towards a mindful way of life

I am not planning what to post on my blog today. I am in the present moment and will allow whatever emerges, to emerge. Towards a mindful way of life. This is not a goal. It is a journey. Willingness of heart to dwell in the present moment. Open to awareness, rather than closed and concluded. Not stating how things are but experiencing how things are. Observing my unfolding and emerging thoughts and responses to now. I am becoming aware that my shoulder hurts. I move my laptop onto my lap. The clock is ticking. I am unphased by the passing of time because I dwell in the now. No longer wishing to be in a different time or space. Being fully present and alive, now. No longer thinking, "I will be happy when..." Compassionately being with myself and my surroundings. My heart is so thankful. My cup runneth over. I feast on the visual spread before me. I am content. If you are distressed or stressed, join me on this journey. Peace to your soul. Sandy

emotional sustainability

Hello to who-ever is out there reading this. This is another 'message in a bottle' cast from the shores of New Zealand, deep in the South Pacific. Here are some ideas that I have been thinking about for those of you that are feeling emotionally depleted. Life can be challenging and sometimes our circumstances make us feel stuck, depleted, tired. When we find ourselves in that state it can be very difficult to follow our dreams and to feel hope for the future. What we do in this circumstance has the power to escalate or de-escalate this state. I have been listening to some rather old Tony Robbins CDs. Here is a very simple suggestion that he makes to start with. Change your posture, your facial expression, your breathing, your movements. 1. Stand up tall right now and look upwards towards the ceiling. 2. Smile widely. 3. Breathe fully and deeply. 4. Do some sudden and emphatic movements with your body e. g. clapping. (maybe shout). Try this and you will find that it is almost impossible to feel low. Your facial muscles and body are sending you a new message. What was your level of hope before you did this exercise and what is it now. Wow. What an amazing simple exercise...and how immediately effective! I wouldn't have believed it. Those CDs looked so unappealing to me in terms of my preferred culture. I am humbled by some of the content. This is not merely pop-psychology. In my next blog I will talk about the mindful approach to living that leads to emotional sustainability. See you then! Let me know what happens if you do the above exercise several times during your day! Peace to your heart. Sandy

The wisdom of trees

Standing still Drawing from the depths Reaching expansively with wide arms Providing shelter Celebrating the sap of life Drinking deeply of ancient wisdom Obeying the call of seasons and the DNA message To become.