The Official Website of Michael Corthell

The secret of a blissful happy life consists of practicing laughter, silence, breathing and meditation  

Mindful Breathing  does three things; captures oxygen, provides focus and reduces stress. by Michael Corthell At a marina, not far from where I sit writing this article, a message is displayed on their roadside marquee. It says, ''EXHALE, You're Home.'' That says it all as far as our society's stress and health issues are concerned. People work, are all up tight and they feel that they cannot 'breathe' until they are on vacation. What has to happen is that we all have to learn to breathe mindfully to reduce their stress all of the time. It is best not to wait until you must control your breathing.  Don't wait until you're extremely stressed out, in a panic or an arguement before minding your breath. Be prepared through practice. ''Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.''    —L. Frank Baum, Author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Mindful, (controlled) breathing not only helps your body functioning

by Michael Corthell When you realize that you're suffering from anxiety and depression, you may seek out medical treatment. You then will probably go to your primary care doctor to talk about meds. You may look for a therapist. You may even try to take a more holistic approach and use natural remedies. Many people will try all of these things. ''To enjoy the glow of good health, you must exercise.'' —Gene Tunney What most people either don't know or don't want to know is that there is a way of managing anxiety and depression that is considered as powerful as many medicines. It's a method that has few side effects and could even improve your over-all health. Medical studies have shown that physical and mental inactivity can be a cause of depression/anxiety/worry and that the opposite can help at least manage the symptoms and in some cases cure the illness. As with most illnesses the current thought is to always check

  “What happens when people open their hearts?" "They get better.” ― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood Each and every creature has a unique part to play in the healing of the world. “Forgetting was not the same as healing.” ― Rivers Solomon

 by Michael Corthell When I speak to people about God and the Christian Bible, I usually pick one precept and talk simply about that one instruction. In my way of thinking simplicity is the key that unlocks understanding. ''Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'' —Jesus (God incarnate, aka the Universe) In this teaching, we have Jesus healing a woman who has had uterine disease for twelve years and she can't be cured by any physician. And in another teaching moment with his followers, He tells them and us to ''Have faith in God.'' Faith healing or rightly stated, healing by faith is a one-on-one partnership with God. And I want to make it abundantly clear that I am not referring to faith healers like Oral Roberts who act like the 'middle man'.  The type of healing I'm referring to is the partnership between the believer and God directly with no intermediary.

“Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.” ― J.K. Rowling Three unconditional properties of true love:  A) Acceptance B). Understanding B) Appreciation “You couldn't relive your life, skipping the awful parts, without losing what made it worthwhile. You had to accept it as a whole--like the world, or the person you loved.” ― Stewart O'Nan, The Odds: A Love Story

“Just like there's always time for pain, there's always time for healing.” ― Jennifer Brown Looking at the bigger picture. During the course of the year 2020 I finally realized(and accepted) that the entire human race is functionally insane...nuts...the cheese has always been sliding off our crackers.  But I also observed, and understood that many people have come to the same conclusion. That brings me hope, because to recognize our own insanity is, of course, the very beginning of sanity. It is the beginning of healing and transcendence. “As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else.” ― Maya Angelou

Bring to the suffering person your holy silence, and just listen. Why deep listening? Listening deeply by being completely focused on what a person is telling you establishes a presence -- a presence not only of mind but of spirit. In the healing process two spirits are better than one. Bottom-line. By listening carefully, purposefully, that is deeply when someone speaks we're telling them that we care about them. That's empathy. That's love. There is no mystery as to why deep listening works. Love heals...  — Solomon And as is almost always the case when we do the right things, we get something good back. Your deep listening is contagious. When we listen to others they will be much more inclined to listen to us!