If you find yourself wanting to close down because you "followed your Heart" in the past and it didn't work out, remember this: each relationship in your life has been brought to you to teach you and to learn.
If you are seeking Love, you will manifest relationships that show you your internal blocks to love. Celebrate past hurts because now you have the lessons in your hands and can learn from them.
To shut down is to miss the point. The goal is to remain open to love and become more intelligent about your choices.
Great love is knocking, it's your choice to open up.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Meditation on breathing
Meditation Basics: Counting breaths is not like counting sheep.
Meditation Basics: Counting breaths is not like counting sheep. "Just close your eyes and count your breaths," they say. How simple can it be? "Don't think about anything else though. Just concentrate on your breathing." Well, anyone who has tried this "simple" meditation knows that it just isn't that easy. There are many obstacles to this seemingly effortless task. Our minds tend to wander naturally. If we try to completely focus on anything for more than a few seconds, random thoughts take over. And breathing is boring; let's face it. How can you concentrate on something so mundane when there are much more interesting things racing around in your head? A typical session might go like this: I close my eyes, sit comfortably, and begin counting. Inhale one, inhale two, inhale... "Am I doing this right? I guess so, I'm already on... oh three." Inhale four... "Now, am I supposed to start over at one or just keep going?" Inhale one, inhale two, inhale three, inhale four. "Wow, I'm really getting the hang of this. Oops." Inhale one, inhale two... "Did I remember to pay the phone bill? I'm sure I did. I'm really good at staying on top of my bills. Not like Susan, she's always... Darn, I did it again." Inhale one, inhale two... The good news is it does get better with practice. The bad news is it can still be a struggle for experienced meditators, especially during busy or turbulent periods in one's life. Luckily, there is more good news. There are some specific things you can do to help youfocus and reduce the frustration in your meditation practice. In this article, I would like to offer three tips to help you with your practice. They are: Observe don't control, be compassionate, and enjoy yourself. First, don't force or try to control yourbreathing. This is a mistake that a lot of beginners make. Many inexperienced meditators consciously or unconsciously alter their breathing in an effort to focus on it. What results is an exaggerated and often irregular breathing pattern. This can actually inhibit your meditation rather than help it. What you want to do is just "watch" your breathing . You don't have to exert any additional effort at all. If you just wait and observe, you will breathe. Then, you can count. Of course, we all know this but many people still find themselves forcing it. If you catch yourself controlling your breaths, just gently remind yourself that it's not necessary and then wait for the next breath to come naturally. This brings me to the next tip, compassion. In this case I mean for yourself in yourmeditation practice. As we've been discussing, it's not an easy thing to do to concentrate on one's breath. It's very important not to scold yourself when your mind wanders or you catch yourself controlling yourbreathing. If you think about it, the time you would spend reprimanding yourself for breaking your focus is just more time away from your meditation . It is best to softly bring yourself back to your practice as soon as you notice you're wavering. Don't get down on yourself and start thinking, "I can't do this. This is never going to work for me." These negative thoughts do nothing to help your practice and waste valuable time. Be compassionate. Just brush it off and return to yourmeditation. Another way to look at these wanderings is to realize that they are an important part of your progression. Meditation is a skill. And like most skills, it requires practice. A baseball player doesn't step into the batter's box for the first time and start hitting homeruns. He makes mistakes and corrections, and improves over time. He can then gauge his progress by the reduction of errors. Even after he is an experienced batsman, he will still strike out more often than he would like. But his hits should increase as well. In yourmeditation practice, your mind will likely wander more in the beginning. But don't give up. It will get better. Just like the baseball player, you will realize fewer mistakes over time and you will learn to recover from them more quickly. Sure, you will still have challenges and even slumps from time to time but you will also have more successes. The final tip I would like to offer is to find enjoyment in your practice. Even though it may be tough at times, dailymeditation can greatly enhance your life. Don't rate yourself and expect to progress or improve to a particular degree or within a particular timeframe. Unlike baseball, mediation is a life-long experience. Remember, this is your time. Let it be your oasis not a chore. No matter what else is going on in your life, yourmeditation time can be your escape. As a Zen master once said, "It's just you and your breath and then it's just your breath." Breathe in, breathe out, and forget about the world around you. Even when you're busy or preoccupied with some problem, even if you can only find ten or fifteen minutes to be alone with your breath, enjoy it. I hope these tips will help you to enhance your meditation experience. They have certainly proved to be invaluable in my own practice over the years. Of course I still struggle from time to time with the very same issues we've discussed here. But through observing rather than controlling, being compassionate to myself when I falter, and enjoying my special time alone; I have made my life fuller and happier.
Meditation Basics: Counting breaths is not like counting sheep. "Just close your eyes and count your breaths," they say. How simple can it be? "Don't think about anything else though. Just concentrate on your breathing." Well, anyone who has tried this "simple" meditation knows that it just isn't that easy. There are many obstacles to this seemingly effortless task. Our minds tend to wander naturally. If we try to completely focus on anything for more than a few seconds, random thoughts take over. And breathing is boring; let's face it. How can you concentrate on something so mundane when there are much more interesting things racing around in your head? A typical session might go like this: I close my eyes, sit comfortably, and begin counting. Inhale one, inhale two, inhale... "Am I doing this right? I guess so, I'm already on... oh three." Inhale four... "Now, am I supposed to start over at one or just keep going?" Inhale one, inhale two, inhale three, inhale four. "Wow, I'm really getting the hang of this. Oops." Inhale one, inhale two... "Did I remember to pay the phone bill? I'm sure I did. I'm really good at staying on top of my bills. Not like Susan, she's always... Darn, I did it again." Inhale one, inhale two... The good news is it does get better with practice. The bad news is it can still be a struggle for experienced meditators, especially during busy or turbulent periods in one's life. Luckily, there is more good news. There are some specific things you can do to help youfocus and reduce the frustration in your meditation practice. In this article, I would like to offer three tips to help you with your practice. They are: Observe don't control, be compassionate, and enjoy yourself. First, don't force or try to control yourbreathing. This is a mistake that a lot of beginners make. Many inexperienced meditators consciously or unconsciously alter their breathing in an effort to focus on it. What results is an exaggerated and often irregular breathing pattern. This can actually inhibit your meditation rather than help it. What you want to do is just "watch" your breathing . You don't have to exert any additional effort at all. If you just wait and observe, you will breathe. Then, you can count. Of course, we all know this but many people still find themselves forcing it. If you catch yourself controlling your breaths, just gently remind yourself that it's not necessary and then wait for the next breath to come naturally. This brings me to the next tip, compassion. In this case I mean for yourself in yourmeditation practice. As we've been discussing, it's not an easy thing to do to concentrate on one's breath. It's very important not to scold yourself when your mind wanders or you catch yourself controlling yourbreathing. If you think about it, the time you would spend reprimanding yourself for breaking your focus is just more time away from your meditation . It is best to softly bring yourself back to your practice as soon as you notice you're wavering. Don't get down on yourself and start thinking, "I can't do this. This is never going to work for me." These negative thoughts do nothing to help your practice and waste valuable time. Be compassionate. Just brush it off and return to yourmeditation. Another way to look at these wanderings is to realize that they are an important part of your progression. Meditation is a skill. And like most skills, it requires practice. A baseball player doesn't step into the batter's box for the first time and start hitting homeruns. He makes mistakes and corrections, and improves over time. He can then gauge his progress by the reduction of errors. Even after he is an experienced batsman, he will still strike out more often than he would like. But his hits should increase as well. In yourmeditation practice, your mind will likely wander more in the beginning. But don't give up. It will get better. Just like the baseball player, you will realize fewer mistakes over time and you will learn to recover from them more quickly. Sure, you will still have challenges and even slumps from time to time but you will also have more successes. The final tip I would like to offer is to find enjoyment in your practice. Even though it may be tough at times, dailymeditation can greatly enhance your life. Don't rate yourself and expect to progress or improve to a particular degree or within a particular timeframe. Unlike baseball, mediation is a life-long experience. Remember, this is your time. Let it be your oasis not a chore. No matter what else is going on in your life, yourmeditation time can be your escape. As a Zen master once said, "It's just you and your breath and then it's just your breath." Breathe in, breathe out, and forget about the world around you. Even when you're busy or preoccupied with some problem, even if you can only find ten or fifteen minutes to be alone with your breath, enjoy it. I hope these tips will help you to enhance your meditation experience. They have certainly proved to be invaluable in my own practice over the years. Of course I still struggle from time to time with the very same issues we've discussed here. But through observing rather than controlling, being compassionate to myself when I falter, and enjoying my special time alone; I have made my life fuller and happier.
Awareness
There are several awareness or realizations that can facilitate
change. These awareness opens up new possibilities for you.
Awareness #1: The universe we live in is mind-made. By virtue of
the fact that we are mind-beings, we are actively participating
in the creation of this universe. In fact, we are creating our lives
every moment. Unfortunately for most of us, we are doing this
unconsciously. That is why it seems as if we are not in control of
what comes into our lives. To become the master of your own destiny,
you must create your life consciously.
Awareness #2: Our external experience is a mirror reflection of our
inner state of mind. In other words, our external experience can be
our feedback for us to know our own inner mind state. Once we know
this, we have a potent tool to look into the inner content of our
mind. From there, we can recognize limiting beliefs, false
assumptions and unrealistic expectations. This gives us the
opportunity to transform our mind.
Awareness #3: Our beliefs are merely that - beliefs. There are our
perceptions of reality. They are not reality itself. Beliefs are
not real and therefore they can change. This means that it is
possible for us to change our own beliefs, and particularly our
limiting beliefs.
Awareness #4: Our emotions and our happiness are determined by our
thoughts. More specifically, the state of our emotion is dependent
on the types of thoughts we hold to be true. Change those thoughts
and you literally change your emotional state.
Awareness #5: We are, ultimately, spiritual beings. We are complete
unto ourselves. That means that we can find everything we need
within us - peace, joy, abundance. Our limiting beliefs in lack
and scarcity are obstacles we placed on ourselves, and therefore
we have the ability to remove these obstacles so that the light
of realization shines once again upon our true nature.
These awareness can be very liberating. They open up tremendous
possibilities for us to live the lives we want. They put us in
charge of our lives but we must first agree to take full
responsibility for our own life
change. These awareness opens up new possibilities for you.
Awareness #1: The universe we live in is mind-made. By virtue of
the fact that we are mind-beings, we are actively participating
in the creation of this universe. In fact, we are creating our lives
every moment. Unfortunately for most of us, we are doing this
unconsciously. That is why it seems as if we are not in control of
what comes into our lives. To become the master of your own destiny,
you must create your life consciously.
Awareness #2: Our external experience is a mirror reflection of our
inner state of mind. In other words, our external experience can be
our feedback for us to know our own inner mind state. Once we know
this, we have a potent tool to look into the inner content of our
mind. From there, we can recognize limiting beliefs, false
assumptions and unrealistic expectations. This gives us the
opportunity to transform our mind.
Awareness #3: Our beliefs are merely that - beliefs. There are our
perceptions of reality. They are not reality itself. Beliefs are
not real and therefore they can change. This means that it is
possible for us to change our own beliefs, and particularly our
limiting beliefs.
Awareness #4: Our emotions and our happiness are determined by our
thoughts. More specifically, the state of our emotion is dependent
on the types of thoughts we hold to be true. Change those thoughts
and you literally change your emotional state.
Awareness #5: We are, ultimately, spiritual beings. We are complete
unto ourselves. That means that we can find everything we need
within us - peace, joy, abundance. Our limiting beliefs in lack
and scarcity are obstacles we placed on ourselves, and therefore
we have the ability to remove these obstacles so that the light
of realization shines once again upon our true nature.
These awareness can be very liberating. They open up tremendous
possibilities for us to live the lives we want. They put us in
charge of our lives but we must first agree to take full
responsibility for our own life
EFT Exercise
EFT Exercise - Tap Your Troubles Away.
First of all, let me assure you that there is nothing complicated
about this technique. It can be learned in minutes and once you
have given it a try, you will find that you can use it in all areas
of your life, both physical and psychological.
The first thing you need to be aware of is knowing exactly where to
tap on your body, in order to dissolve those negative beliefs
within you. There are nine areas, and they are as follows:
The underside of your hand (the karate chop part).
The top of your head (the crown).
The beginning of your eyebrow (in between both).
The side of your eye (the outside).
Right under your eye.
Right under your nose.
Right under your mouth (top of the chin).
Right where your collar bones come together.
Four inches below your underarm.
Now that you know where to tap, here's how to use the process.
For example, let's say you have a negative belief/emotion about
money. Take whatever that emotion is and describe it. So you could
say "I am feeling confused" or "I am feeling frustrated" or "I am
feeling afraid" and so on. This is the phrase you will clear on. So
in this example, you would say "I'm afraid I have money
limitations."
Next, you will tap on the nine different areas of your body, one at
a time, using two fingers. As you tap, you will recite the phrase
you are feeling. You would start by tapping the karate chop area of
your opposite hand with two fingers, and say "Even though I have
money limitations, I deeply love, accept and forgive myself."
Then go to each area of your body as listed above, and tap each one
in turn, but you only need to say "money limitation." Say this
phrase three or four times, before moving onto the next area. So
after tapping the karate chop area, you would tap on the top of
your head, while saying "money limitation" several times. Then you
would do the same with the beginning of your eyebrow, and so on,
until you have tapped the area below your underarm.
You can repeat this as many times as you wish, and done often
enough, you may find that you feel better each time you do this. As
I mentioned, it doesn't have to be about money. If you have a
headache, you could use this technique to get rid of it. So you
could say "Even though I have a splitting headache, I deeply love,
accept and forgive myself." Then repeat the phrase "splitting
headache" when you tap the points as indicated.
This method of psychological acupuncture aligns your psychology so
you are clear to receive whatever you need to manifest in your
life. It may sound a little 'out there' but this method of clearing
your energy channels has been known to work, so give it a try and
see what happens
First of all, let me assure you that there is nothing complicated
about this technique. It can be learned in minutes and once you
have given it a try, you will find that you can use it in all areas
of your life, both physical and psychological.
The first thing you need to be aware of is knowing exactly where to
tap on your body, in order to dissolve those negative beliefs
within you. There are nine areas, and they are as follows:
The underside of your hand (the karate chop part).
The top of your head (the crown).
The beginning of your eyebrow (in between both).
The side of your eye (the outside).
Right under your eye.
Right under your nose.
Right under your mouth (top of the chin).
Right where your collar bones come together.
Four inches below your underarm.
Now that you know where to tap, here's how to use the process.
For example, let's say you have a negative belief/emotion about
money. Take whatever that emotion is and describe it. So you could
say "I am feeling confused" or "I am feeling frustrated" or "I am
feeling afraid" and so on. This is the phrase you will clear on. So
in this example, you would say "I'm afraid I have money
limitations."
Next, you will tap on the nine different areas of your body, one at
a time, using two fingers. As you tap, you will recite the phrase
you are feeling. You would start by tapping the karate chop area of
your opposite hand with two fingers, and say "Even though I have
money limitations, I deeply love, accept and forgive myself."
Then go to each area of your body as listed above, and tap each one
in turn, but you only need to say "money limitation." Say this
phrase three or four times, before moving onto the next area. So
after tapping the karate chop area, you would tap on the top of
your head, while saying "money limitation" several times. Then you
would do the same with the beginning of your eyebrow, and so on,
until you have tapped the area below your underarm.
You can repeat this as many times as you wish, and done often
enough, you may find that you feel better each time you do this. As
I mentioned, it doesn't have to be about money. If you have a
headache, you could use this technique to get rid of it. So you
could say "Even though I have a splitting headache, I deeply love,
accept and forgive myself." Then repeat the phrase "splitting
headache" when you tap the points as indicated.
This method of psychological acupuncture aligns your psychology so
you are clear to receive whatever you need to manifest in your
life. It may sound a little 'out there' but this method of clearing
your energy channels has been known to work, so give it a try and
see what happens
Friday, August 13, 2010
Disovering one self
"You need to learn how to select your thoughts the same way you select your clothes every day."
"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master...
"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master...
Show Up & Let Go
I do not know if we will meet again
But what I do know
Is that I trust in Love's timing
I've learned not to chase you
But to chase myself
The yearning I had to be with you
Was truly yearning to be with my authentic self
And in finding myself
I now know all I have to do is show up and let go
Show up for my own Heart and let in everything that matches
It's vibration
And let go of everything else
There is no use trying to hold onto a poison
Because I'm afraid of going thirsty
I've had one too many sips of that drink labeled "I'm not enough"
I'd rather go thirsty in the desert because my Heart has asked me to
Than deny it's request one more time
But what I've found is that once I let go of the poisonous drink
Of low self worth and listened to my Heart
I did not go thirsty
Not because I found another poison to drink
No, but because following my Heart
Was all I need to quench my thirst
But what I do know
Is that I trust in Love's timing
I've learned not to chase you
But to chase myself
The yearning I had to be with you
Was truly yearning to be with my authentic self
And in finding myself
I now know all I have to do is show up and let go
Show up for my own Heart and let in everything that matches
It's vibration
And let go of everything else
There is no use trying to hold onto a poison
Because I'm afraid of going thirsty
I've had one too many sips of that drink labeled "I'm not enough"
I'd rather go thirsty in the desert because my Heart has asked me to
Than deny it's request one more time
But what I've found is that once I let go of the poisonous drink
Of low self worth and listened to my Heart
I did not go thirsty
Not because I found another poison to drink
No, but because following my Heart
Was all I need to quench my thirst
Saturday, August 7, 2010
respond
"I want to remind us all that the world is listening, all the time. How we are ripples out from us into the world and affects others. We have a responsibility - an ability to respond - to the world. Finding our particular way of living this responsibility, of offering who we are to the world, is why we are here. We are called because the world needs us to embody the meaning in our lives. God needs us awake. The world we live in is a co-creation, a manifestation of individual consciousness woven into a collective dream. How we are with each other as individuals, as groups, as nations and tribes, is what shapes that dream."
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