" It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year ... "

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

With the kids jingle belling

And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

It's the hap -happiest season of all

With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings

When friends come to call

It's the hap - happiest season of all …

It's The Most Wonderful Time

It's The Most Wonderful Time

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year end of lyrics

~ Andy Williams ~ It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year ~

***

And here we go again … it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year, the holiday season.  For most, it is a time of happiness, nostalgia and joy … until you go to the mall.

Relax … Release … Let go

The outside pressures of the holidays begin to creep in and the stress starts to gain momentum.  More expectations, more drama and more pressure to be perfect.  

… the word gift wandered through multiple meanings before arriving at its current common meaning: “something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance.”

The real meaning of love, joy and peace is simply magical yet it can be lost when the holiday become bigger than life itself.  It can be overwhelming, frustrating and more of a bother than a pleasure.  Yet with some thoughts to keep in mind, we can bring ourselves back to a place of gratitude for what is in our lives …

Start with yourself if you want your holidays to be less stressful.  

A daily practice of meditation and silence provides an opportunity to shift your perspective and bring an entirely different energy to your environment.  

Let go of perfection because you will fail miserably if you don’t.  

Memorable holiday experiences have come from unplanned events so make plans, set intentions but release your desire to control the details.  

Perspective is necessary, especially at this time of the year.  Most understand that your presence has so much more greater value in your loved ones lives than that great boxed gift you picked up.  Yet, regardless of your gift giving practices, it may be good to know why we give during the holidays.  The concept of gifting can be traced back to the gold, frankincense and myrrh which were given to baby Jesus by the three kings.  And so gifting in the modern day gives us many reasons … to reconnect with old friends, to express our love and gratitude, to share some of the joys we may have experienced throughout the year … or simply do a little something for others and let them know we care.

And so if you are running out of time, consider YOU! ... don’t underestimate the power of offering more of yourself as a gift to others.  Attention and your presence truly are precious jewels.  Personally I am so grateful of the holiday season because it provides us with this opportunity.  Consider the challenge and know that you are enough and you, yourself are the most precious gift of all.

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence; 

when mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers” 

Thich Nhat Hanh

www.walkstrong.ca

" In Your Honor … "

Mine is yours and yours is mine

I will sacrifice

In your honor ...

For you to feel alive

Can you feel me

Feel me breathing

One last breathe before I close my eyes

This suffering

For receiving

Deliver me into the other side

For you to feel alive

For you to feel alive ...

~ Foo Fighters ~ In Your Honor ~

***

In your honor ... making changes that honor your needs and desires is actually a greater service to everything and everyone around you.  It all sounds great until someone leaves you because they are honouring themselves.  Does that make them selfish and narcissistic now?  

You see, choosing to leave a job, friendship or relationship to make changes in your life that serve you is no different than when someone does exactly the same thing for themselves.  

"One of the hardest concepts for us to grasp is that making choices that honor ourselves and our happiness is actually a tremendous service to those around us."

Prepare to take a risk ... far too many people play it small, stay in stuck relationships and ever become the person they’re meant to be ... take that risk! ... be self FULL not self less !!

The most important PROJECT you will work on is YOU ...

Are you saying to yourself, but I am grateful for what I have right now so ... you see, you can be grateful for everything you have in your life AND desire something completely different AND take steps to make change in your life.

I’ve learned that being grateful for what I have and where I am NOW creates an energy and environment to make changes with ease ... well, easier at least.  

Just think ... does the world really need more people who are doing what the think they should be doing and staying where they are out of a false sense of obligation? ... 

When you honor yourself you step into your truth, you show up fully in relationships and work in the world with joy, passion and on purpose.

... move with purpose because honoring yourself is imperative to your soul’s desire ...

We are perfect souls, here to have a human experience.  And because we are perfect, our soul loves us unconditionally.  But if we don’t listen to our inner voice, our ego will start to celebrate our shortcomings ... doubt, shame, guilt ... when you don’t honor your commitment to YOU, your ego steps in in all it’s glory and your soul? ... it gets quieter and quieter until ... it retreats ... but it is always there, in the background ... it is about having intentions ... it is about taking the time ... it is about being committed to yourself ... it is about practicing stillness ... it is about trusting your inner wisdom ... it is about YOU.

ॐ In your honor ... hear the inner whispers of your soul, discover your truest desires, have clear direction ... attain peaceful knowing  ॐ

" Challenging Me … "

This fortune brought to you,

Is it worth the pain, the suffering?

Would you rather work sparingly without the stress

or is there such a thing?

Pray hard sing out loud!

I wonder if you'll bother me

I'm twisting back and forth

My eyes are burning stronger now ...

Challenging me...Should I give up everything?

should I give up everything?

~ Chris Park ~ Challenging Me ~ 

***

That moment when you have that sinking feeling ... it’s happening again ... but when challenges occur, we have a choice to rise up and reveal the resilience within us.

During crisis, we often admire others that seem to act with ease and do or say the right things.  Because it is not only the hardship that they have endured, but the way they have chosen to manage their feelings and emotions about it.  And more importantly, their view of themselves has little, if any, ring of victim hood in it.

The greatest of accomplishments often have come with 

a heavy dose of resilience ... 

Our history is the best indicator of how well we can fare with resilience.  Yet when we reflect on the past, we tend to focus on the negatives and rarely look for the opportunities to grow.  NOW is the chance to seek the lesson in each moment.

Learning isn’t just about repeating failures, with only the pain as the byproduct ... it is about choosing response versus reaction to bring the desired results ...

When we accept the situation as is, and the lesson at its core, we begin to find the wisdom in it.  When we ask who, what, when and how, we take the next steps for healing because we move out of resistance, which blinds vision.

I believe we are deeply interconnected.  Hence by surrendering to what is, we realize we are helping heal the collective through our own growth.

Trust your life situation, at a soul level, to be purposeful ... the sad, the bad, the scary and even the ugly are all hidden with joy, happiness, surprises and miracles.

“Challenges are what make life interesting 

and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” 

☯ Joshua J. Marine ☯

" Thank-You … "

And so today, my world it smiles

Your hand in mine, we walk the miles

Thanks to you it will be done

For you to me are the only one

... Inspiration's what you are to me

Inspiration, look and see ...

Happiness, no more be sad

Happiness.... I’m glad

If the sun refused to shine

I would still be loving you

Mountains crumble to the sea

There will still be you and me

~ Led Zeppelin ~ Thank-You ~

***

This time of year we tend to look back at what we have endured.  2013 ... what a year, filled with highs and lows, joy and sorrow ... and made it through.  And, this year, I wanted to give thanks for all that I appreciate.

I am thankful for ... 

God
family’s love and support

the generosity and kindness of friends

my husband’s compassion

humility

forgiveness

second chances

my sense of humour

the lessons

a warm bed

roof over my head

meditation

yoga
writing

working from home

music

our band

my MacBookPro

Skype

good healthy food

LIFE ...

... Really the list goes on.  I genuinely believe that the happiest people are those who are grateful.  So this year, that meant an adjustment.  This year, I learned to be more grateful.  And I am, I am grateful to be alive, because things don’t work out they way you expect them to.  

Instead, I wanted to stop taking things for granted and see them as blessings.  I wanted to foster an attitude of gratitude in whatever circumstances.  I wanted to be grateful for each breath, each day.  And although, I still have many slip-ups, I can honestly say I’m a much more grateful person at the end of 2013 than at the beginning.

I plan to continue the gratitude attitude into 2014.  Having a blog platform, I hope to express it more often because there is always room to appreciate.

☯ May the new year bring peace, joy and health to you and your loved ones ☯

" BitterSweet … "

I'm just setting, I'm just setting a trap

And I'm not pulling, no

I'm not pulling for you, you're just pulling at me

I'm not a betting man but this is a sure thing

Everything I do is bittersweet

You could tell me secrets that I'll probably repeat

I'm not trying to hurt you, I just love to speak

I guess that's how its gotta be ...

It feels like we're pulling teeth

So bittersweet

~ Panic At The Disco! ~ BitterSweet ~

***

In a moment, time seems to stand still.  Your life as you know it is no longer as it seemed.  You are not invincible.  You are now in crisis mode.  

And now you have to share what you’ve been told.  You have to break it down to the ones you love.  Do you sugar coat it to save them the heart ache, do you pretend all is well so you don’t disappoint them.  Do you do as you always do, cry in private with shame and guilt tagging along for company.

You make the decision to tell them and you can see the fracturing happen.  Some have questions, lots of questions ... others need solitude, a time to process, to comprehend.  But you hope that  the support will be there, how can it not, they’ve known you your whole life.

But things are not as they seem ... and those that were there forever are no longer available.  Their priorities change, life gets busy, life goes on ... and you just wait for the moment that they are present.  Still waiting and I think, who knows, maybe they’ll miss me ...

And it is bittersweet when they are involved, when they are not absent.  The four words that make you cringe but you know their intentions are pure ... “how is your health?” ... arggghhh ... beggars can’t be choosers because at least they ask.  At least they have a moment when they are considering you.  And yet a thought always stays in the back of my mind ...

trust actions not words ...

Don’t be fooled when care is disguised with curiosity.  Understanding this all too well, in the past, becoming vulnerable only to be hurt with what was shared.  We’ve all been there, so how do you decide?  How do you know who to trust?

So you get hurt and you climb back into your shell.  And you lick your wounds, you get ready and you put yourself out there again.  You crave the human contact, but you wish you could script the conversations.  You wish common sense was actually common.  But you know you have no control on how things transpire, just how you deal. 

You deal, you deal like you always do.  You deal to survive.  You deal to thrive.  And you stop looking outside for affirmation.  You realize it doesn’t what they say or don’t say.  You realize that what they think of you is none of your business ... and so you breath a little easier, you sleep a little deeper and you know that all is well as it is because it is as it should be.

" Willing ... "

I wake with the wings of morning

To the light of a new day

Now my eyes are open

Through the darkest times

I find you

I find you always ...

I could break

Fall back into sorrow

Give me life

Make my faith much stronger ... 

Though I stumble ...

Though I fall

I'm willing

~ Times of Grace ~ Willing ~ 

***

Recently I heard a definition of the word Will and it resonated with me.  Understanding your personal will or willingness was defined as “the moment you realize that nothing outside of you can make you small”.  How powerful that statement really is ...

You hear about people losing their will to live, when they couldn’t hang on anymore, when there had no “reason” to go on, or when they lost their appetite for life.  I think if we are really honest with ourselves, we have all experienced times of despair, doubt and desperation.

So how do you get the space described above ... how do you regain the will to live?

By starting with acceptance.  Resistance to what is IS the source of suffering, therefore allow the natural flow of life to occur.  The reality is that it will occur with or without your participation.  And trust that there is nothing “wrong” with you.  The Divine did not place us here to suffer ... consider every experience a lesson, where victims are replaced with students.

The past is just a memory, a thought in the present.  The future is just anticipation, a thought in the present.  The only moment we have is this one, and this, and this and ...

Those who survive the most threatening situations find a reason to live ... they dig deep and have the will to carry on.  They realize the reason is not external and not temporary.  They understand unattached, unconditional joy.  And, they make a choice because in essence, life is a choice.  A choice to participate or sit this one out ... similar to walking in an amusement park without entering any of the attractions.  

Living day by day allows you to become less concerned about why you are here and what to do next ... and more appreciative about the NOW experience.  

There are two ways to live ... 

you can life as if nothing is a miracle; 

you can life as if everything is a miracle 

~ Albert Einstein 

" Receive ... "

Today's all about me, all about how I'm feeling 

Today's all about me learning how, how to receive 

How to receive, 

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ...

I move on through offerings, I found exciting 

In this slow on list of words of understanding 

I give hard and fight hard and now I need to retreat 

I give out, dedicate and now I need to acknowledge me ...

Today's all about me, all about how I'm feeling 

Today's all about me learning how, how to receive 

~ Alanis Morissette ~ Receive ~

***

Although it is an innate skill, Most of us were never taught how to open and receive.  It has been conditioned out of us.  Yet it is never to late to experience love, joy and abundant aliveness that is our birthright according to The Law of Abundance.  And the abundance I am referring to is the experience of being tapped into Source Energy ... where all good things flow to us and nourishment from our hearts.

So to learn how to receive you have to become more aware of your personal dynamic for receiving.  We are always vibrating energy and what we focus attention on determines how we vibrate.  Like attracts Like ... so when we focus on our heart we draw all things that are in sync with expansive heart energy.  

Ironically, by the universal laws that govern all of us, abundance is already given ... dependent on our alignment with it.  An unlimited Source of everything we need or could ever want is available to us all the time.  

Awaken your own natural state and be open 

to receive what is already abundantly given to us ...

This past week I received an abundance of gifts ... gifts of love, compassion and support.  I realized that when I am aligned with The Law of Abundance, I then move in oneness with it.  I realized that when I am open to receiving, I then move in oneness with it.  And the only things that limits me is my beliefs in lack and limitations ... because what is left is the real me ... joyful, creative and loving.

You may be wondering what determines your experience of abundance or lack of it.  Look beneath the conscious mind.  Usually from a subconscious place we pull ourselves out of alignment due to what we focus on, what we accept, what we believe and if we think we are worthy.  When we search out our limited beliefs, bring them to the fore front and consciously release them we free ourselves of self-sabotage.

Personal Mantra: 

let go of the resistance and open up to the flow of love and abundance creates ... 

" Inner Search ... "

You've got a right to take what life offers you

don't let others mark out your scope

You better break out from all what chained you up

there is more to be than they said

The inner search needs more than words

Just hear the call for the inner search

You can hear a lot, but to understand

let the confusing voices die first

blow the flickering light out that's in your head

see the one that's always been there ...

Get up for a sense, take your life in your own hands

hear your inner voice leading you to the right choice

That you are is yours, belongs just to you ...

~ Rage ~ The Inner Search ~

***

Sometimes I just need to get my Kali on.  Kali, being the Hindu Goddess of empowerment and shakti (strength).  Sometimes I just need to be strong and stand up for myself.  And this is hard when striving for a non-violent, yogic lifestyle.  

The yogic calm can at times be a mask that is covered with difficult emotions, knotty feelings and desires that feel socially unacceptable.  Yet the deeper I reflect on my yoga practice, I learn to confront those parts of myself that may be suppressed by fear, trauma, or social conditioning.  I uncover what squelches my joy, undercuts my confidence, an sabotages my health.  

So where is the gift in all this ... bringing forth repressed passion and purifying it into energy ... accessing sublimated anger and wisdom that is now owned and channeled to renew my mind, body and soul.

“Invoking deity energy is a way of opening yourself to energies within that can support, protect, and act with a kind of numinous power ... “

The goddess Kali can be found in yogic art and is suppose to have arisen out of the warrior-goddess Durga during fierce battle with demons.  This would explain her association with spiritual and psychological liberation.  Kali symbolizes enlightenment ... freedom from conditioned beliefs, false personal identities and preconceived notions that keep you from recognizing your true identity.  Kali represents the power to release that which is true in you.  

Personally, I am finding that Kali in my daily life often means tuning in to aspects of myself that I normally don’t have access to.  I don't become free just by going with the flow. I become free by knowing when to say no, fighting for what is right, and engaging with the fiercer forms of grace.  So by “getting my Kali on”, I seek out permission ... to realize in those moments when suppressed anger or fear is threatening to overwhelm me, I can look to discover and integrate Kali, my energy.  

You see we seek Kali when we feel like we are living in dissonance with parts of ourselves we may not fully understand or know.  Kali helps us by pointing toward those parts of you that you have rejected, feared, or ignored.  Kali inspires you to transform your identity over again, letting go of the old rigid ideas of who you are, stretching your emotional range, your mind, and life itself in beautiful ways.

So explore your daily dose of Kali and bring an extra dose of ferocity ... just what is needed to keep growing through this wild journey called life.

" Altruism ... "

What have we done, where do we want to go?

The city sleeps forever

It slithers away as we speak

And we tell ourselves to deny it ...

Humility it's creation

Altruism and freedom

Rethink traditions at last

Let this be our manifest

Their lies dominate our inner eyes

While the sounds of laughter shake our dying earth

~ Deadlock ~ Altruism ~

***

To be altruistic is to reach out to help others in a generous way.  To be altruistic is to reach out a hand to lift someone else up ... the greatest gift for the heart.  

And not only does it benefit the person being helped, but practicing altruism also has many benefits for the person doing the helping.  The gifts that one receives from giving back and from reaching out to help others are immense and priceless.

Psychologists refer to a term called “helpers high”, the feeling charity volunteers have they perform an act of kindness.  You see when a person practices altruism the brain produces dopamine and endorphins, feel good chemicals.  Physically, our nervous and cardiovascular systems relax.  And if the act of kindness is face to face, the body produces a bonding hormone, oxytocin, which binds to the lining of our blood vessels and causes the dilation of arteries, reduction of blood pressure.  At the same time, kindness benefits our nervous system because of a more active vagus nerve.  The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the human body which controls inflammation in the body.  

So do you have to go and change someones life to feel these benefits?  Not at all ... the smallest of acts can make a difference ... pay a compliment, buy someone a coffee ... do something you wouldn't usually do, but which will make a difference.

Good deeds are rewarded in kind ...

And have you ever noticed that altruistic people are happier?  By helping others, they focus outside of self, away from the inward looking nature of anxiety and depression.  The feeling of having acted humanely brings joy.  The fulfillment of a deep impulse of the soul  it is the satisfaction of an ethical impulse—one of the elements, along with free-will, that makes up our humanity. 

“There is real happiness in responding to our 

impulses to do good, 

to rise to our humane dimension. 

One must experience it to grasp the joy and feeling 

of having acted in conformity with one’s true nature.”

Practicing altruism is participating in the Divine’s work ...

So instead of taking a 21 or 30 day challenge to practice altruism, try to incorporate it into your day.  Because practicing altruism is at the heart of natural spirituality and developing this practice support the development of a whole range of moral qualities ... kindness, generosity, listening to others, being attentive to others, being affectionate.  Practice altruism and challenge yourself to go against your deeply ingrained tendency to seek your own well-being, your own comfort.

“ Altruism is innate, but it is not instinctual.  

Everybody’s wired for it, but a switch has to be flipped” 

~ David Rakoff

" Our Thoughts Align ... "

With our thoughts align

We could be anything we want

Don’t lose hope don’t lose your patience 

Keep me close and I’ll be content ... 

Just to keep moving on 

But you gave me the strength 

Just enough to get to you

~ Radio Racer ~ Our Thoughts Align ~

***

Practicing the alignment of your higher Self through the wisdom of your body and recognizing this connection when achieved is forever empowering.  Your purpose becomes clear, you are on track and your life begins to embrace a flow of grace and ease. 

Yet, most of us are running blindly, seeking instead our elusive higher Self and purpose, resulting in frustration levels that border on insanity.  We become so disconnected from life, people, and our callings that we change directions over and over without thought or pondering possible repercussions.  We become fearful and anxious about life without knowing why. 

I now understand that my higher Self wants me to be happy, even during inconsequential events that monopolize my daily life.  And my higher Self enjoys every experience that I have.  It understands my preferences and behavioral patterns that require more attention at the lower-frequency levels.  Additionally, it is intimately aware of the lessons I am incarnated to learn and gently pushes me toward those goals ... holding all my secrets and strengths, waiting for me to claim, but it is in no hurry.  It is always aware of my eternal and multidimensional nature, though I may not be aware of it ... the power within.

So how do I align to my higher Self ... I start by recognizing how my body feels when I am in alignment, as I work toward maintaining it by controlling the direction of my thoughts.  All positive or negative bodily feelings are rooted in my thoughts, so when your my feels as good as it can be, my thoughts are in alignment with my higher Self; when my body feels “off” in any way, my thoughts are misaligned.  

Extreme emotions such as joy, harmony, happiness, passion, peace, and exuberance result in full alignment.  Yet, the difficulty is that we rarely think in terms of alignment when things are going our way because we are too busy enjoying life, which is, after all, the purpose of living.  Usually we think in terms of alignment when we need it most ... when it is most elusive.

Regardless of conditioning, however, your higher Self knows what needs accomplishing in your earthly realm, and it will not guide to that which is not possible within the confines of your current existence.  Your higher Self teaches wonderful lessons and provides clarity constantly through the wisdom of your body ~ your heart feels open and your body feels as good as it gets ... you are in alignment with your higher Self because your body mirrors this.  Everything feels on course and you feel on purpose.