 25 years of meditation and as I have said countless times before, it's the single practice that will change your life.
For this reason it is the ONE practice I do daily. Meditation sets the foundation for everything else. Everything. From improved sleep to mental clarity, stress reduction, and peace, meditation is a PORTAL to all of it. Perhaps one of my favorite benefits of meditation is the way it allows me to access universal intelligence and create my experience. Looking to learn more? >>>Continue Reading  Stephanie (on right) in post massage bliss after a 90 Minute BWS signature massage with Mercedes. "Transformation is through the body, not away from it. This is why no true master has ever advocating fighting or leaving the body, although their mind-based followers often have." -Eckhart Tolle
Previously I have written about the difference between knowledge and knowing. I shared my experience with Eckhart Tolle and how the only true way to "know" something, is to experience it. What are you noticing...knowing? This week I encourage you to become curious about what and how your physical body is trying to communicate with you. Our physical body is a portal to what is really happening deep within. By deep within I mean beyond the mind and it's thoughts/story/narrative. For example, ever notice how physical pain causes us to "do" something when it no longer becomes tolerable? The moment we feel "we have had enough of feeling sick/tired/achy/lonely" (i.e.: suffering) we can decide it's time to make a change. Time for transformation!!! Perhaps we decide to become conscious of our food habits and choose to eat better. Or, maybe it's time to lace up those sneakers and exercise. For some it's time to ease up on the physical body and get a massage or finally try yoga, etc. And still for others there's a sense of the inner body that feels "off". Anxious, afraid, alone...endless cycle of emotional up and down. Why does connecting with the body matter? From a practical sense, we need it in order to live so why not take care of it the best we can? On a deeper level, the physical body is a powerful doorway to access wisdom and therefore transformation. Can't change what you don't know/want to know :) Perhaps most importantly, the body is the vehicle we have been gifted with to transmit the song of our soul. While some wisdom traditions may teach denying the body and/or ignoring the body, in my experience, it is the exact opposite. We must pay attention, listen, learn, respect, and celebrate the body. Then we must apply these lessons in the form of action. How do we access the physical body, in a deeper sense? It varies. One thread runs through all of it and that is the practice of presence...awareness. A.K.A - paying attention. Some of us pay attention quite naturally and either choose to take action or not. Doing nothing is also a choice :) Others of us engage in movement practices - yoga/running/walking outside/dance... to help us get in touch/feel the inner body. And still others rely on meditation, massage, energy healing, and soul work to assist in bringing us into deeper awareness. There's no right or wrong way. And the "way" may change over time as you change. Nothing is permanent in this world of form. Ha! As I say-- the only "wrong" way to meditate is simply to not do it all. And so it is with life and dealing with change. We will either consciously choose to listen to our body or not. Regardless, life / transformation happens anyway. We can embrace it (peaceful path) or fight it (suffering path). I don't know about you. I rather the peaceful path. Namaste, Stephanie  We are made of time and energy.
Who cares? Well...time is the only commodity we don't get back. And...energy is our #1 asset. Creating and committing to healthy habits helps us manage our energy and speeds up the time it takes to manifest our burning desires! Healthy habits help us stay the course. When I reflect on my life, I have 3 long standing habits that I attribute to my life getting better and better every year. 25 years ago, in 2000, I started my transcendental meditation practice. 22 years ago, in 2003, I started my supplementation and nutrition program. 16 years ago, in 2009, I started my Bikram Yoga practice. These habits are the foundation for my healthy body, mind, and spirit. Instead of making excuses, we can invest in habits. What are yours? Do you need to drop some? Add some? In this podcast episode I share more of my favorite habits for body, mind, and, spirit & give examples of how and why healthy habits are essential for bringing forth your burning desire. You deserve to live the life you desire. Believe it. See it. Feel it. Act on it. >>>Listen Here  Lately I have been reminded about the difference between mental concepts/thoughts (knowledge) and experience (knowing)...
Several years ago I had the incredible experience of embarking on a 6 month advanced training with Eckhart Tolle in California. Eckhart is author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Power of Now (translated into 33 languages) and the highly acclaimed follow-up A New Earth, which are widely regarded as two of the most influential spiritual books of our time. While I have devoured many of his books and teachings over the years...filling my mind with mental concepts / thoughts to understand what is required to live a life of presence and purpose... this was the first time I was in his physical presence. WOW. Words are not sufficient to describe the experience. Life changing. Special. Humbling. Vast. Joyful. Peaceful. To name a few. Yes, Eckhart re-iterated mental concepts and I gained "knowledge" We experienced lovely meditation, discussion, reflection, and group work. However, what impacted me the most, was the experience of simply being in his presence. No amount of knowledge, information, or mental concepts would come close to being in the experience. In essence, what I experienced with Eckhart and my classmates was a "knowing". I actually felt his teachings, came to "know" them in my being, rather than in my head. The concepts/knowledge morphed into experience/knowing. This leads to what I want to share about meditation or any other endeavor that helps you awaken to life. Over the years while teaching meditation there's tendency for people to want to have lots of knowledge and information about what meditation is, how we do it, are we doing it right, etc., etc. Lots of thoughts! Our brain thirsts for endless knowledge and information in order to commit/believe. Our conditioned mind is so trapped in the doing of life, unless we know meditation is "doing something", we don't even give it a chance. We quit before we even show up. The paradox is-- in meditation, we aren't "doing" anything. To take it a step further, we are actually un-learning and emptying the mind of information and knowledge. And so.... Similar to my experience with Eckhart, I can explain to someone conceptually (i.e. imparting knowledge) what meditation is, the benefits, etc. Basically giving enough information to help the conceptual mind "understand" and perhaps be convinced that it's worthwhile...because the mind values "information" and knowledge over "experience" or knowing. And this is what we must unlearn if we are to awaken. However, anything I tell you conceptually is very surface level, appealing to the surface "I". So while knowledge is valuable-- because yes-- the mind wants it and won't quiet down until it gets it... I have this conversation often when people ask me about energy healing and Soul Realignment® sessions. The only true way to "know" something, is to experience it. When we know something, we connect with the deeper "I" and have a connection beyond concepts. Words become insufficient. Are you following me? If you are thinking about trying something, stop. The mind is addicted to thoughts. Instead, try something. Take action. Feel it. Experience it. Get to know it. Unless you experience meditation, it will be a concept. Unless you taste honey, it will be a concept. Unless you walk the beach in CA, it will be a concept. As in meditation, as in life. We must unlearn that knowledge is more valuable than knowing. When we are cut off from knowing, we are cut off from ourselves...and life itself. For 2 decades I've been a meditation nerd. Everyone who has met me knows meditation the foundation for my well being.
Meditation is the ONE practice I encourage people to commit to, daily. Why? Meditation is the starting point for everything else. I had the great fortune of coming across the 13 minute video below. I believe it is one of the most brilliant explanations about the power of the mind that I have ever heard. I hope you will take the time to listen, share, and commit to daily meditation if you haven't already. There's no better time than NOW. Now is all we have anyway. >>>WATCH NOW |
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