October 12th, 2023
Congratulations to “Toning the OM™,” the recipient of the 2023 Global Recognition Award. This International Healing arts company, under the leadership of Mary Anne Flanagan, has firmly established itself in the business and makes impressive strides in the personal development space.”
Practicing for 17 successful years in the Healing Arts business, Toning the OM™ has touched many lives globally with extensive service offerings in various locations including Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands, Egypt, and Peru, to name a few.
Despite the challenging shift from New York to Florida, they’ve managed to not only maintain but also grow their life coaching business. This adaptability and resilience highlight the exceptional management and strategic direction that the company has taken, another reason why the 2023 Global Recognition Award is befitting.
In the realm of innovation, Toning the OM™ significantly stands out. They diligently support individuals who experience isolation and burnout or those who are aiming to make significant life changes, particularly amid the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their customized approach and unique experiential experiences set them apart and make them worthy winners of the 2023 Global Recognition Award.
The company’s best-selling service, Life Coaching, is yet another testament to their targeted service provision. They have been recognized for their notable works in 2021, winning the Best of the Bronx Award. This track record of accolades and the trust of her clients for over seventeen years is a shining endorsement of their commitment to quality service and customer satisfaction.
In conclusion, Toning the OM™’s outstanding contribution to the Healing Arts industry, their resilience in the face of change, innovative and personalized approach to service, and inspiring journey of growth make them deserving recipients of the 2023 Global Recognition Award.
Tags: Global Award, International Healing Arts, Life Coach, Life Coaching, Meditation, Toning the OM
Posted in Toning the OM | Toning the Om
October 6th, 2023
I love baseball. I am so looking forward to the baseball playoffs. Baseball has been my favorite sport since I was a kid watching the New York Mets play and going to games at Shea Stadium with my dad. The Mets gave me (too) many lessons about life including resiliency and handling disappointment. The game of baseball has provided me with many career and workplace lessons. Celebrate others, cheer on your team, lean on each other and step up to the plate with joy and determination. And, play ball!
Posted in Toning the OM | Toning the Om
August 22nd, 2023
“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.”
―Pema Chödrön
I was reminded of this quote as I have listened to and experienced a variety of emotions the past few days and weeks. As emotions come and go, and we start to feel deeply our pain and our joy, it is important to remember that we are this great blue sky that the weather rolls through. At times, it may feel too cold or too hot. Sometimes we may feel like a flood, sometimes a drought, sometimes a quake, and sometimes a hurricane. And then it passes. The weather changes and we change.
And sometimes it’s just right. We feel the ideal temperature, notice the most perfect golden light or a glowing red sunset, or feel the lightest of breezes. Yet, we know that this too will change.
As we feel the fullness of ourselves as the sky, we know that our hearts are so immense that we have the space to hold ALL of it. There may be times we think we don’t have enough to carry it all, and then we realize it is moving through us. As we feel the tenderness and the tough times, the love and sadness, the strength and the vulnerability, the forgiveness and kindness – sometimes all at the same time, we come to realize we are just the sky—and everything else is just the weather.
Sometimes we just need to sit in the emotions or notice the sky and in our stillness, we may come to a place and realize we are all of this and more than this. It’s a daily practice of noticing, watching, and being – and then it all passes into something else.
Notice the weather of your heart. Notice the forecast and how quickly it changes into something else.
Posted in Letting Go | Toning the Om
July 14th, 2023
Have you ever found yourself looking for inspiration? Perhaps you look for people to inspire you or you have books or a go to quote that lights you up.
I often find inspiration in books, deep conversations, and in nature. I have probably looked for inspiration not even realizing it is right in front of me. On one day in particular, I looked up and saw an array of blooms and palm trees. The view was stunning. I was amazed at how much joy the view brought me. I stood there looking up enjoying the colors of the trees. I was inspired to take a few photos in the hopes of capturing the feeling of joy the trees were bringing me.
Inspiration can come from many places. And if you ever find yourself seeking inspiration, look up. You never know what is right in front of you.
What inspires you?
Posted in Toning the OM | Toning the Om
April 28th, 2023
Our light goes in and out.
We find ourselves again
and again.
And we lose ourselves again and again.
Sometimes we need the darkness to find our light.
Our light dims and love helps us find it.
Our light shines bright, and love shows us how to share it.
Our light glows and other people notice it.
We sometimes see the light in others before we see our own light. We shine and celebrate the light in others.
Oh, and their light flickers too.
May we find our inner sun that is always shining light.
May we remember that light emerges from the darkness.
And that the most holy darkness is the deepest darkness.
Let our flickering light and holy darkness be our teachers.
Posted in Toning the OM | Toning the Om
January 25th, 2023
In 2012 I downloaded an app called Insight Timer. I set up a daily timer for about ten minutes to an hour to meditate daily. After using it for a couple of years, I set up my own quiet daily practice of meditation. I forgot about the app and eventually deleted it as I wanted less time being on my phone.
For over 20 years I have facilitated and led meditation retreats and have taught people various meditation practices (hoping to do more of those again soon!).
My daily routine even included getting to my office early so I had time to sit and meditate. I also prefer quiet mornings and easing into my day. I was even able to meditate on the subway!
Then COVID-19 happened. My meditation practice came to a screeching halt. Almost all of my daily or weekly practices stopped. I couldn’t meditate, read, or journal. I gave myself permission to be in this place. Although I didn’t think it would take 2+ years to come out of it.
I discovered that my daily walks became a meditation practice. And the more I walked, the more I noticed everything. I noticed more colors, more trees, more birds, more nature, and more beauty. But something was still missing. I wanted to get back to my meditation—even if it meant starting over with two to five minutes of daily meditation. I downloaded the Insight Timer app again. Sitting quietly, I began to listen to guided meditations. It was as if I never left. My body was able to relax first for brief moments and then eventually for longer periods of time.
Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to let something go and have it return as something new. When meditation (or any practice) feels like a chore, pausing and waiting for it return in a new way can help. If you’re like me and have wanted to return to a mediation practice, feel free to start over, again.
And if you need support starting a meditation practice or growing your current one, please reach out to me.
Suggestions: for those looking for apps that support meditation, try Insight Timer, Ten Percent Happier, or Calm.
Tags: Daily Routine, Insight Timer, Meditation, Pause, Practice, Retreats, Toning the OM
Posted in Toning the OM | Toning the Om
December 21st, 2022
“I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.” ~Hafiz
How will you celebrate the light in the darkness?
As we enter the winter season, it is time to go inward. The winter season allows us to align with a slower pace. In the depths of winter, when the bears hibernate, trees put their energy deep into their roots, and many of dive deeper into the dream world, it is natural time to retreat.
As we go inward, let us notice the beauty and tranquility of winter. Let us celebrate the light within that is always possible. Let us embrace the opportunity for deep rest and integration that winter provides.
How will you keep the candle lit inside yourself?
Celebrate the light of your own being!
Tags: Inward, light, Rest, Retreat, Winter Solstice
Posted in Meditation | Toning the Om
December 5th, 2022
For years, daily routines have been my habit. This month, change is my new frequency. I am changing jobs, changing where I live, and changing how I spend my time. After living in the Northeast my whole life, I recently decided to move to Florida. And after spending my whole career in the not-for-profit arena, I am now focusing more on my coaching, meditation, and writing business practices. I also took time off to create space for these big life changes. I would love to say this was for a purposeful sabbatical, but in reality, it was more of a necessity for a move that included packed boxes, a car getting shipped, and time to set-up our condo.
All of these changes reminded me of my radio growing up where you had to get the station just right so there wouldn’t be any static. I would roll the dial slowly to try to get a station in tune. It was a feat to get a radio frequency that did not have any static. Often, when I did find the station, I would just leave it on the one I found so I wouldn’t have to get any more static–even if I didn’t like the music. Changing the dial meant moving through the static.
I noticed that’s what is happening now. I have moved the dial on my inner radio station. I am going through the stations to get past the static until a station is clear and in tune. And as I have made these many big changes, there has been a lot of static! Yet, change is my new frequency. I am not sure what station or how many will come into focus, but I am open to listening to lots of stations. There is much to learn from static, the in-between stations, and the various music found in everything.
Tags: change, Florida, Life Coach, Meditation, Moving, Music, Notice
Posted in Storytelling | Toning the Om
May 9th, 2022
This time has been called “The Great Resignation.” But what if we called it, “The Great Pause.” I have given a lot of thought to long pauses and the impact of slowing down and noticing what happens in the long pauses. There was a time I wrote daily and perhaps I will get back to that routine, but lately words escape me and I have had to befriend the blank page. There is so much noise, so much shouting, so many words, that it often makes me become more still and quiet. My practice has been to listen to the silence between the words and noise. What is in that space?
Natalie Goldberg wrote, “Sometimes when you think you are done, it is just edge of beginning. Probably that’s why we decide we’re done. It’s getting to scary. We are touching down onto something real.”
I am at the edge of beginning. And rather than rush it and resign, I need to pause and listen.
How about you? Are you experiencing the great pause? Are you on the edge of a (new) beginning?
Posted in Vulnerability | Toning the Om
September 17th, 2021
Toning the OM has been selected as the Winner for the 2021 Best of Bronx Awards in the category of Local Business!
Each year, in and around the Bronx area, the Bronx Award Program chooses only the best local businesses. They focus on companies that have demonstrated their ability to use various marketing methods to grow their business in spite of difficult economic times. The companies chosen exemplify the best of small business; often leading through customer service and community involvement.
For most companies, this recognition is a result of their dedication and efforts as well as the work put into building the business. Toning the OM is now a part of an exclusive group of small businesses that have achieved this selection.
The Bronx Award Program was created to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of businesses and organizations in and around Bronx. Their mission is to raise the profile of exemplary companies and entrepreneurs among the press, the business community, and the general public.
Thank to everyone who has supported Toning the OM through the years–whether you have attended a workshop, sacred circle, retreat, coaching or meditation session. And am also grateful to everyone that has shown support and love by sharing and promoting Toning the OM and sent encouraging words.
Most of all, am grateful to my parents who taught me the value and meaning of service. All that I do and all that I share is in their memory–as I know they are always watching over me.
Tags: 2021 Best Business, Bronx Award, Bronx Award Program, Community, Gratitude, Inspiration, Life Coaching, Local Business, Meditation, Mindfulness, OM, Retreats, Service, Small Business, Toning the OM
Posted in Toning the OM | Toning the Om
Congratulations to “Toning the OM™,” the recipient of the 2023 Global Recognition Award. This International Healing arts company, under the leadership of Mary Anne Flanagan, has firmly established itself in the business and makes impressive strides in the personal development space.”
