Growing Pains for Your Pharmacy

Hurry up and wait. If you own a pharmacy that is billing private insurance companies, HMO’s and Medicare/Medicaid you know the meaning of that phrase very well. Hurry up and wait is what happens after you submit client claims for payment. You wait 30, 60 and sometimes 90 days before you get paid.

In the meantime, you still need to pay rent, meet payroll and pay your suppliers. Paying them on time is critical for the success of your business.

So, what can you do if you cannot afford to wait to get paid? Going to the bank won’t help you unless you have been in business three years, have great credit, plenty of assets and can provide three years of audited financials. Without them, banks will seldom lend you a dime.

But there is a financing tool that can provide you with the financing you need. Not only that, as your sales increase, so does your financing. This tool will allow you to have the funds to pay rent, meet payroll and pay your suppliers. It eliminates the hurry up and wait game that insurance companies play.

It is called medical factoring.

Medical receivables factoring provides you with financing based on your slow paying insurance claims. As opposed to bank financing, medical factoring is easy to qualify for and can grow, as your business grows.

It works as follows:

1. You bill insurance companies, Medicare/Medicaid and HMOs as usual

2. You then submit your invoices to the factor for financing

3. The factoring company advances you up to 85% of your expected collections

4. The remaining 15% is kept as a reserve.

5. You get immediate use of the money. The factoring company waits to get paid

6. Once the factoring company is paid, the remaining 15% (less a fee) is rebated

Factoring financing streamlines your cash flow and allows you capitalize on your biggest asset: your slow paying claims from insurance companies. It is an ideal tool for new and growing pharmacies or healthcare providers who need the cash flow to grow and take their business to the next level.

About Commercial Capital LLC

We provide business financing. We can provide you with a medical factoring, medical receivables factoring or invoice factoring quote. For a free consultation, call Marco Terry, at (866) 730 1922.

Primer: Online Sport Gaming

Combine the two of men’s most important leisure actvities and what you will display is a trend we term a sportsbook bets website. Seriously, what could be more resourceful… If you visualize a group of dudes clapping for any given chosen lineup, and constantly lays will be proclaimed tied to the uproar. Because they want to participate in of the action, on-lookers usually seek to surmise who is the likeliest to prevail the imminent struggle. This all turns to become a sociable little struggle known as sportsbook bets website.

Get in on the Internet’s hottest betting online review sports games here!

If you want to place your wager, we would advise you surf to a sportsbook bets website, which is a place that receives sportsbook bets website. In America, we currently have four states where everyone can do sportsbook wagers in a legitimate manner, but informally you can do it everywhere assuming you pin down a bookie and you’re legally of age. Amongst the games you can choose to risk some money on are professional and, of course, college level football plus college class basketball, professional baseball, professional hockey, and, of course, betting on both dog and horse racing. You may choose to risk money on the global tally of a contest, on what round any given opponent will go under, and even if a given tossed coin in a contest comes out either heads or tails.

The sportsbook provider count on the maths to help you decide which lineup you may believe is the likeliest to prevail. Primarily, there’s spread, that’s specific points lead allocated to the weaker side that is expected to go down by x number points. Plainly, this constitutes the betting outfit’s formal method of making even wagers possible for a sportsbook. E.g. a person might bet money on a club that is expected to go down and and yet profit from the bet assuming the side is beaten by x number of points.

We can find innumerable styles of bets– straight bets, teaser wagers,parlays i.e. combined antes on sundry games and also over/unders, i.e. wagers on the total number of points made in the race by both participating contestants, the straight bets being the most typical in sportsbook wagers.

Why not just give it a shot and enjoy the excitement at one go… Only take care that you won’t get seized and throw away your total social security checks on a caprice… Otherwise you’re going to find yourself repenting for life…

The Legal Side of Divorce

While divorce can be an emotionally draining experience, even in the best of situations, it can also be a complicated legal matter that affects both parties equally. No matter how long your marriage has lasted or how few belongings you share together, it is also best to involve an attorney in your divorce proceedings. With out legal representation your rights could go unprotected and you could end up in financial trouble or even lose custody of your children or possessions.

Once you have contacted an attorney for legal representation, he or she will walk you through the most common steps of a divorce. Depending on the circumstances revolving around your divorce, this process can either be very simple and straight forward, or very complicated and time consuming.

The simplest divorces involve parties that have not been together very long, that do not have any children and that have very few, if any, shared items to divide. More complicated divorces come about from parties with a lot of mutually owned property, young children, and non-agreement on the proceedings. Non-agreement can include such things as differing opinions on how to split up property to bigger concerns such one party not wanting to agree to the divorce.

The first step in any divorce is filing a petition to announce your intentions of divorce. Even if both parties want a divorce, only one party will file this petition. In the petition, you lawyer will list your reason for seeking divorce. He or she will also advise you on which reason is more acceptable for your situation.

After a petition has been filed, your lawyer may suggest that you file a temporary order. A temporary order is usually filed for concerns about custody and child support where one party will need financial support or the guarantee of custody until final judgment is made. These orders are awarded within days of filing and stay in effect until the court hearing in your case.

Once a person has filed a petition for divorce or any temporary orders, these petitions are served to the other party. Through this service, the other party is notified of all petitions against him or her and is given the chance to respond to the petitions. In mutually agreed upon divorces, the response is as simple as a comment acknowledging the petition. In cases of disagreement, the response may contain disputes covering anything from the grounds of the divorce to disagreements on the division of property, child custody or support.

If there is no disagreement once a petition has been filed, then both parties will proceed without a trial to the dissolution of their marriage. However, if there are disagreements, further steps will need to be taken to sort them out.

Depending on the type of disagreement, the court has many venues to use to help the parties reach agreement. In the case of custody battles, the court may order both parties to attend a mediation session where a third party can help them settle their difference. In some cases, the court might also order an evaluation with a social worker to ensure that any solution is in the best interest of the children.

If the disagreement concerns monetary or property division, the court may order a conference for both parties that is overseen by a lawyer or a court employee. In this case the third party will work to help individual compromise while still holding onto their rights.

If the parties still cannot agree on the terms or provisions of the divorce, a trial will be necessary. In a divorce trial, both sides will explain and defend their positions and then a judge will decide on all matters of grounds, property division, child custody and support. Once the judge has made his ruling an order of dissolution is granted.

An order of dissolution legally ends the marriage and sets forth the legally binding terms for the end of the marriage. The terms include the judgments ordered on property division and child support.

Since each divorce comes with individual concerns and many migrating circumstances, it is very important that you choose a competent and experienced lawyer to represent you and your interests.

© 2005 LawyerVista, a website where you can find a lawyer in your city or state, including Hawaii divorce lawyers and Tennessee divorce lawyers. You may reprint this article as long as you don’t alter or edit it in any way and include the author’s credits and this copyright notice including a working link to us.

Career Tips for a Writer

A writer has the creative ability to draw word pictures. They have the ability to communicate through the written word. A writer’s work can be to write articles of fiction woven by a vivid imagination or to write articles covering non fiction like educational resources, news, reviews, technical documents, or articles on science, environment and health. Work could also entail creating summaries or huge tomes, writing for the web, researching on specific topics, or reporting on meetings and conferences.

When choosing writing as a career choice you must consider whether you want a full time job or whether you would like to freelance.

If you decide on freelance writing, the first thing you need to do is create a resume that highlights your talents. The second most important aspect is to create a list of clients. Networking, communicating well, and building a good relationship with clients is essential to freelance writing. Today the World Wide Web has opened up many more opportunities for freelance writers and there are job sites as well as sites where one can register and bid for projects.

If you choose to work full time you have a great many options. You could be a journalist, web content writer, or resume writer. These are just a few examples of the umpteen choices a writer has.

To be successful you must understand what the industry needs and sharpen your skills accordingly. Study the different writing styles as well as what constitutes good writing. To get the “perfect” job write a prize winning resume, next send out your resume with a brief but succinct covering letter to potential employers. Scan the classifieds as well as online job sites for vacancies that suit your profile. Consider registering with one of the agencies or online sites that specialize in jobs for writers. Another option is a paid job coach, agency, or resume blasting service.

When you go for an interview be sure to take along with you writing samples, a resume, and any publications in which your work has been featured. Do your homework well and find out about the potential employer and the kind of writing they need. You must be able to convince the company why you are a good candidate.

As a writer you must constantly update your skills to suit developments in the writing industry. Read writing tips given by experts, do a writing course, attend workshops and seminars. Become a member of professional writer’s guilds.

Train yourself in the use of personal computers and desktop or electronic publishing systems. Learn how to research competently using the World Wide Web. Have a working knowledge of graphic design, page layout, and multimedia software.

Statistics gathered by the US government indicate that 320,000 jobs were generally held by writers and editors of which more than 1/3 were self-employed. On an average, a full time writer could earn a salary of US$44,350 annually. And, if creativity flows from within you and your write a prize winning piece or best seller then you will soon be a millionaire.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888Articles.com, the premier website to find thousands of free online articles related to various categories like science articles, health articles, feature articles, news articles, technology articles, management articles and more. He also freelances for the premier REVENUE SHARING discussion forum for Article Site http://www.1888Discuss.com/article/

What is CREA and how does it help Buyers and Sellers?

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is a trade association in Canada and it represents more than 82,000 real estate people across Canada . CREA’s primary mission is to represent its members at the federal level of government. CREA also defends the publics right to own and enjoy property in Canada.

CREA owns the MLS® trademark logo and name and has a proprietary interest in the REALTOR® trademark that is used in the United States . The REALTOR® trademark can only be used in Canada by members of The Canadian Real Estate Association. These members much accept and respect a strict Code of Ethics set out by CREA.

CREA also administers and owns the mls.ca site for the public. The real estate database systems operated by other member Boards (such as TREB) provide an ongoing inventory of available properties to mls.ca The website mls.ca ensures maximum exposure of properties listed for sale across Canada . This is important because most resale homes in Canada are listed on their local real estate boards and are available through MLS®. This also gives maximum exposure to any seller who decides to sell their property through a local real estate agent.

Buyers can access the mls listing for any property in Canada that is listed on a board that is a member of CREA.

Sellers benefit from CREA by the fact that their mls listing is available to all buyers across Canada and the world who wish to use the online version of the mls system created by CREA.

Conclusion As you can see, CREA is a major force in organized real estate in Canada. CREA assists not only real estate agents, but also helps many sellers market their property through mls.ca and gives any potential buyer easy access to all mls listings in Canada.

Mark Argentino is a Professional Real Estate Agent and has his Professional Engineering degree in Ontario. Mark works and resides in Mississauga and he specializes in helping people sell and buy homes in the Mississauga area. You may use his website to find real estate information when you are buying or selling a home in Mississauga. You may read more articles, tips, reports, newsletters and find in-depth real estate information, visit http://www.mississauga4sale.com.

7 Experts Tips To Start Your Own Profitable Internet Business

The start up costs for an online business are next to nothing compared to the offline world of business start ups.

In fact it is a lot more simple to start and grow a business on the internet.

Of course you need some knowledge to begin your internet business enterprise. But you don’t need a “Bacc” to do business on the web.

All you need is some computer knowledge and some internet marketing basis and a good dose of determination.

Here is some basic tips on how to start an internet business.

== 1.Write Your Business Goals ==

It is important to set goals and objectives and then take action to accomplish them. This will be your Business Plan.

Here Are Some questions you should ask yourself:

- Why do I want to start up an Online Home Business?

- What product or service can I provide?

- Do I have the knowledge and expertise to provide this service?

- Do I know enough about the competition?

- Where will my customers come from?

Take the time to write down your questions and answers and thoroughly research your chosen market.

== 2. Choose A Product or Service To Sell ==

On the internet you can find houndreds of product or services to sell.

You can sell your own product by creating your own, or purchasing resale rights or being an affiliate with a good internet company.

Don’t put your personal gains first. Make sure that the product will deliver what it promises. When you promote a product that leaves the buyer dissatisfied, you’ ll only be ruining your business. So sell solutions and the money will come.

== 3. Business Domain Name ==

One important first step is to choose the best domain name you can. Keep it as short and simple as possible.

Think of domain name like ” Google ” or ” Yahoo “. They are short and easy to remember.

I know that some people say to use keyword in youre domain name. But if you choose ” Internet Business ” there is million of site with this term.

So are you going to use for example “AprofitableInternetbusiness.com” it might be a nice name but it is too long and not simple.

== 4. Web Site ==

Having A good business website is essential to succeed with an internet business.

Here is the thing you have to plan to build your website

A) Decide on the website design (colour schemes, buttons, special effects etc). However, you may have a preference for a certain colour or look. To help you choose a design, you may wish to check out other people’s websites or work with your web designer’s pre-set templates.

(b) The content. There are many items you may wish to include on your website. The most common ones include:

1. Products And Services
 2. Contact Information
 3. Pricing
 4. Testimonials
 5. Frequently Asked Questions
 6. Resources & Articles
 7. Refund Policy
 8. Privacy Policy
 9. About Us
 10. Site Map
 11. Useful Links
 12. On-line store

== 5. Choose a Web Hosting Company ==

What is a Web hosting Company?

A Web host is a company that provides server space for your website. You can think of a web host as a commercial building. The web host provides space for your website just as a commercial building provides space for your shop or office.

What are some of the things you should look for when choosing a web host? The criteria for choosing a free web host and a commercial web hosting solution are slightly different although they do overlap.

A) Web Space

Does it have enough space for your needs? If you envisage that you will expand your site eventually, you might want to cater for future expansion. Most sites use less than 5MB of web space. Indeed, at one time, one of my other web sites, thefreecountry.com, used less than 5MB of space although it had about 150 pages on the site. Your needs will vary, depending on how many pictures your pages use, whether you need sound files, video clips, etc.

B) Bandwidth allotment

Nowadays, many free web hosts impose a limit on the amount of traffic your website can use per day and per month. This means that if the pages (and graphic images) on your site is loaded by visitors beyond a certain number of times per day (or per month), the web host will disable your web site (or perhaps send you a bill).

It is difficult to recommend a specific minimum amount of bandwidth, since it depends on how you design your site, your target audience, and the number of visitors you’re able to attract to your site. In general, 100MB traffic per month is too little for anything other than your personal home page and 1-3GB traffic per month is usually adequate for a simple site just starting out. Your mileage, however, will vary.

C) Reliability and speed of access

This is extremely important. A site that is frequently down will lose a lot of visitors. If someone finds your site on the search engine, and he tries to access it but find that it is down, he’ll simply go down the list to find another site. Slow access is also very frustrating for visitors (and for you too, when you upload your site).

How do you know if a host is reliable or fast? If you can’t get feedback from anyone, one way is to try it out yourself over a period of time, both during peak as well as non-peak hours. After all, it is free, so you can always experiment with it.

== 6. How To Promote Your Business Website ==

Write An Article: Write an article promoting your site or product. Write an article on a hot topic many people would like more information on and submit it to various e-zines. How do you find out what’s hot? Visit a few of the message boards and see what questions are raised often.

Search Engines: Thousands of search engines exist on the Internet. But, you should only be concerned with the top eight or ten. You should manually submit to the top eight: Alta Vista, Excite, Yahoo, Hotbot, Lycos, Northern Light, Infoseek, Webcrawler, and use one of the FREE automatic submission services like *SubmitPlus* to handle the smaller search engines.

Directories: List your site here too. Directories organize sites into categories. Good examples of Directories: Yahoo, Magellan.

Ezine Listings: If you have an e-zine to promote along with your site. Why not list it with one of the many e-zine services on the Internet. E-zine Library is a good one to start with.

Free Classifieds: You will have to submit to a ton of FREE classifieds to get any significant traffic. Why? You are competing with thousands of other Ads. Remember to work on your Ad copy and make it attention grabbing. Go to one of the popular search engines, type in Free Classifieds, and surf to the top 20 classified sites for beginners.

Often, these sites will lead you to several other Free Classified Sites. In response you’ll get a stack of e-mail thanking you for listing your site while barking their promo. Best to get one of those free email accounts. Hot mail is a good one. So is Yahoo mail.

FFA Pages. Free For All’s are worth a try. Be prepared for a avalanche of e-mails from FFA web site owners. If your title is attention grabbing you will get a few clicks. Good Attention grabbing headlines, FREE, Limited Time, Limited Offer, Proven, Secrets, and many more if you brainstorm. Check out the sales literature delivered to you by regular mail. Check and see what headlines grab your attention. And why? Incorporate them into your Online Ads.

Tell Friends And Family: If your friends, family, acquaintances, have an Internet Connection, e-mail them telling them about your new website, and ask them to visit often. Offer a FREE incentive if they tell a few friends to surf over. Perhaps, a FREE Ad in your e-zine.

Leave Business Cards or Flyers: Leave these promo pieces with small businesses in your community. All relevant contact information; email address, URL, telephone number, should be included. Offer a freebie to anyone who visits your site. A free e-book, report.

== 7. IN CONCLUSION ==

Think of your first six months primarily as a training period. Don’t expect large earnings until after you’ve educated yourself.

Even the most dynamic, highest-earning entrepreneurs in the industry took MONTHS to begin seeing an income of any real significance.

Don’t be a negative thinker and don’t let the negative attitudes of others (even if they’re family members, friends, or peers) influence you.

All the great men and women in history had to overcome the naysayers who said it couldn’t be doneand then went out and did it. Think for yourself!

As long as you think positive and focused on your internet business target you’re on the right way to a rich life, which is directed by you and it will lead you to tremendous success and personnal satisfaction.

Copyright © Michel Richer, The Internet Business Specialist

Michel Richer, The Internet Business Specialist Can Help You Build A Successfull Internet Business That Can Generate Massive Profit !!! So Start Your Own Internet Business for FREE >> Visit Now :: http://hombyz.com/homebusiness.htm

Important Qualities Of Successful Home Business Owners

Home business owners have a lot in common. They have free time to spend with their families. They have money to save for college education, retirements, vacations, and special luxuries that make life a little nicer. They know how to work hard, and they know how to play hard. These home business owners took the risk of starting their own business, and have never looked back except with gratitude. They have spent time with family and friends, enjoyed personal pursuits and hobbies, and experienced job satisfaction. How did these people get where they are? How can you get there? These home business owners share some important traits that set them apart from other people.

Home business owners have to be independent. They have their ideas and their goals, and they are interested in pursuing them. They do not need constant supervision and direction because they are driven to pursue their own vision of success. They work well alone, they work well with people, but they always feel like they can do good work. Home business owners trust themselves and their instincts because they know they can do whatever they set their minds to.

Home business owners are courageous. Even in the face of difficult times, they strive forward. When business is slow and money is tight in the beginning, it is easy to give up the dream and walk away. Home business owners who have experienced success have also experienced their share of heartache and frustration. Unlike their counterparts who quit and moved on, successful home business owners took small defeats in stride and learned from mistakes. They knew that no success comes without some disappointment, and the disappointing times often make for the best stories. This characteristic helps these people succeed in an online business as well as in life because they never give up.

Home business owners are motivated. They know success takes work and patience. They practice diligence and perseverance. They are goal-oriented. They attain daily success by meeting daily goals. They reach for what seems just beyond their reach, trying to always be a little better than they were yesterday. They don’t have a boss and they don’t need a manager. They don’t have to wait for orders to get work done. They make their way through their list of tasks to finish on their own terms and because of their own tenacity.

Do you share any of these traits with home business owners? Do you feel like you could get more done if you were able to work at your pace and reap the benefits of your hard work? Do you think your ideas have merit and simply need a voice? You could attain the same success as the most successful home business owners with a little hard work and perseverance. This industry does not require a lot of training, education, or money. A willing mind and an eager person can reach the heights of business success, and you could be riding the waves of home business success.

Benjamin Scott operates a successful internet business working from his home personal computer. Grab a FREE copy of his 9 lesson e-marketing course at: http://www.eazyhomebusiness.com/

Copyright © 2005 Benjamin Scott

The Xbox 360, A Parental Guide to this Game Console

Xbox 360 is the next generation of the Microsoft Xbox. The Xbox 360 can easily be compared to a computer designed for gamming. Most of the games available work on most of the newer Microsoft platforms, (windows).

XBOX 360

There are two versions of the Xbox 360, the “Xbox 360″ and the “Xbox 360 Core System”.

The most important difference between the two is the detachable 20 Gb hard drive. This makes the use of previous Xbox games possible.
As well as to play original Xbox game, the Xbox 360 enable you to play online.
The new Xbox 360 offers very attractive incentives for game developers to release new titles.

Technical background

The Xbox 360 can easily be compared to a media computer. The graphic card is a powerful ATI 500 MHz chip with 10MB of memory built on the chip.

The CPU itself, (actually 3 processors), is a 3.2GHz liquid cooled IBM using 512MB of memory, (shared between the graphics and the CPU).

The more expensive Xbox 360 has a removable 20GB hard drive and both system use a 12x DVD-ROM unit. Up to four controllers can be connected to the machine, all wirelessly, and there are three standard USB 2.0 port too.

As a rule of thumb, what ever you can plug in your Windows XP machine USB port can be plugged into the Xbox 360. That includes MP3 players, (like the iPod), digital cameras and so on.
This makes the Xbox 360 a very powerful tool to add.

How many games are really available?

The Xbox 360 was launched late 2005, (Xbox was discontinued in august that year), and there are well over 200 games available from the previous version.
As mentioned above only the version with the detachable hard-drive allows you to use the previous games created for Xbox.
Otherwise the current Xbox 360 only has about 15 games solely developed for the Xbox 360. But with the Microsoft muscle behind it, game developers are likely to rapidly develop new games for it.

Get a more detailed info on the Xbox 360.

Ever wanted to learn more about your computer? http://www.myoddpc.com gives you information from the history of computer to what computer memory to get. Computer software as well as everything you need to know about computer hardware. All in simple terms for the non-technical amongst us.

Baby Sugar Glider Basic Care

Other than avoiding dehydration, the most important thing when caring for a newborn sugar glider, as with any infant, is keeping it warm. Baby sugar gliders are too small to be able to generate enough body heat to maintain a temperature around 80 - 85 Fahrenheit - the optimum for growth and comfort. The following Pocket Pets tips will mean your baby sugar glider shouldn’t have to suffer in this important stage of life.

When carrying your Sugar Glider with you, keeping it as close to your body as you can will provide an almost perfect source of heat. The chest area is the best option; for example, use a chest pocket or Walkabout bonding pouch. Protecting your new charge from the elements with the usual amount of outer clothing depending on the day’s or your region’s climate will suffice in keeping it warm.

The other challenge is making sure the sugar glider is getting enough heat while indoors, at home with you. The Pocket Pets Starter Kit includes an electric heat rock, which acts like an electric blanket for your baby sugar glider. This is an excellent and safe method to provide the necessary heat for your animal. Install the rock in the cage by making a hole for the cable to exit the cage wall and pull the rock up to the hole to minimize the amount of cable inside the cage. Cover the rock with a piece of material, e.g. from an old t-shirt, and plug the device in. Your sugar glider will not overheat by spending too much time basking on the rock like a lizard but can choose the distance, from the rock, at which it rests and sleeps to obtain the heat it needs using the material as bedding.

Body Joy

It’s midafternoon and I’m feeling the itch to move my body, but instead I return phone calls, wipe the kitchen counter, sort my daughter Lilly’s school papers. I haven’t really moved in almost two weeks, at least in any meaningful way, and I’m in “the box,” a place of parched fear, scratchy overanalyzing, and tart self-judgment. I find myself here about five or six times a year, whenever I allow life to push me faster than I can keep pace spiritually and emotionally. Then I narrow my focus to the bandwidth of “just get it done,” and when I lift my head, I find I’m in need of a major blast of passion and perspective but afraid to move toward it. The longer I’m in the box, the more afraid I become, because moving is painful and joyful, and narrow has become such a familiar, if unsatisfying, way of being.

I know what will free me: allowing my body, not my mind, to express what I’m feeling. To simply move, not to burn calories or tone my thighs or perfect a yoga pose but to breathe and give my impulses form, to shake and holler and swoop and feel life moving through me. Conscious movement (for me, anything from yoga to whirling and wailing) brings me into startling intimacy with myselfintimacy that brings aliveness, intimacy I crave.

So many of us put ourselves in the box, cutting ourselves off from our bodies. I recently led a weekend retreat for 22 women centered around rest and inner listening, which included a fair amount of movement. The participants had come hoping to recapture a spark of joy, a sense of themselves free from “shoulds” and to-do lists. The movement exercises turned out to be the most challenging part of the retreat for a number of the womenand the most life-changing.

In the first exercise, I asked the group to ask their bodies (not their minds) to show them what their everyday life felt like. The circle exploded into hopping, running, grabbing, marching, and slumping. Then we came to a pause, breathed, and noticed how this felt. I asked the group, “What does your sacred pause look like?” It looked like this: graceful swaying, arms opening and extending, breath slowing and deepening. The contrast was startling. But as we continued the exercise with different questions and expressions, I saw one group member, Kit, bolt from the room and several other women who were barely moving.

At a break, I found Kit on a bench overlooking the city. “How are you?” I asked. “Scared,” she said. “It feels like there is this roar inside of me. I want to let it out, but I’m afraid what might happen if I do.” We talked about giving herself permission, being kind to herself, taking it at her own pacethe most important advice when befriending the body’s wisdom.

Walking back to my cabin later, I marveled at how convincingly real our fear can feel, how seemingly impenetrable in its accumulation. Not just a box but a fortress. I asked Camille Maurine, author of Meditation Secrets for Women, movement teacher, and my guest at the retreat, “What are we so afraid of?” “Consciousness is a great mystery,” Camille said. “That we can be aware of our own existence is a marvel, but consciousness is also a mixed blessing. Awareness of being alive brings awareness of death, and the more aware we are, the more we feel. Movement brings us smack into contact with that wonder and awethrough sensation, through the breathand that can be a scary awakening.”

The retreat unfolded beautifully: movement, journaling, and silent time outdoors slowly worked miracles, peeling away our layers of fear, rushing, and self-judgment. I noticed how much younger we all looked, and how much more laughter filled the center. We were discovering how thrilling it is when we reclaim our juice for living, our very life force, when we open our arms to ourselves and abandon our somatic ruts.

After dinner on the second day, Elizabeth told me this story: “When you asked us to move the first morning, I froze. I didn’t want to look stupid or stand out. But then I had an experience that changed everything. I took a walk after our class, and the young girl who lives here joined me. We stopped to watch a horse being shod, and she brought me a handful of flowers and said, ‘I am so lucky to live here!’ As she said this, her body dipped into a squat and popped up againspontaneous movement! I thought, ‘This child didn’t wonder how to express herself or whether it was acceptable. She just moved.’

“Later, in Camille’s class, when she asked us not to move until the impulse came from within, I thought of that girl. I sat frozen for five minutes, determined not to move until my body was ready, reliving every awkward moment of my teenage years, all the times I had learned to physically shut down. When the impulse finally came, it was so exhilarating. My body was breathing me. It was like my mind was a bystander, and as I watched, it was my body telling me stories. As it finished one, I’d get quiet and still, and then another story would pour out. It was breathtaking.”

You can only be the person your body can support you being. Most of the time, we don’t realize we’ve hunkered down into ourselves, shoulders slumped, chest concave, unable to breathe deeply. Trapped in repetitive, hobbling ways of moving and breathing, certain possibilities in life are closed to us. But if we are able to feel our feet on the earth, our chest expansive, our breathing relaxed, our body able to sway and soften, a whole new way of being opens to us, with new options for action and connection.

I’m back at home in my living room, reminding myself, reminding my body of the lessons reinforced over the weekend. I stretch out on my yoga mat, close my eyes, bring my attention to my breath, allow my exhale to be longer than my inhale. I silently recite a mantra, “God breathes me.” I recall that fear can only exist when I project forward in time. Fear needs time. What is here, right now, in my body, in my sensations?

I ground my energy, growing roots deep into the earth, letting myself feel that I am, in fact, in a body. I enter into the moment, give up the struggle against myself, give up the stories about how I’ll always be a neurotic, worrying dervish or that it doesn’t matter how I feel when other people are starving. I breathe and wait until my body is ready to communicate, until the impulse to move comes from withina few gentle yoga poses, then into dancing, then resting in child’s pose. I’m letting my body remember itself.

My fears and worries clump into smaller and smaller particles, and I move into the spaciousness between them, experiencing that joyful moment when the breath and the body unite and I allow what wants to come into being to come, unforced and unmediated by my mind. I stop to write in my journal now and againsnippets about new ways to listen to my daughter, an insight into a character in my novel. I listen and move…seeing, asking, and listening through my body to a new perspective.

SIDEBAR:

This simple exercise helps my bodynot my braintell me how to move.

1. Bring yourself into child’s pose: Kneel on the floor, knees hip-width apart. Lean forward with your belly resting on your knees, forehead on the floor. Arm position will depend on comfort: either place at your sides, palms up; stretched out in front of you, palms on the floor; or, my favorite, elbows on the floor, hands in prayer position either in front of you or “tented” over your head.

2. Repeat silently “I am being breathed.”

3. Ask your body “How would life like to move through me right now?” There’s no need to force an answer. Just rest in the trust of child’s pose, being breathed, content to let your body speak.

4. Surrender to impulses from your body to move, versus directions from your mindyou might roll on the floor, you might get up and swoop, sway, sing, or shout. The point is to give expression to whatever wants to move through you.

5. Follow these impulses to a natural concluding point. Return to child’s pose and rest in a moment of gratitude.

Jennifer Louden is a best-selling author of five books, including the classic The Woman’s Comfort Book and her newest Comfort Secrets for Busy Women. She has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs, including Oprah. She’s also a certified coach, creator of learning events and unique life balance products. Her upcoming retreat with Master Coach Molly Gordon is on how to “do” change with grace and confidence. Visit http://www.comfortqueen.com/retreats