RECIPES


Laura Archera Huxley (1963, 2021). You Are Not the Target.


Laura was a concert violinist and therapist; here she presents 33 ways to inner happiness, or "recipes for living and loving."


some starting points:

feeling the energies in our bodies allows us to redirect and consciously transform the negative to positive energy

a "recipe" is a method to test out in our everyday life...the recipe can be modified to suit the individual and/or circumstance

 

for practice, my 2 favorite recipes:

you are not the target

many times we experience negativity from others that is a consequence of a longer causal chain that has little to do with us personally, i.e., we are not the target!

we can transform the negative energy by being aware of it and consciouslly contract our muscles (unobtrusive ones like abdominal, or leg, or buttocks...) 10 times quickly...in this way we beautify our bodies by redirecting the negative energy for a positive purpose (like strengthening our abs)

lay the ghost

when you have a negative memory, there is a sequence of 22 small behaviors that you can quickly perform in a sequence that helps dissolve the memory and leaves you feeling refreshed: 

  • blink your eyes 12x lightly and quickly like a butterfly
  • stretch your arms wide toward the horizon--wider still
  • blink again this time 15x
  • stretch toward the sky--higher still
  • yawn enormously like a hippo as many times as you can
  • blink again 20x
  • feel the feet touching the floor or your shoes or socks
  • swallow 3x
  • visually notice 4 objects in the room
  • drink a glass of water
  • count 10 hairs on your head and pull out 3
  • touch 5 objects in the room
  • let water flow on wrists for a few secons (cool if you're hot, hot if you're cool)
  • open the window and breathe fresh air (3 breaths)
  • make yourself sneeze (roll up a tissue and gently wiggle in your nostril)
  • freshen up your clothes and face
  • say your name, the day of the week and the date aloud
  • look at, touch, and smell something you like
  • throw something up in the air and catch it 10x
  • check your appointments for the rest of the day
  • think of the most pleasant thing that is going to happen today
  • say your name, the day of the week and date aloud
  • check the time of day 

                    [how do you feel at the end of the sequence?]

 


 

 

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