Tag Archives for inner balance

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.

 

Inner Alignment

Photo by Garon Piceli on Pexels.com

 

We live in a self absorbed society where everything seems to be directed to feeding the insatiable and bored little “me”.

When we start finding our Middle Ground, we get in touch with our inner being and experience what is happening in the moment. This inner world includes our thoughts, beliefs, needs, feelings and knowing what really matters to us – our values.

We become observers of ourselves.

We come nurturers of our inner being instead of critics.

Life becomes more satisfying just as it is. There is less need for stimulation, excitement and acquiring of things to prove to ourselves, entertain us, show others, or to keep boredom at bay.

This shift can happen in a moment or over a space of time … and is available to all of us.

Through yoga, I learned that this feeling of centered contentment was when my mind, body and spirit are aligned and in harmony.

I call this place of inner alignment the Middle Ground.

Thank you for joining me here 💛

Haiku – find your middle ground

space

Photo by Martin Damboldt http://www.pexels.com/

~
Without testing life
We cannot prove anything.
Reach to new limits
~
Live beyond the knowing
Wonder at the unveiling.
Break free from within.
~
Take time for stillness
Seek balance in Yin with Yang.
Find your Middle Ground

 

These words came to me today as I realized that much of our lives are played out in what is known and the expectations of those around us.

How can we live beyond the knowing? By stepping out of our comfort zone and trusting that there are new limits to explore. To embrace the wonder beyond the knowing.

It doesn’t begin with more activity, the setting of goals and targets. These are the Yang aspects of life. It begins with setting aside time to be in stillness. To be with our thoughts and discovering the deeper, hidden parts of our being. This is where Yin resides.

In Yin we find the place beyond thought. The knowing that is within us all, that wants to break free.

Namaste

* Inner Alignment

inner alignment

We live in a self absorbed society where everything seems to be directed to feeding the insatiable and bored little “me”.

When we start finding our Middle Ground, we get in touch with our inner being and experience what is happening in the moment. This inner world includes our thoughts, beliefs, needs, feelings and knowing what really matters to us – our values.

We become observers of ourselves.

We come nurturers of our inner being instead of critics.

Life becomes more satisfying just as it is. There is less need for stimulation, excitement and acquiring of things to entertain us, show others, or to keep boredom at bay.

I remember thinking how strange it was that I am rarely bored. I have always enjoyed my own company. I like being me by myself.

Through yoga, I learned that this feeling of centered contentment was when my mind, body and spirit are aligned and in harmony.

I call this place of inner alignment the Middle Ground.

Thank you for joining me here 💛

* Tao Inspiration ☯ – The game is never over

wandering monk

There are no fixed limits
Time does not stand still.
Nothing endures,
Nothing is final.

You cannot lay hold
Of the end or the beginning.

He who is wise sees near and far
As the same,
Does not despise the small
Or value the great:
Where all standards differ
How can you compare?
With one glance
He takes in past and present,
Without sorrow for the past
Or impatience with the present.

All is in movement.
He has experience
Of fullness and emptiness.
He does not rejoice in success
Or lament in failure

The game is never over
Birth and death are even
The terms are not final.

~ Thomas Merton

 

The game is never over … when we accept and surrender to it all 💛

 

Merton, Thomas (2010-03-30). The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition) (pp. 85-86). New Directions. Kindle Edition.

* Accessing all your Intelligence for a Happier Life

I recently came across a coaching company called MBraining. They help people access the 3 neural intelligence centers to bring about change and a happier life!

A new way of looking at ourselves and our intelligence is always intriguing!

whole body intelligence

 

Recent research shows that there are actually three major centers of neural intelligence and processing  in the body: the cephalic brain in the head; the enteric brain in the gut, and the cardiac brain in the heart.

The main head brain has between 50-100 billion neurons

The gut has between 200-500 million neurons

The heart has between 30-120 thousand neurons

Our three “brains”  process information coming into them simultaneously, relating them to each other and acting on them in conscious and subconscious ways. They are in constant communication with our central nervous system.

What most of us intuitively know seems to be supported by scientific research.

When we check in with our gut reaction, we really are accessing the knowledge there. Apparently our gut has a similar number of neurons as a worm.  Not very bright that’s for sure, but it knows when there is a change in the environment and to find safety if it can.

Our heart has fewer neurons, but  we also intuitively know that it is ready to give us a different perspective on what is happening around us. Our heart cares. Its wisdom is keeper of our values, compassion and love … for others and ourselves.

How often does our head brain’s thinking drown out the wisdom of our heart or our gut reaction? We are all capable of creating amazing stories in our heads about life – our experiences, our beliefs about the world, other people and ourselves.

Now here’s the significant thing…

relaxation and intelligence

We can only access the wisdom of our gut and heart when we are relaxed. If we are fearful, triggered or over stressed, then our  Autonomic Nervous System’s stress response will prevent us from accessing this internal intelligence. 

Pausing and becoming present with full diaphragmatic breathing relaxes the body and our autonomic nervous system. You will find a guide to coming into the present moment here.

Here is an exercise to bring your internal intelligence into alignment:

Inner Balance Exercise

Settle in to the present moment by breathing smoothly and fully.

Think of a situation that you would like guidance on.

Start by asking your heart what it values and cares about.

Let your brain acknowledge and think about this.

Breath into your heart space and listen for more wisdom about you really care about.

Now send your awareness to your gut, asking it for guidance on ways to take action.

Let your brain access this information and then check in with your heart once more.

Only when your heart values and accepts your thinking and actions will it be the right choice for you.

I really like this approach … even if it isn’t 100% scientifically accurate, it does seem to work when we bring it into our awareness. Try it and see for yourself.

Remember – in life, its how we experience it that counts, not what we believe to be true.

Namaste