Dear Friends,

Warm winter greetings from snowy Colorado. Welcome back to Sip of Soup, my free bi-monthly E-sip offering a taste of insight and lessons to help you keep caring while living a more balanced life.

A Sip of Soup - January/February, 2004 Positivity TM Power One of the easiest ways to add balance to our lives is so simple we discount it. Surely something that takes 3 minutes, something that can be done any time, any place, cannot be that effective, can it? Positively!! Slow, rhythmic, relaxing breathing releases a lot of stress, fatigue, and endorphins. (Endorphins are our bodies' own pain medications, with the same molecular makeup as morphine sulfate. We have this on tap and forget to use it!) When I taught childbirth classes for so many years, I reminded moms (and dads :) that this breathing technique was not just a labor skill, but a life skill. A key coping tool is taking time amidst the busy-ness to breathe and relax. Lessons from LeAnn So, several times a day...in stressful times and in non...stop to breathe slowly and deeply from the abdomen: In-2-3-4 and Out-2-3-4, and In-2-3-4 and Out-2-3-4...over and over again. Easy. Relaxing. Renewing. Adding positive affirmations and/or visualizations (from the Sept/Oct E-sip) will double the benefits -- and your balance. Soup for the Day - A Healthy Quote During periods of relaxation, after concentrated intellectual activity, the intuitive mind seems to take over and can produce the sudden, clarifying insights which give so much joy and delight. - Fritjof Capra, physicist ******* To learn more about LeAnn's speaking and inspirational books, that will help keep you caring, balanced, and committed to your priorities, click on the link below. www.LeAnnThieman.com

You will continue to receive this bi-monthly E-sip. We will not distribute your personal information or email address, period. If you do not wish to receive future editions, follow the link below to unsubscribe.

A Sip of Soup is written by LeAnn Thieman, LPN, professional speaker, and co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul. Watch for Caregiver's Soul due for release, August 2004.