Celebrate and Embrace Joyous June

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date" - William Shakespeare

The practice of Living in the Moment and experiencing Gratitude, is all about noticing, appreciating, and experiencing the simple joys of life.  Here are a few simple joys that will embellish your Joyous June.  What will you add?

• Lemonade - yummy!  Sit back and enjoy a tall, frosty glass of lemonade.  Homemade lemonade is fantastic.
• Strawberry, Strawberry, Strawberry!  Attend a Strawberry Festival and eat as many of these juicy joys as you please.  Pick your own with friends and family and then create jams, jellies, desserts, pies and plan to host a Strawberry Festival in January! In Ojibwe, the strawberry is called "odemin" and is known as the sacred first medicine. 
• Create a fragrant herb garden.  Plant lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, and lemongrass.
• Have a backyard camp-out.  Pitch a tent, bring out the sleeping bags, pack snacks, and pretend the bbq is a bonfire (for those who live within a town or city!)  Tell ghost stories, sing songs and sleep in the fresh air under the stars.
• Host a Midsummer's Eve Party to celebrate the Summer Solstice.  
• Go to the beach!  In the morning, stroll and collect shells and Mermaid's tears while enjoying the fresh morning air.  The beach in the afternoon is perfect for swimming, picnics, kite flying, or just sitting in the sun and enjoying life. 
• On clear summer's night, take time to stargaze.  Stargazing is as easy as grabbing a big blanket, a bottle of wine, friends and family and heading for the backyard.  Find a star to wish upon.
• Get out and experience a sensory journey in nature.  Your natural environment is teeming with sensory stimulation waiting to be discovered.  By simply listening, seeing, touching, and smelling, Mother Nature will nurture your well-being.
• Host a "drive-in" movie night in your backyard, or on the side of a local building.  Invite friends, family, community members and the public to sit outside and take in a classic movie.  Have guests bring a snack for a huge potluck "concession" stand.

Now that you're feeling inspired to have your own Joyous June, I would love to hear about your adventures or how you incorporated mine and had a great time.

Cheers, to a fun and adventurous June!

Meditation is a Journey to Peace & Healing

Over the past few months I have had the amazing privilege of leading a group of wonderful people through a series of guided meditations.  We have focused on healing, playing and your authentic self.  

In the beginning, deep breathing proved a challenge for many.  Placing hands on bellies to feel the rise and fall of their diaphragm, we practiced breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.  I watched as they became familiar with deep breathing and I watched their faces and bodies relax with each breath.  It was beautiful!  I could see their state shift from stress to calm and peace.

Meditation is a wonderful gift we can give ourselves.  The magic starts with your breathing.  Once you learn how to breathe for relaxation, you will be able to do it on the fly and calm your physical, emotional and mental state - instant meditation.

Let's Practice

Sit or lie down comfortably.  Place your hands on your belly and breath deeply.  When you breath in, your hands will rise up with your belly - that's a good breathe!  Focus on your breathing - deep breath in through your nose for the count of four (Mississippi's)  and out through your mouth for the count of four.  When you breath out, say the word "relax" quietly in your mind.  

Practice, Practice, Practice

When you have mastered your deep breathing and using the word relax, add "I Am" statements while you breath in - I am calm, I am confident, I am happy, etc.  Create I Am statements that work for you and use them.

Now, you are ready to enjoy the wonderful healing power meditation.  Do it daily - it will heal and you will gain a wonderful sense of peace.

To assist you on your journey, feel free to download my Healing Meditation.  

The Guided Meditation Series that I have been hosting will be taking a summer hiatus in a couple of weeks and I want to truly thank the group for allowing me to help them help while at the same time healing myself through meditation.

An Invocation for Beginnings - Brilliant!

Love the tu-tu reference - 2 fat, 2 slow, etc - shake off your tu-tus!

Absolutely brilliant and so well-said.  I will be watching when I need to and know that you will too!

Enjoy and share.  Let's get moving toward our goals.