by Brianna | May 2, 2011 | Breathing, Change
Yoga, Reiki and Hypnosis are each at their basis self-healing in nature. They certainly healed me and I am ever so grateful for the changes that my practice and effort have brought. I also love that through each of these tools I continue to learn and grow, that after more than a decades worth of practice, I am still both challenged and comforted by them. In December I resigned my full time position as a librarian for a local museum with international stature. As I had studied art history in college having a museum job was hugely meaningful to me – I got to hold works by Picasso actually in my hands. I worked there for four years and chafed at my role every step; it was during that time that I accepted that my dreams really had nothing to do with library science or art history. Instead, mine have everything to do with teaching others that they are in fact empowered and have the ability to heal their very own self. These past few months have been tremendously challenging and utterly rewarding. Holding the space for others to heal and transform is a remarkable day at the office. Quite frankly it is an honor. So to each of you out there who are struggling or unwell, I wish that you continue to try as many different pathways as possible. After all, there are thousands of different doorways to healing you just need to find the tools that work best for you. Because, and this is the truth, healing yourself and coming to a place of peace, is worth...
by Brianna | Feb 11, 2011 | Breathing, Change, Chanting, meditation, Uncategorized
Learning to draw our mind to focus is a powerful tool both on and off the mat. But just like every other part of yoga, meditation, is a practice and imperfection is inherently implied. When we have spent years multitasking and treating life like it is a sprint, is it really any wonder that focusing is a challenge? I know when I first started meditating I thought it meant emptying. Achieving a space of no thought, no awareness – a completely altered state of being. But as humans we are thinking machines, many of you like me have monkey minds that are constantly whirring; no matter how much I tried to just “let go” thought was somehow always there. Over years of practice and many good teachers I finally accepted that meditation is not the absence of thought. Meditation is focused thought without attachment. Very nice right, but now: “what on earth does that mean?” Simply put, meditation is an exercise in focus where what you are focusing on is arbitrary. That is why the breath is such a powerful meditative tool – it is completely unconscious yet it can be made into a conscious act. When the breath is used, you can focus on it but if you stop focusing nothing will happen. It will continue to roll. You will continue to live and all will be well. It then becomes your responsibility to remember that it is the nature of the mind to wander. It is the practice to draw it back to your breath. I think it is also important to realize that meditation, while it...
