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September Collaboration ~ Self Care During Season Changes

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Kim's Thoughts

Is your body trying to tell you something? Often times it starts with a whisper or a thought, “I should buy fish at the store,” or “I’m really thirsty,” or “I need more sleep.” If we listen, we find that sometimes it’s really easy to meet our needs, and other times we know what we need but it feels crazy hard to listen or do anything about. ~Read more


Elizabeth's Thoughts

Rhythms fascinate me and are something I like to pay attention to. In my morning walks, there are fresh cooler morning paces or wet morning strong smells paces (walking with a dog sometimes determines the pace). With different paces, there are different rhythms our 6 feet create hitting the ground. There are internal rhythms like breath and heartbeat. There are external rhythms like woodpeckers drumming on a tree or branches rattling in a breeze. The rhythms in and of work and play, the rhythms in and of movement and stillness, the rhythms in and of waking and sleeping can all be felt in a day, in a week, in a month, in a season, in a year, in a life.

Just like using the rhythms of music to match our current mood or to change our mood. So, too, can we use other rhythms for support in maintaining a way of being or changing a way of being. Here it is September, the autumnal equinox is on its way, and there are lots of changes happening. For many, it’s time for school (students, parents of students, teachers, or workers in schools). For others, work may have a seasonal component and there’s shifting going on there, too. Finding the rhythms that feel good right now can go a long way to staying in balance. As I’ve said before balance is not an end goal; it is a constant dance.

I love the balance points of the season changes: longest light, shortest light, and the two halfway points between. We’ve got the power of a halfway point coming up and I love how when you focus on it, you’ll see this same sort of balance point in your everyday life if you look for it. Finding the connections between macro-cosmos and micro-cosmos and leaning into the support of those connections is a wonderful way to use this equinox energy. Sometimes it’s tiny moments of stillness that expand into our awareness, sometimes it’s the giant size of a concept or change, if we are welcoming to these connections and the balance points within those connections, we can know the constant support available to us in a new and whole way.

Season changes are great times to check in with what your rhythms have been for the last few months and whether or not you’re feeling good about your dance with balance. Self-care of any sort is like balance, there is no ending. Knowing what helps you find the rhythms that feel good, what helps you feel balanced is an ongoing adventure. Sometimes you just adjust your routine a little and things can be drastically different. Sometimes you feel a yearning for something new and try out a variety of stuff until you figure out what fits and what doesn’t. Lately I’m listening to different music and readjusting my sleep patterns as the sun rises later each day. I’d love to hear how you’re experiencing this shift of season and what you’re finding that works for you. Please feel free to share in the comments on the below here on the blog.

May September energies support you in the now.

Thank you to all who joined the Gratitude Challenge last month. I'll be hosting a longer Gratitude Challenge in November. Be sure to keep an eye out for details.

August Collaboration--What Is Healing?

Kim's Thoughts

What is your definition of healing? From the dictionary: noun – the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again; adjective – tending to heal; therapeutic.

Healing can come in so many different forms, from hands on to remote, nutrition, essential oils, body work and from Western to Eastern approaches. Sometimes healing comes about alone. Other times it’s with another or within a group. Speaking of groups, I hope you will attend our community healing on August 25th, 2016 at IX Art Park.   
 
This past month I’ve been doing some things that I consider healing, but aren’t in the traditional way I usually offer my services. I have a friend who had a flare up of her Multiple Sclerosis symptoms and as she is a mama to two youngsters, one of the things I offered was to make and drop off food. I realized that her accepting the help was a healing for me too. I was able to experience my gifts being accepted. Sometimes just being a really good listener is healing. Or smiling at a stranger can make their day. I remember one day running into a friend and telling her how beautiful she looked and she started to cry, she had been feeling unseen by her spouse.  Sometimes what seems like a small thing to us can reach further than we can imagine.

This summer I spent a few days at the beach receiving healing from being at the ocean. Watching the waves come and go as I sat there I felt my energy field being cleared by the ocean and then I felt the joy of the unexpected sight of dolphins. From this experience I also started doing a meditation when I needed space from something, of breathing in and out and feeling as the waves went out I had more space with the situation or person that I was getting agitated by. 

I was led on a rain walk by my 3 year old. Kids are great at giving you a lesson on presence. They are not done being in the moment, until they are done being in the moment.  Feeling the rain and giving in to getting wet and being in the moment was a gift of peace. I could see how I could chose to connect or chose to separate.

On August 25th we will be at IX Art Park at 6 PM. From 6:00 – 7:00 PM we will be offering various free healing services and social time: there will be music, chakra readings, intuitive card readings. There will also be light snacks and non alcoholic beverages. At 7 PM we will begin the community healing, which will include guided meditation as well as energetic clearing. The healing will end promptly at 8 PM. We will have an altar for the focal point of all we wish to heal: hope for all the recent tragedies at home and abroad; the earth; racism; an emotion you want healing with – grief/ resentment / anger; or perhaps you or a loved one needs some physical healing . If you are not able to come in person, please feel free to connect in through your energy field at 7 PM when we start the healing.
 
If you would like to donate you own healing in the form of snacks for social time, or services if you are a body practitioner or healer, or assistance with set up or break down, please contact me to make arrangements.


Elizabeth's Thoughts

The root of the word heal is whole. Just sit with that a moment. Is there only one way to remember, know or feel you are whole? Of course not. Healing can be a warm, strong hug when you feel lonely or even when you feel happy. Healing can be sitting with your dog or cat snuggled up by your side. Healing can be someone listening when you just need to let it all out. It’s also a wide variety of options on the eastern and western health fronts. Often, I find the word healer is used and/or taken in a fashion that puts some ego in there. There is also a belief that there is a problem that must be fixed to be whole again and that the healer is the one who fixes the broken person. Everyone is whole just as they are. Everyone has the power to heal, to heal one’s self and others.

All of this is pertaining to healing and humans, but what about healing and the earth and healing other animals? Gardening, composting, keeping your trash output low, stream buffer planting are just a few examples of what healing the earth can look like. Working to preserve habitat for wildlife, using farming techniques that work with animal life rather than against it are a couple of ideas of healing and animals. And you can see how clearly connected everything is when you see that healing animals, humans included, is also healing the earth and vice versa. So as you move through your day, let the word heal sink into your awareness and notice what it means to you. I’m always interested in hearing people’s thoughts and experiences, so if you want to share, remember you can do so here.

One of the most profound experiences with healing I’ve had in recent years has been a daily gratitude practice. I have two different groups with a gratitude practice, so I start my day with two emails listing what I’m grateful for. Almost 4 years into this practice, the layers continue to unfold. I am sharing a taste of this amazing experience with anyone who’s interested. Starting August 14th, I am offering a free 15 day gratitude challenge. Check here for details and to sign up. Please share this with anyone who might like to try something new.

On the in person group healing front, I do hope you will join us for our community healing this month.

 

Free 15-Day Gratitude Challenge

Join me for an exploration of gratitude and the creation of new patterns in your entire being.

Starts August 14th!

What this challenge includes:

  • daily emails sparking your awareness of gratitude
  • the confidential space to reply with your own list of gratitudes
  • access to a special and focused space where the support of gratitude can grow
  • details on the layers of gratitude and what a daily practice can bring you over time
  • the opportunity to create new patterns of awareness, thinking, and being

If you're looking for a new rhythm or pattern in your brain, in the way you're living, in your being, this is the spot to try one out.

SIGN UP HERE

Testimonial from JMU professor Toni Whitfield:

"Participating in gratitude practice has been very fulfilling for me personally. Elizabeth suggested this practice at a low time in my life when I was filled with negative energy and negative thoughts due to frustrations with goal setting and personal pain management issues. This negativity began interfering with my personality and my relationships. Since practicing my daily gratitude, I have improved my overall outlook on life, become more accepting of frustrations and tribulations and learned more about my positive self. As an added perk, I am building relationships with folks who have good days and bad days and we are good at holding each other up just through the simplicity of our words using the simplest channel: email. I won’t lie; it’s hard at first—to think of something to be grateful for every day is a challenge in the beginning and sometimes on low days or ones filled with pain, it’s really difficult. It’s not a rant or a lot of 'bitching' and no judgment...but thoughtful ways to find something to be grateful for every day."

 

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Some Thoughts on Gifts from My Dogs

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My Australian Shepherd, Dixie, was an amazing gal. She dropped into my lap in a rather simple fashion and we ended up spending almost 14 years together. Saying good bye to her in May was sad, but it could not have been clearer when she was ready to leave. Living from a space of gratitude has allowed me to really feel the layers of life and I continue to be in awe of all there is to be grateful for in regards to Dixie and what she taught me and brought to my world. We did obedience classes, then agility classes, and eventually competed in agility. We met with good friends, both 2-legged and 4-legged, at the dog park and hiked regularly with some of those same friends. We played ball. We took walks in the field with our cat. We knew our own rhythms and how those individual rhythms wove together into team rhythms. We were sisters at heart and she led the way and supported me in my journeys into the energy work I do today.

Lately, I am extremely grateful for Dixie helping me to know how important it is just to be when you are getting to know someone new. Lilly, a 2 year old Border Collie, dropped into my life in an extremely synchronous fashion about 2 months ago. I got rather sick in the first week after she arrived and we spent a couple of days lying in bed just resting. She’d been under some stress before joining me and she needed just to sleep as much or more than I needed to sleep with my fever. Since then we’ve taken long walks, played ball on land and in water, gone to meet 2-leggeds and 4-leggeds to hike and swim together, and learned how to learn. But the down time when we both just sit or lie next to each other is at the core of the two of us figuring out our rhythms and how they can fit together. One thing Lilly is clearly here to teach or remind me is that stepping (or falling as it often feels like) into that space of trust can allow things to happen at lightning speed. I know that any imaginings I have of our future together are nowhere near as awesome as they will be.

The companions of other species, whether we choose them or they choose us, completely enrich our lives. Just the other day I said to a friend that anyone who needs to smile or laugh, should just get a cat or a dog, or at least find one to hang out with. The joy and love that they bring to the world is immeasurable. I’m not sure I could find an end to a list of gratitudes for my companion animals, so I make sure to say my thanks with regularity to my pals whether they are still by my side or are now in my heart.

July Collaboration--Teeter Totter of Life

Kim's Thoughts

Riding the teeter-totter of life I’ve felt pretty blown over by what’s been happening all over the country and world. Hearing about the events led me to notice my emotions. Initially I found all I could feel was detachment, a numbing sort of way of moving through life. Then there was the sadness, the fear and then depression. I also noticed my relationship to fear shifted and I was aware my focus was self not community.

While we were working on this newsletter we were confronted with the shootings of black men by the police. These unfortunately are not new or isolated incidents. We were once again asked to look at the implications of white privilege in our society. We also had to deal with the equally horrific ramifications of misplaced retaliation. I now worry, will my friend’s little boys be the target of profiling when they are teens, and will anything be different in 10 years? I worry about my family members who are police officers and raising families.

I’m also trying to understand my own role in continuing to perpetuate the cycle of racism? How are my unconscious biases affecting my actions? What is it that I can do to help diffuse the situation?

There has been no shortage of rhetoric- some insightful and inspiring but much of it that feels to me to be divisive and shortsighted. To me there has been very little presented that has felt like it offered a constructive and pragmatic path forward. That is why this recent podcast about two policemen who transformed a highly racially polarized situation in their community seemed like a ray of light in a dark time. I would love to know what you think: link. - http://www.npr.org/programs/invisibilia/485603559/flip-the-script

I normally find that I can easily go up and down on the teeter-totter, but what about when energetically it feels like you don’t have the hope or energy to push back up? It started me thinking how the fear I had been experiencing also created this narrow perspective, focusing on self rather than others. I would rather focus on how to build community than how I need to protect myself. I wondered how we could bring about healing to the community and raise our personal and collective vibration. As a result, Elizabeth and I have decided to host a community healing event at IX Art Park, we hope you can join us. 

 

Elizabeth's Thoughts

Life is all about change and thus, full of ups and downs. These ups and downs appear on global and local scales as well as personal and internal scales.  It can feel really hard sometimes to even stay balanced amidst all this shifting especially when something big drops you down. Often it feels impossible to affect positive change and growth when there’s such a struggle to just find balance let alone maintain it. With the politics of an election year in the U.S., the Stanford rape case, the mass shooting in Orlando, the floods in West Virginia, there’s plenty happening on the bigger scale. On the more personal scale maybe your best friend is getting a divorce, you’ve lost a loved one, made a big move, or even just broken off with a long time friend. Wherever your focus is there are times when overwhelm or helplessness is so close.

Sometimes the size or emotional weight of an event might make it feel as though you are too small to affect change. Sometimes your empathy is so strong you can’t separate yourself from an event which can lead to feeling trapped in the event rather than feeling able to act outside of the event for a positive shift. Knowing yourself as a whole being, knowing where your physical, mental, emotional, and energetic edges are, and knowing what unseen support structures are always available can go a long way to finding balance and affecting growth. By maintaining this self awareness and leaning on those support structures, we can focus on the powers we have.

When we simplify the ups and downs to light and dark (not the only or always the best way to see these, but helpful here), Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” fit right in. If we equate love and light, we have a powerful force at our very core. As electro-magnetic beings, the electro-magnetic field (EMF) of our hearts is far greater than the EMF of our brains. We are made of lovelight. Add in the focus of intent and we can use lovelight like a laser beam and send it to the places of darkness in this world.

Creating change in our personal lives can be hard, but by creating small bits that build into bigger pieces, we can affect change on so many levels. On that note, Kim and I are hosting a community healing event at Ix Art Park and we hope you’ll be able to join us.

I also want to mention that I am hosting, via email, a free 15 day gratitude practice in August. Please keep an eye out here for details and sign up.

Summer Solstice and a Full Moon

June has been surging along and it’s the solstice already. Maybe you already have a ritual or ceremony for the balance points of earth and sun or maybe you don’t. Marking these 4 days of the year is something I’ve put some focus on in recent years and have found comfort and joy in doing so. Your celebration doesn’t need to be big or fancy or anything specific; it just needs to feel right for you.

This year’s solstice is strengthened by a full moon which is typically all about releasing. The energies around this full moon solstice feel like a quick turnaround of releasing and planting all at once. I’ve been spending some time these last few days letting some intentions form at the back of my mind and sifting through them to hone them down to what feels right. I often write down my intentions and gratitudes for clarity and then I speak them aloud as part of a ceremony, sending them out into the ether. With the full moon on this solstice, I’ll go outside after dark for my solstice prayers.

My (rough) definition of a blessing is using the power of words to draw together and bring our awareness to the forces greater than us for the good of all in a specific moment. I do so love a blessing. So here is my summer solstice blessing for us all.

We call on Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, and Storm
We call on Sun and Moon
We call on our fellow animals and plants
We call on the virtues of compassion, peace, joy, and love
Here in this moment with all the joys and all the sorrows of this world
We release all that does not serve us
We feel the Love that streams through us always
We remember that we are all One
We plant this intention* now and open to Creation

*Focus on or put into words whatever your intention may be for this powerful moment of the solstice.

May you know you are loved and may you know you are Love.
Namaste

Planting and Transplanting

I was talking with a couple of friends the other day and one of them said she feels like all she's doing right now in her life is planting lots of seeds and that they are all TINY. We were talking about all the different aspects of life where it feels like it's time for change and how it can be frustrating to be at the seeding stage. When you plant seeds, sometimes it feels like forever before you see the growth. But that comes down to expectations. Just like with anything, when your expectations are so specific and overpowering they can get in the way of just being. Then you can't seem to do anything other than see that the expectations are not being met. I have been moving away from expectations over the recent years and moving toward the realm of trust. And let me tell you, like so much of this human experience, it's a continual practice, this moving toward trust. In that same conversation with friends, I was noticing that we are also transplanting now. There are areas of life where we've been nurturing our previously planted seeds and they are now more mature plants. These plants are ripe for transplanting and now is a great time for this. So while the plants have been growing in certain areas of our lives, other areas of our lives might be ready for those plants and with a little extra attention they can thrive with their transplanting.

Of course, it's now spring and summer is just under a month away, so this really is a perfect time for all this planting and transplanting.

Breathe those expectations out on your exhalations and breathe in some trust with each inhalation.

Namaste

Clear Your Space, Clear Your Mind

Spring is here ~ time to plant intentions Kim and I are hosting a countdown to Earth Day on our Facebook pages. Starting on April 1st we will posting daily ideas focusing on ways we can heal the earth. Click here to like Kim's page and here to like mine.

If the information below interests you, next month Kim and I are offering a class on energy clearing. Details coming soon.

"I look for what needs to be done. After all, that's how the universe designs itself." ~Buckminster Fuller

Kim's Thoughts

As spring arrives I often am filled with the energy of clearing out the old both internally and in my environment. It’s got me thinking about all the objects in my house whose energy actually pulls on me daily. Have you noticed how when you go into someone’s house you immediately feel at home or don’t? How great your feel once your house is cleaned?

I experienced stuff fatigue when I was in California for the holidays, it was almost 15 years ago, but my memory is very clear of it. Almost every flat surface had items on it. The couple in their mid 60’s had knickknacks everywhere; they had items from their childhood, from their children’s childhood, mementos from every vacation they ever took in addition to the Christmas decorations. I started feeling very overwhelmed and began feeling smaller. To be around all their collectibles, I had to pull my energy field in. I found myself over eating, I think in an effort to buffer me. At one point I had to go outside and walk. Their house was not dirty, but just filled with objects. I remember coming home from that trip knowing I didn’t want to feel so weighted by what was in my house.

So, I went home preparing to purge. Want to really experience whether your stuff has energy? Go home and try to purge. You will find yourself going down the hole of remembering how it came into your life, who got it for you, and if you bought it and are considering letting it go – you will remember how much you spent on it. I am often amazed when I do spring cleaning to see my resistance to give items up, even if I no longer use them or like them anymore.

Often times during a healing session I will get the impression that someone needs to purge, especially if we do a session around healing after a breakup. When I split with a former partner, we had bought lots of furniture together and I was left with it. I couldn’t see why it would be such a problem to keep it. I mean I needed somewhere to sit and relax, right? The problem was, every time I sat there I was reminded of him, even if I wasn’t conscious of it. The day I gave the couch away I remember it clearly (it was a heavy couch), my house and mental perspective felt so clear. Yes, my living room looked a bit bare, but within a couple of weeks, someone gave me a couch. I had to energetically make space for the new couch to come in. This also helped me make space for a new partner.  With this spring energy what do you want to make space for?

Here’s some books I’ve found helpful in making your home and energy in alignment: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up; The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo, Move Your Stuff Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect and Happiness by Karen Rauch Carter and Feng Shui Your Life by Jaime Barrett.

Elizabeth's Thoughts

Spring has arrived and traditionally we feel the need to clear out the old and make room for the new. So, let’s talk about houses and energy clearing. House clearing is not something that I would have thought I’d be doing. But, as it has continued to appear in my world in comfortable, gentle ways, I am listening and have embraced this as part of my work.

With this need to unload the old to welcome in the new, now is a great time to clear the connection with your house to create that space for change on any level.

Just to give you an idea of what energetic house clearing might look like here are two very different examples. One client felt that her very old house had residual energies lingering that were dark. We cleared the connecting lines between the residents and the house and between the house and the earth, really working to balance the elements of the house structure itself. One client had a house that wouldn’t sell. We worked on clearing the lines between the person and house, and made sure that there weren’t any lines acting like tethers keeping the house connected to the person. These are the most basic pieces of the work we did in these sessions, but this at least gives you a sense of the continuum of house clearing work that I engage in.

Most of us don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the energies of our homes. Though once you look at some of the questions below, you will realize you do already have a sense of your home. Just to be clear, I am talking about the structure of the actual house, not the placement of rooms, furniture, and fixtures—that’s feng shui. Here are a few questions to get you started.

Do you have favorite spots in your house even if you don’t spend lots of time in them? Are there spaces you only ever move through and maybe even dislike? Does your house feel lighter or heavier in different parts? When you think of or picture your house is there a certain aspect that you always think of or see?

As you ask yourself these questions you may notice specific emotions and beliefs popping up. This is where the connecting line between you and the structure of your house comes into play. While you may think your house is not tied into your job or your creativity, everything is woven together into a beautiful web and very intricately related. Just bringing awareness to this can create a deep shift. Enjoy your explorations into a different sort of spring clearing!

Deepen Your Connection to Your Dog/Cat

Join me and get to know your companion animal in new ways. Using guided meditation you will:

  •  Learn how to connect on new levels with your companion animal.
  • Gain a new understanding of yourself, your dog or cat, and the connection between the two of you.
  • Discover new perspectives on the connections between beings.

Teleclass in 2 parts: March 15th from 7:30pm-8pm and March 22th from 7:30pm-8pm

Class is by phone and you will receive a recording of it for replay.

No experience necessary. Cost is $40.

To sign up or ask questions, please email me at elizabethbain11@gmail.com

Why Meditate?

As a natural growth from our February Open Heart Meditation event, this month we're exploring meditation and the whys and hows of drawing it into your life. Check out this article with a little of the science behind why you might want to meditate. Kim’s Thoughts

The morning after our open heart meditation, I had a sudden insight about a tarp in my back yard and the resentment I carried about it. Yes, a tarp. Months ago, my husband was working on a project in our backyard which involved said tarp. It seriously may have been 6 months ago. Since then, it has blown down the hill and rests against the edge of our woods. When I wash dishes, I look out into our back yard and see it. Many times I have asked: “Can you pick up that tarp?” “Will you pick it up today?” or “I’m worried that tarp is going to blow on the road…”

Although I was annoyed by this tarp, I hadn’t picked it up. I’d used it to separate me from my husband. I also used it to separate me from myself. Recently, I would get irritated when I’d see the tarp, but did that propel me to pick it up? No way. In many ways my husband not picking it up was important. It allowed me to see how potent these little things can be. I saw how much time and energy I had wasted. If I had gone out and picked it up shortly after I saw it, or after the 20th time I noticed it, I would have missed this perspective. Instead of taking responsibility, I wanted to force responsibility on him.  I saw him as standing in my way of enjoying the view – he was in my way of happiness. This wasn’t causing us to not get along, but it was like a splinter – slightly irritating. I was surprised to see how this controlled my thoughts and my feelings, and how many times I had had a choice to take control, but had not been aware of it. Yes, I got all of this from our short heart meditation. This is often how energy healings or meditation works: there is a subtle shift in your consciousness; a type of awakening that in turn shifts your actions.

Guess what happened next? Yep, I picked it up. It is resting on a shelf and my heart is much lighter.  Here’s what else happened that day that feels connected: • I picked up litter around my mom’s mailbox – I had been giving that beer bottle and chip bag the stink eye for a couple weeks – strangely that had not motivated them . • I put away our snow shovels still strewn about our steps after the big storm. • When my daughter suggested we plant a box of bulbs I bought on a whim back in September, I said sure. • I shared this story with my husband and we connected over it.

Maybe this story is something you can relate to? A teen who always leaves their shoes in the middle of the room or that co-worker who always seems to complain. Can you recognize you have a choice as to whether or not it interferes in your relationship? Maybe it’s not something as simple as picking up a tarp, but you can make choices to how you respond. I share this story because often we have little things that we let control the way we see ourselves and a situation, and the little things become what we hear the loudest.

Kim can be found at Hara Studio

 

Elizabeth’s Thoughts

As an Intuitive Energy Guide I use guided meditations a lot. When I look at how long I’ve been using them in my life, it’s interesting to see just how far back they go. I was a gardener at an herb farm when I trained to be a hatha yoga instructor in Integral Yoga. From teaching yoga at the herb farm to teaching yoga to fellow students while I was in massage school, everyone loved savasana, the guided meditation into a deep relaxed state at the end of class. I used it myself if I was stressed or tired but couldn’t fall asleep. And then I started using guided meditations for more than just relaxation, I used them to explore different aspects of myself, more than just my physical self. And it has developed into my main tool as I guide beings through this and other realms. Whether I am working with a human and her cats to find a place of balance after the loss of a cat, or with a human who is embracing his whole being and exploring his powers and responsibilities as a co-creator, I use guided meditations to bring awareness to and allow shifts on levels we are not usually paying attention to.

Just like anything new, meditation might seem uncomfortable. I always like to remind people that there is no right or wrong way to meditate. Much of the media about meditation focuses on sitting still for long periods of time. While this is indeed one way to meditate, there are so many other ways to meditate. I have a walking meditation practice. I walk pretty much every morning, rain or shine (I don’t melt). I have a few blessings I invoke that I repeat over and over, and I also use the time to draw forth anything that needs attention. But, a lot of my walk is just taking in my surroundings: the clouds scudding across the sky, the color of the sunrise as it tickles the mountains, the great horned owl nest, the lack of awareness drivers have toward walkers. For me, noticing what is going on in the natural world around me helps me feel connected to the All, helps me stay grounded, centered, and balanced. And I notice what’s going on inside of myself, too. Am I quick to anger by the driver who couldn’t stay on his side of the road or even lift a foot off the accelerator while passing me? Am I feeling a twinge in my knee? Do I feel in alignment with my Higher Self? While I do practice seated meditation, my sitting practice is not as regular as my walking practice…which leads me to the word practice. Just as I mentioned above that there is no right or wrong way to meditate, it’s also important to remember that we are not seeking perfection as meditators. It is a practice. Most of our human experience is made up of practices. We practice at connecting with humans. We practice at a plethora of skills. And meditation is just that, a skill. I find it to be an extremely useful skill and continue to explore different ways of meditation.

Here is a simple way to draw meditation into your life. While you’re brushing your teeth, stand evenly on both feet, close your eyes, and just notice what brushing your teeth really feels like. It’s something physical, but what thoughts or emotions are popping up. Still brushing your teeth, can you sink down into your heart space and feel the comfort of this place? Open your eyes, finish brushing your teeth and move on into your day.

Whether meditation is new to you or you’ve been practicing for awhile, as you venture into new experiences, be kind to yourself. Have compassion for yourself as you step out of your comfort zone in this search for the nameless. If you’re looking for more ideas, please check here: meditation.

Tune into Your Heart

A Valentine's Party~ Are you holding onto hurt feelings or resentment in your relationships? Is self care at the bottom of your priority list? Join us for an open heart meditation. We will journey via guided meditation into the realm of the heart. Here, you will explore the space, clear it, and fill it up with love. Sunday, February 7th, from 1-2pm at A Place to Breathe, no charge, donations accepted for Mended Little Hearts of Charlottesville (list here). Please RSVP: elizabethbain11@gmail.com or kimberlohan@gmail.com

 

Kim's Thoughts:

This time of year we are often bombarded with red hearts and the pressure to declare and prove our feelings about a significant other. With that in mind, we decided to host a heart meditation on February 7th from 1-2 PM at A Place to Breathe Meditation Studio. I'm excited for this event because we will be zeroing in on one of the most exciting aspects of every human being ~ the love we hold in our heart. Our heart is the center of our chakra system and it is through this bridge we move from the lower chakras 1-3, to the higher chakras 5-7. The heart is where we experience healing transformation.

I'm also fired up because we are doing this event at no charge and asking folks to bring items for the nonprofit, Mended Little Hearts of Charlottesville. They assist kiddos who have heart conditions. I feel connected to this organization because after pregnancy complications I experienced congestive heart failure. I was in my 30's when I went through this and often felt scared or uncomfortable with many of the procedures associated with cardiology and heart monitoring even though I could mentally understand what was happening and knew I was receiving excellent medical attention. I can see how valuable an organization such as this could be: providing much needed support when your little one is facing a chronic medical condition.

We are asking for donations for their care bags for when families have to stay at the hospital (toiletries) or donations for their bravery chest. The bravery chest provides a special gift for children following a cardiology appointment. They are able to select a small toy, (hand stamp, stuffed animal, think pocket size) for their courage. Please join us.

Kim can be found at Hara Studio

 

Elizabeth's Thoughts:

In February the emphasis is often on partnered humans. But whether you are single or in a relationship, self-love is a must! It is often put at the bottom of the list or even cast aside, so here are a few ways to draw self-love into daily life.

Here's a wonderful way to start your day. When you first wake up in the morning, with your eyes closed, breathe deeply into your whole body, feeling this complicated, magnificent organism that allows you to do what you do every day. Put your hand on your heart, breathe in this space. Feel the power of the love that you are radiating. And feel the stream of love that you are always in, feel the love pouring into you even as it radiates from you. Breathe this love, and let this love guide you as you open your eyes and move into your day.

The unconditional love of our nonhuman friends is amazing guidance and support that is always available to us. I find one of the fastest ways to settle into my heart space is to place one hand on my heart and one hand on my dog’s heart. If you’ve got a smaller critter friend she or he might lie down on your heart. My cat is a normal cat in that he’s particular about how he likes to be held and he has never sat on anyone’s lap of his own choice…and yet, one of his favorite positions to be held in has his heart over my heart. Notice if your critter friends find ways to be heart to heart with you. They probably already do. Now watch what happens when they notice that you’re going out of your way to find ways to be heart to heart with them. They will notice.

Whenever you do choose to move into your heart space, feel this stream of love that you are in, this stream of love that is the All. When you love yourself, you are loving every being, for there is no true separation. Be your own Valentine this year.

Destination: Relaxed and Receptive

One of the most common comments after an energy session with me is “I’m feeling so relaxed.” It is often even, “I’ve never felt so relaxed.” This comment comes after sessions with humans only as well as sessions with multispecies families. Many of us spend time doing things we love that relax us and still might not be aware of just how relaxation can impact us. In our day to day lives, we are doing and going far more than we are just being. Even when we have a meditation practice of some sort with a focus on being, we are often coming from a place of resistance without necessarily being aware of it. Resistance comes in all sizes and can be clear and large like when we say no to something without even pausing to feel if we really want to say no or not. But, much of resistance is blurrier and such a part of our normal days that we can’t sense it well at all and over time it can push us to a place we were never intending to go. Part of my daily prayer, that I repeat whenever it pops into my awareness, is “Thank you for helping me notice when and where I am resisting and for helping me move with ease back into the flow.”

When we relax, we can let go of rigid, old patterns that no longer serve us. When we relax we soften our innards, our edges; we allow ourselves to be the inner essence of self in a pure fashion. This place of relaxed being is where the magic happens. This is where we open to the new and different, and can feel our way through to what is in resonance with our true essence. This is where the shifts on deep levels can occur without having to do much other than be open.

The next time you are in a grounded, centered, balanced, and relaxed state, just revel in it. What do you feel like physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically? The more time you spend in this state, the easier it is to find again. Just as going to hike in a new place, eat in a new restaurant, make art in a new studio, once you have found your way there and had a wonderful experience, you want to be able to return. So, you make note of the directions and the next time you go it’s easier. Repeat. It’s no different with finding a relaxed state. This is the place you want to be able to find and hang out in as much as possible, because this is where you are fully shining as you and open to the array of infinite possibilities that are always available. This is the true you welcoming potential.

Enjoy the journey.

Namaste

 

January Collaboration

Happy New Year! Now is the perfect time for drawing on the powers of the dark to help you create and manifest your year. Kim's thoughts:

January’s arrival is often filled with a building of energy with a focus on projects or transformations we wish to create in the upcoming months.

One of the types of healings I offer is Hara Healings. Hara healing helps you energetically align with what you want to manifest by focusing on three specific points in the body; the tan tien, the soul seat, and the ID point. If you can imagine a person standing in tree pose in yoga or a martial artist breaking a board with one's hand or a ballerina engaged in a graceful leap: this is the energetic alignment of hara.

These three points are on the hara line that runs vertically through the body. Each point is related to a certain aspect of intentionality: the tan tien to physical manifestation; the soul seat to your longings and desires; and the ID point is your connection to spirit.

The tan tien is about an inch below your belly button and helps you manifest on a physical level. The tan tien  allows you to draw up earth energy, and acts as a base by providing stability. When it’s strong we recognize and respond to opportunities as they arise. When it’s distorted we lack clarity and feel stagnant.

Moving up the body we go to the soul seat. This point is above your heart, yet below your throat. The soul seat is where you store your longings or desires: what you feel passionate about, what you would like to create. Often times our soul seat can become muffled or covered up due to criticism, negative experiences, disbelief in oneself or lack of support from our families. When our soul seat is shrouded it is difficult to know what we want in our life.

The ID Point is a few inches above your head and is where we connect to spirit. This point is where we understand our place on the earth and how to bring our gifts into the world. When the ID point becomes obstructed we lack connection to Spirit or God and can feel like we do not belong. If you are experiencing any of these scenarios, the good news is that your hara line can be realigned.

Here are some options to restore your energetic flow:

  • Hara Healings – people tend to experience the most benefit when they undertake three sessions focused on the hara line. I feel these healings are so powerful I’ve named my practice Hara Studio.
  • Martial Arts – Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo, Karate
  • Tai Chi or Qigong – there are classes offered or DVD’s for home practice
  • Dance - Charlottesville has a strong conscious dance community –check out www.dancecville.com
  • Mirror Exercise - stand in front of a mirror and connect into each point along the hara line. Barbara Brennan, founder of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, explains in detail how to do this hara line exercise in her book, Light Emerging.
Here's to you manifesting what you want in the 2016!
Visit Kim Lohan at Hara Studio

 

Elizabeth's thoughts:

We’ve turned the corner at the solstice and the days are growing longer. The light is already starting to build, but the nights are still long. (This journey of the earth around the sun doesn’t happen in a day.) Let’s take this time to jump into creation and manifestation.

Feeling grounded, centered, and balanced is important in daily life, but especially so when manifesting. If you are not feeling grounded, centered, and balanced, an Elemental Structure or Vision/Perspective Clearing session can allow you to move into manifesting from a more stable and open position. Services

First, remember that flexibility is a state of being: physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically. Second, be kind to yourself (always). Third, find a little quiet time for yourself for this process.

Now let’s dive in. Creations you may desire for the year could be an endless array such as: making new friends, writing a play, having a baby, getting a new job, travelling, laughing a lot, more me-time, finding a feline companion, volunteering, meditating daily. This list could go on, but these ideas might just spark something for you.

Here are some ideas and questions you might consider for brainstorming.

  • Break your life down into different aspects such as: personal, social, business, etc.
  • Break yourself down into different aspects: physical, mental, emotional, energetic.
  • What do you like in your life now?
  • Is there anything in that list that you want more of?
  • What do you not like in your life now?
  • What do you want to replace this list with?

Whatever the results of your brainstorming session, finding words gives shape to ideas. And making those ideas into a list starts the creation process in the physical plane. Whether you want a theme for the year, goals for each month, or some other shape for your coming year, write it down. Remember that this list is not carved in stone. You can change it. If you realize two months into the year that you’ve already created most of what’s on your list, make a new one! If you realize that what you had focused on when you first put this list together doesn’t feel right now that you’re into the year, make a new one!

Once you have a list, if you’re looking for something special and a way to make it feel more concrete, create a small ceremony. Handwrite the list with a fancy pen on a crisp sheet of paper. Light a candle and read the list aloud. If fire and wind are two elements that resonate with you, burn the list outside letting the fire and wind carry you with your dreams into this new year. If you’d rather see the list regularly as a reminder, put your list on the wall somewhere visible. Whatever you do, smile, and step forward into this new year knowing you are a co-creator.

Blessing of Creation

Blessing of Creation We call on Earth, Fire, Water, Wind that we might know their support

May we find alignment with Source

May we manifest with each thought

May we find power in choosing our creations

May we open to the magic of choices more astounding than we could imagine

May we reach for the All with each breath in this coming year

And so it is

Namaste

December Collaboration

Building My Inner Light     Kim Lohan Winter solstice is approaching and as the days get shorter, I find my energy starting to wane. I decided to make a plan to work on charging up my inner light. Here’s what I came up with, and to make this happen I wrote it in my day planner:

Dec. 21: Dark / light exercises (see Elizabeth's post below).

Dec. 22: Candlelight meditation.

Dec. 23: Dance party. - I find that anytime I dance around my living room it really charges up my field. I will probably do this by the light of the Christmas tree.

Dec. 24: Go complaint free all day!

Dec. 25: Go to bed 1 hour earlier than normal. - Seriously, I am already looking forward to this.

Dec. 26: Recharge. - Choose something that boosts your energy: maybe it's a yoga class or hanging out in a bookstore or taking a walk.

Dec. 27: Unplug. - Disconnect from all technology.

Dec. 28: Gratitude notes. - Write a thank you note to a friend, family member or teacher.

Dec. 29: Rent a comedy. - Pick something that strikes your funny bone. I want to spend the night laughing.

Dec. 30: Create a vision board. - Create a collage of what you'd like your life to look like. This is a powerful way to energetically clarify what you want.

Dec. 31: Edit bookshelf. - Go through books and release those with which I am done. Decluttering helps to recharge you and your home.

Dark and Light        Elizabeth Bain

December is a busy time of year for many: completing projects; celebrating holidays with friends and family. Here in the Northern Hemisphere it is winter and the days are short, the nights long. Whether you are aware of difficulties traversing this busy season full of contrasting dark and light or not, I’m going to share some simple ways to shift your perspective and recharge yourself when you need it most.

In our dualistic culture/mindset, we tend to label and judge things frequently and quickly (often this is learned from such an early age, we’re not aware of the process). While we could easily get overwhelmed with the thought of removing judgment from our daily lives, here we are just focusing on our labels and judgments of dark and light. Dark is not bad, just as light is not good. Dark and light just are; we choose to label and judge them as bad or good. They are both tools that we can choose to use for our benefit. Dark can be used to create a womb-like space free from distractions and ripe for introspection, getting to know some aspect of self better, dreaming big. Light can be used as fuel whether you are sitting in the sun and feeding the physical body on the cellular level or lighting up the energy bodies for clearing or inspiration.

This year winter solstice falls on December 21st or 22nd depending where you are on the planet. Traditional celebrations are often fire oriented and many cultures have celebrations of light in some form or another. While the solstice is just one day, celebrating light can be an every day event or occasion. To fully celebrate the light, I like to celebrate the dark, too, as there cannot be one without the other.

Exercise 1, Knowing the Dark: Choose a time well after the sun has set, step outside into the dark (in a safe place with lights off or inside create darkness if that’s safer). Breathe, settle into your body and notice what dark feels like for you: physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically. Notice what labels and judgments appear. Just notice what is. Acknowledge the dark. Feel the dark that is outside of you and feel the dark that is inside of you. Feel the void as a space both empty and full of possibilities. Honor and respect the dark.  Say any prayers of thanks that come to you. Notice how you feel now: physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically. Then, gently breathe back into your body in the now, opening your eyes as you are ready.

Exercise 2, Knowing the Light: Choose a time when there is sun and pause in the sun (outside preferably, but inside works, too). Breathe, settle into your body and notice what light feels like for you: physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically. Notice what labels and judgments appear. Just notice what is. Acknowledge the light. Feel the light that is outside of you and feel the light that is inside of you. Notice if they merge or not. Notice where that merging does or does not take place. Honor and respect the light. Say any prayers of thanks that come to you. Notice how you feel now: physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically. Then, gently breathe back into your body in the now, opening your eyes as you are ready.

(Tip: If you find that it’s difficult to read the exercise and do it at the same time, find a friend to assist. Have the friend read the exercise to you slowly, calmly, while you relax into the exercise. And then after a pause, trade roles and read aloud for your friend.)

 

 

New Collaboration

I'm very excited to announce that this blog will be home to a year long collaboration with a colleague of mine starting this month! Please welcome Kim with Hara Studio to this space. Each month we will share tips and insights on different subjects for you in your daily life. The hope is that you will find new and useful perspectives, information, and straightforward tools. Please keep an eye out for the first post coming soon, and share these posts with anyone you think might be interested. Namaste

Remember Love 



Still morning cool, with the kestrel kee-kee-keeing over the field. Harrier on the fence post far down by the pond, I watch your flight from post to top of cedar to post and I feel your wing beats bring air to my lungs. I exhale and lift you to another post.   Feathers, beak, talons. Skin, hands, feet. Earth, fire, water, air. I am not a bird, just as you are not a human. Yet, I am you, you are me. There is no you, there is no me.  Remember Love.  





























        
      
    


    

      
      
      

        
  
    
    
  

      

    


    

  

  
  


    

      

        
        

          
        

        
        

          
          
        

        
      

      

      
        Sliding Out of Sync…and Getting Back
      
      

      

        
        

          
        

        
        

          
          
        

        
      

    


    

      
        
          




  
I don’t know what it is about some mornings, but I wake up and everything feels good, in sync…then as I’m going about my business, somewhere along the way, suddenly everything is not feeling good. There’s an irritation, annoyance, frustration, fear that has pushed in and taken over. And sometimes it’s the combination of little bits that are not love that join together to push me out of the love vibration: thought by thought, feeling by feeling. And it’s hard to be kind to myself, recognize whatever non-love bit it is that is now the over-riding presence, and move back to love. Love for self, love for all, love that is the All. And so, I forgive myself for any thoughts of blame, I forgive myself for the fear, I forgive myself for forgetting the All. I breathe into my heart, feel the presence of the angels and my guides, and am love.
 


May you remember you are Love.


Namaste



























        
      
    


    

      
      
      

        
  
    
    
  

      

    


    

  

  
  


    

      

        
        

          
        

        
        

          
          
        

        
      

      

      
        Honoring the Divine in All Your Surroundings
      
      

      

        
        

          
        

        
        

          
          
        

        
      

    


    

      
        
          




  
Yesterday I had a conversation where the other person was talking about different animals and how smart or dumb they are…which led me to share this insight. As humans so many of us are only aware of the world from the perspective that humans are the best. Period. And that is not only a limiting view, it is very much about separation. I come from the perspective that each species here on this planet has a key role in the existence and survival of this whole organism of Gaia. We are here to be frogs, trees, lichen, preying mantises, whales, bacteria, etc. And acknowledging, respecting, and honoring each bit who/that makes up Gaia is not just about inclusion versus exclusion. It’s about being one. We are all Gaia. So while chickens are very smart…according to the human view of smart: able to do things like humans…is that the perspective we want to choose? Or do we want to choose to recognize the illusion of separation is just that, an illusion? With each breath, honor the divine in all that surrounds you, and slip into that space where edges are arbitrary lines that serve only to note the illusion, that space where you are no longer anyone but all of Gaia and beyond. I am not an ambassador to humans from the other animals, I am an ambassador of remembering what you know deep within you, the Lovelight of the All is all there is.
 


Namaste