The Path of Enlightenment

When I was younger and more naive, I longed to be enlightened because I thought enlightenment was the answer to all my problems. I imagined I'd have it all together, that life would be simple, that nothing would ever bother me again. I thought I'd just live 24/7, in the inner peace I'd found through meditation. In a war of good versus bad, I honestly thought good could win.

I had knowledge that I would say but lacked the wisdom to really understand, like you can't have good without bad because they define each other. What I've come to realise is that to be on the path of enlightenment means to grow, continuously. There's no there that you get to and stop growing because there's no end to the depth of understanding of who we are. And this is wonderful really because if there was an end, I think we'd get bored.

The path of enlightenment or spiritual growth (or even just self growth) isn't a path of lollipops and rainbows with your head in the clouds. It is the constant breaking down of your beliefs and a renewal of your truths. This can, at times, be difficult. Your thoughts, beliefs and thus, your reality go into chaos so that your thoughts and beliefs will break down and re-organise into an evolved, higher understanding of yourself and reality. During the chaos phase, you can find yourself lost and confused. You may go through times where it feels as though everything is falling apart, however in reality, everything is re-organising and falling into place in a way that's better than you ever imagined.

Everyone, whether trying to or not, goes through growth. You grow to a new level of understanding when your current view of reality no longer works for you. Some people stay where they are for a long time because it works for them on some level, whether functional or dysfunctional.

You can purposely grow by using awareness, become aware of your inner thoughts and feelings and observe how they motivate your behavior then you can question your beliefs. They may be as simple as "I can't lose weight" or "I'll never be able to cook like my mum" or they may be bigger and effect a large portion of your life like, "I'll never be able to make a career change" or "Everyone is against me" or even staying on the topic of growth, when things go into chaos and it seems as though everything is going wrong, you may ask "Why me?" Only making it harder for yourself. Or it may even be your core understanding of how life works, according to you. Maybe you believe in a higher power guiding you. Perhaps you lean more towards atheism or maybe you're in chaos right now with no idea how life works.

 You'll have many beliefs you're unaware of. Being aware can bring light to those and this can be the key to your failure or success; to your unhappiness or happiness; to your inner stress or peace. You may also enjoy my other post about the power of belief, "Believe in Yourself"

With awareness as well, the chaos doesn't have to feel bad, simply being aware that you're on the verge of growth and a new epiphany can sometimes be enough to get you through. You may feel better through purposely being aware because you realise, you are not your thoughts and feelings themselves, you are the awareness. Awareness may help you see any dysfunctional patterns that you can then choose to change such as, going into victim mode ("Why me?") when things aren't going the way you wish.

This constant breaking down of your perspective of reality to new, higher understanding is the continuous path of enlightenment and as your inner world improves, your outer world will follow, it has to because it is your inner talk and emotions that influences your behaviour and creates your reactions and it is your beliefs and expectations that attracts your reality and molds your world. 

Although I had a naive perspective about enlightenment because I was yet to understand, it is everything as promised, just not in a way that you can imagine when you haven't experienced it yet:

• You do find more peace, more connectedness with others and the world, you deal with things better, from a more optimistic point of view.
• You can shift into mindfulness at any time
• You can also meditate with great ease
• You are more accepting of people and circumstances. 
• You are open minded and know you will be learning forever, because your beliefs have changed so many times and you're aware that even through the many epiphanies you've had, you still are no where near knowing everything, in fact, it makes you feel even further from knowing everything. 
• Constant growth also humbles you as you know you are equal to everyone and everyone is equal to you, we are just different, we are all a unique expression of consciousness itself.
• You accept yourself and decide to give yourself love  
• You can sense why you're here, for divine to express and experience itself.

We are all spiritual beings having a human experience, not human's having a spiritual experience. Relax as you go through hard times and know that it is happening to grow you. Know that all things work together for a purpose.

Namaste
Belinda

Believe in Yourself

Believing in yourself is the most important step in achieving what you want, if you've already decided to believe you can't then you won't even bother setting a goal to achieve what you want let alone make any steps to achieve it. The ego would rather be right than achieve inner dreams so will even go to lengths to subconsciously sabotage you.

You can even experiment with "I can" vs "I can't" by swinging back and forth while doing something, I did this with my children, we all stood on one foot and said, "I can't balance" and we fell back to 2 feet over and over, when we switched to "I can balance" we were able to hold the balance for a long time. I tried to do this with my partner but it didn't work because he was so confident in his ability to balance that he was unable to really convince himself even for a second that he couldn't. This is the power of belief. 

Another experiment I did was kind of by accident. A few years ago while exercising I got to the point where I felt I could no longer keep jogging, I heard myself think "I can't, I can't" and I stopped with exhaustion as I began jogging again I decided to use affirmations, "I can, I can" "I'm powerful" "I can keep going" I went on for a lot longer than I'd previously believed I could, the affirmations gave me more energy to keep going, it amazed me how energized I felt inside! It also made me start enjoying exercise. 

From these little experiments and understanding that it is my belief which determines my success I have been able to achieve many things in my life that I first thought weren't possible. I assumed that after 2 kids I would never get back down to the size I was before kids but with a shift in my belief, I did. I thought I was an easy target and that everyone ridiculed and put others down but with a change in my belief I allowed myself to drift apart from people like that and attracted those who love and support me. 

I achieved what I thought was impossible over and over but I didn't even bother trying to until I shifted my belief from impossible to possible. From "I can't" to "I can and I will".

At times you'll be working towards goals and they just won't go to plan. This isn't proof that your goal is impossible, it just means there's a better way to go about it that you aren't aware of yet. When your plan fails, don't take it personally, just use it as feedback and ask yourself, if that way of going about it doesn't work, what else can I try? Perhaps you have set your goal too high and as much as you try to use affirmations to achieve your goal, your inner self just doesn't believe it yet, set a lower goal and achieve that first, then you can keep raising your goal. When you start small you get to celebrate every step of achievement along the way. 

Sometimes, you may even find that you're thankful for blockages that come your way because you realise that particular goal or that way of going about it isn't for you after all or everything seems like it's falling apart only for you to realise later that it was all really coming together in ways better than you ever imagined. 

This isn't just true for goals, this is true for everything in your life. Experiment with this so you can experience it for yourself, it's very powerful. Question your assumptions about yourself and life, become aware of your inner beliefs and change the ones that aren't serving you. When you switch around your thoughts and feelings you'll be amazed with how much changes, you'll attract people, things and circumstances to assist and guide you and everything will fall into place in better ways than you can imagine.

Start with your beliefs, believe in yourself and write affirmations because as Henry Ford said, if you think you can or you can't, you are right.    


Namaste
Belinda

Mindfulness

Being mindful is a wonderful practice which brings you into the bliss of now, creates gratitude within you and de-stresses you much like meditation. Mindfulness pulls you into the present where you sense your true self and your connection with all. Here are some ways you can be mindful.

The most obvious way to be mindful is through meditation. Meditation is about being in the present, knowing and sensing your true self. It is the bridge between here and source and the awareness of the present. 

Another way outside of meditation to practice mindfulness is to hold a mundane object in your hand, something that has no significant meaning for you and has no writing on it. Close your eyes and imagine that you are new to this world and have never seen anything before. Open your eyes and look at the object in your hands with no thought. Do not label it, remember you're imagining you've never seen anything before so you have no labels or judgements. This exercise will have you seeing in the now, what is infront of you. You may realise that most of your world is labels and judgements in your mind and you spend most
of your time thinking about everything rather than experiencing completely. Now is all there is, past and future only exist as thoughts in your mind.

Once you have done this exercise and you have shifted from being in your mind to being here, in the now, you can then choose to shift to the now any time you like. You can be mindful watching your children play, while being in nature, while bathing, while with your partner, even while doing the dishes.

Another great exercise is mindful eating. As you eat, do it with full attention. Use your senses in the moment to feel and taste your food. Not only will you enjoy your meal entirely but you'll also take your time and chew properly ensuring you get the most out of your meal.

Speaking of senses, you can use any of your senses for mindfulness. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you completely, practice "no thought" by completely listening.
Listen to the silence in between the sound. Touch a flower's petals or a pets fur and feel how it truly feels without labels. Breathe deeply and focus on your breath.

Feel and sense each part of your body, feeling your energy within. If you're unsure how to do this, close your eyes and without moving or touching your hand with the other, ask yourself, "how do I know my hand is still there?" Notice yourself sense the inner energy of your hand.

Practice  realising and noticing that you are the awareness of your thoughts and feelings, not the thoughts and feelings themselves.

Being mindful can transform your reality as you notice more in the moment and you sense your true self and oneness. This brings a sense of appreciation for life itself and inner peace. You realise that many of your problems are only thoughts which you've been holding onto and do not exist right now in the present. You find yourself transcending your ego and letting go. 

Have fun playing with mindfulness, use your senses to discover the joy of being mindful. 

Namaste
Belinda

There's a Secret in Meditation

There's a secret in meditation. It's not that it's purposely kept from us, it's simply that there are no words to describe it, no meaning to define it. One can only point the way for you to discover it for yourself. 

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It's a place, a feeling, a sense, a harmony, a connection, it's bliss... it's all of those and yet so much more. It's here, in the now, in those one of a kind moments, like a baby being born or the "I do's" of a marriage. 

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It's in nature, all around us, in the rustling of the trees, the beauty of flowers and the songs of the birds.

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It's in the sea, the mountains and the forests. It's in the volcanoes and the storms. It's in the clouds, the sky and the stars, it's all through the universe. 

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 It's in your best friend's laughter, the sparkle in your loved ones eyes. It is the potential limitless within the perceived limitations. It's between the silence and the sound, it's in art and music.

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It's in you, it's the you that is, that always has been and always will be. The you who you don't realise you are and yet know you are. It is the awareness of your thoughts and feelings. 
  

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When you find it, it's like finding the rarest and yet most abundant treasure. You wish you could give it to the world, you wish there were words to describe it or one thing that could show it to everyone but you also realise that it's best discovered.

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It is that which dissolves all your problems in a way that transcends them. You experience what it's like to be and know consciousness itself, you understand the purpose of it all, even for a split second only to forget again, but you know that this is part of the plan too because to forget and then remember brings the deepest appreciation of life and consciousness.

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 And although you know you've found it, the depth of your experience of it never ends. You feel as though you've unlocked the secret of the world and yet you keep expanding and discovering more...

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Namaste

Belinda

Loving the Body

My Journey of Getting Past Body Image Issues

I've had body image issues for a long time,  well ever since I can remember. It's such a long term old habit that it's hard to break. I don't remember exactly when it started but I know I was anorexic at 13 and although I stopped starving myself, I never started to love my body.  I'm now 28, that's a decade and a half of hatred towards my body and don't even get me started on the other parts of myself. I've practiced gratitude, a lot of meditation and dabbled in affirmations and I've finally put my foot down and said it's time to really love myself. It's time for me to break the old habits and give myself the love I deserve.

 I actually started a few weeks ago. I began using affirmations and used Louise Hay's advice of standing in the mirror and telling myself I love me. I practice a lot of self awareness. I'm a massive analyzer and I've learned how to break through my old thought patterns. I hear my thoughts and sense my feelings with it and I ask myself where the thoughts and feelings have come from. If I'm stuck I talk to my guides and higher self. I find that as I focus on an old thought with awareness I hear that it's just an old thought pattern that I don't actually believe anymore.

 I'm now slowly replacing the old thoughts with new ones. As I do this, I've begun to realise how crazy my old thoughts were. Don't get me wrong,  I still fall back into the old thoughts, I just hope I won't eventually. Here I am, as are you, a divine being, a soul if you will, having a human experience. A wonderful, unique expression of life itself. I'm blessed to be in a full functioning body, living in a rich society with all my needs met abundantly and spoilt with our first world luxuries like technology and leisure items. I'm so lucky, especially compared to those struggling to meet their basic needs. I have everything and then some (and I'm considered poor in this country). Yet there I stand, worried and insecure about my body shape. Comparing myself to a teenage, photoshopped model in a shop window. Are we mad? How or why is "body image" even a thing? We are all so amazing in our unique expression of consciousness.

The next crazy realisation I had was that we put pretend food that's made up of poisonous chemicals into our bodies and say we're treating ourselves. Spoiling ourselves is actually more towards the truth but think about an apple that is spoiled, it's rotten. To treat ourselves would be to eat real food and to tell ourselves we deserve to be healthy. This is showing ourselves and our bodies love and appreciation.

 I also realised that we give our loved ones love, respect and support but we forget to take the time to give this same care to ourselves. Imagine a world where we loved ourselves, each other and the Earth.  Where everyone felt secure in themselves. Be the change you want to see in the world.

We live in a society where we've forgotten what healthy means, with our ego's saying we want to be healthy but deep down the ego just wants to look good. Since our goal is about our looks, we make unhealthy choices like eating less than we need or we may binge on unhealthy pretend foods. We also have unrealistic and unobtainable goals for our bodies and feel insecure when we can't reach them.

Choices I'm making now to love and care for my body: (that you can too)

1. I show myself love and care which then leads me to want to feed my body real foods that nourish me. You may like my other post: Self Love: 10 Things to do to show yourself love.

2. I Choose to appreciate my body and say, "I love you,  body" instead of "I love my body" This takes away the ego identification with the body and motivates me to feed my body amazingly healthy foods. 

3. I check all labels of what I'm eating and avoid any fake lab made chemicals that are harmful to my body. I source non-GMO and organic foods.

4. I respect animals, and in turn myself, and only eat free range.

5. I stand in the mirror and use affirmations. I even stand nude and appreciate my unique shape and am grateful to have a healthy full functioning body that has healthily carried 3 children.

6. When I hear negative or shallow thoughts that dis-empower me, I remind myself that it's just old habits. I purposely let those thoughts and feelings go and choose positive, empowering ones instead.

7. If I do slip backwards and awareness, meditation and gratitude aren't helping, I allow my feelings and forgive myself.

I'm sure over time I will let go of many more negative insecure thoughts, feelings and actions that come from lack of self love. I'm excited about what future I'm creating as I begin to love and value myself. I just hope that by sharing this, you will too, choose to love yourself by taking time for you, caring for you, giving yourself love and admiration and making choices that serve you.

Namaste

Belinda

8 Benefits I love from Meditation

1. I simply enjoy meditation

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In the past, I knew many benefits to meditation so I thought it was a good idea to practice everyday. However, since at that time I felt I should meditate, I was never motivated to, when I tried, I found it difficult and I'd go weeks without meditating. I eventually let go and realised no one has to do anything. I actually meditate daily now but only because I look forward to it and enjoy it. I love the relaxation and peace and I love connecting to my higher self and guides. I enjoy feeling one with everything.

 2. Gratitude

Sometimes during meditation, I practice gratitude or my guides remind me to be grateful. I love remembering how abundant and prosperous my life is, through gratitude I realise how lucky I am to have all of my needs met abundantly and then some! I remember that there are others who lack their basic needs and I feel very lucky to live in such a rich society.

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3. De-stress

I usually choose to meditate when I feel stressed and almost immediately feel better. As I sit quietly and go within myself I find relaxation and peace.

 4. Problem Solving

During meditation I connect with my higher self and guides and find solutions to any problems I'm experiencing. I have many great epiphanies during meditation, transcending any limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns.

5. Letting go of self doubt

My ego creeps in with thoughts of self doubt but as I meditate I realise it's just old negative thought patterns from the past that aren't true and I'm able to let them go and stop identifying with them. 

6. A Great Start to My Day

I love starting the day with the peace and bliss meditation brings, I feel more energized, clear headed and positive as I start my day.

7. Finding my True Inner Self

As I meditate I go within myself sensing and feeling my true self, the divine energy which is the me beyond this world. I sense myself as one with everyone and everything, knowing that I am the awareness of my thoughts and feelings not the thoughts and feelings themselves. This brings me to know my true self and to know I am whole and fulfilled as I am.

8. The Crazy Wonderful Experiences

Sometimes I have very deep meditations, other times they're apt but weird, sometimes I go on amazing journeys but most of the time I feel amazing. I've felt energy, met guides, understood and known my higher self, seen other worlds, felt all sorts of sensations, seen other people's guides, broken through old negative thought patterns and had amazing epiphanies. My guides have shown me metaphors such as my heart being a walled off castle to show me I've walled myself in. These experiences keep me going back for more.  

What benefits of meditation do you love?

Happy meditating :)

Namaste

Belinda