When you notice yourself feeling unmotivated, stagnant, or stuck — ask yourself, “What am I resisting?” You’ll probably know the answer right away. It might be a change of some kind — your career, a relationship, a decision to be made, or even an unfinished project. Listen to your resistance. It almost always has something useful to tell you. Oftentimes resistance masks fear, or an unwillingness to move deeper. Once you’ve noticed the area of resistance, allow yourself to feel the sensation of resisting. What does the resistance feel like in the body? Now ask yourself, “What do you have to tell me? What is this resistance about? Why are you there?” Ask the questions and then just wait to see what arises. It may be a feeling, a thought, a belief, or a fear. Feel that you are listening to it. Then ask the resistance, “What would happen if I let this go?” Notice what arises. Then ask yourself, “Would I be willing to let this go — just for a moment?” Notice what arises in the wake of the question. There may be a small sense of ease and peace, or perhaps a greater release than you thought possible. Envision the change, the relationship, the decision, or project in a positive light, with even a sense of gratitude, relief, or purpose gained from the entire experience. Adapted from Sally Kempton, Feeling Stuck? Try Self Inquiry for Resistance.

★ “Show up for what’s up so it won’t keep showing up.” ~ Gabby Bernstein

★ Begin to LET GO OF THE STORIES that play in your head that support the resistance — NO Blaming, NO Shaming, NO Judgement.

★ Remember, whatever you resist, persists!

★ There is FREEDOM and MOVEMENT in LETTING GO. When your think you have surrendered, SURRENDER some more.

“You used to think you were powerful when you resisted your emotions, when you held back and didn’t express yourself. You thought power came from being who you thought you should be, instead of who you are. Now you have learned that only when you are who you really are, can true power emerge.” ~ Melody Beattie

★ Sometimes resistance heightens when we feel overwhelmed. We need to disconnect from distractions to be able to listen to the still, small (BIG) voice inside, seek insight, and receive inspiration and direction.

★ What are your current distractions?

★ What would help balance your life? What would encourage clarity and focus?

★ We may need to step back and reevaluate. Oftentimes our dissatisfaction opens up opportunities for change and expansion.

★ Ask yourself, What is thriving in my life? What else is possible?

★ Be the humble witness of what will unfold.

“What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think — or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, or who I am?” ~ Brene’ Brown

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DAILY GROUNDING VISUALIZATION

Take 3 deep, cleansing breaths, drawing the energy of the breath all the way down to the lowest part of your body. Imagine ribbons extending out from your feet and rooting you firmly in the earth. Take your minds attention into your heart space and follow that attention with another deep cleansing breath into your heart. Ask your heart what color or combination of colors needs to grow out of the flower of your heart to exemplify the energy of your highest purpose, your most open heart, and your most balanced state of being. Whatever colors come to you, quickly just trust that. Allow them to begin to unfold out of the flower of your heart and circulate within the chest area of your body. Breathing gently, but deeply, feel the warmth or coolness, and the unique subtleties of your unique person. Allow this radiance to spread gently throughout your body. Allow it to rise up through your neck and into your head, letting it branch off at your neck and cascade down your arms as it flows out the palms of your hands. Gently circulate the energy and allow it to spiral down your torso, down your legs and out the soles of your feet, all the while gently breathing into your body, knowing that this energy is the aliveness of your being and represents your receptivity to Divine guidance and opportunities. Continue to allow this energy to move and swirl in its own way through your body. You may linger here as long as you wish. When you are ready, take a few deep cleansing breaths, knowing that you are continuing to radiate your most authentic, and magnetic essence.

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Allow, by Danna Faulds
There is no controlling life.
Try corralling a lightning bolt,
containing a tornado. Dam a
stream and it will create a new
channel. Resist, and the tide
will sweep you off your feet.
Allow, and grace will carry
you to higher ground. The only
safety lies in letting it all in–
the wild and the weak; fear,
fantasies, failures and success.
When loss rips off the doors of
the heart, or sadness veils your
vision with despair, practice
becomes simply bearing the truth.
In the choice to let go of your
known way of being, the whole
world is revealed to your new eyes.

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Let go of resistance. Find clarity and motivation.
It’s impossible said pride, It’s risky said experience, It’s pointless says reason,
GIVE IT A TRY WHISPERED THE HEART. 💞

 

Our intention for yoga classes this week is to use movement and breath to express deep devotion, aligning us to the deepest parts of ourselves, and opening us to connect with the Divine and each other. Ishvara Pranidhana is the fifth and final Niyama (or Observance) in Patanjali’s System of Yoga. Ishvara can be defined as Lord/God/Spirit/the Divine. Pranidhana means surrender–a willful and active surrender to God–the reality and beauty of your life exactly AS IT IS in each breath, embracing both the sunshine and the rain with equilibrium. This relationship is one of active presence and total surrender. To surrender the fruits of our actions to God requires that we give up our illusion that we know best, and instead accept and trust that the way life unfolds may be part of a pattern too complex and beautiful to understand. Only by releasing our fears and our hopes for the future can we really be in union with the present moment. Let all movements of body, mind, and spirit be rooted in the unconditional love of an open heart full of kindness and compassion while actively surrendering to the Divine. Whatever the question, Love is the answer.

If we were more in touch with the present moment, almost everything would become more vivid and alive. Meditation has to do with being fully here, now. Yoga provides the opportunity to reestablish contact not only with our body but with our feeling and mood states. After one has put one’s body in various positions, then one simply experiences the feelings and sensations that emerge as one relaxes into the posture. Thus, yoga serves as a doorway into awareness. In meditation, one passes through that doorway and becomes aware of the Mystery at the root of one’s being. ~ Thomas Ryan, Prayer of Heart and Body

In Aramaic, the definition of the word prayer is opening ourselves so that the Divine can fill our lives, both inside and out. Using our bodies as a tool for that opening has been practiced in different forms, by different cultures, for thousands of years… From the word meaning “to unite,” “yoke,” or “join together,” yoga uses a combination of meditation, breath control, and physical postures to reconnect with God. The postures, called asanas, embody this intention. ~ Maggie Oman Shannon, The Way We Pray: Prayer Practices from Around the World

Useful definitions:
Yoga = union, wholeness of body, mind, and spirit
Bhakti Yoga = yoga of devotion; root word bhaj = to adore or worship God
Karma Yoga = yoga of selfless action; a form of prayer
Karma Yoga is closely linked to Bhakti Yoga, for without love and devotion, it would be impossible to serve others selflessly.
Guru = the one who dispels the darkness and takes towards light;
root words gu = darkness; ru = light
Selah = Hebrew for pause and reflect, calmly think of that

“Where would You have me go? What would You have me do? What would You have me say, and to whom?” — Daily prayer, A Course in Miracles

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Experience Body Prayer — 7 Rounds of Surya Namaskara A (or mix it up with Surya Namaskara B and C) with Intention — Practice with me HERE.

7 is a symbol of perfection, rest, intuition, and wisdom.

Round One — Devotion (Bhakti)

Selah, pause and reflect

Round Two — Cleansing/Forgiveness

Selah, pause and reflect

Round Three — Loved One

Selah, pause and reflect

Round Four — Stranger or Acquaintance

Selah, pause and reflect

Round Five — Challenge
(something in your life causing you difficulty or pain)

Selah, pause and reflect

Round Six — Gratitude

Selah, pause and reflect

Round Seven — Devotion (Bhakti)

Selah, pause and reflect

Journal:
What do I need to remember and know in this moment?
What soul messages am I receiving?
Where would You have me go? What would You have me do?
What would You have me say, and to whom?

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Closing Body Prayer

Begin with hands at heart center in Anjali Mudra
finding our inner quiet

Raise arms up high
opening ourselves to God

Bring hands to heart center in Anjali Mudra
affirming the strength and truth of Divine wisdom

Extend hands out in front
offering loving kindness and respect to others

Open arms out to sides
contributing our unique gifts and purposes in this world

Extend arms high over our heads in reverence
gazing up to God, being filled and guided

Draw hands together and down to heart center
gathering in the blessings and sealing them in our heart and soul

Returning to stillness in Anjali Mudra with eyes closed
bowing our head to our heart in gratitude

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The Divine is everywhere. Look beyond the story. Look at the soul. LOVE! How has the Spirit called you to serve? All of our experiences help create who we are, and, if we choose, propel us forward. May faith propel us forward. ❤️

Don’t give up on a MIRACLE!

My world has been filled with deeply hurting people and seemingly impossible situations. I know God can move in mighty and mysterious ways—my own life is a miracle itself! I have been praying for MIRACLES for family and friends—for physical healing, financial provision, relationship restoration, and spiritual direction. One of these prayers was answered today. I deeply sensed and experienced it in my body and soul before I even heard the amazing outcome! God loves to answer petitions in Divine will and timing, and rejoices when our hearts are devoted to intercession for others and our world. We’ve got to speak to the impossible!

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” — Luke 1:37 NKJV

I will do the impossible for you. The love I have for you is endless. I will intensify your experience of My love as you seek more of Me. Is there something in front of you that looks impossible? When it looks like everything has blocked our way and there is no one near you to help, I will make it easy for you. Grace will always empower you to sacrifice your personal wishes as you worship in My presence. Strength replaces weakness, grace floods into your impossibility, and I will make it easy for you. The burden you carry must be laid down as you take up My easy yoke and learn of Me. I will enrich your soul, enflame your heart, and give you a greater joy. Song of Songs describes God’s love for us as an unquenchable fire. Imagine standing before that fire and throwing in all of the impossibilities of your life. See them go up in flames! — Brian Simmons

“Place this fierce, unrelenting fire over your entire being.
Rivers of pain and persecution will never extinguish this flame.
Endless floods will be unable to quench this raging fire that burns within you. Everything will be consumed. It will stop at nothing as you yield everything to this furious fire until it won’t even seem to you like a sacrifice anymore.” — Song of Songs 8:6-7, The Passion Translation

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Miracle Question Exercise:

Imagine you go to sleep tonight and you awake tomorrow morning. During the night a miracle happened and, when you wake up, your most positive dreams for your future have come true. Remember, a miracle has occurred, so you are waking up to your life as you would ideally like it to be. At this point, you may have only hazy visions of your ideal future, so to help you be specific about what the real life changes would be for you, think about your answers to the following questions:

1. How do you feel when you awake?
2. What is the first thing you will do?
3. Your best friend arrives. Immediately, they notice things have improved. What specific changes do they see?
4. What happens next in your day?

Give a detailed account of the whole day of your ideal life when everything is just as you would ideally want it to be. There are no limits!

This exercise is called the miracle question. It is a question that coaches often ask their clients in order to help them process what they want to change about themselves and their lives.

Adapted from De Shazer, S. (1988, p. 78), Clues: Investigating solutions in brief therapy, New York: Norton

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Miracle (Lyrics) by Unspoken

Have you stopped reaching
No longer seeking greater things
Have you forgotten
You have a Father listening

He tells the sun when to rise
Gives the wind its breath
Swings a door wide open and
Moves in the moment you least expect

Don’t you give up on a miracle
You’ve got to speak to the impossible
You gotta
Pray till your breakthrough breaks through the ceiling
Keep on believing
Don’t you give up
Don’t you give up
On a miracle

How many chances
How many answers
Pass us by
You know it takes faith
To step on the waves
When you’re terrified
When you’re backed in a corner
And you can’t wait any longer

Don’t you give up on a miracle
You’ve got to speak to the impossible
You gotta
Pray till your breakthrough breaks through the ceiling
Keep on believing
Don’t you give up
Don’t you give up
On a miracle

Feels like the prayers and the words you have spoken
They go unnoticed
Like drops in the ocean
Just beyond the veil of your vision
Your mountains are moving, moving on
Remember the works His hands have done
Where you once were and how far you’ve come

Don’t you give up on a miracle
You’ve got to speak to the impossible
You gotta
Pray till your breakthrough breaks through the ceiling
Keep on believing
Don’t you give up
Don’t you give up
On a miracle

Publishing: © 2016 Centricity Music Publishing (ASCAP)/Jon Lowry designee/Wordspring Music, LLC & Fleauxmotion Music (SESAC) Writers: Chad Mattson, Jon Lowry and Tedd T

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“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander.” — Hillsong United

Dear Family & Friends,

Our family (minus the pup!) will be traveling to Sevilla, Columbia this April to participate in a short-term mission trip with Compassion International. We sponsor two young children through Compassion, and are thrilled to personally visit and serve their families and communities. We will experience both the realities of extreme poverty and the promise of a better future. Poverty is not a supply issue, it’s a distribution issue, and we feel compelled to share our time and resources with those in need, locally and globally. “Every child deserves an equal chance of survival. Every child needs to be protected, nurtured, trained, and provided for. The welfare of the earth’s children is our post. We need to be strategic in our pursuit of justice for them.” — Lisa Bevere

Our April Peoria Columbia Team will train and prepare together during the next few months. While in Columbia April 4-9, 2018, we will do home visits, attend and support local churches, attend children’s educational classes, participate in recreational activities with the kids, and spend one-on-one time with the children and families we sponsor. “May none of us be content with the safety of our children alone, but instead grow in the understanding and awareness that all the children of this earth are our charge. May we be careful to move all out of harm’s way. Together we can be strategic.” — Lisa Bevere

“I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!” — 2 Corinthians 6:11-13, The Message

We would love for you to be a part of our team, prayerfully and financially. Together we can make a difference! Please pray for us to be strengthened physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and to energetically serve in love, peace, and unity. May we be an encouragement to every person we meet, and may our lives, perspectives, and purposes be changed forever.

❦ Please cover us in prayer now until returning April 9, 2018 (SO appreciated!)

❦ All financial contributions are 100% tax-deductible and 100% goes toward our family and trip: Wiest Family April Peoria Columbia Mission Trip.

❦ Contributions can be made online at my.ccv.church/missions/donate OR cash/checks payable to Go360, LLC and sent to CCV, 7007 W. Happy Valley Rd, Peoria AZ 85383, Attn: Missions

“Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, ‘I have COMPASSION on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.’” — Matthew 15:32 NKJV

Thank you for supporting us in this call of EXPANSION! May we all continue to LOVE, SERVE, and INSPIRE locally and globally through our thoughts, words, and actions!

May you be blessed beyond measure!

Gratefully,

Jon, Heather, Madeline, Mackenzie, & Gardenia 🐶