How You Doin'?

Photo by: Annie Spratt @anniespratt

What is real? Sometimes life feels surreal which can be hard to differentiate from what is happening in real time to what we are emotionally experiencing. (This is especially true when we are living alongside that dirty bitchass named grief. That’s a post for a different week.) This human experience is as complex as it is simple in that there’s a beginning and an end, yet there are so many twists and turns with many lessons to learn. All for what? What is real when we each have our own perspective or different version of the same story? Perception plus instincts plus logic is a dynamic mixture created from early childhood experiences. Was that just mental and emotional math? Ew. That’s kind of what it seems like. So HOW we choose to live our lives is what makes us real in this surreal and confusing, yet finite existence. What we do to care for ourselves, the work we do and our financial fitness are what we are responsible for managing. It’s way too easy to get wrapped up in what we have to output everyday when it comes to the expectations others have on us. It’s essential to evaluate our life’s balance sheet often.

Here is a checklist reminder for simple actions to be aware of each day:

Self-care

  • Nutrition - eat at least some whole natural food from the earth

  • Exercise - can be subtle stretches throughout the day

  • Meditation - in the form of sitting quietly for 3-5 minutes with one word to repeat mentally

  • Hygiene - take a longer than normal shower and maybe light a candle and play some classical music if its not raining outside

Work

  • Balance the ratio of your output to input energy by practicing saying no politely to give yourself more “me” time.

  • Shift the thought of exchange time for currency to offering energy for infinite abundant energy.

  • Do some work that you love on the side or volunteer using your natural gifts to have a positive energy exchange for a passion project or cause.

Financial Fitness

  • Where are you directing your dollars? Each dollar works for you, but your job is to tell them what to do for you and when.

  • Look directly at your Income, Debts, Assets and Investments. It may hurt at first, however taking an honest look at your financial state will put you in charge of what you do next.

    • Check your credit report

    • Add the total debts owed and divide that number by 12 which will provide some perspective on how much you’d have to pay per month to pay off all of your debts. Now take the debt total and divide it by 365 and you will see how much money you’d have to earn per day (weekends included) to pay off the debts in one year. This is just an exercise to put the numbers into persepective in order to create a realistic debt freedom date. Choose the best pay off strategy based on your income and fixed expenses each month.

    • Be sure to save some money while paying down debts and donating to causes that you’re passionate about. Giving any amount of money you can even when you’re in a tough financial situation is key to trusting yourself, the energetic forcefield we live in it and ensures you will receive what you need in this life when you need it.

Bonus: On a piece of paper write the number 8 or 888, fold it up and place it in your wallet. 8 is the number of infinity and abundance.

Winter Solstice

The shortest day and longest night of the year was believed to be the sun’s “rebirth,” on the following morning. The Northern Hemisphere experiences winter while the Southern Hemisphere moves into summer. The earth and its cyclical changes impact human life both positively and negatively. The darkness induces depression for some people while the colder temperatures invigorate others. To create a bit of winter balance, here is a guided meditation to inspire a sense of “rebirth” in your life. Below the image is a link to an upcoming meditation set for December 17th, 2021 so be sure to set a reminder.

This is a great time to set simple yet achievable goals starting before the new year as we all know how well that works. These mini goals will serve as a distraction or a tour guide around emotional black holes. For anyone who thrives in the winter season, this meditation will provide validation and encouragement to keep going. There are thirteen days until the winter solstice on December 21st so start mentally preparing a self-care and mental health practice. These meditations are a great way to get started. How can you nurture yourself and what can you do to transition into a new and sometimes challenging season?

Photo by: Denys Nevozhai @dnevozhai

Creating Alignment

Photo by: Susanna Marsiglia @sushimi

Creating alignment within the mind, body and home takes practice. Alignment is in constant movement, wherever your focus is, everything else in your environment shifts in that direction.

Alignment in the mind happens during meditation or when you stop a negative thought with a pivoting counter thought. Alignment in a literal sense for the body affects posture and organs while also reflecting your state of mind. If you’re depressed and slouched then your spine is curved and your organs are compressed. Standing straight with an imaginary string pulling from the top of your head, chin parallel to the floor, pelvis slightly tucked and weight evenly distributed on the feet will create automatic shifts in mood and joint pressure. Alignment in the home is effected by the placement of furniture and the arrangement of your favorite items that bring a sense of comfort mixed with safety. Now would be an appropriate time to take a deep breath, say your favorite mantra (use Sat Nam if you if your mind just went blank) correct your posture and walk around your home tidying up and adjusting items until they feel refreshed. Doing these three things are the mental and physical acts of creating alignment. Anytime you feel off, repeat these steps…oh and drink water too.

Here is a meditation for alignment

Meditations for Creativity

Photo by: Tim Mossholder @timmossholder

Photo by: Tim Mossholder @timmossholder

Tap into your inner creative self with these guided meditations below. You have creativity no matter how much you doubt, resist or believe that it has abandoned you. It lives within every living being. Creativity is not limited to the arts, it is ingrained in our daily negotiations, navigation, planning and survival. Creativity can be cultivated and enhance the strengths you’re aware of and use in your professional life. Becoming aware of your creativity through meditation or creative exercises will not instantly turn you into a hippy dippy, pachouli smelling, tree hugging, cannabis smoking, tie-dye wearing, free-loving, Vdub bus driving…you get the idea. Although, some of those things aren’t so bad. Haa Just relax and enjoy these creativity meditations and share them with anyone that may benefit from them.

15 minute Creativity Meditation by Mindful Movement

9 hour Sleep Meditation for Unleashing Creativity by Mindful Movement

Autumn Meditation

Crisp fall air cleanses the lungs and forces us to acknowledge the shift in seasons. As we pull out the cozy sweaters and warm up apple cider, it’s only natural to reflect upon the past nine months of the year. This transition into the fourth quarter of the year provides us with an opportunity to make any adjustments needed to goals or plans. The key is to not get discouraged if the goals have taken a detour or broke down months ago. Evaluate where you are and decide what makes sense for you now and make a short term plan to close out the year with a sense of accomplishment.

Here are a few Autumn mediations to get the most out of a fresh new season!

Autumn Equinox Meditation by Great Meditation

Autumn Equinox Guided Meditation by Mystical Art