7 Best Gratitude Quotes….

1.  “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
2. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder
3. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. John F. Kennedy 
4. At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. Albert Schweitzer 
5. The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.
– WIlliam James
6. “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
– Oprah Winfrey
7. He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus

Life = Risk…

Love it!

The Power of Human Sexuality……

Certain establishments will have you believe this is all wrong and that this is dirty, but this is fear based.

They don’t want you to experience this joining together with cosmic consciousness because then, they have no control.

You are free to experience all of this with someone who you deem appropriate for you and visa versa. This is not wrong.

It is a gift to us and it costs nothing.

And breathe…….

I had to remind myself to let go and breathe again recently.

I, like many others, am going through some real changes and it has not been very easy. I am being reprogrammed to leave my old ways behind and embrace new ones. My old ways are what brought me my successes and they are all I know. So it is hard to go with another untested route.

I am learning to just go with things and allowing the universe to steer me to where and how I need to be. Most days, I can embrace this but every so often, I throw my toys out of the pram! I then am reminded that it’s ok. There is nothing to fear. I am using self love consciously to help me to learn and grow.

So for all of those of you who are also going through this, you are not alone!

The Love Foundation…………

The Love Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the mission of inspiring people to love unconditionally. Our vision is to assist people by building a practical foundation and understanding of unconditional love within individuals and society as a whole.

Choose Love

It may be easy to look around our world today and see the appearance of chaos, difficulty and strife.  Yet, when we come from an open heart, we can also see our opportunity to love all things into balance, joy, harmony and peace.  This planet does not need more visions of desperation, fear, doubt and hate – it requires an abundance of love, especially unconditional love, to heal and restore the beauty contained in every moment.  This becomes the easier path once we take the first step and begin to share our love.

When we bring unconditional love back into our personal, professional, community and family lives, we begin the journey of restoring wholeness and happiness to our planetary adventure.  Of course it takes determined effort on our part as the old ways of being are quick to return in our mind.  However, this effort to love is rewarded with a new perspective on everything and all life benefits as a result.

Here at The Love Foundation, whether through Global Love Day each May 1st, our annual Art, Essay and Poetry Invitational, the Love Ambassador or Act of Love designations, and our newest program, Loving Earth, each of these opportunities are simply ways to keep the understanding of love fresh in our collective hearts and minds.

Ten years ago we started this nonprofit organization as a way to inspire and remind people of the simple power of loving unconditionally.  In just these few years, we have witnessed a growing worldwide momentum embracing this opportunity to bring the awareness of unconditional love back into our daily lives.

We look forward to expanding this dialogue and welcome you to walk this journey of unconditional love in your part of the world.

http://www.thelovefoundation.com/

Simply beautiful.

Very reasonable Yoga Weekends for Beginners and Intermediates in London……

I have been looking at the Sivananda website today. there is lots of great information on there. I love the words they have on the site – Serve, Love, Give, Meditate, Realise.

Anyway, they have some really good facilities including meditation and yoga courses. They have charges but Auranics approves these. They are reasonable for what you are getting. Here is just one of many….

Weekend Intensives…

Beginners’ Weekend
July 11 – 12
A very popular alternative to the 4 or 6 week Yoga 1, this weekend intensive gives a complete experience of the yogic lifestyle while providing a sound basis for your home practice. Delicious vegetarian meals, nature walks and workshops on yoga and meditation make this a “mini” retreat in the heart of London.

Intermediate Weekends
August 15 – 16
Similar in structure to the Beginners’ Weekend, this follow-up weekend focuses on deepening the Yoga experience through the practice of variations, introduction to the headstand and a deeper understanding of the Yoga philosophy.

cost: Members £57 / Non-members £75 / Concessions available

The daily programme is as follows:
Saturday | 10.30am – 5.30pm
10.30am	Yoga Class
12.00	Lunch
1pm	Walk
2.15pm	Talk: Introduction to Yoga
4pm	Yoga Class
Sunday | 10.30am – 5.30pm
10.30am	Yoga Class
12.00	Lunch
1pm	Video presentation
2.15pm	Talk: Introduction to Meditation
4pm	Yoga Class

Just one of many courses available.

London Fo Guang Buddhist Temple behind Oxford Street….

Yes believe it or not, there is the Fo Guang Buddhist Temple in the hustle and bustle of Central London. I really wish I knew about these places when I lived in London and had my tougher times. (Never mind! At least I can pass these on to you.)

They offer free meditation sessions and Buddhism Classes plus other classes – their website has all of the info.

I found out about the Temple from a  leaflet I picked up at the Mind Body Spirit Festival in London a few weeks ago. The leaflet also had this printed on it which are just wonderfully beautiful words:

• May palms in every world be joined in kindness, compassion, joy and generosity
• May all beings find security in friendship, peace & loving care
• May calm & mindful practice give rise to deep patience & equanimity
• May we give rise to spacious hearts & humble thoughts of gratitude

There is tons of lovely information and advice for anyone and everyone on their site, like the extracts taken below:

“The seed for Buddhism in England has been sown and will continue to grow. London Fo Guang Shan promotes the four principles initiated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun: “Propagating Dharma through cultural activities, fostering talent through education, benefiting society through philanthropic programmes and purifying human minds”. We also promote Buddhism locally by educating local Buddhists to assist in propagating the Dharma. We are committed to the establishment of a Pureland in western society through nurturing joy and harmony, unity and coexistence, respect and tolerance, equality and peace.”

Amongst many other things, they offer: events like Inter Faith Cermonies (they have one on the 7th of July if you are around), Cultural Events, Community Events and work to help international charitable fundraising projects.

“When people act together, great things are possible. London Fo Guang Shanis looking forward to the collaboration withBritish society and communities in the near future so as to promote enduring interfaith network, create cultures of peace and bring the world harmony and happiness among all people. The London Fo Guang Temple offers a friendly atmosphere for anyone who is interested in its services and activities. It is open to public from 9AM to 5 PM daily except Friday.”

Self Loving…………

Yogi Bhajan was a wonderful Sikh man who worked tirelessly to spread the message of not only Sikhism, but also peace and love. Many people all over the world follow his teachings through his foundation 3hO – Healthy, Happy, Holy Organisation. He was a clear cut man who as they say – would shoot from the hip. The last line from below will confirm this!

Here is a lovely meditation from him:

Affirmation for Self Love Sit straight. Place your right hand on your heart and say, “My heart, I love you.” Place your hands on your eyes and say, “My eyes, I love you.” Then on the top of your head and say, “My head, I love you.” And next, at the navel point and say, “I love you.” And lastly on both your knees, and say, “I love you.” If you pay a little bit of attention to yourself and show love to yourself you will find yourself different. You have been taught to hate everything, and that what you do not hate will eat you up. This is your most stupid behavior.

Love is…………..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love should be about giving and receiving. It should be plentiful and bring contentment. It shouldn’t push or pull you. It should be natural and come from within. It shouldn’t be monetary or attached to anything financial. It should be free and simple but enough to nourish you and keep you nurtured. There shouldn’t be any external influence, apart from the two of you. Love should be easy – its the only thing you don’t have to work at.

By Suky Bansal.

Thanks for the picture.

A song called Fear and Love by Morcheeba – BEAUTIFUL LYRICS

Do we really practice these slogans? – ‘Be Good To Yourself’ and ‘Because You’re Worth it’

I speak to so many wonderful people who put themselves out everyday for those they love – family, friends, charity commitments etc. I also see that so many of these people are so great at selfless giving that somewhere along the line, they forget about themselves.

I remember many years ago watching Oprah where she really explored this subject. Many people want to be the best and give their all – for example, a mother and wife who wants to be there for her family and holds all of it on her shoulders. Oprah reminded us that all of us give out loads and nurture others but don’t nurture ourselves. I am certainly guilty of this. I love everyone and everything but until recently, I didn’t hold any love back for me. The greatest love of all is for you to love you. I couldn’t believe I was one of these who had not realised this.

So here’s what I suggest – take 30-60 minutes out of the 24 hour day everyday to do something you want to do. That could be sitting in silence/meditating, some exercise, watching your favorite show, looking at the moon and starts as I like to, listening to music that relaxes you etc. What do you really enjoy doing? Try to get some of this in everyday. Out fo 24 hours in the day, you can take some for you. You are allowed. Plus when you begin to do this,  you will see how much happier you are as you are nurturing yourself too and you will be able to give so much back to your family and other selfless causes.