This first quote from Swami Vivekananda can possibly be a little controversial - "The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves." - Swami Vivekananda From experience I know that this can be a touchy subject... religion... and then the suggestion that your own true nature should be your … Continue reading Peel back the layers of everything that you are not, until you come to the deep realization of what you are…
Being the Observer.
Imagine yourself sitting at a cafe in the corner of a bustling marketplace. As you sip on your tea or coffee, you’re taking in the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, vibrant colors assaulting your eyes, and the intoxicating scent of exotic spices fill the air. You're bombarded with a cacophony of information, yet you … Continue reading Being the Observer.
When you decide not to close your heart when it hurts…
“Friday I’m in love!” Every Friday morning as I sit and prepare for meditation, I have this catchy tune in my head. Do you remember the words…? “I don’t care if Monday’s blueTuesday’s gray and Wednesday tooThursday I don’t care about youIt’s Friday I’m in love” Chances are, a smile spread across your face when … Continue reading When you decide not to close your heart when it hurts…
When you surrender, you open yourself to the results that are possible from cooperation.
Today's theme is surrender. What exactly IS surrender when it's not just a pretty word that makes me sound all spiritual? How do we become really practical about the benefits of surrender? It's easy to resist the idea of surrender, because it feels like "If I surrender I'll be allowing the things around me to … Continue reading When you surrender, you open yourself to the results that are possible from cooperation.
Talking to ourselves harshly comes quite naturally, yet it seems ‘weird’ to deliberately talk to ourselves in a positive way.
Have you ever wondered how we can create a world in which people judge and criticise each other less? How do we move closer to a world in which we all allow one another to be human? That’s a tall order right? But could we at least see a starting point? How would we start … Continue reading Talking to ourselves harshly comes quite naturally, yet it seems ‘weird’ to deliberately talk to ourselves in a positive way.
There is no other spiritual teacher than your own soul.
Our teacher for this week is Swami Vivekananda, a philosopher from India who lived during the 1800's. He became known in the Western world when he travelled to the USA in 1893 to speak at the world parliament of religions as the representative of India. Hereafter he was invited to speak and teach all over … Continue reading There is no other spiritual teacher than your own soul.
Conquer yourself and the whole universe is yours.
Our teacher for this week is Swami Vivekananda, an Indian monk, philosopher and author who was instrumental in bringing Yoga to the western world. At the end of the 1800’s he extensively toured the U.S.A., England and Europe hosting hundreds of lectures and is credited with raising interfaith awareness. At the start of this new … Continue reading Conquer yourself and the whole universe is yours.
Every path is a journey to God.
Hello heart whisperers. For today's silent meditation I couldn't find any content from Jeff Brown that particularly speaks to silence or meditation, so I thought I'd share some of his work that most resonated with me this week. And what particularly struck me, was some of his content on love and relationships. I often get … Continue reading Every path is a journey to God.
There was a time when your “coping mechanism” might have literally kept you alive, and that needs to be honoured, not judged.
We often speak about "coping mechanisms" in a negative way because the truth is, these can turn into deeply ingrained habits, "bad habits" that hold us back and keep us from growing. And the next term that often follows coping mechanism is "self-sabotage", and I vehemently rebel against this description! I object! There is nothing … Continue reading There was a time when your “coping mechanism” might have literally kept you alive, and that needs to be honoured, not judged.
How does a single human heart hold SO much love? It doesn’t – It spills over, and that’s the point!
Have you ever looked at a human heart and wondered, "How on earth is it able to hold so much love?" The answer might surprise you: it doesn't. The heart, in its physical sense, is a remarkable organ, but its capacity for love transcends its physical limitations. Our hearts, both literal and metaphorical, aren't designed … Continue reading How does a single human heart hold SO much love? It doesn’t – It spills over, and that’s the point!
The only difference between you and God is that you have forgotten that you are divine.
I believe that wisdom is to be found in our ability to balance the paradoxes of life. The truth is that paradoxes are everywhere, and we tend to be ill equipped to deal with this complexity of life, when we’ve been brought up with the kind of black and white thinking that wants to place … Continue reading The only difference between you and God is that you have forgotten that you are divine.
We just have to learn how to get turned on by humanness.
REALNESS - being real, this really lights me up! I don't think that I was always like this, but something changed for me at some point in my own journey when I came to a deeper understanding of what it means to be human. It's messy! We were conceived in a messy puddle of human … Continue reading We just have to learn how to get turned on by humanness.
When we are un-centred, we become easy targets.
What an amazing time to be alive! In the annals of human history, often thousands of years have passed by without much changing in the human story. We know well that it is completely different in our lifetime, where from one year to the next, change feels like it’s happening at the speed of light. … Continue reading When we are un-centred, we become easy targets.
You have the heart of a warrior!
Doesn't that title just make you want to roar? It should! Because within you lies a powerful warrior, waiting to be unleashed. Today’s Monday motivation is a call to awaken the warrior within, the one with the unwavering spirit and unyielding determination to fulfill your purpose. It's a reminder that whispers, "It's never too late." … Continue reading You have the heart of a warrior!
A surrender to dealing with reality just as it is.
Two little words that might be able to tell us something about dealing with the onslaught of daily noisiness and overwhelm. Two little words formed from the very same alphabet soup of letters.... silent and listen... a beautiful coincidence or a silent message waiting to be heard? Life can be a whirlwind of thoughts, emotions, … Continue reading A surrender to dealing with reality just as it is.
Find the LIFE inside of you right now! Life is not something that’s waiting to happen.
Life. It's a word we throw around so casually, yet it often feels like we don’t quite know what to even do with it. It seems like “life” often becomes something we chase after. Some future destination that we believe will somehow be "better" than right now, instead of the vibrant tapestry we are weaving … Continue reading Find the LIFE inside of you right now! Life is not something that’s waiting to happen.
A celebration of weird!
Fridays are a celebration of LOVE! And today is specifically a celebration of YOU… “A CELEBRATION OF WEIRD. Don’t become a spiritual zombie, devoid of passion and deep human feeling. Let spirituality become a celebration of your uniqueness rather than a repression of it. Never lose your quirkiness, your strangeness, your weirdness – your unique … Continue reading A celebration of weird!
This brings an end to the inner war. This creates true inner freedom.
What does the road look like towards finding peace from internal conflict? Do we need “difficult” emotions to disappear, so that we can be free from those experiences? Or do we need to find a different way to understand our inner world? Jeff Foster suggests no more wrestling with negative thoughts or desperately trying to … Continue reading This brings an end to the inner war. This creates true inner freedom.
Help me see where to surrender, and show me where to take action.
We live in a world that glorifies action. A "go-go-go" world where we're constantly bombarded with messages about productivity, hustle, and achieving more. To-do lists overflow, schedules are crammed, and the pressure to constantly achieve can be overwhelming. Now, of course productivity has its place, but the over-glorification of action can create an unhealthy imbalance … Continue reading Help me see where to surrender, and show me where to take action.
Don’t mistake the weather of your mind, for the sky of your BEING.
Our minds can sometimes seem a bit like a chaotic weather system, with thoughts swirling like storm clouds and emotions crashing like thunder. Have you ever stood outside during an actual storm and looked upwards to realise that in that very moment, there are clear blue skies just on the other side of those clouds? … Continue reading Don’t mistake the weather of your mind, for the sky of your BEING.
No energy wasted this week!
We're stepping into this week with Jeff Foster as our teacher and really, you would be doing yourself a favour if you did a Google search of "Jeff Foster quotes", his work is amazing. If you've meditated much with us before, you'll know that I like to start the week by setting intention, by becoming … Continue reading No energy wasted this week!
Meditation is the ultimate mobile device.
Our teacher for this week has been Sharon Salzberg, and her own description of herself is, “I call myself a meditation teacher rather than a spiritual teacher.” Meditation really IS Sharon’s specialty, and for today’s message I have a sizable collection of her thoughts on meditation, and I’ve divided it into three themes for you: … Continue reading Meditation is the ultimate mobile device.
Let awareness be your superpower.
Imagine for a moment, yourself as superhero, but instead of superhuman strength, your superpower is… awareness. You can see situations crystal clear, understand the thoughts and emotions driving them, and respond with wisdom rather than knee-jerk reactions. This, my friend, is the true power of meditation. “Meditation isn’t about what’s happening; it’s about how you … Continue reading Let awareness be your superpower.
Don’t give up, your heart beats just like mine does, it is available to you too!
Have you ever had that deep sense of peace and love radiating from within you? Perhaps it came during a moment of connection with a loved one, a breathtaking view in nature, or a profound personal breakthrough. This feeling, often described as an "open heart," is a state of immense well-being available to all of … Continue reading Don’t give up, your heart beats just like mine does, it is available to you too!
We spend our lives searching for something we think we don’t have.
Imagine spending your entire life chasing a magical butterfly. This butterfly, you are convinced, holds the key to your joy. You run through fields, climb trees, and search relentlessly, but the beautiful creature is always just out of reach. And even when one day you do finally get your hands on it, catch it, place … Continue reading We spend our lives searching for something we think we don’t have.
Is your own judgement the weight that holds you down?
Is your own inner critic a constant weight dragging you down? Do you find yourself getting frustrated with your inability to “get things right”, to follow through, or simply to be kind to yourself? This question cuts deep, doesn't it? We all know what self-judgment feels like, that constant voice whispering (or sometimes shouting) about … Continue reading Is your own judgement the weight that holds you down?
Finding clarity before taking action.
The theme of today’s meditation is surrender, a word that can easily be misunderstood. Surrender doesn't mean giving up, throwing in the towel, or resigning ourselves to fate - it's a powerful shift in perspective, a letting go that creates space for something new to emerge. Think of it like learning to swim. You can't … Continue reading Finding clarity before taking action.
Trust in the unfolding.
Have you ever started a new project with fierce determination, only to see results fall short of your initial expectations? Maybe you hit a wall with a creative endeavor, or progress on a fitness goal feels agonizingly slow. These moments of frustration are all too familiar, and it's easy to get discouraged. But what if … Continue reading Trust in the unfolding.
The connection that truly binds us is to be found in realizing our own unshakable acceptance of ourselves.
Have you had moments of feeling utterly lost, like the world was crumbling around you? In today's message, Tara Brach, shares a profound truth that she had come to understand during her own life’s biggest upset: in the midst of life's storms, our truest refuge lies within ourselves. “I decided to write ‘True Refuge’ during … Continue reading The connection that truly binds us is to be found in realizing our own unshakable acceptance of ourselves.
Being present really is the most productive state that you could possibly be in.
Being productive is the holy grail of personal development, the magic bullet to achieving our goals. We are offered so many tools to improve our ability to be productive, from fancy time management techniques to any of the latest apps to supervise our every waking moment. But what if the biggest move you could make … Continue reading Being present really is the most productive state that you could possibly be in.