Follow Your Heart and it Will Lead You to Ecstasy

Stop for a moment. Or two. Just stop everything and stretch beyond your daily routine. You are more than your job. More than your circumstances. You are pure energy. You are pure ecstatic energy and love. Yes, you are love. And that love comes from within.

Do you feel the beat? Do you hear the voice? Are you listening?

Sometimes its only in moments of stillness that we find the quiet whisper of our heart.

It speaks to us in vibrations of love. It tells us what our dreams are, makes us realize that we need to get up and go make them happen, and it stares us straight in our soul to tell us what we need to let go of. Because that shit is too heavy to keep around.

It tells us what we need to face. Where we need to heal. And trust me, sometimes being in stillness forces us to see the messy bits, the painful bits and the bits that hurt like hell. But when we can practice the courage to be with those bits, love them and move through them, we are truly free. Its when we practice the courage to surrender to our truth and let go that we realize is ain't so bad. When we are able to be okay with what comes up from inside, we are able to truly heal, move past and let go.
 
All the answers we are looking for lie within. It's really just a matter of taking the time to slow down and open up. I literally create space in my schedule where nothing is planned. Time to embrace uncertainty and allow truth to come up. If we are constantly in "making things happen" mode, our truth can't catch up with us. It's in moments of freedom, space and uncertainty that we receive.

Finding balance in our life demands that we create space for both certainty, planning and goals as well as uncertainty. The two actually compliment each other. We need to slow down to find our truth, re calibrate, reconnect, disconnect from the voices around us to hear our call for adventure. And then we need the action and planning to make the adventure happen. The best adventures are the callings from our heart. So let's begin this one.

Are you ready?

Do This During Tough Times

During every tough time, we need to first of all remind ourselves that we all experience pain, joy, loss, ups and downs. This is the cycle of the life. We are not alone. In fact, it is through our vulnerabilities that we unite.

And really, the most powerful thing we can do when shit happens or when we feel like a mess, it to surrender to the mess. Yes, I said it. Surrender to the mess, love it, embrace it, let go, trust and reach out to the people who are worthy of holding space for your story. This is literally a process I've experienced enough to know that it not only works, but its how we grow and find the light in whatever situation we are going through. When we let go, we literally allow space to heal and for the answers to come.

Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes we don't see the purpose or lesson behind an experience until later. These words by Steve Jobs emphasize the point I'm trying to make here. It's absolutely brilliant.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path; and that will make all the difference."

So we really need to trust. Trust that everything happens for a reason. Trust that we will always have the tools we need to handle any given situation. That if we slow down and look within, we will find all the answers. And we need to let go and trust that in allowing ourselves to embrace whatever we are going through, no matter how shitty or messy or painful, that this too is a season. That it will pass. But for now, we can be present with it. We can open up with compassion. And find that when we do this, we are free.

Meditation has really taught me this. In a recent group meditation class I participated in, I was grateful for the space to realize what we sometimes forget when we live in a fast-paced city like Toronto.While we have thoughts and we are able to choose the thoughts that feel the best, we are not our thoughts.

We are more than our thoughts.

During meditation, we focus on the breath and tune into our body. We become present. We let go of judgement and just observe our thoughts without becoming too involved in their meaning. Just observing with compassion. At some point during practice, we find ourselves in a space that is more than the stories of our mind. Call it spirit, space or transcendence, what I've found to be the most powerful experience is to see how fulfilling and enough the present moment is. Creating space from our busy lives to slow down and be in the present moment, we are able to be more present throughout the day, live more simply and be more clear about whats most important to us.

And most importantly, we find more freedom.