I am vicariously taking part in an 8 week coaching program with The Peaceful Woman called Inspired Living. I say vicariously because I am not able to take part during the live call, but I can go back and listen to the recording. Last week was the first session, and I just listened to the call today.
We did an assessment of our lives–looking at various areas and how fulfilled we are by those parts of our lives, and how different areas of our lives support us. This was an interesting exercise for me. Some of these areas I knew were not fulfilling me, and I’m working to change that. Some areas that on first thought I would have said were great, after listening to the discussion I decided I really could be more fulfilled in that area of my life. Areas that I would have said are not supporting me, really do support me more than I think.
After looking at the balance, or really, lack of balance, in my life, I have to ask myself some powerful questions: How am I showing up in the world? How do I want to show up in the world? How different are the answers? And what do I need to do to bring them into alignment?
I feel that I am showing up as Super Mom, an overachiever who has so many things to do, one wonders how any of it gets done. And I do feel like I have too many projects on the go, but I am not sure how to pare it back. Each project feels essential to one or another of my goals. And yet, if I don’t slow down, I may crash. I notice I go through this cycle from time to time, usually when I have fallen behind on my daily meditation, journal writing, and/or exercise, all of which has happened lately.
The answers to the other questions are going to take a little more time, meditation and reflection to answer. As requested by my coach, I have chosen a theme for the rest of 2010: My life supports my purpose and my purpose supports my life. I’m still working to bring all the areas of my life into alignment with my purpose. I’ll keep you posted as I work out the answers to these questions!
If you know me, how do I show up for you? Or, how do YOU show up in the world, and how does that compare to how you want to show up?
Ok, so today’s post has absolutely nothing to do with guided meditation or spirituality. Not a thing.
I found a really cool site when I was looking for a site to recommend to a friend for audio software. It’s call Giveaway of the Day, and every single day they give away a piece of software that you can download to your computer. Absolutely free.
What’s the catch? Well, you have to make sure you install your software the day you download. There’s no free tech support like when you purchase software, and no free upgrades. And you never know what will be up there, so you have to keep checking back. Which is a great way to get repeat visitors to your site!
I read this article by Stacia Topping last week, and it really affirmed my choice to use meditation and guided meditation in my life.
A Soul’s Code insider asked herself, “Can enlightenment happen through meditation or practice?” Drawing on examples like Eckhart Tolle, her personal experience and science, the answer is: Yes
I began meditating about two and a half years ago, at the urging of a then-friend (translation: a fellow I was very briefly dating.) I was an avid journal-writer, and felt that was enough for clearing the detritus-of-the-day from my mind.
But a couple weeks later, when someone came into my office and was handing out flyers for beginning meditation classes, I decided to take up the invitation. My work ’situation’ was super-stressful, and I thought that meditation might help ameliorate the effects more than what I saw people around me using to cope — from Ambien to alcohol.
I thought I would round out Peaceful Woman week with a post by one of the amazing women who experienced the transformative effects of the Maui Passage for the first time last month, Betsy Muller from The Indigo Connection:
As I return from 7 days in Maui with The Peaceful Woman organization, I am filled with a sense of gratitude for what visionary CEO Cher Bertrand has created. The Maui Passage is a retreat experience that opens, shapes and enhances the soul in ways that a series of healing sessions or day workshops could never attempt to match. This retreat places each participant into a concentrated healing space where experiences, nature, the land, the ancient culture and other women guide you into a state of peaceful authenticity. It is mystical and beyond words.
Rachel Flower is one of my colleagues who facilitates Peaceful Woman Maui Passages. She so eloquently describes the indescribable experiences of Maui Passage in her blog post, Herding Butterflies:
Imagine those deep loving friendships that only grow when you share adventures, take risks together; when you laugh so hard your sides hurt; when you support each other over uneven ground; when you share tears of grief; when you sit together with the hot volcanic stones and burn away the burdens, witnessing and holding each other; when together you walk the labyrinth of consciousness and open to new possibilities; when collectively you swim in the waves of emotion, knowing it is safe to do so, without judgement. Knowing you are loved. You are seen. And doing all this in one of the most beautiful places on the planet!
I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks since I returned home from assisting with the most recent Maui Facilitator’s Passage. Since it’s officially March, I can even say it was last month! How quickly the time passes.
As always when I return home from a retreat or course, or really any time I have been away on my own, I am faced with the opportunity of integrating what I’ve learned into my daily life. Sometimes it is easier than others!
It was very interesting to experience the Maui Passage through new eyes – having gone through it once already six months ago. Here’s a video of me on the last day of the Passage last August:
Aside from getting to meet 10 incredible new women and deepening my connection with four women I met last time, going through the Passage for a second time helped to anchor a lot of the things I had learned on my initial Passage. For example, in August I had some challenges with “Flow Day”. When the day didn’t go as I thought it should, I became upset. I’ve been working on that over the past six months (my youngest son is a wonderful teacher who goes with the flow all the time), and I felt a lot more ease this time around.
And I learned some new things as well. On “Volcano Day”, I went and visited a heiau, a sacred place, up a hill that I had missed visiting in August. On the way back down to the beach, I had an aha message: “Stop searching for the significance of every moment, and allow each moment to be significant.” I saw that many times I work really hard to figure out why something is special, or push for the message I am supposed to receive. I don’t always get one. But when I am able to be truly present in an experience, rather than observing myself in it, I find much more profound meaning and insight.
On “Waterfall Day”, the experiences and the women in the February Passage reflected back to me that I am strong and a good leader. I saw that while my body may not look or feel much different, the work I have been doing to take better care of my physical body is making a difference. I was able to run up a hill at one point, something that would have winded me even six months ago. And when I planted myself in order to assist other women, I was stable and unshakable.
Going back to Maui completely reaffirmed for me that this work is what I want to be doing, and this company is totally in alignment with my purpose and values. I am excited to announce that I will be starting a Peaceful Woman Meet Up group this month, and I will be facilitating Maui Passages August 15th-21st, and September 12th-18th, 2010. I would love to have you join me! You will be expanded, enlightened, and peaceful, in your own way and through your own experience.
