You stand on a rocky ledge overlooking a giant chasm. Far off in the distance, you can see the other side. Meditation is the scaffolding of grace for the mind that links you to your highest potential. The chasm of your mental obstacles of doubt and fear is a dark, empty vacuum below. Build your bridge.
Read MoreNext time you drive down the street, look around you. What do you see? Fast food restaurants, sex shops, bars, coffee shops; all things that are monetized based on demand for pleasure. What do all people want? Happiness. What brings a feeling of happiness? Ice cream for some, alcohol for others. The pleasure these things bring in is not bad. In fact, they are an experience that should be enjoyed when made mindfully.
Read MoreOur culture does not train focus. Quite the opposite. Capitalism encourages economic growth. As a result, we are bombarded by ads. Advertisements divert our focus are everywhere you look. From our smart phones to walking down the isle in the grocery store, objects are trying to catch your eye, and your mind. Shiny object here, shiny object there. Our minds are conditioned to be distracted.
Read MoreIntense emotional states are avoided like the door to the panic room. Its understandable why. Allowing ourselves to feel grief, shame, sadness and relive the stories underneath is terrifying. What is the motivation for letting these feelings in? It frees you from their power over you.
Read MoreMy eyes paused on each piece of vegetation that enveloped me. I stopped as my eyes fixated on the most intricate spiderweb glistening between two trees that sat 3 feet apart. At the center of the web was the most brilliantly colored spider I had ever seen. It’s bright red and blue body hung like a Christmas ornament against the tinsel like strings of its web.
Read MoreYou stand at the bow of a ship sailing on a mighty ocean. Sails hoisted and aligned with your intended destination, your course is set. No matter how hard the waves try to divert your path or the darkness of night confuses, realign and hold steadfast to the wheel. The wind in your sails is trust in your purpose. You are relentless in the pursuit of your goals. Courageously, sail on.
Read MorePracticing presence allows for spontaneity of flow so that when we return to the planning mind, there is more creativity and less time is spent analyzing every detail. Presence allows for smooth adaption to the guaranteed flux of life. With presence, we can let go of having to control everything because we are able to recognize more fully what we can control and what we can’t.
Read MoreA practice of being mindful shifts one from the planning mind of ‘what is next.” into acknowledging what is happening now. With a mindful approach to living, one is gratefully present with each instant, with each breath. Whether things are calm or hectic, can you surrender into the sensations coming in and put your full concentration on what is happening now.
Read MoreWhen one is operating in this limited mindset, they cannot be present nor satisfied with what is. Like mindlessly swiping through Tinder profiles, the pleasure seeing mind lives in a daze of half-asleep monotony, perpetually looking for what is better. More! More! More! demands the never satiated Veruka Salt of the mind.
Read MoreWhat motivates you to sit with your own mind? A desire? A desire to feel better? A desire to get better? A desire to be the best? Ask yourself, what is it that you want? What is your heart’s deepest desire?
Read MoreYou hold tightly to a branch while powerful current surges past you. With all your might, you grip for fear the water will whisk you away and you will drown. You will die. The water grabs you and tries to pull you along with it as if saying “Let go. Let go. Let go. Trust us. Let go.”
Read MoreRecognizing the impermanence of the body and identifying with the permanent vibration of your being will help you find flow during challenging times. Pain is sensation that the body is feeling. Thoughts are temporary flow of the mind. Permanence is the flow. You are the flow.
Read MoreForgiveness is the greatest gift of loving kindness we can give ourselves and others. Forgiveness is not judging the rightness or wrongness of actions but accepting things, people, ourselves - as is - while meeting emotions with loving kindness.
Read MoreContracting and relaxing with each breath is our diaphragm. The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that lies at the low ribs. It contracts and descends as you inhale to make room for your lungs. It relaxes as you exhale to assist the body expelling air.
Read MoreImagine you exist in a scene of emerald green richness. The air crisp and cool on your skin. The clean smell of minerals dance into your nostrils.
Read MoreNo one accompanies you on your journey inward. It is one you do alone. You will meet yourself in that dark cave and stand eye to eye with the phantoms of your mind. This journey is not easy but nothing that brings growth ever is. Remain disciplined. The rewards for your efforts will come with a joyous magnitude that cannot be remotely compared to any earthy pleasure. Climb on.
Read MoreThe tone of your vagus nerve impacts your body’s ability to recover after instances of stress. When the heart rate is elevated, the tonacity of your vagus determines how quickly your heart can return to its resting state. Meaning, how quickly you can hit that reset button after intense emotions arise.
Read MoreMeditation is a means of training the mind to be responsive rather than reactive. Our intention with meditation is to encourage a responsive, unwavering mind. By sitting in meditation and processing what is coming up, we lessen the effect that outside stimulus has on the mind.
Read MoreNoticing what you have aversion towards is the initial process to the work. What is coming up? What is making you uncomfortable? What is drawing you away from sitting; from listening and allowing in. My aversion was the word suffering and the idea that I was suffering, not wanting to feel suffering.
Read MoreOne of the most effective practices to calm the mind is to be kind. Currently, our world is practicing the most gigantic effort towards kindness. We are staying home. We are putting off our ‘to do’s’ ‘wants’ and anything nonessential for the benefit of the world population. I have never seen a greater act of united compassion. This is a wondrous time of global transformation.
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