Posts Tagged ‘Spirituality’
Middle Way
Monday, July 15th, 2013
Over the last several months, I have had to deal with bouts of dizziness. I have had to make adjustments as looking up or down often triggers my dizziness. This is part of an on-going health issue and it has made me slow down. I have learned to ask for help. And I am learning more and more to ask for what I need.
As I sat in meditation, I asked for the message and gift of my dizziness. This is what came through in my meditation:
Maybe you don’t have to look up right now – heaven is right in front of you.
May you don’t have to look down right now – Mother Earth is all around you.
Look in front of you. What do you see?
Your path is right in front of you.
That is your middle way.
As you listen to what is informing you, what is your middle way?
Look for the Wonders Inside. They Exist, Always.
Thursday, May 12th, 2011
I just returned home from Egypt! The days leading up to the trip felt uncharacteristically calm for me. Given my level of energy, I would have normally been running around. I didn’t even make a packing list. (This from someone who organizes their clothes by color!) I just went with the flow. I listened as other people gave their various opinions about the trip. I heard everything from, “Have a wonderful time”, “Make sure you take lots of pictures”, “I can’t wait to read your stories from the trip” to “You are crazy”, “I would never go to Egypt” and one person even said, “I think you’re stupid for going.” Maybe everybody was right in some form, and yet, I found myself going to Egypt anyway.
This was more than an adventure. It was a chance to travel on a spiritual adventure with a group who was very open to exploring, sharing, experiencing, and listening to the wonders of Egypt, their own hearts, and one another. As a teacher and healer, I was called to go.
This was more than experiencing the “Wonders of Egypt.” It was about experiencing the wonders inside that always exist. I had no idea what 18 days in Egypt would be like, but I was open to experiencing a new culture and meeting new people. I traveled with 9 men and they were so generous, kind, loving, and supporting throughout the entire trip. I now have 9 new friends (who are more like family). And how could I pass up an opportunity to visit a country that loves drumming?
I am still processing this amazing journey. As I integrate the experience, I have learned that while there are many beautiful temples, sacred sites, and wonders of the world, that all of that exists inside of me know matter where I go. I found many treasures, temples, and sacred sites within myself.
Look for the wonders inside. They exist, always.
Mary Anne
How Are You Spending Your Time Today?
Monday, September 20th, 2010
Every so often I pick up Robert Grudin’s book, Time and the Art of Living, and read a passage that becomes my focus for the week (or longer). When I flipped open the book, here is the paragraph I opened to:
“When building a nest of time, be certain of its dimensions. Its duration should not depend on something unpredictable — a homecoming, a phone call, or your own whim — for then its outer fringes, beginning and/or end, will be weakened by uncertainty. It should be long enough for the activity it includes, not so short as to be rushed or so long as to be oppressive. If possible it should look out, like a room in a country house, toward some pleasant prospect of future time — a meal, a meeting, a rest. Protect these periods also from within. A telephone or television set or radio, for example, can ruin time as thoroughly as a hole in the roof or a missing door can ruin interior space. A confused schedule, conflicting obligations or habitual distraction all crack the walls of time, leaving us defenseless against an infringing environment.”
How will you spend today?
Mary Anne
National Yoga Month!
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
September is National Yoga Month! It’s a great way to celebrate mind, body, & spirit connections. I only started taking yoga classes this past January. It has been an amazing journey. Most of the poses still confuse me and it takes great effort to do a should stand, but I find that I can push myself just a little bit more each class. And what has really inspired me more than the poses is the ability to create a heart-centered practice that deepens my relationship with the Divine.
My yoga teachers start our class by asking us to dedicate our practice or our day to someone we love. ‘May each pose be an offering to a loved one or the Divine.’ What a beautiful way to start each day! When I look around the room at other folks doing yoga poses, I often think, “Will my body ever bend like that?” I am reminded to always come back to my breath. I breathe deeper and watch how my body is able to expand, and yet, I can clearly recognize the limits of how far my body will push itself — how much pain feels good and tolerable.
For me, yoga has been more than a trendy exercise. It’s been an experience of self-awareness and self-acceptance. I am perfect exactly as I am in this very moment.
I invite you to stretch yourself this month (in mind, body, spirit). Offer your practices or day to someone you love.
Namaste,
Mary Anne
To find out more information about National Yoga Month click the link: http://www.yogamonth.org/
What Is It to Work with Love?
Monday, September 13th, 2010
As I fully return to my daily routine, I wanted to share a passage from one of my favorite writings of all times, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. Perhaps it is time to see my “routine” as a way to work with love!
Work is love made visible.
And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger.
And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine.
And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.
Yes, work is love made visible~
Mary Anne
July OM Meditation
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
As July comes to an end, we have been reminded, especially in the East Coast, of how extreme weather can slow us down. Whether a big heat wave or heavy rains or even a tornado watch in NYC (!), the weather has been our greatest teacher this month. I know the weather has taught me to slow down my pace, drink lots of water, rest, sit quietly (and enjoy ice cream). As we slow down to enjoy some summer vacation, I invite you to spend time with some contemplative thoughts and questions and allow them to enter your heart.
As an invitation, feel free to close your eyes, sit with your spine straight, and take a few soft breaths. Then inhale a little deeper through your nose, and on the exhale, repeat the mantra OM (AUM). Do this three times. Allow yourself to really feel everything and become the observer of your thoughts. Feel free to focus on one question or statement below and just allow your experience to unfold.
In every breath, there is love.
Living in the moment frees us from living in the past.
Create space in your life for what you LOVE to do, rather than fill space with what you are comfortable doing.
What are some of the “waves” in my life you can naturally jump with ease? Where else in your life do you go with the flow? Go with the flow & the rest will follow.
The light in me is a reflection of you.
Who and what am I willing to meet with understanding?
When we choose to live in this moment, we choose a direct path to our heart and the divine. Being present to this moment right now means being home. Welcome home.
Each person will have their own experience so the invitation is to be open for whatever thoughts flow through you. Allow your mind and body to expand into the experience (without judgment). Feel free to start with whatever mantra calls to you.
We are all students and teachers.
Mary Anne
My MTA Mystical Moment
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
- NYC subway
Just when you think you have experienced everything on the NYC subway system, you wake up and realize that new experiences are there waiting for you. Last week, I took the G train to Brooklyn and realized in my almost 20 years in NYC, I had never taken the G train before. I felt like a little kid taking a ride and felt excitement come over me as I discovered new parts of the city.
I wasn’t always open to new subway moments. As a matter of fact, I have had my share (like most New Yorkers) of MTA frustrations, announcements, delays, and cancelled services. Throughout my years taking the MTA subway into Manhattan from the Bronx, I have been delayed by hours due to sick passengers, kicked off the train for unknown reasons, asked to exit through all the cars because of a fire, and left stranded at East 180th Street.
For many years, I had subway anxiety. I worried about getting to work late and panicked when the train was delayed for “traffic ahead.” Having to stand for an hour on the subway also caused a lot of distress. I decided to travel with a good book and iPod to help get me through my ride with more ease. I would tune out the announcements and concentrate on reading and listening to my favorite music or podcasts.
This past week, I had an amazing MTA mystical moment. I was listening to the Oprah-Spirit Channel Podcast – that alone is a mystical moment. I had downloaded a few podcasts that expand my thinking and spark my creativity. On this particular morning, I was listening to an interview with Oprah and Daniel Pink (his book A Whole New Mind is amazing). In the background, the conductor was making announcements about delays. At first I ignored them, but then our train stopped for at least 5 minutes, and the announcement came again, “We are sorry for the delay. There is a police investigation up ahead. As soon as we receive clearance, we will proceed.” Passengers started mumbling, cursing, and rolling their eyes at the announcement.
I thought, ‘I can handle a small delay.’ Then, there was another announcement about the delay. I made my iPod louder to block it. Finally, after the third announcement, the words “police investigation ahead” echoed in the background. I took a breath, closed my eyes, and became still in the midst of a crowded subway car. In that quiet space, I could hear a soft voice inside repeating the words, investigation, investigation, investigation. And the moment came when my mind allowed the questions to come in and I could hear myself ask, “What needs investigation in your life right now? In what areas do you need to investigate?”
I let the questions float without answering them. I began to see a screen of areas in my life that need further exploration. I started my morning by experiencing the delay as an opportunity to investigate parts of my work, relationships, and dreams.
The delay taught me the lesson of slowing down and not rushing from thing to thing. Am I in a rush or is my mind in a rush? Looking for the bigger picture in the smaller moments can be some of the greatest gifts – even with a half hour delay due to a police investigation. I am grateful to the MTA for giving me the mystical moment to slow down and investigate my life. What a beautiful way to start the day! Perfect!