Getting Unstuck – Creating a Limitless Life – Oprah and Deepak Chopra 21 Day Meditation Experience

Please scroll down for today’s meditation notes

These are my notes – not transcripts –  from Deepak and Oprah’s meditation challenge, Getting Unstuck, Creating a Limitless Life.

As many of you know, at the request of The Chopra Center, I am sorry but I am no longer able to post my transcripts. On the last meditation experience, several people who contacted the Chopra Center were provided the transcripts directly from them so if you need them, you might ask there.

Each audio daily meditation is available free for 5 days after posting at chopracentermeditation.com.  The full series is available for purchase there.  I am not affiliated with them – just a grateful listener.

“Local Grill and Scoop”
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Day 1 is “Getting Unstuck Leads to Fulfillment”

“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.” – George Lois 

Deepak and Oprah define getting “Unstuck”  as removing the limitations we place on ourselves by our old patterns and perceptions in all areas of our lives – work, relationships, finances, etc, that frustrate and limit us from experiencing the life we want.  This is accomplished by expanding our awareness, reconnecting with the energy of our Source to receive  renewal and guidance, the energy which will in turn open new choices and options leading to inner fulfillment of our true selves in mind, body and spirit.  We feel alive and creative.  “I am fulfilled when I can be who I want to be”

Sanskrit Mantra is “Om Gum Shreem (sounds like Ohm Goom Shreem) – My limitless awareness overcomes all obstacles”

Week 1 will concentrate on the power of being present, experiencing the present moment as limitless and for renewal at every level

In week 2, we will live from our creative source, let go of the past, choose expansiveness and experience a new level of living our  full potential.

Week 3 we will share our creative awareness and spread the energy of being unstuck to those around us.

Deepak talks about filling the gap between who we want to be and how we are actually functioning and navigating through life – stress, weight, work, relationships, any area of life, wanting to change but feeling limited in our choices and opportunities to change, feeling overshadowed by old patterns with a feeling of lack of fulfillment.  Over the next 21 days, we will be removing limits from our lives, experiencing fulfillment, moving forward and freeing ourselves.   The gap between what we want and what we have/are now will start to close and we’ll get to be who we want to be.

Deepak says there are two elements to getting unstuck – expectations and awareness.  Some people already know they’re stuck – that awareness is the most important step in getting unstuck because we can’t change what we’re not aware of.  If our expectations are too low and we’ve settled for the limitations in our lives, we may have resigned ourselves to being stuck – even without knowing it.

Expanded awareness can accomplish anything!  In meditation, we experience a state of expanded awareness and it influences our day and how we become who we want to be.

• Being stuck does NOT have to be permanent and anyone can change it.
• We all want a life of fulfillment – expectations, dreams and inner potential.
• When we are unstuck, fulfillment comes naturally and effortlessly.
• Life moves from desire to achievement in the shortest and most natural path for every intention.
• The universe works on our behalf, Oprah says.
• Concentrate on being fulfilled, being who you want to be.  Say it to yourself.

We listened to some relaxing music, breathed slowly and deeply,  more and more relaxed, and meditated for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,  Om Gum Shreem which aligns our desires with the flow and force of universal existence so that fulfillment of desire comes easily and effortlessly.  I repeated it silently to myself and if distracted by my thoughts, etc, returned to silently repeating it…
Om Gum Shreem
Om Gum Shreem

I continued with my meditation for about 10 minutes and then released the mantra, opened my eyes and concentrated on being fulfilled and being who I want to be.

Reflections on Day 1.. write about it…

• Who do I want to be?  What are 3 things I value in who I want to be?
• Using the 3 examples, who do I want to be and who am I now?
• Start closing the gap by picking any two of the values and start working on them today – no matter how small but keeping them positive.

 

“Shades of Blue”
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My notes from Day 2  Why Do We Get Stuck?

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, let the mind remain in the present moment.” – Buddha

Day 2 shows us that being stuck means we’re letting our awareness move from the present to either the past or the future.  Being aware and living in the now is never stuck, never limiting.   To release blockages and frustration, we must learn to see our true self  and live in the present moment.  “I am never stuck when I live in the present”

Sanskrit Mantra:  Om Hreem Namah (sounds like Ohm Hreem Nah-Mah) – Life is one unified wholeness”

Oprah says that when we find ourselves repeating the same words, feelings, opinions and phrases – that’s our “Stuckness” speaking.  When we find ourselves in “automatic mode”, stop and ask, “Am I disconnected from my calm, centered self?”  Be silent and regroup, allow myself to reconnect with the Source – the creative energy that is always flowing within me.   That’s when the magic happens.  Experiences begin to reveal my expanded potential for change in unimaginable ways –   It’s almost like magic.   Oprah says,  ” As you tune into the powerful vibration of possibility, life just opens up wider and deeper and with more wonder and beauty.”  Deepak is going to show us some simple tools to help us get unstuck whenever we need to, ways to nudge ourselves into the present moment.  When we are in the present moment we can shift to joy, growth and goodness every single day.

Deepak’s message…

What is it like to be stuck? We limit ourselves every time our attention moves from the present to the past or the future.  We are never stuck when we are living in the now, the present moment, where and when life is actually happening and where we can make choices that really make a difference.

Old choices hold on to us, old wounds are painful, old habits take the joy out of life, makes it dull and monotonous.  When we are distracted with these situations, we are not focused on making new decisions. When we are in the present moment, we are not distracted – our mind is calm and centered.   Meditation is practice for creating a calm, centered state of awareness anytime we want when we sit quietly, close our eyes, take deep breaths to “reset” ourselves.   No matter what we see when we open our eyes, if it causes a reaction, don’t react – just consciously return to the present moment.   This is being “Unstuck”.

Deepak says, “The challenge is that going back to a stuck position can happen very quickly and when old thoughts familiar feelings and stubborn conditioning return, so does stuckness”.  When this happens, we tend to repeat ourselves – the same words, opinions, likes, dislikes and reactions – we’re “stuck” again.

The good thing is that it’s easy to tell when we’re unstuck because we feel happy, fresh and excited, rejuvenated and worry-free.   That is our goal – we want to return there as often as possible.    This is the way of being that you want to maximize.  Deepak says, “You will be really unstuck when you know every day that you’re becoming the person you want to be and doing what you want to do”.  This is our goal.

We listened to some relaxing music, breathed slowly and deeply,  more and more relaxed, and meditated for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,  Om Hreem Namah which opens awareness to the eternal present that exists in every changing moment- fluid, open consciousness.   I repeated it silently to myself and if distracted by my thoughts, etc, returned to silently repeating it…
Om Hreem Namah
Om Hreem Namah

I continued with my meditation for about 10 minutes and then released the mantra, opened my eyes and concentrated on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating that I’m never stuck when I live in the Now, the present moment.

Reflections on Day 2 – write about the following…

• What are the three most distracting things in my daily life that keep me from living in the present
• For each distraction, write down one thing I can do today to improve, even if in a very small way
• How can I find my calm, centered place within myself today – and in fact every day.  Be specific….   Closing my eyes, breathing deeply, experiencing a few moments of nature?

 

Day 3  Finding The Key to Your Creativity

Rhododendron Garden
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“Creativity occurs in the moment, and in the moment we are timeless.” – Julia Cameron

“Creativity is a natural quality of life itself. It is not limited to artistic expression. Living from your creative core means you respond to every moment from a place of possibility and openness. This is how every cell of our body knows to respond to every changing circumstance with adaptability and creativity to maintain its health and balance.

In today’s meditation, we learn that our awareness is designed to meet each moment with freshness, receptivity, and creativity.”

“I always have access to my inner creativity”

Sanskrit Mantra:  

Ananta Swa Bhava (sounds like Ah-nahnta Swah Bah-vah)

“My true self has no limits or boundaries”

Oprah’s Message…

Even from a medical expert’s point of view, our bodies endlessly recreate with no effort, keeping us functioning in life – sleeping and waking up, getting hungry and eating and digesting, when we get sick, our bodies heal, even creating new life.  We’re made that way – to shift and change.  And that is the miracle of the energy of creativity that we all have and that fuels all of us.    It’s innate within us and when we connect with it, we are limitless.

Deepak says…

“The Worlds’  Wisdom Traditions tell us that awareness contains life-affirming qualities.  At the deepest level, consciousness contains love, truth, beauty, evolution and creativity.  These qualities are our greatest allies if we want a fulfilled life.  Here, we will focus on one quality – creativity.”

Creativity is not given to only artists and writers.  Creativity is bringing hidden potential to our lives, possible through the field of infinite possibilities – consciousness.  Conscious Choice.  When we’re unstuck and live our highest and best life with freshness each day, we’re living a creative life.     Because our bodies (cells) are never in the same moment, always adjusting to changes – environment, stress, etc, mentally, physically and emotionally, they are programmed to support change hundreds of times a day.   We (our cells) are designed mentally, physically and emotionally to be free and creative in our choices – how we respond in any given moment, exactly as we choose to.  This is our birthright.

Some basic points to live a creative life…

• Every day is a new day so don’t compare today to yesterday.  Live in the moment – each moment is new.  Only being “stuck” makes it old.  A choice.
• Know you have choices –  that you can change when and how you respond when you choose to.  Be the new you – make the choice you want to make rather than reacting to and in the same old ways. The real you is whatever you choose in the moment.  Yesterday’s you is an illusion.
• If I find I’m reacting automatically, have the same old thoughts and use the same old words, stop and say to myself, “I’m a new person – how do I want to be”, take a few deep breaths, and when I feel centered, I can choose a new response.  DONT DO THINGS AUTOMATICALLY – BE CONSCIOUS.
• Now I am no longer stuck and it was actually quite easy.  I’m living without old defining limitations.

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
Ananta Swa Bhava
My essential self is pure creativity and infinite source of all possibilities

Repeat it silently to myself and if distracted by my thoughts, etc, return to silently repeating it…
Om Hreem Namah
Om Hreem Namah

Continue with my meditation for about 10 minutes and then release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating that I always have access to my inner creativity.

Reflections on Day 2 – write about the following…

• Choose something familiar that happens every day in my life and makes me feel stuck.  How do I usually respond to it and how does it keep me stuck?
• Imagine  someone else in this situation who handles it differently and well (maybe without blaming or resentment or anger) – that I would like to emulate.
• Reflect and choose 2 ways that I can handle it in a different and new way and feel good about myself afterward – unstuck.  Maybe listen and get more information, apologize if I had a part in escalating a situation, give myself some space and deal with it after I’m centered, validate another person’s position even though it’s different than mine – agree to disagree, negotiate?

Day 4 How to Be Renewed Each Day

“The Alder Grove” at Morris Graves Foundation

Message of the Day:  

“I can hardly wait for tomorrow, it means a new life for me each and every day.” – Stanley Kunitz

Today’s meditation is about choice.   We have choice.  We can stay stuck, living familiar repetition in a stale, uninspired life full of powerless and blame,  or we can live in the present moment and experience limitless potential, fresh and new possibilities where our natural state of renewal becomes easy and natural.  Living in the Now.  “I embrace the newness of this day”

Sanskrit Mantra:  

“Om Sarvatva Namah (sounds like Ohm Sahr-vaht-vah Nah-mah) 
The wholeness of the universe is my true nature”

Oprah says…

One of her all-time favorite quotes is by Eckhart Tolle, “Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness.  How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you’re having at the moment.”  He says the primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but our thoughts about it.  It is what it is – always neutral.  We need to separate our thoughts from the situation and when we change our perspective, we change our situation.

When we are conscious that we are stuck and view it as an opportunity to open ourselves to changing our perspective, we could essentially live without feeling limited or constrained.    We can use it to create a new and deeper understanding of who we really are and who we really want to be – and the universe is there to work on our behalf when we’re living in the moment.  It requires a shift in perspective.

Deepak says…

Being unstuck equals creative living in the eternal now, the present moment and that provides us with infinite possibilities.  Sometimes we miss the possibilities because in our “stuckness”, we see limitations as real instead of merely a perspective that we can choose to change.   If we pay attention to those around us, we’ll see that the very flaws, weaknesses, challenges and handicaps we use to keep ourselves stuck, somebody else has used to achieve.   Bottom line…don’t blame my situations for holding me back.

We are told that for most people, half of the thoughts we have today are the same that we had yesterday. It’s a mind thing to stay stuck and accept repetition in our lives.  For instance, in relationships where we live with repetitive rituals that don’t nurture love.  We decide we’re “right” and so does the other person, creating an impasse that stops the freshness and comfort of a loving relationship and friendship.    The longer we hold that position, the more we are contributing to our “stuckness” – the other person and the situation may be contributing to it but not causing it.   Repetitive reactions.

Deepak says the rule for any kind of stuckness is that something has to give.  It starts with taking responsibility for our choices and behaviors.  It becomes a joyful choice when our perspective changes from thinking of it as surrendering or losing and instead choose to see it as creating and growing, using it as an opportunity to try something completely open and new – renewing ourselves in the process.  Effortless renewal is the rule of nature – life, and it comes naturally when we’re unstuck.

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
Om Sarvatva Namah
Om Sarvatva Namah –
The wholeness of the universe is my true nature.

Repeat it silently to myself and if distracted by my thoughts, etc, return to silently repeating it…
Om Sarvatva Namah
Om Sarvatva Namah

Continue with my meditation for about 10 minutes and then release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating that I embrace the newness of this day.

Reflections on Day 4 , Write about it…

• To make something new happen that accomplishes what I need and want, I have to drop something old that hasn’t work anyway.  Choose 3 things I do repetitively that I want to change.
• Imagine how it will feel when I choose to let go of them.  Mentally let them go.  Write what it feels like to be free of them.
• Reflect on what new opportunities will arise from this change – think of some options that will accomplish what I want and how/who I want to “be”.

 

Day 5 – Rising About Your Old Conditioning

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“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.” – John Dryden

Today’s meditation is about learning that our old conditioning shows up physically and as unconscious brain responses – it isn’t only mental.  It’s all about being in control of our brain and not letting our brain be in control of us.   When our brain is in control of us, we function as biological robots and our brain and old conditioning keep us “stuck”.   The answer to being in control of our brain is self-awareness and meditation helps us learn to do that.  When we become self-knowing, The Witness, we become free from the old conditioned responses of both our mind and body.  “I am in charge of my brain, not the other way around”

Sanskrit Mantra:  

Aieem Namah  (sounds like I-eem Nah Mah) 
I am Nature’s creativity and intelligence

Oprah says….

Often we wait for change to happen TO us, and wait for acknowledgement for ourselves from external sources and expectations – other people, places and things.  Holding on to the familiar is comfortable for us.

I like this quote of Oprah’s… “What I know for sure is that everything that is happening TO you is also happening for you and I know for sure that you will have a richer and more powerful path to the life you want if you allow yourself to be open to all that is in you, far deeper and truer than what your thoughts can reveal.  You become freedom and positive momentum itself when you shift the way you feel your own essence.”

When we are living from our truest core self with a sustained sense of calm that comes with that centeredness, we are open to limitless possibilities motivated by our connection with Source to move toward what really matters, energy and power coursing within and around us.

Deepak says…

Stuckness is not only a mental state but also has a physical component – a mind-body connection.  A good analogy that Deepak uses is that our mind is the software and the physical brain the hardware.  Even though we might have the best intentions in the world – not doing things that we feel are not “really us” – eating and drinking things that are not good for us, acting in ways that we don’t like in ourselves, indulging in any bad habit, if our brains are in control rather than our aware and true selves, our words, thoughts and actions are totally predictable and we’re stuck. The hardware wont be able to respond the way we want it to.  The solution is awareness.  When we’re aware, our true selves are taking back control from the brain.

I also like this quote from Deepak…”All creativity starts and stops in the brain.  If you’re conditioned by old habits, beliefs, memories, wounds and outworn self-image, you’re being controlled by your brain instead of the other way around. Fortunately a human being cannot be completely turned into a biological robot.  Self-awareness is always an option.”

Witnessing is a vital form of self-awareness, a state of consciousness that feels like centeredness.  It’s actually living in the moment and we’re able to see ourselves clearly in every situation.  No confusion or mental clutter.  We’re not allowing robotic responses – instead we’re doing what we want to do and not what our brain has been conditioned to do.  “I am in charge of my brain – not the other way around”

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
Aieem Namah  (sounds like I-eem Nah Mah)
Aieem Namah
Aieem is asociated with the creativity and knowledge of nature and activates creativity within pure awareness.   Using this mantra, we train our unconscious to create and make choices from a place of infinite possibilities.  Repeat it silently to myself and if distracted by my thoughts, etc, return to silently repeating it…

Continue with my meditation for about 10 minutes and then release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating that “I am in charge of my brain – not the other way around”.

Reflections on Day 5, write about it…

• Remembering that old conditioning leads to automatic (robotic behavior), list three things I do or three ways I respond without thinking (eating when not I’m not hungry, being defensive, feeling shy, etc)
• Look ahead to how I want to behave when any of these conditions and responses happen and ask myself – why I’m doing it…do I really want and like what I’m doing…how will it make me feel about myself and then write about how it feels to be aware and choose differently rather than reacting robotically.
• Choose one of the things above and write about how I will be more aware and how I’ll handle it..am I really hungry or is there another reason I want to eat – emotional? and remember how much better I’ll feel if I act with awareness rather than old conditioning.

 

Day 6 – You Deserve More Than Second-Hand Experiences

“Morning Light”
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“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” – Henry David Thoreau

Today’s meditation teaches us about living in awareness and authentically from our true selves – in thoughts, feelings and behavior as opposed to experiencing life driven by someone else’s beliefs expectations and demands and living with the resulting pressures, frustrations and feeling stuck in our lives.   First-hand experience is living our lives from within – our true selves, and finding love, beauty and joy in every one of our experiences – large and small.  “Today I am completely free of the past”

Sanskrit Mantra:  “Rasa Hum” (sounds like Rah-sah Hum)  I am life’s vitality – means
my life expresses the joy and freedom of all life in every moment”

Oprah says….

“One of my deepest desires is for people to live the highest expression of themselves.”  She remembers early in her career when she tried to imitate Barbara Walters until she discovered that she could be a better Oprah than she could be Barbara.  Infinite possibilities opened for her when she stopped imitating and instead expressed her true self.

Consider our lives and identify second-hand experiences – following someone else’s script, allowing and being controlled by old stories that replay over and over in our heads.   She says to listen to ourselves – for hesitancy, fixed opinions and perspectives, replaying tapes and then decide to rewrite our own story – we can decide what that journey will be.

We need to commit ourselves to each moment and experience it as new and fresh and truly believe from our very being that every single breath is ours, and know that we can live our story exactly as we wish – whatever we desire.  We’re the authors of our moments.  That is living creatively, free and unstuck.

Deepak says….

We know that it’s important to live creatively and free and we can imagine how every day can renew itself but how do we actually make that happen?  We need to develop a new mental attitude – refuse to accept second-hand experiences.  Ask for and create our own first-hand experiences.

This means, we don’t do what someone else  – parents, friends, immediate family or people at work  – tells or expects of us if it is not living true to ourselves.   We respect and place value on the feelings of others and avoid being rebellious, but choose to be the author of our own life experience.  We can tell when we are not living true to ourselves because we feel frustrated and pressured and relieved when we can simply be ourselves again.  Pay attention to your personal feelings – our emotions are a subtle guide.

Just like the feelings of falling in love – the newness, excitement, original and immediate thrill, living the first-hand experience of loving each moment – even when nothing is big is happening – allows us to say it was our day and no one else’s, that we authored our own day.  That’s the highest form of creativity and freedom.   The beauty of life – loving each moment.

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Rasa Hum” (sounds like Rah-sah Hum)  I am life’s vitality”
Continue with my meditation for about 10 minutes and then release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating that
“Today I am completely free of the past”
“Today I am completely free of the past”

Reflections on Day 6, Write about it…

• Write 3 experiences that don’t represent who I really am – trying to live up to somebody else’s expectations, “go along to get along”
• Imagine how it would feel to stop doing this and how it would feel to be yourself in the situation – to be your real self
• Decide on some small shifts today to experience what I really want – picture a positive experience being true to myself.  Without accepting or asking for permission from anyone, what positive experience can I give my true self today?

 

Day 7 – Opening the Doors of Perception

“Shore Patrol”
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“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite.” – William Blake

Todays meditation is about changing our experience of life in the moment by changing our perceptions – of the world around us and our personal  experiences.   This is when life will flow instead of being stuck.  Self-awareness transforms our perceptions and keeps us from being stuck.  “Today I am creating a better version of myself”

Sanskrit Mantra:  “Om Hreem Hoom (sounds like it’s spelled) I am silent awareness transforming itself”
“This mantra opens our awareness to continuous transformation from the limitless creativity of our true self.”

Oprah says…. 

Having explored pushing the boundaries of the present moment – the moment from which all creative energy flows, we have opened up to the present and can go even further into our history, beliefs and attitudes to see if they’re keeping us stuck or setting us free.

One of the greatest powers we all have available to us is to shift or change our perceptions.  We’ve all had those “AHA moments” – ‘I never thought of it that way before’ – miracle moments that guide us towards our higher selves.  Being aware of how we perceive things – and that we can change how we perceive things – can powerfully change our lives – and those around us as well.

We all have different reactions to experiences – the same news can evoke responses in everyone differently.  One person may take it with grace and dignity while another experiences hopelessness, resentment or anger.  Some people may get stuck and others use the same moment to make changes and change their way of navigating through life.

Our perceptions paint our reality.  We can be the author of our life and re-write our stories by changing our perceptions.   That’s the key to getting unstuck.

Deepak says…

We’ve learned that living a creative life can only happen by living in the present moment.  These moments happen.  We create the meaning purpose, flavor and direction with our perceptions – by how we perceive and experience our life.    Some people wallow in difficult news, moments and events and others use them to make a better version of themselves.  Depending on how we choose to perceive things, they can look dark, light, happy, sad, promising or hopeless – not because that’s the reality but because we decide to make it that.   Moments have no meaning until we give it meaning.  No one else can color our situation except us.  Yet it’s easy to conform our perceptions to how others view things – or how they think we should.

Millions of people have an ‘us versus them’ way of thinking during a crisis – immediately look for someone to label evil and blame.  We all carry hidden beliefs and attitudes that color these perceptions.    Looking for an alien group to blame or label as evil.    We can change this by choosing to be open-minded and allowing our awareness to expand.    Not looking for approval from others but facing the fact that perceptions are very powerful and are a choice.

I quote Deepak…”Human beings are incredibly sensitive to meaning.  Someone can say a single word and we interpret it as loving or hostile, selfish or caring, empathic or indifferent.  When you become aware of how your perceptions paint your personal reality, your wonderful insight dawns – you are the painter and you can change the picture any time you want.”  In the next week, he will show us techniques for creating the reality that we desire.

“Today I am creating a better version of myself
Today I am creating a better version of myself”

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Om Hreem Hoom” I am silent awareness transforming itself”

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating “Today I am creating a better version of myself.  Today I am creating a better version of myself”

Day 7 Reflections – write about them…

• Remembering that how I perceive myself determines my reality, choose 3 of the most positive perceptions I have about myself and reflect on how they bring light and positivity into my life.
• Now list 3 self-critical perceptions I have about myself.  Think of someone I know who sees my perceptions differently – positive –  and detail why I believe my negative perception is right and why the other person is wrong.
• Compare the lists and see if I can begin to shift from my negative perception about myself to how others see me in a positive way.  How can I make this shift (positive self-talk? – Discuss with someone who sees me in a positive way?)

Day 8 – Let Your Awareness Do the Work

“City Girls”
http://www.sfago.com
Sharon Abbott-Furze

“Because everything happens in the moment of Now we also happen in the moment of Now: continually, effortlessly, truly.” – Joseph Rain

We have usually been taught that life is a struggle, that we have to overcome obstacles and push and fight our way through life.  This is living in limiting awareness and is not a solution.   Today’s meditation teaches us that when we fully realize that our higher self is not only unlimiting but is creative, powerful and intelligent.  If we learn to live in our true being, our essential self, this organizing power will effortlessly find choices and solutions for us.  “I am aware of being cared for and supported”

Sanskrit Mantra:  “Om Kamakshi Namah” (sounds like ohm Kah-mahk-shee Nah-mah ) My true self nurtures and supports life”

Oprah says…

Oprah and her friends and loved ones live by one word – “flow”; they’re either in or out of the flow.  She says, “When you’re in struggle, having physical, emotional or spiritual stress, your life is speaking to you and trying to tell you you’re out of flow.  When you’re energized, engaged and firing on all cylinders,  you have that deep knowing in your own body and mind.  You can almost feel the hum.  That’s what it’s like to be in flow.”  Athletes call it being in the zone.

A practical way to find our flow is to be conscious and aware and the natural momentum takes over and our consciousness can powerfully reorganize our reality.   Meditation helps us find the relaxed, open place within where we can let go and find our flow, a place of powerful ease, inner awareness.

Deepak says:

“Any area of your life where you have to struggle is a sign of stuckness.”  Our bodies are good indicators – do we have muscle tension, headaches, knots in our stomachs, nausea, fatigue and susceptible to illness – colds and flu?  There are always physical, emotional and psychological signs of being stuck.   When we free our bodies from stuckness – stress and strain – we are more relaxed and open which improves our emotions and we move into a calmer, more settled place.

We use needless energy trying to overcome obstacles and fighting resistance because we don’t know there is a better way.  World Wisdom Traditions have taught for thousands of years that awareness can do that work for us.  We need to use our conscious minds rather than our bodies.  There is deep intelligence in awareness that can handle far more than we ask it to.  Our higher selves always connect intentions with results, problems with solutions, wishes with fulfillment.  We just need to connect to our essential self to be in the flow so that this can happen effortlessly.

When we meditate, we connect at a mind level where consciousness has the power to organize anything and everything in our lives.  It just needs to be uncovered.  When it is, we will no longer need to struggle, worry and stress to achieve our desires.

Stuckness contributes to the bad habit of struggle, reacting in the same frustrated ways over and over but it’s futile to keep doing something that didn’t work in the first place.  This is an area where the spiritual approach, meditation practice, can help us tremendously in practical ways – help us take a more relaxed and open attitude so that awareness can start doing the work for us in the field of infinite possibilities – our true home.  Awareness has the power to organize the reality we want in our lives.

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Om Kamakshi Namah” (sounds like ohm Kah-mahk-shee Nah-mah ) My true self nurtures and supports life”

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating 
“I am aware of being cared for and supported
I am aware of being cared for and supported”

 

Day 8 Reflections….write about them

• Since stress often shows itself physically, close my eyes and feel my body, mental scan for areas where I feel tension or discomfort.  Feel the effect of these stresses and write about them.
• What are 3 ways I can free my body of this stress and strain – muscle tightness, headaches, nausea, susceptibility to illness, etc.  (How can I use what I’m learning about awareness and meditation to change my thinking about how I see resistance and obstacles?) How can I reduce daily stress, resistance and obstacles?
• How can I relax and be more at ease today?  List a few practical steps (take some silent time..take a walk outdoors, separate myself from stressful situations and people as soon as possible)

 

Day 9 –  Your Creative Self is Already Here

Una Giornata Stellare
(A Stellar Day)
http://www.sfago.com

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity.” – Carl Jung

Today’s meditation is about becoming our creative self.  It is our essential nature – we don’t have to do anything new to be it.  Our creative self always seeks the present moment and we only need to let go of resistance and give it an outlet.  This means letting go of our self-limiting beliefs and low expectations – feelings that we don’t deserve love, joy and fulfillment, that we’re not really a creative person.   We gain contact with our creative self in meditation and these self-limiting beliefs begin to dissolve and we then naturally express joy, love and creativity in our lives.  “I find joy in creative living”

Sanskrit Mantra:  “Ananda Hum (sounds like Ah-nahn-da Hum) I am unlimited joy”

Oprah says…

“What I know for sure about joy is that the level of your joy is in direct proportion to how connected you are to living your truth.  Pay attention to your life, deepen your awareness of what brings you joy, grace, love, creativity.  These things don’t have a ceiling or border.  They are boundless, limitless for everyone.” If we allow ourselves to have only great expectations of what we deserve in life –  joy and creativity – we will be amazed to see what happens.

Oprah restates that when they talk about creativity, it’s not necessarily about writing music or painting a piece of art.   They are talking about connecting with what is innate and most valuable inside of us, tapping into the highest expression of ourselves.  Creative living.

Oprah quotes her friend, Elizabeth Gilbert from her book, Big Magic, “A creative life is an amplified life”. It is a bigger, happier and expanded life.  If we will stubbornly and constantly live in this way, we will bring forth “jewels” that are hidden within us and that is a fine art in itself.

Deepak shows us how to recognize creativity in our lives and then once recognized bring it into flow.

Deepak says:

We all know and love that creativity isn’t like work – and any moment of joy, lightness and flow is a creative moment.  They don’t happen randomly or from some invisible source – they come from our always present creative self that is always looking for an outlet for expression.  So, it creates these moments in our lives that we already most enjoy.

Guidelines for getting unstuck

• Get out of our habit of struggle and give our creative self – deep awareness- to organize our life in a much better way
• Get out of the habit of low expectations.  Affirm that we deserve and have access to unlimited love, joy, appreciation, grace and fulfillment.  We all differ but the same pure consciousness is available to all of us in the same unlimited amount.

Just like all good things, creativity comes and goes because our relationship to our creative self is uneven and partially blocked.   Deepak says the key is to make our creative self our helper – our most trusted ally and guide. The two guidelines above are a great help, easy to follow and we can ease into them at our own pace.

One way to keep our connection open to our creative self is to pay attention to moments when we laugh and feel happiness, feel loved, appreciated, or when we create something that gives us joy, for instance.  At that moment, pause and say to myself, “this is what I want and who I want to be”.   By doing this, we reinforce our connection to pure awareness and our creative source.  It happens when we’re in the now.

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Ananda Hum (sounds like Ah-nahn-da Hum) I am unlimited joy”
“This mantra awakens the state of unlimited joy that is your true creative self.  Ananda is the inherent bliss, freedom and unlimited creativity of existence.”

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating 
“I find joy in creative living
I find joy in creative living”

Reflections on Day 9 …write about it

• Write about 2-3 things I know are joyful, relaxing and creative for me – not like work.  How can I include at least one of these in my daily life?
• Make a list of chores or duties that I avoid because they feel like work to me.  Being creative, how can I possibly turn those into a creative activity (singing as I do them, sharing chores with a friend who doesn’t enjoy her chores, finding out what family members like and don’t like to do and find a way to benefit all?)
• What is one low expectation in my life – might be a relationship, work, or my own self-esteem  Success?  Happiness? How can I raise my expectations?  Stating my needs?  Make time for whatever lightens my mood?  Inviting someone I admire to go to lunch or coffee sometime

Day 10 – Learn To Be Here Now

“Desert Passion”
http://www.sfago.com

“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh

Today’s meditation is about expansion of awareness and the limits we place on ourselves through fear and doubt because of our past experiences.  Meditation helps us overcome these limitations so that we can open up to creative possibilities and live in the present without fear and doubt.

“I rest with comfort and ease in the present moment”

Sanskrit Mantra: “Om Hreem (sounds like it’s spelled)
Pure, transparent awareness is my essential nature”

Oprah says…

Oprah quotes the buddhist monk and author,Thích Nhất Hạnh, who wrote ‘Most of us experience a life full of wonderful moments and difficult moments but for most of us, even when most joyful, there is fear behind the joy.”

She says that the push of something positive in our life is usually accompanied by the pull of negative thought or feeling that our life really can’t really be this good without something bad happening.  Many of us struggle to live in the present moment because we carry resentment from past experiences or are just plain scared of what the future holds.  We’re afraid to feel love and joy because we’re afraid we’ll lose it.  She mentions that Brene Brown calls this catastrophizing.  Brene says we’re often afraid we’re afraid to feel deep happiness, instead we pull back believing that we’re just setting ourselves up for a sucker punch. Then we’re stuck.    Brene’s remedy for catastrophizing and living in fear of loss is to soften into each moment, embracing it and being grateful.  (My note… Brene Brown’s The Power of Vulnerability is powerful)

Oprah says that Be Here Now hold the key to living an expanded, unstuck life.  We open ourselves to miraculous possibilities when we choose hope over doubt, vulnerability over fear, expansiveness over worry.  Meditation helps us tap into this.

Deepak says…

“People approach life with a mixture of hope and doubt.  These two tendencies pull in opposite directions.  Doubt pulls you backward out of the present moment.  Hope pulls you forward into the now.”

We’ve learned pain and suffering from our past experiences  and thus tend to regard change with doubt.  When we experience something positive, that little voice in our head says it’s too good to be true.  When we doubt and are skeptical, it places limitations on how much we embrace life.

• The third guideline for getting unstuck is favor hope over doubt.  Anytime we have negative thoughts –  resistance, pessimism,anxiety, worry or self-judgement, pause and get centered.  Tell myself I want better than this – I side with hope.  This is when we will be able to look for opportunities and take advantage of them when they appear.  Choose not to live in the negativity habit.

The best way to stay out of negative emotions is to be in the now and expand into the present moment.  The more we do this, the more new possibilities will emerge.  Don’t allow anxiety, worry, doubt and fear – Deepak calls it mental claustrophobia.   Meditation practice helps place us in the here and now and allows the expansion of awareness to happen effortlessly – an open field of limitless possibilities.  When we can be comfortable in the here and now, our creative self rejoices and comes forward to work things out for us. Deepak says hope isn’t just an attitude – it’s the most natural approach to a living a creative life.

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,

 “Om Hreem (sounds like it’s spelled)
Pure, transparent awareness is my essential nature”
Deepak explains, “This mantra awakens the state of unlimited joy that is your true creative self.  Ananda is the inherent bliss, freedom and unlimited creativity of existence.”

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating
I rest with comfort and ease in the present moment
I rest with comfort and ease in the present moment

Reflections on Day 10 …write about it

• Favor hope over doubt – think of a time when I consciously chose to act with love and acceptance rather than skepticism and doubt and describe how I felt.
• Choose a strong impression from my past that tends to repeat itself – a memory that continues to cause pain, self-doubt, depression or any other negative emotion.  Each time it appears, tell it “I’m not that person anymore”.  Practice my resolve to let go of the painful memory and write about positive things in my life as a result of releasing the hindrance.
• Write about a fond memory in detail and concentrate and live  the good feelings it brings me. When I celebrate the wonderful moments that bring hope to me, I invite more of these moments into my life. When I’m feeling negative or doubtful, reread this exercise as an instant reminder.

 

Day 11 – “Awareness is a Skill You Can Master”

“Picking Apples”
http://www.sfago.com

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” – Charlotte Brontë

Today’s meditation is about learning self-awareness skills…

• Paying attention to what is happening in our environment,
• Focusing attention – exploring our experiences with clarity and without judgement
• Stillness or wholeness where we allow awareness to encompass our entire experience as our own selves

These skills are the knowingness that gives us creative awareness and prevents our being stuck.

Centering Thought:   “My awareness opens the door to new possibilities”

Sanskrit Mantra:“Om Pragyanam Asmi (sounds like Ohm Prah-ghee-ahn-yahm Ahs-mee )
My true self is pure intelligence”  

Oprah says…

One of her favorite passages in the bible is ‘Be still and know that I am God’.  Stillness is where we can have our deepest experience of all that life is – no matter what we call it –  God, The Universe, Source Energy, Allah, The Divine or anything else.  Stillness can take us to our most powerful creative place.

I love her description of this moment – it’s breathtaking to me…”I had a stillness moment that, I believe, was one of the most profound experiences of my life.  A friend and I were taking a sunset mountain hike and as the sunset had left wisps of lavender ribbons across the sky.  Clouds moving down from the mountains spread over the ocean.  All around me was a cloud mist and just one clear space of sky glowing with the light of a crescent moon.  I felt like I could climb onto that crescent moon and lean back into it’s arc.  And as we continued our walk, my friend told me to stop a minute so I stopped.  Can you hear that?  I could.  And it took my breath away.  It was the sound of silence.  Utter and complete stillness.  So still I could hear my own heart beating.  There was absolutely no movement, no breeze, no recognition of air even.  It was, for me, the sound of nothing and everything.  It felt like all life and death and beyond contained in one space and I was not just standing in it, I was also it.  A part of it.  That was the most peaceful, coherent, knowledgeable moment I’ve ever witnessed.  Heaven on Earth.  It’s what I called a Glory, Glory, Hallelujah moment and what I know for sure, that moment – that feeling, is always available to us if we can peel back the layers of our life.  The frenzy and the noise.  Stillness is always waiting and that stillness is you.  Awareness is you.  Peace is you.”

Deepak says…

We’ve already learned that getting unstuck involves practical guidelines to help us expand our awareness and get us out of negative emotions.  Awareness is an important skill – it opens the door  to new possibilities.   We lives our live and find our way out of situations depending on our skill levels – and it is a learned skill.

The skill of paying attention, observing the things around us…

• How do I feel right now – am I feeling confused, etc? In control and connected?
• How are other people feeling right now – are they wary and closed or comfortable and open?
• How do I feel in this situation right now – is it tense or relaxed?

The skill of focus – the skill of being interested and engaged

• The opposite of being scattered
• Staying on-point
• Can be due to short attention span, boredom, feeling ill-at-ease, distracted

The skill of stillness

• Letting the moment expand on its own as I watch, wait and bear witness.
• Not the same as passivity.  It’s about restful alertness, being present in the moment without tension.

These skills are developed naturally in meditation and when they are mastered, even in a very short time they fuse into one thing – creative awareness.

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra – which means “I am pure consciousness, unlimited, eternal and unconditioned”.

“Om Pragyanam Asmi (sounds like Ohm Prah-ghee-ahn-yahm Ahs-mee )
My true self is pure intelligence
Om Pragyanam Asmi
Om Pragyanam Asmi” 

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating
“My awareness opens the door to new possibilities
My awareness opens the door to new possibilities”

Reflections on Day 11 …write about it

• Using my new skill of awareness, write about a time when something happened in an old, familiar situation/relationship. How do I not see it  and what is my response using my new insight? Someone might be gruff and abrupt but now I also recognize that he tries to be fair…my coworker is friendly but now I also see he/she likes being “right”.  Exercise is just about honing my skill of observing and being aware.
• Take a deep breath and check within myself to see if there are feelings that I don’t want to deal with and am  avoiding.  Hint – close my eyes and see if I can recognize a persistent feeling of doubt, sadness, irritation or dread.  Write about anything that I become aware of – I can only change it if I’m aware of it.  When I finish writing, sit with these feelings, breathe deeply and listen compassionately to them without judgement, guild – don’t push them away, accept them as part of me.  Let them run their course.  (Note to myself…Jill Bolte Taylor in her book, Stroke of Insight, says that the physical effect of feelings pass through our body in 90 seconds.  If we feel them longer than that, we’re holding on to them for some reason – might or might not help to try to figure out the reason.  Feel it and let go of the feeling and move on after 90 seconds – repeat as necessary)
• Think of a time when I was tempted to tune someone out but chose to really focus and listen to them, and how it felt.  How did the person respond.  (If I can’t think of an actual experience, imagine one). How can I presently apply my awareness skill?

 

Day 12 – “Welcoming Change Is Natural”

“Low Tide”
http://www.sfago.com

Message of the Day:  

“Being fully present is being awake to the movement and creation of life, being alive to the process of life itself.” – Pema Chodron

Today’s meditation is about change – letting go of resistance to the flow of life and living in the now which is our essential nature.  Change is what keeps life interesting, creative and new but we tend to resist it because we mistake it for lack of security.

Centering Thought is.. “My life is dynamic because I welcome change”

Sanskrit Mantra is :  “Ahrah Kahrah (sounds like it’s spelled)
I invoke the creativity of the universe in my life”

Oprah says…

We often hear that change is the nature of life but yet we resist change.  The ultimate irony is that we fear and avoid change and painful times but they are often the very moments that help us become who we are meant to be.

Oprah quotes Author, Anais Nin, ‘And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom’.  Resisting and avoiding change can shrink us into a life of inertia but when, as difficult as it may be, we embrace and trust change, we become unstuck.

She asks us to take a moment and think back to a time that we feared a big change.  What was going on at that time with us?  Sleepless nights? Heart pounding? Overwhelmed?  Anxious? On-edge? Paralyzed by fear of the unknown and of what the change would bring?    Whatever it was – we lived through it and everything ended up fine – maybe even better, in fact we may see it as being one of the best things that ever happened to us.    She asks us to consider this…rather than fear change, embrace it and lean in to it, welcome it as a constant and the essence of living a dynamic life.

Deepak says:

Being stuck is stagnation.  Inertia takes the place of alertness, lightness, openness and optimism – dynamism.   He says that living our days in a hectic way, duties, demands and deadlines may feel dynamic bit it’s not – it tends to stifle dynamism because we’re fatigued and worn out.  He describes dynamism as an inner state of awareness, effervescence, being fresh, vibrant and alive.    Creative living and dynamism (inner) achieves more through awareness than constant activity (outer).   He gives the example of studying all night for an exam and taking it when we’re dead tired as opposed to being rested, refreshed with an alert mind.  Which works better?

The simple truth that makes most people uncomfortable is that life is dynamic and constantly changing.  Often without even realizing it, we find ourselves resisting change because we fear the unknown but by resisting change, we stifle our creativity, live a constricted existence and are no longer living in the moment.

Reversely, there is wisdom in change.  Wise people want a life that unfolds naturally every day but it requires self-knowledge.  Deepak says that inside all of us are two opposing forces – one that favors change and one that fears it.

• First we need to recognize this in ourselves
• We need to gently encourage the force that favors change
• Thoughtfully address the force that fears change
• Strive to live in the present moment
• Don’t allow our daily experiences to grow stale – seek what is fresh and new.  Every day.
• Say yes more than we say no
• Foster courage so that it becomes a habit

Dynamism is in the present moment and when we live it, we’ll be joyful and look forward to change every day.

Repeat to myself,
“My life is dynamic because I welcome change
My life is dynamic because I welcome change”

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra “Ahrah Kahrah” (sounds like it’s spelled) “I invoke the creativity of the universe in my life”  Deepak says the mantra “awakens the energy of creativity, transformation and materialization. These primordial sounds stirred the forces of creativity into action.”

“Ahrah Kahrah
Ahrah Kahrah
Ahrah Kahrah”

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating
“My life is dynamic because I welcome change
My life is dynamic because I welcome change”

Reflections on Day 12 …write about it

• The best way we can welcome change is to not resist it but be in charge of the change.  Decide on 2 healthy changes I can start making today (switch to healthy, organic foods, sign up for yoga, take a class or learn something new – a foreign language? – something that challenges mentally).
• List 2-3 things that put me in an undesirable mental state – fatigue, worry, anxiety, boredom, dullness or a bad mood and describe ways I can eliminate the cause of these feelings – maybe avoiding those I only pretend to like, reduce repetitive tasks or find a way to make them less so, stop paying attention to negativity in news, and other stories.  (Avoid negativity as much as I can – in and around me.)
• Become proactive about my mental state and look for ways I can become engaged, rested, alert, energized and interested. Write about practical steps to do this, i.e. find time to play every day, laugh more – seek to surround myself with fun, interesting and stimulating people?)

 

Day 13 – “The Joy of Finding Self-Worth”

Barefoot and Beautiful
http://www.sfago.com

“We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves.” – Malcolm X

Today’s meditation is about our always infinite self-worth.  It’s already there – we just need to recognize it as our essential nature.  It has nothing to do with ego and personality but about our true being and our unique and vital role in the cosmos.  Spiritual self-worth is joyful and natural, self-affirming.

Centering Thought is “I deserve a life without limitations”

Sanskrit Mantra is “Siddo Hum (sounds like Sid-doh Hum )
I am perfect and complete”

Oprah says…

She tells us we each have a unique and personal calling that is like a fingerprint.  We’re worthy simply because here here and that we only need to accept and honor our uniqueness and extend it into the world.   That’s why we’re here.   When we can stop judging and doubting ourselves, we begin to take risks and express who we really are.  That’s being unstuck.  We’ll attract all that is better and brighter – in every way.

 

Oprah quotes Marianne Williamson when she says, ‘We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented.  Actually who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.”  Oprah says that when we are liberated from our fear, our presence actually liberates others.  She says, “Expect your life to be full and beautiful.  Magnify your own qualities of light and love.  You will break out of your own stuckness and you’ll have the energetic voltage to electrify possibilities all around you.  I think that’s pretty exciting. ”

Deepak says…

The biggest reason we live with limitations is self-judgement and that closes off many possibilities because we clamp down a lid on our expectations.   Our cells see every particle of nourishment even though we see nourishment within narrow limits.   When we  emotionally and psychologically accept confidence as our cells see it and embrace life, our creative intentions are much easier to activate.

Some people think of our saying we “deserve”,  as egotistical and boastful – and it can be a pitfall but self-worth isn’t about ego – it’s about using desire to be unstuck.  When we feel worthy, we automatically know that we can and should have all good things in life – not material things but lasting fulfillment.  When we have low self-worth, we have suppressed desires and low expectations.   When we self-judge, we tend to defend against positive changes, feel that we don’t deserve, creativity feels too risky and doesn’t get activated and we find that the things we deeply want (and deserve) – love, grace, beauty, validity of our own truth get pushed away.

We encourage self-worth when we look beyond limitations every day and feel secure, expand our idea of who we really are.  The Worlds Wisdom Traditions teach that each soul plays a necessary part in the cosmos.  The present moment is unique in the entire universe  meaning that existence gives us the opportunity to create something new, unique and necessary.

No one is more unique than another person – we all have it and can be joyful and embrace life.  When we do, our desires enable us to participate fully in our existence, never shrinking or judging – ourselves or others.    Our existence then brings joy, love, beauty, truth, meaning and creativity.  They’re always there and we, as humans are the only creatures that can magnify and use these qualities.  Deepak says that once we realize this, our worth is beyond compare.

Repeat to myself,
“I deserve a life without limitations
I deserve a life without limitations”

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Siddo Hum (sounds like Sid-doh Hum )
I am perfect and complete”
Deepak says the mantra means “my essential nature is always complete, whole and perfect.”
Siddo Hum
Siddo Hum
Siddo Hum

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating,
“I deserve a life without limitations
I deserve a life without limitations”

Reflections on Day 13 …write about it

• Write about moments in my day when I feel most worthy, helpful, assured and successful.  Reflect on the details letting the positive feelings really sink in.
• Describe moments in my day when I feel shaky, self-doubting, inadequate, threatened, anxious or uneasy.  How can I improve the situation next time?  (Listen more without commenting? Becoming more informed in advance? Not using self-judging language?)
• Pick one thing that I’d like to feel more confident about and imagine I’m with someone who has the same trait but doesn’t worry or feel bad about it.  Mentally absorb that person’s confidence and describe how it feels to be confident in spite of the negative thing.  Silently and secretly pretend I’m that confident person this week.  Write about it – any change and feelings that occurred at the end of the week.

 

Day 14 – “Finding Your Creative Path”

Cliff Village
http://www.sfago.com
Sharon Abbott-Furze

“All great acts are ruled by intention. What you mean is what you get.” – Brenna Yovanoff

The power of intention already directs our life journey from behind the scenes, it isn’t something we need to figure out intellectually.  Intention is the spontaneous expression of our innermost desires and awareness is just waiting to be activated to effortlessly accomplish our deepest desires and intentions.  Today’s meditation tells us how to do that – desires, intentions and awareness.

Centering Thought: ”Every day unfolds the next step in my journey”

Sanskrit Mantra:  “Sharavana Bhava (sounds like Shah-rah-vah-nah Bah-vah)
My awareness is aligned with the creative power of the universe”

Oprah says…

So far, we’ve already begun to expand our awareness so that we can participate fully in our lives.  We’ve learned ways to shed limiting beliefs and tap into our full awareness and live in love, joy and creativity. Awareness is the key but Oprah’s favorite law of nature – the power of intention – is the even greater force that helps accelerate our awareness into full energetic force for becoming unstuck.

Oprah says this so well…”Intention gives awareness direction.  Think about that.  Intention gives us the blueprint and the spark to move effortlessly toward expanded, unstuck living.  Notice your intentions with honesty and clarity and you have a much better compass with which to navigate your life.  The deeper your awareness, the closer the energy flows between intention and fulfillment.”  She says that when our awareness, choices and actions are truly aligned with our intentions, and our intentions are aligned with our true self, our purest selves, we have the power of Source behind us to create our life from the inside out.   Powerful!   When we are in line with our heart’s desires and in sync with who we’re meant to be, our perceptions shift and we start noticing regular AHA moments and miracles – she likes to call them “marvelisms”.  Things happen in line with how were think and what we choose.

Deepak says…

Meditation expands our awareness resulting in the field of possibilities becoming more wide open but intention (to wish or desire) gives awareness direction – waiting in peace and stillness to be activated.   We tend to get stuck in the gap between our intentions and reaching our goals because of a variety of obstacles and it leads to discouragement and frustration.

Awareness follows our intentions and setting our intentions is very different than how most of us do it – the exact opposite of doing it skillfully.  Skillful use of intentions is to let awareness bring the fulfillment of them…

• Set intention – envision what we desire and/or want to achieve.  It should have a personal meaning to us.
• Let go, have an open mind and pay attention to clues that come our way.  Don’t pre-judge, trust that no matter what is happening, something unseen is opening a path to our goal.

We  already use intention in everyday ways to name and get what we want but most of this is on the surface and actually imposes limits.  We can’t manipulate life to bring about our deep intentions – only awareness joined with our intention can fulfill our deep desires.

The Worlds Wisdom Traditions teach that the deeper our awareness, the smaller the gap between intention and fulfillment so, to master the power of our intentions, we need to learn to live life differently – trust the mechanics of intention and then hone our skills at using these mechanics.  With meditation, mastery comes naturally because it deepens our level of awareness and from there, the mechanics of desire operate automatically.

Quoting Deepak, “The creative path is, by definition, a path of desire and intention.  There is hidden power in having a desire, letting go and paying attention to whatever nature brings you.  In this way, bigger and bigger dreams begin to come true if you allow them to without struggle. The greatest gifts that life brings us are a joyous surprise.”

Repeat to myself,
“Every day unfolds the next step in my journey
Every day unfolds the next step in my journey”

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Sharavana Bhava (sounds like Shah-rah-vah-nah Bah-vah)
My awareness is aligned with the creative power of the universe”
Deepak says the mantra “attunes your intentions with the intentions of the cosmos.  It activates the purposeful force of intention to transform present circumstances into favorable opportunities”.
“Sharavana Bhava
Sharavana Bhava
Sharavana Bhava”

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating,
“Every day unfolds the next step in my journey
Every day unfolds the next step in my journey”

Reflections on Day 14 …write about it

• Practice using the power of intention by listing 2-3 desires I’d like to see come true today and visual them happening.  It might help to start modestly (maybe wanting someone else to be nicer? See my children offer to help without being asked?)  Do nothing to make these things happen – just sit back, pay attention and see what happens.
• To help learn the skill of focusing my intention, choose 1 big thing I want to see happen.  On one line list all the reason why it would be fulfilling if it happened.  On another line list my doubts, lack of confidence and conflicts about my intention.  (i.e. a vacation would be a nice change from day-to-day chores but on the other hand I’d fall behind in my work?)  Reflect about both lists – what are they telling me?
• Using the same big desire and the two lists, write ideas about how I can shift my attitude more toward a positive direction (talk to my boss about going at a time of lower workload?).  This will help keep a clear intention  to avoid confusing or mixed results.
•          Know what I want and why I want it
•          Minimize what I fear and doubt – face negativity honestly
•          Reassess and journal any changes that happen in reaching my desire

 

Day 15 – “Bringing Your Creativity into the World”

The Ashland Hotel
http://www.sfago.com

“Self-expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment.” – Pearl S. Buck

Today’s meditation is about naturally creating solutions for everyone around us when we live life from our limitless creative source openly, joyfully, and with collaborative awareness.  This isn’t a solo journey that we’re on – it intimately involves relationships – professional, personal and friends.

Centering Thought is “When I relate to anyone, both of us will gain something”

Sanskrit Mantra is  “Om Prani Dhana (Sounds like Ohm Prah-nee-Tahn-uh )
My individuality expands to universality”

Oprah says…

When we share the spirit of unlimited possibilities with others, we unblock obstacles in relationships and all aspects of our lives.    Happiness isn’t something we get from someone else.  Our happiness is in direct proportion to how happy we are, the love we give.   If we want our partner, friends, kids and others to be more open, we need to be those things and be relaxed, more positive and more open with them.  Pay attention and be more loving to ourselves and others and see what happens – our love will be expanded and reciprocated in small and large ways.  It’s spiritual law.

Deepak says…

He says this week we’re going to expand the spirit of creativity into the world, beginning with relationships – an aspect where many of us would like to be unstuck.  A key word in any successful relationship is collaboration and it involves 3 things…

• Cooperation
• Sharing
• Communication

Most relationships are not black and white – we may feel good about some aspects but need to work on other areas.  When we look at our relationships with these in mind, we can creatively relate in an unstuck way.  Ask myself

•  Am I cooperating in my relationships equally?
• Am I sharing good and not-so-good aspects of my relationships?
• Am I communicating in a way to avoid confusion, resentment and misunderstanding?

Every relationship takes 2 people and it takes the same 2 to get unstuck.  When we begin with ourselves and don’t pressure or push the other person, our changes will be mirrored in the other person’s behavior and attitudes.  If we’re frustrated with another person, that person will continue to do things to frustrate us but if we’re open and optimistic, it will change the other person’s behavior.

Mirroring can be an unconscious response because others usually react to us without even knowing why. Other times we mirror our interpretation of something fairly neutral in the other person.  It doesn’t really matter though – when we make an inner shift, the relationship will be affected.

When we meditate, we shift in powerful ways because our consciousness is expanding and beneficial things begin to happen when we’re more relaxed, open and centered.  We find it easier to be receptive to other’s ideas and we want them to be receptive to ours – a creative spark between two people- feeling excited with ideas and passing them back and forth.  This makes it easier to think of “us” rather than “me”.  Rather than retreating into our egos and feeling restricted inside, defensiveness isn’t necessary as awareness expands. When we meditate, our intuition becomes accessible and we find ourselves asking for things they really would like to give/be…their desire to help, shine, be creative and truly themselves.  Watch for these shifts to happen as we practice meditation.   That’s what collaboration is about – both partners gaining and sharing mutual satisfaction

Repeat to myself,
When I relate to anyone, both of us will gain something
When I relate to anyone, both of us will gain something

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Om Prani Dhana (Sounds like Ohm Prah-nee-Tahn-uh )
My individuality expands to universality”
Deepak says the mantra “guides awareness in the natural process of letting go of constricted, conditioned feelings and behavior, allowing the unlimited self to expand in love and compassion.”
Om Prani Dhana
Om Prani Dhana
Om Prani Dhana

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating,

When I relate to anyone, both of us will gain something
When I relate to anyone, both of us will gain something

Reflections on Day 15 …write about it

• Every successful relationship requires cooperation.  Choose one that’s important in my personal or work life and describe 2 ways that I can cooperate more and make it easier for the other person to see it as “us” rather than “me” – a collaboration.
• Successful relationships require sharing.  Think about how I can share myself more generously with the other person in my life – my sympathy, close attention, appreciation, expertise and other good things.
• A successful relationship requires communication.  How can I open the lines of communication – being a better listener?  Not being Judgemental? Be interested in what interests the other person? Speak my truth without being harsh?

 

Day 16 – “How To Make Your Environment Creative”

“Accept what is in front of you, without wanting the situation to be other than it is. Nature provides everything, without requiring thanks and provides for all.” – Lao Tzu

Today’s meditation is about creating a space around us where creative solutions flow by being appreciative, open and accepting and also respecting and listening to everyone’s contributions.

Centering Thought is “I create a space around me that is open and appreciative”

Sanskrit Mantra is “Akhando Hum (sounds like Ah-Khan-doh Hum )
My awareness is unlimited”

Oprah says…

People often pull back and withdraw both emotionally and physically when they feel stuck.  It’s a given that we all want to offer our gifts to the world – we’re here to be in collaboration with each other and the universe, to reach the highest expression of ourselves.  We’re at our best together when we create space in our hearts and consciousness to be harmonious with others, allow transformation and growth.

If we really believe that we all see ourselves in each other and come from a place of willingness to understand and be understood, we create limitless possibilities.  When we elevate ourselves, we also elevate others.  How do I feel when others believe and have confidence in me?  I need to give that same thing to those around me and then witness the transformations.

Oprah says she recently wrote a letter to her younger self as she looked at a picture of a 19-year-old Oprah standing outside WLAC-TV  where she had just been hired and here’s what she said.  “I look into your eyes and I see the hope and light within myself.  You look calm, you look happy but I know how scared you are.  If I could say anything to you, it would be, Relax, it’s going to be OK girl.”  She asks what a letter to my younger self would look like.  She suggests getting still and reconnecting with belief in ourselves and believe that everything is going to be OK.

Deepak says…

We can make creativity happen for ourselves and those around us by creating conscious space, an open arena for the flow of creative input.  This requires two qualities

• Appreciation
• Participation

When we look at families or workplaces that have gotten stuck, there is a closed, tight atmosphere and participation and appreciation are minimal.  We can change this by

• Finding ways to give warm and sincere appreciation to encourage participation.
• Rather than using coercive or arbitrary rule enforcement, give responsibility and a feeling of ownership to those around us.
• Make it known that we value everyone’s contribution.
• Be an example of mutual respect at all times.
• Tailor responsibilities/tasks to the other person’s capabilities – no one can give what they don’t have.
• Give praise and other rewards appropriate for achievements.
• Cardinal rule – give the same things we value when we receive them.

Repeat to myself,

I create a space around me that is open and appreciative
I create a space around me that is open and appreciative

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Akhando Hum (sounds like Ah-Khan-doh Hum )
My awareness is unlimited”

Deepak says the mantra “affirms the limitless unbounded nature of your self-aware presence.  This presence of awareness suffuses the space around us with harmony, calmness and receptivity.”

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating during my day,
I create a space around me that is open and appreciative
I create a space around me that is open and appreciative

Reflections on Day 16 …write about it

• What are a few ways I can make the space around me more open and creative?  Give others a chance to contribute in any way they choose – participate in decisions.  (Ask my coworkers for their input on something that is challenging me/us? Plan an event with my family that we’ve never done before?
• Participation …What are 2 ways I could participate more at work and at home?  How can I encourage others to participate more? (Speak up more when I have a good idea? Prepare meals together as a family?)
• Creative space requires appreciation how can I show more appreciation to 2-3 specific people today? (a small word of encouragement or a smile?)

 

Day 17 – “Reaching the Creative Solution”

“When wisdom overrides, our heart produces immense ideas with solutions.” – Adedayo Olabamiji

Today’s meditation is about learning to find a creative solution to any challenge that faces us and it begins with recognizing that the solution can never be found at the level of the problem.  He have to expand our awareness beyond conditioned and limited minds, perspectives, opposition and confusion.   We can do this through meditation and getting to know that our essential self is the source of all creative solutions.

Centering Thought is “I trust that creativity can solve any problem”

Sanskrit Mantra is “Om Gum Namah (sounds like Ohm Goom Nah-mah)
Limitless awareness solves all problems”

Oprah says…

A common form of stuckness is staying rooted in a problem without exploring solutions, or believing we’re right.

Quoting Oprah’s story, “I used to think other people were wrong if they didn’t think and feel the same way I do.  I’ve told this story before but I think it’s a great teachable moment worth sharing again..For many years whenever Stedman and I drove home from our farm in Indiana, I would always tell him which way to turn.  This is because if he turned left, when you’re going out of the gate it would be 8 miles on the interstate to Chicago.  If he made a right, it was 12.  He would always go right and I would invariably say, if you turn left, you can save 4 miles.   For 2 years that was our routine.  I knew I was right.  But he liked to go the other way because he said he got to see more deer.  So every time Stedman reached the gate I would tense up and then one day I said to myself, do I want to be right (because I really believe I’m right), or do I want peace?  The answer was obvious.  When we got to the gate and Stedman as which way I wanted him to go, I replied, anyway you want.  I decided not to push about which way was fastest or the route I would choose, but instead to just sit back and enjoy the ride and for years after it made the drive a lot more pleasant for both of us and I saw that once I chose to let him – and then other people too, let them be themselves, lots of other things improved.”

When we go to the more expanded place within ourselves – our generous, creative, giving selves, solutions are just waiting for us – we find answers and solutions

Deepak says..

He reminds us of how we can let awareness work for us instead of struggling to find answers – any problem or challenge that we need to solve.  When we’re not living in awareness, we are constricted and fight and argue, insist we’re right and have the solutions over other’s objections.   This results in power struggles, and sometimes using underhanded tactics to get our own way.  Dwelling on problems without envisioning a solution is futile.  Complaining and feeling defeated makes others contract and they mirror our negative attitudes.  Through meditation, we can find  a better way – awareness.

When we find ourselves facing problems with family, friends or at work and want to find a solution, here’s how..

• Make it clear that I  believe there is a solution.   Be open-minded.  Encourage others to make suggestions without bias or preference.
• Listen and pay attention.  Every little bit helps reshape the picture.  Be tolerate and allow others to get things off their chest – if they aren’t allowed to do this, they can’t really contribute. We all need to able to “unburden”.
• Realize immediately that the level of the problem isn’t the level of the solution.  Solutions come from the creative self.  Deepak gives an example..”Think of a mother with a cranky child.  The level of the problem is the child’s upset and the stress it produces.  The level of the solution, however, might be as simple as the child needing to take a nap or being hugged and reassured. Adult problems are more difficult but we often display child-like responses such as anxiety, insecurity, feeling weak and complaining.  These behaviors contribute the level of the problem by constricting our awareness and closing us off in a defensive posture.  The level of the solution always feels like opening a window to let in fresh air and sunshine.”
• AHA moments are a break-through from the confusion in conflict and it happens by by being optimistic and expanding our awareness.  Foster optimism and being open-minded.
• Wait and have patience – Don’t grab for instant solutions but let one unfold naturally in our awareness.  Return inside to our center, our creative self and the best solution will come spontaneously.

Repeat to myself,
I trust that creativity can solve any problem
I trust that creativity can solve any problem

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Om Gum Namah (sounds like Ohm Goom Nah-mah)
Limitless awareness solves all problems”

Deepak says the mantra “aligns our awareness with the creative problem-solving power of nature”.

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating during my day,
I trust that creativity can solve any problem
I trust that creativity can solve any problem

Reflections on Day 17 …write about it

 

Day 17 Journal Questions:

• Choose a problem or conflict in my life that I would like to solve and make it clear to myself that I really believe there is a solution.  Write about my situation – the positives and the negatives.
• Be very candid about my part in not reaching a solution for this – anger? emotional resistance? needing to be right? Write about how it would feel to not have these attitudes
• Center myself and when I’m in a calm state, ask within myself to see a solution.  Don’t force anything, just wait to see what comes to my awareness and journal about the possible solutions that I visualize. Once I feel clear about the issues and solutions, consider discussing them with the other/others involved.

 

Day 18 –  “Expanding Other People’s Awareness”

“Best Buddies” http://www.sfago.com

“The best teachers show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see.” – Alexandra K. Trenfor

Today’s meditation is about sharing with others, our experience of the joy and ease of living in expanded awareness.  Even though well-intentioned, our sharing may feel intrusive and unwelcome so we need to do it in a way to build their curiosity and interest and motivate them to seek it.  We can live it and simply let our awareness speak for itself

Centering Thought is “I bring to others the same joy and fulfillment I want for myself”

Sanskrit Mantra is “Om Karuna Namah” (sounds like Ohm Kah-roo-nah Nah-mah)
“My true nature is compassion.”

Oprah says…

When we experience living in expanded awareness, we naturally want others to experience it as well, especially when we see they are caught in “stuckness”.  But how do we help someone we love open to their true self and experience change?

Oprah compares it good parenting, instilling change and growth in our children by guiding them with as much gentle teaching, compassion, kindness, patience and wisdom as we can manage,  and with as little judgement as possible.

She considers Dr. Shefali Tsabary one of the most brilliant parenting experts she’s ever heard.  Dr. Tsabary says our children grow and evolve, become the very best expression of themselves when we teach them to listen to their natural desires, follow their instincts and embrace their true spiritual power.   Of course the same is true when he try to help anyone in our lives reach toward change.

Oprah says,  ” What I know for sure is that transformation happens when you can reach out in generosity, in optimism and encourage someone else to open up to their awakened self.”

Deepak says…

It’s painful for anyone living in “stuckness”.  But we – and anyone else – can get unstuck the same way..through awareness.  When we experience joy and fulfillment, we naturally want everyone we love to have the same experience.   Children are generally easier to gently guide and teach with love but adults often are stubborn in their stuckness and might see our efforts as threatening and intrusive.  People tend to contract when this happens – the very opposite of expanded awareness so our guidance has to come from a level of awareness that is sympathetic, accepting and non-judgemental.

When we try to make someone else change, they probably won’t, they eventually feel it is pressure.  It is possible to change for another person but it requires a very strong bond of sympathy, trust and love – all qualities of expanded awareness.

About the only thing we can do is create a space for someone else to change on their own terms but we can’t direct the answer.

People usually change when they see a better opportunity, new possibility or are pushed to change because they are so uncomfortable that the person wants a better alternative.  We can’t and don’t need to teach them expanded awareness – it happens naturally when they become curious, engaged and allowed to be themselves without someone else trying to judge or fix them.   Our goal needs to be to offer the opportunity to change and then back away and let the other person feel they are doing it all on their own, following their natural desires and inclinations.  The reward for change when it happens will be the love and encouragement they see in our eyes.

Repeat to myself,
I bring to others the same joy and fulfillment I want for myself
I bring to others the same joy and fulfillment I want for myself

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Om Karuna Namah” (sounds like Ohm Kah-roo-nah Nah-mah)
“My true nature is compassion.”

Deepak says the mantra “creates a space of compassion and acceptance that encourages positive transformation for yourself and those around you.”.
Om Karuna Namah
Om Karuna Namah
Om Karuna Namah

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating during my day,
I bring to others the same joy and fulfillment I want for myself
I bring to others the same joy and fulfillment I want for myself

Reflections on Day 18…write about it

• When we want someone to change, it will work best if our motives are selfless.  Think of someone in my life whose behavior/attitudes bother me and list several reasons why I think it would be good for them to change – not for me but for them.
• Using the same person, write my own personal reasons I want them to change. How can I get my own motives out of the way.  Remember that no one needs to change simply for me and my reasons
• Using the person again, how can I give them space to get unstuck?  (Think of how I’d like someone to help me).  Describe 2 things I can do to help this person change their situation looking at it as if I were in their shoes (not from my own values and judgement about them – i.e. could I be more open, appreciative, sympathetic?)  Ask them what they need from me and show my approval and support.

 

Day 19 –  “Getting to Yes The Creative Way”

“Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.” – Sue Patton Thoele

Today’s meditation is about finding creative solutions to address obstacles that arise from other people and maintaining an attentive and respectful awareness through listening, respecting and opening up to a broader perspective that includes and supports both points of views – getting to “Yes” in a creative way.

Centering Thought is “I want a “Yes” that’s good for everyone”

Sanskrit Mantra is “Ma Vid Visha Vahai” (sounds like Mah Vid Vish-ah Vah-hai )
May harmony prevail”

Oprah says…

When we get in disagreements that become difficult to resolve, approaching them from a place of ego – making someone “right” and someone “wrong”, we’re “stuck”.   Think about improving a situation…it’s not a creative “Yes” when we try to be right and make the other person wrong.

Oprah quotes Eckhart Tolle, telling us the ego loves to make wrong in order to be right.  Being right places you in a position of imagined moral superiority in relation to the person who is being judged.  That superiority is what the ego craves.  The problem is  that the ego takes everything personally – emotions get riled up and people get defensive.”  Eckhart asks a great questions for situations like this – “Are you defending the truth? The truth needs no defense.  You are defending yourself or the illusion of yourself. Let go of ego and let your expanded awareness guide you through any kind of conflict and you will quickly feel the way toward resolution.”

She refers to Deepak’s saying we all need the same things –

• to feel secure,
• hopeful,
• accepted and
• able to express ourselves.

Oprah says she heard it every day from every person in 25 years of the Oprah Show.  During the commercial break, everyone would ask her, ‘Was that OK?  Did I do OK?’.  She says we all want to hear yes in answer to that question, we all want validation to be seen, to be heard.

She says that when we listen with our creative spirit open, listen with our heart, there is always a path to yes.

Deepak says…

“There are two ways to look at disagreements when they crop up..

• You can see it as an obstacle to getting what you want, or
• You can see it as a creative ferment – the stage where solutions are brewing that will satisfy everyone, for as many people as possible.”

If the process is negative, we feel coerced, bullied or manipulated but when the process is positive we feel relief and mutual satisfaction.  There will always be bumps along the road to finding solutions and getting past these hurdles requires attention and awareness.

Normally when people get a “Yes” – or “come around”, one person in a relationship or negotiation has usually felt manipulated in some way.  Usually one side is seen as losing and one as winning but a genuinely positive “Yes” only occurs when both sides feel they won.  Win-win.  In this event, both sides feel respected, listened to and understood.  A need has been identified and met on both sides but people usually have a difficult time stating their needs – don’t feel they can trust, feel judged, feel pressured not to speak up with honesty, or are too insecure to reveal what really matters to them.

Needs are pretty universal, not a mystery, and as our awareness expands with meditation, we’ll become more intuitive about what those around us really need, basically…

• A need to feel safe and secure
• The need to feel that we are gaining the good things everyone wants in material terms – rising above mere subsistence
• The need to be accepted
• The need to express ourselves
• The need to be “seen” as a person – respected, loved and valued

In a Win-Win situation, one or more of these needs is being met on both sides.   People will give us their best

• If they feel safe with us,
• Believe that we can be trusted
• And see that we take a personal interest

When these things happen, disagreements actually become the spark for rising to a higher level, giving all of us a feeling of gaining something we really need.  We all desire to have our own needs met, but it’s more beautiful and fulfilling to be the one who gives the other person what they need.  This is shaped from a level of unlimited awareness and creates a fairer and better world.

Repeat to myself,
I want a “Yes” that’s good for everyone
I want a “Yes” that’s good for everyone

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Ma Vid Visha Vahai” (sounds like Mah Vid Vish-ah Vah-hai )
May harmony prevail”
Deepak says the mantra means”Together may we always find agreement and understanding”.
Ma Vid Visha Vahai
Ma Vid Visha Vahai
Ma Vid Visha Vahai

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating during my day,
I want a “Yes” that’s good for everyone
I want a “Yes” that’s good for everyone

Reflections on Day 19…write about it

• Think of a current conflict in which I cannot find an agreement with someone and write 2 ways I can turn a negative into a positive (show more respect, make them feel that we are equals by asking for their thoughts?  Avoid making judgmental comments?)
• Using the same conflict, and imagining that I am the other person, express what they’re experiencing, their needs and what they feel and want.  Write about how this changes my perspective.
• Write down the top 3 things I want as an outcome from this conflict and arrange them with most important first.  Reflect on why this thing is important and set all other outcomes aside.  How can I clearly show the other person a way to cooperate on this one thing that would benefit both of us – and make it clear.  (i.e. if I want peace – make it clear and start acting in a peaceful manner.  Ask the other person if they want peace too?  Discuss what peace personally means to each of us.)

 

 

Day 20 – “Becoming the Ideal Co-Creator”

“The closer you come to knowing that you alone create the world of your experience, the more vital it becomes for you to discover just who is doing the creating.” – Eric Micha’el Leventhal

Today’s meditation is about growing into a more complete and fulfilled self which requires self-awareness of our deepest creativity. We are not spectators in an objective world, we shape our experiential reality through our creative self – not only what we experience but how we experience life.   Today’s meditation teaches us how to make a creative contribution through the expanded and heightened awareness of mediation.

Centering Thought is “I participate to the fullest in creating my personal reality”

Sanskrit Mantra is “Om Brahma Namah” (sounds like Ohm Brah-mah Nah-mah )
“I invoke the creativity of the cosmos in my life”

Oprah says…

Her mantra, credo, what she believes with every fiber of her existence is that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction – what goes out comes back – always.  What goes up comes down – always. That is a way that we create everything in our lives.  Nothing happens out of order or by accident.  Nothing. We create our lives with our every intention, thought, word and action.  The more aware we become that we co-create everything in our lives with the energy of the universe, the more our creativity heightens.  We co-create our environment, friendships, careers and love relationships.  I create me!   She says that co-creation is the calling of the universe and so it is our calling as well.  Our light comes from the same creative force that has made every living thing – she calls it “star stuff”.  We only need to be aware of and in touch with our deepest self.

She asks, “What will I do with the light that is me?”.

Deepak says…

When asked about what we did today, we usually answer with things we did externally – at work, school or in our family but viewed from the inside out, every day each of us is building a self, fulfilling our needs and discovering who we are and that calls for our highest creativity.  Whatever our level of awareness is, these inner events are happening and emerging in our lives every day – we change and have new needs and have either greater or less self-awareness.  It’s going to happen no matter what, however, we can choose to magnify and accelerate the process or resist and slow it down.

Life isn’t simply making demands – we co-create every situation in our lives and our personal reality depends on how aware we are of being the co-creator of our life.   We are given the raw materials and must shape it the way we want it or someone else will do it for us – or things will occur by random chance.

We can devote our attention to gaining a bigger car, more money, a nicer house, etc, but this isn’t evolutionary when viewed from our true self.  The more we are aware, the more contribution, coming from our true self, we will make.   We will be in touch with the part of ourselves that feels connected to true love, beauty, truth and evolution.  Our true self wants our life to be purposeful and have more meaning and the most creative life will happen when we build a life that matches our true self.

In a relationship, when we choose a partner we form a bond at the spirit level.  If we choose someone who wants to travel the path of spiritual unfoldment with us, we become ideal co-creators, both evolving to a higher personal reality through mutual loving support, sympathizing with challenges, fulfilling each other’s needs through a higher inner vision.   It’s possible to live the highest kind of creative life together but it must begin by relating to ourselves personally with the same loving respect.

Repeat to myself,
“I participate to the fullest in creating my personal reality
I participate to the fullest in creating my personal reality”

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Om Brahma Namah” (sounds like Ohm Brah-mah Nah-mah )
“I invoke the creativity of the cosmos in my life”
Deepak says the mantra “engages your true self with the creative power of the universe.  As you repeat the mantra, feel your energy attune to the creative energy of the cosmos. ”
“Om Brahma Namah
Om Brahma Namah
Om Brahma Namah”

At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating during my day,
“I participate to the fullest in creating my personal reality
I participate to the fullest in creating my personal reality”

Reflections on Day 20…write about it

• When others want to be be our creative partner, many possibilities spontaneously appear.  Who currently enjoys working and relating with me?  Write about why I think this is so (i.e. do we agree most of the time? We’re equals and don’t try to control the other? We enjoy working and finding solutions together?)
• About that same person, and considering how well we work and relate to each other, how can use these same positive qualities in other relationships where that does not presently happen?  How can I use this in other relationships at work and personally?
• Who are a couple of other people with whom I might co-create?  What are some positives they could bring that I’d enjoy and what could I contribute as well that would bring out the best in both of us? Initiate a collaboration by communicating these thoughts with that other person.

 

 

Day 21 – “The Highest Vision: Creative Evolution”

“Moonlit” http://www.sfago.com

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” – Rumi

Today’s meditation is about achieving the life we were always meant to live, creative evolution of spiritual growth that isn’t directed by outside forces or even our internal beliefs and ideas.  It comes from the evolution of awareness directed from our higher self to enable us to live a limitless life full of joy, love, beauty and peace.

Centering Thought is “I realize every day that my true purpose is to evolve”

Sanskrit Mantra is “Eem Hreem Shreem (sounds like it’s spelled)
My being radiates wisdom, truth and abundance”

Oprah says…

We all have moments when we need to get unstuck and Deepak has taught us some ways to achieve this. An even more important point is that we are always, in every moment, creating our life.  She says that it’s ultimately being aware that our life is a creative endeavor in and of itself so that we can live a boundless life.

Oprah cites the dictionary definition of creativity –  the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships or the like, and to forge meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations.  It is originality, progressiveness.  We are “originality” whenever we tap into our creative souls.

She talks about Liz Gilbert’s book, Big Magic as being “a splendid manifesto on creative living”.  Liz Gilbert “sums it up beautifully in a whimsical conversation with herself.  She asks herself, ‘And what is it that you want, Dear One?’.  Her answer, she says, is always the same, ‘More wonder please’.  Liz speaks for all of us.    As long as I’m still moving in that direction toward wonder, then I know I will always be fine in my soul, which is where it counts.  And since creativity is still the most effective way to access wonder, I choose it.”

Oprah encourages us to choose wonder and embrace our infinitely creative soul….”Trust it, reap it, grow it and your life will know no limits.”

Deepak says…

“Our creative self is always dynamic, curious, open to new things and fascinated by discovery.”  He says that as we become aware of these qualities, we become unstuck and it will feel both remarkable and yet completely natural.   When these qualitive become fully  active, we’ll be living our creative self but there is an even higher vision that we can work towards.  He calls it self-evolution, or self-directed evolution.

Evolution means growth and progress – in children, this happens automatically, developing physically according to our DNA and our environments – family, school and friends.  This helps us become socially acceptable in our human world and many people don’t progress much beyond that – a reasonably secure sense of self, functional at work, with family and responsibility but don’t know how to go beyond that.

Deepak reminds us that creativity is the path and not the destination – our destination is limitless life.   The next step is spiritual growth, higher evolution, a deeply personal dimension of growth that society doesn’t provide.  It’s a conscious decision to shape our life according to your vision of our higher self, looking for ways to grow on the inside and be true to our higher self.   The essential element is consciousness with one goal… evolution without limits, a constant unfolding of beauty, truth, meaning and creativity in our lives.

We all pass through different stages of life and encounter a myriad of experiences – good and bad- that become dim memories but our lives can be much more than a series of experiences.  When we follow our highest vision, we have purpose that lasts a lifetime.  When we consciously become who we truly want to be, we have achieved something that no one can take from us, it has no price and will never leave us no matter what we encounter in life.

Repeat to myself,
“I realize every day that my true purpose is to evolve
I realize every day that my true purpose is to evolve”

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Eem Hreem Shreem (sounds like it’s spelled)
My being radiates wisdom, truth and abundance”
Deepak says the mantra “harnesses all the forces of spiritual growth behind your attention to evolve. ”
“Eem Hreem Shreem
Eem Hreem Shreem
Eem Hreem Shreem”
At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating during my day,
“I realize every day that my true purpose is to evolve
I realize every day that my true purpose is to evolve”

Reflections on Day 21…write about it

• Creative evolution begins with an expanded attitude toward myself.  List the 2-3 of my highest personal reasons for desiring inner growth (nurturing myself? finding more fulfillment? getting more out of life?)
• Regarding this expanded attitude, list 2 ways I can expand my self-awareness today – maybe journal about what my highest version of myself looks like/means? tell a trusted friend about my secret dream? read inspiring poetry/scriptures?
• “To achieve creative evolution, which is the highest vision, we must take an open attitude towards the unknown”.  List 2 ways that I see tomorrow as being better than today using any measure I choose – physically, mentally, emotionally,  spiritually. Visualize it blossoming and make it as real as possible. Then let go and open my heart to the unknown field of all possibilities.

Day 22 – “The Most You Can Do for the World”

Best of Friends

“Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.” – Ramana Maharshi

Today’s meditation is about spiritual freedom and freedom of our true self, and radiating this precious gift as love, peace, compassion and joy to unite, heal and uplift everyone it reaches.  Every moment that we live from our highest self, we’re giving our best to the world.

Centering Thought is “I create my reality to benefit the world”

Sanskrit Mantra is “Vasu Deva Kutum Bakam” (sounds like  Vah-soo Day-vah Koo-toom Bah-come)
“The world is my family”

Oprah says…

She tells us to honor our soul, love and nurture it because when we do this, we love and nurture the entire world.

Deepak says…

From this 21 day journey, very simply, when we’re unstuck, we are free.  When we’re living consciously, living a limitless life is a possibility and with it comes freedom and a field of infinite possibilities.

Sometimes placing a high value on creativity is judged as being selfish, narcissistic or a luxury but it can actually be that when we become co-creators of our reality, we’re changing the world for the better.  Our freedom, the most precious kind that exists inside us,  adds to the freedom of all mankind,  bringing peace and light no matter what the external circumstances.   When our personal reality is at peace, we are a unit of peace for the world as a whole, and likewise when we create safe and secure surroundings for those around us, then we’re doing all we can to make the world more safe and secure.

The Worlds Wisdom Traditions teach that we’re not in the world, the world is in us.  So, when we evolve within ourselves, the world is being encouraged to evolve.  If we want to live in a healed world, we need to extend our compassion and understanding to everyone in our surroundings –

• Speak out of hope, equality everyone needs.
• Act out of love and our best intentions will go viral.
• When we hear anyone being disparaged because they are different, go inside and welcome them as part of our family.

Deepak says “Our inner family is humanity itself and when we create discord and misunderstanding, we are sending part of our family into exile, turning them into spiritual refugees with nowhere to go.  Even when you feel helpless to aid the bereft and homeless, you can offer them sanctuary in your heart.  At the spiritual level, this welcome is always felt and received.  Once you accept that the world is in you, your life gains its highest purpose and you are aligned with the deepest values of spirituality.”

Repeat to myself,
“I create my reality to benefit the world
I create my reality to benefit the world“

Listen to some relaxing music, breathe slowly and deeply,  become more and more relaxed, and meditate for about 10 minutes using the Sanskrit mantra,
“Vasu Deva Kutum Bakam” (sounds like  Vah-soo Day-vah Koo-toom Bah-come)
“The world is my family”
Deepak says the mantra means “the whole world is my family.  From expanded awareness I feel a connection to everyone.”
“Vasu Deva Kutum Bakam
Vasu Deva Kutum Bakam
Vasu Deva Kutum Bakam“
At the end of my meditation, release the mantra, open my eyes and concentrate on being fulfilled and being who I want to be and repeating during my day,
“I create my reality to benefit the world
I create my reality to benefit the world“

Reflections on Day 22…write about it

 

1.  “Reflect on my progress towards becoming unstuck, thinking about the qualities of flow, openness, absence of stress, calmness, inner freedom and joy. Journal about my appreciation of those qualities and how I envision they will keep expanding.”
2. “Having appreciated my own inner growth toward a limitless life, resolve in my heart to be a unit of peace consciousness. Bring to mind two people that I would like to see achieve the same freedom in their lives and write down three ways I can reach out to them to bring more calm, sympathy, warmth, and love into their lives.”
3. “Reflecting on my answers in the previous questions, spend a few moments imagining a world in which everyone is free from their “stuckness” and open to all possibilities. Journal about what that looks like. How is it different from the world as it exists today?”
4. “Reflect further on today’s experience.”