Karmic Seeds Body Mind & Spirit

Mental strength isn't often reflected in what you do. It's usually seen in what you don't do. Developing mental strength is a "three pronged approach." It's about controlling your:  thoughts  behaviors  emotions  1. They don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves Feeling sorry for yourself is self destructive, indulging in self-pity hinders living a full life. It wastes time, creates negative emotions, and hurts your relationships. The key is to affirm the good in the world, and you will begin to appreciate what you have. The goal is to swap self pity with gratitude. 2. They don’t give away their power. People give away their power when they lack physical and emotional boundaries. You need to stand up for yourself and draw the line when necessary. If other people are in control of your actions, they define your success and self-worth. It's important that you keep track of your goals and work toward them.  3. They do not shy away from cha...

Constructive Rest Position, a powerful practice for anyone with spinal discomfort. by Donna Farhi, co-author of  Pathways to a Centered Body: Gentle Yoga Therapy for Core Stability, Healing Back Pain, and Moving with Ease . A recent collation of several back pain studies in America revealed that 8 out of every 10 Americans will have back problems at some point during their lifetimes, yet only one in ten people find out the primary cause of their pain. A further 54 percent of Americans who experience low back pain spend the majority of their workday sitting, a position that puts tremendous weight load pressures onto the intervertebral discs. Not so coincidentally, sitting for long hours in a chair also causes chronic tightness in the deep core muscles of the body. What are some of the most common warning signals that can help us to identify those that may be having issues with their lower backs? And what are some of the simplest things we ca...

An effective sankalpa is a short, positive, and precise statement about what you wish to attain for yourself and/or for the benefit of all. Pairing and using a Sanskrit mantra with your sankalpa can create a powerful and synergetic force to propel you towards your intention with greater speed, efficiency, and ease. You could use hundreds of sacred power words with a sankalpa, but I’ve discovered four mantras that are especially potent and relevant to use for a New Year’s intention. These four mantras are broad enough in their energetic effects to apply to just about any sankalpa while still being potent and effective. Chanting your chosen mantra as you focus on and work towards your intentions is a powerful practice in itself—but understanding the lesson behind the mantra will accelerate the fulfillment of your goals. Om Gum Ganapataye Namaha Translation:  Om and salutations to Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles. May I be blessed with good luck,...

Daily Inspiration 1/17/16 - Accept Yourself "The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet." — Shunryu Suzuki "Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves the way we are, and why we don’t accept others the way they are." — Don Miguel Ruiz Meditation for the Day:  Notice when your mind wanders into perfectionism.

  October 27, 2016 Permission to Be Real Taking the Risk by  Madisyn Taylor   When we present ourselves to the world without a mask and keep it real, we offer the same opportunity for others to do the same. Most of us are familiar with the idea of keeping it real and have an intuitive sense about what that means. People who keep it real don't hide behind a mask to keep themselves safe from their fear of how they might be perceived. They don't present a false self in order to appear more perfect, more powerful, or more independent. People who keep it real present themselves as they truly are, the good parts and the parts most of us would rather hide, sharing their full selves with the people who are lucky enough to know them.  Being real in this way is not an easy thing to do as we live in a culture that often shows us images of physical and material perfection. As a result, we all want to look younger, thinner, wealthier, and more successful. We are rewarded external...

October 11, 2016 Compulsive Apologies The Feeling Underneath by  Madisyn Taylor Apologizing chronically can be a sign that you are not feeling that you have much self worth. Many people suffer with the tendency to apologize all the time, chronically, for everything. On the one hand, apologizing is a social convention that keeps interactions between people polite, and in that way it can be very helpful. On the other hand, if we find ourselves apologizing for everything, it might be time to look at why we feel compelled to say “I’m sorry” so often. Ultimately, saying you’re sorry is saying that you are responsible for something that has gone wrong in the situation. Whether it’s negotiating a parking spot, moving through the aisles of the supermarket, or reaching for what you want, there are times when sorry is the right thing to say. But there are other times when “excuse me” is more accurate.  Sometimes saying you’re sorry is like saying that the other person in the equ...

Chakras Made Easy by  Sonia Choquette The following is an excerpt from the "Chakras Made Easy" on-line course. If you would like to enroll in the course,  click here . The concept of chakras comes to us from the yogic literature of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, thousands of years ago. Chakras are centers of energy found in everyone, and these centers receive, transform and distribute the universal life force throughout the body. As such, chakras play an important part in our physical, emotional and spiritual health. While the traditional chakra system is made up of seven major chakras and several hundred minor chakras, other systems identify additional chakras located above and beyond the uppermost chakra in the traditional system, known as the Crown Chakra. The system described in this course looks at the seven major chakras and their functions. HOW CHAKRAS WORK Each chakra rotates in a spiral vibration, originating outside our auric field and then flows into ...