 Upcoming Workshop:
Cultivating Presence In Everyday Life with Stephanie Filardi Saturday, December 7, 2019, 3:00pm-5:00pm Tovami Yoga, Mamaroneck, NY What does it mean to live a life of presence? How can we use the tools we learn on the mat in yoga and meditation and apply them to everyday life to help us navigate challenging times and live according to our values? In this workshop based upon the teachings of Swami Kripalu and Eckhart Tolle, Stephanie will guide you through movement and experiential practices to help you anchor yourself in what it means to live a life of presence. We will have group discussion to connect and share as well as reflective writing exercises so you come away with tools to apply immediately in your life. Cost: $45. Register Here.
0 Comments
 On Meditation
What is it? How can it help us? Why bother committing to it? In this Mind the Gap Podcast Episode Stephanie discusses the 3 myths of meditation and why having a consistent practice is transformational and life changing. She also gives an example of how to use meditation as a tool to turn negative / destructive thoughts into positive / empowering ones. Let's Go! Listen Here. Meditation, Magic & Miracles - Monthly Gathering with Stephanie
Tuesdays: 11/12, 12/10 at 7:00-8:00PM @Bronxville Wellness Sanctuary Cost: $30 Join Stephanie to connect, reset your energy body, and energize your intentions as we close out the year. She will lead a group meditation and energy healing session - helping you release the heavy/negative/dark energy so you have space for light/positive/clear energy to thrive. Come away refreshed and ready to enjoy the blessings and bounty of the season. Create the foundation you want for 2020. RSVP Required: Sign Up Here.  Presence Practice by Stephanie
In times we feel emotionally unbalanced, stressed, lacking focus, energy etc.....having a presence practice helps return us to balance. As I talk about in Chapter Two of my book Reclaiming JOY, the emotional roller coaster is not sustainable and keeps us stuck. We react and often cause more turmoil. This simple presence practice, called BRFWA, (we love and use often at the Sanctuary) brings us back to a relaxed state where our emotions are in balance. From this place of emotional balance or equanimity, we are able to ride the emotional wave without drowning in it / losing ourselves for too long. In equanimity we find our way back to peace and clarity and perhaps even a chuckle. Once clear, we are able to take clear, focused action that keeps us on the path of peace as we move toward our goals. Let's go! BRFWA Explained (Give yourself at least 5 minutes to experience this). Breathe: As a wave of emotion comes over you, slow down your breath. Allow your breath to flow freely in and out. Relax: As you slow down your breath, your mind and body will begin to relax. Soften your muscles, let go of mental and physical tension. Feel: As you relax, you are able to soften into what you are feeling. Stay open to the sensations and emotions moving through you in this moment. Watch: While feeling, you watch your experience closely, neither grasping what is pleasant nor pushing away what is painful. Allow: As you watch, you allow the process to unfold. You accept yourself and your experience exactly as it is, dropping the need to change it in any way. BRWFA is the practice of being present. Being present is what we learn during meditation. Namaste, Stephanie  Summer Self Care by Stephanie
“What you do for yourself-any gesture of kindness, any gesture of gentleness, any gesture of honesty and clear seeing toward yourself-will affect how you experience your world.” -Pema Chodron Nourish Body, Mind & Spirit Summer is the perfect time to slow down and notice where you need to be "fed", aka, practice self care. Nobody can do this for us. And if we don't do this for ourselves, we risk becoming resentful, contracted, and unhappy! We must feed ourselves in order to feed others. As I spoke about last week, we are in charge of our own happiness and this includes on going self care. Give yourself permission to do what makes you feel good. You're worth it. Top 5 Picks to Nourish Body, Mind & Spirit: Massage - From therapeutic and deep tissue massage to relaxing massage, it's one of the oldest healing modalities. Massage can relax muscles, soothe aches and pains, release energy blockages, rejuvenate body, mind and spirit. Yoga - Yoga promotes inner and outer health & well-being. In addition to improving physical health: flexibility, strength, balance, pain management, yoga is a powerful tool in personal transformation. Yoga has been shown to decrease stress, helping with anxiety and PTSD, while improving our mood and outlook on life. Meditation- We get 2 choices: medicate or meditate. From managing stress, anxiety, and PTSD to cultivating a deeper sense of inner peace and well-being, meditation can help. Energy Healing - Chakra Balancing is an energetic healing technique that works holistically on the body, mind and spirit from the inside out. Major systems of the body are restored with life-force energy to promote body's natural ability to heal. Chakras will be cleared and re-balanced so you feel lighter and empowered. Reading List - Self-enrichment is one of the keys to growth. Our top 5: -Untethered Soul by Michael Singer -- We are all trying to be okay. Guess what? You already are! -Reclaiming Joy by Stephanie Filardi -- 4 Steps, when applied, to live happy, healthy, free. -A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle -- Awakening to your life's purpose and then some! -A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson -- Love is a potent force and the key to peace...in relationships, work, life... -Women, Food & God by Geneen Roth -- How we eat teaches us volumes about our life. Time to stop the battle with food and deeply listen.  Your Happiness by Stephanie
"The greatest adventure you can have is to live the life of your dreams." - Oprah Who's in charge of your happiness? You are! Why do I say this? Some of you know over the last 6 months I've been part of Eckhart Tolle's School of Awakening with my intention to intensify presence and live my highest purpose. Learning myself in order to teach others. So, why am I writing about happiness? Well, one of the greatest lessons I've learned over the past 6 months is that life isn't here to make us happy. It's here to make us awaken. What does that mean? If happiness is our goal, we will often find ourselves unhappy. As we know, life gives us challenges. One minute all is well...the next minute not so much. And our emotional state takes the hit each time. When things are going well, we attach. When things aren't going so well, we detach. Hence the practices of non-attachment we speak of in yoga, shamanism, meditation and other spiritual paths to help us stay in balance. What I have learned, continue to practice, and want to share is that when our focus is on "awakening", meaning-- waking up to who we are, what we want, and why we are here...a funny thing happens. We actually end up experiencing more more happiness!!! Why? Because we learn how to live a meaningful life, a life that is aligned with what matters most to us, not someone else or some ideal. Quite simply, we start to do (meaning we take action!) on the things that make us "happy" on the inside..things that bring us joy, peace, love. How each of us defines a "meaningful" life varies across time, space, personality, etc. As an example, have you ever known a person who is living their life to the fullest by doing only the things that bring them joy? Maybe these people irritate you? It seems so selfish of them!!! Ahhh... or not. Maybe taking care of our own needs is the greatest act of self love we can experience. Because when we love ourselves, we are able to love others. So, while we may have moments of happy/unhappy in our life as challenges arise, when we fully commit to awakening, we are clear on our purpose even when the path is uncertain. We gain tools to weather the storms. In the end, we realize it's our choice to be happy and live the life of our dreams...or not. I support you! Namaste, Stephanie  "The stream of thinking has enormous momentum that can easily drag you along with it. Every thought pretends that it matters so much. It wants to draw your attention completely." -Eckhart Tolle
Last week I spoke about how often we get caught in the false belief that shift happens outside of us. What you are noticing? This week my writing is intended to help you navigate the shift by practicing presence. What is presence and why is it important? Presence is simply being here now. Presence is giving your attention to whatever task you are engaged in at the moment. Meaning, if you are in conversation, you are focusing your attention on that. You are not talking and simultaneously thinking about past/future/your response. Presence is important because it keeps our energy unified and opens the doorway to inner stillness and ultimately empowered action. Think about it. Aren't you better able to respond when you are paying attention? If someone is speaking to you and your mind is wandering, will you give your best answer? Probably not. How do you practice presence? Like anything else you want to improve on, you must practice :) Anything that helps you be here now, with your attention focused on what you are "doing" is a practice. Meditation is one of my favorites because it teaches how to discipline the mind. When you are able to discipline your mind, you can shift your attention away from constant thought, especially those that cause more suffering. In meditation you bring awareness back to your breath or another "mantra". Over time, you experience gap between thoughts or periods of no thinking. In this space, you access stillness/hear your inner voice. Insights and choices arise that were once blocked when caught in endless thought. So, practice being quiet, being still, and allow more space to emerge in your life. Examples: Meditate, walk in the woods in silence, sit and listen to the birds, give yourself time in between tasks on your to-do list and if your to-do list is never ending, reduce it. Get creative. Disconnect from the phone/TV while you eat. Taste your food. Allow space to emerge. You don't have to go on a silent retreat for 10 days to learn how to be present. You can do it in your daily life with anything your are doing. In fact, it's quite fun being around people and practicing staying present instead of getting lost in thought/emotion of situation. See if you can simply be the witness... Have fun! Namaste, Stephanie  In this video, Stephanie explains metta meditation. Today, set aside at least 15 minutes to practice metta, or loving-kindness, meditation. Metta meditation is a practice that combines the serenity of meditation with the good feeling you get from giving. The practice of metta meditation starts with taking some deep breaths to get calm and centered. Then turn your attention inward while repeating the following mantras: May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease. Now think of someone in your life who you want to send some good intentions to and repeat these mantras: May you be happy. May you be well. May you be safe. May you be peaceful and at ease. Connect to the feelings of goodwill that arise and use them to focus your mantras and meditation.  Mini Meditation Video with Stephanie Take 5–10 minutes out of your day to practice some deep breathing. You don’t have to choose any particular meditation practice. You can go for a short uninterrupted walk, sit in a quiet place, or simply focus on a candle flame. The point of this exercise is to still your mind, release the tension from the day, and focus on the present moment. This practice, done even for just a few minutes a day, can help slow down your mind, allowing you to better manage your thoughts and decisions.  Sale 20% OFF - Friends and Family Week
Monday, April 22, 2019 – Sunday, April 28, 2019 Enjoy our Friends and Family Week and Save 20% off any 45 minute or longer* service!!! Pamper yourself! Try something new! Do more of what you love at a discount! Usually come for a massage? Try a facial! Curious about energy healing? Try a shamanic session! Feel more stress than usual? Try a yoga or meditation session. Spots will go fast - Call now to reserve your spot: 914.337.9356 *Kindly note: Offer excludes 30 minute services, waxing, already discounted items and gift certificate sales. Spa week gift certificates will not be accepted during this special offer. |
AuthorArchives
October 2019
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
|
Site Powered by CoulterWebPros.com
|
|