Mindfulness

All posts tagged Mindfulness

A New Day

Published 04/07/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

7_153103

A New Day.

A new day dawns.

In the early morning, the birds are singing cheerfully in the garden,

greeting the beginning of a new day. I wish our lives could be in healthy growth

every day, so that we will not waste our lifetimes!

Have a wonderful and productive weekend my friends

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Loneliness

Published 26/06/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

alone

Sometimes I just sit alone and think, often thinking too much about my life, the people around me, my family, my friends, my work colleagues, spending too much time overthinking and allowing my ego mind to have it’s way with me!

Our days are filled with wasted time, hour after hour our mind ticks over, relentlessly sending us it’s opinions based upon our thoughts on the things we see, hear and fell, judging this and judging that, telling us to hate this person, stay away from that person, beware and fear this or that and holding us back from living our lives to the full.

Somedays our hearts are totally controlled by our mind, we feel lost and alone, its like something is missing from our heart, like a lost loved one, something is missing and causing us pain, we become tearful, agitated, anxious and sometimes so down that we just don’t want to get up or go out, the feeling is so strong that it controls our very being and stops us from moving forward with our lives.

Loneliness and the lack of love for ourselves feeds our ego mind, it fuels its fire and allows damaging thoughts to be generated at a rapid speed, negativity reigns supreme when the ego mind is at play, controlling our very being.

When your feeling down and lonely, its hard to pick yourself up when the ego mind is holding you down , twisting your mind with its negativity, pumping your body full of non-productive, suppressing ideas as to how you should live your life, it’s in total control…but how do we break free from the clutches of our ego mind?

Well, in my case, meditation is the key, it brings me peace and allows me to break free of the chains that my ego mind has wrapped around my soul, meditation takes me to a place of peace, to a solitude of silence where I can connect with my soul, with my Divine Self and where I can take back my life from the clutches of this egotistic mind that is at play with me.

If you suffer from any form of loneliness, unhappiness, anxiety in your life then please try meditation, seek out someone to help you, to guide you in the early stages of your practice……feel free once again and regain your happiness, then start living your life of joy 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Touching on Love Again!

Published 16/06/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

lord-buddha-animated-images-beautiful-best-latest

Ah, here I am again talking about love 🙂

But what is love?

I have posted about Love so many times, love for self, love for others, unconditional love etc……

But when i sit down, meditate and go into my heart centre i realise that most of us are under the wrong impression of what love really is!

Oh my!, What am I letting myself in for now!…..I guess I will get lots of replies stating…’Rubbish Post’,……. Love is….etc!

Well, here goes anyway 🙂

To me, Love is everything, Love is with us from the day we are conceived because our mother gives us the love from her body to help carry us through the pregnancy period; until the day that we are born, then we receive the love from our parent/s, our siblings, our families… we receive love from our friends, our colleagues and from our experiences in life.

Love is all around…..So we should be happy, right?

Actually, the next time your sitting with your dog or your cat, take a proper look at the feeling, the sensation and their energy towards you, they are in fact giving you love, unconditional love, especially from the dog. Cat’s.. well, they have their own opinions on life and will give you their love when they are ready, but a dog’s love is unconditional and always!….Then take a long look at your life, where is your love? how do you show your love? do you love yourself?…I don’t mean how you look in a mirror, but deep down, Do you love who you are?, What you stand for and where you are going with your life?

I often ask my friends:-

What is important to your life,

What do you feel is missing from your life?,

What are you seeking, looking for in your life?

And the answers are:

Love

Happiness

Success

But love comes, and it goes…We think and believe that love is just a relationship thing between two people, a partnership, a marriage etc,…and then, when that love goes away, we are left in a mess, often deep down in depression, bringing anxiety, unhappiness and sadness to our life ……

So! How many of us actually love ourselves?…..

Actually not that many of us because most of us don’t love the way we look, we are not happy with our weight, body shape, we are either too tall or too short, too much hair or (in my case lack of hair) 🙂 We don’t love our jobs, we don’t love our daily lives, we don’t love our homes and, on and on the lack of love for ourselves goes on causing us to be unhappy with who we are……

Well! , let me tell you something.

If you don’t love yourself then how do you expect to attract love into your life?

So, pick yourself up, start a new page and take another look at yourself…..What’s not to love!……..Right?

You are a Divine being, you are a wonderful creation, you are love itself!…And the sooner you realise this and make this your daily mantra then the sooner you can start enjoying your life, attracting more love into your daily life then bringing about happiness and then achieving all the success you truly want in your life.

So, if you are going to say  ‘Rubbish Post’ then fine, but if for one second you feel you are not 100% happy with the love in your life and the love for yourself; then please take a long look at yourself, see who you really are, connect with your Divine Self, connect with your heart and see the love, then share the love and …Love….Will come right back at ya 🙂

Go on, do yourself a favour for once…ACT!

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

What Thoughts Do You Keep In Your Mind?

Published 02/06/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

IMG_9561

Your Mind it a powerful thing, it can control your life, your happiness and your future….

What Thoughts Do You Keep In Your Mind?

Your Mind is not a dustbin to keep anger, hatred and jealousy.

But it’s a Treasure box to keep love, happiness and sweet memories.

What does your mind contain?

Food for thought my friends, food for thought!

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Worry, Worry, Worry!

Published 26/05/2015 by inspiringyourspirit
My Dear Friends, please take the time to watch / listen to this wonderful and powerful music by B.B.King then read the lyrics and the following post below 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Music & Lyrics From Worry, Worry, Worry by the late great B.B King

Worry worry worry
Worry is all I can do
Oh worry worry worry baby
Worry is all I can do
Oh my life is so miserable baby
Baby, and its all on account of you

You hurt me so bad baby
When you said we were through
Oh you hurt me
You know you hurt me so bad baby
When you said we were through
Oh but I would rather be dead baby
Then to be here so alone and blue

Someday baby
Oh someday baby
Oh! someday baby
Oh! oh! oh oh yes
Oh! someday baby

“Ladies. I said ladies ladies if you got a man and the man don’t do like you think he
Should ladies you don’t hurt ‘im. I said don’t you hurt him! man happens to be
God’s gift to women! so ladies you must know that the man is already grown so you can’t
Raise him over again

So the thing to do is throw your arms around him! hold him close to
You! look him straight in the eyes! and then you tell him you tell him, you
Say “now baby you been messing up, but I know you gonna do me better.” and when he
Look at you as if he wanna know when, then you tell him “someday baby.” and if it seem
Like he’s hard of hearing or not paying you much attention or something do like you ladies
Are known to do put your hands on your hips and then you say it again ow! he have to
Be a mighty hard hearted person not to listen to you

But I don’t think it’s fair to just talk to the ladies, I think I should say a few words to the
Men too. so fellas I said fellas! fellas if you got a woman and the lady don’t do like
You think she should
Don’t you be goin’ upside of her head now. you know what I’m talkin’ about, don’t you be
Beatin’ on her. the judgment’s much cheaper if you don’t beat her. and you see if you hurt
Her you only do one thing I said if you hurt her you only do one thing! you make her a little
Smarter and she won’t let you catch her the next time. so the thing to do is throw your
Arms around the pretty little thing! now listen to me, listen to me I don’t care if she
Weigh thirty-two and a half pounds wet or five hundred and fifty pounds on her feet. if she’s
Your lady and you dig her, than she’s your pretty little thing and then you tell
Her! you say “baby! baby I don’t care what they say about you on the next block, your
My little lady and I dig you. let em talk, let ’em say what they want to say”

And fellas, you must know too that the ladies, god bless their sweet little souls, ladies
Happen to be god’s gift to man too fellas. you all agreed? you better say it cause your wife
Is listening. but there’s just one more thing I must say to you fellas, just one more thing
Don’t be too proud to beg. I said don’t be too proud to beg! if you have to fall
Down on your knees to let your woman know that you love her, go on down there
I can see some of you cats got dirty minds in the place this evening what I’m tryin’
To say, ladies love to hear their men say “baby I love you!” don’t
You ladies? I said ladies love to hear their men say “baby I love you!”
Don’t you ladies? so fellas tell your lady that you love her! she might
Think you’re lying though. tell your lady that you love her even if you are
Lying

But seriously speaking, when I goof, when I goof I usually slide up to my woman and I look
Straight at her I have to get my look first I usually say I look like a little puppy begging
For that last bone you been holding out on. I look straight at her and I say “baby! please
Forgive me honey!” and then I wait a few minutes to see how she take it. and then I
Say “baby! please forgive me honey!” and then I stand back far enough so that when
She swings I can duck and then I say “baby! you know when I goofed last week I
Was high “if she let me get away with that then I look at her real pitiful like this say
“Baby, honey you know when you’re high it don’t count. ” and then I tell her, I say
“If you forgive me honey I’m gonna do better.” And if she look at me as if she wanna know
When then I tell her “someday baby ”

Yes someday, baby
When the blood runs cold in my veins
Someday, baby
When the blood runs cold in my veins
You know you won’t be able to hurt me no more baby
‘Cause my heart won’t feel no pain

11246475_10152715881917471_3184189553635484298_n

The purpose of this post today my dear friends was for us to draw our attention through music and the wonderful skills of the late B.B. King to the subject of ‘Worry’, Worry catches us all at one point or more in our lives, and some people worry all the time! Worry about not being worthy, worry about not being loved, worry about loving someone, worry about their relationship, worry about life, worry about our children, worry about our jobs, worry about making ends meet each month, worry about work, worry that we are just not good enough, worry about our safety, worry, worry, worry!

Where does worrying get us in the end?……..Absolutely nowhere!……..I don’t think anyone can give you a perfect answer where worrying brought you anything but more worry and more pain, it certainly did not bring an end to your worrying so……! What’s the point in worrying?….Focus on whats good, whats great in your life, focus on the loving people you have in your life, focus on the beauty you see when you look in the mirror, look into your heart, connect with your inner child, connect with the love that you really are, be the light once again that makes you happy, be the joy that brings joy to your life and to the lives of others, be the strength that resolves problems and not the victim of those problems……

STOP WORRYING…..

If you need help with worry issues, please let me know and I would be glad to help.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

The Laughing Buddha Will Help You Through Your Day

Published 19/05/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

IMG_9395

Post by Susan Jeffers Ph.D.

As many of you already know, I am a lover of the Laughing Buddha. I think you’ll agree that we all take life much too seriously! Because of my love of the Laughing Buddha, I’ve placed a number of them around our house and office as a reminder to lighten up and enjoy it all.

I have a wooden Laughing Buddha on my bedside table next to a picture of my laughing husband (who is also a Laughing Buddha!), a gorgeous pink quartz Laughing Buddha on my desk, a magnificent amber Laughing Buddha on my husband’s desk, a large stone Laughing Buddha sitting outside on our balcony…and many more. What they all seem to have in common is that they have all learned how to enjoy the feast and they certainly seem to have no worry about the future. They are always laughing!

My outdoor Laughing Buddha is the one that never ceases to amaze me. He is laughing when the rain pours down on him. He is laughing when the sun bakes down. He is laughing when we put a Santa hat on him at Christmas time. There is nothing that takes away his laughter. I know he would be laughing even if a tree fell on him and crushed him into a million pieces. I would be crying, but he would be laughing! Obviously, the Laughing Buddha has learned that, It’s all happening perfectly! The spirit that emanates from his smile is one of trust, appreciation and inner joy.

I believe the Laughing Buddha represents the inner intelligence that lives within us all. He represents the part of us that is in tune with the Grand Design. He doesn’t try to control the chaos. Instead, he listens and moves comfortably within the chaos as the world unfolds around him. He stays open to a constant flow of joyous survival versus turbulent survival. He makes us realize that we can’t get rid of the chaos, but we can get very creative with the turmoil. We are all the creators of how we want to see this world.

As a constant reminder to lighten up, I suggest you purchase a Laughing Buddha. They come in all sizes. A little one to put on your desk or next to your bed…or both…would be a good start. Understand that the Laughing Buddha does not have to be seen as a religious symbol. Buddhism is considered by many to be an inspiring philosophy…a way of seeing the world and becoming more enlightened about life. There are Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Atheists and others who embrace the teachings of Buddhism as a way of improving one’s life. So no matter what your religious belief, the Laughing Buddha can bring you great wisdom and peace of mind.

Once you acquire your Laughing Buddha, make sure you look at his joyous presence every time something is troubling you and ask yourself what your Laughing Buddha would tell you. I know you will find answers that will lift you out of your upset and elevate you to a more cosmic space. That’s what the Laughing Buddha does for me. Any time I am driving myself crazy trying to control everything around me, I look at my Laughing Buddha and laugh right along with him. I let go and lighten up. The Laughing Buddha reminds me that peace and joy lie within…not out there somewhere. And we all need reminders!

To take it one step further, you can pretend you are the Laughing Buddha. Some years ago my husband, Mark, was having difficulty with a few people in one of his projects at work and he decided that instead of letting it get him down, he would go to work as the Laughing Buddha. To him, that meant radiating a happy, loving energy no matter what was happening in the office. He created a list of his favorite happy affirmations and a few times throughout the day, he would repeat them over and over again. He would also e-mail me daily a message from himself as the Laughing Buddha.

The little game he was playing became our private joke, but the effect on his experience at work was very healing. He was actually able to deflect the negativity of the people in his project and embrace the happy nature of the Laughing Buddha. This enabled him to interact with everyone in a much more positive way. His demeanor changed so much that his assistant jokingly asked him what drugs he was taking! Mark just smiled.

We can all play the Laughing Buddha game in any area of our lives. Each time we play it, it shows us how to stay in the highest part of who we are, our Higher Self, for longer and longer periods of time. And lightening up and appreciating the beauty in our lives makes our spirits soar. Powerful stuff, so rewarding, and a lot of fun.

It is clear that appreciation of today is one of the most powerful tools for helping us embrace tomorrow. So take it all in. And once you do, you will be astounded by what you have been missing in this life, right here, right now. I keep going back to the telling words of Emily Dickinson…

As if I asked a common alms

And in my wandering hand…

A stranger pressed a kingdom

And I bewildered stand.

These beautiful words tell us that when we finally open our eyes, we stand bewildered by the riches in front of us. Life is beautiful…and funny. Open your eyes to it all…and don’t forget to laugh!

potd2.19

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

I Am, How About You?

Published 13/05/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

10154959_902554929802021_3563424594480717979_n

Find Yourself, Be Yourself, Honour Yourself and Love Yourself, then you can Love others and share the Joy you have found within 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

The Light of God Is Within, Love and Happiness is Within, Don’t Search for them Without!

Published 30/04/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

Y12189743-2

My Dear Friends,

I was talking with a dear friend yesterday, who is lost, and what I mean by lost is; she is lost on her way in life, she is troubled and holds anger in her heart right now, uncertainty as to her relationship with her husband, her child and her future, this uncertainty and loss of direction has stopped her in her tracks, she is now standing at the crossroads of life with a blank look in her eyes and a furrowed brow and she is finding it difficult to choose which fork in the road to take on her journey of life!

When we sat down and talked, I could see the pain in her eyes and feel that the energy in her body was at its lowest ebb, she spoke of ‘her life, her sorrow and her despair’ and her real uncertainty of where her life was taking her!

Negativity was in each word and each sentence, everything she spoke about and every thing in her life right now had a negative tone or emotion attached, her unhappiness was being controlled by her ego and the negativity was building a wall right around her, holding her captive and playing with her mind, her life and her future.

Deep down inside, in her subconscious mind, her ego mind, maybe in previous lives or old karma attached to her was a deeper problem, a problem that was holding her back, a problem or a past experience, / series of experiences that were now coming to the forefront of her mind and stopping her in her tracks. These past emotions were so strong that she was totally lost, contemplating her life, her relationship and her very future with her husband and her baby!

I listened and questioned and allowed her to speak out the words of unhappiness, her anger and feeling of loneliness, her fear of the future, her fear and hatred for all that is in her life right now, I asked her to think back and think of when these feelings commenced and how she felt when the feelings started, what brought on this change in her life. Questions were answered with negative responses and emotions were negative at every point, the fact that the love between her and her husband had started at the birth of their child, the gap widened, the distance between them as a loving couple became greater every day, the sleepless nights took their tool on both of them, the relationship changed as they now both felt trapped and no longer did they have a life together as a couple, she followed her tradition, she followed her parents, she listened to her friends, socialised only with her friends, she started to lead a separate life away from her husband and her baby was just a part of married life and what was expected of her. She worked late most nights, maybe as an excuse to be away from home as much as possible, she socialised with group friends as and when required but she passed off her baby as often as possible, socialising as was expected of her and playing mummy as was expected of her, but deep down inside was her screaming child, her inner-self, trying to break free of all that was controlling her, holding her down and keeping her captive…Her life, in her minds eye had been taken away, she was no longer that young girl, care free, with no worries or cares in the world, a fun and loving partner and wife and friend to many…In her eyes she no longer had a life, so she needed to break free, break free of these chains that held her down, the marriage that was holding her captive, the child that had taken her young life away, to walk away from her promising career, to walk away from it all, with no plan, no cares… she was ‘LOST’

We discussed love and happiness and she said she has no love, she needs love and she wants happiness in her life, and she needed to break free, to go out into the world and start anew, to look for love, for happiness and a new life….I told her, love and happiness is ‘within’ and unless you can love your self you cannot attract love from outside, happiness also starts from within. Positivity leads to positivity and it attracts positivity, her life right now is full of negativity, she expels negativity and anger and hatred in her words, her actions and her aura, and we need to work on changing this so she sends out positivity, love and happiness, we need to build up that confidence, her child like previous self, one of which was loved by many, the happy smile she once had needs to come back to her face, the furrowed brow replaced with a radiance of love and light. We can do this together, we can make this change, we will make this change, love will shine once again in your heart, you will be happy, you will have a smile, you will reclaim your life, your relationship with your husband will repair and you will love your baby together as a family once more….you will…. you will 🙂

This my dear friends is the start of my friends new journey of life, she has chosen to take the road of family life once again, I will help and guide her along the way and she is supported by the light of God, the ascended masters, healers, and angelic beings at each and every step along the way, all she needs to do is accept that she is love , love is within her, happiness is within her and the support of her husband and child is ‘Always’ with her.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Channelled Mantra and Mandala

Published 27/04/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

Channeled Mandala & Mantra OTC Lesson 1(1)

My Dear friends,

As you know I have been absent from my blog for the past few weeks dealing with some family issues and I have also embarked on a wonderful year long spiritual program which is also taking up a lot of my spare time, and although time consuming its benefits to me spiritually have already been immense. I will over time give you further details of this program and also share with you some of my journey within the next 12 months 🙂

During the start of the program we were asked to connect our light channel, align and fully open our chakras and open our heart to ‘Source’ and ground this connection deeply with Mother Earth, this I did and once my heart was fully open I started to channel pure love and pure source energy from ‘Source / God’. Many wonderful things happened to me on this initial journey as I connected to Source, Ascended Masters, My Spiritual Guides, Healers and Angelic beings, whilst in meditation and during the journey with my higher self I channelled the following Mandala and Mantra which I hand drew and painted after the meditation session, I do hope you like them and also feel the positive energy and unconditional love that were shared with me from above that day 🙂

Blessings of Love and light to you all

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Touching base with your Heart & Trusting your Intuition

Published 06/03/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

018-Self-Reflection-1280x1024

Touching base with your heart and your soul, easy?…… No!….Achievable?…Yes! 🙂

Our lives are so full of madness…time, the clock, rushing here, rushing there, eating while watching tv, reading the news, checking and responding to emails….working, parenting, relationships,’…their up’s and down’s…children and our fear for their future, challenges at work, career prospects, learning, financial difficulties….Is it all doom and gloom?….Only if you let it be!

I too have been a victim of all these things, my life has been filled with education, doing better, achieving more, working hard, working harder, working more hours, doing more of everything, wanting more of everything, buying for the sake of buying, mounting debt problems, children, the worries of being a parent, relationship challenges, divorce, grieving for the loss of loved ones, changing careers, re-educating myself, starting again, fighting to survive, living on the breadline, finding new love, emerging from the flames, being born again, awakening to the realities of life, becoming aware of what is important in life, caring from the heart, wanting to see change in our world, fighting for change, being frustrated that I cannot do enough, or make change happen overnight…an on; and on the cycle goes….So now what?…Where am I and what does the future hold?

Should I give up, should I buckle down and follow the pack, work every hour god sends, chase the dreams of others, or follow my heart, live in the ‘now’, do as ‘I’; my soul, my higher self wants?….

A dilemma felt by many….., choices…which way to go?…

The choice is yours, either be controlled or be in control….

I choose life, I choose to live in the now, to work in ‘Mindfulness’ of the other sometimes more important things in my life, for my family, for our future, for humanity, for our environment, for Mother Earth, for others less fortunate than I, I choose to serve for the betterment of my self, for my soul. My heart is now free, free to choose which way to go, I listen to my heart, I trust my intuition, I listen with Empathy to others with the intent to understand, and I place my feet firmly down on my own spiritual pathway, the journey which leads me through life with a smile; not a burden of weight placed upon my shoulders by others who want to control my destiny.

Be ‘Mindful’ my dear friends, live your life according to your own destiny, allow yourself the luxury right to enjoy your life to the full, take time out for yourself, connect with your heart and soul through meditation, free your mind from the distractions of modern life, see life as it really is and start enjoying each and every day to the full, see the blueness of the sky or if your sky is grey; see the blueness of the sky up above the clouds, watch the sun rise and set, see the smiles of the children around you , reconnect with your inner child, smile, always smile and breathe….just breathe 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

 

 

Spiritual or Religious, Which are you?

Published 04/03/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

spiritual-but-not-religious

Interesting graphic from Ken Wilber and one in which I am sure is and will continue to be a very controversial topic.

I would love to know your thoughts and which side of the fence you personally sit on so here is a short poll for you to complete.

Do You Know Your Yin from Your Yang?

Published 28/02/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

My Dear Friends,

Living in China and having a long personal history of martial arts, Chinese history, culture and my own spiritual practice embedded in China for the past fifty years, has; over the years made me very interested in Daoism/Taoism, Lao Tzu/ Lao Zi, the Dao De Jing/Tao Te Ching, I Ching..there are so many ways they are represented globally 🙂 The difference between Daojia 道家 , Taoist Philosophy and Daojiao 道教, Daoist Religion brings even more confusion to the western world let alone understanding the I Ching (The Book of Change), the oracle of fortune, a guide to success and a dispensary of wisdom. The ancestor of all Chinese philosophy, it is the primary source for the pragmatic mysticism of the Tao Te Ching, the rational humanism of Confucius, and the analytic strategy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War and of course the wonderful Yin 酓 Yang 昜 in traditional Chinese and Yin阴Yang 阳 in modern simplified Chinese.

Yin_Yang_art

Yin is the black side with the white dot in it, and yang is the white side with the black dot in it. The relationship between yin and yang is often described in terms of sunlight playing over a mountain and a valley. Yin (literally the ‘shady place’ or ‘north slope’) is the dark area occluded by the mountain’s bulk, while yang (literally the ‘sunny place’ or ‘south slope’) is the brightly lit portion. As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually trade places with each other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed.

Yin is characterised as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity , and nighttime.

Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime.

Yin and yang applies to the human body. In traditional Chinese medicine good health is directly related to the balance between yin and yang qualities within oneself. If yin and yang become unbalanced, one of the qualities is considered deficient or has vacuity.

Anyways, I could go on forever trying to explain Yin Yang, The Dao/Tao so I thought I would share with you this very short cartoon animated Ted Talk video explaining Yin Yang, I hope you enjoy it and that it will inspire you to learn more about Daoism 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Prioritising Solutions to Your Problems

Published 27/02/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

fish-out-of-water

Chinese Wisdom:

Once there was a man walking along a empty road. Suddenly he heard a feeble cry. He looked around but saw nothing. Thinking he heard nothing, he continued to walk along. Once more he heard the faint cry. This time the call was nearby. He searched high and low, and found the sound was coming out of a little fish lying in a drying pond, his mouth was bubbling.

That fellow looked at the fish strangely and asked: “Was that you who were just calling me? Did you need my help? “

The small fish looking suppliant at the man gasping and breathless said, “Please save me quickly, I am dying, I need water. I am not a normal fish, rather I am the eastern sea dragon’s official.  Please give me a little water.”

That person hearing this quickly nodded his head and said: “I understand, I will immediately go to the south and let the southern king direct a river to here so that you can swim and return to the eastern sea.”

The fish angrily cried out, “Can a fish live out of water? I am only in need of a little water. Your idea is pointless. I think that the next time you see me will be in a shop that sells dried fish. “

Moral : Sometimes an “ideal” solution isn’t practical because it requires too much time in a time-critical situation.

Enjoy your weekend and don’t overthink too much, sometimes the solution to your life’s problems is easier than your mind will allow you to believe.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Connecting With and Understanding Yourself…. Enjoying Your Life To The Full

Published 26/02/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

031-Self-Reflection-1280x1024

Understanding Self:

Getting to understand yourself, is an art form that many never achieve in their lifetime, many people believe they know who they are but actually they don’t have the slightest clue!

How often do you shut your self away from the world, and by shutting away I don’t mean going to the top of the Himalaya’s and sitting in a cave by yourself for ten years 🙂 What i mean is; do you switch off from the world each day, do you set yourself time each day to have no interruptions, in a room with just you, no tv, no radio, no newspapers, books, magazines, no phone, no computer,no electronics, no people, no children, nothing to disturb your time with yourself?

150113_10152174819390247_379393902_n

It’s not easy at first, setting aside time in what you probably believe is already a fully scheduled day, getting up, shower, breakfast, dressing for school, work or getting yourself and or your children ready for your day, attending back to back meetings, dropping the kids to school, picking them up, taking them to after school activities, checking homework, making dinner, eating dinner, bathing and dressing the children, putting them to bed, watching tv, reading a book, getting yourself ready for bed…etc, etc, the list is endless, or so we all believe!

We just don’t have any time in our lives for ourself!

Wrong!

It’s your life, you can make choices re your life, you are the master of your schedule and you, only you can make the time! After all, it’s certainly in your own best interest to make time for yourself, your body needs this time, your mind needs this time and your heart certainly needs this time! So why is it we are so bad at setting time for ourselves?….Well, we feel guilty, that’s why! We feel that we are being self indulgent by setting ‘valuable’ time aside just for ourselves,…..Bullsh*t (sorry for the bad language my dear friends)……., take it from me…STOP IT, NOW!, Set up time each and every day to give yourself quality time on your own, start small, it can be 10 minutes per day at first, try this for a few days then increase your time slowly to 15, 20,30 minutes, or even better 45 minutes or an hour, but make sure you set your schedule, set your time, your phone whatever to remind you to go and enjoy time with yourself, don’t give up on yourself, keep the commitment to this time each and every day and I guarantee you will start to know yourself so much better than you do right now, you will have no external influences, just you, your time is your own for you, only you and your meditation, reflections on who you are, where your life is right now and where you want to be, this quality time will enhance your levels of understanding for others, you will be more empathetic towards yourself and to others, your life will benefit from the quality time you give yourself…TRUST ME… give it a try, if you need help, I’m here to help you, if you need help with meditations, just let me know and i will send you some to help you along the way, but please, please my friends…get in touch with yourself and start to enjoy the rest of this life 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

032-Self-Reflection-1280x1024

The Gayatri Mantra, Meditation & Mantra for the Soul

Published 17/02/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

The Gayatri Mantra.

Its Meaning: ” We meditate on the glory of the creator, who has created the Universe, who is worthy of worship, who is the embodiment of knowledge and light, who is the remover of all sin and ignorance, may he enlighten our intellect.”

Listening to this Mantra especially under meditation gives you Peace.

This is what Swami Sivananda had to say about this supreme Mantra. ” Gayatri is the mother of the Vedas and the destroyer of sins. There is nothing more purifying on the Earth, as well as in the Heavens than the Gayatri. The Japa (chanting) of Gayatri brings the same as the recitation of all the four Vedas together.”

I hope this Mantra brings you Peace my friends.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Going with the Flow of Life

Published 16/02/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

zen

Do not struggle with life.
Go with the flow of things,
and you will find yourself
at one with the
mysterious unity of the universe.

Self observation brings man to the
realisation of the necessity of self change.
And in observing himself
a man notices that self observation itself
brings about certain changes in his
inner processes.
He begins to understand that
self observation
is an instrument of self change,
a means of
awakening.

and remember..

You are never alone or hopeless
during your life’s journey.
The force that guides the stars
guides you too.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Fear and Love

Published 03/02/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

IMG_5219

Fear and Love

Life can be unpredictable, so we worry about things going wrong, and sometimes our worries can become sever anxieties. We fear possible accidents and imaginary disasters, even though they will probably never come to pass. In extreme cases, such fears can be debilitating.

There is an answer put forward by Lao Tzu in the Tao. Fear is like darkness in the mind. When it grows out of balance, it becomes a terror that can completely warp your thinking. Fortunately, it is not difficult to counter the power of this darkness by turning your awareness to love.

Love is the illumination of life. It brightens your world, warms you up and gives you strength. You can do anything you set your mind to, when its brilliance energises your thoughts and actions. There can be no darkness or fear when you walk the Tao with love lighting your way. Always walk the light.

Whenever you feel the darkness of fear closing in on you, turn to the light. Who do you love? ‘ Fix that person and your love for them in your minds eye and hold that love in your heart’ It is that essence of love that is at the core of your very existence, and that is what makes it infinitely more powerful than fear. Use its illumination to banish the darkness from your life and live with joy and love in your heart once again.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Moganshan Mountain

Published 02/02/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

IMG_7208

My Dear Friends,

For the past three days we have been at the top of Moganshan Mountain in Zhejiang Province China, meditating and enjoying the fresh mountain air in the snow and bamboo forests. Its been a joyous weekend up high in the mountains, connected with mother nature and at peace with the world, filled with happiness, smiles and laughter one in which I will remember for a lifetime:) I have attached a few photos from the weekend, hope you enjoy them.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

IMG_7355

IMG_7117

IMG_7358

IMG_7084

IMG_7116

IMG_7280

IMG_7103

IMG_7227

IMG_7221

IMG_7066

IMG_7080

IMG_7068

IMG_7070

IMG_7228

IMG_7239

IMG_7326

temple roofs

IMG_7249

me

Published 29/01/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

friends-large

Friendship.

What does it mean to you?

Can you be friends with your family?

Can you be friends with your spouse?

Can you really be friends with your colleagues?

How about friendships with your animals?

To me, they are all friends, my heart is open to all and I will take on many new friends as they come into my life. Some come into my life and stay, and some go, they move on with their life’s journey when it takes them on to new pastures. I too move on, some friends have been with me forever, some i have not seen for years but they are still true friends and they would be here for me in a moments need, I too would be there for them whatever the time of day, the time to get there and cost is irrelevant because I would get there as soon as i can. Friendships with family, often challenging but the love is there no matter the challenge.

Friendship is to be worked on with many or as simple as simple can be, with few words exchanged, you both go on with life knowing the other completely and loving each other unconditionally, without the need for words. Being there for your friend and listening without judgement is so special and appreciated by the other, which in turn will repay itself at a later date..no time limit needed 🙂

How often do we recognise our friends, how often do we tell them how much they are loved and appreciated? Often not enough as we take the relationship/s for granted, they are always there, we are always there but sometimes a hug, a quick call, a note of appreciation is all it takes to say…

“I love you my friend, you are so much appreciated in my life, thanks for being there for me” 🙂

So, my dear friends, thank you for being a part of my life, we may never meet face to face, but you are all true friends, your support of my blog is so appreciated and your kind words, comments and faves give me the spirit to do more, to help more people, to continue on with my spiritual journey and make my life and yours a better life, each and every day.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

The New ABC’s Attention, Balance, Compassion

Published 27/01/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

Mindfulness.

I’m a Mindfulness practitioner and teacher myself but although Mindfulness is a word commonly used and many people say they are Mindfulness practitioner’s, life coaches etc, may are not! Also, many people ask me what Mindfulness is and how it can be useful for them,their family, their children, their employees, their teams etc so I thought I would share this short TedX video by Susan Kaiser Greenland, her talk explains the simple meaning of Mindfulness into a new learning process “Teaching The New ABC’s, Attention, Balance and Compassion.

I do hope you like this short video and that it will bring you a greater understanding of how Mindfulness could fit into your life and the life of your family,friends and workplace.

If yo need any help, please let me know.

Namaste with Love
Always

Mark