“To fly”

“This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet.”

 Rumi

Bringing Love Back

In the office organizing fall workshop, events & classes and meeting to plan & create 2015’s Winter Schedule, my thoughts go back to setting Inside Awareness goals for 2014. (defined below) It appears this intention was set and forgotten in the blur of  living my business. Reflecting and an aha moment!  Bringing Love Back and my mind goes to:

  • Yesterday, (06/23) and receiving an invitation to place a colorful heart shaped labyrinth on the lawn of our B.C. Legislature in support of Peace, followed by an offer to film it to show on local T.V. Station’s regular programming
  • Last Saturday (06/21) supporting World Refugee Day with a heart shaped labyrinth at celebrations held at Main Branch of Victoria’s Regional Library
    • Beginning of June hosting a Labyrinth Workshop and hearing how a participant will use if for resolving differences in long-standing conflict.
    • Creating heart shaped labyrinth at Creative United Festival
    • Introducing Inside love techniques  at a #yyj International Woman’s Day Event
    • Creating first heart-shaped wedding labyrinth for couple’s ceremony.
    • Sharing heart-shaped labyrinth at James Bay Community School Event.
    • Creating a new template for a heart-shaped ceremonial labyrinth with designer and placing it for the first time on #yyj’s Willows Beach.
    • Creating a new series of workshops and classes with a specific  focus on love:  finding love, speaking love and creating love ceremonies!

     Last years intention has become this years reality.  Focus has naturally shifted deeper into inner love and beauty, loving kindness, loving relationships and heart connected communities and heart focused ecology!  

    Stay tuned for more on love offerings from Inside!

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    Bringing ‘Love’ Back Campaign

    Bringing Love Back!

    What is your definition of love?  

    Googling it, here at Inside we  find the following:

    Definition of love

     or:

    • Love is an incredibly powerful word. When you’re in love, you always want to be together, and when you’re not, you’re thinking about being together because……..
    • ……a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. 2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend
    • ……..a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person. : attraction that includes sexual desire : the strong affection felt by people who have a romantic relationship.

    At Inside we have come to describe love as respect, acknowledgment, consideration, affection, trust, safety  support, kindness, being seen and heard, to matter, equality and mutuality, faith, believing, empathy, understanding, autonomy, independence, power in one’s world! To value and to be valued!

    Bringing 'Love' back with Self-Love
    Bringing ‘Love’ back with Self-Love

    Here at Inside the premise is that love’s quality comes from inside and is supported by outside influences.  The love one feels for oneself is a personal achievement that begins with self-value first and then with skill development to support an environment that then supports self-love.  You too can learn the skills to create an environment that loves  and supports you.  Even in conflict!  Yes you have read this right!

    Bringing 'Love' Back - Influences
    Bringing ‘Love’ Back – Influences

    When one meet their own needs for the above values it creates an organic compassion and willingness to have empathy for others.  Rumi’s quote,

    “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field, I will meet you there!”

    SAMSUNG
    Bringing ‘Love’ Back – Self Expression

    Love can be shown for oneself and others and is not dependent only upon intimate relationships.  Love is not simply between two lovers.  It is a natural skill of humankind shared with one another used with the skill of  discernment.  Vulnerability mixed with passion  that you extend to your lover is different than the love you show your children.  The loving kindness you extend to yourself and others outside of your immediate family can vary and is again different!

    At Inside the main principle is that peace, harmony, joy and success begins within one’s balance of mind, body and faith.   These qualities are only available when conscious awareness is focused upon one’s automatic behaviors joined with an attitude of commitment for making change.  Our programs are designed for learning beyond habitual understanding and automatic behavior.  It is designed for waking up your desire and passion.  Techniques are to integrate learning, thinking, communication and body movements.  These are skills for life and allow for a self-image of being who you want to be in the world, not who you don’t want to be!

    BODY, MIND AND CONNECTION PROGRAMS FOR

    INTEGRATION, LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

    • personal development,
    • relationship building
    • marriage and partnership
    • separation support
    • parenting,
    • schools,
    • teens,
    • kids
    • office

    How to experience Inside’s personal programs:

    1. You can book a private appointment in person, online or by phone.
    2. Book workshops for your school, office or center.
    3. Take a group class locally or on-line.
    4. Come to a focused empathy & integration circle
    5. Plan a retreat

Little things?

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

Mother Teresa

Lets take care……

“Let us take care of the children,
For they have a long way to go
Let us take care of the Elders,
For they have come a long way
Let us take care of those in between,
For they are doing the Work.”

Nelson Mandela

Cultural Comparisons poses a question: If we….would it be harder for hierarchical agencies to entrap or beguile us in their insidious planning?

A comparison of cultures came up in a recent group discussion. A member was integrating a system of thinking/talking that could begin to create equality for understanding differences and they compared their culture to ours and identified theirs as being  harder to work with (in this way of making changes).  

This member described the  hierarchical nature of their culture and I recognized that my (Western Canadian) culture does not wear its dominant nature on its sleeve.    I realized that some cultures have a strong hierarchical ancestral self-image that can be witnessed, identified and easily understood.  My culture on the other hand does not outwardly discuss this, nor do we usually have ancestors living in close proximity.

Generally speaking,  our family culture may only focus on the current generation, unlike some cultures that go back generations.  Never the less  our parents and older siblings hold a similar dominant power-over position.  It may be too close an experience with our first family and not identified as in these other cultures where the parents are still experiencing the same behavior as their children!  Therefore it is a shared and discussed more openly with a  developed intellectual understanding and acceptance.  For us,  it is not as easy to understand intellectually in the moment as we lack the shared experience with our parents therefore we do not have anyone to empathize with us. 

I believe that in my Western Canadian Culture it is not unlike a description of Gandhi’s to his grandson on acts of violence.  Gandhi explained that physical violence could be seen and witnessed, therefore addressed.  It was the hidden forms of violence that are insidious acts and harder to define and understand.

Are we as Canadians ready to openly observe and discuss our natures and be identified with more ease?  I am curious, that if we did open up and readily talk about these patterns without the blame, shame and embarrassment (feeling experiences that I don’t see in these other cultures),  if it would make it any harder for hierarchical agencies to entrap or beguile us in their insidious planning.

I love what I do!  Exploring with curiosity is an open door to learning beyond what I think I know!

Value Awareness of the week

getting InTouch - Value - Water

Have you stopped to consider how many times a day you connect with water? Do you mindlessly drink water, shower, wash your hands or flush your toilet?  Take a moment to consider the value of water in your everyday experience.

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by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP,
Feldenkrais® Practitioner since 2007, Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement since 2000
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“Walking for a Prouder Canada”

World Refugee Day – Victoria

Celebrations held at the Victoria Regional Public Library Main Branch

1 – 4 p.m.

The theme of World Refugee Day 2014 is “Walking for a Prouder Canada”. Please join us for this family-friendly event in the courtyard for an afternoon of live music, food, button making, interactive activities, storytelling, walking a labyrinth and more. Presented in partnership with WUSC, VCST, VIRCS and ICA. No registration required.

*A walking labyrinth display will be available during these celebrations!  Come enjoy a new or old walking experience and find out more about Labyrinths!

Main Branch, 735 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC V8W 3H2 – www.gvpl.ca