Stronger ~ August 2011

Stronger

There's been a theme that keeps repeating itself to me this week so it must be shared. When life presents challenges to us it's so easy to fall into pity-mode and viewing ourselves as the victim. As is probably a pattern for many and something I fought hard against and feel that I am so close to having surpassed that hurdle. It occasionally still pops up. Sometimes I succeed in realizing I am no longer a victim and will not wallow. Other times my self-empowerment is low and I bring it down even lower when I allow myself a little victim party. So I say enough's enough! We are stronger than we think we are! It's all about how we speak to ourselves and what we believe! Truly!

We are not victim's of our circumstances. In fact, we created them. Each and every one of them. 100%! And more than half of that creation is a co-creation with many others in our lives from those in our lives at present and those who planted seeds throughout our life (from parents, teachers, friends, our culture and society as a whole). So we must take ownership of what is happening to us. We cannot possibly know every minute detail of they "Why's" and the "How's" of what is happening in our life. Sometimes we get the message and other times we are not meant to know, and yet again other times it is simply an experience to assist us to continue to grow stronger and more evolved. Better able to face our challenges and move through live with more ease in our center.

When a challenge comes up we can remain optimistic. We must see the reality for what it is and then begin to tap into the mysterious magical creative beings we are. We could wallow, but enough of that. That's boring. Been there. Done that. Instead it's even been proven scientifically that if you are an optimistic person even in the face of adversity you will make it through the challenge smoother, faster and more uplifted on the other side. Instead if you wallow and stay in that lower vibration muddling through the experience with a negative outlook it will be that much harder to get through the challenging experience and you will FEEL bad. Not only that, you will also be attracting more negativity into your life so you can continue to feel this low. Now who wants that!?

Use the Law of Attraction in your favor and be, see and feel the positive outcome. Solutions present themselves more easily to you when you have an open mind. If you are closed off due to negative monkey mind thinking you won't hear the solution. If you are free, open and clear it will just come to you naturally.

Challenges are a blessing in disguise. Sometimes something not-so-great happens and you realize in the end that it was truly exactly what you needed. It might have been a change in circumstance, that at first seemed awful but instead presented a huge opportunity for growth, maybe a move to a better more uplifting place or job, and maybe a new friend or relationship comes of the experience. You will get through it. We always do. Just know that you are always supported, loved and this too shall pass. So why worry. You will only manifest more experiences that will bring more worry to you. Instead get back to your center and know that whatever is happening: It's not good. It's not bad. It just is.

"Thinking isolates a situation or event and calls it good or bad, as if it had a separate existence. Through excessive reliance on thinking, reality becomes fragmented. This fragmentation is an illusion, but seems very real while you are trapped in it." ~ Eckhart Tolle

There are ways we can get into our center that will truly help us in the long run to rise up through the ashes of challenging experiences and remain in our balanced center. Below are seven beautiful and valuable tools to do just that and more:

1. Meditation is huge!: Just by taking a mere 15-20 minutes a day of quiet time you not only gain better balance and center, you also make it more possible to be more productive throughout the day. Your brain works at a more efficient rate and things get done. You are more in tune with your intuition and working in conjunction with your Soul!

2. Yoga: Need I say more. In yoga, you are also meditating as well as moving the body. Our bodies were made to move. Through yoga you are able to work with your mind, body and soul together, integrating these for a healthy and whole being. The health benefits to yoga are insurmountable and magical. I hear stories every day of folks being cured of asthma, arthritis, spinal and bone injuries and more! Just because they began a dedicated yoga practice a few times a week. You will feel better and more uplifted too!

3. Music: A magical cure for your moods. Music can bring you down or lift you up. So choose wisely the music that makes YOU feel GOOD, uplifted and even singing along. Music resonates at frequencies that can get in deep to our core and move blockages at a faster rate. Music can refresh you and leave you better able to make it through the tougher days.

4. Breathe: The power of our breath is key to everything. If you are getting stressed out, take a breather literally. Stop what you are doing and breathe in deeply, exhale slowly. Do this through your nose a few times. Close your eyes and imagine your breath going into every cell of your body, even as white light. Our breath is our prana life force energy, as we breathe we fuel our mind, bodies and soul's.

5. Use a mantra such as: Ommmm. Another good one is: It's not good. It's not bad. It just is. And breathe deeply!

6. Be the Witness: Try not to get caught up in a challenging experience. Take a step back and just observe what is happening around you. Come at it from a neutral state of mind and let the experience be. Then things will almost magically take care of themselves. Solutions will come, actions will be taken and peace can be felt even amidst the chaos.

7. Visualize: Our imagination is our tool of creativity. Since we are creating everything from our thoughts and emotions, it helps to visualize a positive outcome or at least to conjure a feeling of peace or bliss as the outcome to something that may be challenging in the very moment. Olympians and other athletes utilize this tool often as a way to gain momentum in training and ultimately winning the gold (or whatever the end result goal is in mind). I used this technique to shed over 90 pounds! Our brains do not know when we are actually experiencing something or just reliving it in our minds or, in this case, visualizing something new. Creating a new outcome of wonderful resolution with new solutions abound. The brain will still react and act as if it's happening right now and you will feel the same feelings again and by the Law of Attraction attract that which you are remembering or newly envisioning. Tap into this valuable tool for a more peaceful, enriching and happily loving life!

I do hope you all enjoy the last few weeks of summer!

Blessings to you on your path,
~Spiritual Cheerleader
www.SpiritualCompassConnection.com

Don't Know. Don't Care.

During this Holiday season it is so easy to get caught up the hustle and bustle of obtaining gifts and running errands for the next holiday party. There are so many who have more stress and anxiety around this season that is supposed to be happy, peaceful and in celebration for our Source Connection. So now more than ever it is so important to come back to your center. To live in the present moment of stillness and love. It is so very important because it can be so easily lost when we are constantly worrying about what we will get for whom, what we can afford, who will be hurt if you don't get the "perfect" gift, how we will make the kids happy while still including others in on the fun, if we will have a job to sustain us, if we will get a job for some, who has crossed over and will no longer be with us in this reality, and this holiday bustle compounds the "usual" stress to a higher level.

It's imperative to get out of the past and stop worry about the future. Start living for right now. Right now, in this very moment there is peace. The stillness is with you if you only allow it to be. Take a deep breath right now and close your eyes. Inhale and exhale. What do you feel? Stillness? Peace? Love? It is this space within you that is always within you that no one and no thing can ever touch nor take away. It is your connection to the Divine/God/Universe. It is you.

In order to assist you this Holiday season, I want to share the gift of presence through meditation. I would like to share a meditation method that was shown to me by a Zen Master at the Providence Zen Center in Cumberland, Rhode Island during a one day retreat. This retreat was a six hour Zen meditation. This was the longest meditation I’ve experienced in one sitting thus far.

We would sit in the lotus position or with legs crossed for 20 minutes in meditation and then do a walking meditation for 10-20 minutes. Then sit for 20 minutes and do a walking meditation for 10-20 minutes. And the cycle continued until complete. At sporadic times during the sitting meditation the meditation leader would walk around with a stick and ask that you lower your head to the floor exposing your back if you would like to receive a tap on your back. It is the idea that this will adjust your mind when needed as well as your body to stay present during the meditation. I’m sure there are other subtle benefits as well.

A short time into the meditation we started to take turns going in to the Zen Master to have a discussion with him or to simply sit with him for however long we felt necessary. Some folks had long debates about spiritual or life issues. Others chose not to go in. When I went in it was about three hours into the meditation. All the questions I had thought I might ask the Zen Master went away. I no longer required answers. So I didn’t have much to talk about. He gave me a great meditation tip to keep me going through the last half of my meditation retreat. He said to simply chant a mantra in my mind coordinated with my breath. Breathe in, “Don’t Know”, Breathe out, “Don’t Care”. Inhale-Don't Know. Exhale-Don't Care. Don’t know, don’t care, don’t know, don’t care, don’t know, don’t care.

This is a wise mantra. The idea is that you are not in the yin and yang of life; the ups and downs; but rather view the experiences from a calm neutral place. It's not bad. It's not good. It just is. The more I learn the more I realize I know nothing. The Divine is all-knowing. So leave it up to the Divine. Freedom. Not caring about what’s going on around you does not say you do not have compassion for others experiences or the issues happening in your life. Instead it is more of a way of accepting what is going on as Divine. Because everything truly is Divine and happens for a reason. You are simply observing in a neutral but peaceful place of being. Don’t know. Don’t care.

"There is no waiting for something to happen, no point in the future to get to. All you have ever longed for is here in this moment, right now." ~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer

I've been on the meditation path for a decade now and the more I meditate the more I connect with the Divine/God. Meditation is my connection and brings me back to presence. I remember that I am now in a more constant state of meditation aka Presence/Stillness/Magic/Now. Today the sky was my meditation. the blue star-filled sky that changed to dusk and a beautiful sunrise with pinks and blues to yellow and blue. So magical. A stillness now always felt comes back to me during these moments. Sometimes my state of being wavers but the meditation practice brings me back to magical awareness...to "myself", the stillness within...to my connection to the Divine. Whatever your method the more you can dedicate a daily practice to connecting to Source the more you will feel that you have always been and always will be connected. It is the gift of presence. When you share this with yourself it is felt by all those around you.

So for this Holiday season. Give this meditation a try. Or simply sit in quiet peace for even five minutes a day and you will feel the benefits a thousand fold. The immediate benefits are clarity and relaxation. There are striking long-term health benefits from meditation as well. Breath awareness is another great meditation that you can do anywhere. Just notice and be aware of your breath, the inhale and the exhale. Your breath is always in the present moment so becoming aware of your breath pulls you in the Now. And if you're in a winter season, you can also enjoy the benefits of a beautiful snowfall. Get outside, breathe in the crisp air, and watch, and listen. If there is serene snow where you live, enjoy the snow as each unique beautiful snowflake falls. There is a unique stillness in the air when you can get outside and be with a fresh snowfall. Nature takes you back to your true essence. Each drop of nature brings me back to center and peace. It is my wish that each of you receive the gift of stillness and peace this holiday season.

Enjoy, live, laugh and love always!

Peace and Bliss be with you ,
~Spiritual Cheerleader