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Getting on the right side of the fence with meditation…

Feb9

grass greenier copy (1)You know the phrase “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.”  The other day the phrase resonated with me as a went into my meditation.

As I try to encourage my friends to take up mediation, many don’t understand how I can sit there in silence and deal with all the thoughts.  I try to explain to them that you try to teach yourself to acknowledge the thoughts, but not get caught up in in them.  They just shake their heads in wonder because they have generally tried it and gave up after a few minutes.

So, last week as I was meditating, I realized that the area of concentration was separated by my inner and outer focus.   The inner focus is what I strive for and the outer is where we live the majority of the time.  And then, I realized that the shift of focus was separated by my skull.  It’s like that dense bone was my fence.   Before I got into my meditation zone, I could feel my focus outside of my body.  My thoughts were jumbled and I could easily veer off and follow the stories going on in my mind.   I was aware of the lights and they seemed bright even though my eyes are closed.  It’s like I was at my neighbors house for a Christmas party having to mingle and socialize with the entire block of neighbors.  And some I did not really know, so it required a lot of thought.  It was exhausting and I struggled to chill!  To get into my meditation, I noticed I concentrated my focus with an inward shift and got behind the skull (my fence).   It was like being back in my house snuggled in my bed with a good book and hot tea.  The light was gone; it was dark.  I focused on the area behind my eyes (my third eye).  Sometimes while meditating, I just notice a shift in light. Other times, I will see changes in color, but because it’s so dark it varies between deep purple and black.  If I am in a good mediation zone, I can often see a swirling type of energy which is relaxing to focus on.  I still have to focus on that energy or my thoughts will easily switch to an outer focus.   If I feel that I am drifting out of the focus and starting to follow a thought, I begin repeating a mantra (“so hum” is my go to) or focus on my breath.

So, in the case of meditation, the grass is not greener on the other side (there’s no color), but it is tastier to the soul.  You just have to train yourself to find your grass….on the other side.   And once you do, you will want to roll around and nibble on it everyday! 🙂

Namaste, Loralee

 

#TampaUlthera

Minion and the Soul

Nov3

“Mind, body, and soul” are three words used often these days when talking about holistic or new age exercises or treatments.  So, we are all too familiar with them, but have you ever really thought about them?

As you reflect on the words, it makes you realized we should look at ourselves at three parts: a body, a mind, and a soul.  As I dig deeper into my spiritual journey, I can appreciate more and more the separation of the three within the same vessel.

Years ago when I was in church, the priest was talking about the body as a tomb as he was reflecting on John 2:19-“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  And we all know that in 3 days, he was resurrected after being nailed to a cross.  At that moment, it clicked for me.  We are all but a vessel for this soul.   We should honor the tomb that encases the soul, but the golden nugget, the light for all to see, is hidden beneath all these carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms that make up the body.  Being a visual person, I immediately thought about Minion from Megamind!

Minion is the fish dude on the left

Minion is the fish dude on the left

Minon is the little fish character that lives inside this walking fish tank.  It’s a bit robotic, but he does help save Metropolis from the DNA altered Hal (bad guy) by driving the spider bot. Anyhoo, he popped into my head because I envision the little fish guy as the soul and the robotic body as the well, the body.  I am not sure if the visual works for you, but it helps me.

Everyone seems so worried about the body component. That has become the priority.  We MUST exercise, diet, color our hair, and get Botox to look good, but a big part of “US” is being forgotten!  We need to cater to the soul.  It’s what has everlasting life, not the body.  The soul is why we are here; it wants to learn and grow in this life.  I believe, we need to train and tame them all to get a balanced triad or trinity.

Too much ego!

     Too much ego!

Despite not being able to see the soul, we can feel it in others.  Do you feel the strength of their light? We need to grow our own light by feeding it what it wants.  We all have a soul’s purpose. We just need to get the mind chatter out of the way to hear it!  Think about training the brain!!!!  If you overuse the brain, the ego takes over and you get a”big head” like Megamind, Minion’s best friend!

Train the brain to listen to your soul…and the body will take you where we need to go!  And the trinity within will become more balanced!

 

 

#TampaUlthera #Loralee

 

How do you think stress can age you?

Oct20

obama-hair-aging-hrzgal

Have you ever reviewed the pictures of the president as they went through office? I noticed as a young girl how fast a president of the United States aged when they were in office.  And heaven help them if they were in for two terms!  I mean if you are carrying the weight of the country on your back for several years, I guess that could cause a few sleepless nights and ultimately lead to some serious scowl lines. Luckily, we don’t have the weight of the country or the world on our back, but our family, clients, and employees can all be depending on us.  And at times, it can be quite overwhelming and feel like the world is depending on us.

Freeing slaves can really take its toll!

    Freeing slaves can really take its toll!

Learning how to put it all in perspective can help.  First, is this a life or death situation?  (If so, turn away from the device and call 911 immediately!)   Luckily, most of the time (if not all), if feels a lot bigger than it is.  Remind yourself of that.  Second, can we get through it with some laughter? That makes everything better.   Remember, sometimes we have to laugh at our self.  Third,  how can you clear your head as to make a better decision?  What’s your form of meditation? Ohmmmmm…..sitting on the pillow, running, painting, singing, dancing?  Just do it so you can make this “big” decision from the heart and not he head.  Once you make the decision, be good with it!  Don’t question your decision and live in the past!  Full speed ahead, Matey! 🙂

Don’t let the world weigh on your shoulders.  It will age you too fast!  Let the president worry for us!  That’s why we elect them, right? Try to…de-stress….unwind…chilax!

#Namaste

#PeaceLoveBotox

#Loralee

bush_aging

 

Don’t slap me with your negative energy!

Aug12

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I had a not so pleasant experience as i went to return an item at William & Sonoma today. As i walked in, I saw a sign about a baking sale.  I asked the clerk if the cooking item i was interested i would fall into that sale. He proceeded to say “no, that sell is over and no it would not qualify” in a very matter of fact way.   Kind of knew from this point he was slapping me with negative energy, but I got sucked in!  I turned over my items to return and he said “if you read the receipt, these items end in -99 and are final sale”. He turns the receipt over for me.  I ask him where will i find this since he is not directing me where to look.  He says without pointing “at the bottom.” After about 20 seconds of scanning, i finally see it. I tell him how frustrating that is as a customers and that  W&S should make that obvious before people purchase online.  He kind of shrugged his shoulders obviously annoyed by my complaining.  He offered to exchange the non-99, damaged item despite me saying I wanted it returned.  After clarifying i did not want the item, he accepted it to mail back.  Instead of returning the item on my credit card, i have to wait 3 business days to check my statement to make sure the $7 non-99, damaged item was credited back to my card. When I asked why not credit my account. I was told “you purchased online.” When I questioned him and explained to him Dillard’s, Nordstrom, bare minerals, etc will return items in their store, he just huffed “all stores have their own return policy. ” Obviously, I was not getting any where friendly with this dude and he was bringing out the worst in me.  The other clerk was trying to offer me olive oil on bread to lighten the mood, but it was not happening.  So many poor customer services issues on this trip.   There wasn’t  any gentle guidance or apologies for the misunderstanding.  It will be a long time before i shop in W&S any time soon.

As the episode kept creeping into my day, I kept looking for joy. I then thought of this quote that I love from Jill Bolte Taylor.  I felt responsible for my energy but its so sad how a grumpy person can deplete it. After some good ole meditating, I felt better.

How Grand that Canyon is….

Jun22

Meditation is Not what you think...

My husband and I took a helicopter excursion to the Grand Canyon today. As I watched the Colorado river flow into Lake Meade, it made me think about its similarity with meditation. The river has a significant current and the water looks green and cloudy. Lake Meade is very still and looks clear compared to the river flowing into it. As I viewed these bodies of water, I recalled a description Reverend Ed Bacon had given on meditation like a dirty bowl of water.  He explained that as dirty water sits still over time, the dirt falls to the bottom and the clean water sits on the top. He went on to explain that as one sits in meditation on a regular basis, clarity emerges just as the clean portion of the water does.   For 2 years now, I have been trying to meditate daily.  I do believe it brings clarity and calmness to my life especially when I do it on a regular basis.  Just as I would want to drink the more purified water, I also want healthier thoughts.  Next time I am feeling stressed and anxious, I will think of Lake Meade and try to find some stillness to purify the thoughts .

Row, Row, Row Your Boat….

Jun20

We are all familiar with the famous kid song, “row, row, row your boat gently down the stream merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream”, but have we ever really focused on the words.  Last year I went on a 3-day silent Buddhist retreat at a lovely facility on the Hillsborough river.  During my private meditation sessions, a lot of times I found myself sitting in the chairs and watching the current of the river.  I could not help but think of the song and think of life as a water current.  As I watched things float in the water with such ease, I thought about the calmness it created; the effortless ease.  Then boats would come by needing the motor to go against the current or to go faster than it was taking them.  Such an effort was required.  Over the few days, the current changed direction with the wind and such, but the things that floated were not bothered by the change.  I have thought about that with my life.  If I would just allow God’s will to happen, so much effort and wasted energy would be saved.  I would have so much more enjoyment and peace.  I hope to find my row boat, throw away the oars, and merrily float down the current of life.   

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