If you would like to coordinate a group for your organization, church, or friends, contact me to talk about what your group needs and what I can offer.
The Mona Lisa Method
A Playful Way to Train Your Brain--Feel Better, Think Better, Live Better!
The eyes are fundamentally the most powerful driver of what we think, what we feel, and ultimately what we can do.
--Andrew Huberman, Neuroscientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
The eyes are known as “the window to the soul.” They reflect whether you’re curious or bored, calm or anxious, focused or distracted.
Now we’ve discovered that it also works in the other direction. The eyes are not only the window to the soul--they are a doorway to help you feel better, think better, and live better. Yes, your eyes reflect how you’re feeling and thinking, but it's also true that the quality of your visual attention alters how you’re feeling and thinking. It’s a two-way street. Mind-body. Body-mind. Chicken-egg. Egg-chicken. Change your eyes, Change your brain. One little change that changes everything!
Your eyes are a master key. They are part of your brain, the command center that guides how you feel, how you think, and how your live your life. Because they’re part of your brain, changing your eyes creates ground-level, global benefits. You become more resilient in the face of stress, more flexible in handling the challenges of life, more connected with your best self.
The Mona Lisa Method will help you…
😊Release excess tension in your neck, shoulders, and jaw
😊Feel less stressed and anxious
😊Be present for yourself and for others
😊Complete tasks more efficiently and enjoyably
😊Develop self-compassion and be a better friend to yourself
Within the first session, most people can feel the benefits, and your results with grow as your skill deepens. As part of the tuition, you’ll receive a recording so that you can continue practicing on your own.
– Mary Jane Campbell, Grandmother
I’ve tried other techniques, and this is the quickest, easiest, and most effective … I can feel myself relaxing, especially my shoulders … I’m less stressed and I’ve been sleeping better. I’'m amazed how well it works!
-–Rachel Loeske, Violinist, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
…has totally changed my life! I don’t get stressed as easily. If I get in a bad mood, I can quickly turn it around…helps me relax my shoulders, feel more confident, and breathe more easily.
—Kathy Paradis, Professional Counselor
I use it through-out the day to help me feel calm, focused, and grounded.
--Sara Matoyoshi, Violinist with “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra. ...helps me to enjoy the present moment—It’s similar to the effects of a touching piece of music or a deep meditation.... It helps me get unstuck from unhelpful thought loops, think more clearly, and see the bigger picture.
—Becky Green, LCSW
I needed to lighten up, and this method has given me a way to do it! It helps me to let go and relax my whole body…It has been life-changing!
What: Online introductory workshop on The Mona Lisa Method
Leader: Lilly Sutton, M.S., Certified Alexander Technique Teacher and Self Care Coach
Date: Sunday Sept. 18, 2022
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. (DST same zone as New York)
Tuition: $60 (Register with a buddy or register by Sept. 13th for a $5 discount.)
Where: Online with Zoom (The link will be sent after you register.)
Preregistration Required: Click here to contact Lilly
Why not join us on Sunday evening, September 18th, at 6:00 p.m. (New York Time) and add a new skill to your toolbox?
Guided Mindfulness Meditation Group
Ongoing Guided Mindfulness Meditation Group
The quality of your attention is equal to the quality of your life.
—Lilly Sutton
🌀
Guided Mindfulness Meditation is a powerful tool for self care. Clients have said that it helps them to feel simultaneously relaxed and energized, light and grounded, calm and alert.
Mindfulness means being present without judging, and without getting lost in your thoughts. It’s not about pushing your thoughts away or taking a break from reality—It’s about developing a different relationship with your mind. You can grow your ability to observe your thoughts and feelings without getting lost or overwhelmed by them. Mindfulness builds your ability to respond in a way you choose rather than react in a way that you later regret.
Acceptance invites change. 🌀 Judgement keeps you stuck.
—Lilly Sutton
Have you tried silent, self-directed mediation before? If it’s working for you, please continue! (And you can also join us!) If it didn’t work for you, don’t give up on meditation! Guided practice is a different experience. In our sessions, you will receive gentle verbal guidance that enhances your ability to quiet your mind. Many find guided practice to be more enjoyable and effective, especially as they are beginning the process of quieting their minds.
We’ll begin each session with mindfulness of the body—the simple practice of noticing your own bodily sensations. Why do we use the phrases, “Be sensible!”, “Come to your senses!”, or “That doesn’t make sense!”? Your senses automatically bring you into the present moment and they are a crucial aspect of your intelligence. When you learn the vocabulary of your body, you can use its signals to help you care for yourself. Your dashboard tells you when your car needs gas. Your body language tells you when it’s time to care for yourself and lower your stress-o-meter.
Our sessions will help you feel more centered and comfortable within the session. They’ll also help you nurture a quality of attention that helps you be present in your life outside the sessions. You can learn how to widen your field of attention so that you are simultaneously present for yourself, and for the world around you. In a conversation, you can be aware of your own thoughts while you also attend to the people around you. You can complete the task at hand while you also notice and release excess tension and stress.
Our sessions can help you...
🌀 Release tension and rejuvenate yourself
🌀 Relieve stress and anxiety so that you can think more clearly
🌀 Be simultaneously present for others, and for yourself
🌀 Feel profoundly peaceful, centered, and comfortable
🌀 Strengthen your coping skills so that you are more resilient
Most of our time will be spent in guided mindfulness meditation, and there will also be time to share your experience. Hearing about the changes that others are making in their lives can inspire and enrich your own learning. Whether you’re new to mindfulness meditation or you have years of experience, this will be a refreshing session to reset your system and complete your day.
Date: Weekly on Mondays--Come when you can.
Time: 8:15 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., (DST, same as New York)
Where: Online with Zoom
Price: Donation-based according to your budget and the benefits you receive
Preregistration Required: Click here to contact Lilly. Register by Monday @ 7:00 p.m.
Why not join us? 🌀 Come as you are! 🌀 Come when you can!
Self-Care Sampler: Feel Better! Live Better!
When I was in college, a friend of mine drove an old Volvo coupe. The dashboard continuously displayed the check-brake light and he didn't now how to fix it. His solution? Being an electrical engineer, he put black electrical tape over the light!
If you have an on-going problem, and you don’t know how to solve it, ignoring the issue may seem like the only option. But we often feel helpless when we are not, when there is a solution within our reach. (The Positive Psychology Movement sprang from research on this very idea. It's called "learned helplessness.")
This 2-Session Sampler will strengthen your skillpower to face life’s challenges and move forward with what matters to you. So far, you’ve done the best you can with what you know. This workshop will help fill the gaps in your learning.
You can fill your toolbox with techniques drawn from mindfulness, Body Mapping, Brene Brown, Breathing Science, energy work, and other mind-body methods. With more tools in your box, you can feel more capable, confident, and comfortable in your everyday life.
Each of the tools are simple, effective, and easy to learn. Most can be completed in two minutes or less and you’ll experience the results right away. When you use these techniques regularly, you’ll build your resilience to stress, strengthen your ability to cope, and become a better friend to yourself.
You'll get practical advice for using our methods in your everyday life. There will also be time to share and learn from others.
You can learn to…
🦋 Release uncomfortable neck and shoulder tension.
🦋 Be present with yourself, and with others.
🦋 Breathe more fully, easily, and comfortably.
🦋 Rejuvenate yourself through-out the day .
🦋 Develop more self-compassion and be a friend to yourself.
Dates: 2 Mondays, May 22 and May 29
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (DST, same as New York)
Fee: $80 ($75 if you register by May 15th) ($70 for each of you if you register with a buddy.)
Where: Online with Zoom (The link will be sent after you register.)
Preregistration Required: Click here to contact Lilly.
I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed our session…remembering the laughs we shared has helped me let go of some of the more stressful moments this week – not to mention it puts an immediate smile on my face! …my worries about the past and future are expelled and I am able to enjoy the present moment. …I have never felt more at peace, calm, confident, and mentally prepared to perform. Thank you again for such a beneficial class and for teaching me techniques that will continue to lower my stressometer for the rest of my life. –David Stultz, Class Participant
Join us and learn some new tools to help yourself feel better and live better!
If there's ever a time for self-care, this is it!
Why not join us?
🦋
Easy Eyes: I See You. I am Here.
Easy Eyes: I See You. I Am Here.
I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.
—John Steinbeck
The traditional Zulu greeting, Sawabona, translates as I see you. The usual reply is Sikbona, which means I am here. Their greeting is a recognition of each person’s wholeness, dignity, and value. It springs from a human truth—that we become who we are through our interactions with others, through being seen.
This group is about seeing others as they are. It’s about seeing the person who is behind the eyes. It’s about waking up to the world around you and the world within you. It’s about seeing yourself, hearing yourself, and being yourself. Each one of us is bigger than our thoughts, our judgments, and our habitual ways of being and perceiving.
When we don’t allow ourselves to truly see and be seen, we miss out on being connected with the world around us, with others, and even with ourselves. We miss out on enjoying the moment. We miss out on what matters most.
Easy Eyes is a simple mindfulness practice with many practical applications. It helps you to feel better, think better, and live better. In this group, we’ll be using it for a powerful and direct effect on your relationships with others, and with yourself.
In Our Group, You’ll Learn Skills For…
-- Being present rather than preoccupied.
-- Deepening your connection with others and with yourself.
-- Managing the reactions that arise in difficult conversations.
-- Tapping into the wisdom of your body language.
-- Waking up to the everyday, ordinary pleasures of life.
Our Time Together Will Include…
-- Brief talks using readings, stories, and real-life examples.
-- Guided meditations for integrating your awareness and understanding.
-- Centering practices that will ground you through-out the day.
-- Structured practice of skills that you can use outside the workshop.
-- Time to share how you are using your new skills outside the group.
We're all just walking each other home.
― Ram Dass
This meeting can be a turning point in your relationships with others, and with yourself!
I hope you can join us!