I was walking down the shore of a beach. The waves were torrential but the tide was low. Broken sand dollars sprinkled the flat wet sand. I walk towards an embarking cliff. The air is wet from fog and spray. As I near a golden object lights up from afar. I look and its an unbroken sand dollar, full and complete. Feeling lucky I pick it up and put it in my pocket. Not much further and I see a large crevasse wedged into the cliff. I get closer and it gets larger. A deep, dark cave. I walk in and it's pitch black. I close my eyes and listen to the roar of the ocean echo through this cavern. As my eyes open, a rainbow of light is glistening and sparkling all around me. The cave is lit up with light. My body is blanketed in bliss. It feels angelic. Absolutely incredible. Of a higher frequency and dimension. I am infused with this light and love essence. Standing there in awe, I wake up.
That ridiculous song by Hall and Oats is playing in my head. Why? Because my little angles and guides have a sense of humor. I think that's just it. Lighten up, laugh and get over it. Such wisdom!
Samadhi - Momentary Bliss is becoming more prevalent and less momentary. I find that Maui brings this state of being out in me. Open hearted living. Diving slow through the jungle canopied roads, drinking in the paradise all around me. People in town, Paia Town that is, smile as you walk by. An immediate connection that we are all one pulses through each of us and the gesture fills my heart. Nature is extreme. Rain showers, waterfalls, wind, waves, volcanoes, whales and rainbows. Life thrives and pulses. How can one not be consumed by this majesty? I feel as if I'm in the heart of the islands and the planet. Mmmmmmmmm, love this vibe. I'll be back to SB soon (7/1) and ready to spread the love. Aloha! Marie Its been a while since my last post. I sort of dropped out of my writing and blogging, got bogged down with the holidays and sick kids and just decided to take one step at a time through life for a while. Yoga as always remained a constant, keeping me grounded and giving me back to me. I did manage to escape to Ojai and take what I thought was an "Energy Workshop" but turned out to be a "Channeling Workshop". Same thing I guess just different use of words and perception. It was incredible! My classes now are infused with a deeper sense of awareness and spiritual connections. Guidance and information flows through each class and everyone receives something that is just for them... a message, a thought, an experience. Teaching is such an amazing gift. Thank you all for showing up, waking up and continuing to step on to your mats. "Practice, Practice, Practice and all is coming" Pattabi Jois. Almost forgot! I'm now teaching back to back classes at Yoga Soup on Tues & Thurs. 7:00am Morning Flow All Level 8:30am Playing Your Edge Level 2 Please join me!! Love and Peace, Marie It's 2012. Our window of opportunity has arrived. What is your New Vision? Where are we going as a species? We are strong, we are beautiful and we are powerful. It's time for the ultimate manifestation. Beyond our own personal wills and desires lies our deepest connection to the planet, to God/Source and to ourselves. Our survival is in our own hands. It's time to dream and dream big. Expect miracles. Pulse with gratitude and love and receive amazing blessings. Live life with light and ease. Having control of our own destiny is a little scary. Maybe we have not made the best Life of our Life. If our destiny is in our own hands and not already written by god then, OMG, we might screw it up! That is totally possible but so is just the opposite. Maybe we create something amazing. By simply taking the time to sit down and dream. Write it down or make a collage of your vision of the ideal YOU in the ideal WORLD filled with LOVE. Feel the windows of opportunity open for you everywhere. Expand your ideas about the world and universe and fuel experiences with unlimited potential. SMILE often and to everyone. I had an amazing experience the other day. Over the weekend I had a bunch of unexpected visitors. Several of which stayed the weekend. The house was full of fun and action. The evening rolled around one night and I was pretty beat. I offered to make tea for whoever wanted it as I was making some for myself. Everyone raised their hands kids and all. I filled my little teapot with herbs and boiling water. This particular teapot was made by my grandmother of salted clay. She was an amazing potter. As I was pouring the water I thought to myself, "there is no way I am going to get 10 cups out of this pot". Immediately I thought of the story of Jesus handing out bread and fish from the unlimited basket (please don't get me wrong. I am not a Jesus freak. I love all of the ancient masters: Buddha, Jesus, Mary, Rumi, Michael Angelo, Albert Einstein, Dali Lama, etc.). The tea steeped and I began to pour into my 10 assorted mugs. I started pouring just a little bit into each mug so that everyone would get at least a little bit. I kept pouring and pouring and pouring until everyones mug was full. I put my teapot down, amazed that it filled all these mugs when usually, it only holds about 2 1/2 mugs. I was filled with grace and overwhelmed with tears. I felt so appreciative and in love with everyone that was in my house and that had asked for a cup of tea. "There is enough for everyone, of everything at all times." was a voice in my head. "Awesome", I thought. Where do we go from here? The winter solstice has arrived. The planet has shifted completely on its axis and tomorrows energy will be that of renewal, power and acceleration. Like the pauses between breaths, this too is a pause. Taking time to settle into the space of the planet, her ascension process and movements will connect you deeply to yours. This shift also reminds me of Suryanamaskar B where you are transitioning from downward dog to warrior one. That moment when you press deeply into the shoulders and then the force propels you forward pulling your leg through and lifting up into the posture. There is a moment of suspension. Those moments, pauses and transitions are sacred and powerful. Tap into that space within yourself and imagine mother earth right there along with you. Completing her exhale as you complete yours, pausing… and shifting all that momentum into the opposite direction. Set your intentions clearly as the power to create is totally accessible. Use the quiet of the solstice to to reflect and renew and then charge up your life with all of your dreams and prayers. The laws of the universe are unlimited. Dream big and reach for the stars. Use your heart energy to tap in, honor your truths and really begin to live in the light. Getting The Sense of IT Clairaudience: The hearing of divine guidance from your guides, higher self and from others spoken words. Claircognizance: The paying attention to thoughts and ideas that come to you especially those that repeat themselves. Clairsentience: Noticing your recurring physical and emotional feelings as they signify divine guidance. Listening to your gut. Clairvoyance: Clairvoyance can come in different forms such as fleeting mental images in your minds eye, as dreams, as recurring sights in the physical world, as auras and energy or even as apparition experiences. Wouldn’t it be exciting to think of your self as extrasensory? I have good news; you already are on a sub conscious level. It’s not new and we can learn to access these tools on a conscious level just like our breath. The first and most important step to tuning up your extra senses is becoming heart centered. Here is a sweet little meditation I often teach and practice to drop into the heart knowledge and vibration. Sit in a comfortable sitting position or lay on your back with knees up and leaning towards each other. Sit bones grounded if sitting, hips higher than knees, spine is long and lifted and crown of the head light. Begin to connect with your Ujii breath. Deepening both the inhales and the exhales. 10 breaths. Begin pausing at both the top and the bottom of the inhales and exhales. Slight retentions. 10 more breaths. Drop in. Let your breath now begin to flow naturally through your body, guiding you. Now, imagine a beautiful lotus flower floating at your third eye. This flower represents infinite wisdom and knowledge and is a connection to your higher self. Paint your flower any color or hue you like. Make it personal. Make it beautiful. Really dress it up. Next, send your flower some love as if you were watering it waiting for it to grow bigger and brighter. As you send it love take the flower and allow it to slowly and gently, as if in a bubble, float down to your heart center or sternum. The flower naturally is being drawn to the heart. As it comes close it hovers and the bubble that surrounded it pops. The flower now dissolves into your heart. You have now switched operating systems. Moving all of that knowledge into the heart center. Your job now is to practice using this new system. When decisions or issues come up, begin starting from the heart to find your answers and solutions. Opening up all channels so that all possibilities can exist and manifest. When we get stuck in the mind we become tunnel visioned. As we open up into the heart, the universe is enforced and works with you on all levels. Next, we are going to rev up this new operating system. Remembering your beautiful lotus flower sitting in your heart. Imagine someone that loves you, an aunt, a spouse, a grandparent, someone who has given you unconditional love. It could even be an animal or pet. Then send some love back to them. You inherently love this being because of their love for you. Now the love is amplified. Now you are heart centered. Savor this sensation of the feeling of love. Tune in to the vibration. Really tune into it. Feel it spread through out your entire body, into every cell and into the space between the cells. Let the love flow infusing your body and soul, healing, clearing and invigorating your entire being. This is the beginning of sharpening the senses, quieting and stilling the mind, getting heart centered and then tuning in. From here, the universe is your playground. Maybe you just practice this process for a couple of weeks. Get comfortable shifting over into the heart, making it a habit, a conscious habit like stepping onto your mat. Pretty soon, the veil begins to lift. The practice of meditation and pranayama are essential to sharpening your skills. The quieter your mind becomes then the more open your heart will become. You see the world and feel it through a whole new perspective; one of wholeness, union, compassion and mystery. As you begin to hear and speak its language you are finally aware of the heavenly gifts all around and can access information from all your sensory channels. Trust is the final hurdle in getting the sense of it. Trusting that the information you receive is real and accurate. Trusting to act or speak on the information you receive and trusting that you are in fact receiving guidance and not making it up with your imagination. I find that the best way to learn and trust is to play. Do the work in shifting over to the heart and let the universe guide you. Watch for signs and synchronicities and feel for sensations. Be open to little miracles every day. Smile when you know you have been touched by an angel and always lend a helping hand to someone or thing in need. The most powerful sensations and information are actually very, very subtle. That is why the quiet mind and open heart is essential for exploring this new found universe. The more you practice and play the more secure you will feel in this world. Enjoy this journey and regardless of whether or not you have eye opening epiphanies this process will ground your body, open your heart and soothe your soul. Namste’ Marie Thorne-Thomsen Yoga Student, Teacher and Lover of Life A Living Angel Imagine… you’ve realized your floating above your body. The nurses and doctors below are starting life support and CPR. Then a flash and the most amazing bright light you have ever seen. You are drawn willingly. As you enter you know that everything is ok. You dissolve into the divine consciousness. There, just as promised in your childhood faith, Jesus awaits and talks with you. He answers all your questions and says that there is still work to be done. There is no arguing with Jesus. His love burns through your heart and then… As if someone just punched you in the stomach, you breathe in huge gasping inhales. The cells in your body ignite and you are alive again. Your breath fills your lungs. The experience is ecstatic and painfull. Your heart pounds in your chest and head. You can feel the blood flow fed by the new fresh oxygen. Prana, Life Force, Chi, Ki, The Holy Spirit, it pulses and charges through your system. I’m alive you say and I know I’m going to live now. This is the story of Lee, a living angel in my view who said that the most valuable thing to him about being alive today is his breath. Despite having one of the rarest forms of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer, spending a year every two weeks in the hospital receiving “the nuclear bomb of chemotherapy”, and experiencing heart failure three times, this man was more alive than anyone I have ever met in my life. With a strong British accent and black as night he approaches me at the playground where I have brought my daughter. I step back at first feeling unsure of this stranger and his unwavering friendly nature. “Hello, how are you?” He says boldly and directly but very upbeat. I look around to make sure there are other people around just in case anything happened. Of course fear is always there to keep us in check. Noticing that other parents on the playground are aware of the man I ease. “I’m good, how are you?” I respond. And off he goes to tell me about his year and the battle he faced with cancer. The recent stem cell transplant he had and the crazy machine that sifted the blood of his cousin and then injected the stem cells into him. The nuclear chemotherapy he received and the 3 dying experiences. The doctors, he says, still to this day react as if they are seeing a ghost when he walks into the hospital. “Wow!” Fighting back tears and simply standing there listening to his story I say, “So, did you kick it?” “Oh, yeah man” in his British bohemian accent. “I kicked it up here as he points to his head and I know this in here” as he presses his hands to his heart. “But is it gone?” I asked intently. “It’s gone man. No one can believe it. But I know.” “And let me tell you something Ms., the most valuable thing about coming back to this world is the experience of breathing again.” Tears begin to rush down my face. I could not fight the impact this man was having on my heart and soul. Then, he looks me deeply in the eyes, smiling so big and wide and says, “It’s all about the breath”. Being a yoga student and teacher I am familiar with this phrase as I repeat it over and over again like a mantra in my classes. “It’s all about the breath. Take a deep inhaaaaale and exhaaaaaaale. “ I’m standing there in shock. As if Jesus himself were talking straight to me. “There is work to be done” “It’s all about the breath” There is life after death” “The truth is in your heart” “Live.” My phone begins to ring and texts come through. I feel as if time stood still and I realize that it’s time to go. I say to this big beautiful black man, “It was so nice to meet you. What was your name?” “Lee” He says. I extend my hand out to shake his. He looks, begins to laugh and says, “I’m a hugger” and proceeds to give me a giant bear hug that lifts me off the ground and as if he knew me from the inside out. I think that was the best hug I’ve ever gotten. I laugh and am totally giddy from the experience of it all. I call my daughter to prepare to leave. As we are walking out of the playground I can see Lee out of the corner of my eye walking over to one of the curiously on looking parents. “Hello, how are you? I hear him ask this person in his overly friendly manner. Laughing again to myself I can only hope that he shocks the love out of that person just like he did to me. A True Story... Marie Thorne-Thomsen Yoga Student, Teacher and Lover of Life. | Author: MarieLiving, loving and teaching in Santa Barbara, CA. ArchivesApril 2013 CategoriesAll |
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