Spring Equinox Energy 2013

Waking from hibernation!

As many of you may know, I am a meditation teacher and therapist so I love doing readings about the seasons etc. Here is one about this week for your meditation work!

Spring Equinox Energy 2013

This time of the year is always a strong one, an extension of all the hard work you have been doingover the Moon months of Autumn/Winter and during the last few weeks with Mercury Retrograde… some might even say this should be the authentic New Year beginning! And especially this year, after the whole 2012 energy shift in the Winter that we are now finishing, there feels like an extra hit of restless energy to move on…

Spring cleaning gets deeper!

As we shift our energy from the lower chakras (emotions, personal connections to others and our material world, like job/home/etc) upwards, this Spring might feel as though there needs to be an extra ultimate change in some areas in your life, as well as the usual Spring cleaning of your home... Spring cleaning on a whole new level!

At this point, the energy calls us to be honest and brave… And ask: What is it I know really needs to go (physically/mentally/spiritually)? How can I do this?

Bursts of Solar plexus

This burst of energy comes from our Solar plexus and the Sun… Taking inspiration from nature, you may have already noticed sprinkles of yellow around you – like daffodils, sunshine etc. Nature is connecting to our Solar plexus, which is very easily opened and shut… it deals with moving forward, facing our fears, making decisions with tricky choices, gaining confidence to be honest to Self and others about the next step forward…

Your Solar plexus (lower chest chakra) is a great spot breathe deeply into when you are feeling down, overwhelmed with anxiety/lack of energy/confusion/facing fears etc. It is the perfect chakra to connect with for a quick boost of energy during the day, when you need to project confidence. A wonderful time to use this tool 

Set your intentions for the upcoming Sun months

Spring/Summer is ahead… yay  …A time for external focus, putting all the work you did internally over the last few months on show… a time for being playful, enjoying outdoor life, being more active and Self expression.

Take a moment to set your intentions… what would you like to invite and explore in Spring/Summer 2013?

Third Eye guidance meditation

A simple energy exercise to try: Focus on the point between your eyebrows, your third eye chakra. This is the place where we observe and spot opportunities, receiving clarity and inspiration. Breathe in deeply and ask anything you like… trust that when the time is right and with all your hard work, you will spot the answers.

Watch this video:

Return to the heart

And as nature wakes up, green is a key colour! Green connects to our heart chakra… the center that brings our higher chakras with our lower chakras. The center point.

Spring is the season of love – all types of love! This is a great season to focus on giving to your Self, to others and to what you do. Connect to the things/people/places that make you feel love…

The key work is *feel*. Connect with your feeling center – what makes you feel good, passionate and happy? Return to your heart 

[Natural Health ~ Meditation Reflections] Get Ready: From Winter To Spring!

March is here... one of my favourite time of the year! I did my first chakra meditation workshop this year over the weekend in trendy Shoreditch, Central London. I wanted to share the topic we went through! It was a lot of fun!

Get Ready & Tune in: From Winter To Spring!

There is a lot of new energy to take in these days… I can’t help but notice how the timing works out with our first Mercury Retrograde of 2013 happening right now (Feb 23rd – Mar 17th in Pisces) and this week’s full moon energy on Monday … some may say that is a bad sign lol! 

Mercury represents how we communicate and interact with others. Whenever Mercury goes Retrograde (or backwards) there is a tendency for all properties of this planet to go haywire. Mercury rules computers, cars, cell phones, travel, travel schedules and all things related to how we communicate and utilise these methods of communication. This is a time where things in this area seem to go wrong… you may already be feeling some frustrations in this area over the last week, before this event?

Fear not! 

This is a good way to end the Winter because we are now gently moving our energy upwards, from the lower chakras of Autumn/Winter into the Higher chakras from the Solar Plexus to our Crown… and the area to work on during the Mercury Retrograde is our communication throat chakra.

Take a huge step back!

Breathe deeply. Be patient and observe. Take this moment to notice how you are communicating with YOUR SELF first… especially when frustrating situations arise around you.

Our communication chakra is not just about how we express our Self to others and our outer world… it’s also a tool to re-connect with our own inner dialogue… the thoughts we have in our mind in our every day life.

The throat chakra is connected to the releasing process… exploring our feelings through words, creative activities and anything that will help channel our inner energy outwards. This way, we can channel any negative thought processes in a healthy way… instead of an unhealthy way (for example: through emotional eating, smoking, alcohol etc)

Each challenge you face during this Mercury Retrograde is an opportunity to really check-in and watch your instant re-actions… there are no rights/wrongs here, just  observe your Self in the next few weeks.

Questions for reflection & meditation work:

When I am confronted with a miscommunication with another person, do I …Take the time to listen/understand/find out the reasons behind it first? …Jump in with my own  assumptions/opinions/reactions?

When something negative confronts me, do I …Find it easy to let go? …Get caught up in my emotions, even long after the situation has passed?

When I am alone, how much of this time do I spend ...Enjoying the moment? …Worrying? …Giving my Self positive feedback? …Being creative? …Doing thing I love? …Planning for the future? …Thinking of the past?

Exercise: Shut Your Monkey Mind!

Mind monkey or monkey mind, from Chinese xinyuan and Sino-Japanese shin’en 心猿 [lit. "heart-/mind-monkey"], is a Buddhist term meaning “unsettled; restless; capricious; whimsical; fanciful; inconstant; confused; indecisive; uncontrollable”[Wikipedia info]

For this exercise, we will focus on the power of affirmations!

Steps:

• Get a piece of paper – or use this as part of your journal work.

• Split the page in 2 halves – by drawing a vertical line down the middle.

• On the left hand side, write down the top 5 regular negative thoughts you hear your Self saying in your mind.

• On the right hand side, next to each negative thought on the left, write down a positive affirmation that will turn this negative thought around.

For example:

Left hand side, negative thought – “I don’t feel good enough. “

Right hand side, positive affirmation: “I love and appreciate my journey as I grow and learn.”

• Now, every time you find your mind chatter saying any of these negative thoughts, quickly replace it with the positive affirmation. Say this affirmation a few times if you like. In time, this will re-program your thought patterns.

Other areas to work on as we slowly transition to Spring:

Get out!

In Autumn/Winter, the colder weather often gives us an opportunity to go into semi-hibernation and enjoy more nights-in and indoor life in general. As the days start to feel lighter and longer, maybe it’s time to slowly change your social routines too – by making more time to go out – by your Self or with friends/family. Wrap up warm if it’s still cold and get out more lol… even if it’s just to take a walk around your neighbourhood.

You might like to slowly increase your physical activity, even if you already go to the gym or work-out in other ways. Exercise is an awesome releasing and grounding tool! 

Simplify!

Indoor life can mean that we get attached to comforting stuff at home… a good way to shift the energy in your home life is to slowly simplify these things… an early Spring clean or an energy space clearing will allow new things/energy into your personal space – read more about this here!

Introduce more fruits into your diet

The colder seasons usually offer some great veggies – but as we gear towards the warmer times of the year, slowly add more fruits into your daily diet. More fruit smoothies and fruit salads are great 

Lighten up!

Colours have a powerful effect on us and in most parts of the world, Winter tends to be a much darker season – and this can often translate in our clothing! Slowly transition into brighter clothing and colours – let your colours be an expression of what you feel! Read more about this here.

Set new intentions for the Sun months

Spring/Summer/Sun months is about expression – moving from our inner world to our outer world, showing up and expressing all the inner work we have been doing during the Autumn/Winter/Moon months. Again, this is strongly connected to our throat chakra.

Set your intentions for what you would like to bring into this new time of the year…How can you express YOU in everything you do and show your inner light?

For March and throughout the Sun months, let’s March forward with some positive energy 

Reflection: TRUST!

Reflection: 

The Universe/God/ess always has your best interests at heart...

Seriously! 

Even when the situation seems at its lowest!

In those dark moments, ask your Self: 

"If we attract everything into our lives, what is the negative situation/person/etc reflecting from your Self?"

"What can I learn from this negative experience?" 

"What new direction am I being pushed to make for my journey right now?" 

"Maybe this was the right thing to happen for me to realise (Real-I-RISE) something that I need to learn/remember/explore?"

Change is a sign that you are Self-evolving!
It's not always easy though...

TRUST

☽❍☾

Ego Vs The Soul

Yeah!

Uplifting Meditation: Sufi Whirling Meditation

Looking for an easy, free, fun way to bring back some positive energy into your meditations???

Last year, I was in Amsterdam with my cousin and we were checking out the culture festivals... then I saw my first Sufi whirling performance. Although, I had heard of it - nothing beats seeing it in person by those who practise it!

At The Uitmarkt festival:

It was beautiful!

So contageous too lol, a few people in the crowd joined in and this heavily pregnant lady was in front of us - I was so worried that she would topple right over as she was spinning so hard! And it made me realise why I love spinning so much when I dance lol! Try it as a moving meditation, it loosens up all the negative energy and brings back that exciting rush! I've decided to include a healthy dose of dancing and whirling into my morning meditations now lol!

Akua Auset On Perfectionism! GOOD Reminder!

I need to work on this!

Divine Self!

Please check out more videos on youtube by Lisa Gerrard, always magical!

Divine Self

To thy divine self be true,

Can you do it every day?

To thy divine self be true,

Such an easy thing to say,

To thy divine self be true,

It’s the only way to be,

To thy divine self be true,

And shine eternally.

[source]

Wise Words: Satsang With Mooji

So you know I'm a lunar girl... I love following the moon and other astrology. Today is the full Moon which is great, but it is also in my sign... Cancer! Read up on today's forecast here.

This made me sit and reflect today... and I really needed this reminder! I get so caught up with "should I do this to get more insight/ifo" in most moments when it comes to actively enjoying the NOW moment, my mind races... and I miss the whole point lol! Mooji is so amazing and I can't wait to see him in March for a spiriitual group meeting.

Affirm-ative: "I Deserve..."

I'm a huge believer in the power of affirmations... a few a day keeps negativity at bay!

They work on such a deep subconscious level, almost like re-programming and training your whole belief system. Think of your mind like a computer being re-programmed to use new software... it may take time to download and get familiar with the new data, but in a short space of time and with regular use, it becomes very easy to work with and part of the normal day-to-day system! Your thoughts are constantly active and defining your belief system - which in turn affects what you attract, your ability to recognise opportunities and the choices you ultimately make.

Today, I want to get back to basics with affirmations. It's so easy to work with the "bigger picture", but its always good to get back to using words that empower the affirmation... and there are many ways and words that can be sued to do this!

I LOVE any affirmation that begins with "I DESERVE...".

I remember using this as basis of my affirmations when I was starting my locing journey and I was going through the teenage phase, my locs were wild, I felt I lost control and other people weren't supportive of my choice. So, I chose to use the affirmation "I deserve to love my natural hair, just as it is!" I would say it to my Self anytime I felt disheartened with the locing journey and when I felt negativity... This soon grew to other parts of my life...

Some of my favourites...

"I deserve to enjoy this moment!"

"I deserve to have people in my life that accept and love me for who I am!"

"I deserve to have the right job that will satisfy and challenge me to do what I love!"

"I deserve to be truly happy right now!"

"I deserve tro love my body, just as it is now!"

" I deserve to be treated with love and respect!"

So often, without even realising it, we can limit our potential because we don't always feel like we truly deserve what we want... this may even lead to Self-sabotage if the thing we desires comes our way. "I deserve" reminds us that with hard work and knowing that we deserve to be happy, it is possible to get what we want in life!

Tips: Reclaim the first 5 minutes of your day as your own... when you wake up and you're still in bed is your own space to say your affirmation. Choose 3 different affirmations for different areas in your life and stick to the same ones for a month, so your mind has time to process it fully. Of course, you can always change them if you feel the affirmation is not right for you. you don't have to say it out loud - it can be done in your head anywhere!