Sharing the Love: 2015 Bhakti Wellness Testimonial

I've been working with this student for almost a year now and her email to me today warmed my heart on this cold Michigan day! Makes me love what I do even more!

"I just want to personally thank you for all that you have done for me both physically and mentally. Yoga has been so wonderful to both my body and mind, I wish I would have found it and you sooner.

I am trying meditation on a regular basis and have found my spirit that has inspired me. I am constantly working on all my Chakras and feel that all my wheels are spinning at a good pace working together.

I AM SO HAPPY!!!! THANKS!!!!!!!"

Thank you,

Deanie

Words: The impact they have on our minds, heart and soul; using yoga and prayer to create word choice awareness.

by MJ LaDuke

Whether said in jest or with roots of blatant truth, words can pierce the heart like a dagger, melt the heart not unlike a snowman on a sunny day, or create a lasting impression that not even time can erase. I consider the latter the worst since they can eat at your soul for the rest of your life!  Words are so vastly different than thoughts.  Once spoken, they cannot be erased.  Once written and even worse, read, the damage is done.  Scars remain and a piece of our soul continues to silently ache no matter how much faith and tenacity exist to overcome the eroding torture. 

But then what if the words were constructive, based on love and spoken with an underlying wit? What if we could see beyond the hurt and momentary blow to our ego and use the advice or criticism to evolve, change or grow?  So, I think it is safe to say that the source of the word is critical and the measurement of foundational love determines how the words are received and perceived.

All too often we react swiftly with verbal mistakes before we process a thought.  If we only took just a few breaths we could have altered the possible hurt and pain to the receiver.   Slowing ourselves down allows us time to change the words or even not speak any at all.  Who are we to judge anyway?  Why are we reacting so harshly?  Is it because we love the person so much we are speaking to or is it because we are internalizing our own personal pain and lack of love by projecting outwardly?

Constant awareness is key in slowing the delivery of our words, choosing more appropriate words or as mentioned before, not speaking at all.  There is a beautiful gift in silence.  For me, creating this awareness or even the ability to be silent requires either a unique trait or daily yoga practice/meditation. Since most of us are not blessed with an innate gift or trait of knowing exactly when to speak and not to speak or knowing what to say or not to say, we have to work on our delivery throughout our lives.  I do this through prayer and yoga.  The two seem to go inherently together.

In yoga we yoke.  We yoke, or unite, with the divine or the divinity within us.  It is unique to each of us, but it brings us peace, i.e., whatever we yoke with does. When a student can't seem to find something that brings them peace I tell them to go to their "happy place". Whether it is our happy place, faith in a deity, nature, or the universe, this divinity should bring us to a place of peace, comfort and even love.  And whether you call it a prayer, thought,  mantra or intention, our method of connecting or yoking with our divinity is one in the same.  Like traveling in different vehicles arriving at the same place. We all get there in one way or another.

Many think of yoga as a physical sport.  It is, but it offers so much more! Yoga is comprised of body, mind and spirit.  The latter two are often not sought out at the onset of a yoga journey, but unintentionally evolve naturally.  The time frame is unique to each of us; it could take months or years to achieve a spiritual path through yoga.  However, once one achieves this trifecta, the practice becomes sacred and our outlook on every facet of life is altered.

Take eating for example.  I gradually gave up meat and poultry not as a trend, but because it was a natural progression of peace, tolerance and will on my yogic path.  I view food differently than ever before.  I view it is as a gift and as energy.  If we lust after food and gorge ourselves we have no control over our will and lose all gratitude for those who harvest and prepare the food.  If we pause before we eat something we can reflect on this amazing process that occurred to bring us sustenance. 

Imagine the transformation that occurs as we process the food through our digestive system.  Our body takes the nourishment and vitamins it needs and disburses it throughout the body and rids itself of anything wasteful.  The major energy center involved in this process is called our Manipura, which governs our will and right.  It is also associated with the fire element and is located at our solar plexus.  Keeping this energy center balanced allows us to process any physical, emotional and even spiritual transformation. 

Because yoga takes us also on a spiritual journey, a person of faith can intertwine prayer during a practice.  By this I mean either at the onset of the practice as we bring awareness to the breath to clear our minds, perhaps in vrksasana (tree), during shavasana (final relaxation) or seated meditation.  I have come to use yoga as my prayer time since evening prayer is often a challenge as my eyes grow heavy all too fast.  I can go deeper into prayer in the morning and in the setting of nature and I also find that Scripture keeps me rooted in awareness and brings my entire being back into balance not even realizing it was astray.  Utilizing several resources, e.g., different authors and anecdotes,  allows for different perspectives to better prepare us for unique situations. From literary giants to social media to the Word, choose your resource and expand your mind.

With the awareness and gratitude I create through yoking with the divine in yoga, I become more conscious of my word choices.  In continual prayer, I bring peace, love and wisdom to my heart allowing more insight into my word choices.  Both allow me to process incoming words differently.  Should I be lacking yoga or prayer during a moment in question, unfortunately I may speak too soon or speak the wrong words.  I can't change that moment, but I can correct it as soon as I realize it, learn from it and prepare for the next moment of challenge.  To avoid any future challenge, the answer is to maintain a healthy yoga practice and as well as daily prayer.

Namaste ~ MJ

"Whoever restrains his words has knowledge.  And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding." Proverbs 17:27

H.U.G.S. = Helping us Grow Spiritually

According to the Spiritual Science Research Foundation, the use of touch enhances the transfer of spiritual or subtle-energies up to 100%, when compared to a greeting that does not involve touch. Though the study includes research on the transference of  negative energy, I feel that we all possess some amount of positive energy located in our chakras. It is a constant struggle to bring these energy centers into balance, however, it can be achieved with awareness and focus.

Since yoga means to yoke, yoke with the divine, i.e., the divinity within each one of us, we can use this practice along with meditation to bring spiritual balance, enlightenment, nirvana, etc. Hugging someone you care about or even as a gesture to someone you just met can quite admittedly serve as a spiritual gift. 

Why not hug someone now? By doing so we release our oxytocin, which helps us navigate our world of complex social relationships by rewarding positive social behavior with feelings of contentment and relaxation. Physical touch stimulates the most potent release of oxytocin.

A study by Grewin, Girdler, Amico and Light at the University of North Carolina's department of psychiatry reported  that oxytocin is one factor which gives marriage its beneficial effects by calming distress. Perhaps the increased level of oxytocin explains why married couples live longer.

Married or not, we can all benefit from this release and create an even spiritual experience. So, don't forget to hug someone today and tomorrow and the next day... you'll be glad you did.

Hugs!
MJ

Spiritual Awakening.....in Hope We All Get There

Inspiring Quotes and Poems...

"The idea of marriage is to multiply joy. If you multiply your miseries, it’s a crime." ~ Sadhguru

"I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being."
~ Hafiz

 "Meditation leads me into the unknown, and as I trust stepping into the void, I am no longer contracted within my own reality, but expand in the limitlessness of being." ~ Fragrant Heart

 One of my own favorite pieces (Please no reproduction without consent of author)...

Flight of the Phoenix by MJ Borbi (LaDuke )

My heart once soared with joy

and I touched the realm of peace,

And now I dwell in the perils of evil

Reeking with temptations, turmoil and havoc.

Broken, shattered, distressed.

Dreams laden with desolation haunt my nights

As they turn into endless days.

They are one in the same.

With no return to love in sight

I sit, wait, fade and erode

Into someone or something I do not know.

Fear consumes me.

Fear of loss and love.

Fear of fallen hope, desires, and dreams.

Fears that veil my existence.

Is this suffering a choice?

Look to the sky.

It is clearing now.

The strength is building,

Rising like the intrepid phoenix.

Out of the ashes morphing into

Ethereal beauty……the quest reveals the beginning

Which was once the end.

I am not who I am.

Who am I?

What do I desire?

Freedom from pain and affliction?

Flight above all.

Soaring. Drifting. Never falling.

Achievement is attained…

Through love.

Through the Holy Spirit.

Through life.

Through death.

Through Divinity.

Om nivah shivaya.

Not life as we know it.

In eternity peace comforts us.

Holds us in His grace.

 

Wednesday Wisdom

Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less,
why do you worry?
You are in truth
the soul, of the soul, of the soul. ♥
~ Rumi ~

 

 

Mandala, Mantra and Mala: A New Cycle for a Special Season

Whether you are on the yogi path or not, you may have come across one of these three words: mantra, mandala and mala.  Last Wednesday some of us began a new mandala, or cycle of prayer, for many different reasons.  Perhaps you have sacrificed something special, increased alms giving or community service. I felt compelled to share the meaning of these important words to perhaps stimulate your own meditation or 40-day journey during this time of preparation (some refer to it as Lent). 

Should you choose to begin a new prayer cycle, or mandala, next week or at anytime, you can use a mantra (the prayer/intention) and mala beads. So, you see, they all work together in tandem to create peace, balance and even cleanse the body and mind from impure thoughts, toxins, anxiety/stress and more!

As mentioned, the mandala is a cycle, more specifically, the natural cycle of the body.  It is also defined in Sanskrit as a healing circle.  Circles suggest wholeness, unity, the womb, completion and eternity. The awareness (meditation) of the Mandala can stimulate creative thinking, concentration and center us to the point where it is quiet and still. One can position a mandala image where it can be viewed while repeating a mantra (described below).  Some even create alters for their mandala.

Coloring mandalas can be most beneficial for children to calm their minds and slow down their thought process.  Carl Jung even used this in therapy with children to help them express themselves when words escape them.

In a meditation cycle the mandala can help bring awareness and focus toward a mantra, a prayer or intention. It can be repeated or used just once and verbalized or chanted internally.  Mantras are sounds — words or phrases — that are used as an object of concentration. Common Sanskrit mantras are: Om Shanti Shanti Shanti (Om peace peace peace), Om Mani Padme Hum (difficult to translate but pertains to the jewel of the lotus), or Sat Nam (the vibration of truth).  Should you be more apt to choose a prayer or intention but cannot focus on something specific, try one of these:

Focus on gratitude ~ give up complaining
Become an optimist ~ give up pessimism
Think of kind thoughts (towards yourself or others) ~ give up harsh judgments
Trust Divine Providence ~ give up worry
Be full of hope ~ give up discouragement
Turn to forgiveness ~ give up bitterness
Return good for evil ~ give up hatred
Be positive ~ give up negativism
Be more patient ~ give up anger
Become mature ~ give up pettiness
Enjoy beauty, that which surrounds you ~ give up gloom
Pray for trust ~ give up jealousy
Turn to virtue ~ give up gossiping
Hang in there! ~ give up giving up!

Lastly, mala beads are used to keep track of the number of mantras/prayers said during a mandala/meditation cycle.  Just like a rosary, the beads are used to keep track of the number of prayers so you can concentrate on the prayer and just move your fingers from bead to bead without losing count. Mala beads have 108 beads.

Before getting started, consider using Sandalwood essential oil in your practice.  Sandalwood assists with all kinds of prayer, meditation and spiritual worship.  It teaches reverence and respect for Deity.  It has been used since ancient times for its powerful ability to calm the mind, still the heart and prepare the spirit to commune with God. Sandalwood teaches of spiritual devotion and spiritual sacrifice.  It invites us to place all material attachments on the altar of sacrifice so that we may truly progress spiritually.  It also asks us where our hearts are and challenges us to reorder our priorities to be in alignment with the Divine will. Sandalwood assists us in quieting our minds so that we may hear the subtle voice of the Spirit.  It raises individuals into higher levels of consciousness.  It assists us in reaching beyond our current confines and belief systems.  For those who are ready to leave behind fame, wealth and the need for acceptance, Sandalwood teaches  true humility, devotion and love for the Divine. Place a drop over the brow area.  Inhale before meditation, study or prayer.

I suggest using doTERRA CPTG Sandalwood, which can be purchased at my oil website.

Use these simple steps to begin your new cycle:

1. Find a quiet place.
2. Select soft music and light candle(s) to create peace and serenity. (optional)
3. Display your mandala.
4. Come to a seated asana (position/pose) cross legged or lotus.
5. Close your eyes and begin to bring awareness to the breath.
6. Tibetan tradition shows us the outer rings of the mandala represent fire that will purify an individual as they ready the journey of entering into the mandala itself. This is the point of entry for your meditation. The path will lead you inward to the center. Concentrate and focus on the shapes and colors and let the design and beauty sink into your being. Follow each circle inward and if you run into a dead end, just remember that not only do you want to reach the center but the meditation is also about the travel to enlightenment.
7. Begin to repeat your mantra and use mala beads to keep count. (eyes can be open to view mandala or closed)
8. Enjoy the many benefits of meditation and the new path you are creating.

Keep Your Resolutions on Track with a Healthy Spirit!

2013 is here and many of us have taken the wellness challenge whether it is to lose weight, reduce blood pressure or body fat or just tone up what gravity has slowly pulled down.  The fitness centers and gyms are over crowded, but how long will it last?  How long can YOU stay focused?  Can you take it into February or even June? 

The options are endless from prepackaged foods to gizmos and gadgets, but we need to think about what never changes...our spirit! Perhaps a healthy spirit is the answer to a life of wellness, not to mention happiness. 

Yes, I am a believer in CPTG essential oils, but they go so much farther than assisting our physical needs. We can use them three ways: topically, internally and aromatically.  I love exploring the senses especially with aromas that take us on journeys into our own hearts and minds.  Many of us are too busy to allow our minds to slow down so often we need a little assistance from our nose to stimulate the brain (limbic system) to control emotions and retrieve memories.    This causes chemicals to be released which make the person feel relaxed, calm, or even stimulated. 

Essential oils, phytoncides and other natural volatile organic compounds (VOCs) work differently. When targeting our sense of smell they activate the limbic system and emotional centers of the brain. When applied topically (onto the skin) they activate thermal receptors and destroy microbes and fungi. Internal application may stimulate the immune system (generally in prescribed form).

Once we have calmed the body and mind we can focus on our breath and allow ourselves the peace and tranquility that only comes through meditation.   Think of the Om symbol where the three lines of the "m" represent the awake state, the dream state and the sleep state.  The line above (like a crescent moon) is the blockage that prevents us from achieving our potential ultimate consciousness or awareness (the dot).

So, if you cannot get to this "place" on your own why not try a CPTG (certified pure therapeutic grade) essential oil from doTERRA to help you along your journey.  Only then can you move onto the rest of your life and body to bring total wellness full circle.  Try these obvious steps:
1.  Full Your Energy: get enough sleep, exercise and proper nutrition.
2.  Choose Goals Wisely: don't over commit.
3.  Be Specific (in your goals/resolutions): numbers are easy to follow.
4.  Start Small:  don't set yourself up for failure.
5.  Make a Plan: put it on a calendar and track your goal(s).
6.  Rewards: celebrate your successes!
7.  Be Accountable: share with someone and let them help you stay on task.
8.  Remove Temptation: but allow yourself a little wiggle room.
9.  Visualize it: make a dream board, post images, motivate yourself with inspirational quotes!
10.  Believe you can change: creating neural pathways to the brain can lead to change in habits!

If you would like to explore meditation through yoga as your solitary goal for 2013 or to compliment your current fitness program please contact me for a private appointment to begin your journey.  www.bhaktiwellness.com

Namaste ~ MJ

Isha Kriya Meditation

Breathe In: I am not the body.
Breathe Out: I am not even the mind.

Either in discipline or indulgence,
In companionship or aloneness,
Only one who is in constant touch with the
Ultimate reality, will know bliss.
~ Sadhguru

Happy Mother's Day!

Winter Feast for the Soul

"What nine months does for the embryo, forty early mornings will do for your growing awareness." ~ Jelaluddin Mevlana Rummi

Join me from January 15 through February 23, 2012 for forty days of self awareness and a journey you will surely not regret. As many spiritual leaders have taken their own forty days of discovery, you too can use these days to change your life. Forty is historically significant and as we begin Ordinary Time and prepare for Spring, we welcome a path of peace.

Invite change into your own life with forty minutes of insight into your own soul. Whether it's 40 minutes at once, two twenty-minute sessions or four ten-minute sessions of meditation, yoga, martial arts, prayer, journaling, or random acts of kindness, the positive energy created during this time will mend your spirit and nurture your heart. During the quiet space and time, let yourself find inner stillness to cultivate positive change to yourself, those you love and the planet.

For more information about private yoga and meditation sessions contact MJ LaDuke at Bhakti Wellness at mj@bhaktiwellness.com or visit www.bhaktiwellness.com.

Namaste ~ MJ