Films That Bring The Funny: Laugher is the Best Medicine

Recently a friend of mine did a Doreen Virture angel card reading for me. One of the things that came up was that I needed to incorporate more laughter into my life. So just for fun I created list of movies that make me laugh out loud, and I hope they have the same effect on you.



Remember this 80's classic? Who could forget the Elizabeth Shue singing the "babysitting blues"?



This movie is as ridiculous as it gets, and never fails to crack me up. Guy to Sigourney Weaver's character when she tries to pet a "cute" alien, right before it tries to eat her, "Don't you people watch this show?" Tim Allen, Allen Rickman and Tony Shalhoub, how can it not be hilarious.



Abigail Breslin doing a strip tease at a children's beauty pageant, I couldn't breathe I laughed so hard!



This little known film has mobsters, a black bag mix-up, Marisa Tomei, and tons of wackiness.



Munchkins, Japanese tourists, an albino, hitmen, and Chevy Chase and Carrie Fischer in this madcap screwball comedy. One of my favorites.



Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn are at their best in this comedy of errors, which includes losing a tiger, destroying ancient dinosaur bones, and madcap chases. This is a classic.



This farce takes religious enthusiasm to the extreme. Jena Malone sleeps with her boyfriend in an effort to "de-gay" him and ends up pregnant. Mandy Moore is a super-christian who tries to destroy Jenna, and in the process ends up destroying herself. This is a must see.



I had a difficult time picking just one Doris Day film, but this one is especially great. Highlights include Doris in a mermaid suit getting reeled in by a fisherman, a kitchen robot attacking her, and a spy setup gone wrong. This is classic screwball comedy at it's best.



This comedy features an albino, a dwarf, Japanese tourists, belligerent Grandmas, and Goldie Hawn. Goldie's character gets involved in a conspiracy to kill the pope and Chevy Chases' character is assigned as her bodyguard. I never get tired of watching this.



Another madcap adventure, Barbara Streisand gets Ryan O'Neal in trouble by pretending to be his fiance. They get involved in a crime ring, burn down a hotel room, and have one of the best chase scenes in tv history. Don't miss this cornball comedy.

What are your favorite funny films? Have you seen any of the ones on this list? Did you laugh out loud?

100 Tips to Heal the Body, Mind and Spirit

In honor of my 100th post (woohoo!!!) I have put together a list of healing tips for body, mind and soul: 

1. Drink Green Smoothies Daily
2. Laugh for at least a minute each day
3. Bounce on a rebounder
4. Spend time with animals; experience puppy love
5. Soak up the sun; Vitamin D gives us pep and healthy skin!
6. Keep your mind active by doing puzzles
7. Practice Yoga
8. Say affirmations in the mirror daily
9. Tell yourself "I love you" every time you look in a mirror
10. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
11. Get a series of colonics annually
12. Do enemas weekly
13. The Violet Flame
14. Ressonance Repatterning
15. Journal Daily
16. Meditate at least 15 minutes each day
17. Experience Vipssana
18. Get a massage
19. Eat lots of Superfoods
20.Practice Gratitude daily

21. Create your own Quantum Shift statement and focus on it
22. Practice Reiki or schedule a session
23. Go on a 7 day Sugar Cleanse
24. Send Love Letters to your family and friends
25. Wear a sleep mask at night
26. Go Vegan for 30 Days
27. Cultivate your friendships
28. Use a Skin Brush daily before showering
29. Use a Neti Pot to clear your nostrils
30. Go Barefoot as often as possible
31. Practice the Healing Codes
32. Take a detox bath
33. Experience tuning fork sound therapy
34. Write a letter to the Universe
35. Climb your way to more positive thoughts daily
36. Buy Crazy Sexy Diet and do the 21 Day Adventure Cleanse
37. Practice Forgiveness daily
38. Take time to cry it out
39. Practice deep breathing techniques
40. Do Donna Eden's 5-Minute Daily Energy Routine
















41. Practice the Script, a spiritual healing prayer
42. Check your PH daily
43. Mentally bless people who annoy you
44. Release your romantic illusions
45. Add Cinnamon to your meals
46. Create a Vision Board
47. Do these healing workbook exercises
48. Eliminate coffee from your diet
49. Do a parasite cleanse
50. Do a gall bladder cleanse
51. Detox with an infra-red sauna
52. Pray
53. Go to YouTube and listen to channelings from Bashar
54. Practice the Law of Attraction
55. Read these books
56. Stop gossiping
57. Make only positive posts online
58. Take your vitamins
59. Drink green, red and yerba mate teas
60. Write your New Moon Abundance Checks

61. Get Reconnected
62. Practice Ho'oponopono
63. Raise your vibrations with Vibes Up
64. Declutter your space
65. Use the mirroring exercise when people ruffle your feathers
66. Use Oracle Cards as guides
67. Put in your favorite CD and shake your booty!
68. Serve Others
69. Get in balance
70. Read Eat, Pray, Love
71. Erase the word "should" from your vocabulary
72. Subscribe to "The Daily Love" a beautiful daily e-newsletter
73. Eat lots of carrots
74. Get a Zapper
75. Get a tongue scrapper
76. Take off your bra as often as possible, they constrict your lymph nodes
77. Use Tooth Soap to heal your cavities and create healthy teeth
78. Write yourself a love letter
79. Use flower essences
80. Read Marianna Williamson's "A Reflection on a Course of Miracles"















81. Take yourself on a date
82. Use coconut oil on your skin after showering
83. Stand naked in the mirror and tell each and every body part, organ, cell "I Love You"
84. Cut out carbs for a week
85. Cut out processed foods permanently
86. Eliminate soda pop from your diet
87. Take the "No TV for 30 Days" challenge
88. Take time to feel your feelings
89. Go to the Farmer's Market
90. Go on a Media Diet
91. Learn how to say "NO" with grace
92. Do some Spiritual House Cleaning
93. Drink lots of water
94. Take Probiotics
95. Chew your meals mindfully
96. Give yourself hugs
97. Practice visualization techniques
98. Stretch every morning when you get up
99. Learn the Tibetan Rejuvenation Rites
100. Love Yourself

Happy For No Reason

I had the opportunity to read a wonderful book called Happy For No Reason by Marci Shimoff.  In this book, Shimoff interviews people she refers to as the "Happy 100", people that despite having some horrors stories to share, have maintained true happiness regardless of situation.  These amazing individuals share many tools and tips throughout the book to aid the reader in becoming happy for no reason as well. Consider this startlingly fact, "The World Health Organization predicts that by 2020, depression will be second only to heart disease in terms of the global burden of illness." Yikes!  I highly recommend checking this book out.  Here are a few of my favorite tools:

1. Question Your Thoughts.  Marci shared a story of a seminar where all the individuals seemed engaged except one. She completely focused on the one, believing that she wasn't doing a good job, and completely Ego-tripping over this one man. At the end of her presentation he approached her and told her how moved he was by what she said. Our thoughts, which are usually controlled by Ego, can and will lie, so question any thoughts that bring up negative feelings. We often make assumptions about situations based on self doubt, and rarely are we correct.
2. Laughter. Many of the resources I've read discuss this. Cafe Gratitude encourages one minute of laughter each day. In this book, one of the Happy 100, sat and spend 10 minutes each day in laughter. Laughter lowers cortisol in the body, an immune suppressant, it stimulates heart and lungs, improves breathing, and is great exercise. 15 minutes of laughter is equivalent to 2 hours sleep; laughing for 15 seconds adds 2 days to your lifespan. At first it may be difficult, but set a timer, and just start chuckling. Pretty soon, real laughter will come out. Do it with a friend!
3. Inviting Grace. This exercise involves thinking of a specific issue in your life that you need assistance solving. Write a letter to the Universe, ask for the correct people and situations to appear, express gratitude, and forgiveness if necessary. Now, put the letter away, take a deep breath, and let go. Believe that the Universe is working on it. Take the letter out in a month or so, and see how the Universe responded.  

There are 20+ tools in the book, in addition to the inspirational stories. I am just beginning working through the exercises myself. By implementing these tools, you too can be Happy For No Reason.

Stretch~ing

There comes a point where we start to really feel good.  All the tools and tricks to suppress the Ego and get in touch with our ~ing or inner guidance system are working and life is grand.  So what generally happens? We feel so good that we stop doing our daily gratitude, we don't think to check in with our feelings, offer forgiveness, use EFT to release blockages, make our love lists, because hey, we're happy, who needs to do that. Unfortunately, that's using when the Ego finds a way to creep back in and start filling us with fear and doubt again.

It's during this time that we need to Stretch our self-help muscles and really focus on not only staying in this positive state, but stretching ourselves beyond imagining, to an even more enlightened state. This is the time to rev up your practice. Start by re-evaluating your feelings, make a new forgiveness list, get in balance, do some mirroring exercises, release those romantic illusions, climb to higher thoughts, break out your journal and use it as a tool to process. So plump up that meditation mat, get out the rebounder, shout out your affirmations, write love notes to yourself in bright red lipstick in the mirror, laugh out loud, give yourself a hug, and pray.

12 Steps to a Healthier You

Getting healthy and staying healthy is a full time job and can be a daunting task. There are so many different aspects to being healthy; physically, emotionally and spiritually. There are many tools, that each take a few minutes of your day. So how does one balance this? Where do you begin and how do you stick with it once you've started the process? I've created a 12 Step Program, based on my own experience.  A few tips before I share the program; don't despair. How many times do you set a weight loss goal or decide to cut out coffee, and then on day five you break down, have a drink or binge on processed food? Most people say screw it, and go wild after that. Take a moment to access what happened, forgive yourself, and reset your intention. Everyone breaks, I don't care who you are, or how many years you've been on the strictest regiment known to man, we are all human. Don't beat yourself up because you just can't stand the idea of exercising today, just make sure to fit it in tomorrow. Learning to love yourself and accept yourself is an important tool to achieving a healthier you.

12 Steps to a Healthier You

1. Meditate.  Ok, so this may sounds strange to some of you, and others may wonder why I didn't start with cutting coffee or daily exercise, but trust me, this is the first step if you want to implement a successful health program into your life. Start with 5 minutes, every day to meditate on your desires, the things you want to improve, and what areas in your life you feel you may not be as healthy as you like. Meditation has several purposes a) you can figure out what your healthy goals are b) it helps center and focus you on achieving those goals c) it creates balance.  Try meditating for a week on creating a healthier you. Visualize yourself with an abundance of energy, an easy smile, a body type that allows you to wear anything you wish, freedom from disease and pain, etc. Feel it, know it will be yours, focus your energy, and you'll be ready to take the next step.

2. Establish Your Health Goals. Now that you've meditated and focused, what areas did you find need improvement. Are you tired a lot? Not getting enough sleep? Do you get colds frequently? Constipated? Do you feel depressed? Are you a mess Spiritually? Write down what you discovered about yourself in meditation, and create some achievable goals, start small. For instance, if weight loss is a goal, instead of saying you will loose 50 lbs in three months, start small, 2-5 lbs a week. Personally, I think you should throw out that scale, and focus instead on how loose your pants are getting and how much better you feel physically, but each person must make that decision for themselves. Starting with weekly, or even daily goals, will definitely make it more likely you will succeed. If for some reason you don't hit your goal that week, you can always start fresh with the next week!

3. Daily Affirmation. Ok, you've meditated, you've set your goals, now you need to affirm everyday to yourself that you are a superwoman/man and can easily achieve what it is that you desire. Post your goals on the mirror so you can see them each morning. When you get up, look yourself in the mirror and say "I love you. I believe in you. You're a rockstar!" Then, create an affirmation regarding your goals. For example, "I am on the path to a healthier me. I deserve to be fit, happy, and connected to the Universe/God. I love my body, I believe I am worth it, and today I am empowered to be the best me I can be." This is going to be extremely difficult for most of you at first. "I love myself...whaaat!!" It's an important step to successfully transforming your life, and I guarantee you it will get easier over time. You can also Empower Your Affirmations With EFT, a wonderful tool that will release some of the emotional blocks you may have.

4. Green Smoothies. Most of the time, the mindset initially is "what can I eliminate from my diet".  While eliminating things is important, and a lot of health advocates do say it can be more important than what you add to your diet, I feel that part of where people fail is they feel denied. So personally, I think adding something fun and delicious, that will immediately make you feel better, will make it easier to start eliminating when the time comes. You can read more about adding green smoothies to your diet in my blog entry Healthy Eating Monday's: Green Smoothies.

5. Shake That Thing! Exercise is extremely important. It moves the lymph, which clears toxins from your body, it boosts your endorphins, giving you a happy vibe, and gives you energy! It's so important to find something you like. If you hate your routine, you will not do it. Don't like the gym, don't get a gym membership! There are so many things you can do from the comfort of your own home. Take a walk, ride your bike (can you walk/bike to work?), bounce on a rebounder, do yoga, pop in an aerobics video, just MOVE!! You can mix it up, see what feels like fun each day, and it NEEDS to be fun. Dancing is also a great way to exercise, simply pop in a CD, and shake your thang!

6. Eliminate Coffee/Add Tea. Coffee is a stimulant, and gives you a false sense of energy, followed by a big crash.  Learn to say no to coffee, and yes to tea instead. Personally, I feel black tea is virtually worthless, so make the switch to green, red, yerba mate, white or an herbal blend. Allegro teas are inexpensive and have fun names such as "Engage Your Brain" and "Feel Flawless".  With the exception of red tea, most teas do have some caffeine as well, but also contain many herbs and anti-oxidants that will improve your health and clean your liver.

7. Forgiveness. Things are starting to get sticky, we've added some new things to our life, and now eliminated something precious to us as well.  It's time to break out the emotional tools and keep ourselves feeling good. Chances are, there has been a day (or two) that you've fallen off the wagon a bit by now. You are also probably remembering all those past experiences, where you tried to make the change and "failed". It's time to forgive yourself and release that toxic energy. Read more about Forgiveness tools in my previous blog on the subject.

8. Elimination Time! It's time to cut some more "no no's" from the diet.  In my blog post So You Want to Eat Healthier and Feel Better, I discussed cutting back on carbs, eliminating processed foods and soda pop, and participating in Meatless Monday's.  Check it out here: http://existingstricky.blogspot.com/2010/08/so-you-want-to-eat-healthy-and-feel.html

9. Detox Your World. At this point you should feel a real shift in how you are feeling. Chances are you are having more bowel movements, your skin may be breaking out or clearing up, you have more energy and feel balanced. It's important to detox during this period. There are many important tools, such as Skin Brushing, colonics/enema's, Epsom salt baths, neti pot, infra-red sauna, deep breathing exercises, parasite cleanse, etc.  If you don't move the toxins out of your body, they will recirculate into your blood stream and can cause fatigue and illness.  Pick one or two tools, and incorporate into your daily practice.  Most take only a few minutes, but for some you may have to schedule yourself a bit.

10. Laughter.  Laughter increases oxygen to the brain, stimulates your cells, strengthens your stomach muscles, is great exercise and makes you happy! The more you laugh, the better you will feel. Start off by setting aside one full minute to laugh each day. Set a timer, and just start cackling. You will likely feel ridiculous at first, but over time it will get easier. Ideally, you want to spend 30 minutes a day laughing. Find a great comedy, giggle with your girlfriends, subscribe to humorous quotes or blogs, enroll in Laughter Yoga, and start belly rumbling! Hint: if you are having trouble laughing, start by smiling, smile at yourself in the mirror, it will crack you up!

11. Balance Your Energy. We are all energy, and regardless of how healthy our diets are, how much we exercise, and all the emotional releases we have, sometimes our energy meridians can get thrown out of wack.  If you are following all the steps, and still feeling some fatigue or imbalance, I would suggest that this has happened to you. I blogged a bit about this a few months ago in my Energy Medicine entry. I highly recommend implementing Donna Eden's 5 Minute Daily Energy Routine into your schedule. I do it first thing when I get up. It removes any energy blockages, and I've noticed an immediate energy increase since I've implemented this tool. Check it out here: http://www.squidoo.com/energy-routine

12. Prayer. It's important to have a sense of grace in your life. Regardless of religious or spiritual beliefs, at some point, you need to get out of your own way, and let go/let god. Prayer is simply a way to release your fears, your desires, anything to the Universe. Let it go, take a step back, and watch the Law of Attraction at work. This is a great tool to manifest the life you want, and develop a healthier you on all levels.

What tools have you used to transform your life? Let me know how these 12 Steps work for you, I'd love to hear about your progress!

Love and Gratitude,

Shanna ♥

Detox Your World

Our body takes in toxins daily, from the pesticides in our food, the chemicals in our shampoos and the air we breathe.  Even if you are on a strict organic diet using only natural household products, you still have toxins.  High levels of toxins affect how our body functions, creating disease, increasing parasites and nasty bacteria in our body, making us fatigued and gain weight.  There are several simple, at home tools that you can add to your daily practice that will help you eliminate these toxins from your body, and make you healthier overall. 

1. Skin Brushing The Skin is the largest organ in the body; a quarter of our daily elimination comes through the skin.  The Lymphatic System is the one system in our body that does not have it's own "pump" to help it circulated.  It can become stagnant it we do not actively move it.  Skin brushing stimulates the Lymph system, moving toxins through, into the colon, releasing during urination. Skin Brushing has many great benefits including improving the elasticity of your skin, removing dead tissue that clogs pores, reducing cellulite, improving digestion, increasing the production of new cells, strengthening the immune system and improving lymph function.  You can get a dry brush from most supermarkets, drug stores, Target, Whole Foods, etc. Do it before you get into the shower each day.  Watch the video below to see how it's done.

2. Colon Cleansing The average person has 25lbs of feces jam packed into their colon.  Yuck!! Because of all the toxins we've allowed into our bodies, the colon has become a feeding ground for parasites, who thrive on the nasty bacteria buildups.  All of this nasty commotion slows down the function of the colon, which can cause toxins to leak back into the bloodstream, make it difficult for you to assimilate all the nutrients in your food, make bowel movements difficult or infrequent and cause fatigue.  Finding a colonic practitioner is a great way to eliminate this buildup, and make your colon shiny and new again.  Enema's are a great at home tool, however they most clean out the rectum, the last 8-12 inches of the colon.  However, even doing this can help get you moving better, and eliminate the buildup in the rest of the colon.  Coffee enemas also help detox the liver, pulling even more toxins from the body.  I highly recommend including enemas in your detox practice.  I would personally purchase the enema bucket for the easiest and cleanest process. 

Purchase an enema kit here: Enema Bucket Kit

Learn how to perform an enema: Give Yourself an Enema

Detox Your Liver with a Coffee Enema: Coffee Enema

3. Neti Pot The neti pot is a great tool for cleaning out the sinuses.  Colds, allergies, respiratory problems are very common.  The sinuses fill with bacteria, mucus and other toxins.  By gently washing them with saline, you can prevent sinus related sickness! Simply insert the Neti Pot gently into your nostril, tilt your head, and let the liquid slowly drain through, cleaning out the nasal passages.  Repeat on the other side.  You can do this as often as you like, some people do it daily, like brushing your teeth.  I would recommend doing it before getting into the shower.  I often find that the moisture from the shower makes me release even more mucus from my nostrils, plus I'd rather get rid of the "gunk" during my shower, than sit on the couch for 20 minutes after blowing my nose. 

4. The Zapper This unique tool uses a small electronic pulse to kill parasites in your system.  Yes, people, worms, creepy crawlers and all sorts of nasties are living in your body right now, feeding off your waste, eating your food before you get to properly digest it, and they can also feed off of you!! Creating healthy eating habits and detoxing regularly can eliminate or reduce parasites in your system. The Terminator Zapper is a kickass little tool that you can wear anywhere, that literally "zaps" those pesky little parasites.  The first week I slept with it on the bottom of my foot every night, and wore it on various body parts while sedentary.  I spent 10 days mostly sleeping and taking trips to the bathroom, no kidding!! My body went into serious detox mode, and when I came out of it I had more energy than I'd had in years. 

Want to read some horribly disturbing, yet informative info on parasites? Human Intestinal Parasites

Grossed out? Would you like to get rid of those pets? Order a Zapper

These are just a few suggestions, that can make a HUGE difference in how your body functions.  Exercise, deep breathing, Tongue Scraping, laughter, meditation, detox bath and a good nights sleep are also important in eliminating toxins from your body and keeping healthy.

Peace, Love and Happiness

I hear a lot of people talk about their concerns regarding the state of the world today. Everyday there are news reports on the oil spill, global warming, the war in Iraq, the economy, unemployment, tornado's, kidnapping, murder, etc. It's depressing and gives one a feeling of helplessness and despair.  I don't know about you but fear does not lead to peace, love and happiness in me. Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Meaning, it all starts with you. If you want t world filled with love, peace and happiness, you need to become a beacon of those traits.  Sound impossible? Here are a few tips:

1. Go on a Media Diet
Turn off the news, avoid cnn.com like the plague, change the radio to a peppy FM station, and eliminate the world's drama from your life. The Law of Attraction states that what you put your focus on, you create. In other words, whatever you are thinking about you will attract.  Instead of focusing on the problem, envision the solution.  For example, stop discussing how poor the economy is, and put your focus on abundance. The more people focusing on abundance, rather than lack, the better the world will be.

2. Be Grateful
Gratitude is a powerful tool for change.  Make a habit of coming up with at least 5 things each day that you are grateful for.  Gratitude's can be anything from "I am grateful for my incredible hair day," to "I am grateful for the creation of butterflies", or my favorite, "I am grateful for the creation of sewer systems and the fact that I don't have to wade through shit as I stroll down the street.  I thank the inventors and those who work daily to maintain our sewer systems for this great gift." There are so many things to be grateful for, and by taking a few moments each day to acknowledge them you can shift your entire life perspective.

3. Be Kind
Start by being kind to yourself.  We send ourselves a lot of negative messages, "I'm not good enough", "I can't do that", "I'm too fat", etc.  Turn those thoughts into positives.  It can be very awkward at first, but a great tool is to tell yourself "I Love You" every time you look into a mirror.  After a few days this will get easier and you'll notice your negative thought patterns about yourself will start to shift.  It is also important to be kind to others.  Hold open doors, say thank you, donate old clothes and books, Pay it Forward, adopt a solider, donate blood; make an effort to perform an act of kindness daily.

4. Eliminate Gossip
"Gossip is black magic at its very worst because it is pure poison.  We learned how to gossip by agreement. When we were children, we heard the adults around us gossiping all the time, openly giving their opinions about other people. They even had opinions about people they didn't know. Emotional poison was transferred along with the opinions, and we learned this as the normal way to communicate."
--Don Miguel Ruiz

5. Forgiveness
This is extremely important and can also be one of the most difficult things for people to do.  Start by making a Forgiveness List of everyone you still hold resentment towards.  You might want to add your own name to this list.  For small issues, simply write a sentence starting with "I forgive" to release the issue. For larger issues sit down and write a letter to the person who hurt you (even if it's you).  Share your thoughts on the situation, and offer up your forgiveness.  Burn the letter and release to the universe.  Remember, forgiving someone doesn't not necessarily mean that you are stating what they did was ok.  I realize that it may seem impossible to forgive your rapist, but holding onto the anger only perpetuates your pain.  Forgiveness can be a powerful tool for moving on.  "When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that line and get free." --Catherine Ponder

6. Express Your Love
Be Love in your actions, thoughts, and expression of self.  Express love often, whether through a kind act to someone you care about or by simply saying "I Love You" as often as possible.  Try this exercise.  For one day, say "I love you" to EVERYTHING.  "I love you tree", "I love you squirrel", "I love you sandwich", "I love you Mom", "I love you pinkie toe", etc.  There is no limit to love.

7. Give Compliments
Give genuine compliments whenever possible. Tell a stranger you love her shoes, let the lawn mowing boy know what a great job he did on your lawn, thank your post man for his prompt delivery of your mail everyday.  Last year I attended a conference on relationships called Kindred Spirits.  One gentleman shared with the group that he writes what he calls "Father's Day letters" every year to his Dad.  He shares with his Dad how special their relationship is, compliments him on his life, and includes encouragement.  What a wonderful gift!

8. Smile
Ever notice how people have a tendency to look away when passing a stranger on the street? Make a promise to yourself to smile at everyone you see instead.  Smile at yourself in the mirror every time you pass it.  Smile to yourself when you are sitting along. Psychologists did a study on people suffering from depression and discovered that patients who spent just 30 minutes each day smiling at themselves in the mirror recovered much faster than the average patient. So smile, and smile big often.  And if you are really feeling adventurous, LAUGH!