Aloha,
Welcome.
I'm Cindy Paulus and I've been meditating all my life.
Well,
Since I've been about 12 or 13 years old.
It's a long time.
But what amazes me about meditation is that no matter how long you meditate for,
It's always a value.
It's not like anything else that I can think of.
First of all,
It's free.
And second of all,
It really leads you to more awareness.
Awareness of so much.
Awareness of the way your mind works.
Awareness of what you're thinking.
Awareness of your motivations.
Awareness of what your purpose is in life.
Awareness is such a valuable tool.
So I thought I'd talk a little bit about awareness.
The thing is we really kind of block a lot of this awareness out when we're busy,
When we're doing things.
And we're all busy and we're all doing things.
I understand that.
But it's when we stop and take some time to just be,
To go within,
To just breathe,
And to take that inner journey,
That we really can change our state of mind by being aware of what's going on in our thoughts.
And many times what's going in our thoughts is directing what's going on in our lives.
Now I know some people just do therapy and think that's the same,
But it's different.
It's different than therapy because this is an inner journey.
You're not talking to anyone but yourself.
And at the same time,
There's such depth of truth that you can find inside.
There's such amazing gifts that are there for you to choose to use that it's really endless.
I mean,
I have found that it works for me in many levels wherever I choose to direct that energy.
For writing,
Which I've done quite a bit of,
I write every day.
I'm getting old,
So that's a lot of writing.
But I may be getting old in years,
But you know what?
Also in meditation,
You find out it's not a matter of the years or anything like that.
It's beyond that.
And the soul level,
There's a whole different schedule.
And that's also an amazing gift.
It's like there's this journey that you're taking,
This inner journey that you take,
That you explore,
And you discover,
And you become like a student of what's going on in the world and in yourself.
And many times it's what's in yourself that's directing what you find and seeing your perspective in the world.
So you can imagine how deep that goes.
There's many,
Many,
Many challenges you will face in life.
We've been seeing so many.
It seems to me that actually the challenges have been increasing in number and intensity.
And that's where meditation becomes even more valuable.
When there's such hard times going on for so many people,
You can go into meditation and find that inner strength and compassion.
Compassion for yourself and compassion for others.
As we see some people getting into these hard times,
It's to me,
It's been quite mind-blowing how we can see people act out in ways they may not even be aware of.
I mean,
Of course,
I saw that living here on Maui after the fires here.
And I'm sure that will probably be happening in Los Angeles too.
And that's where you can go inside and find that compassion that you need to get through difficult times for yourself.
And by having that compassion for yourself,
You also can have understanding compassion for others.
Such a beautiful gift to be able to understand and have compassion.
Now,
You can tell I have a great love for meditation.
So we'll do a little meditation.
And of course,
We all start by breathing.
Breathing in.
As I breathe in,
I'm aware of how I'm sitting.
How's my neck aligned with my body?
How's my tension level?
I start to be aware of any tightness I might have.
I start to be aware of how I'm holding myself.
How is that flow of energy in the spine?
Is it flowing with energy from the base of the spine to the top of the head?
Just allow yourself to be aligned.
Just take some moments here because that may take a bit to be aligned through your body,
Aligning everything through your mind,
Through your emotions.
Allow that alignment to flow freely.
Allow yourself to be connected.
Mind,
Body,
Heart,
Soul.
Now,
Breath helps in this,
Of course.
So just breathe with awareness.
Breathing deeply,
Deeply,
Deeply.
And as you breathe in,
Hold and then just as you breathe out,
Letting go and relaxing and feeling good.
You can let yourself feel good.
Breathing helps you with that.
Just feeling good.
And take the time to allow yourself to be connected to that resource you have inside.
That awareness that comes.
That awareness is a wonderful connection.
The awareness of what you're thinking and where those thoughts come from and letting those thoughts go.
The awareness as they flow and then they go.
That awareness of your breathing,
That awareness of how you feel and how aligned you are with yourself.
That deep,
Deep,
Deep awareness is such a gift.
And let that awareness grow from your soul to the source of all energy there within.
See how it directs you and guides you.
Watch that energy flow.
Ah,
What a beautiful resource.
That energy flow within.
Go with the flow,
Right?
Go with that flow and let it just sweep over you and clear yourself in so many ways in your mind and your emotions.
Ah,
Feel like it's just a wonderful bath,
A beautiful light surrounding you and going through you and lifting you.
Just be still.
Be still and know that you are one with the source and the resource of all energy,
That inner source within.
And just allow yourself to take in whatever you need that will direct and guide you in your life.
Maybe it'll be a few words that come.
Maybe it'll be just a sense of that great peace within.
What a gift that is.
I always like to say thank you for the gifts that come in meditation.
I am so grateful for that wonderful ability to have this gift of meditation.
And I'm so grateful for you going to that place within.
And I encourage you to meditate every day,
To take the time to explore what's going on inside you.
It's truly one of the greatest resources you'll find in your life.
I truly believe that.
I send you my love and my light and my blessings always.
