26.
06.
2010
One thing I have learned is that life is much easier and more pleasant when we can truly allow ourselves to go with the flow. People often say, “don’t worry, everything happens for a reason,” but we don’t always fully accept that when things don’t seem to go our way. I know I didn’t. For many years I struggled and did everything I could to fight the flow only to get nowhere and arrive there stressed, agitated and dissapointed.
At a certain point something changed within me however, and I now live from a sense of inner knowing that I am always exactly where the universe needs me to be at any given moment. Regardless of what happens in life, I know that it is just a moment in the flow of things that is bringing me to where I am supposed to go. If I get stuck in traffic, I am stuck there because I am supposed to be there. If things aren’t going as planned, I let go and trust that they are unfolding exactly as they should. Through synchronicity everything always works out in the highest and greatest good of all involved, including me. Life is much more peaceful this way.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t work hard or sometimes get caught up in trying to achieve something. I am just much less attached to the results and much more open to allowing the work to flow through me rather than trying to control it. I receive much more guidance from the universe now and am more receptive to it when it comes. The best part is that the more I have learned to let go, the more perfectly things unfold on their own.
We can either work from our limited human minds and struggle against the current, or we can open ourselves up to infinite wisdom and go with the flow. The choice is yours.
Melissa Marcy
Virtuality Studio Reiki and Meditation
Disclaimer: this article is intended for inspirational purposes only and the techniques and ideas described herein are not to be used as a substitute for professional medical or psychological treatment or without prior consultation with, approval of, and under the supervision of your physician or therapist. Application of the information, techniques and ideas in this article is at the sole risk and discretion of the reader.
25.
06.
2010
Virtuality will soon be offering Reiki 1-4 classes, if you are interested please give us a call to sign up in advance, or check our website frequently for updates!
Namaste,
Melissa
19.
06.
2010
We updated our website last night to showcase our new meditation retreats and group meditations! Coming this fall, we will also be offering Reiki classes. Check it out and let us know what you think!
Namaste,
Melissa
18.
06.
2010
Select a word, prayer, piece of scripture or affirmation that speaks to you. Use a set of mala beads and recite your chosen mantra starting on the summit (large) bead. Enjoy the silence after the mantra and then move onto the next bead and repeat until you have come full circle back to the summit. If you wish to continue once reaching the summit, flip the mala and reverse direction. Praying the rosary can also be practiced in a similarly mindful manner and is a wonderful way to meditate.
From the Meditation For Beginners Retreat Workbook Copyright 2010, Virtuality.
Melissa Marcy
Virtuality Studio Reiki and Meditation
Disclaimer: this article is intended for inspirational purposes only and the techniques and ideas described herein are not to be used as a substitute for professional medical or psychological treatment or without prior consultation with, approval of, and under the supervision of your physician or therapist. Application of the information, techniques and ideas in this article is at the sole risk and discretion of the reader.
14.
06.
2010
“You have the right to work, but for the work’s sake only.
You have no right to the fruits of work.
Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive in working.
Never give way to laziness, either.
Perform every action with your heart fixed on the Supreme Lord.
Renounce attachment to the fruits.
Be even tempered in success and failure;
for it is this evenness of temper which is meant by yoga.
Work done with anxiety about results is far inferior to work done without such anxiety,
in the calm of self-surrender.
Seek refuge in the knowledge of Brahman.
They who work selfishly for results are miserable.”
— Bhagavadgita Mahabharata (from www.goodreads.com )
The words above touched me deeply and are a great reminder of how important non-attachment is in life. Non-attachment to the fruits of your labor, or really anything for that matter, is often easier said than done, especially when what you are working on is something you care very much about. This moves us a step beyond faith (that things will work out) and surrender (that a higher power knows best) to devotion (whether it be to God, to the work itself, to helping another or any other cause outside yourself). Non-attachment means acting selflessly and out of pure love and joy, much like a parent who cares for their child out of pure love while expecting nothing in return. The paradox of this is that the work we perform from a state of pure joy, love and non-attachment is often the work that ends up bringing us the greatest rewards in the end.
Melissa Marcy
Virtuality Studio Reiki and Meditation
Disclaimer: this article is intended for inspirational purposes only and the techniques and ideas described herein are not to be used as a substitute for professional medical or psychological treatment or without prior consultation with, approval of, and under the supervision of your physician or therapist. Application of the information, techniques and ideas in this article is at the sole risk and discretion of the reader.
9.
06.
2010
Sit or lay down and get comfortable. Close your eyes and take in a few slow, deep, breaths. Breathe in peace and breathe out any tension you might have. Think about the last time you were at the beach. Remember the way the waves would roll up onto the beach and get pulled back into the sea. Remember the beautiful rhythm of the waves. In and out… in and out… just like your breath.
Imagine now that you are the ocean. Feel your body and soul become one with the vastness of the open sea. Feel all of the life within the ocean become part of you. Feel the rhythm of the ocean tides move energetically through your body. Feel the waves become one with your breath. In and out… in and out.
As you exhale, purse your lips and slowly push the waves out onto the beach with your breath. Hear the sound of the waves as they roll across the sand. When your exhale is complete, allow yourself to pause briefly just as the ocean’s waves linger on the shore for a moment before returning to the ocean. When you feel ready, slowly and gently breathe in your next breath and pull the waves back into the sea with your breath.
The objective is to breathe slowly and gently. Do only what feels comfortable to you. Allow your attention to be focused on your breath and if your mind wanders (as minds often do), just gently pull your attention back to your breath.
Melissa Marcy
Virtuality Studio Reiki and Meditation
Disclaimer: this article is intended for inspirational purposes only and the techniques and ideas described herein are not to be used as a substitute for professional medical or psychological treatment or without prior consultation with, approval of, and under the supervision of your physician or therapist. Application of the information, techniques and ideas in this article is at the sole risk and discretion of the reader.
2.
06.
2010
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…” – Henry David Thoroueau (Walden)
1.
06.
2010
We are creating a new meditation group in the Park Ridge area and are now organizing both group meditations and upcoming meditation retreats! You can join the group on facebook for updates and feel free to let us know what times/days of the week would work best for you! Namaste!
Group’s facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?networks#!/group.php?gid=131732863504459&v=wall
