Tag: Mindfulness

Beyond Our Own Boundaries

Eyes of A Child - Photography by Dewitt Jones

“If we want TRULY EXTRAORDINARY VISION then you have to continually expand your horizons, take risks.  If we don’t push our edge we’ll never expand our view.. It’s not trespassing to go beyond your own boundaries.”

–Dewitt Jones, National Geographic Photojournalist

Going beyond our own boundaries is an expression of creativity as I see it.  The expansive artist knows this well…and that artist is within all of us if we only let down the walls separating ourselves from the heart of our own unique vision.  I never quite know what I am going to post for the week on this blog, but somehow it always appears. How does that happen? I stretch out and open to see what comes in….and then creation is born.

Last year I found an amazing photojournalist, Dewitt Jones,  who works with National Geographic.   For me he represents that wild, creative, and curious soul that isn’t afraid to wait for opportunity to present itself.  He inhabits a breathing space of promise, possibility, vision, and the sacred in the practice of everyday creativity.  I was so taken with him that I posted a video that left me inspired to tap my own deep well of creativity and see possibility everywhere.  I give it here for you again in “Celebrate What Is Right With The World”.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/bethechange/videos/1/

Visual Banquet

“Every evening nature sets before us a visual banquet.
How often do we join her at the table?” D.J.

My favorite part of finding Dewitt is that one of my readers, Sheila Finkelstein, who is an inspirational artist/photographer herself, was so excited about discovering this man and his work that she e-mailed him last year…and he responded back!  Well to make a long story short she is now interviewing him at the end of this month and the information for that interview is below.

 

I invite you to join Dewitt and Sheila by clicking on the link below.   On this call you will learn that “creativity is not about being artistic, but about an attitude! An attitude that can change our perspective, invite limitless opportunities, and help us see the extraordinary.” DJ

http://www.throughandfromthelens.com/dewitt111.html

This interview is Tuesday, January 11, 8:30-9:30 EST so please go to the link above to sign up soon.  It is free of charge and an MP3 will be made available to you if you can’t be on the call.   Even if you don’t consider yourself a photographer, or better yet wish that you knew more about it, the time with both of them will take you to an expanded breathing space of how you “see” the world around you!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Welcome Home – Sharing a Breath of Kindness and Generosity

“Do a deed of simple kindness; though its end you may not see, it may reach, like widening ripples, down a long eternity.” -Joseph Norris

This being my last post of 2010 I wanted to make it something that we can not only reflect on, but something quite simple really that each of us can take action on every day of 2011.


Be Selfish Be Generous

How many times a day are there opportunities for you to touch someone with kindness and generosity?  I would guess that they are actually unending.  It is simple to bring smiles to people, to lighten their load for the moment, to completely surprise them in a good way, and perhaps to inspire them to pass on the kindness to others.   This of course extends to all living things on this planet as well!

While I was living in the Bay area of San Francisco I would often pay for the person behind me on the Golden Gate bridge.  It is amazing to watch how people receive these random acts of generosity and kindness.  Some would honk as they passed by or hurry to pay so that they could catch up to you to smile through the window…and others would stay at the ticket booth for awhile – I don’t know how long as I had to drive forward – and seemingly argue with the person collecting the toll not quite understanding that they had just been “tagged”.  Letting go of the outcome is part of this “game” too, but somehow there is always an effect that is generated!

Similar to what Jim Norris said in the above quote Mother Theresa said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echos are truly endless”.  Words, actions, smiles, creative, spontaneous, and anonymous acts of kindness and generosity all contribute to being the change we wish to see in the world.

I had to put this video on the post as every time I watch it I smile.  Put out by T-mobile it is an example of what can happen when a person is made to feel special.  In this case it is like a virus that runs through an entire airport terminal.  If you get a chance listen to the comments of people afterward that are from passengers that were arriving at the airport.  (separate video on the right side panel)

Welcome Home – Life is for sharing (t-mobile)

Let this New Year be one in which you practice what I call the sharing of a breath of kindness – a breathing space of acknowledging that through these simple kind and generous acts of humanity we are making the life of someone or something else better…. even for just a moment…and in turn it truly does ripple out forever.

Why not make this a New Year’s Resolution.  Below I have given you a link to receive free of charge something that will assist with this commitment.  The site also has great stories from people across the globe to inspire you to take action.

What is a “smile card”? It’s a game of kindness — do something nice for someone and leave a card behind asking them to pay it forward. To date, 861,401 cards have been shipped without any charge.

http://www.helpothers.org

I invite you to share your stories throughout the year on this blog… I know I will!
2011 – a year for acts of generosity and kindness!  I’m in…are you?

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Breathing Peace

The Symptoms of Inner Peace

*A tendency to think and act deliberately, rather than from fears based on past experiences.
*An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
*A loss of interest in judging others.
*A loss of interest in judging self.
*A loss of interest in conflict.
*A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
*A loss of ability to worry.
*Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
*Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
*Frequent attacks of smiling through the heart.
*Increasing susceptibility to kindness offered, and the uncontrollable urge to reciprocate.
*An increasing tendency to allow things to unfold, rather than resisting and manipulating.
Thank you to the author: Saskia Davis at www.symptomsofinnerpeace.net

Also Thank you to: www.onesanctuary.com for inspiration and finding this quote in the first place!

As we come into the holidays we may contemplate how to enjoy them fully without stress or undue expectations placed on ourselves and others.  It is well known that bringing peace to our planet is one of the most important elements in the realignment with vital health and well being that is being called for now in our times.  Yet, it is not political peace that I am speaking of here, for that is an outcome of another kind of peace.  It is the peace within us that when actualized, or at least practiced to the best of our abilities, contributes to the overall peace among nations, countries, communities and individuals.  It is this self-Peace, if you will, that everything else unfolds from.  Breathing peace may include some of the “symptoms” above…and will most definitely release one from the need to make the holidays, or our lives in general, “perfect”, and instead create unforgettable moments that will nurture, inspire,  and sustain collaborative relationships and evolutionary creativity. 

Breathing peace may include creating a “sanctuary” for ones self in the midst of many tasks and seemingly endless obligations.  This sanctuary can be in nature, on the back of a bicycle, feet enclosed in a good pair of walking shoes, a quiet space dedicated to contemplation/reflection within ones own home, in a bathtub filled with aromatic steam arising from a body covered with warm and comforting water, a bowl of homemade soup, a cup of hot chocolate, spiced apple cider or tea, a bookstore or library with comfy chairs to read from, a midnight walk in a star studded sky, a full inhale connected to a full and released exhale for several minutes, or any number of “sanctuaries” that bring peace and balance to the moment.

Here is an additional reference from Gay and Katie Hendricks who created a short online course on the PeaceBreath. Based on 1,000’s of years of instruction on the importance of the simple breath, their intention is to offer this reminder as a tool for conscious change and interconnection on the planet -starting from inside of you.  From the Aramaic translation of Jesus of Nazareth from the Beatitudes these words beckon us to remember: “Blessed are those who find peace through simple breathing, for they shall discover heaven within.”

http://www.consciousone.com/breathing_peace/

The course itself:
http://www.consciousone.com/breathing_peace/course/intro.html

What creates a  sanctuary of peace for you?  Please share it with us!

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

The Deepened Breath of Gratitude and Kindness

In celebration of World Kindness Day I dedicate this post to the breathing space of gratitude which is intimately linked with acts of kindness.  It is the experience of most that when one is in a place of gratitude that everything “lightens up”.  This relaxed and grateful place of “wealth” stimulates our breath to deepen and our natural innate expressions, love, and creativity to come out and play.  It is here within this breathing space of gratitude that we remember why we are here.  It is here in this breathing space that we are innately inclined to practice acts of kindness.

My day yesterday reflected this in every moment from first awakening to my last eyes wide open moment.  The aromatic scent of cardamon and cinnamon awakened my taste buds in the cup of green tea chai that I was sipping while writing within the light of a candle lit to celebrate the unfolding of the days possibilities.

Aligning a place within us in gratitude before we start each day, and at night before we go to bed,  naturally evolves into acts of kindness whether you are doing them, receiving them, or giving them to yourself.  It was my intention to come from this place in every moment of my day no matter what was happening.

Everywhere I went I remembered to smile and make eye contact being grateful for the connections that were essential to the tasks before me.  Entire conversations lasting only moments had significance because we touched each other in a personal way.  Everything felt easeful, even when waiting in traffic or in line.

When I found a long line at the post office I was grateful that I had a way to send the payments, personal correspondence,  and donations that I held in my hand.  Out of this place I relaxed… and out of this place the man in front of me had me go ahead of him because he stated “I am going to take a long time”.  This man had lost teeth, was a little unkept, and could possibly have been homeless, but he practiced an act of kindness.  I made certain to give a light touch on his shoulder when I left and thanked him again for his kindness.

Walking out of the athletic club that I belong to after a satisfying weight training session (acts of kindness to oneself!), I gasped in appreciation as I saw the sky filled with feather like clouds.  The man who was limping out with me heard my gasp, looked up and said “it is like God’s paintbrush!”.  We both smiled and felt blessed to be able to witness the beauty…and to share it with each other.

Even looking at the money that had been deposited in my bank account that day I realized that there was more than enough to share in acts of kindness to Women for Women International (sponsor a woman for $27/month!), Nature Conservancy and to become part of the solution of tolerance in our world at Southern Poverty Law Center.  The feeling of wealth that I had within me must have radiated out because it was at the post office where I was mailing these donations that I was ushered to “please go ahead”.

It is moments like these that add depth and fulfillment to our lives and remind us that everyone is “doing the best they can with what they have”.  These acts of kindness come when we open our hearts, come out of hiding, and look into the eyes of God standing right in front of us.  They are spontaneous most often, although sometimes planned,  and leave us breathing more deeply and embracing life.

As Maya Angelou said so eloquently:  “People will forget what you said.  People will forget what you did.  People will never forget how you made them feel.”

I am in appreciation to Sherryl Frauenglass of A Woman’s True Voice (FB) and Robin Rice of Awesome Women Hub for the video below by Humanity Healing Network.

Random Acts of Kindness with music by Enya

 

Other Blogs by Gaye Abbott:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Sympathetic Breathing

“Sympathetic Breathing” brings to my mind many possibilities.  I see two people embracing each other, matching breath and bringing support and love.  I also am aware that we feel the breath rhythms of everyone around us and actually breathe the air that all that went before us have breathed – including the plant and animal worlds.  This “intermingling” of breath…although some of you may not want to consider that…speaks to the deep interconnectedness that we mindfully, or unmindfully, play in every day.

There is also a natural breath rhythm that can calm the sympathetic nervous system in our body.  The sympathetic system is a system that activates during stress, worry, fear, or anxiety.  It is our fight or flight system that was beautifully created for us when we needed to run from the tigers (or whatever was chasing us in the moment) to survive.  The chemicals that are stimulated to flow, and the physiological activation of muscles, reflexes, heart, and breathing to “survival mode” wear our body down over time…but certainly saved us from danger in the past.

The video for this week uses beautiful images in nature and mindful guidance to instruct on our natural blueprint of breathing.  This breath is one which calms and balances the sympathetic nervous system and stimulates the parasympathetic system,which is our deep relaxation response.  Mindfully breathing in this manner can not only bring more peace and health into your life, but can also affect those around you as they align with your breathing.

 

OTHER BLOGS:  www.WildlyFreeWoman.com