A new year often comes with ideas on how we would like to "improve" ourselves. We may even make resolutions to make these changes. But I propose that you ask yourself this; are you not already perfect, whole, and complete? Perhaps the key to a "better" you is in slowing down, breathing, and aligning with your true self.
In our practice of meditation we find the pathway to our true self. We release the needless clutter in our lives and realign with our authentic nature. We can consciously refresh our spirit by restoring our natural alignment with our path. When your spine and joints are spaciously aligned, you move effortlessly in the body. When you are aligned between the grounding earth and your guiding star of wisdom above, you move effortlessly through life. While setting goals is important, being sure to set realistic, healthy and simple goals is equally as important. Lofty goals tend to set us up for defeat before we even begin. But through meditation - that is breathing, quieting the mind and allowing your natural growth to open to you - we can distinguish the small and valuable changes that our inner spirit thirsts for. “Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's about unbecoming everything that isn't you so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” -Unknown May you align with your authentic self in the new year. *Joanie Lane is the Director and a Teacher at "A Positive Light" Center for Spiritual Awakening. For more information on Joanie and the center visit www.apositivelight.com or her blog Joanielane.com
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Holidays can be a source of joy, anticipation and excitement. But for some they can also be a source of anxiety and depression.
Maybe you only see your family on holidays so traveling and getting together for a holiday may be more stressful than fun. Others may have negative emotions attached to memories of past holidays so there can be triggers that bring back those negative feelings. In some cases this may be the first holiday we spend since losing a loved one and there may be a feeling of sadness and emptiness. Whatever the case, if the holidays tend to trigger sadness, depression, a feeling of loss, or unpleasant memories there are things we can do to pull ourselves out of the Holiday Blues. Meditation is the catalyst to finding Mindfulness. And when we begin to practice Mindfulness we begin to notice our moods around activities, people, places and things. We can become more mindful of triggers that bring up these uncomfortable feelings and develop healthy counter-reactions to these triggers. For example, if going to a family gathering brings up memories of the past where the gatherings brought arguments, disagreements or a pattern of emotional abuse, even just the thought of attending yet another gathering can cause an anxiety attack or depression. By learning to use mindfulness we can notice the triggered feeling as it arises, take note of how this anxiety feels in our body and take a breath with intentional relaxation. Breathing actually stimulates the relaxation center in the brain so a few simple deep breaths can do wonders. Remind yourself where you are, how cold or warm the air is, take notice of your surroundings by seeing tangible objects, smelling the air, feeling that deep breath in your lungs and feel your feet steady on the earth. Now remind yourself that you are safe and all is well - that you are in charge of your life and how you will interact with the world and the people in it. And smile! Smiling releases endorphins in your brain bringing a feeling of happiness and contentment. You can make a difference in your emotional state by learning meditation and mindfulness. By developing a mindfulness meditation practice, even for just a few minutes each day, you can learn how to balance your emotions and allow more happiness in your life. *Joanie Lane is the Director and a Teacher at "A Positive Light" Center for Spiritual Awakening. For more information on Joanie and the center visit www.apositivelight.com Many of us go through life seeking. Seeking love, or happiness through other people or sometimes our addictions. Often we don’t fill that feeling of lack that we carry, that feeling of not being enough. So we look for something to fill that feeling of emptiness or unworthiness.
I've been noticing, more and more, the new addiction of media. Going to a park I see young parents staring at their phones texting, playing games, or talking on their phone; missing out on their child's life. Many parents sit their children in front of a television or computer-even if it is educational television or computer games-and then spend their time doing the same thing. When we do this we may be causing several harmful things to ourselves, our children and our other relationships. First: We are separating from the now through electronics. It can be a simple distraction for a bit but it often becomes more of an addiction and attachment, which creates a gap in our relationships. Second: We could be causing our children to feel unimportant or unloved creating a feeling of unworthiness, a hole in their soul that they may, in later years, try to fill with alcohol or drugs or food or some other addiction. Recently there have been studies on the harm that computer screens may have on the developing brain and a link to teenagers and schizophrenia due to some computer games. Third: Rather than having meaningful and thoughtful conversation with our partner we may be starving our personal relationship if we spend so much time on our devices. By using a device as a means of avoidance we cannot mend any fences that need mending in the relationship, which may feed the feelings of defeat, emptiness, or lack of self worth that may be growing in our relationship. Media can be a good source of information, communication and entertainment. But it can become a distraction from life, which is short and fleeting, just as your time with your children is short before they grow up and leave home. Practicing mindfulness in life brings us to an awareness of the passing of time and helps us be in each moment. Giving our life a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction, helping us to see and truly experience the joys that are there in front of us that can be so easily missed by too much attention to media. *Joanie Lane is director and teacher at "A Positive Light" meditation center. For more information on Joanie and the center visit www.apositivelight.com or her blog Joanielane.com We already have the answers we need to the life questions we ask. Those instincts, the gut feelings, the knowing senses, that quiet voice—those are the answers that are our compass through life.
Once we know this the question then becomes why don’t we listen to these instinctual senses? I would say it’s because we don’t like the answer. It doesn’t fit what we prefer to have in our life. Maybe it doesn’t give us permission to follow our own wants without a sense of guilt, maybe our hopes for something bigger are just pipe dreams, or maybe our actions are harming others. When we quiet our mind and open up to the quiet voice of reason within we can find our way through life without the turbulence of going against our natural tendencies. Through our practice of meditation we can nurture our instinctual nature and our ability to see it and accept it as it guides us smoothly through life. Gaining this ability to listen to our internal navigation system will bring a sense of peace and equanimity to our life and allow us to move through life changes and challenges with balance and grace. “If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?” ~Dogen *Joanie Lane is director and teacher at "A Positive Light" meditation center. For more information on Joanie and the center visit www.apositivelight.com "In the universe there is an immeasurable, indescribable force which shamens call intent, and that absolutely everything that exists in the entire cosmos is attached to intent by a connecting link."
Those who practice keeping in line with the source, or the Divine, are not only concerned with understanding and explaining that connecting link, but they are especially concerned with cleansing it of the numbing effects brought about by all the concerns of living at ordinary levels of consciousness." ~ by Carlos Castaneda In keeping our connection to God or the Divine or source, all things are possible. There is no failure. In anything we do. Our interconnectedness with the Divine and with each other is the driving force behind our successes, through the work of intention. In turn, if our awareness focuses on what we may think of as living a life that will receive less, then those small thoughts prompt the Divine energy to bring that to us. Less. What we think and believe in is our ultimate reality. So think small and dwell on the negatives and that is what will manifest in your life. Focusing on the problems, the violence, the anger and fear in the world will create exactly that. However, focusing on the the beauty of the world, kindness, goodness and love brings all of that into our life. When Dr. Wayne Dyer says, "change the way you think about things, and the things you think about will change" it is a statement regarding your relationship, or your connection, to the Divine. From this information we can clearly see that only we can decide to accept the positive power of the Divine interconnectedness that can create a world of beauty and bounty. And we have the power to do this! Isn't it amazing? When we see and truly understand this we see that we are never too old to change, never too tired or weak or busy to create the life of fulfillment we want. We simply have to shift the way we approach each day of our life. Creating the power of positive thought in your life can be as simple as waking in the morning and saying thank you, allowing the feeling of gratitude to come into your heart, simply for the life you currently have and all it encompasses. In this small step we open ourselves up to walking through the day with an open heart to see the world in a positive way, which in turn brings positive things into our lives. But only if we choose to recognize them and hold them dearly as the precious gifts that they are. *Joanie Lane is director and teacher at "A Positive Light" meditation center. For more information on Joanie and the center visit www.apositivelight.comor her blog Joanielane.com |