canvas to inspire you!

Find pictures in magazines, online, etc…of what you want in your life. Your dream home, your perfect weight, dream partner, garden, car, organized home, amount of money you want to make…anything!

Again, be creative! My husband is working on getting his novel published and going on a book tour. I cut out a picture of him, searched “photo of book signing” on google, printed out a picture of a crowd waiting in line to get a book signed, and cut out an author’s hands signing a book and pasted it all together so it looks like he is signing books at a major book store!

Write, type, print, cut out of magazines phrases and words to tell the story of how you want your life to be in 2010! A great place to start is across the top of your Vision Board write “I deserve the best and I accept the best now!” At the bottom you can put “This or something better manifests in the appropriate time for me”.

I put words like “ I feel great!” and “I have lots of energy!”

If you are working on financial abundance, you could write “My finances are taken care of and my wealth is growing!”

Now, paste, glue, write, paint all your photos and phrases on your Vision Board!

Leave room in the bottom right hand corner and write “To Do: Write proof of ________ every day.” If you are working on weight loss you could write in a journal every night, the proof of your goal. For example, you may write “I lost one pound this week. I ate healthy food today. Millions of people lose weight every day, so it is possible for me.”

Next in the bottom right hand corner, write “Clean out the old.” Whatever your goal is, there is probably evidence of it in your home or mind. Staying with the weight loss issue, you could clean out your pantry of food you know is contributing to weight gain, and clean out your mind of any beliefs that it is not possible for you to be a healthy weight or you don’t deserve it.

Lastly, write “Feel what it feels like to____________.” Take a moment to feel what it feels like to weigh less than you do, how does your body feel? How do your clothes feel? What are you wearing? What are you doing? Walking? Taking a yoga class?

Now that your Vision Board is complete, post it somewhere that you will see it every day, even if that is your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, office, wherever you know for sure you will see it! Make it part of your daily routine! Keep in mind that your Vision Board can be for one goal or all your goals for the year! Enjoy 2010!!!!-Amy Roemer 1-5-10

If you live or would like to travel to the Milwaukee area, you can attend Life Art Healing’s Vision Board Workshop on January 23, 2010 at the beautiful Boerner Botanical Gardens!

Okay, you’ve done yoga every week this year, well…almost, you’ve tried! You’ve meditated….when you remembered, kept a good diet…any cookies eaten with love are okay in my book! Now, it’s the holidays! And doesn’t this society focus on the craziness and stress of this time of year? If we take care of ourselves and focus on things going calmly, most of them will…but that takes practice and the holidays are here and your Uncle Frank is spouting out negativity like it’s going out of style!

So, here’s what you can do. Remember, it’s their “stuff” not yours. Get up early! I know you are tired, but if you have some alone time for you, it will give you energy and calm that are well worth it! Do a meditation, even for 2 minutes! Do a few yoga poses, stretches, whatever makes you feel good. Make yourself a nice breakfast and eat it on the prettiest plate you have!

Once you get there…..Make every attempt to stay in your good mood. Talk to the people in the room who are positive. Take breaks, go for a walk or at least to the restroom and take some deep breaths, check your neck, shoulders, and jaw…are they tense? Breathe and relax them. Repeat as often as necessary! Write this down on a note card and carry it in your wallet or purse so you can pull it out and remember what to do!

Last, but not least. Be easy on yourself. We are all human, we are not perfect, and if we were, wouldn’t life be pretty boring? The holidays are what great stories are made of, so laugh it off, have fun, and breathe!-Amy Roemer 12-24-09

A friend told me about a wellness weekend she went on with her mother some time ago. They were asked to take a walk in the woods and find an item that they were drawn to and bring it back. When the attendees were gathered together again, they described why they chose their item. She chose bark, and said she was drawn to it because of the thick skin she felt she had to have to get through painful experiences in her life.

I was so inspired, that today while walking through the woods, I decided to see what I was drawn to. First, I saw 3 acorn shells connected together, which could symbolize my strong connection to my 2 brothers, or my husband, daughter, and I. Three represents the trinity, linked to religions and spirituality. I passed the acorn shells, next a few blades of green grass peeking out from under the snow. Survival, strength, endurance! Yet, I passed by the grass as well.

I continued to walk and let my mind observe the bare trees, the white snow, the muddy raccoon tracks coming up from the bit of exposed river. Then, I saw my item! A small stick in the middle of the path. Seemingly more humble than the trinity of acorns or the enduring blades of grass, all the same I knew that it was what I would carry home. I picked up the stick and pondered why I was drawn to it.

The stick, on it’s own, is a stick. On a tree, it is a branch, a limb that grows buds, leaves, bears fruit. It is connected to every part of the tree. The water that the roots sip out of the ground supports the farthest branches, because the branches are part of the tree. If we see a tree with no branches, it is dead, a stump, no longer supporting life.

A stranger is a stick, a person whose connection to family, friends, community, the universe, we do not see. A brother is a branch, a person connected by family, to friends, etc…because we can see the whole tree. We are all a branch, all so connected to each other. By every thing we do, our jobs, the children we raise, the things we buy and build, all impacts each person on this earth in some way. Even those who are isolated, like Thoreau in his Walden Pond years, make an impact. He was living alone in the woods, removed from family and friends, yet he still burned wood, consumed plants, animals, and water, and created. We all are creators. In his isolation he created work that has impacted more people than those who work among the masses!

So, you are connected to me and I to you, the old six degrees of separation are existing all the time, you may look like a stick, but you are a branch, and integral part of the tree of life that is existing on this earth and beyond. -Amy Roemer 12-18-09

What are you choosing today? We really are in control over so much of what happens to us. We choose how we react to every situation. The other day I was standing in line with many other holiday shoppers with full carts. I had been in line for about 5 minutes, with several people gathering behind me, when the cashier turned off her light and said “I’m closed.” There was only one other cashier open with a long line of customers waiting. The woman behind me said “That is so RUDE!” and stormed off to the back of the other line. Meanwhile, I hadn’t even time to start to the next line, when a man from the other line said “You can go in front of me.”

The woman behind me chose to be upset by the line closing. She chose to be victimized by the situation, and therefore chose to be at the end of the line. I can imagine she told the story to her friends when she got home. “You won’t believe what happened to me at the store today! What a nightmare!”

I chose to accept the situation, was about to calmly go to the end of the other line, hadn’t a thought that the cashier was being rude. So, as I was not choosing to be a victim, I attracted a positive situation. I got in line ahead of the kind man, and got on with my day and had a nice story to tell about the polite guy at the store.

The stories we tell attract the stories to come. So, the ripple effect of what we choose today goes throughout our life. Choose to have a great day, with great experiences. It will take some practice. Notice how you feel every time you choose not to be victimized, then when you chose to have a good moment, a good day, a good week, a good life!-Amy Roemer December 14, 2009