Author: Karen Lang

Counselor/Energy Healer Grief Mentor/Mindfulness teacher/ Author of two books.

Choices

by Karen Lang, posted in Uncategorized

“And I found that I can do it if I choose to – I can stay awake and let the sorrows of the world tear me apart and then allow the joys to put me back together different from before but whole once again.”  – Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Do we realise the power of choice we have each day?  Do we understand the impact of those choices for ourselves and others each day?

To deny we have this power of choice within us, keeps us from growing.  It keeps us from moving out of destructive relationships and disappointments and from letting go of conditioned life patterns.

Generally we stay in this place of pain because we are familiar with it and fear of the unknown or change, seems too difficult.

“I want to know if you’ve touched the center of your own sorrow, if you’ve been opened by life’s betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.” – Oriah

During the grief of my son’s death, I learnt I had a power of choice.  Each day when I awoke to the agony, pain and grief, I had a choice to lie in bed all day and slowly deteriorate, or stand up and make myself do things that would get me going.

People often say, “They cannot make that choice” but that is because they do not realise they hold this power within them already and the reason they cannot connect to it, is because their minds are too busy to understand it.

“I want to know if you can see beauty even when it’s not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.” – Oriah

To connect to this amazing power of choice, we must slow down our thoughts that overwhelm us during times of distress, grief or disease.  Our minds are powerful tools to work with, so in order for our minds to be still, we need to train them daily.

Meditation, Yoga, breathing, walking are all-powerful disciplines that help us connect to the source and the more you practice these disciplines, the more you will understand and see these choices.

If we want change in our life, we must have a willingness to embrace the challenge to move through the uncomfortable and into a trust of the unknown.  All I can do is remind you of what you have forgotten.  Living knowledge, ancient and yet ever new, is then activated and released from within every cell of your body.

In tapping into this power, you will start to see positive results and begin to feel confident in creating a new direction of hope and abundance.  Take time to look deeply within yourself and find the treasure to all your needs.

In the wise words of Mahatma Ghandhi: –
Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive, because your words become your behaviour.
Keep your behaviour positive, because your behaviour becomes your habits.
Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.

Adding Value

by Karen Lang, posted in Uncategorized

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Teresa

I read an article yesterday which spoke of a man who wakes up each day and asks, “How can I create more value in this world and how do I give to people?”

This question inspired me to ask, “Do I give freely?  Where do I add value in the choices I make each day”?

“Give yourself entirely to those around you. Be generous with your blessings. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” – Steve Maraboli

To do something awesome, something great, we need inspiration. We need more than a calling, more than prayers, we need to take action.

It doesn’t have to be a huge gesture either.  Start by giving freely in the moment. Not saving up your good stuff until a time in the future when it will be needed, but giving it all right now and that can sometimes make you feel uncomfortable.

For example, giving when you don’t have a huge amount of money or having someone to dinner even when you feel you only have enough for your own family.  When we freely give, no matter what our circumstances, we are honoured and abundance arrives freely to us.

“I must be willing to give whatever it takes to do good to others. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me, and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.” – Mother Teresa

Be generous when given the opportunity.  Focus on giving people dignity, respect and the chance to speak up.   When you accept and love someone, even when you do not approve of their choices in life, this is giving.  When we live from our heart and not from a place of judgement, you will find many ways to connect and give.

Be apart of the community, not apart from it.   See the bigger picture for others and be compassionate to those who have had a different journey to yours.  Be interested in all people and patient with those who have not yet understood the truth.

“Give freely to the world these gifts of love and compassion. Do not concern yourself with how much you receive in return, just know in your heart it will be returned.”  – Steve Maraboli

So today, look at giving differently.  Sometimes a smile, or a hug or a kind gesture can change someone’s belief in who they are.  We won’t always know the impact we have on others and we may not get a medal of honour for our giving, but what you will receive is a kind and generous heart that will grow and allow abundance and love to come to you.

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

Understanding Fear

by Karen Lang, posted in Uncategorized, Understanding Fear

“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”

Living without any fear is unrealistic; nevertheless, there are fears that are unnecessary to our emotional life – fears that cause us to be needlessly unhappy.

Letting go of fear simply means replacing fear with trust, acceptance, and peace of mind.   Fearing the possibilities life has in store for us is much more from habit than a reality.

Learning to love and accept ourselves requires that we begin to acknowledge those feelings that we have tried to suppress.  Whether we know so consciously or not, these feelings are meant for us to feel. They are what can free us from our own self-limiting beliefs, and they are what continue to keep us disconnected, and separate from all that we can be.

Notice all the ways you may be separating yourself, and  how many of your motivating emotions fall under the category of fear.  Become aware of how many times you say “no” instead of “yes” out of fear.

“Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.” – Paulo Coelho

Changing our fear based habits is difficult.  Who we see ourselves as being versus who we are underneath our fears takes courage and action.  We may find it easier to hold onto destructive ways rather than face change.

When we develop a sense of trust in life as opposed to dwelling on our fears of the unknown, we become more accepting and learn to focus on our creative centre and find ways to be more productive.

Be willing to  question your own mind. Trust there is a reason and purpose for our life. Most of us begin healing when our own life experiences throw us out of line or challenge us to face our fears. It’s during these times of darkness, doubt, and pain when we try to look for answers.

“Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.” – Dorothy Thompson

Learn to trust in yourself and spirit for your answers.  Yoga is a wonderful discipline to train the mind-body and spirit to work through the challenges and fear based blockages within us.  Each time we breathe through these poses, we let go of our fear and pain and work towards wholeness.

Each day, practice re-training your fear based conditioning and work hard at letting it go, so we can embrace life fully.

“Internal and external are ultimately one. When you no longer perceive the world as hostile, there is no more fear, and when there is no more fear, you think, speak and act differently. Love and compassion arise, and they affect the world.” – Eckhart Tolle

Stepping Forward

by Karen Lang, posted in Uncategorized

“Courage doesn’t always roar….Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says…I’ll try again tomorrow.”

My Aunty lost her son to suicide last week.  Our family is greatly saddened by this tragic loss and from losing a beautiful young man too early in life.  The agony for my Aunty is to wake up each day and face the truth and that takes incredible courage.

“For the rest of the day the grief consumed me, the emptiness opening into a deep crevasse, ice walls on each side spreading into my heart.”

Grief, loss, disease, divorce, depression, they come into our life uninvited and yet sometimes we must wake up to face them.   We must find the deep strength and courage that lies within us all, as grief can destroy us or focus us.

“Humanity is now faced with a stark choice: Evolve or die. … If the structures of the human mind remain unchanged, we will always end up re-creating the same world, the same evils, the same dysfunction.” – Eckhart Tolle

Pain makes us aware of this moment.  To cope with our pain, we must live one day at a time as living in the past or in the future is not an option.  Your hope is knowing that others have walked through this and have survived, so never think you are alone.

“The power is in you. The answer is in you. And you are the answer to all your searches: you are the goal. You are the answer. It’s never outside.” – Eckhart Tolle

In our day-to-day lives, the virtue of courage doesn’t receive much attention. Courage is a quality reserved for soldiers, firefighters, and activists but when you see a Mother wake up to the agony of never seeing one of her children again or a cancer victim who has been told they only have two weeks to live….that is courage.

The word courage derives from the Latin cor, which means “heart.” But true courage is more a matter of intellect than of feeling.   In our pain it is a “choice” to live with courage each day.

“Courageous people are still afraid, but they don’t let fear paralyse them”.

Trust that no matter what pain you are given,  physical or emotional, that you will find the courage to walk along this journey.  Walking in courage, you will become aware to the truth of who you are and who you can become.  It is the gift that death and pain give us.

The highest courage is to dare to appear to be what one is. – John Lancaster Spalding

 

Release Anger

by Karen Lang, posted in Uncategorized

“A moment of anger can destroy a lifetime of work, whereas a moment of love can break barriers that took a lifetime to build.” –  unknown

If we look at the roots of anger, it’s an emotional reaction to what is. It’s a huge resistance to something, a refusal to accept something.

There are plenty of times each day when anger can take hold of us and there are always plenty of people to be annoyed at, but what if I told you that “anger attracts anger.”  When you look closely at people who are always upset at how others are treating them, you will find they too are angry and unhappy.

If anger is deep within us, it is usually based on fear and of not accepting and loving ourselves.  People believe that anger empowers them to take action, when in fact, anger is a “reaction” from a need to feed our ego.

“Angry people want you to see how powerful they are… loving people want you to see how powerful You are.”  – Chief Red Eagle

Next time you are angry, I want you to try this approach. Take a deep breath. Try to keep your heart open and spacious, no matter how tempting it is to shut down and protect. Once you feel a little calmer, ask yourself “what can I be grateful for in this  moment?”

If you can think of just one thing to be thankful for, you can shift your mind completely and help release your anger.  When we are angry, we are living in our “ego mind”. When we are grateful, we are living in our heart.

“Whenever anger comes up, take out a mirror and look at yourself. When you are angry, you are not very beautiful”.  – Thich Nhat Hanh

When we acknowledge the anger and fear within us, we can face the shadows of self and allow them to come to the surface and heal.  Learn to nourish yourself using attitudes of love and acceptance.

The choice each day to be grateful instead of angry, will  propel us forward into a peaceful and joyful life.

“Forget yesterday – it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow – you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift – today.”  – Steve Maraboli