Tag: Ego

A Course in Miracles – Lack

“While lack does not exist in the creation of God, it is very apparent in what you have made. It is, in fact, the essential difference between them. Lack implies that you would be better off in a state somehow different from the one you are in. […] Needs arise only when you deprive yourself. You act according to the particular order of needs you establish. This, in turn, depends on your perception of what you are.

A sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need to correct. This sense of separation would never have arisen if you had not distorted your perception of truth, and had thus perceived yourself as lacking.”

Whether you are new to A Course In Miracles (ACIM) or not, I love this excerpt specifically talking about “lack”.

We are told left and right that we are not enough until one day we believe it to the point that it seems so real. Actually we end up believing there is no other reality.

Take some time to assess your thoughts, decisions, and actions… do you notice how in some way “lack” might be an influence however small or large? Can you notice how in some way things might be “better” by doing things one way or how you might “fix” something by doing things this way?

How much of a relief would it be to not be driven by lack? How much freer and spacious would YOU be?

When I first came across this text I was floored, and I mean FLOORED. It was as if a light bulb went on in my head and immediately after I felt a huge sense of relief. This was around the time I was in deep recovery from adrenal fatigue and not only was this sense of lack one of the major players of getting to the point of adrenal fatigue, it was playing a small part in my desire to be in a different state other than adrenal fatigue as well. Ironic isn’t it?

The sense of relief was immediate and lasting…. What a relief it was to know there was no need to strive so hard! What a relief it was to just BE!

So take a moment… if your mind is driving you crazy with thoughts that are fueled by tension, striving, or desire, take a moment to inquire and allow for a bit of space. Allow for the possibility that you are MORE than enough in this moment, and even the next.

Namaste.

Goat Lake

One of the best things about spending more time in Washington is that these beautiful mountains and trails are literally in our backyard. For example a quick 1 hour drive and I’m deep in Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

This past Sunday was spent hiking up to Goat Lake. Let me tell you… it was GORGEOUS.

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Goat Lake

As I made my way through the trail I decided to head up to Goat Lake via the lower trail and come back down to the trail head via the upper trail. The pounding pulsation of the river and numerous waterfalls making it’s way down the mountain was incredible.

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The hike was approximately 11 miles round trip, and it was 11 miles of fresh air that I desperately needed.

The night before I got into a sneezing frenzy due to allergies which always zaps the energy out of me; to the point where my throat is sore and my energy is just depleted from me. When I woke up the day of the hike my nose was so stuffed I couldn’t breathe!

Miraculously when we got to the mountains it was as if the body knew how good the air was and decided to clear the nasal passages for all the fresh air. As soon as this happened I started to breathe DEEP. Deep into the belly with each and every inhale and I could slowly feel my energy coming back.

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I don’t know if it was the allergy attack the night before but not only was my energy low, my mood just wasn’t as upbeat either. Honestly, it could have been a whole RANGE of things:

  • Was it hormonal? Time of the month?
  • Has weeks of stressful work hours impacted the adrenals and thus neurotransmitters?
  • Was it the tossing and turning from being unable to breathe last night?
  • Maybe it’s the days of overcast skies that finally got to me.
  • Did I not eat enough breakfast and this is just a dip in energy?
  • Am I putting too much pressure on myself at work?
  • Is it because the weekend is almost over and I didn’t get a chance to eat at my favorite Indian restaurant this week? 😉

I’ve written about this before but it’s so easy to want to place meaning behind everything. Our minds find it inherently necessary to analyze the who, what, why, when, and how, but sometimes that takes us down several chases down several rabbit holes!

Instead I took some time to mindfully investigate each and every thought that came up and most importantly to allow and to BE WITH the emotion behind every passing thought. Fear, sadness, anxiousness, stress… were a few of the emotions that arose with each thought.

I took time to ask, is this really true? And if it is, what would that mean? Who is the one having this thought? What am I reacting to (or what do I think I am reacting to)?

Then silence. Step by step, breath by breath.

And when you’re surrounded by beauty like this how can you not begin to feel shifts as you fall into the wonder, awe, and gratitude of mother nature?

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Sometimes it takes a good long bit of time to realize reality from reaction, or a place like this to put you in the present moment. The true present, moment by moment, breath by breath.

How about you? When do you find yourself having ah-ha moments? What helps you bring your awareness to your thoughts?

Cheers to a beautiful start to your week.

Namaste.

Mirror Image

Saturday morning reflections… may we recognize the power we have, beginning with the mind.

In wellness,

S.

Wheels of Life

Friday Focus – 6/2/17 {It’s JUNE!}

JUNE. JUUUUUUUUUUNE.

Can you believe it? I can’t…. we are half way through 2017!

In the previous seasons I would be revisiting goals and/or intentions I had set at the beginning of the year, but I find myself in a space where the focus is truly on NOW. The present.

Some of the questions I find myself asking this season include:

~ Am I enjoying the day? Right now?

~ Am I being with what is?

~ Can I open up fully in grace, love, and light?

~ Can I connect openly and deeply with myself and others?

~ What seeds am I planting in the areas of love, relationships, community, and deep connection?

~ Can I open to the breath, and the next breath, and the next, and the next?

This season I am loving this gentle opening and space for the present. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with re-visiting goals either! I am just noticing what is needed for me in this moment. How about you? Are you in a season for more opening? acceptance? love? ambition? speed? dreaming? harvesting?

No matter the season may this be a moment to reflect on what is needed most in this moment for your heart, body, mind, and soul.

Namaste.

Take The Time: Watch It Come And Go

I’ve been really meditating on yesterday’s post, Watch It Come And Go. I find that it’s a lot easier when you’re in ‘total’ alignment or when everything is humming along smoothly in life. But how about when it is really put to the test!?

  • When your routine is thrown off
  • When there’s a crisis at work
  • Or how about when your flight is delayed 6 hours?!

You see, over the holiday weekend I took a long road trip from San Francisco to Seattle and so the body is a bit more tired and same goes with the mind as well. I had all the feels, from relief that I finally have everything in one place to urgency around organization and completion (of letting the physical things go).

As the feels came and went I took a moment to watch it come and go. I took a moment to watch the reaction, be with the emotions, be curious about what was going on… and then I watched one emotion come and go, and another emotion do the same.

I practiced this pretty much all day yesterday and it took me a day to write this as I was doing more the practicing and observing than the writing 😉

So what about you? What tends to throw you off and what have you noticed coming up for yourself?

In wellness.

Namaste.

Somewhere along the Pacific coast line

Watch It Come And Go

No matter the situation, no matter the emotion, no matter the thought – just remember watch it come and go.

Accept the resistance.

Accept the discomfort.

Accept the need to escape.

Accept the subtle need to want things to change.

Watch it come and go.

Love where you are.

Love yourself.

Love every emotion and thought that comes by.

Love the tiny awakening inside you.

Love the fact that you are OK right here, right now.

Watch it come and go.

This is the practice…

Friday Focus – 5/12/17

This week I’ve been meditating on what it means to be in suffering.

How it is so easy for every thought, action (even non-action), and word to lead to suffering without awareness.

You see, when we are not mindful of the space behind our thoughts or actions, essentially we are making a choice in every moment that comes with judgement.

As an example, for the most part without even recognizing it, we are driven by a general need to make the right choice… this can look like:

“I can’t believe I said that?! What can I say next so I don’t sound so stupid?”

“Wow, I ate salad every day for lunch this week! I better keep this up!”

“I want to move to Seattle but I just met my significant other. How do I know which is right?”

Sometimes it doesn’t even feel like suffering! And sometimes it feels like small suffering while other times it feels like BIG suffering. The reality of it is that all problems lead to the same path – suffering.

(Relevant tangent: Even the idea of choices can lead to suffering when the need to make the right choice is very strong. Here, you can use ‘problems’ and ‘choices’ interchangeably.)

Ok, ok, this may sound doomsday but there is light in all of this. Promise!

Continue reading “Friday Focus – 5/12/17” →

Letting Go of Your Future Plans

I remember a time not too long ago, when at the close of 2014, I had immensely ambitious goals of what I would like to conquer in the next year. At the time it was all about health and fitness. How I could really take my strength, speed, and admittedly vanity to the next level.

Then BAM. Not a few days into January a mundane event caused a sudden panic attack and my world went spiraling.

Continue reading “Letting Go of Your Future Plans” →

Friday Focus – 2/10/17

I was chatting with one of my good friends the other day and she had mentioned just how “crazy” life was these days. I nodded and understood.

We both knew in that moment what it takes. And what it takes is a high level of self discipline to say no so you can cultivate the peace and pace you need to live a centered life.

Lately, there are three ways in which I try to cultivate peace and pace:

  • Let go of the small stuff: Running errands has got to be the #1 thing that adds to anxiety. On top of work, family, relationships, health, you name it… there’s always a laundry list of errands that need tending to. Yes, you need groceries to prepare food for the week but do you really need to send that extra email? Or pick up dry cleaning tonight??? I’ve found for myself that if I can let go of the small stuff, if I can just be OK with leaving non-critical items for later, it creates peace and a more healthy pace in my life.
  • Meditation & prayer both morning and evening: I saw a show last week about a person who runs a food bank and shelter all run purely on donations. He was in a dire situation with the lease ending and no facility to be found. As he made it home he headed toward the annex and it was then the audience realized he was also a priest. As he sat in one of the pews of the small church inside the annex he prayed earnestly to God. To be honest while it was certainly prayer I saw it more as a dialogue. A communication system between himself and God. There was something about his earnest means of communication that touched upon aspects of what I previously touched upon such as letting go, compassion, and metta. What a beautiful way to share, let go, and trust you are taken care of. What’s more, what a beautiful way to start and end the day.
  • Seek out the good despite the crazy: I’ve written about the power we have to choose our thoughts. And yes, while life can get a bit out of hand I have found it to be much more pleasant when we choose to focus our energy on the one thing we our grateful for vs. the one thing that could make our lives easier. What a shift in energy that is! This is also the time I whip out my inspiration journal and flip through some of the previous pages for inspiration and go into a page full of gratitude. Sometimes it’s a small win but nonetheless a win.

All that said, I am grateful for this beautiful Friday and am looking forward to a dinner party with some of my dearest friends. It’s my turn to bring dessert so I decided to make a (very tart) lemon pound cake. Gluten free of course 😉

Here’s to the weekend.

Namaste.