Personal Rituals

When something feels missing in your life and you can't quite figure it out, what do you do? How much time do you spend with yourself? Usually not much time. We are all busy with work, family and life responsibilities that can be overwhelming. Take time to get in touch with yourself and learn about things that can rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit. Whether it's mediation, yoga, reading or even just simply be yourself doing nothing. Create a set of time for "personal rituals" pursuing your hobby or to do the things that make you happy. There are many ways to unwind and nurture your soul.

When feeling overwhelmed or out of touch, take two minutes and do one, or a combination of, the following:

2-minutes to Mindfulness. Speaking of no judgement, mindfulness is “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally,” as defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I learned two mindfulness practices for regulating attention and getting in touch from Chade-Meng Tan’s “Search Inside Yourself.”

Way One: Bring gentle and consistent attention to your breath for two minutes. That’s it. Start by becoming aware that you are breathing, and then pay attention to the process of breathing. Every time your attention wanders, just bring it back very gently.
Way Two: Sit without an agenda for two minutes. Life really cannot get much simpler than that. The idea here is to shift from “doing” to “being,” whatever that means to you, for just two minutes. Just be.

Establish Personal Rituals. Get clear on energizing rituals that turn you inward. A few of my ideal favorites include: morning visualization of how I want the day to feel and what is dying to be born, reading quotes, going through my pictures on iPhoto, savoring a cup of tea, 2-hour blocks of creative time, and yoga.

“Don’t worry about where or who you’re going to be in five years. Like high school, you will look back and wish you had done so many things differently. Know that and do them differently now. Focus on what’s in front on you. Work on the relationship you have with yourself first. Slow down. Enjoy today. It’s okay to not know. Eat alone in restaurants. Stop trying to prove something. Seek growth instead of validation. Be heard. Have non- negotiables. Go somewhere. Pull from your Solid Self as much as you can. Process (get therapy). Don’t compartmentalize people. Love fearlessly, even if you’ve been crushed before. Eat clean. Toss your scale. Pull yourself out of the victim role. Exercise your forgiveness muscle (you will need this). Don’t be concerned with what others think of you. Accept your story. Don’t chase paper. Seek truth. Be patient.” — THE ANGRY THERAPIST: Twenties 

Every day I would remind myself of this "to-do" list:

1. Trust your journey.
2. Breathe.
3. Nourish your soul.
4. Smile.
5. Be love.

"You need not worry about your worries. Just be. Don't be restless about ‘being quiet’, miserable about ‘being happy’. Just be aware that you are and remain aware - don't say: “Yes I am; what's next?” There is no ‘nex’t' in ‘I am’. It is a timeless state". ~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Our Intuitive Mind

I have been feeling very insecure about decisions I have made in my life. I always feel like nothing is ever be right and I am wondering if I have veered off course. I now know that if I trust my intuition and just let the universe take care of it then I will feel better. Intuition is difficult to describe but somehow we already know if we truly understand and listen to our inner voice. "Intuition is the guiding voice of our souls and a natural and important part of who we are. Without it we cannot find our way to our purpose and path in life. Without it we cannot truly discover what brings us authentic joy. Joy is a landmark of an intuitive life. Living the intuitive life is the greatest personal power!" What I realize is that everything happens in perfect time. It does not need to be a struggle of monumental effort but instead, when we surrender ourselves to the laws of the universe, it is a natural outpouring of being in alignment with the Creator.. the state of true spirituality. This message reminded me that I will never be "off course" if I stay in tune with my nature as a radiant spiritual being.

“How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment.” ~Eckhart Tolle

Make it a habit to ask yourself ‘What’s going on inside me at this moment?’ That question will point you in the right direction. But don’t analyze, just watch. Focus your attention within. Feel the energy of the emotion. If there is no emotion present, take your attention more deeply into the inner energy field of your body. It is the doorway into Being. If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is.  ~ Eckhart Tolle

“Your mind knows only some things. Your inner voice, your instinct, knows everything. If you listen to what you know instinctively, it will always lead you down the right path.” ~Henry Winkler

I love this article about highly intuitive people do differently. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/19/the-habits-of-highly-intu_n_4958778.html

Here are 10 things that people in touch with their intuition do differently:

They listen to that inner voice
They take time for solitude
They create
They practice mindfulness
They observe everything
They listen to their bodies
They connect deeply with others
They pay attention to their dreams
They enjoy plenty of down time
They mindfully let go of negative emotions

Let's just take a few minutes to simply BE. Aware of your surrounding and enjoy the present moment. Pause. Listen. Recognize your instincts. http://www.happinessinthisworld.com/2010/05/08/listening-to-your-inner-voice/#.U3Gfy_ldWSo

Feel the rain on your skin. No one else can feel it for you. Only you can let it in. No one else, no one else can speak the words on your lips. Drench yourself in words unspoken. Live your life with arms wide open. Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten. (Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield)

Happy Mother's Day to all fabulous Moms!!

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

By Deepak Chopra -- taken from: http://www.chopra.com/sslos

I have gained so much wisdom through this book. I love these messages that were clearly defined in a simple way to manifest success in our daily lives. A step by step instructions with effective solutions to a peaceful living. One of the simplest insights to apply in everyday life, is to remember that the easiest way to achieve a goal or get what you want out of life (whether it is personal or business oriented) is to help others succeed. Success is much easier to accomplish when you have support from others and surrounded by people who want you to succeed.

“When we understand these laws and apply them in our lives, anything we want can be created, because the same laws that nature uses to create a forest, or a galaxy, or a star, or a human body can also bring about the fulfillment of our deepest desires.” - Deepak Chopra

We need to realize that becoming successful need not be a struggle of monumental effort but instead, when we surrender ourselves to the laws of the universe, it is a natural outpouring of being in alignment with the Creator.. the state of true spirituality.

The Law of Pure Potentiality 

Take time to be silent, to just BE. Meditate for 30 minutes twice a day. Silently witness the intelligence within every living thing. Practice non-judgment. We have unlimited pure potentiality all around us. We need to be open and ready. Do not lock you into one thing. The universe gives us the ability to manifest and do what we like, we just have to know how to get it. There is unlimited pure potential.

The Law of Giving and Receiving 

Today bring whoever you encounter a gift: a compliment or flower. Gratefully receive gifts. Keeps wealth circulating by giving and receiving care, affection, appreciation and love. We have to have the ability to receive. When a person gives us something and we say no that is creating an imbalance. It is important to give every day: give thanks, gratitude, support, love freedom, what you can afford, time. All that you give you will receive back bigger and better than ever.

The Law of Karma 

Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind. Choosing actions that bring happiness and success to others ensures the flow of happiness and success to you. Everything you do has choices and generates that energy that will be returned to you. Before you do something, you can check to see if it is the highest and good for you and all. You will know if it is good, if you feel good. If it feels like a knot in your belly after a choice that may not have been the highest and best. But each choice is a learning experience.

The Law of Least Effort
Accept people, situations, and events as they occur. Take responsibility for your situation and for all events seen as problems. Relinquish the need to defend your point of view. This one goes against what we have learned set a goal and work hard, spend a lot of time, you need work hard to get things...Wrong. The universe and nature finds the path of least resistance which is the least effort. We need to work smart and listen to the signs that the universe is giving us that are the path of least effort. When in a chaos, do not get caught up in it and let it get to you, take time and breath. Then just flow in the situation, the outcome will be turn out better than you can imagine.

The Law of Intention and Desire 
Inherent in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment. Make a list of desires. Trust that when things don't seem to go your way, there is a reason. Set your intentions and desires and then let them be. You may really want one outcome and think that is the best but if it does not happen that is because there is something better for you. If you force it you may get it but you will not be happy or be what you thought it was. Set your intentions and desires for the highest and best for you.

The Law of Detachment
Allow yourself and others the freedom to be who they are. Do not force solutions -- allow solutions to spontaneously emerge. Uncertainty is essential, and your path to freedom. This is also in the same vain as the law of least effort where you set your intentions and desires and then let them be. Do not force it and keep working at it, you will be missing the real opportunities for that intention. Also as the law of intentions and desires, do not be attached to one outcome becomes that may not be in the highest and best for you. So you will get something better if you pay attention to the signs.

The Law of Dharma
Seek your higher Self. Discover your unique talents. Ask yourself how you are best suited to serve humanity. Using your unique talents and serving others brings unlimited bliss and abundance. When you live your life that everything you do is for the highest and best for you and all. You will be the happiest and all of the other laws are working for you. You know you are in this when you do little efforts and accomplish many things.

“Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals. Success is the ability to fulfill your desires with effortless ease.“ - Deepak Chopra

Gratitude in Action

During holiday season, we often take a moment to recognize all of the blessings in our lives. We expressed gratitude on Thanksgiving, we shared joy and gifts on Christmas, and we renew our hopes and dreams for the New Year. We are all blessed in some way and even more blessed when we acknowledge all the goodness in our lives. It's a great reminder to always be grateful and keep our gratitude mode in action ON.

Begin each day with a grateful heart. Gratitude is the gateway to abundance.

Starting out with a "daily gratitude list". What am I grateful for? I am grateful for the abundance in my life. I am grateful for love and support of family and friends. I am grateful for being healthy. I am grateful for everything that made my life so worth living. Begin by choosing a time you can devote to 'being grateful' each day, a time when you can write down something that makes you happy. Simply list down three to ten things that can lift up your spirit and fill your hearts with joy. 

Example of a Daily Gratitude List:

• Sunshine.


• Seeing my daughter's beautiful smile.


• Taking pictures of nature.


• Having a cup of tea and butter cookies.


• Awesome yoga practice.


• Compliments from stranger.


• Leftovers!


• Reading my Facebook newsfeed.


• No bills in the mail today.


• Time to reflect on positives in my life.

 “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” - Melody Beattie

Miracles always are happening around us, we just need to slow down our lives to notice them. Count your blessings one by one. To be happy doesn’t mean you don’t desire more, it means you’re thankful for what you have and patient for what’s yet to come. Find beauty in everything that contributes to your reality and be grateful. Celebrate all that life has to offer with the understanding that nothing that is not supposed to happen will happen...

“Sometimes we get so caught up in seeing what we don’t have, that we fail to notice the little things that give life its magic. The foolish person seeks happiness in the distance; the wise person grows it under her feet. Your life is filled with blessings and achievements, take the time to accept and appreciate these gifts.”- Positive Thoughts

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Living Gratefully... “My life is awesome. I am in gratitude every day for all my blessings.”

Five Techniques to Relax and Focus Your Mind

By Michaiel Patrick Bovenes (Author, Teacher and Creative Founder of 'Soul-utions')
 

Technique One:  Breathe Slowly
Begin by inhaling a deep breath through your nose and as you slowly exhale through your mouth, mentally repeating the word “relax”. Repeat these three or four times. You can say the word, “relax” out loud at first, but has captured your attention. What are you thinking or worrying about?  Is your mind in the past or the future?  Are you thinking about someone in particular? Explore what has captured your attention and then repeat the breathing exercise above to practice silently repeating the word, like a mantra. Next focus your awareness on whatease it with your exhale.

Tip: You can visualize that as you exhale, you are breathing out the thoughts and feelings from your mind through your mouth, like bubbles floating off into the distance.

 

Technique Two:  Write
This exercise will help you gain clarity and perspective. Find some paper and write down your thoughts. This will help you slow down your thinking and release what’s “on your mind”. As you write, remind yourself… “I have these thoughts… I am not my thoughts; I have these feelings… I am not my feelings.” Let the words flow out of you and write them down without editing or being concerned with grammar or spelling.

To clear your consciousness fast express in writing what’s on your mind. Then take these papers and destroy them. Tear them up and throw them away, flush them down the toilet or burn them. You want to destroy the writing with gusto and intensity. Mentally tell yourself, “I am letting go of these thoughts and feelings. I am freeing my mind.” This technique is great for insomnia, on restless nights, like I described above.

Tip: An important fact, you can not write as fast as you can think, so when you write down your thoughts you will slow down your thinking automatically. This is one of the benefits of journaling and why it is considered a meditative experience. It slows your mind down and focuses your attention quickly.

Technique Three: Hum
Take a few moments and hum the lyrics of a favorite song. Concentrate on remembering the lyrics and feel the vibration of humming in your throat, face and chest. This will benefit you two ways:

1. Concentration and remembering the song will focus your mind.

2. The vibration of humming will ground you into the sensation of your physical body.

It is a great technique and you can do it anywhere at anytime. After just a few minutes you’ll feel a difference.

Technique Four:  Visualize
Follow this simple guided meditation. Close your eyes.  Breathe deeply three times and mentally (silently) say the word “relax”. Imagine a “basketball size” sphere of white light hovering about twelve inches above your head. Focus your mind to visualize the minutest detail. Imagine that you see it and feel the warmth radiating down on the top of your head. Next imagine this sphere slowly lowering and touching the crown of your head.

Take another deep breath and bring the sphere down around your head, like a helmet. Imagine that your head is filled with white light. If you were to open your eyes, the light would stream out from inside of you. Imagine the light dissolving these scattered thoughts.

Focus on the light, feel its warmth and sense it filling your mind with peace and comfort. Breathe naturally for a few minutes.  When you are ready, simply open your eyes and go back to your activities. This is great for a quick focus before an important meeting. You can do this in a parked car, at your desk or in a bathroom stall.

Technique Five:  Be Sensual
Focus your attention on your five senses. This provides a mental boundary to contain your scattered mind. Being sensual simply means to be aware of your five senses. Smell the air, feel the temperature on your skin, listen to the sounds around you and taste the food that you eat. Being sensual brings you into the present fast and effectively. 

You now have five easy ways to focus your mind and harness its power. Your mind will help you make more trustworthy decisions throughout your day and you’ll experience overall greater inner peace. 

These techniques will offer fast and temporary relief of a scattered mind.

  “Breathe in the FUTURE -- Breathe out the PAST.”

Stillness

There is value in being mindful of the world and what it offers without comment or thought. According to Zen Master - Thich Nhat Hanh

“Silence is essential for deep transformation. It allows the practice of conscious breathing to become deep and effective. Like still water that reflects things as they are, the calming silence helps us to see things more clearly, and therefore, to be in deeper contact with ourselves and those around us.”

“When you contemplate the big, full sunrise, the more mindful and concentrated you are, the more the beauty of the sunrise is revealed to you.”

“Joy and happiness are possible right here and right now if you know the practice of mindfulness and concentration.”

Stillness connects us to our natural intelligence, a holistic wisdom that can only arise with reduced stimulation. Stimulation naturally puts our nervous system on alert, an unconscious action that disconnects us immediately from any sense of deep well-being. From stillness comes all action… are you connected to your source? Remember energy flows where attention goes.

“Silence is a great source of strength.” ~ Lao Tzu

“Sometimes, simply by sitting the Soul collects wisdom.” ~ Zen Proverb

“Silence is the great teacher and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it. There is no substitute for the creative inspiration, knowledge, and stability that comes from knowing how to contact your core of inner silence.” ~ Deepak Chopra

“The beauty of today is in all the things: feeling the gentle breeze on your skin, the sunlight filtering through the clouds, the sound of the birds, the silence of no wind. You notice the in-and-out flow of your breath, the feeling of aliveness inside your body. And then there is the beautiful stillness behind it all, which is deep within you. It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

This world is so full of beauty.
Open your mind and you will see.
Let your thoughts just drift away.
To a place you want to be.
(Poem by John F Connor)

Sometimes stillness is a better choice than any action.