Saturday, January 12, 2008

Blessing Your Life

Here is a great little exercise about blessing your life that I got from a colleague of mine. Use it for yourself, your spouse/significant other, your unborn baby, your natural birth, your children, your family & friends, any other important people in your life & your pets. Enjoy!

"There is something wonderfully bold and liberating about saying yes to our entire imperfect and messy life. With even a glimpse of that possibility, joy rushes in." Tara Brach, Ph.D.

Thoughts on Living The Heart-Centered Life by Tori Janaya, MA, MFTI January 2008

Blessing Your Life

Every now and then I decide that life isn't going the way I want it to, and I get really cranky. During a recent fit of The Cranks, a friend reminded me that I might consider surrendering my resistance and try accepting the way things were.Yeah, right. Have you ever tried to surrender? If so, you know that the opposite of surrendering is trying to surrender and that it just doesn't work. However, this wise friend also reminded me that the practice of blessing one's life just as it is helps one to cultivate the kind of surrender and acceptance that seemed so distant in that moment.The practice itself is simple: Sit quietly with your eyes closed, breathe deeply, relax, and get centered. Bring to mind some area of your life -- whether it's relationship, health, work, children, or something else. I suggest starting with an area where there is no stress or struggle, and then with practice, moving on to an area that is more challenging. Breathe deeply, relax your belly and the muscles of your eyes. Let yourself broaden the scope of your inner vision so that this part of your life has all the space it needs. As you allow it to have space, either mentally or in actuality, bring your hands together in a prayer position in front of your heart and bless this aspect of your life with whatever words or feelings come to you in the moment.

You might simply say, "May this aspect of my life be blessed so that its truth can be revealed." Or, "Thank you for the gifts you bring, both seen and unseen. May you receive from me all that you need in order to unfold in the most healing, loving way possible." Be generous toward yourself and allow the words to arise spontaneously from your heart. As you bless each area of your life, stay with the feeling of bestowing this gift for as long as you can sustain it. Invite yourself to stretch your capacity to feel this loving and beneficent toward yourself and your life. When you're done, allow yourself to transition slowly into your next activity. As always, I would love to hear how you experience these exercises that I offer. May the blessings of your life reveal themselves in ways that surprise and delight you!

Warmly,Tori
Tori@ToriJanaya.com
"The Heart-Centered Life" is written and published by Tori Janaya.
For more information, please visit www.ToriJanaya.com, or contact
Tori@ToriJanaya.com

A note from Carol: For HypnoBirthing moms & dads, add a statement that focuses on feeling blessed to be having a healthy baby & a calm, easy natural birth. Focus the feelings of love & beneficence onto your unborn child. Use the 2nd statement Tori recommends & say it to your unborn child as a way to welcome him or her into the world.

AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

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