Obviously, the seasons differ depending on where you are. However, you can tune into these shifts -- even if they are subtle -- so that you are aware of what you may be feeling and experiencing. After the fall equinox (in the northern hemisphere) our days begin to shorten, so there is less light as we move into fall.
For me, at this time of year, I am tired, my energy is lower than that of summer (with the loooong days and lots of light). Sometimes a little chill in the air and I have that need for being cozy, baking, laying with my cat and dog (not much you can do when your cat comes up and sits on you hahahaah). A perfect reminder to be present, still, thoughtful, quiet, contemplative maybe even reflective as we move into the last quarter of the year. What do you still want to accomplish this year? Or what seeds do you want to plant for 2020? After your morning meditation (it’s only 3 minutes!!!!), ask yourself these questions. Journal what comes to mind. Just spit it out onto the paper. See where you are now and what you want to do that you haven’t been doing, but want to. Do one of these things. It can be simple. But just do it. Take the action. As Mel Robbins says, “say, 5,4,3,2,1 and then get up and do it.” Your brain is scrambled by counting backwards hahaha so your monkey mind won’t be able to stop you. Enjoy the transition of the season, the weather change, honor your shift in energy and take care of yourself so you stay healthy. Happy fall. Keep up with the September meditation. It is perfect for the seasonal transition! Love to you all.
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Yogi Bhajan always said, “Keep up and you will be kept up”. When you are not feeling like it, you don’t want to, you “can’t”, and on and on. Do it anyway and you will be supported. That is one reason I love a consistent morning practice, even if it is 1 minute, 3 minutes, or 15 minutes. It is the doing it every day despite how you “feel” that creates huge shifts in your life.
You are mastering your mind, your whims, your childlike stubbornness, your monkey mind that is creating false worries, doubts, and fears and you are proving to yourself that you are count-on-able, consistent, strong, reliable, ready, willing, and able. When I started a morning practice, many moons ago, I couldn’t believe how different I was every morning when I woke up. I appeared to do the same things to prepare for bed and yet I was shockingly different every day. When you go out into this info-bombarding world without setting yourself, you are like a ping pong ball in the wind. Ughhhhhh and that is noooooo fun!!! In fact, Tony Robbins always talks about real change happening when it is more painful to be doing the thing you have been doing than to do the new behavior. For instance, if smoking is now causing you serious health issues, quitting won’t be as painful as not being able to play with your kids, or dying. For me being a ping pong ball in the wind is way more painful than sitting and doing what I told myself I was going to do (you know, the meditation, breath, quick journal etc. It’s like when I do it consistently, “boom” I am a steady human ready for what is going to be meeting me out in the world. Hope you are doing the September meditation. Keep me posted. Questions? Let me know!!! Happy Tuesday. Keep up my friends you will be rewarded. When you have a birthday do you feel older and wiser? This week is my 55th birthday!!!
Maturity is a process and it has different aspects. In Kundalini Yoga, we talk about how a human being matures through a very predictable set of cycles: Every 18 years, the physical body goes through a process of maturity and change. We call this the Cycle of Life Energy. Every 11 years, the way you apply what you know to solving problems changes. The horizon of the intelligence expands. We call this the Cycle of Intelligence. And every 7 years, the fundamental sense of your identity evolves. It deepens, building on the wisdom of past experiences. We call this the Cycle of Consciousness. A couple of times in your life all three of these cycles occur as a marker for transformation (for me 54, 55, 56). To know this and observe what changes or choices you are confronted with can help to see, understand and take advantage of that time of your life. So older and wiser? Well, yes and no. Sometimes I feel like the older, I get the less I know and yet I also have a knowing that is deeper, authentic, intuitive, and wise from having been around the block so to speak. That feels good. It makes me proud to be 55. Makes me want to dig in even deeper to my personal journey, life’s lessons, the riddle of life. To spend more and more time in nature and less time on the freeway (Hahahahaha), to walk, to be healthy, quiet and thoughtful. Using everything I do in my day to day life as a moment-by-moment, conscious meditative practice of awareness, gratitude, and opportunity to connect with myself and others. So here I go . . . into my 5th cycle of intelligence, craving the depth, learning, completing, and finding ways in which my vision of my purpose can find its path. A fun exercise we did in the Life Cycles and Life Styles Kundalini Yoga Level Two Teacher Training course you can do too. Draw a line on a paper and plot out 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 etc . . . 11, 22, 33, 44, 55 etc. . . . and 18, 36, 54 etc.. Write things you remember at each of these stages. Depending on how old you are, how many cycles you have traveled through, you may observe some interesting things have happened in your life at these cycles. Reach out if you have questions about it. It is really interesting to see your life on this timeline. Happy Tuesday Love you all Ok, seriously are you sick of me saying self-care? The meditation for this month is the self care breath. I figure we can’t overdo self care. Especially you guys and I am including myself in this hahahaha. We need the reminder because we all have had a habit of putting ourselves at the bottom of the list. But that is changing and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, putting ourselves equally into the equation of our day!
This is a great meditation. It is simple, you can do it anywhere and it will invigorate you, boost your immune system, increase your inner energy, and strengthen your parasympathetic nervous system. Here’s a quick run through but I’ve sent all my subscribers the video. (If you’d like to join this group, click here and you’ll get it right away.) Sit with a nice, tall spine. You can sit in a chair if you want or even do it in your car while you are waiting for your kids (not while you’re driving though!!!). Put your left hand on your heart center and your right hand over it. Close your eyes. Make a ring with your lips, like an O shape. We are going to do a cannon breath through that ring. Feel the heart center below your hands and focus on the breath coming out of your O shaped lips, as if you were making rings in the air. Stay with it. When we end, we will inhale, hold the breath and you will silently say: I am beautiful, I am innocent, I am innocent, I am beautiful. Exhale through the nose. Repeat that 5 times. Then feel the sensation. The before you did it and the after you did it. Observe!!! Enjoy!!!! Use this as we transition from summer to fall, back to routine, school, work, shorter days etc. Do this everyday and experiment with this tool for your mental, emotional, and physical health! Love you all!!!! Happy September Well, some of us have back-to-schoolers, some have dropped kids at college, some have grown kids that are off on their own, and some of you don’t even have kids … this time of year can feel like a reset and a time to take action before the crazy holidays start. I know that sounds nuts but I was in a store and they had Halloween stuff out, yikes!!!! So let’s crank it up and finish this year off with a bang. This time of year also reminds me of one of my favorite sayings: Clarity is such a catalyst for change and growth. When we can see clearly, we have more courage to take the steps and the action that is calling us. To get clear on something that seems overwhelming or confusing you can try:
Let’s do it!!! Time is precious and sweet. Let’s take advantage of our time here and make the most of it! Love you all!!! |
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AuthorCourtney Gebhart, Life Coach, Kundalini Yoga teacher, and Human Being. Archives
January 2021
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