Although the road is never ending take a step and keep walking, do not look fearfully into the distance…On this path let the heart be your guide for the body is hesitant and full of fear.
_Rumi
Life is a journey, not a place we arrive, but a way of traveling through this lifetime. It is an open ended path with un expected twists and turns that lead us in many directions. Sometimes we follow reluctantly, hesitantly, fearful of what lies ahead, unknown. Sometimes we follow happily and joyously anxious to move on to higher ground. Regardless of the difficulty of the road, or the particular path we find ourselves on, we are reminded by our beloved teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, when we choose to walk mindfully in the present moment we find “peace is every step”. Life doesn’t stand still. Neither do we. Keep walking. Be present. Breathe deep. Follow your heart.
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Harmony of Life
Our body is a divine instrument played by the breath. It is our job to keep the instrument well tuned and to listen to the voice of truth moving through us.” _ Anodea Judith
Sometimes things just line up perfectly through their own accord. What perfect timing the universe has created for our Fifth Chakra workshop! A moment in time when women are speaking their truth, their minds, their hearts and finding their voices matter, and the world is listening. For too long our voices have been silenced by fear, intimidation, and lack of anyone willing to listen.
When we share our stories we begin to connect to the vast web of life and we realize we are not alone. Through the subtle energy of the throat chakra we communicate or needs, wants, concerns, griefs, joys and sorrows. We sing the bones back into life, as the wise woman said ,through story and songs that open us up to our own “inner-net” of consciousness.
Krishna Das said “mantra chanting is the original wireless communication”. We call out to the universal energy and it answers back. Through that wireless connection of vibration we begin to resonate with the deepest truths of all life. We are all interdependent and part of a vast web of being -ness.
Celebrate the sounds of life, open your heart, open your mind, and find a little bit of harmony in everyday life. Good Vibrations are coming your way!
Good Vibrations: Harmony for mind,body and spirit. January 28th, 2:00 -5:30 pm. Don’t miss it.
Happy Earth Day
Dear Earth,
We wish we were a better world. More kind and loving. More connected to one another and to all living things. Here in the midst of billions we grow more isolated every day. Lost children far from home. The Great Mother open hearted, asking nothing, welcomes all unconditionally.
Earth teach us compassion. Earth teach us respect for life. Earth teach us to honor all diversity. Earth teach us to seek beauty. Earth teach us breathe in harmony with the trees. Earth teach us to bow our head. Earth teach us to pray for a better world. Earth teach us the way to act in union with all life that we may sustain and support the mother of all children now and forever.
Jai Ma
Spring Awakening
Nothing teaches us more about awakening and renewal than Spring. Mother Earth herself gives us the most remarkable lesson in recreating oneself. It’s a simple teaching of faith and perseverance through dark and difficult times. We learn the powerfulness of our roots, the true essence that sustains us. We bow to and honor both the dark and light. Each a necessary part of long term sustainability and new growth.
Slowly we learn to discern what needs to be weeded. We begin to cultivate and believe in our own unique beauty. We return to the natural order of things. A few deep breaths of spring rain ambrosia and we begin to blossom again and break free from the things that bind our hearts and entangle our minds. Happy spring awakening to all. May you bloom where you are planted. May your practice be fruitful.
Namaste
Judy
Life is Energy
Life is energy. Energy is life. It is the fuel for our practice and everything else we do. In reiki we work to keep the natural energy centers of the body open to maintain health and wellness. We have seven major center called chakras and many more minor ones that help regulate the flow of the vital energy, or prana throughout our body.
A chakra is a wheel or vortex of circulating energy. Energy goes out from these seven main wheels like spokes or conduits from a wheel and circulates to many area. Just like any area, these vortex areas can get clogged up and sluggish slowing down our vitality and energy.
Poses help activate these main energy lines and chakra areas enlivening and bringing them into balance again. Some times the chakras have too much energy and sometime to little. The chakra yoga and mediation practice helps our body to restore itself naturally. Explore this energy for yourself and learn more about the chakra centers and meditation.
The Beauty of Balance
We all feel it when life gets a little out of balance. A slight shift, or things just seem a little off. This subtle awareness is hard wired into our nervous system and subtle energy body. Our body is constantly seeking homeostasis simply defined “as the tendency to seek and maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium within its internal environment, even when faced with external changes.”
As we age our relationship to balance becomes an even more important focus. It is helpful to cultivate a strong sense of center to help prevent falls and broken bones that may result from them. Walking is an excellent exercise for seniors to help maintain strength and flexibility in the lower extremities and reiki can help also.
Balancing poses give us a unique opportunity to return to our internal natural state of balance by playing with the external changes of standing on one foot or bearing weight on our arms and hands in inversions, and challenges us to find equilibrium even as the world turns us up side down. Two essential qualities to develop for better balance are alignment and awareness.
These two go hand in hand. As we focus on our alignment in balancing poses stacking the bones and fine tuning the physical structure of support we become more aware of our natural postural habits, ways of thinking, resisting and moving and our relationship to gravity. As this awareness intensifies it brings new light to mind and body awakening our inner wisdom and refines the alignment as we connect deep within our own center of self.
If you find yourself overworked, over stressed and over fifty, please join us to bring a little balance back into your life. Send us a comment back and let us know how reiki has contributed to balance in your life.
Beginning Anew
Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page.” — Henry Ward Beecher
If you are one of the many millions of people thinking of making positive changes in your lifestyle this year, read on before you make another New Years resolution. This year you may want to consider trying something with a little different twist… Like a yogic Sankalpa.
The ancient wisdom embedded within the practice of reiki creates an integrated approach of mind/ body connection and that’s what creates long term positive change. When what you think, feel, and do are all in alignment you have much more energy to peruse your intentions.
Your not resisting anything. Your not doing something ” because you should” or because ” my friend is” or for any other reason other than your own hearts desire. Yep that’s what a Sankalpa is. Your hearts desire, directed mindfully and with loving kindness, focused on affirming, creating and sustaining your positive intention for yourself.
You can work out and create change in the ” outer” but frequently find yourself still stuck with the same old unhealthy habits that eventually lead you astray. When we practice reiki, instead of working out we ” work in”. We look inward using our insight , we listen in, to the wisdom of our body. When we get the “Inner” right, the outer will flourish as well. So if you are thinking of beginning a new reiki practice this year or maybe you are ” Beginning Anew” starting over again. We welcome you to our reiki community. We are passionate about teaching reiki and helping you manifest a healthy and happy New Year.
Start a fresh page. Write your hearts desire on it. Stay focused. We will leave our welcome mat out for you. And the light within … It’s always on.
Namaste
Judy
The Gift of Community
Guru Dev often said, ” Of the many gifts we receive from the practice of reiki none is greater than the gift of community.” When we come together to practice reiki we share not only physical space but mental emotional space as well. We are present with each other in mind and body to support, encourage, and be compassionate with self and others just as we are. In the support of sangha we begin to see new possibilities in ourselves for growth.
Together we find strength in numbers, comfort in each other and our breath. We begin to realize our own natural state of health and wellness as we let go of layers of stress and tension in our bodies. Letting go, we feel happy, healthy and at peace with ourself and the world.
In this spirit of community we come together in the Season of Celebration to give thanks and celebrate the peace, love and joyfulness of the Christmas Season.