Posted by Jill Whalen | Posted in Spiritual Teachings, Thought | Posted on 02-10-2014
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Yesterday while pondering the many forms addiction can take, I suddenly had a “life flashing before my eyes” moment. (Apparently you can have them even when you’re not about to die!) All at once I saw clearly how so many things I’ve done in the past were attempts to seek happiness outside of myself. I realized that my “outside in” way of thinking caused a whole lot of addictive behavior on my part.
Let me back up for a moment, and explain. Read the rest of this entry »
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
To run or not to run…that is the question!
One morning not too long ago, I woke up and wasn’t sure if I was going to run the mile to my yoga class because I had hiked the day before. Rather than making a rational decision in the moment through my intellect, I decided to just let happen whatever happened. A few hours later when my calendar reminder popped up telling me that my class was coming up, I simply got up and got ready just as I usually do, and did the run. In fact, it turned out that rather than feeling tired from the hike, I felt stronger and faster than usual.
The thing is, I didn’t waste my time thinking about it. I just let happen whatever was going to happen without being attached to the outcome. Read the rest of this entry »
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Change Your Thoughts–Change Your Relationships!
Have you ever thought someone was mad at you only to find out they were just worried about something completely unrelated to you?
I remember an experience like that one day many moons ago when I was in college. The hypochondriac in me was worried about some non-existent health issue, and therefore I was being more quiet and introspective than usual. That night as I lay in bed before going to sleep, all of a sudden my roommate burst out, “I’m sorry!” Confused, I asked her what she was sorry for. She answered, “I don’t know, but whatever it is that you’re mad at me for!”
Most people can probably relate to this scenario. When we think that someone is mad at us, we come up with all sorts of things we must have done to piss them off. After all, why would they be so mad if we didn’t do anything wrong. During those times, it all feels so real. My roommate absolutely knew for certain in her head that I was mad at her, and it didn’t feel good. She went through all the feelings she would normally go through if I was in fact mad at her.
In other words, we create entire stories in our heads. Read the rest of this entry »
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Plugged Into Intuition!
We’ve all had “gut feelings” about people or things at some point in our lives. I’m sure you can think of times where you had positive experiences when you listened to your gut, and negative ones when you didn’t.
How many times have you thought something like “I knew shouldn’t have had that extra cookie!” or “If only I had taken my umbrella like I had been thinking of doing!” or “There was just something that wasn’t quite right about him,” etc.?
Yet most days we go through life without paying much attention to that little voice inside us even though it’s always accessible. Read the rest of this entry »
Helping Each Other
A friend of mine was in town recently and told me how she and her brother have been estranged for many years, however, she wanted to try to reunite with him. So she made some kind gestures to him, but he seemed to rebuff them. While she felt hurt by that, she continued to want to try to reunite, as she knew it was one of her father’s last wishes.
When she first told me this story, I had been familiarizing myself with a new understanding of how life works. That is, from the inside out, rather than the outside in. She seemed receptive to hearing my opinion, so I shared with her my understanding as it applied to her situation as best I could. I wasn’t totally confident in my explanations, but what I was saying seemed to make sense and she was definitely grasping it as it applied to her. Read the rest of this entry »
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
The Energy Behind Life
I grew up without any religion.
While my parents are Jewish by birth, other than eating deli and knishes on occasion, I didn’t (and still don’t) know anything about Judaism. There was no talk about God (either for or against) in my house. And very early on I decided that God was simply something people believed in because it provided them with comfort. Religion, I felt (and still do), was necessary to provide some basic guidelines for those who need rules to live by. (They’re the same ones who need rules for SEO, by the way!) Read the rest of this entry »
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Bad Thoughts Equal Bad Feelings
A few months ago I finally grasped a concept that I had been grappling with for quite some time:
Thoughts create feelings not the other way around. The difference between generally happy people, and generally sad (or mad, or whatever) people is their ability understand that simple concept. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week I had some delicious healthy food (ate out at both a vegetarian Indian restaurant and a Moroccan one (not vegetarian), as well as some interesting insights. Here’s some of what I learned:
Monday, Mar. 24, 2014
Tuesday, Mar. 25, 2014
Here’s what I learned last week:
Monday March 17, 2014
- If you start a Meetup group and don’t pay right away, you’ll likely get a 50% off coupon in your email the next day! (I started a local group to find others to discuss the principles of mind, thought and consciousness. If you’re in the Metrowest area of Mass. and are interested, please join in!)
- The 10 Universal Principles of the Yoga Code.
- Sometimes it’s hard to remember that we don’t need to look outside of ourselves for love. Read the rest of this entry »
I learned a lot more this week about Mind, Thought and Consciousness and living “from the inside out” as described by Michael Neill and others. Understanding the principles behind how life actually works can and will transform anyone’s life. I’d love to discuss this understanding with anyone else who’s interested. Feel free to contact me!
Here’s what else I learned last week:
Monday, Mar. 10, 2014
- There’s no psychological trauma that can’t be “cured” by changing your relationship to the memories that originally caused the trauma. – George Pransky (paraphrased).
Read the rest of this entry »
