Thursday, March 5, 2009

"Trust yourself, then you will know how to live." Goethe




I just returned from a wonderful vacation in Costa Rica. I traveled with my husband of 4 friends . No one had cell phone or watch! For 16 days I allowed myself time to just be, with no concept of time or "shoulds" that occupy my daily thoughts. Without any concept of time I found myself more present in my experiences. Some days I would wake at the crack of dawn by the loud sounds of the rain forest and other days I would sleep soundly into the early afternoon soothed and lulled into a deep sleep by the same loud rain forest birds and rain.
At my last Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga North we were given the homework assignment of being the observer of our life rather than the doer. The timing was perfect! With no other obligations other than watching myself create my reality I was able to grow the awareness of my True Self that lies within. One foundation of Yogic thought is Satya or Truthfullness. In Deborah Adele's book The Yama's and Niyama's, Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice she explains that when we silence and distort ourselves, we begin to lose our lust for life and look for other things to fulfill us. That by living the life that cries to be lived from the depth of our being frees up a lot of energy and vitality. Suppressing our True Self and that life takes a lot of our life energy just in the managing of the pretending.
I think of my niece who can't help but start dancing and shaking when ever she hears a song with good groove. She's not concerned with what others will think or how she'll look, she just moves freely and happily. She's only two years old, and I think how wonderful it would be if we all stayed in touch with our Self like her.
I got very curios on this trip of what would happen if I just let my true essence loose, rather than trying to mold it into something I've been taught "should" be. What I found is that I'm really good at molding myself and letting my True Self shine through takes a lot of observation. I also found that when I would allow my Self to shine I was free of a lot of second guessing and discontent which allowed more time for enjoyment and content.
"Trust yourself, then you will know how to live." Goethe. I've always like this quote but never really understood it's depth until I started allowing myself to trust myself.
I encourage you to play with this idea for the next week. Every time you hear yourself say "should" or someone says it to you, take pause to contemplate and observe. It's pretty fun!

Namaste,
Jodi

Friday, February 13, 2009

Valentine's Day ~ Give love

"For love's the greatest healer to be found." Willie Nelson
Valentine's Day is here! The day we spread love far and wide expressing our admiration for those who bring joy to our lives.
Love is the foundation for Reiki and Quantum-Touch healing. When we think of those people who enrich our lives or remember fond memories that make us smile we are filled with love. Thinking positive thoughts heightens your immune system by causing the nervous system to shift into the healing/rest response and out of the stress response.
Healing begins with our thoughts and contributes greatly to how we feel daily. To play with this awareness try the following exercise. Find a quiet place where you can sit for 5 minutes. Close your eyes and begin breathing in and out through your nose. Think about what you're grateful for. Notice how you feel, soaking in the sensations for a couple of minutes. Then think of stressors in your life. Just do this for a minute, and notice how you feel. Then end by feeling gratitude again! What did you notice? How did you feel?
If you would like to learn more join us for Community Meditations. We explore the power of our thoughts, learn relaxation and meditation techniques that can support you in enjoying better health, happiness, and vitality. If you are interested and this time doesn't work for you let us know your suggestions! We're also available for on-sight meditations and presentations!
"Where there is great love there are always miracles."-Will Cather

Community Healing Meditations
Wednesdays 12-12:30 pm
Deep Peace Wellness Studio
$5 suggested donation

In gratitude,
Erin and Jodi

Monday, January 12, 2009

Positive Intentions



Positive Intentions
January 20th is right around the corner. The world will be watching or listening to the historic event of Barack Obama being inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. He faces many great opportunities ahead.
While you are watching this event with others around our great country and earth, we encourage you to listen with and open heart and open mind.
Community seems to be a prominent call in our lives, our city, and our country right now. As we move forward with our new leaders let us do so as a community. Sacrifices must and will be made. Change will and needs to be made by all of us. As citizens of this great country and city we need to step up to the plate and support our leaders by pitching in and doing our part.
Gandhi said "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Next time you find yourself and others around you evaluating the choices our leaders are making, we encourage you to think about this simple, yet profound statement. Now is the time to come together and support our leaders. Positive change takes a community.
To our fearless leaders President Obama and Mayor Ness, we support you in your challenging opportunities and offer our support, as we know you hold the greatest good of our community in your heart.