Peace Archives - Susan Choi

Friday Focus – 6/9/17 {What Is}

There has certainly been a theme that sticks out for me this week and it is this – being ok with what is and knowing it is unfolding in perfect divine order.

The mind is a slippery one. An innocent thought about one thing leads you down 10 deep rabbit holes until you find yourself in a complex maze of what ifs and one way too many options. And then what? You’re paralyzed. Does anyone feel me on this?!

While it seems healthy and proactive to be solving, thinking, planning… whatever you want to name it, if any of this leaves you with any of the following feelings:

angst
anxiety
tension
worry
fear
generally unsettled

…then we need to hold the phones. ?

The moment any of these feelings start to creep in it’s time to inquire – what am I striving for?

I find that the moment I ask myself this question it all becomes clearer. And while sometimes it may take more time than usual, it always gets clearer.

With clarity comes peace. A knowing that in THIS moment (and the next, and the next, and yes, even the next one :)) I am always held and perfectly where I need to be. Tension would indicate otherwise. Yes?

I find that this is a much more freeing experience than needing to control every outcome…

Namaste.

Loving Summer Mornings

Honestly I love so many parts of the day: the growing heat of a mid-summer’s afternoon, the way the light fades to dark and you sense the coolness of the evening, making hot tea and reading in bed… but lately one of my most FAVORITE parts of the day is the morning.

Since the days are that much longer here in the Pacific Northwest, the sunrises at 5:12am (on the day of this post) and my body naturally begins to rise around 6am. That means even more time where I get to spend truly just being in silence.

I savor making my morning decaf coffee and what I call my “poppin’ collagen latte”. You can’t see it poppin’ in the picture but trust me, it’s poppin’!

But before I start sipping, while the coffee is dripping (oops didn’t mean to rhyme!) I’ll step outside and soak up a few delicious rays… hear the birds chirp… see how much the grass has grown… it’s all truly beautiful. Then as I sip, it’s time for stretching, yoga, and listening to podcasts as I get ready.

And what about breakfast? Well… I’ve written about my morning smoothie bowls but here’s a picture from Monday’s smoothie bowl deliciousness 🙂

Those added blueberries were just…. sigh. Heaven.

Mornings are so precious to me. It’s a time to check in and mentally prepare for the day (before everyone and everything clamors for your attention).

How about you?

What’s your favorite part of the day? How do you cultivate more YOU time and what does it look like for you?

Susan

Mirror Image

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

In wellness,

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.

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…

Lightness

I can’t get enough of this word.

Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.

There is something about the meaning behind this word that provides such strength, peace, and clarity.

Is there a word that does the same for you?

For me, this word is a simple reminder to not give a d*&# (excuse the language) or so much of it away to things that simply do not matter! It reminds me to put a smile on my face. It reminds me that ALL is ok and WILL ALWAYS be ok. It reminds me that life is meant to be lived with the highest sense of connection and freedom. It reminds me of what is most important in this moment.

So here it is again:

Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.
Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.
Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.
Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.
Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.
Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.
Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.
Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.
Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness. Lightness.

May lightness find you wherever you go on this beautiful new day.

Namaste.

What Are You Creating?

As humans we are constantly creating. Whether it’s our job, our relationships, our feelings, our next “fill in the blank”, our social media, our goals, you see… there is always something in motion.

The most critical part of creation is this ➡

Are you creating from a place of lack or a place of abundance? Fear or Love? Resistance or Flow? What is the main foundational emotion running YOUR engine?

When you really think about it, what emotion would you rather have running through you while you are off creating in this world?

Namaste.

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.

What is Now Matters Most

Do not fret about what will be, instead be grateful for the breath you just took, the sunlight hitting your face, and for the fact you have a direct connection to God.