book – Individual Empowerment

Jody’s Garden is a book about using the power of nature to heal your grief. A portion of each book sale will be donated to cancer research.

Book Summary:

“Grief is a changing of seasons in our own garden.”

Gardens are a space for healing. With the cycle of life and death so close at hand, we have an opportunity to learn many lessons. In the garden, we can see the interconnectedness of our own life. We learn how the soil, once seen as nothing but dirt, reveals that it is teeming with life. Plants remind us the importance of self-care as we must give them just enough, but not too much, water and be on the lookout for toxins and insects that might cause harm. The beauty of flowers that only bloom once or twice a year teach us patience. When plants die we can better understand that nothing is permanent and remember to live in the present.

In this book you will find meditations, journal prompts, poetry and coloring pages. I hope you will also find a sense of peace and balance in your grief.

The book is available as a paperback and e-book on the following websites:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FLW47B -Get the e-book FREE until September 27^th!

Paperback available on Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jodys-garden-leah-oviedo/1127010867

E-book available on PayHip: https://payhip.com/b/dpzc

(Not on Amazon, but you recently lost a loved one? Contact me for a free PDF of this book.)

Giving Back!

This book was inspired by my mother’s battle with cancer. She fought long and hard to heal herself, but ultimately was unable to heal completely. In honor of her, I will donate one dollar ($1) from each book sale to the following cancer research organizations:

Breast Cancer Research Foundation: https://www.bcrf.org/

Prevent Cancer Foundation: http://preventcancer.org/

Resources

Find a grief support group in your area: https://grief.com/grief-support-group-directory/

Learn more about how we can eradicate cancer-causing toxins and pollution with these resources:

http://www.safecosmetics.org/

https://earthjustice.org/healthy-communities/toxic-chemicals

http://saferchemicals.org/

Peace and hugs, Leah 🙂

D.I.Y. Therapy

Nature Meditation for Depression

April 12, 2017 Impower You

One of the many ways I’m healing my depression is through nature. I live in the city with lots of parks, canyons and the ocean, but it’s still mostly concrete, pollution and a constant rushing of life. Since I don’t have many opportunities to escape into the mountains I escape into the garden where I volunteer and “ground” or “meditate”. Here is a simple meditation I’ve been using for over a year now.

Nature Meditation

Find a spot. Sit down or stand still.

Look at your surroundings. Is this a safe place to stop and rest?

If so, find a plant or tree to direct your focus.

Notice your thoughts and tell them that it’s time for a break. Just focus on the plant or tree you chose. Notice the shape and size. What is the color of the plant? What’s unique about it? Imagine what insects, reptiles or animals might live in it or like to nibble on it. Just allow your focus to be totally absorbed by the plant.

Every time you start thinking, bring yourself back with the word “return”. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been on a train of thought, just notice that you are out of focus. Allow yourself to release any thoughts, especially those concerned with what you need to do or what is causing you pain. Imagine all the unwanted things seeping out of you and into the soil. Let your worries dissolve into the earth.

Just be present. When you feel ready to move forward with your day then gently return to the world around you. Bring with you the felling of peace that you cultivated today.

The first time I tried this, I only lasted a few minutes, but gradually with practice I can allow myself to sit still and be present for much longer. Practicing mindfulness and meditation is a core for healing. If we don’t take time to slow down and allow ourselves to shut down we will constantly be working on ourselves and that is tiring.

Want more? Check out my DIY Therapy Posts or buy my book, “D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression” on Amazon.

Have you ever wondered what you could do -what possibilities would open up- if you didn’t feel overwhelmed by depression?

“D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression” is available through Amazon; as both an e-book and a paperback.

If you’re suffering from depression I strongly encourage you to seek help. If you can’t afford a therapist find a supportive mentor, teacher or healer who can help you discover inner peace. Healing is possible IF you are open and willing to commit to a self-care plan.

Want more? Print and meditate with FREE COLORING BOOKS!

Art

Unique Art

April 11, 2012April 10, 2012 Impower You

You can see more word art and affirmations in my book at Bookemon.com

🙂

Art, Empowering Discussions

My newest video- Word Art and Affirmations

January 13, 2012 Impower You

Check out my newest video about my my book Word Art and Affirmations. I published this last year. It is a collection of word art from the past few years. I have set it to some nice classical music. This is a great chill out video that will also inspire and bring joy to you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNIIVy5_sa8

Words have the power to brighten or darken our moods and the moods of those around us.
In the case of people we interact with regularly, our words and actions impact their whole
lives.

Ask anyone who was teased in school or has been the topic of nasty gossip. Look at
women, men and children who are victims of domestic violence. Even society pressures us
and tells us we are not perfect and that we need to change who we are to be happy.
We are barraged with words that affect us negatively on a daily basis. It should be no
surprise that negative words affect our self esteem and change how we see ourselves. While
it is not always possible to ignore negative comments, we have the choice to not give any
power to the words that are meant to hurt us.

Start your day off with a positive affirmation and put positive, encouraging, complimentary
words in your mind. When you say your positive affirmation enough and take actions to
make your life better, your life and confidence will improve. The change will not be
immediate. You have to say the words enough so they become true to you.

We have a choice of what words to use. Become aware of the words you use when talking
to people and talking to yourself. Are you being positive or negative? Are you agreeing with
others when they put themselves or another person down? If you need to change how you
talk, start slow with a few positive comments each day. Think about when we meet people
that we want to impress. We are on our best behavior and say positive words to that person.
We can act this way around our partners, family and friends as well.

We simply must be aware and be open to change.

Self Defense

34 Seconds

January 10, 2012January 10, 2012 Impower You

So last night I stayed up late working on a comprehensive video for my book. I had a good background, lighting and a video recorder. I tried a few different takes and an hour later I sat down to watch my work. Well I looked great, but the audio is broken and I could not hear myself. LOL!

I was upset, so I decided to make a 34 second video(that’s all the time available) on my phone.
This is not the most professional video in the world, but I wanted to see what I sounded like. I also wanted more info out in the public eye, about my book, “I Am More Than Just A Girl”.

You can watch my 34 second video on YouTube at this link: http://youtu.be/03pqXH_7r3s

I am working on a more comprehensive video. It will be ready as soon as possible. I also am going to make separate videos on the topics covered in my book. My hope is one or two will go viral and my book sales will really take off.

I also created a slideshow of photos from the book that you can see here: http://youtu.be/55465M3GxGU
This video is 1 minute and 20 seconds

Stay tuned!

🙂

Empowering Discussions

Another happy update about my BOOK!

January 9, 2012 Impower You

You know how much I love my book, but you don’t know how hard it is to market my love! I spend some amount of time finding relevant places where I can market it. Luckily, a while back I learned the secret of reciprocal links. Not only does this allow me to network with like minded people, but I get free marketing and also a good resource for visitors of my website.

One of my “friends” is Suzanne Player of Amazing Wiz Kids. This is really cool educational toy company that I was lucky to find online.

We talked and decided that we were definitely compatible for swapping links. We both want to offer products and services that empower others and create a more educated world.

You can see the link to my book on her page here: http://amazingwizkids.com/AwesomeLinks.aspx

Likewise, I have added a link to her site on my page here: http://morethanagirl.webs.com/moretoshare.htm

Working together is the best way to move your business forward. I am so excited to be partnering with Suzanne and looking forward to other really cool partners that I can add to my site for you, the readers!

🙂