Sundays are traditionally a time for rest and reflection, and what better way to embrace that stillness than by delving into the profound power of silence? Silence is not the absence of sound, but a gateway to the core of our being. Today's beautiful thoughts on silence come from the 13th Century Persian poet Rumi: … Continue reading Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing there is a field…
There's a profound truth woven into the tapestry of our emotional landscape: the willingness to feel everything, ultimately leads us back to experiencing the inherent wholeness that resides within our soul. This journey of self-discovery, however, often begins in the most unexpected of places – our wounds. “The wound is the place where the Light … Continue reading Your willingness to feel EVERYTHING, always leads you back to feeling the wholeness that IS your soul.
Hello! It’s Friday, and on a Friday the theme of our meditation is always love, or we could also say, the heart. And it turns out that Rumi has a lot to say about the heart. Rumi invites us to lean into the whispers of our heart, not just the pleasant chirps of happiness but … Continue reading You are creating wholeness within yourself.
Today’s message from Rumi compels us to consider the impact of our communication style. "Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder." - Rumi Why do we raise our voice? And… how do we raise the quality of our words instead? Have you ever looked back at a conversation … Continue reading Raise your words, not your voice.
Have you ever felt a flicker of something extraordinary within you, a tiny spark waiting to ignite? Perhaps it's a dream you haven't dared to chase, a talent yearning to be explored, or a deep well of potential untapped. The 13th-century poet Rumi captures this beautifully: "There is a candle in your heart, ready to … Continue reading You were born with wings… why crawl?
In today’s message, Rumi paints a vivid picture of our human experience: a soul inhabiting a physical form, much like how a person wears a garment over their “self”. We spend a significant portion of our lives fixated on what we can see from the outside, rarely are we reminded of the eternal being within. … Continue reading Seek the wearer, not the cloak.
Standing at the start of a new week, possibility stretches before us like an unfurled canvas. What will we create this week? Our Teacher for the week is the whirling dervish of poetry, Rumi, urging us to embrace the boundless potential that lies within each of us. Daring us to dream big. “Stop acting so … Continue reading I hope you dream big this week!
I really enjoy Sunday Silent Meditations, and I love finding quotes about silence to share with you. Here are a few really meaningful ones... “The soul always knows what to do to heal. The challenge is to silence the mind.” - Caroline Myss “The quieter you become the more you are able to hear.” - … Continue reading The soul always knows what to do to heal.
Our minds are powerful tools, but sometimes they become our own worst enemy. A constant stream of thoughts, worries, and anxieties can trap us in a state of mental unrest. One of the simplest ways to practice mindfulness and calm your mind, is to connect with the physical senses of your body. Our senses, often … Continue reading Escaping the prison that is the ego.
As we navigate the complexities of life, it's easy to get caught up in the constant chatter of our minds. But what if we were to become deliberate about not only living in our heads, and embrace the practice of dropping into our hearts as often as we can? Today's meditation reminds us of the … Continue reading When the wisdom of the heart replaces the chatter of the mind.
The topic of today’s meditation is focus. Focus is the ability to control where our attention goes, and if we have to summarize our own lives in one short sentence then it might be most accurate to say that, “the life that I live is nothing more than that which captures my attention.” “Whatever holds … Continue reading Whatever holds my attention IS my life.
Imagine being able to consciously control your well-being, not just through external actions, but by harnessing the incredible power of your own thoughts. This isn't some far-off dream; it's the very core of meditation, a practice with a growing body of scientific evidence supporting its transformative potential. Our bodies are truly awe-inspiring machines. Through meditation, … Continue reading The science of meditation – change your brain by thinking.
"The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness." - Lao Tzu From exploring Lao Tzu's work, there is always more simplicity in his message than meets the eye. What could Lau Tzu possibly have meant by a "higher dimension of consciousness"? Is he asking us to ascend to … Continue reading Seeing from a higher dimension.
Hello! Welcome to a brand new week! This week we don’t have just one teacher but a collection of wisdom from a diverse group of teachers. Today’s message is from Albert Einstein who I think along with scientist and philosopher, could perhaps be described as spiritual teacher too: "There are only two ways to live … Continue reading May you infect everyone around you with the magic of your soul!
There's a reason meditation has stood the test of time across cultures and traditions. We often hear about its benefits in reducing stress and improving focus, but there's a deeper power simmering beneath the surface, meditating regularly is “an overcoming". Think about it. Before each session, there's likely a familiar voice – the "old you" … Continue reading Regular meditation is “an overcoming”.
The data is clear, when we are engaged with our hearts we are different, on both a psychological as well as a physiological level - the mind slows down and our thoughts become more rational and focused. Positive thoughts and feelings add energy to our system. An optimistic perspective, a feeling of appreciation, or a … Continue reading The data is clear, when we are engaged with our hearts we are different.
What do you create when there's nothing you need? This question serves as a powerful prompt for self-reflection. It delves into the heart of what true love is and how it transforms us from fearful beings clinging to relationships, to expansive creators brimming with the desire to give. Do you really understand what love is? … Continue reading What do you create when there is nothing that you need?
Compassion or, the importance of having compassion is a familiar melody in personal growth circles. Even so, self-compassion seems to remain an undeveloped skill. Not because we don’t try, but if our “shortcomings” were treated harshly while we grew up, then it’s likely that we struggle having acceptance for ourselves unless we’re being “perfect”. "If … Continue reading If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.
For survival, the human mind craves certainty. We strive to understand, categorize, and control. Our minds, desperately scratching through all of the noisiness in the world for a shred of certainty, is often the biggest source of our anxiety. Because life, in all its beautiful complexity, often presents us with the unsettling truth of not … Continue reading Can you tolerate the truth of not knowing?
Have you ever felt like the harder you try to "let go" of something, the more it sticks? We hear the term "letting go" regularly. We understand what is implied - not holding on to old emotions or emotional attachments - but in practice our "effort" to let go is so often not helpful as … Continue reading Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control.
Our teacher this week is Jack Kornfield who spent the years 1967 to 1972 becoming a monk in Thailand and Burma. Since 1974 he has been teaching meditation worldwide and was instrumental in introducing Buddhist mindfulness practices to the West. Standing at the start of a new week looking ahead, here are some thoughts from … Continue reading The heart is like a garden. What seeds will you plant there?
Wrapping up the week with Sadhguru's words on silence. In today's whirlwind of activity, where stimulation bombards us from every corner, the concept of stillness can feel almost radical. Yet, within the quietude lies a doorway to our most authentic selves and the wellspring of true potential. First a look at what we might discover … Continue reading Touch the original nature of your existence.
Today's journey is a continuation of yesterday's meditation. I found so much beautiful wisdom from Sadhguru on the topic of love that I just had to go there again. There is a whole page with these thoughts about love on beautiful artwork. Please check it out at this link: https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en/wisdom/article/love-quotes Today’s meditation will provide a … Continue reading Falling into love
Love. It's a word tossed around so easily, yet its true essence often remains elusive. We crave it, we seek it from others, and sometimes feel a hollowness within us where it should reside. Love as an external validation that someone else provides often feels fleeting, dependent on others. But cultivating love as a state … Continue reading There is only one place where this work can be done… coming face to face with the “worst” parts of you, until you see them in a different light.
Have you ever stopped to admire a tree? Towering strong, branches reaching for the sun, leaves whispering secrets in the breeze. Imagine if you could ask that tree how it feels about its existence. Would it brag about its shade or boast about its fruit? “If you ask a tree how he feels to know … Continue reading How will you live when your fears no longer have any power over you?
Here's a powerful secret: your soul's greatest joy often intersects with exactly what the world needs. There is a school of thought in spiritual traditions which teaches that our “purpose” here on earth is to be found in giving expression to our soul’s deepest desire. Think about it. When you're fully engaged in something you … Continue reading Ask, “what makes me come alive?” and do more of that!
"There are no problems, only situations. It is all in how you approach them." - Sadhguru This thought by Sadhguru reminds me of a line in the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling that mentions "treating triumph and disaster just the same". It speaks of the possibility of having the kind of peace that is unaffected by circumstance, … Continue reading Peace is not the highest goal in life, it is the most fundamental requirement.
Sadhguru is our teacher this week. And as we look ahead into the next seven days, he reminds us that everything from the past or future, exists only within our minds. The past is a collection of memories, and the future is a series of projections. Neither truly exists in the tangible now. This realization … Continue reading The past is alive only in our memory. The future is alive in only our imagination.
Is silence a skill? Is it an art? Or is it just the natural flow of being deeply content, not needing anything more? Nicholas Sparks writes in The Notebook: “We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next … Continue reading This has taken a lifetime to learn…
Have you ever gotten lost in a daydream, only to be jolted back to reality by a sudden sound? That snap back to the present moment – that's awareness. It's the fundamental ability to perceive your surroundings, your thoughts, and your emotions. But awareness can be a double-edged sword. While awareness can open us up … Continue reading THIS is the only force that brings healing and renewal…
