The Invitation

Dear friends, I wanted to share the gorgeous poem below.  If you choose to read it, consider allowing it to sink in and fill the spare moments of your day.  Hope you enjoy! “The Invitation” – by Oriah Mountain Dreamer It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you

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Loving Others…Even When We Can’t Stand Them!

“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”  -Vincent Van Gogh It’s easy to spout off phrases and quotes about the importance of love – for others, for oneself, for our environment, for children, for family, for those in need, for anyone or anything. It’s a little harder to show love toward those that make

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Journaling your Way towards Greater Joy

“What you love is a sign from your higher self of what you are to do.” -Sanaya Roman Here’s a fun exercise: Set a timer for 15 minutes.  Take out a sheet of paper and a pen.  Write down all of the things that give you joy, until the timer stops.  Try not to think too much – just write

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Trust through the Messes

“Surrender to Grace. The ocean cares for each wave until it reaches the shore. You are given more help than you will ever know.” -Rumi The inopportune events that happen in our lives are there to teach us, care for us, mature us.  They are not there to hold us back.  They are there to re-direct us to a better

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Now is the Best Time

“If not now, when?”  -Eckhart Tolle There are a million things in life that we put off.  Some are obvious choices – boring chores, returning a call to someone you don’t really want to talk to (admit it, you’ve been there!) – but others are things we actually want to do, but we justify delaying them for some reason or another.  We may

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The Importance of Everyday Retreats

“You are the silence I turn to when everything else gets too loud. You are my moon in the middle of the day.” -Pavana What do you do to recharge, to get away, to come back to stability when life gets messy? Do you have a special room in your house that you’ve decorated with calming colors and warm lighting?

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Spotlight on Limb 8: Samadhi

Here at last!  Today we are exploring the last of the 8 limbs of yoga – samadhi, or oneness with the absolute. To put samadhi into context, let’s revisit Limb 7 – dhyana, or meditation.  Dhyana allows us to maintain continuous focus on an object, mantra, action, etc. – without interruption from unrelated thoughts or outside influences.  Eventually, as dhyana continues, we reach a state of

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Spotlight on Limb 7: Dhyana

Almost to the end of the 8 limbs! Today we will discuss Limb 7 – dhyana, or meditation.  This limb may be a little more familiar to those interested in yoga.  You almost can’t go a day anymore without hearing about the benefits of meditation! Dhyana occurs when we have focused our concentration on something – an action, object, mantra, the present

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Spotlight on Limb 6: Dharana

Today we will talk about Limb 6 – dharana, or concentration.  Recall that the last limb discussed (Limb 5) was pratyahara, or withdrawing the senses from the outside world and bringing them toward the internal world.  In a way, Limb 5 marks the transition from the physical world to the inner spiritual world.  Limb 6 continues that path toward inner stillness. Once

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Spotlight on Limb 5: Pratyahara

Onward to Limb 5 – pratyahara!  Pratyahara is the practice of withdrawing the senses from the outside world.  So…what in the world does that mean? To get our bearings, let’s revisit the previous 4 limbs.  Recall Limb 1 – the yamas, which represent the ethical rules by which we live our lives.  Limb 2 is the niyamas, or the spiritual observances that guide

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