I sat on my front step this morning, writing out all of my woes, certain that if I got them onto the page, my brain would stop spinning and I could sleep better at night. I listed this experience and that feeling. This loss and that pain. The dream with the bear and the one … Continue reading Snap out of it!
We think our demons have a hold of us. But what if we are holding onto them? What if we're comfortable in our pain or the stories we keep telling, grasping them tightly, even unaware we may be doing so? While practicing Qigong earlier this year with Grandmaster Mantak Chia, I was fascinated by something … Continue reading Free Your Demons, They Have Better Places to Be
There was a time when I enjoyed, craved even, elaborate visualizations and meditations. It felt rich and enlivening to envision colourful imagery and story dancing across my mind and focused into healing parts of my body or psyche! However, these past few years, whenever I find myself in guided meditation, tension arises. My mind and … Continue reading More Space, Please.
There is a practice in Buddhism called raising Bodhicitta. It may involve a particular mudra or hand posture. It may be done sitting or standing. Eyes open or closed. Raising Bodhicitta involves cultivating compassion and a desire to benefit all beings. It's a heart-felt intention often made at the beginning of meditation practice. The key … Continue reading Raising Bodhicitta
Last year, I was fortunate to learn the practice of Tibetan Sound Healing for Women from my Qigong teacher, Daisy Lee. She learned it many years ago from one of her teachers. Tibetan Sound Healing is a series of 6 sounds chanted one at a time, plus one 'silent sound'. Gentle movements accompany each sound. … Continue reading What Perfect Health Sounds Like
This morning, I received the Daily Dharma from The Tricycle Community in my inbox. It read: Some people have the idea that practicing Zen or any religion is becoming God or Buddha, or even “becoming a good person.” But if you are grasping to become “enlightened,” it’s like putting icing over a mold of cow … Continue reading Waiting it out
The day of the solar eclipse, I had an inspired idea. "I should go to barre class!" My initial plan for that day was outdoor meditation, perhaps accompanied by mantra. I weighed the two options. "Let's be bold. Let's do barre class." A tiny inner voice reminded me of the old wisdom of not practicing … Continue reading Knowing When to Lower the Barre
*This post was written 2 days ago, after the eclipse. I didn't get to posting it then. Mercury and I were having tea and lost track of Saturn 😉 This morning on my front step, I completed my meditation by chanting the short form of the heart sutra mantra 9 times. Om gate gate paragate … Continue reading Allowing the self to arise
There are 12 signs in astrology. We can learn about our influences at birth by looking at which sign Chiron was in. Each sign defines an area of your life. Since we’ve learned a bit about Chiron and what he represents (The Wounded Healer), we can look at which sign he arrived in at your … Continue reading What does Chiron Return in Libra mean?
There are 12 signs in astrology. We can learn about our influences at birth by looking at which sign Chiron was in. Each sign defines an area of your life. Since we’ve learned a bit about Chiron and what he represents (The Wounded Healer), we can look at which sign he arrived in at your … Continue reading What does Chiron Return in Cancer mean?
Stephanie Hrehirchuk - Author 