Ananda Center for Balance - Fort McMurray, AB

2011-12-31T21:21:00.000-08:00

World Healing Day

December 31st

The following meditation has been adapted from an anonymous reading I found in a pile of papers in one of my old binders. It had been collected some years ago, placed in a special place and forgotten, only to be recently found and its depth of meaning rediscovered. I have no idea who the original author is, but I thank them because it is the perfect thing to post on this most wonderful day. As we rest on the cusp of a brand new year, 2012, I invite you to read this meditation and feel with a pure heart all the abundance that awaits us just as eagerly as we await it!

WORLD HEALING MEDITATION (author unknown)

"In the beginning.
In the beginning Mother/Father/God.
In the beginning Mother/Father/God created the heaven and the earth,
And Mother/Father/God said let there be light; and there was light.

Now is the time of the new beginning.
I am a co-creator with Mother/Father/God, and it is a new Heaven that comes,
as the Good Will of Mother/Father/God is expressed on Earth through me.
it is the Kingdom of Light, Love, Peace and Understanding.
And I am doing my part to reveal its Reality.

I begin with me.
I am a living Soul and the Spirit of God dwells in me, as me.
I and the Mother/Father are one, and all that the Mother/Father has is mine.
In Truth, I am Christ of God.

What is true of me is true of everyone,
for Mother/Father/God is all and all is Mother/Father/God.
I see only the Spirit of God in every Soul.
And to every man, woman and child on Earth I say:
I love you, for you are me. You are my Holy Spirit.

I now open my heart,
and let the pure essence of Unconditional Love pour out.
I see it as a Gold Light radiating from the center of my being,
and I feel its Divine Vibration in and through me, above and below me.

I am one with the Light,
I am filled with the Light,
I am illuminated by the Light,
I am the Light of the world.

With purpose of mind, I send forth the Light.
I let the radiance go before me to join the other Lights.
I know this is happening all over the world at this moment.
I see the merging lights.
There is now one Light. We are the Light of the world.

The one light of Love, Peace and Understanding is moving.
It flows across the face of the Earth,
touching and illuminating every soul in the shadow of the illusion.
And where there was darkness, there is now the Light of Reality.

And the Radiance grows, permeating, saturating every form of life.
There is only the vibration of one Perfect Life now.
All the kingdoms of the Earth respond,
and the Planet is alive with Light and Love.

There is total Oneness,
and in this Oneness we speak the Word.
Let the sense of separation be dissolved.
Led mankind be returned to Godkind.

Let peace come forth in every mind.
Let love flow forth from every heart.
Let forgiveness reign in every soul.
Let understanding be the common bond.

And now from the Light of the world,
the One Presence and Power of the Universe responds
The Activity of Mother/Father/God is healing and harmonizing Planet Earth.
Omnipotence is made manifest.

I am seeing the salvation of the planet before my very eyes,
as all false beliefs and error patterns are dissolved.
The sense of separation is no more; the healing has taken place,
and the world is restored in sanity.

This is the beginning of Peace on Earth and Good Will toward all,
as Love flows forth from every heart,
forgiveness reigns in every soul,
and all hearts and minds are one in perfect understanding.

It is done. And it is so."

2011-12-15T10:35:00.000-08:00

What Defines a Practice?

(and How Do I Go Deeper?)

I am often asked by students to describe my "personal practice". I am asked if I meditate or do physical yoga on a daily basis. My answer is almost always the same:

"Sure. I practice every day."

This is then followed by a qualifying statement that goes something like this:

"I don't do physical yoga every day and I don't sit to meditate every day. I don't have a specific time or place or ritual that I follow. What I do for my personal practice is dictated by how I feel in the moment. Sometimes it involves active physical yoga, sometimes a bit of breathwork, a restorative pose or two and a guided meditation. Sometimes I feel called to sit in stillness, either in silence or with gentle music. Sometimes I perform Japa (chant mantras) using the mala beads and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I don't really do anything at all."

More often than not, I find myself Living My Yoga and Meditating In Action. This tends to be the most common path my daily practice takes. I find myself humming mantras while going about daily activities; driving, grocery shopping, walking, or doing laundry.

More often than not, I find myself making a true effort to be "of the world, but not so much affected by it". To remain supportive of others while at the same time staying arms length from the drama they create in their lives. I make an effort to be kind and loving to myself and to those around me, to seek and understand someone else's perspective and to truly take the time to listen to what they have to say. On any given day, I find to be challenging enough to practice without adding the obligation and effort of taking the time to sit in stillness or "do" yoga when I don't feel like "doing" it.

This is my yoga. Living the yoga in my daily life. The Lifestyle of Yoga. And I like it a lot.

So why do I feel like sometimes I should be more attentive and disciplined in my practice?
Why do I feel almost guilty that I don't make the effort to move onto my mat and sit in stillness more often? My mat sits rolled out in the yoga room every day. It is always there waiting for me. So why every morning do I walk right over top of that mat and head instead to my desk and this computer to begin my day here?

Why do I not feel called to sit or do a physical practice more often? Maybe I don't want to take the time? Maybe I have "better things to do"? Maybe I'm not even resisting consciously? But how do I turn whatever this is around so that it is something that I can embrace and enjoy more deeply?

I was part of a wonderful Collective Brilliance group brainstorming session yesterday hosted by Karen Larkin of Karen Larkin Coaching and Janet Douglas of Strength To Soar. Each group member came to the table with a dream or a wish for their lives, a perceived limitation and a question about how to achieve that dream or wish. In turn each group member received brainstorming ideas on how to move forward with their dream or wish. It was a very enlightening session and I am grateful to have received confirmation for my current path and actions, as well as some new ideas on how to create a special (and more disciplined) daily yoga and meditation practice.

I really want to make an effort for a more disciplined daily practice and to see where it will take me. I feel that if I make a true and real effort to have a daily ritual, I will then be able to confirm with confidence what type of practice feels good for me. Then at least I can know in my heart that I committed and made an honest effort, which will allow me to either stick with it or let it go with love.

It takes:
21 days to create a habit.
40 days to change a habit.
90 days to embed and confirm that habit.
120 days for the new habit to be who you are.
1000 days to master that new habit.

So wish me luck. Here I go using this blog as a crutch to begin creating a new meditation and yoga practice habit pattern. I pledge to MAKE AN EFFORT EVERYDAY to offer up for myself and my own growth and peace of mind, a little yoga movement followed by little sitting in stillness - every day - for at least 40 days, hopefully longer!

Welcome to DAY 1 of Heather's New Practice.

I'm going start.... but not right now.... after my clients, later this afternoon.... right after lunch. (Hold me to it - email and ask me if I did my practice today.... please?)

2011-10-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Rediscovering Gratitude

"Here I go again, smilin' too sweet. Can't seem to hold it in. Every time that we meet, I get this rosy glow and weak in the knees." (I sing joyfully, reminded of a delicious song by Meaghan Smith called "A Little Love").

So - Here I go again - Blog post #2!

I realize that some time has passed since I last posted. But you know what? That's ok! And you know what is even better than that? I'M OK with it being OK! :)

For me to write in any fluid and inspired way, I need to be... well, inspired! I feel that today is a good day to connect with you and the world, to share some thoughts about friends and family and this amazing piece of Heaven on Earth of which we fortunate enough to be a part.

This Thanksgiving weekend I helped a friend move from Fort McMurray to Vancouver. We drove from here to there in three days passing through Jasper, the Ice Fields Parkway, Lake Louise, Revelstoke, Kamloops, and into West Vancouver.

It was an honor to be a part of her journey across our two provinces, to send her lovingly into the arms of a new life chapter and an awesome adventure. To share so many hours with someone who holds a piece of your heart is an incredible experience, and to do this while travelling across this gorgeous country enjoying Mother Nature at her finest, is truly awe-inspiring.

As I sat in the passenger seat on the morning of our second day - Thanksgiving Sunday and the drive from Jasper to Lake Louise - I was overcome by such flood of gratitude and love that my throat got full and lumpy and tears came to my eyes. I was sitting there with a cup of tea and the seat warmer on (I love having a warm bum!), taking in the fall colors, the cloud covered mountains, and the morning mist on the windshield when it struck me that I was indeed in Heaven on Earth. The feeling that came with this thought hits me just as hard now as it did then. Here I am writing this with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes, with a heart full of gratitude for everyone and everything in my life.

As I sat there in the car Tweeting and Facebooking to my friends and family, sharing thoughts and feelings about how grateful I felt to be a part this wonderful world and reading in turn their own thoughts and responses, I felt whole and complete. Knowing that others felt gratitude for life and love as well made me feel even more connected and part of something larger. And it felt really really good!

Sometimes we allow life to get so busy that we forget our connection to that something that is larger than ourselves, our Source, our Inspiriation, or our Guide. We forget that we are made of love, by love and for love. Sometimes it takes a physical seperation from the everyday for us to realize how amazing life is and how lucky we are to be in this experience. This is what happened to me on the Thanksgiving road trip. Although I knew of my connection to all this in both my head and in my heart, it took a special trip with a friend to really hammer it home.

I am forever grateful for spending three days in car this Thanksgiving weekend. I feel more awake and appreciative of everything around me. I feel more connected to my family, friends, to my community and my world. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I simply cannot say it enough to express the fullness of my heart. Namaste. The light in me sees the light in you and is nourished. Thank you for being exactly who and what you are!

Much love and light - ALWAYS and FOREVER.
Heather.

2011-09-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

I've never been big into blogging.

My husband has blogged for almost 2 years now (MIDDLE AGE BULGE) and slowly, ever so slowly he has pulled me into this modern world of social media and online words. First it was Facebook, then Twitter, and now... Blogging!

Recently I attended a social media workshop and learned that blogging is actually a really good idea. It helps to create a community, a readership and enhances whatever it is that you are trying to do.

My goal with the Ananda Center for Balance is to create a thriving holistic community in Fort McMurray, Alberta. A community of like-minded people interested in yoga, health and wellness. What better way to do this, then to open up this BLOG and website to you - my readership - my friends - and my clients!

As we move forward from this day - DAY ONE of THE BLOG - I invite you to submit comments, questions and ideas that will help all of us learn, share and grow our community.

Welcome to the Ananda Center for Balance BLOG!