Gratitude Challenge

14 Day Gratitude Challenge
Dear Meditators

How has this year been for you so far? 
 
I looked back on what I have written on the topic of Happiness and remembered the Gratitude Challenge we did in 2017. I remember the benefits of the challenge and the importance of checking.  What % of happiness am I feeling with my life right now?  
 
By writing down and recognising the degree of happiness I feel can be a challenge in itself, so let’s do this together and make positive changes.  With gratitude comes change to the way we look at ourselves and look at others. Being grateful adds to our sense of happiness which in turn is reflected in how we live our lives. When happiness is present we become more aware of what we have rather than what we don't have, we appreciate more and allow space for more Love, Happiness and Bliss.         
 
Let’s start by asking ourselves some questions?  Am I focused on the external things in life - my sense of Self coming from Object or external referral or Internal referral where I feel love, happiness and independence?   
 
Whether we get our happiness from an external source or an internal source, it is up to us to make ourselves happy.    

My VM Colleague, Light Watkins from Los Angeles wrote his first book   - The Inner Gym: A 30-Day Workout For Strengthening Happiness.    Go here for the link.
 
I have designed a 14 day challenge based on the Inner Gym Book and I encourage you to take up the challenge also. 

CREATING HAPPINESS WITH A 14 DAY GRATITUDE LIST.

What you will need – writing pad, pen and an empty jar or container.

To get started place your attention on people, places, circumstances, or recent life lessons you’re grateful for.

Write five gratitude statements each day.  Example – Family, our health and well -being, fresh food to eat, my Job, a walk in the park - whatever comes to mind.
 
Begin writing your list on paper and keeping it with you.  Look at you list from time to time to reflect on your blessings throughout your day.
 
Continue listing new statements of gratitude each day and tracking your happiness levels based on your
cumulative feelings over the previous 24 hours.  Give a score out of 10, 10 being very happy and 1 very unhappy.

Example:       Very happy 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Very unhappy.

• It is recommended to limit your gratitude list to only five.

• Also recommended to stick with simple statements for each item on your list.

• If you forget to write a statement, then when you do remember just write it down then. 

After writing your gratitude list, start to write them on separate pieces of paper. When you get home or at some point near the end of your day, place your list into the “gratitude jar”. 

At the end of the challenge, look back and reflect on -
What changes have I noticed?

For example: The Benefits –
Levels of happiness - physically, mentally or spiritual changes?

Have I noticed changes to my relationships, health, energy levels, less suffering, adaptability levels, stress
levels, coping mechanisms, habits, attitudes & behaviours, levels of patience, acceptance, gratitude?

Have I slowed down and started to take more notice of what is happening around me?
 
At the end of 14 days compare how you felt at the beginning to how you feel now? 

Until next time,
Love & Jai Guru Deva
Liz

Letting go & learning from past mistakes

Letting go and learning from Past Mistakes

Dear Meditators

“If you can learn from your mistakes, then you have already transformed the garbage into a flower, for your own joy, for the joy of your ancestors, for the joy of the future generations, and also for the joy of the person who was the victim of your ignorance and your lack of skilfulness. Very often we have done that out of our un-skilfulness, not because we wanted to harm that person, or we wanted to destroy the person, or because we wanted him or her to suffer. We were unskilful, that is all. I always like to think of our behaviour in terms of it being more or less skilful, rather than in terms of good and evil. If you are skilful, you can avoid making yourself suffer, and making the other person suffer. If there is something you want to tell the other person, then yes, you have to tell it. But there are other ways to say it that would not make the other person suffer, and yourself suffer also. So, the problem is not whether to tell or not to tell what you have in your heart, the problem is how to tell it so that suffering will not be there. That is why this is a matter of art, and of our practice also.”
-Thich Nat Hanh 
 

We all make mistakes, it doesn’t feel good, but it is be the very thing that helps us grow and change.  We don’t have to overthink things or fill our heads with stories.  Once we acknowledge our mistake and take responsibility for them, our thought patterns change, we become more self-aware. 

Mistakes are our best teachers and so can the people around us when we're faced with handling conflicts and difficult situations.  It’s not easy to admit when we are wrong, but these are the moments to change our thinking and not to ignore them. When someone presses my buttons and I react, I open myself up to suffering.  How I react in these situations is of great importance to my learning and personal growth.

What I may do is - blame the other person and feel self-righteous rather than admitting that I am wrong.  Sometimes it’s easier not to speak and to let the other person have their own way, but then I may suffer in silence - this can cause resentment, anger and health problems. Sometimes I just let off steam, then think about it later.  We are always "wiser in hindsight", it's a good saying and another opportunity to learn from our mistakes.  

When I calm down after a confrontation, I ask myself – “what happened, why am I still suffering? “The answers will become clearer.  Either I have made a mistake or the other person may have been reporting from their own state of consciousness and it wasn’t really about me anyway.   Communication, compassion and understanding with ourselves and with the other person at these times strengthens relationships and brings insight into our own personal growth. 
 
The importance of managing our own behaviour and learning from our mistakes is paramount to raising our consciousness.   When we create peace and harmony within ourselves everything flows easily, we feel happier and more contented inside.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2Ck5MAZR0Y

Until next time
Love & Jai Guru Deva
Liz                 

Que Sara Sara, What will be, will be

Dear Meditators

Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)
Song by Doris Day 
Lyrics and song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbKHDPPrrc
 
Qué será, será
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Qué será, será
What will be, will be

I woke the other morning with this song playing in my thoughts.  I had been contemplating and thinking about a family issue and wondering what the day would bring.  To my delight I had these words remind me to let go and let Nature be my guide for what was to come.

I hadn’t heard this song for a very long time and my thoughts were that Nature was telling me to let go of thinking about the family issue.  The thought was not the usual mind chatter in my head it came from inside, from Being, Nature, Pure knowledge. It was new information. I could have ignored the words but it felt so right, I followed charm and waited until I had more information and direction.  (Following charm is our Dharma, our own personal evolutionary process).

Thoughts come from Nature into awareness when the mind looks for greater happiness and it feels charming at the time.  I don’t take ownership of Natures desires, they come from the fulfillment of who I am.  Taking fulfilment into action. 

Sometimes, because I have free will, I may hesitate, I may doubt the feelings and think - well let’s see how this works out and as a colleague once said “I am always amazed but never surprised.”  It takes practice to let go and let nature be the guide.  
 
Today I will take the time to listen to my self- talk.  I will realise the difference between my human desires and the desire coming from Being – the source of thoughts, pure consciousness.  I say after my meditation “Continue to use me”.  In saying these words, I surrender to Nature, I trust that what is coming I can handle and I am brought into present moment awareness, I feel loved and excited at what is coming my way.  What will be, will be.
 
Love to everyone
Enjoy all you do until next time
Jai Guru Deva
Liz

NATURES INTENTION & DESIRES FOR 2024

                              HAPPY NEW YEAR                                                                            

Dear Meditators

What will 2024 bring you?  

I came across an old video I watched in 2014- So ten years ago I was a big fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer.  He wrote some of the most inspirational books I have ever read.  One of them was The Five Principles of Living which I think you will enjoy and give you food for thought to write your 2024 bucket list.  I'm also going to share my own thoughts as we leave behind 2023 and welcome 2024. 
 
I highly recommend listening and watching Dr. Wayne Dyer's 5 Lessons to live by.  

Dr. Dyer died in 2015

https://youtu.be/dOkNkcZ_THA  
 
First Principle – “When we change the way we look at things the things we look at change.”
 
Second Principle - There are no justified resentments.
 
Third Principle – What you think is what you become.
 
Fourth Principle – Be open to everything and attached to nothing.
 
Five Principle – Don’t die with your music still in you.
 
As we begin 2024 and set our intentions for the New Year here are few thoughts on ways to succeed, knowing that all intentions and desires are possible.  Remember we deserve the best, but how much we receive depends on how much we want it and how much we expect it.  Nothing is too small or too big, everything is possible.  
 
*Write down or journal your intentions and desires for 2024. 

*Do you have unresolved situations or issues and how can they be resolved?

*Are there any unfulfilled intentions and desires from last year or from 10 years ago or whatever the time?

*Am I ignoring feelings of suffering because of fear, or discomfort?  Perhaps because of past experiences? –When I have negative self-talk emerging from past experiences let me remember the 3 R’s – Recognise, Realise, Respond.

Recognize when the negative self-talk is happening, Realise the environment you are in at the time.  Has the place or person triggered the negative thinking?   After you recognise and realise then comes the Response stage. 

How am I going to respond to this situation or person?  Do my feelings and emotions match the situation that is really happening?  or am I maladapting/reacting and I realise that these are old patterns. Am I responding to the past? Now I have a choice to make as to how I respond.  Can I stop my negative thoughts?  Yes, by saying to myself- "STOP, STOP" – this will interrupt the negative thoughts and I can choose how to respond in a way that is more appropriate.  We can also remove ourselves from the situation to give space.  This may take a few repeated episodes and more suffering, but don’t give up, because research shows that when we persist in changing our thinking patterns new neural pathways in the nervous system is forming and changing.  Eventually the new pathways of our thinking change completely and are replaced with right thinking and doing which brings us happiness and peace rather than the fight flight response causing suffering.

*Practise going within yourself to the fine level of feeling place – Intuition.  Come to the present moment and you will find the answers will begin to change your thinking patterns.  The old patterns will begin to dissipate and eventually leave altogether.   Another alternative is to seek help from a professional Counsellor.  Talking to someone about the thoughts will help.   The ever-repeating known patterns, can be broken. 
 
*Doing a Tapas – What am I willing to give up in order to fulfil my intentions and desires?  An example - Giving up my morning coffee which I really enjoy in order to fulfil what I want to happen.  Make the intention something that is going to be of benefit to myself and benefit others.  Nature likes it when we think big so make it something substantial that takes effort.  Then let it go, let go of the need to know when or how it will happen.  The signs will begin to show themselves and to feel charming in my thoughts.

If after some time there’s no outcome – increase the Tapas and continue to let go.  Remembering that what we ask for may not be meeting the need of the time and something else may arise in its place that is going to serve us better.  Let nature be the guide.  
 
*As always, I strongly recommend making your 20 minute twice daily meditation a priority.  Meditation brings us closer to knowing what Natures intentions and desires are for us. 

I want to introduce Dr. Joe Dispenza who is a Neuro Scientist.   Dr. Dispenza has written and produced some brilliant books and videos outlining his research into how the mind and body function and why the body responds to trauma and negative thinking patterns in the Brain.  In the video link below Dr. Joe discusses his book called Rewire the Brain - how to control the mind in minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W_wPVRpqTs

Love to everyone
Enjoy all you do until next time
Jai Guru Deva

INVITING HAPPINESS & GRATITUDE DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON

DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER

 Drawn by Thomas Nast in 1823

HAPPY CHRISTMAS & MANY BLESSING TO ONE AND ALL
Dear Meditators

It’s a time to reach out to one another by giving the gift of spending time together. It's a great gift of loving kindness when we surrender our preferences and give unconditionally with no strings attached. Reaching out with compassion and understanding after a meditation is always a good time.

The Festive Seasons can be a happy time of year for some and for others a challenging time. Today I have a few thoughts for you to ponder on as the Festive Season begins.

First a few questions:

*Am I suffering because of blame, speculation or judging others?

*Am I needy and expect others to make me happy?

*Am I oversensitive to what people think of me?

*Am I over thinking in my thoughts and inflicting suffering onto myself and others?

How do I invite Happiness into my life?

*By following Nature’s cues and listening to the inner voice we call Charm.

*Come to the present moment by coming to my senses –What do I hear, see, touch, taste, smell.

*Making my twice daily Meditation a priority, letting go of appointments in favour of keeping up my Meditation practice.

*Realising that people are always reporting from their own state of Consciousness they are in at the time.

*Letting go of my expectations of others - coming back to self-first.

*Giving Service – Reaching out to others to create a warm atmosphere around us.

*If I feel unhappy- first, ask the question why? Then come to self-referral and realise that I have a choice.

There can be outside influences that are out of my control that cause us stress and suffering. However, what I do have control over is my own consciousness state. Through my daily meditation I am changing the pathways of the Nervous System on the inside which changes my vibration and connections toward others. Sometimes this feels impossible, however by practising and being aware of the content of my thoughts I can choose to change my perspective and eventually change the Intellect and my thought patterns. Letting go of old stuff and letting in the new raises my consciousness allowing my higher Self/Nature to be my guiding force. What’ comes next is freedom with less suffering, better capability and adaptability, gratitude, love, happiness and contendedness.

Codependency & Addiction

Dear Meditators
First let’s read what Codependency and Addiction mean,
 
https://www.alinalodge.org/substance-abuse-treatment/codependency-and-addiction/
By  Web Dev
Codependence can sometimes be described as an addiction to another person rather than an addiction to a particular substance. As a substance use disorder becomes a drug addiction, even the closest and most stable relationships can begin to erode. It can be a challenge for a person suffering from codependency and addiction to build and maintain healthy relationships.
 
What is Codependency?
Codependency is often defined as a relationship in which one partner has extreme physical or emotional needs, while the other spends the majority of their time responding to those needs. This often has a detrimental impact on codependent partners’ lives, activities, and the other relationships they try to develop and maintain. Codependency and addiction add another layer of difficulty which can cause a downward spiral where the codependent partner cares for and enables the loved one’s challenges, thus making it easier for the loved one to maintain the challenging or destructive behaviours.

Codependency and Addiction
Codependency and addiction do not necessarily go hand in hand. The impact of addiction on relationships was first recognized in family members of people struggling with alcoholism, and codependency is still common in those who have close relationships with people who struggle with addiction. Codependency and addiction can manifest in various ways, including:

• Partners who are both using and abusing drugs

• Close adult family members or significant others of individuals using drugs

• Children of people who are addicted to drugs

The codependent partner in the relationship is not necessarily a spouse. When it comes to addiction and relationships, codependent behaviour can often be found in children. In fact, children of parents addicted to drugs and alcohol may become codependent when the addiction has gotten so bad that the child begins to feel the need to take on a caretaker role within the home because the parent is not fulfilling their responsibilities.

A short story about my own personal journey with codependency and addiction - until I learnt Vedic Meditation.
 
When I think of codependency and addiction, I think of stress, depression, burnout, relationship breakdowns, grieving and the overall problems that surround poor mental health.    
 
For a long time, I had searched for answers -Why couldn’t I find happiness?  Why was my life so challenging and hard all the time?  What I didn’t realise was how much of my life was being controlled by outside influences. The decisions I made kept me repeating the same addictive patterns and creating the same life situations over and over again.  Addictions, codependency and poor mental health always ended in suffering.
 
Does twice daily meditation help to stop codependency and addictive symptoms?
Does meditation help to cultivate good positive routines and habits?
Does meditation change people’s lives?
 
I say yes, yes, yes to these questions…….   
 
What happened when I learned Vedic meditation?
After a few months of meditation, I began to have some amazing positive experiences. Feeling less stressed was the biggest reward, the fog lifted, clearer thinking and more in touch with what I needed to pay attention to.  I let go of the useless negative self-talk/noise in my head. I kept meditating no matter what was happening in my life.  And, there has been some big challenges.
  
What I began to experience from daily meditation was my thinking processes changed.  Letting go of old patterns and behaviours meant that the chemicals in my nervous system changed and I began making good positive decisions about my behaviours. The chemicals in my body no longer craved or wanted the addictive, codependent behaviours to continue.  Slowly, slowly, the self-talk which always ended in pain and suffering was no longer there.  The happiness I was looking for became a reality.  
 
What a beautiful gift I gave myself all those years ago.  Meditating twice a day – is the most positive choice I have ever made in life.  Meditation has become my addiction, only dependent on my Self, my inner Being that is the most reliable source I have ever known.  

Until next time

Love & Jai Guru Deva

Liz

INSIDE THE MEDITATORS TOOL KIT

Dear Meditators
Inside the Meditators Tool Kit
 
Living in today’s busy world we need to have a variety of tools to survive.  The number one tool for Meditators is twice daily Meditation. Diving inward first then taking the benefits out into action.

From our Meditation comes greater Adaptability – How we react in any given situation is paramount and always depends on our adaptation levels.  Our reactions and our thinking patterns are a measure of how adaptable we are or not.  Do I react appropriately or do I go into fight flight mode?  

An old interview with Thom Knoles by Vedic Meditation Teacher and colleague from Germany Ed Vero.

https://soundcloud.com/emvero/the-essential-introduction-to-thom-knoles-life-teachings-and-knowledge-for-a-daily-life

One of the topics Thom talked about was “Being at the top of your game” meaning to adapt in any given situation. 

If we are too rigid in our relationships with families and friends or take life too seriously or rely heavily on our social activities then we are missing the flow of Nature and the opportunity to grow and live life to the fullest.  
 
Dependence on others is not where happiness comes from.  It's up to us to make ourselves happy. 

The opposite to Rigidity - “Nimbleness.” Nimbleness definition- quick and light in movement; moving with ease; agile; active; rapid: nimble feet.  And to add childlike pleasures into your tool kit -don’t take life too serious.   

Have fun and laugh!! 
    
Being at the top of our games also means that we have the Bliss chemicals printing out from the body.  We become intellectual, creative and clearer thinkers. We feel healthy, happy and more awake to listen to Natures cues.  In the flow of life our foundations are strong.  As Thich Nhat Hanh says "Mountain Solid."
 
Using your senses (To see, hear, touch, taste and smell) What would your perfect day look like?  It can be whatever you like!   Write down your answer or just think about it.  Ask your friends and family to do the same then talk about it.  It’s a great exercise because the mind always wants to go in the direction of greater happiness. 

When negativity and low-grade thinking is removed the mind has the capacity to come to its senses ready to be in the Now where everything lies. 

Enjoy the experience!!

I shut my eyes in order to see & Gary Gorrows Soma podcast with Damon Gameau.

Dear Meditators
 
When we close our eyes in meditation we de-excite the mind and body, bringing us to a deep relaxed state that is beyond thought to a deeper awareness of ourselves.  After meditation we begin to feel and see more clearly what is happening in our daily lives.  We become more adaptable and find that life is less chaotic and what follows is more orderliness with less suffering.   If this is not the case then why? Are we ignoring some facts about ourselves, let’s face it, life gets very busy and we can forget to take notice of what is really happening around us.  We need to check in on ourselves frequently to ask “What is it I am ignoring and how can I see this more clearly?”
 
The quote from Paul Gauguin “I close my eyes in order to see” is very relevant for us as meditators and in the world we live in. Gauguin was a Painter and Impressionist who said “we should paint not what we see, but what we know about what we see.” We can take this quote to mean - don’t just look at what we see or take things at face value, look deeper to find the answers.  

The good thing is that we don’t need to wait until our next meditation for the answers, we simply come to the present moment and place our attention on what we are experiencing through our senses.  We follow our fine level of feeling and charm within - while at work, driving the car or speaking/listening to someone – anytime.  Try it - you will become acquainted with the source of all creation which is also known as “The Unified Field of Creative Intelligence”, Being - where we find inspiration in “not what we see, but what we know about what we see.”
 
Today I am sharing a podcast recently produced by Gary Gorrow from the Soma Collective speaking to Damon Gameau - a visionary, filmmaker, producer, actor, director and an environmentalist.  Damon produced and acted in the film “That Sugar Film” watched by millions of people all over the world.  And his revolutionary Documentary “2040” – the possibility of solving our ecological crisis. 

In this podcast Damon shares the subject of his next film and work.  It’s thought provoking, inspiring and refreshing to listen to a different way of thinking about the world we live in and about the experiences and concerns seen through the eyes of children aged 10 to 13yrs.  Go here to listen to Gary's podcast with Damon Gameau.
 

The misguided search for happiness

Dear Vedic Meditators
THE MISGUIDED SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0zCUPH4_oU

It’s all about us – what we think, how we percieve happiness to be and what my desires are and how I am manifesting them to make myself Happy?

“As we think so shall we be.”

I have been listening to Thom Knoles talks for a very long time and I never tire of listening to his talks on Happiness.  
 
This YouTube video I came across is from 2014 at the Conscious Club.  Some of you were probably there at the old Bondi Pavillion as it was in those days.
 
They were the good old days when Tim Brown and Gary Gorrow hosted many events that attracted hundreds of people, especially when Gary interviewed Thom. 
 
Love to all,
Until next time
Jai Guru Deva
Liz

Losing a loved one & depression

Losing a loved one and depression.

These are not an easy topics to write about but something that we all as humans have experienced.
 
What we say in the Vedic World View (VWV) when someone dies is they have dropped their body.  It’s a funny saying but why we say this is important to understand.  Consciousness is not body dependent; our bodies are conscious dependent.  To understand more of the VWV-consciousness continues on in another state after the body dies.  If consciousness has not reached fulfillment in this lifetime it will return again to live as many life times as needed until one day consciousness becomes part of the Unified Field and does not return again. 
 
It’s not the person who leaves the body who suffers it is the people that are left behind.  The grieving process needs to happen.  This is a very private process and happens in the person’s own time.  What we know as Meditators is it’s important to continue our twice daily meditation practice. 
 
The VWV says – When we drop our bodies the consciousness state is described as being the same as when we experience the nothingness state during meditation. Pure Transcendence with no thoughts no mantra.  A feeling of no suffering, no thinking, no ego chatter and no body feeling.  This is the state of pure contentedness, happiness, bliss.   It is a nothingness which we call Being.  It can also be described as when we're falling asleep and being unconscious.    
 
Talking about depression is not an easy but it is so important to be taken seriously and not ignored.  There is no shame in reaching out for help.  Depression is a state of mental suffering that can happen to anyone at any time during one’s lifetime. 
 
Some examples of depression –
The mistaken intellect – the egoic mind self -talk interfering negatively with the thinking process can result in thoughts becoming distorted and giving the wrong message.  Some people develop a chemical imbalance in the brain needing prescribed medication and ongoing close monitoring.  The use of drugs and alcohol changes the chemicals in the brain and can lead to long term depression.  Accumulated stress, anxiety, low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness can bring on depression if not treated. 
 
Meditation helps but is not a cure. Meditation is a tool that assists in releasing stress levels in the nervous system and clears the pathways.  Meditation brings about calmness, clearer thinking and deeper layers of the Self. Some people may never experience depression and for others it can be a real problem.  And thinking this shouldn’t happen to me!  Unfortunately, it can and does happen to anyone of us.  Please seek professional help from a Phycologist or Physiatrists, this is very important.  
 
If anyone would like to discuss this topic further with me, I can be contacted for mentoring or advise on were to seek professional help. Email and I will respond liz@beyondthinkingmeditation.com.      
 
Until next time!