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. The Reality of Suffering by Stephanie
Last week I wrote about being in control. I talked about taking more responsibility for what we can control (our actions/behavior) and not worrying so much about the thoughts and emotions that arise, which are beyond our control. What are you noticing? This week I write about the reality of suffering. Why suffering? Suffering is one of our greatest teachers. Much of our suffering comes from living in fear / wanting to control. More suffering happens as we continue to resist what is. This topic is broad. I will try and keep it simple by asking you to consider 2 questions over the next week as you live your daily life. Remember, living life is a practice and can be the most powerful portal for spiritual awakening, growth ...and freedom. 1. Is this suffering I am experiencing self made? 2. Is this suffering I am experiencing part of life? How will you know? For question #1, self made suffering is a result of our thoughts and emotions and the inner narrative/story we replay over and over. Thoughts feeds emotion and emotion feeds thought and before we know it, this cycle of suffering becomes a way of life. This inner narrative, often a part of our dysfunctional mental conditioning over years, keeps us regretting the past and worried about the future. The result? We remain stuck in the present, which is in direct opposition to "how life works" and quite frankly why we were born. Life only takes place in the present. Life itself requires us to keep moving. We can choose to move, or life will move us on its own terms. Please note: I am not saying to discard the lessons of the past. Nor am I saying to leave the future open to some woo woo practice of intention setting without action. What I am saying...is what I always say...take responsibility for your life. Your choices. Where you are. Where you want to go. And by all means, take small daily actions to move you along. For question #2, part of life's inevitable suffering is the pain we feel from loss of a loved one, an illness, tragedy, etc. If this writing resonates, perhaps you will keep a journal and at the end of each day, spend a few minutes reflecting the 2 questions. I am with you my friends. Namaste, Stephanie Nourishment For Body Mind Spirit
We've heard it said we teach/offer/share what we most need to learn. It's no coincidence that here at the Sanctuary Our Purpose is to guide and support one another further along on their personal journey. Our Mission is to provide the space for all beings to thrive. Why? Because all of us on Team BWS need it too. By serving others, we help ourselves in the process. Magical blessing. The services, workshops, writing, recipes...opportunities we offer are to help you nourish - and in the process connect with- body mind spirit. Body offerings include: massage, facials, energy healing and the occasional yummy recipe from Steph's kitchen like this protein smoothie here. Mind offerings include meditation and yes, yoga therapy. Spirit offerings include all of the above...plus events like the Love Meditation happening next week. What will you choose? Whatever you decide, choose YOU. Looking to give someone you love the Gift of Stress Relief?
Give a Gift Certificate for a Learn to Meditate Session. Looking to give even more bliss? Give a Gift Certificate for a 3 Part Meditation Series. Benefits of meditation are many including: managing stress, anxiety, and PTSD while helping to cultivate a deeper sense of inner peace and well-being. Benefits increase over time with practice. Here's what Elisa had to say about her meditation experience with Stephanie: "Thank you for giving me such a wonderful gift on Saturday. The meditation session and your words have been with me since. I'm making more of an effort to sow seeds daily and continue to acknowledge and appreciate my self worth. For starters, I wrote a Joy List to remind myself of things I do or would like to do that make me happy. The last several years has been emotionally taxing for me and I have lost sight of who I am. After your session, I'm trying to look at things as "opportunities" rather than obstacles. Again, thank you." Purchase instant on-line gift certificates here and choose from custom templates to print or email… Or, if you prefer to stop in to purchase, we'll gladly package it for you… and you can combine it with one of our specialty items! OM. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a disorder which causes disabling anxiety after a traumatic event – or series of events – such as being in combat, a car accident, or childhood abuse. This high level of anxiety can lead to associated problems like panic attacks, insomnia, depression, hypertension, alcoholism and substance abuse. Awareness and acceptance of trauma-related flashbacks, intrusive thoughts and overwhelming feelings may be especially helpful for individuals with PTSD, as it may lessen the need to avoid situations and interactions as well as foster the ability to regulate emotions. Relaxation techniques such as Yoga and Meditation can be used to combat these negative emotional states and can lead to greater mindfulness and acceptance of potentially distressing triggers. Both yoga and meditation been shown to have significant healing benefits, enabling PTSD sufferers to find a safe, quiet peace within themselves from which they can deeply relax and begin to sort out troubling experiences and visions.Increasingly, yoga and meditation are being seen as a critical addition to other forms of therapy and as an important alternative or complement to antidepressant drugs. These aren’t simply feel-good sessions: meditation and yoga literally help create new muscle memory, actually rewiring the brain to enable people to process and recover from stress. This brain “rewiring” is what neuroscientists recognize as the potential for patients with PTSD to increase their ability to experience disturbing images and memories without reacting in an emotionally negative way. Recovery from PTSD can take time, but by adding these relaxation techniques, the brain can continue the healing process in a state of calm. |
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