What Do You See In The Mirror?

On October 26, 2021 By Heather Wiest

We are all mirrors for each other. The qualities we see in the people around us are directly related to the traits that exist in us. We attract individuals into our lives that mirror who we are. Those you feel drawn to reflect your inner self back at you, and you act as a mirror for them. Simply put, when you look at others, you will likely see what exists in you. When you see beauty, divinity, sweetness, or light in the soul of another, you are seeing the goodness that resides in your soul. When you see traits in others that evoke feelings of anger, annoyance, or hatred, you may be seeing reflected back at you those parts of yourself that you have disowned or do not like. Because we are all mirrors for each other, looking at the people in your life can tell you a lot about yourself. It is easy to see the traits you do not like in others. It is much more difficult to realize that you possess those same traits. Often, the habits, attitudes, and behaviors of others are closely linked to our unconscious and unresolved issues. When you come into contact with someone you admire, search your soul for similarly admirable traits. Likewise, when you meet someone exhibiting traits that you dislike, accept that you may be looking at your reflection. Looking at yourself through your perception of others can be a humbling and eye-opening experience. You can also cultivate in yourself the traits and behaviors that you do like. Be loving and respectful to all people, and you will attract individuals that will love and respect you back. Nurture compassion and empathy and let the goodness you see in others be your mirror. ~ Madisyn Taylor

This week’s intention challenges us to see more beauty in the mirror—in ourselves and in others–receiving and reflecting unconditional love, encouragement, and acceptance. ❤️

When we’re in a good mood, we shine like the sun. But if we find ourselves in the presence of a person, or people, in a grumpy mood, it can feel like a dark cloud approaching to dim our radiance and block our positive way of seeing the world. We can remind ourselves that clouds pass, while the sun and stars continue to shine above. Like a lighthouse, we can continue to shine through the darkness, offering our light to help others find their way back to their own. We can send them a silent prayer of peace or a sympathetic smile. If they need understanding, we can empathize without reinforcing the negativity they may be experiencing by directing their attention someplace more positive. ~ Madisyn Taylor

★ You impact the energy of any space, and influence the people around you.

★ When you experience a negative thought or emotion towards yourself, or another—and we all have them—take a deeper look inside and notice what arises. “That’s interesting. What’s that all about?!”

★ Always make a point to impart a positive word and a cheery smile. Know something good is going to happen!

★ Be less judgey and more lovey.

Breath Meditation:

Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth a few times. Now continue a smooth, steady breath in and out through the nose, and direct your attention to the area between the heart and the belly.

As you inhale, visualize receiving unconditional love, encouragement, and acceptance. As you exhale, visualize giving it all away with gratitude…UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, ENCOURAGEMENT, ACCEPTANCE.

Exhaling is the most relaxing phase of breathing, so take twice as long to exhale as to inhale. We are blessed when we give away unconditional love, encouragement, and acceptance to others.

Continue to sink into your breath rhythm. Feel it rejuvenating every cell, bringing life to your body, mind, and spirit.

The mind is calmed in the cradle of the heart. ❤️

“When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it’s bottomless, that it doesn’t have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness there is, as well as how much space.” ~ Pema Chodron

“It’s no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So I’ve brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me.” ~ Rumi

“Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.” ~ Proverbs 27:19 MSG

✨May we receive and reflect more beauty as we gracefully gaze into our mirrors.✨

✨Goosies✨

On October 20, 2021 By Heather Wiest

Inner Smile Meditation — Adapted from Jennifer Reis Yoga.

Your inner smile is glowing golden inside of you all the time! All you have to do is become AWARE of it, and a beautiful thing happens — you begin to sense how it fills you with joy, awakens positive qualities, and radiates your shining light.

You may like to hold Hansi Mudra while you practice this meditation. Find a comfortable way to sit with your spine lengthened for five or more minutes.

• Begin to sense your breath without needing to change it in any way.
• Feel a few natural breaths in your belly. Notice a few breaths in your chest and heart-space.
• Become aware of your breath already moving and flowing through your whole body.
• Now imagine an inner smile in your belly. With each breath feel your inner belly smile expanding and alive within you.
• Become aware of the inner smile in your heart-space. Notice your breath expanding the smile in your heart, awakening compassionate love.
• Feel the inner smile within every cell of your whole being. Trillions of inner smiles glowing golden in synchrony with each other. Like you are a tuning fork harmonized with the Divine – joy, shining light, and every positive quality – fills and radiates through you.
• With a few quiet breaths, send your inner smile out to someone you love. Send your inner smile out to someone you are having a difficult time with. Send your inner smile to all beings.
• Stay here for as long as you like. Keep this feeling of joy as long as you can, even when you gently begin to deepen your breath, softly open your eyes, and move into what comes next.

What makes you smile, brings you joy and laughter, ignites your spirit, and gives you the goosebumps? I love an article written by Rebecca Lammersen, entitled, 101 Ways To Get The Goosebumps. She states, “I gage a good day by the number of times I get the goosebumps. Why? Because it is a sign I am listening to my spirit, being guided by her. Goosebumps are the smile of our spirits — we can never smile enough.” So, throughout classes this week I will share with you her 101 ways to get the ✨ goosies! ✨

Listen to a song you love and sing along.
Watch a movie that moves you.
Pay attention to the animals, to the trees, to the birds. Talk to them.
Hug someone you know and love.
Hug someone you don’t know and feel the love.
Go to a park and watch children play.
Listen to what children have to say.
Play with a child.
Play like a child.
Roll down the windows of your car, stick your hand out and waltz with the wind.
Turn up the music in your car and sing as loud as you can.
Sing in the shower.
Make eye contact with everyone you pass. You never know when your eyes will meet a connection.
Sit still and observe. You will see an interaction that makes you break out in the bumps.
Recall your favorite memory and tell someone about it.
Dance.
Have someone you trust tickle your back or your arm.
Hold hands.
Slide down a slide.
Hang upside down on the monkey bars.
Swing on a swing.
Lay in a hammock.
Drink lemonade with a straw.
Have a lollipop.
Eat food that reminds you of your childhood.
Watch Lady and the Tramp.
Watch The Wizard of Oz.
Listen to John Lennon’s Imagine.
Listen to Somewhere Over The Rainbow (any version).
Listen to Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World.
Kiss.
Give away something you love to a stranger.
Buy a meal for a person who is homeless.
Give your time and attention to someone who needs to be heard.
Scream.
Cry.
Pick flowers and smell them.
Buy someone flowers and surprise them.
Buy yourself flowers.
Say I love you at least three times a day.
Look yourself in the mirror and say, I love you.
Call you mother, your father, your siblings, your friends to tell them: I love you.
Smile at someone, smile at everyone.
Go to the beach.
Get your feet wet, at least.
Read the obituaries.
Listen to music from around the world, especially the songs with children singing.
Say the Pledge of Allegiance or any pledge or song of loyalty.
Have a conversation with God.
If you don’t believe in God, talk with the sun.
If you can’t see the sun, talk with yourself.
Take the trip you have always wanted to take.
Take a sick day from work or school and go to the pool, to the movies or to the zoo.
Go to a cemetery and read the headstones.
Go to a maternity ward and sit in the waiting room.
Have a conversation with a senior citizen.
Have a conversation with someone who is sick.
Have a conversation with someone who is no longer sick.
Go to Toys R’ Us and walk the aisles and play with the toys.
If you’ve wanted to ask someone to marry you, ask them.
Say yes.
Say no when you really want to say no.
Stay up all night just to stare at the stars and watch the sun rise.
Do a cartwheel.
Go to a race and stand at the finish line.
Cheer for someone.
Clap your hands and go anywhere there will be a standing ovation.
Go to Disneyland.
Read.
Read poetry.
Read The Diary of Anne Frank.
Read any book about bravery, injustice, courage and resilience.
Keep a journal and read it back to yourself.
Look at pictures of your family and your life.
Go for a walk and take each step like it is your last.
Suck on a lemon–it will remind you of your taste buds.
Go for a drive, just to drive.
Pet a dog or a cat (if you aren’t allergic and don’t hate them).
Go to Sea World and watch the Shamu show.
Skinny dip.
Go to a major league baseball game.
Visit the Grand Canyon.
Water ski.
Surf, even if it’s body surfing–catch a wave.
Story-tell.
Watch someone give birth.
Give birth.
Hold a baby.
Go to funerals.
Go to weddings.
Go to any function that celebrates a beginning and an end.
Have an orgasm.
Hold the door for someone.
Read the inspirational emails your mother sends you (sometimes they really are inspirational).
Stand in the rain and don’t move until you begin to shake.
Go to concerts–any type of music. Listen and watch.
Take a hike and sit at the top of the mountain.
Ask people to share their love stories.
Fall in love.
Write a letter to someone you love and read it to them even if they are no longer alive, especially if they are no longer alive.
Speak the truth. The goosebumps will always follow.

Ecstasy Lives by Danna Faulds

Ecstasy exists. It lives in
random acts of love, bird
seed scattered on cold days,
back rubs, words of praise
or admiration. It lives within
the spontaneous admission
of defeat when things don’t
go as planned. Ecstasy lies
dormant, ready to burst forth
when a whitetail deer leaps
across the road, or a slice of
waning moon hangs jewel-like
in the night. It’s easy to miss,
simpler to point toward
suffering and shrug, choose
not to hear that first ecstatic
call of a mourning dove
welcoming the sunrise.

What makes you smile, brings you joy and laughter, ignites your spirit, and gives you the goosies? Make these a priority and create a personal intention around these ideas.

❦ An inner smile radiates throughout my being, awakening all my positive qualities.

❦ Today I choose to live with gratitude for the LOVE that fills my heart, the PEACE that rests within my spirit, and the voice of HOPE that says all things are possible.

❦ Look through the lens of LOVE & POSSIBILITY! ❤️ What’s the best that can and will happen? 🙏🏻 “For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.” – Luke‬ ‭1:37‬ ‭AMPC

Be Still.

On October 11, 2021 By Heather Wiest

Be still and know that I AM God. ~ Psalm 46:10
Be still and know I AM.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Our intention this week is to explore MEDITATION. In the classical yoga tradition, asana yoga is practiced as a preparation for seated meditation. Yoga Nidra, Restorative, and Yin Yoga are also wonderful meditative practices. What exactly is meditation? The definition is “to think deeply or focus for a time for spiritual purposes or to relax. To think deeply or carefully about something.” Whatever we think deeply or carefully about becomes what we meditate on. What fills your mind, my friend? The Hebrew word for meditate is DOMAH, and is literally translated as “to liken, compare, to make oneself like.” Whatever we meditate on, think deeply about, is what we become like. The more we sit with our thoughts, the more likely we are to act on them. Are we carefully and deliberately choosing what we meditate on? I choose to meditate on pure, positive, present thoughts, connecting with the Peace within me. What’s the best that can, and will happen? ❤️

Meditation 101
By: Claudia Cummins

To give meditation a try, sit comfortably, set a timer for 10 minutes, and explore one of the following strategies. And consider yourself forewarned: Meditation is a delightfully simple practice, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy!

Just Sit: Commit to doing nothing more than sitting quietly and watching what happens. Don’t pick up the phone, don’t answer the doorbell, don’t add another item to your to-do list. Just sit and observe the thoughts that arise and pass through your mind. You will likely be surprised by how difficult it is to sit quietly for 10 minutes. In the process, though, you may learn something important about the qualities of the restless mind and the ever-changing nature of life.

Listen to the Sounds of Life: Close your eyes and tune in to the sounds percolating both within and around you. Open your ears and adopt a receptive attitude. At first, you’ll likely hear only the most obvious noises, but over time, you’ll discover new layers of sounds that you had previously tuned out. Challenge yourself to observe what you hear without clinging to it or resisting it. Notice how the world feels more alive as your awareness of the present deepens.

Practice Bare Attention: Notice the raw sensations of the present moment—feelings of warmth and coolness, hardness and softness, pressure and ease. Which parts of your body are in contact with the earth? How does the shape of the body shift with each inhalation and exhalation? How does your experience change over time? Cultivating an awareness of the present moment will foster a more serene and attentive mind, one that is able to settle into the here and now.

Follow the Breath: Attach your mind to the breath. While you’re breathing in, note that you’re breathing in, and while you’re breathing out, focus on the exhalation. Don’t manipulate the breath in any way; simply watch it with your mind’s eye, just as you would follow a tennis ball bouncing from one side of the court to the other during a particularly engrossing match. When you find that your mind has strayed, as it inevitably will, gently refocus it on the breath and begin again.

Use a Mantra: Choose a favorite word, phrase, prayer, or fragment of a poem, and repeat it slowly and softly. Let its rhythm and meaning lull you into a quiet, contemplative state of ease. When you notice that your mind has wandered off to other thoughts, simply redirect it back toward the words you’ve chosen as your touchstone and rededicate your awareness to them.

Practice Kindness: As you sit quietly, focus your inner attention on someone you know who might benefit from an extra dose of kindness and care. In your mind’s eye, send this person love, happiness, and well-being. Soften your skin, open the floodgates of your heart, and let gentle goodwill pour forth.

The Weaver and the Loom, by Danna Faulds

Sit here for a bit. Place yourself
outside the frenzied pace of life.
Slow down long enough to
appreciate birds in flight, water
drops like prisms in the grass and
countless shades of green. Step
off the fast track and listen to the
sound of breath and birdsong. Take
a moment to just be, and in the being,
know the whole of this creation,
mystery and madness, passion and
profanity, know it all as one, stunning
tapestry. Sit still and the thin line
between sacred and profane simply
fades away. There is nothing then
to reconcile. All the disparate threads
are woven on the loom of life. Sit here
for a bit and your unique place in the
pattern becomes clear. Take the still
point with you when it’s time to walk
away. Make the choice to see affinity,
to watch the picture taking shape as
thread joins thread. Dare to be the
weaver and the loom, creator and
creation, the sower and the sown.
In a moment of stillness, all that
came before is seen as one.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Philippians 4:8-9, The Message

May you incorporate some new meditative practices into your busy life this week. Begin to crave the calm connection — just be. “Show up for what’s up, so it won’t keep showing up! When you think you’ve surrendered, surrender some more. Be the humble witness of what will unfold.” ~ Gabby Bernstein

What’s the best that can, and will happen? ❤️

“May my meditation be sweet to Him.” ~ Pslam 104:34 NKJV

Focus Your Energy✨

On October 5, 2021 By Heather Wiest

I decided many years ago to ditch the Post-it® notes and reduce the reminders. For decades, I thrived on structuring my days and completing tasks deemed important. My practice of yoga kept encouraging me to let go of control, to let life flow naturally — just like with the breath. So, I gave up the lists. I began to really see and sense what mattered most in the moment. I became more present and alive. Situations seemed to unfold better, and I actually accomplished some extra projects along the way! Yes, I also completely spaced an important appointment — that ended up rescheduled for the perfect time! 😊 I am learning to trust Divine nudges and timing, and to focus my energy.

“There is a time to be open, almost unfocused, as we take in what the world, the universe, is showing us. There is a time to get out of our heads and quietly take the journey our hearts lead us into — following with the openness and wonder of a child. But there also comes a time to aim our attention and focus our energy on what we want to accomplish. Instead of floundering with scattered thoughts and possibilities, we choose one, then act on it. We stay in step with the natural rhythm, but we’re pulling our scattered attention together and focusing it as part of that rhythm. To do that, we may have to work through or push away inner distractions. Moving through our inner obstacles enables us to accomplish our goal — whether that’s a task, a particular piece of work, or learning a new hobby. Is there something you want to do? Is your heart urging you to learn something, accomplish something, go somewhere, do something? Make it a goal. Focus your energy.” ~ Melody Beattie

What is the fire in your heart that has become dim, because you’ve been consumed with day to day life? Let go of the minors, and focus on the majors. Intend to make a difference in this moment. As we say in yoga, the energy flows where the attention goes! ✨

“When we focus our energy towards constructing a passionate, meaningful life, we are tossing a pebble into the world, creating a beautiful ripple effect of inspiration. When one person follows a dream, tries something new or takes a daring leap, everyone nearby feels that energy; and before too long they are making their own daring leaps and inspiring yet another circle.” ~ Christine Mason Miller

Focus Journaling Questions inspired by Elena Mironov

✭ If your life is busy right now, WHAT is keeping you busy? Is this still important to you?
✭ What IS actually important to you?
✭ Is what you’re doing a source of fulfillment, or are you just in a constant habitual or reactive state?
✭ Are you putting your energy into something that is helping you grow–evolve–develop into a higher version of you?
✭ Are you letting distractions carry you off track? Are you tired or unmotivated?
✭ What gives you a sense of meaning and a feeling that you’re helping–contributing–giving back?
✭ What would you like to change right now?

Focus your inner fire and energy and take that daring leap! 🔥

You must learn poise, soul-balance and poise, in a vacilating, changing world. Claim My power. Use it ceaselessly. You cannot ask too much. As long as you get back to Me and replenish after each task, no work can be too much. My Joy I give you. Live in it. Bathe your Spirit in it. Reflect it.
God Calling: Relax, January 15

May you go with the natural flow, yet focus your energy. Pursue your heart’s passion. Make a difference in this world. You are strong & capable of ANYTHING! ❤️