Embrace this moment

by Karen Lang, posted in Uncategorized

“Always remember to slow down in life; live, breathe, and learn; take a look around you whenever you have time and never forget everything and every person that has a place within your heart.”

Below is an inspirational story of Jana, who lived life fast and never thought slowing down was an option.  It’s a reminder to all of us as this New Year begins, to make time for stillness, for receiving and giving and most of all to embrace this precious moment.

JANA’S  STORYmember_67748392

 

I’m a forever recovering stress-a-holic – that’s why I know so much about it.

 

I grew up believing  – like everyone else I knew  – that the more I did the better person I was. The busier I was the more productive. The faster I moved the more I’d get done. And most important: that being the best – whatever ‘best’ was – was the only thing that really counted. Of course I never could get ‘it’ all done. And I never arrived at that pot of gold of being the ‘best.’ Happiness was a reward for fulfilling all those conditions – so couldn’t afford to be really happy  -there were too many important things to do!  And what’s really weird is that it never occurred to me that something was off  – until I got sick – really sick.

 

Everyone has an ‘aha’ moment. Being told I had cancer was mine.  Lying in a hospital bed I took a good look at my myself and realized I’d lived my life as an unwinnable race and missed out on the things that matter most –happiness, fulfillment, time to think, relaxation, well-being – and hadn’t had a clue!  Clearly – I had some serious changes to make.

 

Like I tell everyone who comes my way – the decision to change is the first step to creating it! The transformation – still going on! – began.

 

Here’s what happened. I discovered I could take charge of my life even if I couldn’t control it, and be strong even though I felt weak. I found, to my amazement, that it’s possible to be positive when things are dark, and keep focus in chaos. Inspired and guided by the wisdom of Yoga and Taoism, I discovered a core of energy within myself that I hadn’t had any idea was there, and came to understand my deepest self and purpose. I time I developed ways of using those ancient techniques of focus and relaxation, as practical coping and centering tools – and they are a central part of all I share and teach.

 

Speaking of sharing – here are a few things that are really good to know:

 

The only way change anything is to change the way you think about it.

 

Smiling is good for the soul.  So is being silly.

 

One deep breath can transform your day.

 

Calm is the ultimate power.

 

Living the live you really want to life involves a skill set you can learn.

 

Finally, embrace your ‘aha moment.  The best time to create change is when you’re really stuck. The best time to empower yourself is when you feel powerless. The very best time to start living the life you want to live – regardless of circumstance – is NOW.

“Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you.”
-John De Paola

 

Benefits of Meditation

by Karen Lang, posted in Uncategorized

“To the mind that is still, the  whole universe surrenders.”

We all hear about how good meditation is for our health, so how does it help?

Stress and aging are inevitably linked. Aging can lead to more stress and more stress, in turn, can speed up the aging process. A lot of men and women spend so much of their time and energy worrying about aging well or having the perfect body, that they’re actually accelerating the process. Or maybe you don’t worry about aging well so much as you’re overwhelmed and worn down with the stresses of everyday life. In either case, it turns out that all you need is a little peace and quiet.

The art of meditation has been practiced for centuries as a means of alleviating stress and promoting relaxation and inner peace. Many health professionals maintain that if we can control the body’s stress response, we can shape our body’s ability to age better. In other words, changing your state of mind can change your state of body. That’s why meditation is one of the easiest and most inexpensive health, wellbeing and anti-aging secrets. The key to aging well and feeling younger can be as simple as learning to clear your head through meditation.

Here are a few key reasons why meditation is the answer to aging well.

Meditation and Melatonin

Meditation has been shown to increase the level of the hormone melatonin in your body. Melatonin is what regulates your body’s internal clock, which means it helps to regulate your sleep cycle – your brain naturally secretes more melatonin when it’s dark versus when it’s light. Like many other hormones, melatonin production decreases with age. Meditation boosts melatonin, which affects sleep, which is good for aging well because when you’re properly rested, you’re better able to address other means of aging well, like fitness, nutrition, and skin care habits.

More melatonin isn’t just good for regulating sleep. This particular hormone is also critical to aging well because of its antioxidant properties. Research has shown that increased levels of melatonin can protect against free radical damage, prevent heart disease, manage blood sugar levels, and lower blood pressure. Melatonin has also been shown to be helpful in the treatment and prevention of cancer. Because your melatonin level naturally decreases as you get older, increasing it through meditation can help to improve your overall health, therefore ensuring that you’re aging well.

It doesnt have to be an overwhelming thought to start meditation. Start with four to five minute sessions. Try and work up to doing at least 20 minutes of meditating and breathing slowly twice each day. It’s easier to commit to it if you do it around the same time every day, like first thing in the morning or right before bed.

The Answer

by Karen Lang, posted in Uncategorized

“At the centre of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” – Lao Tzu

Have you ever doubted yourself? and thought that someone else will probably know what to do instead of you?  I have been in this position so often and forget that when I look within and trust, that I hold the wisdom and knowledge to find the answer.

Trusting that we know what’s best is really from a conditioned thought process, long-established before we were able to make decisions.  If we grew up having to make the decisions in our family or felt natural at doing it, you probably trust that you know what do to.

On the other hand, if we grew up not sure of who we were, or grew up not knowing the immense potential we hold, we are more likely to seek rather than find.

It takes experience to trust ourselves to know what is best.  Once we practice stepping out into the unknown and make those decisions blindly, whether they are right or wrong, it is then we learn, how far and how wide we limit ourselves and our potential.

Going against the tide is no easy task but alas, it is much, MUCH, better than going with the flow the wrong way.

It’s sometimes scary to decide to go against what seems wrong or uncomfortable to someone else and yet, it is in those decisions that you will find yourself and become confident with what is right for you.

Staying on the ordinary course or walking a different course will always be your choice.  It’s not that you cannot seek advice or mentoring about your decisions, it’s about making them based on what is true for you and nobody else.

We are all so very different and unique, we all offer the most amazing gifts to each other and the universe.  Once you understand your natural gifts and how they can be used in your life, you will then feel the flow of life and begin to see how much wisdom you hold beneath those doubts.

     We are what we think.
Everything we are arises from our thoughts.
With our thinking we create the world.  -Buddha

 

 

 

The Web of life

by Karen Lang, posted in Uncategorized

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”  – Chief Seattle

Understanding connection to others and our environment is not easy to understand and in fact, it’s easy to avoid, because it makes us face the responsibility and vulnerability of ourselves in the world.

For years I unconsciously believed I was a separate identity in life.  I knew that what I did affected others but I don’t think I ever felt liable.  I never thought about my responsibility towards the whole.

I avoided my connection back then because I wasn’t ready to acknowledge the consequences of my actions and it was easier to find someone else to blame.

I now believe that it is only through death that we find connection again.  It can be a death of a loved one or just a death to part of yourself that connects you back to the truth.  For me, it was when our son died and I faced what life really means, it challenged me to find what I was connected to.

It was through experiencing death that I was forced to search for that connection again in order to survive.  When we do not connect back to what we were once apart of, we become lost in our grief and in the illusion of the world.

Every part of the earth should be sacred to us. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect.

I no longer wanted to be a sole identity, broken on my own.  I craved to be apart of something bigger and feel the comfort of the whole again.

It takes time to re-connect.  We have lost it for so long, we all need time and patience to get it back again.  To see the connection and oneness in our world, in our environment and in each other is a gift, and it takes a disciplined practice to understand it.

To go beyond the mind and reconnect with the deeper reality of life, different qualities are needed.  We need surrender, non-judgement, an openness that allows life to be …instead of resisting it and the capacity to hold all things in the loving embrace of your knowing.

So as this New Year begins, look deeply into how you live your life and learn to find stillness in your life and create a practice that helps you find that connection again, in others and everything around you.

 “When you seek to find the connections between problems, you can find unexpected solutions, just as a person picking up a coin finds the other side”.