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Hi I’m Cassie, I’m a forty-something housewife and I work part time in admin for the wool industry auctions. This is my first forum, so I’ve got no idea what I’m doing! I dabble in Tarot, yoga, crystals and meditation. I believe that we are all searching for happiness in our own ways, so now it seems I’ve found it with a dot com! I look forward to meeting some people here.

I am loving the mindful yoga & intend to make this a daily practice as well as well as a meditation. I do Dylan Zambrano's Body Scan mediation on Insight Timer, which I adore. The basic sitting practice is my least favourite, I much prefer a guided mindfulness meditation.

Technically, every day is self-care day, but if you live a busy life, that's not always possible and we forget to take time for ourselves which often leads to stress, exhaustion and tension in the body. I've started doing something called self-care Sundays where every Sunday afternoon I take 2-4 hours completely for myself to do slow down, replenish my energy, and do something I love that makes me feel energised and relaxed. This includes either all or some of the following: Take a guilt-free nap Journal for at least 15 minutes Yoga or body stretches Hair mask Face mask Long bath with sea salts and dried flowers Eat a healthy dinner Read a few pages of my favourite book What are some of the things you do to unwind and reconnect with yourself?

Regarding self care , I meditate daily for about 30 min first thing in the morning, doing my yoga practices , reading something inspiring , Upgrading my knowledge professionally . Presently practicing the “Brahmaviharas” , a Buddhist practice through the day which involves Love , compassion , appreciation and equanimity ?????

I have found the mindful yoga to be so enjoyable, and am striving to incorporate it into my day on an ongoing basis (not always easy!!). I have found week 4 to be a tough week to connect with at large.

I joined most of the Embodied yoga summit sessions last week and it was AMAZING! From May 16-20 there's another FREE online event series called The Embodied Connection Conference. It's probably completely unrelated to the above mentioned summit, but I have high hopes. Who else wants to join? ?

I loved the yoga this week! In the start of the practice and noticing all the parts that are stiff and sore, my mind immediately went to feeling guilty and frustrated that my body no longer moves the way it used to...that this body feels a bit like a stranger compared to the strong flexible body that I remember. But as I moved through the practice with more compassion, it became this neat process of being "reacquainted" with the body and valuing the time to connect with it.

22. - 26.04.2020 the embodied Yoga Summit 30.04.2020 Embodying Resilience - An Embodiment Conference one-day event. 16. - 20.05.2020 The Embodied Connection Conference - Building deep, alive and resilient relationships in all areas of your life

I know this might sound indulgent as I live in a city where a bath tub is sometimes considered a luxury, but I LOVE taking a hot bath with some essential oils. Also just switching off my devices, lighting some incense and sitting quietly in my room is nice. At least it helps me find some calm. Sometimes I'm so stressed out that I forget to breathe and the situation elevates. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I am often left feeling sad and somewhat deflated. When this happens, I really just try to spend as much quiet time alone to get over it. Yoga also helps, and short 5-minute meditations (if they are good ?) But my best stress reliever, I have to say, has been cooking with music :)

I'm cooking a lot too! I've never been a baker, but I experiment here and there. Most times the cakes come out too dry or just flopped! Then I feel forced to eat them coz I don't want to waste the ingredients ? @Calvin you're so lucky to at least have a garden. We have a tiny sliver of a terrace where I get about 20 minutes of sun a day, but I have to stand up as there's no space to sit or lie down. I also really like curling up with a good book, drinking more tea than usual, and only spending the essential hours on my laptop during the day. I've signed up to a few online courses which start next week. I'm really looking forward to those, and I just love the live workout and yoga sessions during the day! Not that I join them or anything... ?

I guess I’ll break the ice and fess up., I’m lonely. It’s not as if I’m any stranger to living solo but reaching 65 and having the rug pulled out, I find myself with a new life. Mindfulness plays a big part in my life right now, as well as psychotherapy and family. I’ve just been through a very disturbing life event and this is going to take awhile. I’m excited to have found happiness.com and hope I make some friends here. I’ve got a solid support network of high school classmate friends because I’m the guy who organizes our class reunions every decade. The problem is they are scattered throughout the country. Facebook group friends they are. I’m in need of local friends! I just joined and will be working on my profile. Yoga on The Bluff in Long Beach anyone? Coffee?

Thank you both for sharing so many ideas and helpful links. I am not on lockdown where I live and I'm still expected to report to work for now. Nonetheless, I'd like to share with everyone some things that have been helping me cope with these uncertainties: 1. Please know that it's okay if you feel you only have enough energy to simply survive right now. Try not to feel bad about yourself due to lacks in productivity or creativity. If you're spending more time than usual lying on the couch and binge-watching a series or two, that's okay! 2. If you'd like to try to feel reinvigorated, look up some energy exercises by Donna Eden. I've recently learned about her and her work. I've tried one simple exercise, a few times so far now, and I swear each time I felt great afterwards! 3. Finally read one (or more) of those books that's been sitting on the shelf! 4. Send a message to someone you haven't interacted with in a while. Check in on family and friends, too, of course. 5. Exercise! Yoga is ideal. HIIT workouts and weight training (even using just your own body weight) are beneficial as well. You can find endless exercise videos on YouTube. 6. Meditate, obvi. ? It can be as simple as observing your thoughts and welcoming your emotions as visitors passing through. (There are countless resources out there for those who need more help than that. I recommend starting with Guided Meditations, like the one our friend @Tine will be facilitating!) 7. If you have pets, spoil them with your attention. Be grateful that you have the emotional support of a being who cannot possibly bring up the virus ?? 8. Revel in the delightful feelings brought about when listening to music 9. Enjoy free access to some of the visual arts of Paris: http://parismuseescollections.paris.fr/en 10. Eat fresh produce if you have access to it. If not, get creative with whatever you have in your pantry. I get into mindul/meditative headspaces when cooking and when cleaning, too (do your spring cleaning if you can!). Thank you for reading! I truly hope anyone finds this post helpful Prioritize self care right now.

Hoping to work on my spiritual growth and I think this is exactly what I need. I was awakened by the eclipse in august 2017 and then I discovered that I am an empath and an INFJ. I practice meditation, aerial yoga and recently started using an AVS brain training system with my mindLightz headset, which is amazing. I’d like to become more experienced and more controlled in Lucid Dreaming and Astral Projection. Thanks for having me!!

I've been doing Yoga for about 5 years .. love it .,. Do a search on youtube for Yogawithadriene .. she is good

The Artist's Way: A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1509829474/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IdMpEbEM4Q1VK Hello Captian, Thank you for your message, I love yoga too, it is a great way to start the day, also takes away aches and pain ? I just bought the above book, will let you know how it is, it might help you too ? Hope you will create again ?????

I altered my diet and took up the practice of intermittent fasting. I now choose simple meals and herbal teas. I am a Zen practitioner and teach yoga. We have to choose our associations carefully and engage in meaningful dialogue.

I have this. I am blocked. I am aware that my emotional block is not allowing the paint to flow onto the page, I am unable to express myself on the page. I am working on yoga and meditation to unblock these emotions.

I'm still having trouble getting in to the yoga. I assumed that since I practice kung fu and tai chi, it would be relatively simple, but no. I get very irritated and annoyed; my whole body feels like it's vibrating. Whereas, with the body scan, I can feel myself relaxing even though I haven't set out to relax. And with sitting meditation, the same thing. I also used the STOP with an interaction with my kids this morning- everyone had a bad night and slept in, so getting ready for school was problematic- I was able to STOP and reframe, and didn't lose my equilibrium.

I'm heading in to week four. I admit, I had a lot of trouble getting into the yoga portion of week 3. The sitting meditation and body scan went beautifully. I even was able to use the body scan extremely productively this morning. I had what I suspect was a reaction to weather changing and was all of a sudden lost and couldn't think. I lay down and did a body scan- didn't fall asleep and got up refreshed, feeling grounded, and ready for a wonderful day.

I have just restarted a practice of kung fu. I have found it very fascinating how, when I practice mindfulness during class, the moves come much more easily and I remember things I knew years ago. I'm excited to start this week's yoga practice as well. And I still fall asleep with the body scan.

I am glad it works for you. Do what works. I practice yoga and reiki as well as my own self designed affirmations. All of these I see as spiritual or energy related but not religious and not incompatible. I am a Unitarian Universalist by religious persuasion which is a multi path sort of religion which has some parallels to Hindu, Baha’i or maybe something along those lines. I would not be able to participate because your rules prohibit other practices. Because of past experience with other spiritual practices or religions that exclude other ways or traditions, I respectfully have some reservations. I looked for a diversity friendly way of being that allowed for my transgender identity. I have to say I went through my fair share of fundamentalism as well as agnostic and pagan before I found a way that allowed for me to be myself without an unpleasant conflict of the hegemony of their world view vs. my own. It’s a powerful thing to break the hegemony.

Ofcourse. So let me share in brief the meditation technique. 5 things to consider before you start meditating (not hard and fast rules but just what I follow) 1. Keep gap of minimum 2 hours after eating and stick to vegetarian food. 2. Preferably have a shower or ensure you are not facing any itching or any allergies. 3. Make sure you are not having a bad cold or fever or any kind of severe pain. 4. Not to have any stressful activity or in arguments with anyone. 5. Not to engage in any other religious or spiritual activities such as Yoga or other forms of meditation. 5 things to consider after meditation (Living a Neutral lifestyle) 1. Avoid getting into arguments or stressful situations as much as possible. 2. Avoid eating meat and over eating and wasting food. Please donate extra food. 3. Avoid judging others or passing judgments. 4. Be empathic to people around you and offer care and help those in desperate need. 5. Avoid getting into new addictions and attachments. Morning Affirmations (after ending meditation) I wish that I am protected from all evil eyes, evil people, negative thoughts and negative energies. I wish that I have good health and a long and healthy life and recover from any illness that I may suffer or suffering. I wish that I am protected from all natural and man-made calamities and any unfortunate events or accidents. I wish that I arrive at my destination safely and reach my home safely. I wish that I am able to manifest all that is positive or neutral for myself and others around me and able to focus and be successful in whatever I wish to undertake. Evening Affirmations (before going to sleep) I thank the source for guiding me through the day, helping me focus on myself and protecting my body and my soul. I allow the source to support me in my manifestations through my subconscious mind in my sleep. I wish to wake up in sound mind and good health with my soul and body under the protection of the source. Meditation (Day 1 & 2) Before breakfast on empty stomach after shower Mind Taming Exercise: Breath Awareness Meditation (5 minutes) This is a simple form of meditation. It will clear your mind and focus your awareness. Sit or lie down, close your eyes focused on one particular thing a person or object that ensures any other external thoughts do not enter your mind. It is a good practice to start the first day by taking the help of a source of positive energy such as an image of God or a saint or an angel or anything you feel is a source of positive energy. If you are an atheist then you can focus on your own body at the centre of your forehead or something from nature. As long it signifies positive or neutral energy. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply in and slowly out and focus on the breath entering and leaving your body. Feel it coming in and feel it going out. This simple action is enough to occupy your surface mind. Breath awareness occupies the surface mind and allows you to think on a much deeper level. Firmly push intruding thoughts away, as they begin, before they can gather strength and distract you. End the meditation with folded hands making your morning affirmations. Evening after sunset and 2 hours after meal or dinner Ego Release exercise: Getting detached meditation (10 minutes) Sit or lie down, close your eyes. PRETEND you are a bird imaging your hands as the wings of a bird flying higher and higher. Free from the ground, the earth, the reality, letting go of your physical existence. While you are doing this, you may feel sleepy or tears rolling down your eyes. Do not break the meditation and be attentive with the mind focused on your hands and body. End the meditation with folded hands releasing your ego from your conscious being and making your evening affirmations. Meditation (Day 3 & 4) Before breakfast on empty stomach after shower Rejuvenation Exercise: Self Awareness Meditation (5 minutes) As in Day 1 and Day 2 you will b e focusing on clearing your mind. But in day 3 and 4, you should try to focus your own self, your body and what you want from life in general. Such as your positive desires and goals in life. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply in and slowly out and focus on the breath entering and leaving your body imagining your own image or desires. Feel it coming in and feel it going out. Make sure that your mind is occupied with yourself, you inner and outer self. Firmly push intruding thoughts away, as they begin, before they can gather strength and distract you. End the meditation with folded hands making your morning affirmations. Evening after sunset and 2 hours after meal or dinner Energy Work exercise: Accessing Neutral Energy (10 minutes) Sit or lie down, close your eyes. Focus on your own image on the left and the source of positive energy on the right. If you are an atheist then you can focus on your own body at the centre of your forehead or something from nature. As long it signifies positive or neutral energy. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply and slowly and focus on the breath entering and leaving your body. While you are doing this, you may notice brightness in your eyes. Do not resist it. Allow it to reach within you. Then spread your hands all over your body to spread the energy all over you. Repeat this exercise three to four times so you receive as much energy as you need to remove all the negativity around you that has been accumulated and release your soul. End the meditation with folded hands making your evening affirmations. Meditation (Day 5 & 6) Before breakfast on empty stomach after shower Love affirmation Exercise: Social Awareness Meditation (5 minutes) In these two days you will be trying to clear your mind and focus the people you love and care about. Sit or lie down, close your eyes. So you begin first by focusing outwards on the people you love such as your friends and family or the society you live in, your environment, your country or the world in general. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply and slowly and focus on the breath entering and leaving your body. As your breathe in, think of a loved one and imagine hugging the person as your breathe out. Firmly push intruding thoughts away, as they begin, before they can gather strength and distract you. End the meditation with folded hands making your morning affirmations. Evening after sunset and 2 hours after meal or dinner Energy Work exercise: Transferring Neutral Energy (10 minutes) Sit or lie down, close your eyes. You can also listen to some light spiritual music and breathe deeply in and slowly breathe out focusing on the image of a loved one on the left and the source of positive energy on the right. If you are an atheist then you can focus on your own body at the centre of your forehead or something from nature. As long it signifies positive or neutral energy. Repeat this exercise for each person whom you wish to transfer the energy to and then in the end, spread your hands all over your body to spread the remaining energy all over you. End the meditation with folded hands making your evening affirmations. Meditation (Day 7 onwards) After completing Day 1 to Day 6 successfully and achieving complete silence of the mind, one can start practicing Neu Energy Meditation which is very intense and requires guidance and protection from the trainer for the first few sessions. So I cannot share the technique openly here. But will see if I can attach a live video my practicing this meditation. For details please message me personally. I am ready to teach this intense meditation to those interested but only if the learner meets the conditions for the practice. Note for Admin/Moderators: Was unable to embed the meditation video with MP4 format.

I don't know if there's any correlation with this being 'thought week', but I feel a bit overwhelmed with them (thoughts) this week. There's some interesting, but heavy, videos and readings - a lot of varying opinion/ways of sharing, a lot to mull over. The only time I feel that leaving me this week is while participating in Hatha yoga because my body is busy, my mind is focussed on the teacher's voice and actions... so right now, this is what's working best for me, this busy-ness. Physical challenges are making that difficult in its way, though, but I'll get through ? ..sigh..

Just wanted to introduce myself and looking forward to connecting with many beautiful people who have made their way to this community ? I'm a producer / director currently living in London, but feeling the urge to move on to new pastures, so who knows??! I'm really interested in all things energy and keen to delve more into the healing aspect. Qualified yoga instructor and Level 2 Reiki and would love to connect with people with similar interests. Amy x

Hi...me too...just joined. I'm really glad I found this site. I'm on a new life path after a two year battle with breast cancer. Chemo and radiation saved my life....Reiki gave me the will to live again. It was so successful that I went on to learn it myself and will be finishing Level 2 soon. Yoga is next on the list...I making a clean sweep for a life reboot. Hugs, Wendy