Sensitives

For all those beautiful, sensitive, emotional souls out there who from time to time get lost in this modern world by putting up a brave facade, subconsciously trying to be strong for all those around you ... don't forget to take time out in your day to stop and allow yourself to FEEL. Allow yourself to be the soft, sensitive, and emotional person that you are. It's so important to stay true to the nature you were born with, and acknowledge it's presence within yourself.

What happens when you don't? You end up harbouring negative and stagnant energy that just sits there in your body, accumulating until it manifests into all sorts of nasty things like tension and illness. Your body will most likely feel heavy and weighed down. And mentally you might just feel confused or "off", like something isn't right. That's your body's way of telling you "hello! you're not being the person that you are supposed to be. stop and let yourself feel. Let yourself be sensitive and emotional. Be soft. It's OK."

Music Therapy

The modern lifestyle is a hectic one. When you're feeling overwhelmed, frazzled, tense, stressed, or weary..  you will eventually need an outlet. Enter - Music.

Music can be incredibly therapeutic. How many times have you heard a song and been instantly uplifted, soothed, or moved to tears? Music has been proven to be capable of raising or lowering the pulse, respiration and blood pressure. Not only does it raise our energy levels and improve moods, we unconsciously synchronize our breathing to the beat of the music.

So the next time you feel you need to unwind or release blocked or trapped negative energy within your body, put on some music. Not just any music... I'm going to encourage you to use a little intuition with this one.  Select music based on your mood.  Ask yourself "what song do I really want to hear right now?" Play it. Once that song is over, ask yourself again "what song do I feel I need to hear right now to release blocked or negative energy?" Play it. Keep asking yourself "what do I need to hear?", song after song, and over the course of natural progression you will hopefully begin to feel much lighter and free within your body, heart, and mind.

It's really quite amazing how something as simple and profound as music, can naturally release negative or stagnant energy within oneself.

I'll leave you with a wonderful quote that rings true.

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life"

Help Yourself

I know so many people that have not yet discovered their passions, and lack direction and purpose in life.  I came across this blog with a set of questions that could help you reconnect with what is meaningful to you :)

Live on Purpose - 15 Questions

 

The most important thing anyone can do with their time on Earth is to do what makes you happy. Recognise your talents and passions and utilize them! Everyone will be better off because you have stayed true to yourself.

Wake Up Sydney!

I encourage anyone in Sydney passionate about kindness to join the wonderful community http://www.wakeupsydney.com.au
There are kindness cards you can order (for free) to begin your baby steps towards making life easier for someone else, and create a domino effect.

Wake Up Sydney also hold wonderful events and talk sessions that are inspiring and uplifting.

A Weekend Retreat for your Soul

If you're looking for some inspiration or simply something to do - held in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, is this year's  "I Can Do It, 2012!" conference. Featuring Authors:

• Louise L. Hay
• Gregg Braden
• Neale Donald Walsch
• Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
• Cheryl Richardson
• Doreen Virtue
• Marianne Williamson
• Robert Holden, Ph.D.
• Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D.
• Caroline Myss

The conference will be held over two days. Tickets are available for individual days, or the entire weekend.

Book @ http://www.icandoit.net/ or Hay House

See you there! :)

Rules For Being Human

Thought this was great. Hopefully it resonates with you as it does with me :)

Natural Stress Relievers - Yoga & Reiki

In our fast paced modern world, it seems more and more people are suffering from stress, anxiety, anger, and constant streams of endless thoughts.  Sometimes it can be hard to get rid of these nagging emotions. We either don't know how to, so we ignore it & carry on by escaping via excessive use of television and games, or we may turn to alcohol & drugs - leaving negative & stagnant energy in our body resulting in illness.

One simple way of ridding blocked or built up energy in our body, and clearing our mind of thoughts is by taking part in Yoga, or gentle stretching. It's a natural alternative, and it can be done in your own home or backyard.  You don't need to follow any specific guidelines, rather, go with your intuition and listen to what your body wants. It doesn't matter how you stretch, or what part of your body you choose to focus on, just make sure that you feel the release of pent up energy with every movement or position, and that you feel relaxed and calm. Don't rush yourself, as that will only add to any existing pressure and stress. I personally find it more beneficial to hold each stretching position for as long as possible, until I naturally feel ready to move on.

Another great alternative which I like to incorporate into my stretching is Reiki. Once you are done stretching your body, feel free to lay down and focus on your breath. Using your hands, place them over a part of your body that you feel drawn to, and visualise white healing light coming in through the top of your head and out through your hands. You can rest them gently on your body, or hold your hands slightly above your body - whatever feels comfortable and natural.
What this does is not only calm your mind and slow your thoughts, but it also removes energy blocks by inducing a deep state of relaxation, which triggers the body's own natural ability to heal itself.

I find that meditation is often a natural progression once I have stretched and relaxed, so a person will often end with a deep feeling of stillness, serenity, appreciation and gratefulness. This means that Ego has well and truly disappeared, and you are enjoying simply just "being" - how your life should be experienced.

There are no time frames... you can stretch & relax yourself for 2 minutes or 1 hour +.  The longer the better, of course.

All that we seek is within ourselves. When our thoughts are made absent, when we are still, centered, calm and present - this is what it means to be "at one" with oneself. This is how life should be experienced. We are powerful and limitless beyond measure ♥ 

Soul Lesson

You are perfect, whole, and complete.
Your body is an exquisite masterpiece molded just for you.
Your mind is a wonderful puzzle meant to tantalize your senses and awaken your deepest desires.
Your thoughts provide the seeds to nurture your greatest potential.
You don’t have to prove anything, justify anything, give up anything, take on anything.
You don’t have to shut down to protect, overextend yourself to be accepted, give yourself up to be loved.
You are a gift to this world, a rare gem to be cherished.
From the day you were birthed into this world, you had a purpose… to learn to shed the layers of armor… to expose your heart… to love and be loved… to remember.
You are perfect, whole, and complete.

Sensitivity

Something I'm noticing, is that the older I get the more sensitive I get. Now, I've always been a sensitive person. As a child I've always been highly emotional, right through until the present. But these days I'm becoming sensitive in a different way. I'm now sensitive in a way where I notice the beauty in the world ten fold. I feel the energy of nature so deeply it gives me tingles and am incredibly deep feeling of appreciation. I pick up the subtle energies present in a room, I have moments where I feel extreme gratitude for this life that I lead, and for the people in it. It consumes my entire body and heartspace. When I listen to music it feels as if my whole soul soars into the deep spaces of the universe.
I can cry at the drop of a hat, and not due to unhappiness, due to pure gratitude, appreciation, and love for the universe and everything in it.
We are such miracles, each and every one of us. Nature is beyond anything we could ever conceive in our minds. We are capable of so much more than anyone (including ourselves) gives us credit for. I'm talking about courage, passion, compassion, gentleness, love, growth, forgiveness, empathy, and more.

I'll admit, I'm overwhelmed by life a lot of the time. Both positively and negatively. It can get a little crazy when I wonder to myself "can I get anymore sensitive than I already am?" "where does this level of sensitivity stop?" "what if it doesn't stop, and I am plunged into a world of sensitivity where I can't cope anymore?" - but common sense takes over and I realise it's OK. I came here blessed with these traits, and I was born to feel deeply, and use this as my strength.

On occasion I feel like running down the street shouting something to the likes of "life is beautiful, open your eyes, can't you see?" We spend so much of our time plunged into the depths of our mind, our thoughts, our selfishness, focused on money, work, cars, politics. Endlessly criticizing ourselves and others, judging one another like it's a completely normal and sane thing to do. It's Insane.

We completely miss the simple things that ARE us, and surround us on a daily basis. The fresh air, the flowers, the trees, the birds singing, the feeling of grass on our bare feet, the beauty and strength and love that each and every one of us possess. The loving and divine energy that is around us every second of every day of our Earthly life. Soothing melodies and inspiration that comes from music, and if we sit still long enough to notice - the silence and inner peace and stillness that lies within us all. The heart of who we are. Our soul. Our being. Our essence.

Wake up people! You are incredibly blessed, you are love, you are filled with light and abundant energy. Go outside and smell the fresh air, use your compassion and sensitivity and go out and help those less fortunate than you, go practice random acts of kindness to those you love, or complete strangers. Notice the feeling you get from it. Absorb it and savour it deeply. Life is short. It can be hard, but only as hard as you make it. Think simply. Think selflessness. Think love. Pure white energy. And most importantly, develop your sensitivity. It's not a curse, as society so desperately wants us to believe. It's the most amazing blessing anyone can ever have. Open yourself up, brighten your senses. Don't allow yourself to become guarded, dull and lifeless.
Shine! Shine your light onto others and let them breathe a little easier because you have lived.

Happiness vs. Unhappiness

There is something I'm noticing as I grow older and more aware:

Happy people are almost always people who are at peace with themselves. I'm not talking about being happy on the surface, but on a much deeper level. There is no resentment present, no deep seeded issues that haven't been dealt with... only compassion and acceptance of themselves, others, and what is.

 

Happy people don't need to put others down, to bring themselves up.

Happy people enjoy taking the time to make others feel happy and good about themselves. This is probably the biggest one. You can't cheer someone else up if you're not happy yourself. It also goes the other way, when you're cheering someone else up, you automatically are filled with happiness yourself.

Happy people don't tend to take life too seriously. Happy people are "light" on the inside, and that carries through to their external body - it shows. They radiate a warmth and loving energy that quite literally affects everyone around them.

Happy people are often naturally giving by nature, selfless, and compassionate. This stems naturally from a place of love - due to the fact that when one is at peace with themselves, there is nothing but light energy, an openness, and love. Love/light cannot thrive in darkness, or negative energy. It's impossible.

 
Then there are those that are unhappy. Obviously when one is unhappy there is no peace within. There are issues that haven't been dealt with, and ego is almost always involved. Unhappy people radiate a darker energy. Have you ever walked into a room with an unhappy person? You can feel it with all of your being. You can feel the negative energy without anyone saying anything at all.

Unhappy people are always unhappy with themselves first. You cannot be happy with yourself, and negative towards other people. Again, light vs darkness. Not possible.

Unhappy people are often fixated on little things that are turned into big things. It takes on a snowball effect where they dwell on things until they can no longer bear to be around themselves, and are forced to make a change or fix the situation.

Unhappy people are often selfish (ie: too focused on themselves in that moment to be able to have compassion and sensitivity for another, or better yet, even compassion for themselves), so in summary they are blinded by Ego. Ego is mind-identification. Identify yourself by your mind and you're asking for trouble. It's a facade. It's covering up your natural state of being which is happiness; light; love.

There is a wonderful quote by the Dalai Lama - "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

A HAPPY person is compassionate with themselves & others, and forgiving of themselves and others. This automatically leads to happiness and joy.

Meditation Flash Mob Round #2!

If you're in Sydney on Saturday December 10th, please drop by Hyde Park and participate in the second round of Medmob!

It will be held at 11am (please arrive earlier to settle in) and the meditation will be for one hour. Afterwards, stay for the 10 minute sound bath and if you wish, connect with others!

Last week the first meditation extravaganza in Sydney (Circular Quay) was a huge success, starting off with around 150 people and almost doubled at the end to almost 300!

For more info please go to Medmob Wordpress Blog

Or "attend" the event on Facebook

Hope to see you there :)

Love Yourself

More often than not people in life are over critical of others and over critical of themselves. When people think of "loving them-self", we often tend to link that directly to being vain and brush it off without another thought. However it's so important that we are KIND to ourselves, and accept ourself for all that we are. If we do not love ourselves, we cannot love others.   Self love is at the very core of wellbeing, joy, self-empowerment, and your ability to create and enjoy the kind of life you want. The best thing is that loving yourself can start today! Accept all of your shortcomings, and recognise your positive attributes. When you love yourself and exude (modest) confidence, you attract wonderful things into your life.

What can you do?

♥ Write a list of all your positive traits and all the positive things you have to offer. They can be the smallest things - write it down!
♥ Remember all of your accomplishments - write down all the things you're proud of. Don't compare yourself to others, you are unique and there is no other person out there quite like you.
♥ Accept yourself - We all make mistakes, they are part of life, growing and learning. Be gentle with yourself.
♥ Mantras - Use mantras daily to uplift your spirit! When you're feeling down - try saying "I love myself unconditionally and recognize the extraordinary person that I am!" in your mind. Repeat it again and again until your mind finally gives in and believes it. Think of any mantra that resonates and feels right to you.  If it feels strange to say “I love myself,” then start of with something you believe to be true like, “I care about my wellbeing” or “I’m worthy of love.” Once your subconscious mind believes that you’re worthy of love, you’ll begin to accept it into your life.

Most importantly - Stay true to yourself!

♥ Don't try to be someone you're not. Be comfortable with who you are as a person. There is a wonderful quote I once heard that's stuck with me, and describes this perfectly -

"Become aware of what's beautiful within you and cultivate it."

- Be aware of what makes you special and beautiful, and utilize it. Make it all encompassing, let it grow and grow within you until you're physically glowing.
♥ Surround yourself with things that you love, and take part in activities that lift you up and help you feel peaceful. If you thrive on singing, sing! If you love nature, go outside and spend lots of time outdoors.  If you have a special talent for something, make sure you use it and love what you do. If you can use it to help others or inspire others, even better.

Meditation

I've personally just had the pleasure of completing Reiki 1, and during this course I've come to realise just how important and beneficial meditation is. Meditation has been linked to changes in metabolism, blood pressure, brain activation, and other bodily processes. It can also greatly reduce stress and pain.

Here are some tips on achieving a state of meditation:

1. Posture

Whether you sit on the floor with your legs crossed, or lay down, make sure your spine is straight and your body relaxed. If you tend to fall asleep easily, sitting up is probably best.

2. Eyes

You may have your eyes open or closed, whatever works best for you. However I find closing the eyes as a more effective way or settling the mind, as there are no visual distractions.

3. Focus

A good focus for meditation is your breath. Slowly inhale and exhale, and be aware of your belly as it rises and falls. You can also imagine a beam of all encompassing light entering through your crown and slowly making it's way through your body, through your arms and legs and down to your feet, then imagine it penetrating the core of the earth. Focusing on your breath is a great way to be present.

4. Thoughts

When you notice thoughts making it's way into your mind, gently let them go by returning yous focus to the breath.  Don't be hard on yourself or judge your thoughts, simply be the observer and move back to feeling your body, and the rise and fall of your belly as you breathe.

5. Emotions

It’s difficult to settle into meditation if you are struggling with strong emotions. The way to deal with strong emotions in meditation is to focus on the body feelings that accompany the emotion. For example, this could be the tight band of fear around the chest or the hot roiling of anger in the belly. Let go of the stories and refocus on your body.  Feeling, feeling feeling. Dis-identify from thought.

6. Silence

Make sure you're in a place of silence. Silence is healing and calming and helps you become more peaceful. I know that there are is a lot of ‘meditation music’ around, but nothing beats simple silence. Otherwise the music or sounds just drown out the chatter in your mind.

7. Length

if you're just starting out, sitting for 10 mins or so in stillness is enough. Otherwise however long it takes to settle your mind. When you've had more practice, extend the time spent in meditation. Whether it's 10 minutes or 2 hours - it's up to you! I find the longer I am in meditation for the more beneficial it is and the more I  'experience'.

Experiences:

During deep meditation, a  person may see colours, points of light, patterns, visions, or hear sounds or voices. The more common colours seen are blue, purple, green and yellow, and Geometric patterns are common as well. This is completely normal and should not be something to fear.   You are raising your consciousness and expanding your awareness. It is your path to the realm of light and spirit!
Accompanying these visions and sounds, you may feel strong emotions when wakening and returning to your normal environment.  You may experience overwhelming emotions of awe, wonder, deep peace, gratefulness, connection, love, or that you're part of something "greater" or bigger than your body.
You may even feel like you've been "home", which can be a very emotional but wonderful experience.

There is something beautiful about sitting in stillness and silence, and with practice it becomes easier to achieve a state of meditation.

The Divine Truth

1. Your point of power exists in the moment.
2. You were born with the power to create your own reality and determine the course of your own destiny. You either consciously create your reality, or subconsciously allow events to take place in your world.
3. What you create in your physical world is a reflection of your own beliefs.
4. To experience love and freedom, you have to be willing to give up control.
5. You have free will.
6. You are whole and complete - there is nothing missing inside of you.
7. You live in a world filled with love, abundance and joy. The way you perceive the world determines your experience.
8. What you receive is based on what you are willing to have and not on what you deserve.
9. Life is a gift from God/Goddess/All That Is and you are here to learn to receive.
10. The physical world is an illusion, and you can have as much of the illusion as you like.
11. You are a part of the process of evolution - you are who you are becoming and not just who you have been.
12. You can be anyone, have anything and do anything you choose, with harm to none.

- The Map of The Soul, Tricia Brennan.