Voice Gems

The greatest gift God gives us is to enjoy the sound of our own voice. And the second greatest gift is to get somebody to listen to it.

— Warren Beatty

Excerpt from The Heart Aroused by David Whyte

I remember noting soon after my convalescence, that my voice had changed. It was no longer up in my throat, ready to be given away and please others so readily. It settled into my stomach along with my breath, bequeathing me a weight and acceptance in my voice that I hadf previously not known. Bet there was also a troubled quality underneath that acceptance that did not make it passive. My voice could suddenly allow the presence of darker hidden energies I had previously left unexplored.

It was as if my stomach had held my breath and voice at a distance until that time, not wishing to be reminded that the process of living itself is a form of violation. I was, in RilkeÕs words, folded in on myself in self-protection against a terrible truth. We are born half strangled and choking for air, grow up invaded by sickness, are battered by mortgages, unwanted bills, and difficult circumstances as adults, and in old age must prepare for the ultimate violation and indignity of the hospital deathbed. In effect, the traumatic circumstances on that South American road opened, against my will, a part of my body long closed, and through the pain of that opening I was enabled to walk back in and inhibit a part of myself I had long neglected. In involved not only taking on new powers, but the giving up of my youthful illusions of immunity.

Excerpts from Voice Power by Joan Kenley

Breathing correctly to develop your BodyVoice® will also improve your overall health, energy, and maybe even your longevity.

Releasing your BodyVoice will release and eliminate feelings of stress. And the technique for reducing tension is fast, effective, and portable.

Developing your BodyVoice can have a positive effect on your sexual/energetic aliveness and your personal attractiveness.

Your vocal history of family dynamics and early childhood experience can reveal more than you might expect about the acquired characteristics and inhibitions of your current vocal quality and communication style.

Just as you do a vocal warm-up before running a race, you can do a vocal warm-up before giving a speech, going on a date, or making a sales call. Grounding your voice in your lower body will eliminate chronic hoarseness, help you sound more powerful, and give you confidence when talking on the phone.

You can have a vocal quality that reflects the way you feel inside. How you sound needs to be in step with the person you've become in your own self-exploration. Your voice can have a warm, adult, fully personal sound.

To educate your voice, you must educate your ear. You can become aware of how people perceive the sounds of your voice, and learn to hear more in the sound of other people's voices.

Releasing your body, breath, and voice will help you develop your awareness of certain body energies that can increase your self-sufficiency, compassion, creativity, and mental clarity more than you might have imagined possible.

When a critical number of people change how they think and behave, the culture will also, and a new era begins. Once the principles are understood, the significance of women's circles can be appreciated as a revolutionary-evolutionary movement that is hidden in plain sight.

— Jean Bolen

In the business of life, is there time to be in Circle? If not now--when?

— Joan Kenley

The hormone oxytocin - specific to women and released during stress - counters duress and produces a calming effect. More of this hormone is released as a woman tends to her children or gathers with other women.

— Jean Houston

Be patient toward all that is unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. . .

— Rainer Maria Rilke

Our ideal for circles is that they become the yeast that animates us, as we learn to sustain that feeling of aliveness in the larger context of our lives. In other words, something within us awakens, and the circle suggests a newer norm for all relationships. More authentic, more connected, more alive to possibility.

— Wisdom Circles

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

— Margaret Mead

Every choice we make affects everyone and everything in the great circle of life. Circles represent "power-with" others, which is life giving. The power created and experienced in a circle transforms and unites us. This is how the world will change — one circle at a time.

— UNESCO

Health Gems

Whether you're 25 or 105, it's never too late to choose a healthier life.

In the many seasons of our lives, indulging in the denial, the mystery, the innocence, and the ignorance of our body changes is always more painful than facing the truth.

Own the heart and soul of who you are.

I support alternative health care;
 I support standard medical care;
 I support what works for you.
 I do not support ignorance.

Normal short term memory loss? Forget about it! You're not losing your mind -- you're just making space for wisdom.