In this month's special meditation, we will explore our relationships and driving forces behind them. Whether you are single or in a relationship, you will benefit from a little bit of perspective on your motivations. We will also discuss how our past can hold control over our current behaviors. Our discussion will be followed by a guided meditation. During the meditation, we will let go of one painful experience from our past, something that still affects us today. We will end the meditation by opening our hearts and minds to the new beginnings and experiences. Reiki will be offered during the meditation to help with healing and letting go. Pen and paper will be provided at the end so you can jot some notes down.

Please read my article below and see if it resonates with you. If it does, I hope to see at the workshop!

Happy Valentine's Day?
With February here and Valentine's Day approaching, it can be difficult to be single. It can seem as if all your friends are happily coupled and you are the only lone person you know. Yet, it's also difficult if you are in a relationship. The pressure of getting just the right gift that would convey the right message can be daunting. Spending the day in perfect harmony with your significant other is no small task either. The opportunities for disappointment are abundant. Should not all of this be much simpler?

Perhaps the answers lie much closer than you think. Often, we don't think about our role in relationships or lack thereof. It's the other person, we think. Even if you single, it's still about the other person . Think with me for a moment. Are you looking for someone kind, funny, romantic, supportive? Probably yes. Well, you are thinking of the other person, not yourself. You are picking qualities that most of us find desirable, at least outloud, and trying to find someone who will fit into them, without taking yourself into consideration.  

I think that only when we turn the tables to focus on ourselves first and figuring out who we are, we are able to find a partner who will comliment us. Only when we feel complete and capable by ourselves, we can find a true partner.

I wish I could say that I have been happily married for 20 or so years and that would lend some weight to my words, but I can't. I have been married, divorced, and through a couple of long-term relationships that ended in various stages of disarray. I have made quiet a few mistakes along the way where I was hurt and where I hurt others. So maybe this does lend some weight to my words as this is coming from someone who's seen her fair share of relationship disasters. All I can say is that only after I have learned to accept and love myself, just as I am, I was able to find someone who loves me, just the way I am.

It is a long and difficult journey to accept yourself. Not many of us actually want to do it. Sure, we might say that we do, but truly, do you really want to look in those dark corners of yourself? You might even know what's hiding there, and you just don't want to get it out and own it. Yet, when you do that, you can accept and forgive yourself. Those dark corners will still be there, but they will no longer dictate how to live your life, how to love, and how to relate to other people.

I know that my journey is far from being over. I can not tell you that I now know everything there is to know about what motivates me. But I can tell you that through being mindful, accepting, forgiving, loving to myself, I was able to become free of the grossest impulses that used to drive me. Freedom is a wonderful thing. So is self-acceptance and a strong feeling of self-worth, the core self, the core identity.

Make the February not about having or not having a partner. Instead, take this shortest month of the year and dedicate it to yourself. Turn it into a month when you tune into yourself, connect with your spirit, let go of past traumas. Check out our schedule to see if our classes can help you start on a journey to self-discovery and ultimately, better relationships.