Nurture Your Ideas

I once came upon a great article by Warren Buffet.  He was speaking to what is called the "Law of Gestation;" the amount of time required from seed to full growth.  There is a certain amount of time required for an acorn to become a mighty oak tree; there is an amount of time required for each thing.

He said honoring that there is an amount of time required is one of the best things.  Most people start something and give up on the idea or project before it comes to fruition.  They pull up the roots looking for the fruit when the seeds hadn’t even been given time to grow into a fruit tree.

If you’ve planted some seeds of ideas or projects, give it some time.  Keep nurturing.  Water those ideas.  Dig deep in the soul of becoming and let your ideas become results. 

Warren Buffet said that some things, no matter how great the talent or effort --some things just take time.  "You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant."  It made me laugh.  I hope it does you, too.

~~Excerpt from Mary Morrissey

Mental Fitness Presentation

Mental Fitness Presentation

Loving Kindness and the Subtle Mind

The mental fitness practices of Loving Kindness and the Subtle mind are both exceptional in providing calm and peace. I have practiced both of them now and have enjoyed each differently. I found the Subtle mind practice to be a good foundation for allowing the concept of Loving Kindness to develop. Learning to use my breathe has been a concept in my meditation for some time. It is a way to refocus myself when I get distracted or bored and it also is a way to improve my lung strength when walking or exercising.

The Loving Kindness practice was a little hard to do prior to the Subtle mind practice. It wasn't feeling it...not very loving. After obtaining a more relaxed and peaceful state of mind, then the loving came easily. It felt like a nature state of mind.

For myself, using the meditation in my exercise has allowed me to do more with less effort. I find myself doing mindful walking, a process of paying attention to my body, my mind (watching it wander around), and sometimes a spiritual connection to the earth and all things around me. Understanding the when my mind is calm, my heart-rate is lower, and my body feels less anxious. It has become a daily practice for me during the stressful times of school, work, life...

Wondering What My Life Purpose Is....

There is a prayer that lives in the center of your heart.
If you pray it, it will change your life.
How does it begin?

Unit 4 Mental Workout

Mental Workout 

It is possible for us to evolve our Psychospiritual life and access its capacities and resources with daily contemplative practice. The value of obtaining this level of understanding and insight is a new level of consciousness. Learning to calm and train the mind, open your heart, and expand your consciousness can provide healing capacities. 

Loving Kindness Practice: An inner practice whose goal is to create a heartfelt loving kindness that diminishes your self-centeredness and quiets the mind. 

The Subtle Mind Practice: Using the breath, we learn how to tame and stabilize the mind by developing a witnessing consciousness. As witnessing replaces grasping and clinging, we progressively experience calm abiding, and calm-abiding gradually evolves into unity consciousness.

~~Excerpt from Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing by Elliot Dasher.

My Experience with the Loving Kindness practice was one of great pleasure. I have used many guided meditation on and off for years without any real dedication to the practice until more recent. Due to circumstances in my life I had found myself in a place of questioning and searching for answers. As often happens, I was led to read and meditate to find answers. I was given a book called The Dance by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, which offered me answers and direction. 

"What if the question is not why am I so infrequently the person I really want to be, but why do I so infrequently want to be the person I really am?" ~~The Dance

Through reading and practicing the daily meditations the questioning mind became calm and clarity of purpose returned. I had found myself again!

These are just a few of my favorite meditation links:

Loving Kindness Meditation: http://www.youtube.com/user/1GautamaBuddha?feature=pyv&ad=9516896152&kw=buddhist%20meditation#p/u/0/zRDsbXr9CY8

Breathing Meditation for stress reduction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wFX9Wn70eM

Mindfulness of Breathing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCXSm0Jc3mI

The Prelude

The Prelude by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

What if it truly doesn't matter what you do but how you do whatever you do?

How would this change what you choose to do with your life?

What if you could be more present and openhearted with each person you
encounter working as a cashier in the corner store, a parking lot attendant
or filing clerk than you could if you were striving to do something you
think is more important?

How would this change how you want to spend your precious time on this earth?

What if your contribution to the world and the fulfillment of you own
happiness is not dependent upon discovering a better method of prayer or
technique of meditation, not dependent upon reading the right book or
attending the right seminar, but upon really seeing and deeply appreciating
yourself and the world as they are right now?

How would this effect your search for spiritual development?

What if there is no need to change, no need to try and transform yourself
into someone who is more compassionate, more present, more loving or wise?

How would this effect all the places in your life where you are endlessly
trying to be better?

What if the task is simply to unfold, to become who you already are in your
essential nature- gentle, compassionate and capable of living fully and
passionately present?

How would this effect how you feel when you wake up in the morning?

What if who you essentially are right now is all that you are ever going to be?

How would this effect how you feel about your future?

What if the essence of who you are and always have been is enough?

How would this effect how you see and feel about your past?

What if the question is not why am I so infrequently the person I really
want to be, but why do I so infrequently want to be the person I really am?

How would this change what you think you have to learn?

What if becoming who and what we truly are happens not through striving and
trying but by recognizing and receiving the people and places and practices
that offer us the warmth of encouragement we need to unfold?

How would this shape the choices you have to make about how to spend today?

What if you knew that the impulse to move in a way that creates beauty in
the world will arise from deep within and guide you every time you simply
pay attention and wait?

How would this shape your stillness, your movement, your willingness to
follow this impulse, to just let go and dance?

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dreams
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after a night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

~~Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Positive Thinking

When we think and move confidently in the direction of our dream, we cross an invisible boundary. 

 

Once we cross this line, all sorts of things begin to happen.  Our mind begins to contact the minds of others who think along the same line.  We begin to attract what we are, get into the frequency of what we want and  release concern about how it is going to come to us. 

 

Our job is to move our feet in the direction of our dream and expect that it will meet us.  And it will…

 

Here's To Crossing That Boundary!

(Taken from Mary Morrissey's Daily Dream Builder)

Reflextion on Personal Level of Wellness ~ Unit 3

Upon further reflection on my personal level of wellness I would have to share that I am feeling pretty good about it. I have been taking classes that focus on all the areas of a person including my physical body, spiritual, and psychological and have made many changes over the last year.

To rate them I would have to say that A-physical well-being would be an 8. B-Spiritual well-being would be an 8, and C-Psychological well being would also be an 8. I feel my mind and body connection is working better than it has been in years. I have learned to pay attention to it and make sure that all areas of my life are working.

My goals and activities to help obtain my goals are simple:
A~Physical Well-Being

Goal: To continue to get daily exercise
Activity: To have more fun with it, biking, hiking, camping

B~Spiritual Well-Being
Goal: Broaden my knowledge and Improve my practice to daily
Activity: Daily meditation and prayer, read to broaden knowledge

C~Psychological Well-Being
Goal: Continue to Create New Possibilities
Activity: Continue with Landmark Education teachings

I have other goals that I set at the beginning of the year and have already accomplished them. When I do that, I add more to the list. I will be completing my Bachelor program here at Kaplan after this term (another goal done:). I have already established the next goal, to complete my Masters degree. I have established the steps to accomplish this goal and am well on my way. Look out graduate school here I come!

The Crime of the Century Relaxation Exercise

As with many relaxation exercises, this one was a guided meditation using the Rainbow Technique, which takes you through the main 7 body regions.
Going into each region of the body you are asked to draw the warmth of the color into your vision and the speaker discusses what each region is significant for. I enjoyed this meditation and have used one similar before and enjoy listening to the guided voice and the use of color to add another dimension (visual) to the level of meditation is helpful.  I find it helpful when listening to this one to make sure when you focus on each region to draw warmth and color into it. The warmth brings the physical body sensation and the color brings the visual. Both draw attention from different areas of the brain, causing the body to relax even more.

Region 1: The Base of the Spine ~ Red ~ Symbolizes Feeling Grounded/Safe
Region 2: Belly Button ~ Orange ~ Symbolizes feeling centered
Region 3: Stomach ~Yellow ~ Symbolizes Love
Region 4: Upper Chest ~Emerald Green ~ Symbolizes Giving Love
Region 5: Throat ~ Aqua Blue ~ Symbolizes willpower and creativity
Region 6: Forehead ~ Indigo Blue ~ Symbolizes Balance within Self
Region 7: Top of Head ~Violet ~ Symbolizes connection with Universe

Claim "This Day" as Your Best Day!

Choosing a Joyful Dance

Don't tell me how wonderful things will be...someday.

Show me you can risk being completely at peace,

truly okay with the way things are right now in this moment,

and again in the next and the next and the next...

                                                    ~~Excerpts from The Dance