Meditation

I heard a saying a long time ago: when you pray, you ask; when you meditate, you listen. I don't live in a culture that has taught me this helpful skill, so as an adult I have needed to learn how to quiet myself, how to slow down my often-busy mind. Like any skill, this one requires practice. And since my mind likes to be busy, this one requires a lot of practice!

My yoga teacher ends each class with a ten minute shvasana, also called the 'corpse pose,' a pose that requires me to lie on my back with eyes closed. She says that this is one of the hardest poses for many of her students -- to commit to stillness.

Every time I meditate, I am present with where I am right here, right now. And, it is in the present that manifestation occurs. Skilled Receivers know how to be present and therefore know how to manifest their dreams and desires. I am starting a new Receive course this morning for the first time in close to a year. I am excited to return to this work because I strengthen my Receive-muscles each time I teach this course!

Today, I will find time to commit to stillness and meditate so I can strengthen this helpful skill.

Smell

I love this photograph. It's posted on my travel blog with other pictures of cows from my trip up to the Toronto area last October. More people have talked to me about this photograph than any other from my blog!

I thought of this photo this morning because I wanted to write about the sense of smell. All five senses are such effective conduits into the present. In previous blogs this month, I've written about hearing and seeing.

The saying: stop and smell the roses, is about slowing down and enjoying life. Have you ever spent a day with focused awareness on what you are smelling? I don't know about you, but I am more aware on a day-to-day basis of seeing and hearing. For me, smelling is a neglected sense and -- go figure -- my sense of smell is my weakest of the five senses.

It's easy to notice a delicious, special smell like wood burning in fireplace, the scent of flowers, or the the aroma of baking bread. Today I want to receive the every-day smells in my environment. Like any other, I know this sense will bring me into the present and that is exactly where I want to be today!

Letting Go

I knew when I woke up this morning I wanted to write about letting go. I've let go of a lot recently. And I have so many feelings about that: liberation, happiness, grief, wonder, anxiety, excitement...I feel full. Life seems pregnant with possibilities.

Perhaps you have let go of something recently: a job, a person, a pet, or even an idea about yourself. Such a mixed bag this letting go thing. Yet, letting go is inevitable and organic and can even be helpful.

My project for today is to let go -- of the past and of the future. I have no idea where this road on which I am traveling leads. And today I don't need to know.

Wanting

It was well into teaching the Receive courses and working on my book that I really got the importance of wanting and how conditioned people are to think of wanting as being a bit unseemly when it comes to their own desires. For example: can you make a wish for yourself without adding all of the footnotes about wanting world peace, that no child go hungry, if it is in the universal will (who is the universe except us?!), etc., etc, etc.

I love how Cinderella transformed her life from days filled with sweeping up after her stepmother and step sisters (perhaps your life has an equivalent) and finally expressed a wish, a want, a desire.

What I love the most about this story is that her wish was to go to a dance! She wanted to go to the Ball and she wanted a great dress. Now that I can relate to! She didn't say she wanted to go to the Ball as long as all of the children in the kingdom were happy.

As soon as she asked, her fairy godmother appeared. You know the rest of the story.

Sometimes we are so busy excluding ourselves that we don't realize we have lost the ability that many of us had when we were very young, to have a great BIG wish.

This may sound weird to you, but I believe that wanting is spiritual and that we can't be effective wishers for world peace for example, if we cannot want something for ourselves. So, it is good to practice wanting. You'll be more helpful to the world by developing this skill.

You already know you want all children to be fed. What do you want for you?

Today I am going to practice wanting. I invite you to join me!

Inclusion

Have you ever been to a party where you knew few, if any, people? Have you stood awkwardly by yourself watching people who knew each other chatting and having a good time? How about having the experience of someone mercifully coming over to you, talking with you and introducing you to others, helping you to feel comfortable?

Perhaps you’ve played this role yourself, helping someone to feel included. It’s a relief, isn’t it? You’re grateful when someone reaches out to you, and it’s a great feeling to be that person for someone else. We all like to be welcomed and to know that our company is desired.

Sometimes a smile from a stranger comes at just the right time. When I was at the DMV yesterday getting my new Arizona driver's license, the woman assisting me was so friendly and helpful that it felt in those moments like we were two women who were part of the same human race -- more similar than different. I felt welcomed to Arizona! It was really a lovely experience. And, the icing on the cake -- I got to leave behind my old license that had a photo I didn't like. My new one is much better!

I think of spirituality as the concept of Unity, which means nothing is separate—we’re all in this together. It doesn’t mean you go off to one side while everybody else is part of some unified whole. It means you are an important, integral part of the whole shebang—the universe, the world, your community, your family, your relationship.

Today I am going to be inclusive and remember that we are all in this strange, mysterious journey of life together. I want my behavior to reflect that belief.

Seeing

When you gaze upon something so beautiful that it takes your breath away, you are in the present. It may be a stunning sunset, an extraordinary piece of art, or a baby in your arms. Your other senses are eclipsed as you fully receive what you are seeing.

All of the way into my thirties I loved the hustle bustle of city living and the colors of the urban landscape. I became aware at one point that every time I visited my mother in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I felt my eyes drink in the green of the trees, lawns and plants. It was a visceral experience.

I thought of this years later when I was teaching my second Receive course. Mary Ann, one of the participants and a nature lover, was used to noticing all of the beautiful trees and flowers when she took her dog out for their daily walk. She reported to our class, “I always took in, for example, the beauty of the flowers. But now (after learning about becoming a Receiver) I really receive them. It’s a much fuller, more receiving experience. It’s different. It’s like my appreciation is heightened and the experience is fuller.”

While it is easy to appreciate a beautiful sunset, it is also a wonderful experience to bring that same sense of awe and fullness to the regular sights of the day.

Sometimes we don’t see what is right in front of us. Today I am going to keep my eyes open and enjoy life's beauty in all of its colors, shapes and textures.

Attract

Is life attracted to you? How does life express this attraction? Through people or animals; strangers or friends? I remember years ago watching a dog trainer, Barbara Woodhouse, on TV. It seemed as though any animal that crossed her path immediately adored her!

I actually experienced something remarkable recently. I typically have flowers in several vases around my home. Their beauty adds to my life and I actually coo over them quite a bit. When I am in the same room I tell them how beautiful they are -- not that my pleasure is not obvious anyway!

So anyway, the other day I went over to my sink to wash dishes. Right in front of the sink were cheerful yellow flowers and I swear I felt from them such a wave of affection that it stopped me in my tracks. Now, I am used to expressing appreciation for them, but it had not occurred to me that something happened energetically that they would have what ever a flower's version is of love and appreciation. Anyway, I was genuinely moved and awed by that experience.

To receive is to be open, aware and responsive to how life speaks to you. The Law of Attraction, a Law that has been getting a lot of attention these days, is about attracting. Yet, if you are not attentive to how life speaks and relates to you, you may not be able to draw what you want toward you because you have missed the signals and information that would be helpful to you.

You can’t force someone to be attracted to you. But you can learn how to become attractive, to open up to and receive life and the people in it.

Today I am going to be attentive to how life speaks to me. Who or what is attracted? And why? What do I put out and how does life respond? This will be an interesting project for the day.

Do you have any thoughts on this? How does life respond to you? Take notice today and tell me about it.

Relax

How can relaxing be advantageous to your Receive Practice or help you manifest the life you desire or keep you centered in the present? It seems counter intuitive. Do you think of relaxing as doing nothing or being lazy or non-productive?

So many inventors, scientists, writers, and others have said that it was when they stopped focusing so hard trying to solve something and simply relaxed -- that it was then that they had their breakthroughs.

When people are relaxed, they are enjoyable to be around. I know for sure that when I am tense and wound-up not only do I feel icky, but I'm pretty sure being around me is not a picnic.

Today while I go about my day, I am going to make sure I keep a relaxed attitude. If I find myself feeling agitated by anything, I'll breathe deeply and relax.

Listening

Hearing is one of the body's five senses. But listening is an art. Frank Tyger

The five senses can be portals into the present. Today I am going to listen. Even as I sit here now and open up my ears I hear the hum of the refrigerator, which is actually quite a relaxing sound. I just heard someone close a car door. And I hear the ticking of my kitchen clock. Wow! That's a loud clock!

Have you noticed how often you close your eyes when you are listening to something especially enjoyable like a beautiful piece of music? You close one sense to totally tune into the experience of another. How often do you bring that same attention to the ordinary sounds of the day? It's interesting how you can't help but be in the present when you are listening.

The use of sound is well known for being a meditative device, whether by repeating the word OM or through chanting. It's an effective way to center your consciousness into the present.

I believe one of the greatest gifts you can give is to totally receive what someone is saying. Today I am going to listen. I'll listen to the birds and the traffic and I'll make sure I give my undivided attention and be present when someone is speaking to me.

I have a CD, which is a continuous chant of the word OM. I'm going to put my ipod in the docking station right now and listen.

Welcoming

Opening to life is really like welcoming whom ever and what ever crosses your path. On my best days, my welcoming attitude invites life in, in a way that just can't and doesn't happen when I am closed down or too inward. Sometimes we save the "best" of who we are for specific people or situations. Today I want to welcome life in all of its forms, people and manifestations. And I am going to make a point to notice (my word from January 2) the results of my welcoming attitude! I welcome you to join this experiment and post your own experiences.

Acceptance

I am choosing acceptance for today's project. I am going to accept where I am right now, right here today. It is so easy to be focused on where I would like to be and what I would like to accomplish. I like to remember that acceptance isn't about passivity. Accepting doesn't mean that I don't have dreams and goals that I am keeping on my radar screen and that I am working toward. Acceptance just means that I accept that in this whole panorama of my life, today is here. Not the past; not the future. For today, I accept where I am in this journey and will extend this thought to those I meet today or think about today.

Breathing

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

Thich Nhat Hanh

I love this quote from the Vietnamese Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh. Paying attention to one's breath, is such a great way to center oneself in the present. And, the nice thing about breathing is that you can do it anywhere!

For today, I am going to pay attention to my breathing. If I feel upset or anxious or tense, I'll say silently: Breathing in, I know I am breathing in...breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

Noticing

I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today. But I had a dream this morning about noticing. Yes, noticing. Receptive states are experiences of being in the present and one of the ways to be fully present is to simply notice or pay attention to what is going on around you.

So, for today I am going to pay attention and notice what is in my environment, what I am doing and what I am feeling or thinking. Right now I am noticing how comfortable my chair feels. I see that the blinds I forgot to open are still closed. I just heard the heater turn on (yes, it’s been chilly here in Arizona!). I am also noticing how peaceful my home feels.

I don’t often think about the importance of noticing. But today I will.

Gratitude

I've been writing in my gratitude journal (sometimes more and sometimes less) since I started teaching my Receive classes several years ago. I made writing gratitudes a part of the class curriculum when I realized that whenever we are focused on feeling grateful, that we are are also fully in the present. It's about being receptive to life's givingness.

I want to start this year with the reminder that whenever I make a point to write down five things each day for which I feel grateful, I tend to keep noticing things throughout the day that I also feel grateful for whether a beautiful tree, a phone call from a friend or my morning coffee.

So for today, my five gratitudes:

1. I am grateful I live in beautiful Arizona!

2. I feel so blessed to have such good friends.

3. I am lucky to have found work that I love.

4. I am thankful I found a handyman who is a nice guy to fix things in the house.

5. I'm really glad I ate only half of the Doritos in the bag last night!

I like to spend sixty seconds immersed in one of my five gratitudes. Today I am choosing the one about feeling blessed to have such good friends. And for the rest of the day I am going to make a point to notice and say thank you for all of the ways that life gives to me.

Feel free to add your own gratitudes or any other message.