The Oasis

The Purpose Driven Life

After I posted here recently on the topic of Coaching and the Immune System, I started thinking about all of the publiciity that Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, is getting.

Now what, you may ask, has coaching and the immune system have to do with Rick Warren?

Well, it seems that according to UCLA researhers, when people set goals that have meaning for their lives, their immune systems grow stronger.

And what goal could possibly have greater meaning than finding your life purpose?

Perhaps that's why we are drawn to The Purpose Driven Life, because we recognize that somehow, finding purpose and meaning not only makes us feel worthwhile, but that the process itself is good for us on a cellular level.

Finding your life's purpose, being able to articulate this...

what an awesome thought!

Perhaps that's why I was drawn to SUN (Success Unlimited Network) for my coach training. One of the very first things I did as a trainee was to meet with Master Certified Coach Vicki Escude, for a life purpose session.

And I walked away with a concise statement that allows me to articulate my life's purpose to anyone who asks.

But you know what?

More importantly, it allows me to articulate my purpose to myself. And because I can do that, I can use my purpose almost like a compass.

My purpose becomes an invaluable tool to keep me on track and to help me when I have decisions to make, both big and little.

Because if I am asked to do something or I am tempted to throw myself into yet another activity, I stop and ask...

is this really aligned with my life's purpose?

What a gift! Both to myself and to others.

If you would like to take a free 7 day email mini-course on Introduction to Finding Your Life's Purpose, just go to to Life Purpose Mini-Course and sign up. It's free and you will quickly learn why you will never have to say, "If I only had my life to live over again!"

Rocky Mountain High

Researchers have found that people who live in mountain areas not only live longer, but are less likely to die of heart disease than those who live at lower elevations.

The really wild thing about this particular study was that the folks who lived at higher elevations had worse coronary disease profiles (high cholesterol, higher blood pressure) than those who lived in the lowlands. But...

in spite of their bad heart health profiles, they were less likely to die of heart related causes!

Why?

The researchers believe that because the people who live in the mountains had to adapt to conditions there, such as hilly terrain, lower oxygen levels and the like, that their bodies adapted to these factors. With that adaptation came protection from heart disease.

I haven't yet seen the results of the original study, but this causes me to also wonder if there was not another hidden effect of living in the mountains.

What could that hidden effect be?

Think of where most people go for vacation. Either the mountains or the ocean.

Mountains have aways been associated with beauty. Awesome vistas, magnificent snow capped peaks.

Many people feel a sense of awe, even reverence in the mountains.

So...you ask. What's that got to do with living longer?

Maybe everything.

There is a whole body of scientfic research that shows natural beauty is not just pleasant to look at but is actually good for our health! Roger Ulrich, a professor of landscape architecture, is the author of the classic View from a Window study, first published in the journal Science in 1984.

Two groups of patients who had come into the hospital to have their gallbladders removed (in those days a major painful operation requiring a long hospital stay) were assigned to one of two rooms, a room with a view outside or a room that faced a brick wall of the building next door.

The patients in the room with a view recovered faster, required less pain medication and had fewer surgical complications than those who didn't have the benefif of the view.

Another interesting thing about this study was that the view from the hospital window wasn't spectqcular. The patients could see outside and could also see a tree in the hospital yard.

Nothing spectacular. No awesome mountain views.

Just think...if a view of a tree could have such spectacular results on surgical patients, what might living in the magnificence of the mountains do for your health?

But it turns out that even pictures of nature are good for you! Of course, no picture can hope to match the miraculously infinte detail of even a single snowflake, not to mention the complexity of a mountain meadow or the shining depths of an alpine lake. But for those who are ill or otherwise incapacitated, or just too busy to get away, a nature based video, such as Primal Waters' Telly award winnning The Fifth Season, can provide a wonderfully soothing respite from the hectic pace of life.

A Whole New Mind

A Whole New Mind is the title of Wired Magazine contributing editor Daniel Pink's new book, to be published by Riverhead Books this March.

So what's new about the mind?

And furthermore, why should you care?

Well, what's new is plenty and the reason you should care could hit you right in your pocketbook.

By now, nearly everyone is familar with the concept of the left and right brains. You know, the logical, linear thinking left brain and the intuitve, artistic, empathetic right brain.

Pink's thesis is this: all of those left brain linear logical capablities are not enough in a world in which jobs which require these capabilites are rapidly being outsourced. Jobs like computer programming, law research and even the reading of American CAT scans are being outsourced to Asia!

Pink exhorts us to leave the linear, logical Information Age behind, before it's too late, and delve into the Conceptual Age, the age of artistry, empathy and emotion. Now that others can do left brained work more cheaply, it's incumbent upon us to do right brain work better than anyone else.

But how do we do we develop these right brain capabilites?

We can begin by exploring and developing ancient traditions that are being combined with modern technologies, such as heart intelligence, mastery of breathing techniques, developing our capacity to see with our minds' eye, cultivating our sense of appreciation and graditude, and more.

These are the very techniques and the body of knowledge on which our 24-week Stress Resiliency Coaching™ Foundations Class is based.

As author Daniel Pink says, "Want to get ahead today? Forget what your parents told you. Do something foreigners can't do cheaper...computers can't do faster...Go right, young man and woman, go right."

Virtual Open House

Have you ever been to an Open House in your pajamas?

Chances are you wouldn't even be on the invitation list if they knew you were coming in your PJs!

Well, here's your chance. Not only can you come to our Stress Resiliency Coaching™ Virtual Open House dressed in whatever you like, you don't even have to leave the comfort of your home or office.

Here is your personal invitation:

You are invited to Stress Resiliency Coaching's Virtual Open House on Monday, March 28th at 1:30PM Eastern!

We will be giving virtual tours of our campus, as well as providing you with the latest information on our next 24-week distance learning Foundations class, which launches March 30th.

There will also be a virtual open bar (you must be at least 21 years old) and a virtual buffet, all you can eat. And, you get to meet some of our alumnae.

To RSVP for the Open House go to the Virtual Open House Registration Page

You will receive your confirmation, bridge number and directions to our campus shortly.

(This Foundations Class was approved by the National Association of Social Workers, provider number 88647780, for 20 continuing education contact hours.)

Hope to see you on campus!

Coaching and the Immune System

Coaches, as well as their clients, now have another reason to rejoice. Coaching is good for your health!

How?

Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found that when you strive for goals that are associated with more meaning in your life, such as goals around personal development or exploring possibilites, something wonderful happens...

your immune system responds favorably!

No one really knows exactly how this works, but researcher Julienne Bower, Ph.D, the study's lead psychologist, thinks it probably has to do with enabling the body to counteract the effects of stress hormones which are produced in reaction to our hectic, fast-paced lives.

But the really good news is this...

your immunne system gets a boost just by attempting to reach the goal...

even if you never make it to the finish line!

The study was published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Volume 25, Number 2, 2003.

About Us

The Oasis is the business blog of Ellen Britt, co-founder of Primal Waters and the Helix Institute. Ellen directs the company's Stress Resiliency-Wellness Coaching™ Program.

The Stress Resiliency-Wellness Coaching™ Foundations Class is an intensive, 24-week distance learning program, all by teleconference bridge, for coaches, psychologists, nurses, physician assistants, human resource people and other helping professionals who want to bring wellness coaching skills to their professional and personal lives.

The Oasis will bring you the latest, cutting edge stress information and resources from the worlds of science, medicine, biology, psychology and ecology to keep you current, to inform you and to soothe and entertain you as well. To receive updates for the Oasis, delivered free to your inbox just twice a month, go to The Oasis subscription site.