Self-Care

The Intention for Today is Self-Care.

Today, atleast for one moment, indulge in extreme self-care. Have you seen how a cat grooms itself? It seems like her body is the greatest treasure on earth and that is how she treats it too. Take inspiration from that. Give yourself milk-honey-butter-and-cream treatment, whatever that means for you.

Thank you Self-Care for taking tender loving care of ourselves.

PS: One of the ways you can care for yourself, is to ask yourself: what can I do for you? And your body will show you what it needs. Make sure then, once the answers emerge, to follow it with action.

Commitment

The Intention for Today is Commitment.

Today, take small baby steps as a show of your commitment to yourself. Your inner desires and dreams are wanting to emerge. Help them to flow from you in beautiful ways by opening up a channel. In your heart, you know what you need to do. Take a moment of reflection, write some notes down and then just do what you are called to do.

Thank you Commitment for helping us take the steps.

PS: In the moment of reflection, you may close your eyes and ask yourself, "what is wanting to emerge through me?" or "what must I do/ transform/ shift in order for my dream to manifest?"

Give of Yourself

The intention for today is Give of Yourself.

See if you can find an opportunity to give of yourself. Whatever that means for you, do it. Giving yourself is also another way to say, be your authentic self. Remove one more layer of "protective" facade that you may not need anymore. Take it slowly. Allow more of your shining light to emerge. We do need it.

Thank you Giving of Yourself for being who you are more.

PS: One way to give yourself is to speak your truth. Do not worry about how it is perceived. When you express yourself authentically, people will perceive you with open arms and love. Just dare to be who you are.

Giving Yourself.

The greatest gift we can give to people around us is to be happy. In a state of happiness, we give our inner gifts with liberty and ease. And we each have this gift. It is not small or big, it just is. We might be driven to believe that what we give to this world needs to be huge. A mass change of great benefit across the planet! A revolutionary way of doing something that helps and touches the lives of millions. All this is what I have carried in my heart for many years. Nothing I ever achieved would be enough because there is always another level of "mass impact" that can be had. Gladly, I am unburdening myself of this task.

In the last few years of introspection and reflection, I have come upon a treasure. This treasure is the ever-flowing, ever-abundant source of love and understanding. One of the granules of treasure that I am more and more grasping is exactly the message entailed in the quote above. The author of the beautiful book, Little Prince, has put it so clearly. It is when we give of ourselves, that we do the real giving. And this is not to be underestimated. I remember the significant impact made by someone in my life when all I needed was to be heard. This person gave me the time and their emphathetic attention which made all the difference for me. This person gave me the gift of themselves.

I have found that in my life, the small things matter a lot. A small gesture of kindness means a lot. A single smile. A kind word. A piece of music. A brilliant view of the sky. A breath of fresh air. The soil under my feet. A wave from the car window (North Carolinians love to wave!). View of the relaxed kitty kat next to me. A kind email. A simple home-made meal. A quiet restful sleep. These things are indeed HUGE, world-changing for me. These experiences fill me up with contentment, inner-joy and just plain giddiness! And yes, I love to giggle just about anything and it makes my heart happy. In such a state, I know I am in a state of giving that is richer, more dynamic and full of life. Then all my gifts are shared with joy and gratitude. I am not here to make mass impact on the world, although, my making changes within me, has a mass impact on the world! My purpose is to stay in a state of joy.

Share your thoughts on this below. Would love to know what you think.

Relax

Intention for Today is Relax.

Today take the time to relax. Allow your body and mind to unwind. In stillness and in rest, rejuvenation and revitalization takes place. Open up to the guidance from within.

Thank you Relax for helping us to open up and be guided.  

PS: A two-minute meditation can go like this: Close your eyes, become aware of your breath, and count backwards from 25 to 1. Open you eyes and go about your day.

Reflection

The Intention for Today is Reflection. 

At times when you are looking for an answer or a solution, the clues emerge when you sit still and reflect. See, feel and hear the quiet stillness of a pond and look at the reflection. There may be something there that will lead you along your path. So, reflect today on something that touches your heart.

Thank you Reflection for showing us the clear picture. 

PS: A cool way to reflect on something, is to ask a question you want to know the answer of from the depth of your being. Ask an open ended question that is expansive, for example: What would it be like if....? or What needs to happen for .... to change? Or something on those lines. 

Assemble

Assemble is the Intention for Today.

Today assemble your thoughts, your feelings, your intentions in one unique whole. Fly up in the sky and look at the big picture of your life. What is YOUR life all about? What is most important for you?

Thank you Assemble for helping us put it all together. 

PS: A fun activity to do is to take about 20 minutes of free time and do what is called a Life-Write. Basically, you right down all the elements of your life you love and all the aspects that you want to create and experience in your life. Kind of a short story of your desired life. And have fun with it. No censorship. Total Freedom. All with your highest purpose as a platform to build from. 

Abundance

Abundance is the Intention for Today.

Let abundance into your life. How? Just know that all that you desire is right here. If a desire can emerge within you, the Universe can manifest that desire in to the physical plane.

Thank you Abundance for opening up so much for us.

PS: Think of Abundance as a state-of-mind and then see the shift that happens within you and for you.

Provided From Within.

This week's postcard and quote sets the tone for the four postcards for the month of April which are all around the theme of self-love and abundance. As I am revamping reflectionpond.com and adding useful products up on the site, I am naturally focussed outwardly. This quote by Goethe, points out so eloquently that our abundance and our wealth is within us. Teachers of consciousness will very clearly demonstrate to us that our consciousness creates our outer world. In other words, our inner life is what determines our experience on the sensory, physical plane. No matter how many times I hear that, I am just amazed at that concept. My external, environment really is a result of how I am thinking, feeling and vibrating in my consciousness! It certainly is empowering because now I have complete "control" or let us say rather, responsibility to create my experiences. Powerful, don't you think?

I am reminded of an incident that just happened last week when I was visiting the post office to mail off some books. I wanted to give the Post Office Representative exact change which included three pennies in the total amount. As I handed him the pennies, I said: "3 lucky pennies for you!" To which he replied with some concern: "There goes your luck". I found myself smiling at him and saying: "The more I give, the more there is!" These words came so spontaneously, along with a sense of realization that there is always more and more and more created in our world of abundance. Besides, I have come to believe that we are all lucky. Everything is lucky. Each moment is lucky. We are swimming in a sea of Luckiness.

And all that abundance and luck is provided from within. It is within us, to begin with. It has become such a habit for us to look to the outside world for our happiness. We may look to circumstances, to people, to the weather, to the world around us and what we see is a sign of the state of affairs in our internal world, either individually or collectively as human civilization. Let us begin to provide ourselves with plentitude and follow Goethe's suggestion to look within.

Love,

Sophia 

Mindfulness inspired by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Sophia talks about what she learnt from the book, "Wherever you go there you are."

3 Lessons related to 3 Questions: How do I ease into meditation? How long should I meditate? What keeps me from having direct contact with life? 

It's good to know where you can get this book yourself.

Get Your Personalized Guided Visualizations

You know the power of your mind. And you know the magic of visualizations. How would you like it if you were guided through a visualization meditation that is specifically designed for you and your group? No matter where you are located, I can lead you through a powerful visualization.

Personalized Visualization Meditations are tailor-made to your needs. Want to create more abundance in your life, or you want to build more harmony and creativity or whatever your specific goal may be, I can design a visualization just for you.

Learn more here.

Guided Visualization Free Sample Track for Creativity

As promised, here is the meditation track I wanted to share for you to sample. Please feel free to share with me any feedback you may have on this visualization.

Wishing you a lovely time tapping into your creative fountain. Enjoy. Find a comfortable place and close your eyes. Make sure you have 14 minutes of full attention. Please do not listen to this while doing something else.

Here is the Visualization Meditation for Creativity. Duration: 14 min.

Visualization for Creativity

After the meditation we did last week for the Asheville based Music band, I was inspired to make a meditation track that focuses on tapping into creative energy. 

Creativity is of essence in every day life, not only for artists, performers, writers and creatives. Creativity ic channeled in relationship-building, peace building, project management, conceptual work and any other task which engages the human potential.

So I am very happy to share with you a meditation track which you can use at any time to tap into your creative energy. Come back to this blog tomorrow for the new track.

Musician Uses Visualizations To Get In Touch With Their Inner Tune.

Last week, I was invited by an Asheville based Musician to do a visualization mediation. The band wanted to start their music practices with a meditation. I was so pleased and honored to do so. I believe that visualizations are a great way to begin any creative project. It helps to calm down the mind that is raging with countless thoughts. One becomes relaxed and open to the voice that is wanting to be expressed. Really beautiful way to quiet down nervous energy, doubt and anxiety.

The band chose to sit on the floor for the meditation in a circle. This is wonderful to get grounded and closer to the Earth. A candle was lit and placed in the center of the circle. This helped to bring our attention to the center of the circle and symbolically to our own center. We conversed about visualization and I asked the band why they wanted to use the visualization which gave me insight and helped direct the visualization to suit specifically the band members.

I then led the group through a visualization meditation. We first began by focussing on the breath which is often an important starting point. Then I led the group through a series of visual journeys to get connected with their deeper self. The meditation lasted for about 20 minutes, after which everyone shared their experiences. I loved to hear the unique images and sensations that people experiences. It was a real honor to be able to hear about the visualization experience at the end of the meditation. 

The band was now refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go for their practice. This was simply beautiful.

Building Peace with a Smile.

We all know and have felt the magical power of a smile. A genuine smile can pour straight into our hearts, breaking down all barriers- physical or emotional. Especially, when the heart is aching, a loving smile from a friend can heal all wounds. A smile is something we can do also with our eyes. When someone is smiling with their eyes, you know it when you see it.

Mother Teresa even says that in a smile is the beginning of peace. At first sight, this may appear to be a long shot. How can a single smile do something so "huge" as build peace? Yet, there it is. In our midst, smiles that represent the inner calm and joy that we experience. And with each smile, we are building the foundations of peace that can travel around the world unlimitedly and in an instant.

So let us practice smiling. How about smiling at our image in the mirror? This, in itself, can take us far. Smile from your heart, through your lips and your eyes and your thoughts and your actions. Shower the world around you with smiles and laughter. And share that beautiful smile of yours.

Love,
Sophia

Online Community Comes Together To Heal Japan

Yesterday's Online Event Healing for Japan was simply moving.

People from around the globe participated to send their love and healing energies to Japan. The event brought together Bonnie Gold Bell and David Sun Todd of www.bellandtodd.com as well as Rod Krug of www.blogtv/People/didgerod. I joined in to moderate the event and to do a healing visualization of a healed Japan and a harmonious Earth.

The event was so beautiful. David and Bonnie gave us some insights into what the messages from our Mother Earth are and what do all the events that are unfolding right now, mean for us. David shared some deep messages that we was given which really resonated with everyone. Bonnie inspired us by sharing tools that we can use to get in touch with our inner self and maintain peace within us. 

After that part, I was delighted to take the Live audience through a guided visualization. This visualization was a visual journey, helping us to envision a healed Japan. We visualized how the nation of Japan and its people were completely healed and stronger than before. We went on to visualize a harmonious mother Earth with all the resident living in love and peace. 

We then listened to soul soothing music from Rod Krug. We played a lovely track from Rod's new CD Universal Dreaming. It was so beautiful and such a joy. It indeed helped us to go deeper into our visual journey and to send our healing love to Japan.

Then we opened up for questions to the live audience which David answered so eloquently and with such wisdom.

I really encourage you to listen to the show which lasts for an hour. You can go here to get the free replay: 

http://www.reflection-pond.com/healing-for-japan/

Consistently Kind.

These words of the Dalai Lama bring a little smile on my face. Being kind as a way of life is a beautiful thought. To be kind to our own self is something we have to relearn at times. If we can come to understand and truly know within that all that we want to be is already within us, then bit by bit it becomes easier to be kind to ourselves. 

Recently, I was watching a documentary in which a physicist was talking about the structure and movement of the Universe. He was essentially talking about a unified theory that explains and even demonstrates how everything is one. If everything is one, then in someway all is within us. And if we acknowledge that, we realize that the divine and infinite, the abundant and the omniscient, is all within us. It is us. How then can we be anything but kind to ourselves! It becomes natural to ease into love, compassion and kindness. It seems with consistency, this process becomes easier and easier. 

There seems to me no end-goal or a final quantification of how kind or how much loving we are to be. The world of measurement simply dissolves. There is only love. There is only compassion. And as the Dalai Lama reminds us, it is always possible to be kind. 

So let us make one more act of kindness towards ourselves and do it as consistently as we can. It is with our self that it begins. And when this self is filled with our own love, then love naturally flows from us into everything and everyone. 

Love,
Sophia



Beautiful Healing Image for Japan

So many people have come together to bring their healing energies for Japan. Here is the beautiful log that Manuel designed for our Event on Saturday. It is symbolizes the birth of the new coming out of the events. The bud that blossoms from the debris. Sending hope and love for recovery and rebirth. All loving energy to Mother Earth.

Help Heal Japan.

So many of us have this desire and urge to do something for Japan in the wake of recent events. All over the world, people are feeling that they want to do more than donate. They want to feel connected and support the healing of Japan.

I am very happy to share with you one such event that will take place this Saturday!

Healing for Japan Live Online Event.
Saturday, March 19th.
4 pm Eastern. 3 pm Central. 2 pm Mountain. 1 pm Pacific.

Come and join this special free Live Online Event that brings together wonderful people who all want to contribute to the healing of Japan.

Healing for Japan is envisioned to be an event that brings people together for sending our love, support and healing energies to the people of Japan and Mother Earth as both are recovering from the recent earthquake and tsunami. It will not only help the people in Japan but also give you an opportunity to connect with all those who have a desire to help in some way. Our loving and healing intentions sent out unitedly with one focus can have tremendous positive effect and so this event will do just that.

You can join by dialing in, via skype or via a link to hear it online. You will get this information when you register for the event.

To register for this event and get the call details, click here:
-->> www.reflectionpond.com/healing-for-japan/

Bonus: When you register for the call, we will send you a recording of the replay. So register even if you cannot make it live. You can listen in to a replay and still be able to send your healing intentions to Japan. 

I am so thrilled to share that amazing people have come together to create this event. During the Live Event, Bonnie and David creators of the Blessing the Time-Wave Project to help the world's shift through 2012, will talk about ways to connect deeply with Mother Earth and each other for the sake of blessing. Sophia guides us through a visualization to envision a healing of the people and restoration of harmony with nature. Rod will move us with Universal Vibrations, playing Native American flute and other healing instruments. Manuel sets the tone for all of us with the beautiful design for our event.

Register for this event and get the dial-in/webcast detals. Go here Now:
--->> www.reflectionpond.com/healing-for-japan/

See you on Saturday.

Warmly,

Sophia

Japan needs Power of Masses

Countless scientific studies are piling up to demonstrate that the human mind can influence things with our thoughts, especially when a large group of people come together with the same positive intent.

Lynn McTaggart, the author of books such as "The Field" and "The Intention Experiment" sets out to do the share these stories. It makes one really wonder to what extent we can use our mind to alter, change and improve things.

At a time like this when the people of Japan are in such tremendous need of recovery, we can do a lot more than donate. We can come together and set our intentions to help the speedy recovery.

I am coordinating such an event soon. More details coming up right here on this page shortly.