
Healthy Swaps
Changing habits can be a challenge! How many
times have you tried to stop doing something,
only to slide back into the habit ?
You might just find it easier to swap than to
stop. Swap one unhealthy habit with a healthier
habit that works for you.
Swap: a chocolate bar with an apple; 10 min walk
rather than jumping on the bus; crunchy veggies
instead of greasy snacks.
Determination
Determination is an essential quality to nurture
if we are to continue
on our spiritual journey. No matter how much
enthusiasm we have or how
clear our aim is, without determination we will
give up sooner or
later. In times of challenge, we take care that
determination does not
lead to stubbornness; then we can let go of
resistance and not oppose
anyone or anything with our mind. Instead, we
take time for meditation,
reflect on the most compassionate way to deal
with situation, and
quietly wait for an approach to present itself.
Meditation On Experiencing Deep Peace
Consider
your mind as a stage, and each thought, feeling,
emotion as a scene in the film of your life...
Relax... Don't try to control anything...
Observe how your thoughts pass through your
mind... Don't identify with any of them... Only
observe... Look where they take you... Observe
what happens inside you... Do not judge... The
thoughts flow through your mind as if they were
clouds that are crossing the sky until
everything is clear and open... The mind is
becoming calm, making itself peaceful... like
the surface of the sea when it is serene...
Now, be conscious of the sounds that are
produced around you... Stay here and now as an
observer who sees and feels everything from a
point of light, a point of calm and peace,
behind these eyes... Feel the calm... the
tranquility... that comes from within you...
Look around you... Observe without interpreting
or judging... Feel the silence that is created
through the power of concentration. Consciously,
create a positive, peaceful, elevated thought
that you repeat slowly in your mind, leaving a
space of silence between one thought and
another, while you keep the focus on that
point...
I am a being of peace... I am at peace... I feel
the peace... I am light... I am a being of
light... My nature is of light... peace and
silence... I am feeling the silence between one
thought and the next... I listen to the peace...
a silent peace... calmed... full... This peace
and silence attracts the ocean of peace... I
feel the attraction towards my home of silence
and peace... a world full of soft golden light,
beyond the sun, moon and stars... In this peace
and silence, I strengthen myself... my mind
rests in that calm and quietness...
I experience a light, the Supreme Light, the
Supreme Soul who fills me... he recharges me...
renews me... heals me... frees me... I am
free... completely free... now I am at peace...
I leave my mind in silence, as if I were
floating on a sea of peace for a few minutes...
Soul Sustenance
The Art Of Stepping In And Stepping Out In
Relationships (Part 1)
For any activity, or relationship to remain
peaceful and successful, we must know how far to
step in and how far to step out. It is like a
gardener who sows seeds at the right time, steps
in to plant and water them and then steps out of
the picture to allow nature to carry on with her
work. However, from time to time, he steps in
again to see if there is enough water, if any
insects are attacking the plants, if any food is
needed. His role is to find the appropriate
space for the potential beauty and uniqueness of
the seeds to emerge; he does not create the
flowers but facilitates their expression. The
gardener does not step in too much; that would
be called interference. After planting the
seeds, he does not demand an immediate result;
he does not dig them up next day to see if they
have sprouted. He plays his role, fulfils his
duty, but lets go because he understands the
blooming of the flowers is not dependent on him.
Nor does he let go too much. If he did, then the
plants would die from lack of care, or the
insects and weeds would destroy them. He does
not let go so much that he isolates himself from
the process. Instead, by knowing when to step
in and when to step out, he creates a respectful
partnership or relationship with nature.
Tomorrow we shall apply this example to real
life relationships.
Message for the day
To bring newness into actions means to
contribute for the betterment of the self and
others.
Expression:
There is a constant desire to
do something better that makes a contribution to
oneself and to others too. So the one who thinks
of newness can bring about such a contribution.
There will not be something different that can
be done. But the same thing can be done in such
a way that there is benefit visible.
Experience:
When I am able to bring
newness in the way I do things, I am able to
experience constant progress. There will also be
the satisfaction of bringing about newness and
creativity even in ordinary actions. Along with
this will also be the satisfaction of making a
contribution in every action of mine.