Mind-Body Connection

I'm on the 7th day of the 21-Day Meditation Challenge through the Chopra Center. If you haven't joined in, please do so, I believe you can still sign up. http://www.chopracentermeditation.com/bestsellers/MEDITATION_WINTER_2012/register.asp

It always amazes me when I feel the shift from unwell emotional thinking to feeling healed. I'm there today. While doing the meditation this morning, I felt something inside me relax, become joyful; I even felt an inner smile of contentment. It's exactly what I needed and what I've been waiting for.

I've stepped away from the mosaic work table for a bit to heal my injury completely and give the muse a much needed break. I've had no desire to mosaic lately and it is painful inside and out when I feel that way; often I fight it until I just can no longer ignore it. This time, however, I really do feel physical pain when I tried to work, so I decided I had to give myself a longer break and step away for a while from creating mosaics. Once the Doctors Without Borders "Beyond Borders" a mosaic online auction happening in September was complete and sent on its way, I covered up the work table (right next to my bed) and haven't needed to uncover it yet. In stepping away from it for a while, this gives me time to explore different creative venues. It also gives me a chance to gather future mosaic pieces in my mind and on paper.

Someone mentioned my auction piece reminded them of something drawn by Kandinksy so I set about looking at his artwork. My goodness how inspiring I found his works! Many are retro and speak to me LOUDLY. Having some of my work compared to his is an honor. But it got the juices flowing a bit and made me see the muse wasn't gone for good. She is just slumbering.

I grabbed the camera over the weekend and took some photos of a birthday party for my step-granddaughter, a rambunctious 6 year old on Saturday. I found a few photos that my daughter and I took to be quite colorful and really amazing. Yesterday I went for a short walk in the sunny but cold outdoors. I used an online photo editor for all the photos I took this weekend and found I enjoyed that very much. You can see the entire grouping of all photos on my flickr photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mosaic_queen2008/), but here are a few I really like:

Stay peaceful.

Broken Spirit

Altering my life to accommodate the physical healing that has begun has been a challenge. My mobility has been altered the most; less strength, pain when it rains and swelling in the joints, possibly forever. I have found this past years events have broken my mental spirit as well. I am pleased that I see this problem on the heels of starting the 21-Day Meditation from the Chopra Center. If nothing else, I will be spending 10-15 minutes a day sitting quietly listening to guided meditations. This always helps lift my spirits, calms and centers me and I always wonder, once I've found the balance again, why I let it slip in the first place.

It's ironic that once I decided to take others' advice and start an uplifting blog that I have lost a lot of my positive energy. It's time to restore the balance between mind, body and spirit.

If the term "inspired" actually means "in spirit", then when the spirit is broken, we are uninspired. This is certainly true for me. When I worked at the mosaic table yesterday, although I made 3 things using dish shards and some stained glass, the inspiration was not there at all and I wasn't pleased with how any of them looked when I finished them.

I have started the Meditation Challenge today along with millions of other people and will continue for the full 3 weeks. It was life-altering for me each time in the past. I will find my spirit again and when I do I'll also find the renewed enjoyment of still being able to move, albeit slower and without as much bounce in my step.

I will be able to share inspiring quotes, websites and thoughts and theories here in this blog as time goes on. I reminded myself that I am a spiritual person having a human experience. That's a very good place to start in order to find my enthusiasm towards my life and every day events.

I know everything comes to us when we need it. I'm confident that this upcoming event with the Chopra Center will give me one or two things to help me out of my slump. Before the month is done, I will once again say: Life is good.

The first quote from the 21 Day Meditation Challenge: “Have your attention on what is and see its fullness in every moment. The presence of the divine is everywhere. You have only to consciously embrace it with your attention.”~ The Vedas

Stay peaceful. See you in the gap. Namaste.

Chopra Center's 21 Day Meditation Starts Soon

Although I'm not quite up to typing a whole post yet, I am working my way slowly back to the work table. Mosaics are starting to get completed after sitting for a while and blog posts are being edited. This is good news!

Until I can write longer and more info on inspirational thoughts and ways to stay positive, I highly suggest those that want to jog any sluggishness that winter is often associated with to sign up for Chopra's 21 Day Meditation.

I'm very excited about it. I love it. I look forward to the transformation that comes about after I've done the program. It amazes me every time and I learn so much, feel so much better and become refreshed and calm. What's not to love?!

http://www.chopracentermeditation.com/bestsellers/MEDITATION_WINTER_2012/register.asp

Stay peaceful.

Chopra Center's 21 Day Meditation Winter 2012

For all of those who suffer from the winter blues as I often do, please sign up for this 21 Day Meditation Challenge through the Chopra Center with me and let's do it together.

I've done two, Spring and Summer in 2011. I am so happy I found them. With my normal winter blahs and recovering from an injury, I will do everything I can to find moments of peace, happiness and positive thoughts. This is a great way for me to keep heading in a positive frame of mind.

They make it easy for us too. It's FREE!! It starts on February 20th, comes in your email each day for 21 days and you can meditate whenever you have the time during that day ... more than once if you want. They run between 10-15 minutes in length.

Keep track of how you feel before and during the meditations to see your progress. You'll be amazed what a few minutes a day in meditation can do.

Try it, please, you won't be sorry. And once you've started, let me know here on this blog or through email how you're doing.

http://www.chopracentermeditation.com/bestsellers/MEDITATION_WINTER_2012/register.asp

Stay peaceful.

Cindy