18 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday July 15, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com H E A LT H & WELLNESS Awakening to the aliveness of no-suffering Try those magic cards you look at a postcard-size surface with unintelligible and seemingly chaotic color patterns; but you look in a particular way that requires a bit of training; a looking that is actively passive, more akin to a purposeful letting go, a relaxed staring through the paper towards infinity or the horizon behind it. If you succeed, your success feels more like a gift, an accident, as suddenly the threedimensional image implied in the color chaos emerges. The moment you lose this special way of attending, the image disappears. That is what awakening to the present moment feels like, only far more profound. As with the cards, the awakened state cannot be forced or reached; it is a gift, an accident, and daily training in mindfulness meditation makes us accident-prone. This state of awakening gradually liberates us from suffering. It is commonly called enlightenment, and often misconceptualized as an ideal beyond our reach, a far-away place only to be reached in a faraway time after death. This isn't so. This state is right here, right now, for all to experience, if we allow ourselves to be truly present. Through rigorous training, better called initiation, we can open ourselves to this transcendental reality. I don't mean `transcendental' in the sense of `far away' or `somewhere else', but in the sense of such a radically different and unfamiliar experience, like the 3-D images in our magic cards, that we are habitually blind to it. Provided by Dr. Stéphane Treyvaud - www.mindful.ca Finding help to put happines and joy back into your life By Debbie Long After grieving 18 months I had not found anyone who had been able to put the joy and happiness back into their lives after such loss, My name is Debbie Long and in a four and so I took drastic measures. I sold my house, a half year period from December 1997 to June gave away all my possession, bought an RV, 2002 my life was filled with grief. My step-dad and traveled across Canada and the United died from a stroke, my dad died from States in hopes of finding the joy. I called it leukemia, my mother-in-law died from brain My Journey of Joy. I talked to hundreds and cancer, a friend was abducted, raped, and mur- hundreds of bereaved people and came home dered, my 27-year marriage broke down and with a calling and a vision. BEYOND Believing and Embracing Your then my son, Chris Miles, 24 years old, received his angel wings. I felt totally hopeless. Own New Direction is in response to what I heard others say they needed and my personal experience. Stuffy nose, headache, Bereavement service providers are doing an amazing job, but children have allergies? because of a lack of available When did you last funding for an issue as intangiclean your mattress? ble as death, their hands are tied to be able to offer more. More is Your mattress is the perfect environment for millions SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER of dust mites - a major allergic trigger. Any mattress over 6 months old should have a mattress health check. To book your free 10 minute no obligation mattress health check call Chris (905) 464-3891 or go to: needed. BEYOND is holding peer support group meetings for those grieving the loss of a loved one on Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., at the Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre, River Glen Mews Plaza, 2530 Sixth Line. BEYOND offers a place where the bereaved can go to cry, to share, to express their feelings, any day of the week that the grief hits. There is no cure for grieving, it is a process and everyone's process is individual as their fingerprint. There is no time frame or time limitations. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. The only wrong way is to not grieve. It is BEYOND's vision that when you need the support and contact with someone who's walked in your shoes that we will be there for you. For more information on the groups or to volunteer or make a donation please contact Debbie Long at 905-827-5849. CALL THIS PROFESSIONAL SleepClean.com A fresh, clean bed will improve your sleep whether or not you have allergies. GALL & ASSOCIATES OPTOMETRISTS "Our goal is clear comfortable vision!" HOW DO YOU MEASURE UP? POSTURE IS ONE OF THE MOST OVERLOOKED KEYS TO BETTER HEALTH. IT IMPROVES OUR EMOTIONS, FITNESS AND ABILITY TO THINK. Comprehensive Eye Exams Laser Vision Care Contact Lenses & Glasses New Patients Welcome 247 North Service Rd. W. Suite 203 905-338-2020 Dr. Ronald Gall AT DORVAL DRIVE "As the twig is bent, So grows the tree." Does your child or someone you know: · have one shoulder higher then the other? · carry a backpack on one shoulder? · suffer from unexplained headaches, asthma or digestive problems? · wear out their shoes unevenly? · have pants that do not fit properly? THE HEALING POWER OF MINDFULNESS Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness Meditation & Mindfulness Yoga for Beginners, Professionals & Institutions It is crucial to get your children's posture and spine checked to determine if any of the above symptoms are signs of scoliosis! Please call Alliance Healthcare Professionals, 905-845-2291, to set up a courtesy consultation with Dr. Jenna Davis. If you mention this ad, Dr. Davis will perform a state-of-the-art postural assessment and examination all for a $20 donation to Camp Trillium Childhood Cancer Support Centre. Dr. Jenna Davis Family Chiropractor/ Acupuncturist Alliance Healthcare Professionals 905.845.2291 232 South Service Rd. E, Oakville, ON www.alliancehealthcare.ca With Dr. Stéphane Treyvaud The Mindfulness Center Downtown Oakville · 905-338-1386 · www.mindful.ca