Emotional. Sensual. Intuitive.

Society tends to treat these "feminine" qualities as liabilities; traits that should be suppressed and discouraged because they make us appear "weak."

"Those characteristics are in fact the foundations of our feminine power," says Leela Francis, author of "Woman's Way Home," (www.VividlyWoman.com), which includes techniques and tools from her Vividly Woman Embodied Leader Tools and Training.

By resourcing the power within one's own body, Francis teaches, "a woman can have the life of her dreams."

One of the ways to do that is to master the world of your emotions.

"Emotional power is the freedom to feel the truth of your feelings and the ability to harness them so you're the master of them," Francis says. "When you can do that, your emotions will expand you rather than consume you."

Denying, suppressing or expressing emotion to manipulate others all stifle this wellspring of potential for depth and intimacy, which is a source of mental, physical and spiritual joy, Francis says.

What can you do to begin reclaiming your own emotional power? Francis offers these suggestions.

• Indulge your emotions without dumping them on others. When you digest food, your body absorbs the nutritious elements and expels the potentially toxic wastes. Emotions must be digested the same way. It's important to express your feelings in responsible ways so that you don't build up emotional toxins and pollutants in your body. This may be why anxiety, depression and panic attacks have become so prevalent in our culture, Francis says. Some healthy, responsible ways to express emotion include creative endeavors, such as the visual arts - painting, drawing, sculpting; expressive arts such as singing and dancing; and healing arts such as massage.

• Don't demand others witness your emotional expression; and don't allow others to demand you witness theirs. Using emotional expression to evoke responses from others is manipulative and does not allow you to experience the truth of your feelings. Crying, yelling, even pretending to be happy when you're not in order to influence someone else's behavior are abuses of emotional expression. Not only are we denied the benefits of expression, we have to live with our own lack of integrity for using them irresponsibly.

• Make the time to engage in intimate, authentic verbal sharing. The honest, spoken expression of our true feelings allows us to tap the deep emotions that facilitate our tender connections to others. These connections trigger a physiological reaction that creates our own, natural brain elixir. When women engage in intimate conversation, it encourages the production of the hormone oxytocin, which creates feelings of euporia. (It's the same hormone secreted after childbirth to help our minds and bodies quickly recover from the pain of labor.) It also encourages production of the hormone serotonin, which gives us a feeling of well-being.

• Don't impose your emotional process on others. We sometimes seek to avoid the discomfort of painful emotions by expressing them outwardly to others, for instance, angrily blaming someone else for our discomfort. Yelling at others because of the emotion we're feeling only indicates that we have an inner turmoil, and an inner turmoil can only be resolved self to self. In addition, blaming someone else - or yourself! - for painful emotions causes us to become a victim, which creates suffering.

"These steps will help you begin to master your emotions, and once you do, you will find they will make you richer and more vibrant," Francis says.

"Our emotions don't make us weak; they give us the empathy and love that make us care for and nurture our loved ones. That's pretty powerful."

About Leela Francis

Leela is the founder and director of Vividly Woman Embodied Leader Tools and Training. A facilitator of groups and individuals for over 20 years, she's an expert in the field of body consciousness and soulful personal expansion.  Along with her trained staff and apprentices, Leela facilitates Vividly Woman workshops and retreats at beautiful nature resorts all over the continent and appears regularly as a speaker and contributing facilitator at other live & virtual events. Leela divides her time between Mexico, the Pacific Northwest, and the rest of North America.

DES MOINES - AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding the escape of Rodney Eugene Long from Clarinda Correctional Facility on Friday:

"First, I would like to extend the thoughts and prayers of AFSCME Iowa Council 61 members to Taylor County Sheriff's Deputy Dan Wyckoff and his family. Deputy Wyckoff, who was shot by Rodney Long on Sunday, is a public employee who puts his life on the line to protect the public. We wish him a speedy recovery.

"This morning Inmate Long was shot and killed by one of the residents of a home in rural Bedford. He was killed after holding hostage the couple who lived there.

"The shooting of Deputy Wyckoff, the danger law enforcement and the public we exposed to, and the death of inmate Long are a direct result of the Director of Corrections and the Governor's ill-thought out policies and procedures. The understaffing of the state institutions is at a critical stage and needs to be corrected

"It is time for Director John Baldwin to resign and for the Governor to work with legislators to fix the staffing issues in our correctional system.

"Friday's escape is a symptom of Director Baldwin and the Branstad Administration's lack of common sense staffing and inmate classification policies. Director Baldwin has refused to acknowledge the severe understaffing in the State of Iowa's correctional system. Instead, he has reconfigured the inmate classification system to quickly and recklessly push more inmates towards less secure settings or towards parole.

"Rodney Long, a repeat offender and an offender that had his probation revoked, was transferred from a medium security facility to a minimum security live out facility after only a short period of time. The combination of offenders being pushed into lower security facilities and correctional understaffing is a dangerous combination.

"The Department is pushing to lower the prison population when it is not safe to do so. In addition to pushing inmates into lower security correctional facilities, the Department is pushing inmates to work release and parole in an unsafe manner. This has resulted in numerous inmates walking away from community based corrections facilities. Examples of this include Eric Allen Shaffer (Burlington Work Release Facility on 8/14/2013), John Joseph Rosales Brown (Larry Nelson Work Release Center in Cedar Rapids on 8/3/2013), Michael E. Hannum (Council Bluffs work release facility on 8/3/2013), Osvaldo Guerra Jr. (Fort Des Moines work release facility on 4/2/2013), Marco Johnson (Waterloo work-release center on 3/20/2013), Roger Romero Clayton (Davenport halfway house on 2/1/2013; Mr. Clayton also escaped from a halfway house in 2012 as well), and Corey Dewitt (Fort Des Moines work release facility on 12/4/2012).

"The situation in Iowa's correctional system is critical and must be dealt with immediately."

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad today signed Executive Order 82, found here, which immediately holds the Iowa Juvenile Home to higher standards of care. The Iowa Juvenile Home will be held to the same standards for restraint or seclusion as a private comprehensive residential facility.

These increased standards for care will lead to greater safety, transparency and oversight in treatment for children at the Iowa Juvenile Home.

Additionally, Executive Order 82 mandates trauma-informed care training for staff at the Iowa Juvenile Home. The principles outlined in the executive order are as follows:

WHEREAS,     protecting the health, safety and welfare of Iowa's children is of the utmost importance; and

WHEREAS,     all Iowa children deserve the best care and education we can provide; and

WHEREAS,     the Iowa Juvenile Home is a comprehensive residential facility for children and is entrusted to provide effective interventions for the most troubled youth in the State; and

WHEREAS,     the culture at the Iowa Juvenile Home must focus on high quality care and education; and

WHEREAS,     treatment for children, including the use of seclusion or restraint, should only be employed in a safe and transparent manner consistent with the highest standards and practices set for similar private sector facilities.

The executive order will also establish a five-member task force to formulate new recommendations for the juvenile home and assist in their implementation. Their responsibilities are as follows:

a.      Make recommendations about how to improve services for residents;

b.     Review incident data to ensure a high-level of care is delivered at the Iowa Juvenile Home;

c.      Recommend a strategy for the permanent elimination of seclusion rooms outside the cottage setting;

d.     Recommend a strategy outlining the transition of the Iowa Juvenile Home's education plan from being managed from the Department of Human Services to Area Education Agency 267; and

e.      Reach other goals and objectives as requested by the Office of the Governor.

Task force members appointed by the governor will be as follows:

Prof. Jerry Foxhoven, Executive Director, Drake Legal Clinic

Charles Palmer, Director, Iowa Department of Human Services

Dr. Mary Stevens, Director of Special Education, Area Education Agency 267

Dr. Mark R. Peltan, Chairman, Council on Human Services

Ron Steele, former Executive Director, Youth Homes of Mid-America

Foxhoven will chair the task force.

The task force report is due October 15th.

# # #

In Davenport, Iowa, Milestone Area Agency on Aging, the Center for Active Seniors, Inc. (CASI), Quad City Times and St. Ambrose University encourage seniors to attend the Fall Awareness Workshop on Tuesday, September 24, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. at CASI 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport, IA 52806.  This workshop will give seniors a passport to attend four different workshops that will provide them with helpful information and instruction on how to live a Fall Free lifestyle.

The workshops consist of: 1) Balance & Mobility Testing, 2) Pharmacy Screenings which include blood pressure checks, medication review and educational information, 3) Vision & Home Modifications informational session and 4) Exercise & Physical Activities station demonstrating yoga, Tai Chi, and Zumba Gold.

Reservations are required for this event, please call or stop in at CASI (1035 W Kimberly Rd, Davenport, IA?563-386-7477) to reserve your spot today. Space is limited.

Iowa is part of the national Falls Free® Initiative, which includes more than 40 states and 70 national organizations, professional associations, and federal agencies across the country dedicated to reducing fall-related injuries and deaths among older adults.

This year's theme, Preventing Falls?One Step at a Time, seeks to unite professionals, older adults, caregivers, and family members to play a part in raising awareness and preventing falls in the older adult population.

Every 15 seconds, an older adult is seen in an Emergency Department for a fall-related injury. Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for those aged 65 and over. The chances of falling and of being seriously injured in a fall increase with age.  

"Falls are not a normal part of aging, and this day of awareness provides an opportunity to educate older adults and the community at large about how to reduce falls risks," said (Bonita) Lynn Beattie, vice president of Injury Prevention with the National Council on Aging (NCOA), leader of the Falls Free® Initiative. "We ncourage seniors and their families to take proactive steps to prevent falls and stay independent for as long as possible."

Studies show that a combination of interventions can significantly reduce falls among older adults. Experts recommend:

1. A physical activity regimen with balance, strength training, and flexibility components.
2. Consulting with a health professional about getting a fall risk assessment.
3. Having medications reviewed periodically.
4. Getting eyes checked annually.
5. Making sure the home environment is safe and supportive.
6. New research also suggests hearing loss should be routinely assessed  

At senior centers and other community-based organizations across the United States, programs like A Matter of Balance, Tai Chi, and Stepping On help older adults gain the strength, improved balance, and confidence to help them live healthier lives and preserve their independence.

For more information about Davenport Iowa's Fall Awareness Workshop, please call CASI 563-386-7477.

For more information on the National Council on Aging and National Fall Prevention Awareness Day, please visit www.ncoa.org/FPAD.

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About the Falls Free® Initiative

Led by the National Council on Aging, the Falls Free®

organizations, professional associations, and federal agencies working collaboratively to bring education,

awareness, and evidence-based solutions to local communities. Falls Free®

thousands of older Americans with the resources and education needed to reduce their risk of injury. For more

information, please visit: www.ncoa.org/FallsFreeInitiative.

About NCOA  

The National Council on Aging is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington,

DC. NCOA is a national voice for millions of older adults?especially those who are vulnerable and

disadvantaged?and the community organizations that serve them. It brings together nonprofit organizations,

businesses, and government to develop creative solutions that improve the lives of all older adults. NCOA

works with thousands of organizations across the country to help seniors find jobs and benefits, improve their

health, live independently, and remain active in their communities. For more information, please visit:

www.ncoa.org |www.facebook.com/NCOAging | www.twitter.com/NCOAging

Initiative includes more than 40 states and 70 national

seeks to provide hundreds of