Daily Dose of Inspiration

6/18/2020: Daily Dose of Inspiration

“Your life is a gift and you have come to unwrap the gift. In the process of unwrapping, remember to also save the wrapper.

“Your environment, the situation around you, the circumstances in which you find yourself, and your body are the wrapping paper. When we unwrap, we often destroy the wrapping paper. We are in such a hurry that at times we even destroy the gifts. With patience and endurance, open your gifts and save the wrapping papers as well.”

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Celebrating Silence

Life has so much to offer, my friend. There is so much we can learn. Whatever you’re doing, whenever and wherever you’re doing it, ask yourself, “What is the gift in this present moment?” That act right there is the essence of practicing yoga — being present in the NOW.

Will you, can you, could you ever be perfectly present in every moment? No, but by striving for it, by practicing, you’ll get better and better at it. And with that, my friend, not only will your life take on a deeper meaning but you’ll find so much more to be pleased with.

It’s up to you to enjoy the gift of life.

6/17/2020: Daily Dose of Inspiration

“When the teachings tell us to “make friends with our emotions,” they mean to become more attentive and get to know them better. Being ignorant about emotions only makes matters worse; feeling guilty or ashamed of them does the same. Struggling against them is equally non-productive. The only way to dissolve their power is with our wholehearted, intelligent attention. Only then is it possible to stay steady, connect with the underlying energy, and discover their insubstantial nature.”

~ Pema Chodron

Your emotions in and of themselves aren’t bad, my friend. They are messengers. They’re informing you of your beliefs and the programming that’s running your life behind the scenes. Don’t fight or resist them. Let yourself experience them. Just be with them. Honor them. What are they trying to convey to you?

To change them you need to start by acknowledging what you’re feeling. Those feelings are real and they’re triggering an incredible response of chemical and hormonal changes throughout your body. Respect that. Because that, right there, is key to your state of health.

There is a generative thought or instinctual reaction behind each emotion. What is it? What can you learn from it? Are you certain that it’s true? When you honor and listen to your emotions, my friend, you release their charge and set yourself free.

6/16/2020: Daily Dose of Inspiration

“See and observe without judgment. This silent act requires no action at all — simply seeing and holding space for what you see without attitude about it — but it has a seemingly miraculous impact on those around you. It holds space for others to come into conscious awareness of that which they weren’t aware of before.”

~ David Pond, The Pursuit of Happiness

Now I trust you’ve heard and understand the saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” But do you realize that it’s the judgment behind the words that creates the trouble? Resistance, separation, suffering all stem from negative judgment, and you and everyone else will feel that judgment whether you voice it or not.

Take a deep breath, my friend. Release the judgment and you’ll create the space that allows for change — without the stress!

Releasing the judgment starts with the deep breath, the momentary pause that pulls you out of your automatic reaction.

6/15/2020: Daily Dose of Inspiration

“The words ‘This, too, will pass’ are pointers toward reality. In pointing to the impermanence of all forms, by implication, they are also pointing to the eternal. Only the eternal in you can recognize the impermanent as impermanent.”

~ Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

You know, my friend, we are spirit having a human experience, but most often we get this backwards.

Ponder this: The way we feel is a reflection of the way we are thinking in any given moment. As we allow ourselves to fully experience each moment our thoughts will naturally shift, and our emotions — the way we feel — will shift as well. We can fight the experience and get stuck in it, or we can accept the experience and move through it.

Everything passes eventually, but how quickly it passes is up to you.

6/14/2020: Daily Dose of Inspiration

“The choice between love and fear is made every moment in our hearts and minds. That is where the peace process begins. Without peace within, peace in the world is an empty wish. Like love, peace is extended. It cannot be brought from the world to the heart. It must be brought from each heart to another, and thus to all mankind.”

~ Paul Ferrini

Peace is your heart’s natural state. Love, compassion, faith, trust, appreciation, acceptance, peace — these are all natural states for your heart. Negative emotions are fed by fear, the opposite of faith and love. Notice, my friend, how worry or a need to control is only present when your heart’s natural states are blocked.

Any state, from love to fear, can be conjured by the mind for better or worse. Your mind really is that powerful. But now get this, when you quiet your mind, peace naturally returns to its rightful place, and on its heels will flow love and the other positive emotions.

So if you can’t quite conjure a loving thought, my friend, try quieting your mind instead.

Hmmm… perhaps it’s time for some of BeneFIT’s Hot Yoga.

6/13/2020: Daily Dose of Inspiration

“Joy is infectious. We will never know just how much good a simple smile can do. Be faithful in little things. Smile at one another. We must live beautifully.”

~ Mother Teresa

Don’t overlook the little things, my friend. Let yourself delight in simple pleasures and then go share that delight with others.

Appreciation, heartfelt smiles, these can be the best gifts of all. The best part about these simple things is that it doesn’t matter whether you’re the one giving or receiving, everyone feels good.

And it’s easy! So go spread the joy, my friend. Don’t hold back!

Let’s Talk Astrology: The 12 Houses

**Saturday, June 20th at 2:00 p.m.** Join us for a free informal talk via Zoom in which we’ll go through the 12 houses in a chart. What are they and what’s their significance? Anyone interested in learning a bit more about astrology is welcome. You’ll learn about the spiritual journey that each of us is on and how it’s reflected in the chart.

Here’s the Zoom link: Let’s Talk Astrology: The 12 Houses Save it to your calendar and join us!

6/12/2020: Daily Dose of Inspiration

“Environment is stronger than will power. If you want to be spiritual, seek good company and don’t mix with those whose bad habits may wrongly influence you. Be always with people who inspire you; surround yourself with people who lift you up.”

~ Paramahansa Yogananda

When you need a boost of energy to lift your spirits, go where you’ll see happy, smiling faces. When you need to get out of a funk, do something that will distract you from your woes. When you want to feel energized, exercise. When you want to feel cleansed, sweat.

Whether you want to change physically, emotionally, or mentally, there’s one sure-fire formula to heal everything at once. That’s right, my friend, BeneFIT’s yoga, where you concentrate, meditate, sweat, work hard, and help fuel the group energy that lifts everyone higher.

Ready for class?

6/11/2020: Daily Dose of Inspiration

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

~ Dr. Seuss

There are so many ways to look at everything, my friend. And with just a quick shift in perspective you can go from happy to sad — OR — from sad to happy.

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

And the best part is: YOU get to choose.

Daily Dose of Inspiration

Receive the Daily Dose of Inspiration personalized and delivered specially to you every morning. Sign up here.