Tag Archives for peace of mind

Peace is a Natural Mind State

This is a re-blog and a reminder for myself the morning. Peace is within us all. Take time to meditate today.

oooOooo

This is one of my favorite quotes about inner peace from Dr Thynn Thynn . Every time I read it or share it, it makes me see how simple peace of mind can be if we only learn how to access it.

“Peace is a natural mind-state in every one of us. Peace has been there since the day we were born and is going to be there until the day we die. It is our greatest gift; so why do we think we have no peace of mind?

Experiencing peace is like looking at our hands. Usually we see only the fingers – not the spaces in between them.

In a similar manner, when we look at the mind, we are aware of the active states, such as our running thoughts and the one thousand and one feelings that are associated with them, but we tend  to overlook the intervals of peace between them.”

open hand

When we come to realize that peace of mind is already within us, our journey changes from searching for it, to one of letting go and being present. By letting go of what our thoughts are caught up with, and coming into the present moment, we connect to our inner being.

This is the secret place where peace resides.

I love the idea of shedding and revealing rather than striving for.

If you have a minute or two, why not slow down and join me here in a moment of  mindfulness.

Take a moment to notice your hands and the spaces in between your fingers.

Close your eyes and now picture the space between each finger.

Allow your hands to soften.

Notice the warmth in your palms.

Let your hands rest on your thighs with the palms up.

Allow your breath to soften and lengthen.

Breathe ….

Relax your jaw and forehead.

Breathing gently ….

Notice the calm in between the thoughts that come up.

Remember that this is always within you. Its up to you how you choose to access it and bring it into your everyday life.

Boost Your Karma for the New Year

 

karma

Boosting your Karma is a choice. As you move towards the New Year and new possibilities, why not choose kindness and connection. Watch what happens!

This is such a cool list to share 🙂

  1. Keep your word.
  2. Show respect to everyone you encounter.
  3. Be a good friend.
  4. Look for the best in everyone.
  5. Show forgiveness.
  6. Be kind.
  7. When you make a mistake say “I’m sorry.”
  8. Pour out your love when someone asks for it.
  9. Put your children’s needs before your own.
  10. When someone is speaking to you, be fully present. Listen.
  11. Learn to love yourself a little more each day.
  12. Show your spirit.
  13. Don’t be cruel with your words.
  14. Be grateful for exactly what you have.
  15. Share your wisdom with those who ask for it.
  16. Donate what you don’t need.
  17. Help keep the Earth beautiful; don’t litter, and recycle.
  18. Look behind you, stop and hold the door open for others.
  19. Savor every moment.
  20. Smile more; frown less.
  21. Expect life to be good.
  22. Do the right thing (even when no one is watching).
  23. Give five compliments a day.
  24. Breathe. Relax. Feel. Watch. Allow.
  25. Share your inspiration when someone needs a lift.
  26. Learn from your mistakes, but don’t allow them to define who you are now.
  27. Avoid temptation when it’s calling to you.
  28. Kiss your partner every day.
  29. Share your faith.
  30. Be the beautiful you.

Looking over the list, #27 leaps out at me. We still haven’t eaten our Christmas Pudding. Its definitely calling my name 😉

Blogging has been a wonderful way for me to share good karma throughout the year.

Thank you all dear readers and friends for sharing your kindness and connection, and bringing out the best in me and your readers.

What goes around comes around.

Namaste

Mind is Like a Kite

The theme that is emerging in my posts right now is about quietening the mind and finding peace there. When I am feeling challenged I will search through earlier posts to remind myself of the wisdom that I have shared … and to bring it home again. Enjoy this metaphor… and come back to your breath. You are in control of your kite.

oooO000

I love this metaphor for seeing our breath as the string of our kite.

girl flying kite

“The mind is like a kite, flying here and there,

and the breath is like the string of the kite, generally bringing the mind back into the present moment.

The breath brings the mind, which is all over the place, back to its source, a natural state of peacefulness and joy.”

Ravi Shankar

Peace is a Natural Mind State

This is a re-blog and a reminder for myself the morning. Peace is within us all. Take time to meditate today.

oooOooo

This is one of my favorite quotes about inner peace from Dr Thynn Thynn . Every time I read it or share it, it makes me see how simple peace of mind can be if we only learn how to access it.

“Peace is a natural mind-state in every one of us. Peace has been there since the day we were born and is going to be there until the day we die. It is our greatest gift; so why do we think we have no peace of mind?

Experiencing peace is like looking at our hands. Usually we see only the fingers – not the spaces in between them.

In a similar manner, when we look at the mind, we are aware of the active states, such as our running thoughts and the one thousand and one feelings that are associated with them, but we tend  to overlook the intervals of peace between them.”

open hand

When we come to realize that peace of mind is already within us, our journey changes from searching for it, to one of letting go and being present. By letting go of what our thoughts are caught up with, and coming into the present moment, we connect to our inner being.

This is the secret place where peace resides.

I love the idea of shedding and revealing rather than striving for.

If you have a minute or two, why not slow down and join me here in a moment of  mindfulness.

Take a moment to notice your hands and the spaces in between your fingers.

Close your eyes and now picture the space between each finger.

Allow your hands to soften.

Notice the warmth in your palms.

Let your hands rest on your thighs with the palms up.

Allow your breath to soften and lengthen.

Breathe ….

Relax your jaw and forehead.

Breathing gently ….

Notice the calm in between the thoughts that come up.

Remember that this is always within you. Its up to you how you choose to access it and bring it into your everyday life.

Steady Awareness

self awareness

“In the light of calm and steady self-awareness, inner energies wake up and work miracles without effort on your part.”

~ Sri Nisagardatta Maharaj

And so the path begins.

Being aware is the first step to bring about transformation from stress and anxiety, and to find peace of mind.

It is a small step, but not an easy one for our mind to embrace.

The ego-mind doesn’t like to draw attention to itself, unless it is in affirmation or admiration! It would much rather remain in control, by telling us to keep doing what we are doing, and not try anything different that could threaten it’s hold on us.

Is it not incredibly arrogant for us to think that we know the answers? Beyond the ego-mind and clinging to how we want to see ourselves in the world, is an intelligence beyond our thinking.

In yoga we call this Prana or life energy. It is more than the energy to heal, energize and nourish the physical  body, it is the essence of life itself.

This is where miracles begin for our mind, body and spirit.

Namaste

 

The Space Between Stories

Tara Brach shares an important perspective for our times, with a concern about how we respond to uncertainty. Its worth a read!
If you like this (and live around Philly), then please consider joining me on March 11th at Hummingbird Yoga and Massage for a special gathering: Finding your Middle Ground in Challenging Times – 9 Practical Ways to Handle Stress and Find Contentment.

You can find out more about the workshop on FaceBook or website http://www.relishyoga.com

 

Evolutionary_Mystic Post

These days we are seeing all around us a lot of turbulence, inner and outer…The tendency when we get stirred up – and this is for all humans – is to go into a kind of habitual “jungle mentality,” also known as our stress reflex. We get anxious or upset and we try to sense where we can throw blame for what’s wrong. There is a polarizing.

Mostly what we are doing when we are in stress-reactivity is trying to find certainty. We are trying to find some ground again; and everything we try to do then is, on some level, trying to frame things so we have a stable ground – something that allows us to say, “Oh, here is what’s going on!” We try to define it, as a means of regaining a sense of certainty and security – an illusion of control. Charles Eisenstein calls this place…

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* Brilliant Minds Are Not Enough

brilliant mind

Even brilliant minds recognize  that they alone cannot relieve their own distress.

“Man is never helped in his suffering by what he thinks for himself, but only by revelation of a wisdom greater than his own. It is this which lifts him out of his distress.” ~ Carl Jung

“No problem can be solved from the same level of thinking that created it.” ~ Albert Einstein

We can’t simply think ourselves out of our struggle. Yet we spend painful hours trying to do just that.

To relieve distress, it requires a bigger perspective and wisdom beyond what we know.

This is the time to recognize that we may not be able to solve our own problem and find peace.

The revelation comes when we can ask for help, and trust in what is unknown.

This takes courage from the heart.

When we allow our heart to speak, transformation becomes possible.

Don’t let the ego win this battle … it will never find the peace you yearn for.

* How Good a Listener are you?

listening

To truly listen to someone we must be present – without distractions or interference in our heads.
Its estimated that the average human being has 10,000 thoughts per day. Real thinkers can have over 50,000 thoughts. That’s over 30 thoughts per minute…

Now that’s a lot of buzz, interference and distraction going on.

Here is a series of 3 experiments to try for yourself to see how present and focused your mind is. I believe that if we can listen to ourselves, then we can be a better listener for others.

At each level, be patient and try not to judge yourself. If your mind wanders simply start over.

Begin by taking a few deep breaths and take a moment to center yourself and be present with this moment. There is no rush.

Level 1
Count from 1 to 50 in your head.
Notice how many times you had to start over…

Keep working on it!
Once you have this one down, move on to the next level.

Level 2
Count from 50 back to 1. Notice that a little more concentration is needed here…
Once you can do this easily, move on to level 3.

Level 3
This is a meditation practice that I learned during my yoga teacher training. With your eyes closed bring your attention to the inhales and exhales of your breath.
On each exhale, count from 50 backwards until you reach 20. After 20, count on every exhale AND inhale until you reach 1.
When you have reached this goal, your mind will be clear of interference.

.. And you will have learned a lot about patience, commitment and acceptance of yourself in the process.

Not only will you have learned to listen to yourself, but you will have begun to train your mind to come to a place of focus. Through focus we are able to quieten the mind and find peace. … and of course, become better listeners.

Namaste

 

 

 

* What do you look for in Yoga?

yoga in India and USA

I subscribe to the Yoga Journal magazine, and I must be honest here and let you know that it looks more like a fashion magazine and Bally’s commercial than a journal about yoga.

Why?

Because I come away feeling pressured to be younger, skinnier and more beautiful. There can be some great articles in between a bunch of marketing telling me to:

tune in
lift up
strive
be strong
aspire
be awesome
get toned
buy this
look cool
eat healthy
as you give to the world
radiate
you can do it
….  and relax!

It feels exhausting being around this vata energy and targeted marketing.

Don’t get me going about yoga clothes either … I’m looking for clothes that fit and feel comfortable and don’t fall over my head in downward facing dog! Pink neon pants … really?

In my 30’s and 40’s I really wanted to be fit and awesome and now I know that what we all yearn for is to feel centered and accepting of ourselves.

A part of me understands that it’s  connected with the stage of adult life that we find ourselves in. Yet the message of what yoga is really about is being lost.

Yoga isn’t about postures, fitness and looking good.

It is a spiritual path that brings our attention inwards in order to awaken to our true Self.  Its about bringing alignment and a strong foundation into our lives… and yes, our bodies too 😉

It feels wonderful and empowering to find this place without competition, looks, accessories and being seen … just to accept ourselves fully and find peace within. There is a lot of love here.

And to those of you who don’t get it yet, I know it may seem like being old and boring, but to me its pretty darn cool.

Namaste

The Witness

witness consciousness

When I can be the witness
all manner of miracles occur-
old wounds heal, the past
reveals itself to be released,
present dramas play themselves
out without sinking emotional
talons into my soft skin. The
witness welcomes truth and
dares to meet reality on its
own terms, It is the ground
in which the seeds of
transformation take root
and finally flower. when
the witness is awake, the
lake of mind is still, and
in that mirrored surface,
I see my own true face as
Spirit smiling back at me.

Danna Faulds from Go in and In

These words settled in deeply today as I read them at the end of yoga class.

When we learn to become observers of ourselves – just noticing without judgment, we open the gateway to witness consciousness and inner transformation. Along with this self-awareness comes the contentment of just being here, alive, enjoying being present in this moment.

Namaste

* Haiku – freedom

inner freedom

~

Love, joy, peace of mind

Find them in your Middle Ground

Freedom is waiting

~

If you are new to this site – Welcome!

To explore more about finding your Middle Ground please click here.

* Dinna Fash Yersel

HIghland cow

“Dinna fash yersel, its only a wee highland cow”

Last week I met a woman at a supermarket check out who had lived in Aberdeen (Scotland).  She asked me where I was from in Scotland. This is pretty unusual here in the US.

As an aside –  People will remark on what a cute accent I have, and will then ask … Are you Irish? Nope 🙂 Never been there 🙂

I told her I was brought up outside Edinburgh and had lived in Aberdeen for 8 years.  Perhaps she heard some of the lilt. And we then started exchanging pleasantries in the Doric (Aberdeen Scots dialect)

Fit like quinie?

Nae bad…. an yersel?

Chafin awa!

Dinna fash yersel aboot baggin, I’m happy to dae it.

~ooO00~

Fit like quinie is a common greeting for a woman friend or girl. How are things going lassie?

Chafin awa means going along fine. Life is good. I’m content going with the chaff and the flow of life.

Dinna fash yersel  means, don’t worry (english) or get your knickers in a twist (lowland Scots). It comes up in conversation as a way to tell someone its no bother, or don’t bother yourself about something.

I never thought of saying it to myself… but the pleasant exchange reminded me what a powerful message it can be if we did direct it to ourselves.

Imagine when you find yourself judging someone and then feel so bad about it that you judge yourself for not being good enough and start beating yourself up.

Dinna fash yersel Lass!

Let it go! Don’t worry! Don’t stress about it! No need to get into a sweat or become anxious!

Dinna fash yersel … all will be well.

And with this awareness, it is.

 

… Aye – I’ll hae fond memories o’ Aberdeen in ma dreams the niche. And maybe some scenes from Outlander thrown in there 😉