Sustaining a sense of humor cultivates lightheartedness. It connects us to the deepest reaches of our soul and is crucial in healing. Most people express that they would rather die than live a life without laughter. Research shows that laughter lowers blood pressure, increases vascular blood flow, reduces stress which in turn reduces anxiety and depression. Most importantly, when we laugh with others, we share a sense of interconnectedness and belonging which assists in healing as well. For me, laughter that originates deep within and assists us in communing with others in an intimate way is soul laughter. Soul laughter lets us share our … [Read more...]
Leaning into Our Vulnerabilities and Releasing Our Pain
"There's a crack in everything.That's how light gets in."-Leonard Cohen The more we lean into our vulnerabilities, the more open we become to spiritual transformation, for one unlocks the door to the other. The moment we lean into our vulnerabilities, courageously stepping through this portal to personal transformation, we find that love has been there all along. Health, relationships, and finances are the areas of our lives in which we feel most vulnerable. Whether or not we had a healthy and loving childhood, we all experience some form of loss or suffering in our lives as a reflection of the human condition. Our subsequent pain, while … [Read more...]
Living in Harmony with the Universe
When we live in harmony with the universe, we let go of controlling our lives and trust the unfolding of it. Spiritual author, Gary Zukav compares living in harmony with spirit to the journey of the hawk, "The journey of a hawk depends on both the hawk and the wind. Sometimes the wind takes the hawk where it wants to go, and sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, the hawk doesn't mind. Either way, they ride the wind. They do the best they can, and then they let the wind take them where they need to go.The wind is your life. It is all the things that happen between the time you are born and the time you go home. Elegant spirits don't know what … [Read more...]
Sustaining Lightness in Our Lives
"You don't stop playing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop playing." George Bernard Shaw Sustaining lightness in your life is created by the choices you make in every moment. Trust that you are the co-creator of the inner and outer landscape of life so choose your thoughts, words and actions consciously. Be patient, tolerant, and flexible when life gets challenging or things don't go you way. Keep an open and loving heart and a great sense of humor no matter what is happening at the time. Being playful opens our hearts and sustains a flow of light energy so we hold steady in the midst of the natural twists and turns of … [Read more...]
Tapping the Resiliency of Our Spirit
"The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it." George C. Scott Spiritual resiliency is our natural state of being even if as adults we no longer experience its essence in our everyday lives. As young children, we clearly trusted this ability to transcend as spirit, never doubting our innate power to handle or lift out of any situation. Even if we didn't understand how spirit lifted us, we knew and felt its truth through our open hearts, regardless of our circumstances. Open and optimistic, we had not yet acquired the adult mindsets and beliefs that would erode an absolute trust that we could rise above any difficult … [Read more...]
Don’t Worry Be Happy: Ten Ways to Boost Your Wellbeing
"There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way."~ Thich Nhat Hanh Many of us feel that the pursuit of happiness is elusive and unattainable. We think if we just had the right job, relationship, or an abundance of money that then we would be happy. Yet, contrary to this popular belief, happiness is a state of being-wellbeing that is within our grasp. And, we have always had the power to create it in our lives. We have known this internal power as children when we played in the puddles after a warm rain, chased after fireflies in the summer, or built forts or fairy alters in our yards. Sustaining a flow of happiness takes the same … [Read more...]
The Power of Love
On my recent trip to Paris, I witnessed the eternal power of love not in the moonlit cobblestone streets, romantic outdoor cafes, or the sparkling Eiffel tower but in the collection of "locks of love" that adorn the Pont Des Arts bridge, one that connects the Louvre museum with the left bank. The love padlocks have taken off and this phenomenon is in countries such as Belgium, Germany, Japan and even on the Brooklyn bridge in New York City. This practice of attaching love locks to bridges all over the world symbolizes our universal yearning for continuous, consistent, and connected love. For those of you who haven't heard of them, a … [Read more...]
Trusting Divine Timing
At times, we may feel discouraged at the slowness with which we are realizing our dreams. When we feel this way, it is helpful to remember it's always about divine timing not time. Divine timing occurs when we let go of fear and impatience, declare our intentions, and allow the universe to cocreate with us on it's elevated timetable. During such synchronistic experiences, we are a conduit for spiritual information and can use it to tune in to the best possible choices. Guided by spirit, we will know what our next choice is and when to implement it. On her way to my office, Karen was delayed by a series of events or co-incidents. She called … [Read more...]
Tuning Into Our Intuition
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." ~ Helen Keller Tuning in to our intuition or inner wisdom helps us develop a more spiritually conscious and integrated relationship with ourselves. We all have sensitivities that we can listen to guide our lives whether it is a gut feeling, an "aha" moment or an inner knowing. When we are inspired or "in-spirited," our senses tune into this pure vibration of information. Opening our hearts, we can access this pure flow of information and invite spirit to guide us to make better choices in our lives. With an open heart, … [Read more...]
Being Vulnerable Opens Us to Authenticity
Embracing our vulnerabilities allows us to know the essence of ourselves-love. It is the catalyst for releasing who we think we should be in order to become who we really are. Delving deep within and connecting with our inner selves exposes the egocentric patterns that inhibit us from experiencing authentic, joyful, and balanced lives. At the same time, it infuses our lives with spiritual depth. In effect, embracing our vulnerabilities brings us closer to the light at our core, thereby enlightening us. Unfortunately, our culture teaches us that vulnerabilities are signs of weakness. We are programmed to take a pill at the first symptom of … [Read more...]
