Archives for December 2012

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SETTING YOUR COURSE – WEEK 1

I’m guessing that right now you have some kind of personal goals or intentions swirling around in your mind for 2013. Right? Maybe it’s a personal commitment that you’ve made to yourself, a vision board on your wall, a journal entry, a pact with a family member or friend, or perhaps some secret dream you’re hoping to manifest…you’re not alone…and realistically – NOW is the time to do it…to shed what’s no longer serving you and birth THE BEST EXPRESSION OF YOU!

Each of us have set good intentions during the transitioning of one year into the next and we coast…for a while…then life happens and we fall into old – if not new – patterns or blockages that step in our way. Why do we lift the anchor and float away from the intentions that are so important to us during this time? Drifting away from our personal needs right into the deep waters of what’s serving others; our bosses, our partners, our children, our fears…

It’s not a bad thing to serve others, it’s a great thing…but when we lose sight of who we are and what our natural humanistic needs are, we then heighten the tendency to build walls…to nurture obstacles…preventing us from staying in touch with our true self and hindering the fulfillment of the things that are most important to us.

In order for us to serve at the highest level, we need to be the best version of ourselves… the highest expression of YOU! This isn’t coming from a selfish place, it’s coming from the purest place of service. Knowing this, recognizing our choices, and owning them empowers not only ourselves to move forward with complete trust…free from fear and, at the same time, motivating everyone around us to do the same…our loved ones, kids, coworkers, employees…it’s contagious, magnetic…magic! As we set those intentions, own them, share them, and live the dream…YOUR dream!

This all sounds great in theory, right? But how do we translate this THEORY into REAL LIFE? The first step is making it REAL and PRACTICAL by exploring the five core areas of our life (listed below), and SETTING THE COURSE…and that’s what we’ll do for the next seven days – consider this as your week one.

WATCH THE WEEK 1 VIDEO NOW!

Use me as your newfound anchor in keeping your navigation on course and creating YOUR perfect ritual. The thing about ritualization is that if we can commit to something for a minimum of 21 days, it will STICK – and when we add meaning to ritual it equals transformation. Doing stuff like this alone is scary – it helps to have a friend or a mirror or a guide as we begin to shift. So allow me to be your transformation anchor for the next five weeks…to help you KEEP IT REAL and motivate you to stay on task. Before you know it, it will be February and VOILA…you will have created, not only a powerful self-reflection ritual, but a meditation practice as well!! At the end of these 35 days, I’ll pass the baton back to you and your meditation practice and personal reflection will then be YOUR OWN ANCHOR!

Each week, I will send you a letter, a video, a personalized guided meditation, and a reminder to join me for an hour each week on hayhouseradio.com (where we’ll reinforce the next step in your weekly transformation).

Here’s the breakdown…

WEEK ONE – this week – let’s hone in on what you truly want in the five main areas of your life; the physical realm, emotional realm, material realm, relationship realm, and spiritual realm. You may want to write these down as they’ll be a part of your daily meditation practice as well. In this week’s guided meditation, we’ll gain clarity so we can authentically SET OUR COURSE!

LISTEN to davidji’s SET YOUR COURSE Guided Meditation NOW! This meditation is also available for purchase in the store.

 

Then, each week thereafter we’ll reinforce our dreams and desires in these five core REALMS as they apply to the remaining steps of TRANSFORMATION.

WEEK 2 – Taking a Chance on You

WEEK 3 – Setting Intentions

WEEK 4 – Moving Beyond Fear

WEEK 5 – Surrender & Trust

Don’t forget to tune into LIVE FROM THE SWEETSPOT! on hayhouseradio.com!

If you’re in…GREAT! I look forward to this journey with you and am honored to be your ritualization anchor!

How amazing will it be to truly launch into 2013 together, locking down our blueprint to the best version of ourselves. Remember, we transform the world by transforming ourselves.

Will you join me in making a commitment to make 2013 the most amazing year of your life? Wishing you a SWEET week one!!!

Peace, davidji

 

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2012 has been a wild and kooky year for me – my best friend and mentor left this planet, I left the sweet shelter of the Chopra Center to share the teachings around the world, Secrets of Meditation became a bestseller, Hay House Radio launched LIVE! From the SweetSpot, I hosted my own workshops in Maui, Encinitas, New Jersey, and Carlsbad, (and NYC in two days!), I was invited to share real-world meditation guidance on TV, radio, magazines, and online, my articles were published in the mainstream media, and I leapt into the unknown…the uncertain…the fresh…the new, the rich, the uncertain.

In my trusting the universe, I found something even more valuable than I could imagine – the outpouring of love and support from you…and thousands who reinforced that trust. I am deeply grateful that we are connected; I am humbled that we have shared the one-ness of present moment awareness together; and inspired that we are members of an evolving, global collective.

The teachings are simple; living them takes practice. Through trusting the universe and awakening each day to our most divine expressions, we will transform the world by transforming ourselves into more peaceful, compassionate, abundant, and loving individuals. The ripple from that is infinite.

From my sweetspot to yours, I send you blessings and deep gratitude.

Peace. -davidji

Cultivating Gratitude

In my trusting the universe, I found something even more valuable than I could imagine – the outpouring of love and support from you…and thousands who reinforced that trust. I am deeply grateful that we are connected; I am humbled that we have shared the one-ness of present moment awareness together; and inspired that we are members of an evolving, global collective.

The teachings are simple; living them takes practice. Through trusting the universe and awakening each day to our most divine expressions, we will transform the world by transforming ourselves into more peaceful, compassionate, abundant, and loving individuals. The ripple from that is infinite.

From my sweetspot to yours, I send you blessings and deep gratitude.

Peace. -davidji

Shrink Your Amygdala

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When was the last time you had a dream evaporate into thin air? You had your heart set on something happening or unfolding in a certain way and suddenly or in slow motion…it unraveled or simply did not turn out as expected.

When I find myself in that space – these have been life-changing lessons for me: essentially coming to grips with my dreams that have either 1) been stuck at the starting line due to procrastination 2) unfolded in a very different (unforeseen) way than anticipated, or 3) manifested close to the original dream but I am attached to the exact outcome I first visioned.

There are some dreams that I have manifested 99% –almost perfect— (when that happens, it means my heart was closely aligned with the universe’s plan) yet I have then hung on to coax out the remaining 1% and in the process torture myself or try to force an outcome rather than celebrating, holding a parade, patting myself on the back, or giving myself credit.

That happened recently to me where seeds I planted almost ten years ago blossomed and bloomed into the most magnificent manifestation – beyond my dreams…delivering gifts into my life that I had never fathomed. But rather than acknowledge the gifts…I got stuck on one of the key elements that had not unfolded as predicted. I allowed it to become a sore point – a point of contention and disappointment.

Imagine: 99% miracles…and there I was stuck on the 1% grievance.

I kept looking at the grievance – and instead of feeling celebratory over the miracles, I wove that grievance into the thread of my day-to-day. It became a weight on my heart…a consistent buzz kill in every moment.

After some time (days) in silence and reflection, it unfolded to me. It was as if I had dreamed a 100-foot magnificent tree, planted the seed, watered it, nourished it, fertilized it, showered it with love and when it only grew to 99 feet – I became obsessed with the last foot instead of heralding my beautiful 99 foot tree.

So last week, when it was clear to me where my constriction was, I created a ritual where I wrote down my original vision on a piece of paper, honored it ,and then burned it in a fire transformation ceremony. That process allowed me to release the 1% and inspired me to plant new seeds for a new different vision that took the previous one into account as the new foundation for my next manifestation.

With that ritual, I also released all the pain, tears, and heartache I had attached to the anticipated journey of unfoldment. I let it all go and honored where it had brought me…where it had divinely set me up for the next dream.

And that has allowed me to take a step forward to a new vision…a new dream. If you can breathe…you can dream; and if you can dream…you can manifest.

 

There’s a voice inside you that is constantly speaking…in whispers…in shouts… in chatter…in murmurs…in monolog…in guidance…and in dialog between YOU and YOURSELF. The voice goes on incessantly accessing each moment and then moving you to the next. This is your inner dialog – responding to life as it unfolds before you and within you.

From this unfolding, there’s a voice you project into the world – your outer dialog. What you do with the information that you hold in your heart and head is that voice – what you say, how you act, choices you make, ways you interpret the next moment…all your interactions.

A beautiful quotation attributed to the Buddha is “We are what we think. With our thoughts we create the world.”

Wherever you spend your time; whatever you read or watch; however you move through your day ultimately becomes the fabric of your inner dialog. Watch a lot of movies…it becomes you; read a particular author or perspective…it becomes you; spend a lot of time in a certain place…it becomes you…and on and on it goes.e

When you spend time each day in stillness and silence…it becomes you. And it begins to awaken you a bit more to your unconditioned self – the part of you that is untouched by “the voice.” The part of you that is whole, pure, infinite, unconditioned, and open to the moment.

Each day, as you meditate, your inner dialog is infused with tiny drops of this stillness…of this silence…thimbles full of your unconditioned self. As the days add up…those thimbles become teaspoons then ladles…until you are awash in buckets of stillness and silence flowing through you. At a certain point …the still part of you –unblemished by all that inner chatter and conditioning – becomes the dominant aspect of your essence.

And that’s when the powerful transformation begins to unfold as your outer voice is tinged with pure unbounded consciousness – pregnant with possibilities because it is unconstrained by all the years of conditioning, reactivity, and reinforcement. Suddenly…one day you awake and your inner dialog and your outer dialog are aligned. The compassion that fills your heart flows in your words and deeds; the defenselessness that once scared you becomes the first response to a harsh comment; the expansion into unknown possibilities that you feared becomes your friend as you gently loosen your grip on constricted ways of thinking.

In that moment, your inner dialog and your outer dialog become one. And your thoughts, words, and actions flow from a place of stillness and conscious choice making rather than the old conditioned inner voice.

It’s a gentle process. And it flows slowly at first as it creeps into intimate conversations, difficult exchanges, moments of self-doubt, and judgment in your darkest hours. As you surrender to this incremental wave of “new” thinking, you begin to feel easiness where there was once anxiety, calm where there was once stress, reflection where there was once reflexiveness; and acceptance where there was once resistance.

With each day, and within each moment, the world starts responding to you differently – closed doors open; big scary monsters morph into new opportunities, challenges become learning opportunities, and setbacks reveal themselves as life lessons.

When your inner dialog and your outer dialog are aligned the world unfolds before you with grace and ease. And it all starts with the first OM.

Pick something you are struggling with right now. Maybe you have anxiety, or fear, or stress, or stomach flipping, or jaw clenching, or anger, or frustration, or tightness…and its making you feel sad, and concerned, and worried, and less than. Now remind yourself that the universe is going to deliver this external situation to wherever it wants.

Can you trust that the same energy that rises and sets the sun…that flows the planets, that lifts and lowers the tides, that sparked life within you, that allows you to breathe will also deliver to you an opportunity to move to the other side of this challenge? Can you trust the universe and your heart? Breathe in the acceptance that this moment is perfect . . . and breathe out your constriction. AHAM BRAHMASMI. You are the universe. Share this video with anyone who may be struggling.

The 5 Myths of Meditation

There are thousands of types of meditation and even more individualized rituals each of us has employed on our journey to one-ness. Regardless of your specific practice of meditation, there are five basic myths that we all come across at some point in our attempts to develop a daily practice ritual. At some point, embracing these myths helped us to rationalize meditation OUT of our lives. If you can embrace these myths as just that – MYTHS – and then release them from your belief system, you will more easily give yourself permission to begin or re-engage your practice. So let’s explore together:

Myth #1   
The first thing you need to do is to clear the thoughts from your mind or at least stop the thoughts.

You have about 75,000 thoughts a day. That’s approximately one thought every 1.2 seconds. They’re coming – you will not stop them…you can’t stop them. They are not interruptions in your meditation; they are a part of your meditation so let them come and let them go. Simply drift back to the mantra, or your breath, or whatever else you were using to disconnect you from activity. So many meditators stop meditating because they have thoughts; but having thoughts flowing in and out of your meditation is so perfect. This is your chance to process each day’s activities that otherwise would go buried, unaddressed, and unprocessed.

That doesn’t mean that you should place your attention on them…or resist them…because resisting is a form of attention. Treat thoughts as you would clouds. Let them drift in and let them drift away. You be unconcerned. So when you realize you are deep in thought, simply drift back to the object of your attention – the mantra or your breath. Here’s how much effort to use when you meditate: like mist rising off a lake at dawn. Stop now and envision morning mist, ever so gently, lifting off a field or a lake…there is virtually no movement. That’s how hard you should “work” or “try” while meditating.

Myth #2
Something special or transcendent is supposed to happen during meditation.

Cool experiences can indeed happen when you meditate – but that is not a requirement. In fact, special aha! Moments don’t have to happen for the experience to have its emotional, physical, or spiritual benefits. But if interesting or unexpected things happen during your meditation, hang out and enjoy them. As you immerse more deeply in the experience and drift from the mantra, you will see yourself move from witnessing the experience to thinking about it. As you begin to apply greater meaning to your experience, that is activity. That’s okay. It’s all a part of the process. When you realize that you have moved back into thought, just gently drift back to the repetition of the mantra or the object of your attention.

Myth #3
I’m not doing it right.

How many times have we asked ourselves this question right before, during, and after meditation, “am I doing it right?” Or because you didn’t experience the Buddha or nirvana, because you didn’t see colors, because you had thousands of thoughts, or you simply resigned yourself to the fact that you weren’t doing it right? Whenever you ask yourself, “Am I doing it right?” the answer is YES! – You are doing it right. In meditation, as long as you are doing it, you are doing it right. Who’s your biggest critic? It’s you. And judging your meditation practice is no different. There’s no need to be so hard on yourself. Don’t be critical of your form. Don’t try. Release. Let go. Surrender to the unknown. Surrender to what you don’t know. Surrender to the fact that you have only one purpose in meditation and that is to innocently repeat the mantra or follow your breath depending upon which meditation practice you choose. As long as you do that, you are doing it right.

Myth #4
If I meditate long enough I will achieve enlightenment.

You were born enlightened, and pure, and whole, and perfect. And throughout your life you have been layered with interpretations, perspectives, and conditioning. And these layers have covered that wholeness, purity, perfection, and pure consciousness from which you were formed.

But that pure, infinite, enlightened, perfection is still who you are at your very core…underneath all those layers of conditioning. Meditation allows you to see glimpses of your pure unconditioned universal self and therefore have a deeper understanding of your life and perhaps life itself. So will you become enlightened? It’s the wrong question because you already are. And each time you meditate, you get an opportunity to reach back and peel away more layers of that lifetime of conditioning. And youget to dip your toes in, dip your fingers in…and reconnect to your unconditioned self – your pure, whole,perfect, enlightened self. And you take that stillness, silence, and unconditioned being back into eachday; back into each moment; back into each breath. So will you become enlightened? It’s the wrong question. You already are. Will you awaken yourself to wholeness? Yes. Meditation by meditation, moment by moment, you will wake up to more of your enlightened self.

Myth #5
If I meditate, I am a superior human being because I am spiritual.

There is no such thing as a spiritual hierarchy based on whether people meditate or for how long. Meditation allows you to connect more deeply and more frequently to your source…your highest power…your universality. The more often you tap into your unconditioned self – that pure, unbounded, divine aspect of yourself – the easier it is to see your universality, which is essentially seeing yourself in others and seeing others in yourself. In that state of one-ness awareness, you are neither above nor below anyone. Remember the definition of Namaste: “I honor the light in you – which is also in me. And when you are in that space and I am in that space…we are one.”

As your practice unfolds, your life will continue to blossom and bloom. Feel free to refer back to these five myths whenever you notice that you are questioning the value of your practice. And remember that the value of your practice – the true benefit of meditation – is not when your eyes are closed and when you are sitting in the dark…the benefit of your practice…the magnificence of your practice is demonstrated when your eyes are open and you’re back here with the rest of us. This is where you are more creative, more relaxed, more intuitive, more loving, and more peaceful.

So rock on meditator!!

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