Tag Archives for finding peace

Find Your Middle Ground and Yin Workshop

I am so excited to offer this special workshop offering via Zoom! Join me and a group of like minded people yearning for nourishment and peace in these stressful times.

Saturday August 22nd 11.00am-1.00pm EST courtesy of Good Karma Yoga and Barre 

Saturday August 29th 12.30pm-2.30pm EST courtesy of Hummingbird Yoga and Massage 

alone autumn beautiful bloom

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It’s so important for us to take time out and step away from the Yang oriented external world and look inwards for supportive Yin energy. Late Summer is the time of year for bringing nourishment and stability to body, mind and spirit. In traditional Chinese Medicine, the season of Late Summer and the Earth element correlate with nourishing the body, our emotions and our relationships. Mother Earth helps to ground us, she recycles our stuff, she cares unconditionally, and she provides us with the nutrients we need.

Join Val for a special two hour online workshop that brings together compassionate mindfulness, self inquiry and gentle yin yoga.

  • Pause, reflect and journal. Honor where you are and listen inwards for your own intuitive guidance.
  • Explore gentle Yin Yoga postures that open up the Stomach and Spleen energy channels, to bring comfort and wholeness for Late Summer.
  • Release tension, let go and nourish all aspects of your being.

Venue: via Zoom

Cost: $30 Reserve your space ahead of time

Saturday August 22nd 11.00am-1.00pm EST via the website https://goodkarmayoga.us  or MINDBODY at Good Karma Yoga and Barre in Media, PA

Saturday August 29th 12.30pm – 2.30pm EST via the website https://hummingbirdheals.com or the MINDBODY app at Hummingbird Yoga and Massage, Bryn Mawr, PA

Once you have reserved your place, you will receive by email, confirmation and the Zoom link.

Thank you.

 

You Don’t Have to Be a Yogi to Do This

Today I am sharing a yoga practice with a chair. You don’t have to be a yogi to do this!

Please join me for centering, letting go, and getting a good stretch. You can even do it at your desk.

Let’s find our middle ground together!

 

Chair Yoga with Val from Val Boyko on Vimeo.

May you find peace today and everyday.

More Than Ever – Find Your Middle Ground

nature forest waves trees

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

These are such challenging and fast moving times aren’t they. I have been reluctant to post about COVID-19. There have been too many conversations about the threat of the unknown and constant updates in the media.
Last Thursday I stopped teaching classes in public and I lost the structure of my days. I told myself it’s like a “staycation”. What a great time to reconnect with Don and enjoy our lovely home and garden together.
I found myself getting addicted to the need to know what’s happening. I thought this would make me feel more in control, but the opposite happened. I began to feel adrift.
I felt more and more disconnected and anxious, the more I engaged.
Like a stick in a raging river, with no rudder or direction, I felt out of control and scared.
Then I realized, its okay to feel like this. This is the reality right now. When I accepted this, there was an inner shift. I realized that I needed to find my own middle ground. Not just to talk about it for others, but to make it so. Now more than ever.
Today I am now focused on making it so for myself, so I can support others.
There is a lot of inspiration out there. I will share what I come across, as well as delve into my archives to share posts that feel right for these times.
I have also started recording a yoga class from home on Vimeo. I hope you yogis here enjoy this first attempt. It ends abruptly as I ran out of disc space.
Take care of yourself and loved ones.
Take time to pause and reflect on whatever is coming up for you.
Now, more than ever, take time to find your middle ground.
Namaste

Inspiration – Lie Down

 

adult black taiwan dog laying down on grass lawn

Lie down with your belly to the ground,
like an old dog in the sun. Smell
the greenness of the cloverleaf, feel the damp
earth through your clothes, let an ant
wander the uncharted territory
of your skin.

Lie down with your belly to the ground. Melt into
the earth’s contours like a harmless snake.
All else is mere bravado.
Let your mind resolve itself
in a tangle of grass.

Lie down with your belly
to the ground, flat out, on ground level.
Prostrate yourself before the soil
you will someday enter.
Stop doing.
Stop judging, fearing, trying.
This is not dying, but the way to live
in a world of change and gravity.
Let go. Let your burdens drop.
Let your grief-charge bleed off
into the ground.

Lie down with your belly to the ground
and then rise up
with the earth still in you.

by Nancy Paddock

 

After all, all else is mere bravado.

Namaste

 

Peace on Earth

“As you transcend the dualities of good and evil, and right and wrong, you awaken into Oneness. It is the only way to really make a difference and bring lasting peace into our world.”

~ Leonard Jacobson

Each of us makes up the collective. Whatever is happening at the collective level is a reflection of who we are as individuals…If you want peace on earth, by all means march in peace rallies, write letters, become politically active. Empower yourself and others as much as possible. But first, confront the dark within yourself. […]

via Peace On Earth – December 2017 – Leonard Jacobson — Evolutionary_Mystic Post

The Difference Between Restless and Resting

 

awake at night

‘I know’ is the restless place for all beings.

‘I don’t know’ is the resting place for all beings.*

~ Mooji

 

The need to hold on to “knowing” keeps many of us from finding peace. We think knowing  is the answer, but it creates more restlessness.

It can become a never-ending quest for control and security. We create stories about this state to make it okay. We call it our personality or human nature.

It can appear as worrying about things beyond our control. For example: holding on to being right, trying to change others into our way of thinking and acting, striving to be perfect, looking for answers to problems that only exist in our mind, staying awake at night wondering what would make us happy …

Over time is becomes a habit that keeps feeding the insecure ego mind. The need to know increases fear and uncertainty.

Contentment comes from embracing the not knowing. It isn’t a simple or an easy transformation to make. Yet, when we accept that we don’t know and make room for it in all areas of our life, we create space for peace.

In surrendering to reality we find the freedom to be at rest with life.

Namaste

 

* Mooji. White Fire: Spiritual insights and teachings of advaita zen master Mooji (Kindle Locations 3306-3307). Mooji Media Publications. Kindle Edition.

* Haiku – discover peace

white rose

To discover peace

There is no path to travel

Or mat to roll out

~

Pause in this moment

Breathe into your heart center

Feel the blossoming

~

Find your Middle Ground

In the highs and lows of life

Stay at home goodness

 

If you are new to this site, welcome!

Please follow these links to find out more about your middle ground and the steps to take you there.

 

Steps to Find your Middle Ground

find your middle ground

Here are the steps I have discovered for myself and others, for finding our middle ground and living life in balance 💛

  • Notice! Take time to pause and be aware of the incredible gift of life that you share with others and with nature. Wake up to the little things. Wake up to  your self. Wake up to it all. This is called living mindfully. Become a keen observer.
  • Accept that life has ups and downs. Really! Some one told us when were little that life should be a breeze. This is called wishful thinking. Be grateful for the highs and graceful in the lows. This is called living life well.
  • Become present. Stop lamenting the past or worrying about tomorrow.  Living is in each moment. Now. Take a deep breath.  Then an other.  Notice you are still here… not there.
  • Get to know yourself. Take that first scary step of self discovery. Turn off the tv.  Sit for a while. Journal about what comes up. Have a meaningful conversation. Listen more to others. Listen more to yourself.
  • Let go of judgments. We think that judging others or ourselves makes us feel strong. Judgments come from fear of not being in control  and having things go our way. Our way is not the way. There is nothing wrong, so stop trying to be right. Stop comparing, criticizing  and start letting others be. Let yourself be.
  • Realize that you are not your thinking. You are the one who is aware of your thoughts. You are awareness within a physical body, with an imaginative and fearful ego-mind that creates stories. Your thinking is not the truth about who you are or the world around you.
  • Find the peace within. Beyond the next breath and the next thought there is a deep reservoir of peace waiting to be stepped into. This cool refreshing stillness has always been there and will always be there for us to access. To connect to this wondrous pool becomes our practice… whether its in mindfulness meditation, yoga, sitting in nature, or while commuting on the train,  realize that you too can find your own middle ground.

This blog is my way of helping people get their feet wet and refreshing themselves.

getting your feet wet

* Inspiration – Losing and Finding

self discovery

“Every now and then, life causes you to lose your phone, lose your job, lose your relationship, the things you think are important, so you can see that you have a full life independent of them.

There are many things you feel are so essential, but without them, you find you still have your Self, which is more than all of them put together.

You cannot lose your Self. This is the most important thing.”

~ Mooji *

Have you ever given yourself this gift?

I know, it probably didn’t feel like a gift at the time…

I appreciate this reminder that we are all in essence spiritual beings. It is the core part of ourselves that never changes. This true Self is accepting and always there, no matter what circumstances our small self finds itself in.

Coming into meditation and prayer in times of trouble allows us to feel the stillness within and connect to our true Self and Source within us all.

 

*Mooji (2015-12-03). White Fire: Spiritual insights and teachings of advaita zen master Mooji (Kindle Locations 1452-1455). Mooji Media Publications. Kindle Edition.

* Haiku – Seek

connect

~

Seek and you shall find …

nothing but what is out there.

Come home to yourself

~

Finding our middle ground, is about bringing our attention inwards and coming home to the stillness and clarity within us all.

To find out more about this, please follow this link. 

* The Obstacle is the Path

I wrote this some time ago when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. I didn’t publish it at the time, because of the uncertainty and tumultuous emotions that came up for us both. The treatments are over now and life is beginning to get back to normal. We are grateful.

When I read this post today, I was moved at the energy in the message.

the obstacle is the path

“Right now I am having a difficult time facing a truth that I don’t like. It is causing me some distress, and I just don’t like it at all. My heart is closed. My ego is determined not to accept the unacceptable. It is very resilient and strong, so taming this battle queen is never easy as long as I resist her.

The Zen proverb “The obstacle is the path” came to me this morning. Often we’re discouraged because of some tough challenge or obstacle in our way. But a shift in mindset from a Zen proverb can change everything: “The obstacle is the path.”

The obstacle isn’t something standing in our way. It’s showing us the way.

Embrace this moment, don’t fight it. Give gratitude for these moments, these challenging moments are what make you come alive as a human being. There is beauty in every step along the journey, gratitude in your experiences. Give thanks for the ability to experience these real raw moments no matter how painful they may be.

They become less daunting, less intimidating, and maybe your attitude towards them can subtly shift from fighting with them, (and getting angry or frustrated or bitter), towards seeing and dealing with them as just another part of the path you’re already on.

This is growth. This expands your circle of compassion and your connection to all living beings. This is putting your heart out, fully open and vulnerable.

Find gratitude as you face this reality.

There is a gift here. Ask yourself, “What is this showing me”?

Be grateful that you can feel so much and allow your heart to open once more … just a little bit.

When there’s an obstacle, don’t go around it. Don’t run from it or create a strategic plan to beat it, or go into battle for revenge against it.

Go into it. Work with it. Explore it. Learn how to be with it. Listen to it.  Embrace it.

Feel the everlasting love that is always there beyond the fear. This will carry you forward on your path.”

* Mum’s the Word

“Everything worthwhile for the soul is gained through silence. When you verbalize, you’ve moved into your head.”

Yogi Amrit Desai

silence

Practicing silence means making a commitment to take a certain amount of time to be with yourself. To simply Be.

It may seem obvious, but to experience silence means periodically withdrawing from talking, interacting or using our brain for a specific purpose.

Its a conscious letting go. It’s also periodically withdrawing from activities such as watching television, listening to music or reading a book.

If you never give yourself the opportunity to experience silence, this creates turbulence in your internal dialogue. It increases your inner chatter and clutter.

So lets set aside a time every once in a while to experience silence. Or simply make a commitment to maintain silence for a certain period each day. You can do it for one hour, two or more… one day two or more.

Initially your internal dialogue will become more turbulent and loud. You and your ego will feel an intense need to say things, and a sense of urgency and anxiety may take over.

Stay with the experience, and you will find the internal dialogue quietens and the silence becomes profound.

I came across this light and engaging article that you might enjoy. “The Splendid Spiritual Practice of Silence” is about a young monk’s experience of being silent for a year. You can read it by clicking here.

Mum’s the word … that speaks to the soul.