Tag: Being Present

You Are The Journey

What if we have had it all wrong? What if you are not on a journey and have never been? What if there is no end destination? What if one tiny shift in perception and attitude could lead to full radiance, illumination and brilliance? Here it is... You are not on a journey... YOU ARE THE JOURNEY. Have you bought into an idea that you are here to reach something, set goals, live out an agenda and attain status? Do you create intentions and repeat affirmations? Are you running forward, trying to escape the things that are behind you, aspiring…

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Avikal Costantino

3 Steps to Becoming Present

Take your time; there is no other time. Even when everything seems to accelerate beyond control - especially then - take your time. Time does not exist as an objective thing; it depends completely on your perception and your connection with yourself. If you are present, in touch with how you experience reality and open to what you are experiencing, then you are the master of time, not its slave. How do we do that? The method is simple: it has a few basic steps that require no particular skills, talents or techniques. It is called "practicing presence". I imagine…

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Letting Your Inner Sun Out

We’ve all felt it, walking out of yoga class, looking at the mountains, strolling by the ocean. With our attention mobilized, another dimension opens for us, just as we are, right where we are. Suddenly, we are living in intense present-moment awareness. Life can be difficult, but the light of consciousness can be in us! Everything we need is here inside. With a receptive attention, we can perceive the subtle energy animating us. A sacred energy is coming into us at every instant, just hidden from our usual mind. Recognizing its touch takes us from self-awareness across the threshold into…

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From Survive to Thrive

What matters is living life fearlessly from your authentic self by embracing happiness and love. You have an option in every moment. You can suffer—from worries, stress and anxieties that are woven into the fabric of everyday life—or choose empowerment. Breathe deeply, dance wildly, sing to the sparrows or indulge in hilarious laughter. Take brief respites from your endless list of tasks and drop into stillness. The spacious silence is a profound place to reawaken your intuition, creativity and life force. Instead of reacting from a jumble of emotions, develop inner calmness and shift from survive to thrive! Even in the…

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Allow Today to Unfold as it Should

Embrace what is. Let go of any notion of what should be. You believe in the power of positive thought. You have learned to anchor yourself in the morning. You pray. You meditate when you rise. You do your yoga stretches. You envision the graceful unfolding of your day, a day in which you experience joy and are of service to the world. These are all terrific habits. Sometimes, however, the universe has other things in store. Better yet, sometimes what the universe has planned for us is better than anything we have envisioned for ourselves. Even if what unfolds does not…

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Searching for Happiness? Try Living in the Moment

I believe true happiness must come from within. And in order to “make peace” within ourselves, we must try our best to live in the moment, every moment of the day. Mastering the art of living in the moment takes courage. Having awareness of the fact that most of our thoughts are held captive in the past or anxiously awaiting the future is the first step to freedom. How do we live in the moment? By awakening to the present, clearing away our illusions or the “dust in our eyes” that cloud our ability to see what is real. Here…

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How You Can Prepare For Your Destiny

No matter what life scenarios or predicaments you're in, just think of two words... adventure, adventure. We've heard the song, "Que será será, whatever will be, will be." Yet whatever is going to be, doesn't always have to become what is expected. Fate, destiny, karma, miracles, chi (qi), the Force... they're all intangibles in the invisible energies of the world/universe, yet their narratives, stories and conclusions are as visible as the ways they've been written and lived. We can't stop the next day from happening, yet if you're willing to work hard, you can prepare for the days ahead knowing…

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Access Your Good!

I found a truly remarkable book by John Randolph Price that helped me to move forward in my spiritual life at a time I needed guidance. This article is a summary of that book entitled The Manifestation Process: 10 Steps to the Fulfillment of Your Desires by John Randolph Price, A Quartus Book Publication. I asked Mr. Price's permission to print this summary and it was granted to me. I have found his book to be very inspiring in my life and in sharing it with others through my workshops, seminars and lectures, we've all been blessed. If you practice or go through…

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Flowing With The River Of Life

Imagine walking through the woods when suddenly you begin to hear the sounds of running water. The sound touches you like music. It calls to you. Then imagine coming out of the trees and finding yourself standing on the banks of a stream that is cascading over moss-covered boulders. Pause for a moment and allow that image to nourish you. Why does moving water touch us so deeply? It may be because water flows! To watch a river is to see a glimpse into what Life is really like – a great river of dancing energy that has been flowing and…

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How To Be Held By The Earth

Spring has arrived, and I invite you to take some time in this magical season to truly connect with the Earth. You are the Earth. Your bones are made out of particles that were once a part of mountains. Your cells are surrounded and penetrated by the ocean. The breath that moves through you once moved through mighty cedar trees and baby pandas. And all the plants and herbs that you partake of come from a love affair with the sun! To connect with the Earth is to remember that you are a part of the mysterious and awesomely creative…

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How to Achieve Ultimate Success

The ultimate success has nothing to do with money... Or career. It's not the car you drive. The size of your home. The gold and diamonds you collected. The ultimate success has nothing to do with material accomplishment and gain. It has nothing to do with anything outside of you. The ultimate success is to feel joy exactly where you are right now. No matter what your external life looks like. No matter your situation. The ultimate joy is to be complete and whole in this very moment. No matter who you are or where you are or why you…

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An Invitation For The New Year

It's that time of the year again…that time when you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and decide how you want your life to be in the new year. We call this a New Year’s resolution. Now I ask you, have your resolutions ever really worked? We keep on rising to the challenge of resolutions and yet in the past, most of them have faded by the middle of January!  The reason why they don’t work is in the definition of the word resolution: “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” Resolutions are all about doing because they are made…

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7 Simple Reminders to Bring You Back to Soul Space 

So often, we get carried away in the human-ness of our lives. We forget kindness, love, patience, understanding and forgiveness. We forget our interconnectivity. We forget to trust, to have faith. We forget to stop, be mindful and appreciate. Absorbed in dramas, negativity or stress, for example, we spiral into and get trapped in the ego's lair. Sometimes we need a reminder of why we are here, and some simple guidance to bring us back to our Soul, our Self. We are here to experience life in the physical world. We chose our physicality, what we would be born into,…

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How You can Recognize Fear and Be Present

Allowing yourself to be exactly as you are is such an important part of awakening. Author Jeff Foster, who is an amazing voice of consciousness in the world, talks a lot about acceptance and allowing. He says, “You do not have the power to accept this moment. You do have the power to allow it. This moment does not ask for your acceptance. It is already the way it is.” Jeff is saying that whatever is showing up in your life has already been accepted by life. It is all okay because whatever is happening is exactly as it should.…

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As Is, I’m Here

During a weekend recently three big challenges came up for me and and I used one of my favorite mantras over and over again, “As Is, I’m Here.”  Saying “As Is” reminds you of the willingness to allow yourself to be exactly as you are in this moment. It invites you to let go of struggling with whatever is (your usual mode), so you can move into the place of healing that comes from allowing yourself to be exactly as you are. “I’m Here” reminds you to be keenly attentive to what is, in a way that invites your heart to be open to…

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Milestones… or Memories?

I've observed a theme throughout life, as I reached adolescence and beyond.  This "theme" or pattern probably begins in our 20s, and I've observed it happen time and again to people in their 30s, 40s and 50s.  Though I have yet to personally hear of this experience from someone in their 60s or older, I am most positive it must occur to them, as well.  I am pretty confident it has the potential to make its way into every stage of our life. So what is this pattern, exactly? It is... milestones.  As we approach any new chapter - in particular, birthdays -…

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Harry’s Perfect Moment, A Tale of Practical Enlightenment

It was a Monday morning and Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed. He knew something was different, but he had no idea that today he would have a “perfect” moment. Donning his cotton robe, Harry made his way to the kitchen and started his day like he always did by preparing breakfast for his wife and two young sons. He got out the usual supplies – knife, cutting board, bowl and fruit – and laid them on the butcher-block center island. Suddenly the morning took a new twist. There was a break in his routine. The…

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Welcome Yourself Exactly As You Are

Welcoming means accepting yourself exactly as you are and also accepting life exactly as it unfolds. It is the ability to allow all of it, including all the parts of yourself and your life that you don’t like, and letting it all flow without getting hooked into the stories created by your mind. Welcoming is not trying to make your life any different than it is.  Easier said than done, right? I know it's not always easy to welcome and accept life, especially your challenges, because you have been conditioned to continuously judge yourself and others. This is the inner voice…

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Do You See What You’re Missing?

My eyesight, or lack thereof, has always taught me lessons. Back in 2008 and in my recent book, From Type A to Type Me: How to Stop “Doing” Life and Start Living It, I shared my experiences of having poor eyesight before receiving my first glasses. I learned a lot about myself through my microscopic view of the world due to my near-sightedness. Then, once I had the right glasses, I began to see the beauty and interconnectedness of the world. Now my eyes are ready to teach me the next lesson. A few years back I received Lasik surgery. For…

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How You can Find Healing that Lasts

How would your life change if you trusted that your challenges are a part of your journey home – back to yourself and back to Life – instead of feeling that your challenges are here because you have done something wrong or you are being punished or God fell asleep on the job? What would happen if your illness, your difficult relationship, your demanding boss, your compulsions, and maybe even your troublesome dog were showing up in your life to help you heal? The healing you long for comes when you discover how to play the warmer, warmer/colder, colder game. Remember that…

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Allow Kindness to Heal Your Struggling Self

With the return of my son’s cancer, I have had lots of opportunities to be with fear and despair.   Sharing this journey with my son has taken me to a deeper level of presence than I have ever known. My body has been a very dear friend throughout this fierce process, especially my belly and my breath. Whenever I am caught in the fear-based mind, sometimes all I can do is soften my belly and allow a deeper breath. The belly is one of the best biofeedback mechanisms we have.  If it is tight, we are up in our…

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