creative practice, Creativity, instinctive meditation, meditation, Personal Development, Uncategorized

Reimagining Creativity

Text in image reads: “Creativity is more than artistic expression”

Engaging with the creative impulse can enrich both your personal and professional lives. It’s more than thinking outside the box. It’s moving forward as if there never was a box at all.

Instinctive Meditation® is one of the ways to attune to your creative instincts. Engaging with the senses, sharpening your internal and external perceptions, and dropping more readily into a state of relaxed awareness all come into play.

In what ways might you explore creativity in the coming days?

inspiration, instinctive meditation, meditation, mindfulness, perception, Personal Development, Personal growth

Level Up!

Image shows certificate of completion from The Radiance Sutras® School of Meditation

I’m pleased to share that I’ve completed my advanced ,edotatopm teacjer training with The Radiance Sutras® School of Meditation, and am now an authorized teacher of Instinctive Meditation®. Woo!!

Instinctive meditation® is a form of meditation for everyday humans. You can incorporate it into any other practice you already have. It’s a practice that invites you to explore more deeply your inner and outer worlds. You’re probably doing it already, and don’t even realize it! It’s enriching my life so much.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be announcing how I might collaborate with you in creating a personal practice, as well as how instinctive meditation® can be a useful tool in your workplace.

I’m so grateful for this training, and the friendships I have made in my cohort.

creative practice, inspiration, instinctive meditation, journaling, mindfulness, passion, Personal Development, Personal growth, Uncategorized, writing

Breath as an Art Material

Image shows handwritten words on lined notebook paper: Art as revelation of self. Breath as an art material, Breath cycles as life & death. Visual mantra practice.

As so often happens, I was looking for something completely different when I came across an old notebook. I think it was from an expressive arts conference I’d attended years ago.

I turned the page and this phrase was glowing off the page : Breath as an art material. Everything stopped as those words carried me away on a mind journey.

The way breath gives voice to poetry and stories.
The collective inhale of a concert band before playing the first note.
Blowing on a dandelion and sending off little white skirts as gifts to sky faeries.
Shaping molten glass, or inflating two slabs of clay into a pillow.
A deep grounding inhale and exhale before stepping onto stage and dancing.
The play of rhythm between lovers.

How breath informs our senses. The sense of smell in cooking. More subtly reaching our instincts, sniffing out adventure, or danger, or a potential mate. Communicating emotions when words don’t suffice.

I began to wonder about using breath in other ways in art, such as using a straw to blow watered down paint on a surface.

What would it be like to receive a breath, and use the energy of releasing it through a paintbrush, in movement, or in whatever other way one might imagine? How does how you vary your breath affect the quality of lines, colours, textures, or gestures? What would the flow of creative practice be like while intentionally incorporating breath as one of the art materials?

I invite you to set some time for your favourite creative practice, and intentionally incorporate breath into your process. I’d love to hear what your experience is!

instinctive meditation, journaling, meditation, mindfulness, Personal Development, Personal growth

Wide Rivers

Image shows a mountain stream with rocks and fallen trees. In this distance are trees and a sunny sky.

“Through me course wide rivers and in me rise tall mountains. And beyond the thickets of my agitation and confusion there stretch the wide pains of my peace and surrender. All landscapes are within me. And there is room for everything.” Etty Hillesum.

This passage is so evocative of Instinctive Meditation® to me. In this practice, we welcome all aspects of ourselves- the wild, the serene, the playful, the contemplative. The mind is allowed to go on an adventure. It may roam around for awhile, and it may eventually settle into a state of apparent stillness and calm. Find a deeper connection within, as well as the outer world.

This is the way of meditation for modern people. Won’t you join me?

creative practice, inspiration, instinctive meditation, meditation, mindfulness, Personal Development, Personal growth

If You Think Meditation is Hard…..

Image shows purple artichoke flower in front of tree that has deep red leaves.

I can’t clear my mind.
Focusing on my breath is boring.
I can’t sit still.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor is too uncomfortable.
I’m worried that it’s against my religious affiliation.

These are all things I’ve heard recently from people about meditation. Thing is, you simply might have not found the right meditation practice for YOU.

I specialize in the practice of Instinctive Meditation®. This practice holds that meditation is an innate instinct in all of us, just like eating or sleeping. The relaxation response is just as natural as the stress response. Our modern lives often call on us to push aside relaxing and regenerating, which can result in a number of things such as stress, poor sleep, boredom, etc.

Meditation can be as simple as gazing out across the horizon at the beach, merging with your favourite music while dancing, looking at a piece of art, journaling, cooking, taking a nap.. and so many other things. You’ve probably been meditation already, and just didn’t know it!

Potential benefits of meditation can include entering a state of relaxed awareness more easily, decreased stress, enhanced communication skills, better sleep, easier access to your creativity, and a richer engagement with life in general.

I would love to meet with you and help craft a practice that is right for you, and support you on your meditation journey.

Right now you can experience one on one meditation coaching for free via Zoom as part of my practicum for my advanced meditation teacher certification. Send me a message, and let’s get started!

I also need two of these participants willing to be recorded on Zoom. One person once, and one person twice. The recordings will only be used internally as part of my completion portfolio, and you’ll need to sign a waiver.

Can’t wait to play in the land of meditation with you!