Greetings Community, here's the information for the Ancestral Healing music and meditation that was implemented on Sunday April 23rd.  The intention for the overall experience was for Purification and Cleansing/Clearing.  In order to do so we utilized the breath and incorporated a meditation and music by Tom Kenyon for healing and clearing connections and energy for ourselves, our ancestors, loved ones, and beyond.   The Ancestral Healing part can be done independently at any time as instructed below.  As stated, ensure you're in a suitable environment.  If you desire to warm up with a few breathing techniques before going into the process, feel open to do so.  And recall that a key part is to envision the music streaming from the heart center and to give oneself time for integration and silence afterwards.
Below is the meditation, link to the full article, and music download.​

​The Meditation

"Sitting or lying down, close your eyes and focus on your heart chakra in the center of your chest.

Imagine that your ancestors (both known and unknown) are in front of you at a comfortable distance away. (Note: Look both to your right and your left as some of your ancestors may be “off in the wings.”)

When the meditation begins, both imagine and feel that the music is emanating from your heart. This addition of the sense that the music streams out of your heart is an important element in this particular meditation. This simple shift in perception will intensify your experience.

As you enfold your ancestors with compassion, forgiveness and solace, you may feel responses from them.  And as you work in this manner, you may find that deeper insights and memories come to you.

When you finish the meditation, it would be good to rest in silence for a few minutes and notice the quality of your thoughts and feelings.

This meditation can be repeated multiple times to plumb the depths of your ancestral heritage."

Here's a link to read the full article:  ​Tom Kenyon » Ancestral Healing

Here's a link to download the music:  Tom Kenyon Ancestral Meditation Music

Tonight's meditation was in the theme of the Fall Equinox which represents a time for Harvesting.  Equinoxes are a time when the hours of the day and night are equal due to the position of the sun and the Earth's equator. 

​The death of the previous Winter, the re-birth of the Spring, and the planting of the Summer is behind us and now is the time to move forward with the harvest and reap.  To embrace the energy and flow of Fall we utilized the breath to assist in allowing us to let go of previous events and move forward into the field of opportunity/new beginnings.  We were guided through "The Gateway to a New Beginning" by Toby Ouvry.   Below are the key points to the meditation.  You are welcome to view the full article and explanation here.  Gateway to a new beginning | Toby Ouvry Meditation

It Is recommended to repeat the meditation.

"The gateway to a new beginning
A beginner’s body-mind is a way of entering the present moment and whatever greets us there as if for the first time, a bit like a young child. It is curious, open, flexible.

The principle of lightness and playfulness
Our beginner’s mind is light and playful. As the years go by and we build up a body of life experience, that experience can become like a weight that we carry around.... A beginner’s mind is also a great base for a meditation practice. The process of simplification and letting go in meditation helps us to return to a state of beginning.
​
Accepting and releasing the weight of past joy and suffering
Imagine that you are sitting in front of a gateway. Beyond the gateway is a landscape and world that is bright with possibility. The gateway has two pillars on either side:

• The one on the left is scary and scarred, somewhat twisted. This left pillar represents all of your past sufferings, pain, trauma, disappointments and so on. Looking at it you can feel the weight of this past experience, and its hold on you
• The one on the right is beautiful and colorful. It represents your past and joys, happiness’s and success. When you contemplate this pillar, you feel good, but you can also sense the attachment and or clinging to these past joys that may be preventing you from opening to the new joys and opportunities of your present and future.

Observing these two pillars gently move toward a state of acceptance of both the pleasures and the pain of your past. They are what they are and cannot be changed. See yourself sitting between these two pillars, in the center of the gateway, moving toward acceptance.
When you are ready, over a series of breaths feel yourself putting down the weight of these past experiences, good and bad, letting them go. Feel yourself opening to the possibilities of the present and the future, like a flower opening to the rays of the sun at sunrise. The landscape in front of you is new, bright, filled with potential. You yourself feel light and playful in the face of this new day and new beginning.

​Anytime you want to return to your beginner’s mind during the day, simply see yourself sitting in the gateway, and spend a few moments returning to this state, allowing to feed your wellbeing, your resilience in the face of your challenges, and your sense of what is possible in your life, today."

After today's Talking Circle and sharing we were blessed with a live performance from one of the group members.  Her artist name is Falori-i.  We're grateful to have many talented members in the community able to share their gifts.

Video clip and full audio recordings of performance below

he meditation for Sunday 8/7 was inspired by the Yoga Sutras 1.34 – 1.39.  Every first Thursday of the month, from 7:35pm – 9pm, a talk on the Yoga Sutras is held at the Sama Studio in Arabi.  They have a group discussion along with food and tea.  A few of us went, after the Thursday meditation in City Park of course, lol, held every Thursday at 6pm.

As shared at the Sama meeting, this section of the Sutras focuses on steps to have a Serene Mind, leading to a Stable Mind, leading to a Mind that can Concentrate, leading to prolonged Concentration, leading to Samadhi.  Samadhi is interpreted in several ways in different traditions.  Here are a few translations:  a state of pure consciousness, a state of meditative consciousness, a state of union with the Divine, a state of pure concentration or single-pointedness of the mind.

As stated during the intro of each meeting we utilize a variety of meditative techniques from different traditions.  Today's theme was partially centered on "Management".  To facilitate this intention we incorporated the use of sound and tones to harmonize different body parts and muscles.  Here's a full list of the sounds and associated body parts that can be implemented at home or in a group setting.  In today's meditation we covered a portion of the list.

Mmm    ~ sinuses
Nnn   ~ ears
Eemm   ~ eyes
Lmm    ~ nose
Paam    ~ stomach
Kaa Gaa Gha   ~ throat

"Meditating like a baby – Six breathing meditations
Breathing meditation is something that, if you do it well can provide you with a wealth of benefits. In particular, if you use it for your longer meditations it can help you connect relatively easily to states of body, heart and mind that are both blissful and insightful. Here are six types of breathing meditation that you can use and enjoy:
Natural breathing – Give your body permission to breathe in the way that it needs to breathe in order to move towards balance and harmony. Then just keep your attention on the breathing as your body intelligence does what it needs to do to re-balance by using different breathing patterns.
Belly breathing – Breathe slightly deeper than you would usually, and send the air down into the bottom of your lungs as you begin your inhalation. If you do this you will notice your belly moving outward 2-3cms as you inhale, and back to resting position as you exhale. Focus on this belly movement as you breathe.

To find out more info or to read the original post by Toby Ouvry, click here