Tag Archives: Meditation

How can one balance aspects of self?

Posted on May 17, 2014 | Leave a comment

Medicine wheel2 Recently I enjoyed viewing a “Coles Notes” explanation of the a Medicine Wheel from a fellow Canadian in Alberta. This Elder was connecting with a troubled youth through the act of walking. There was not a direct focus on any issues. I observed through their discussion that the Elder was very aware of this youth and their needs through their behavior and unspoken expression. Rather than being direct and telling the youth anything, it was through guidance and modelling. The Elder began sharing the concept of the Medicine Wheel and encouraged the youth to walk, enter and stop in the center. The explanation of the Medicine Wheel was subtle and included the four directions, north, south, east and west. There was also mention of the balance of the four aspects of self for connecting to ones center.

Viewing this was a revelation and it was exciting to recognize the similarities to the core principles in the integrative centering and wellness tools offered in the getting InTouch programs at Inside. These include levels of experiencing integration from the outside in. These include

guidance versus telling,
mentoring versus teaching,
modeling versus telling and not walking it oneself in reality,
experiencing patterns versus fixing it.

The wellness tools are for creating an open learning mindfulness versus a closed mind that knows everything. The difference:

Becoming comfortable within oneself leads to acceptance and expansion beyond experiences into deeper relationships.

Staying in the discomfort of always knowing the answer, in fear of feeling, leads to a *struggle. Being right creates disconnection from all things.

*The struggle is keeping the walls of power up that come from being right.

One way to experience balancing aspects of self with Inside is through sharing a Labyrinth Walk. If you compare the following labyrinth design with the Medicine Wheel above you will see the similarities. Listening to the Elder share his Medicine Wheel with the youth I was able to hear very similar guidance of sharing a labyrinth walk with others. I was thrilled to experience the connectedness between these ancient patterns!

Chartres 11 Circuit Labyrinth

Other ways to experience balancing aspects of self with Inside tools and techniques:

Subtle Inner Connecting

Awareness through Movement©
Conscious Movement
Sharing the Labyrinth (similarities to a Medicine Wheel)
Nature Walking
Meditation/Contemplation

Deepening Inner Connections

Guidance with the Spoken Word
Functional Integration©

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©by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP, May, 2014

Feldenkrais® Practitioner since 2007, Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement since 2000

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Empty Mind in Action ~ Growing Relationships

Posted on October 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Chogum Trungpa Rinpoche, originally from Tibet, taught North Americans a structure to experience mindfulness in meditation. A structure to occupy the mind and body with focus of attention in a particular way to encourage the mind to slow down to have freedom from thought driven action.

The structure in meditation is particular. You enter into a room with reverence, sit on a cushion that has a mat between it and floor. You have a choice of sitting in two or three positions. When you sit you notice your thoughts and practice labeling them, “thinking.” You follow your breath outwards counting for cycles of 10 breathes. As you sit you notice when your thoughts wander off and then as soon as you notice this you simply bring yourself back to the pattern of breathing and observing your breath. Your eyes are aimed 6 feet in front of you down towards the floor and an you begin to sense the environment. Sitting begins at a cycle of 20 minutes, walking mediation for 10 and back to sitting for 20 minutes. For a retreat the 20 minutes stretches into longer periods of time. The purpose is to begin to have an experience of empty space between the thoughts. An experience quite unlike a mind driven experience.

Sharing Awareness through Communication workshops based on world recognized models for communicating and development, a dawning realization is for the need of a similar structure. Chogyam was sharing that the mind needs attention and a structured system of focusing it to participate, not dominate. Our series of classes has evolved into realizing this same need for structure with a purpose of giving the mind space between thoughts and allowing it room for participating, not dominating. This then deepens the quality. Therefore it isn’t the quantity of thoughts and filling up the silence that matters, it’s the quality that becomes recognizable. Therefore a growing mindfulness can come from learning while developing a lite quality of curiosity in studying one’s own behavior.

A recent comment, “When I hold onto the thoughts in my mind that want to jump out and only share back what I am hearing from my friend, my friend shares more. I am getting to know more about this person and I thought I already knew everything about them. They are also speaking from a deeper place.”

Learning opportunities to discover for yourself how to improve your relationships with clarity and developing mindfulness, western style, are available. For more explore the classes listed, inquire about presentations, workshops and coaching. There are organized group classes, classes designed with your needs in mind, online classes and private sessions for coaching and improving your relationships.

The only way to change is action

Effective Movement Posture and Awareness with Life Mentoring Programs Available:←

1st Phase of Integration – Getting Started (Introduction & Pattern)

2nd Phase of Integration – Getting Intouch (Experiencing & Connection)

3rd Phase of Integration – Integration (Embodiment)

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by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP @ Inside Awareness, Living in Natures Love Blog

& Renee Lindstrom Live

Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, Functional Integration®, are registered service marks of Feldenkrais Guild® of North America. Feldenkrais Method®

Drawing a West Coast Sand Labyrinth

Posted on August 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP @ Inside Awareness

Walking through a sand labyrinth for the first time may bring you an unexpected quality that could increase your experience of joy and renew your romance with life along our coastlines.

After drawing and creatively decorating a sand labyrinth it will be time to simply enter the walk. Walking the labyrinth pathway, your attention may be drawn inward, increasing your focus on what’s in front of you. This is when you may begin to notice the simple beauties of beach life that sometimes gets lost in the vastness of the bigger view. For example, tiny bird footprints, a shell embedded in the sand and seaweed sitting softly on top.

These bits of life may jump deeper into awareness in this type of meditative walk creating a deeper sense of expanded connection to your senses in some way.

If you are planning a beach event or simply find yourself with time at the beach, consider this an opportunity to deepen your connection with our coastal life.

Read more on drawing a sand labyrinth:

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