Why I closed down my Abundance Through Imagination Project on YouTube

Yes, I am closing down Abundance Through Imagination YouTube channel and website.

In short: I've just been on a 10-day meditation retreat and many insights have come my way. This has led me to make some changes (again!). I will keep it short here but I share more on why I've come to this decision in ​my last video for this channel.​

What does this mean for you? If you enjoyed the videos on the Abundance Through Imagination channel but had hoped to watch some other videos I've made, please do so now; as I will pull down all the videos there by the end of this month.

What happens next? I have revived the old Reflection Pond channel (some of you know that was my old channel where I made videos on intentional living, mindfulness and meditation). But it has a new name: Create Uplifting Thoughts. You can find it here. Please subscribe to it, if you like. Update: It’s now called Be.Do.Have.Life and you can find it here: youtube.com/@bedohavelife

I will be creating new articles and video content focused on cultivating inner-peace through loving-kindness meditation, introspection exercises, events and programs that help us creating a calm, peaceful and uplifted mind. I will also make videos around acceptance, letting go, and generosity. You will see more on that in the coming weeks through my new content (I will send you the weekly emails like this one).

What do you need to do?
1. Nothing. If you are enjoying being on this journey with me, even as I change and transform and pivot over the course of months and years, do nothing (or subscribe to the new channel). Some of you have been with me for years and I thank you for coming along with me. I will move you to the new Create Uplifting Thoughts email list and you will continue to get weekly Thursday morning emails. You don't have to do a thing.

2. Starting next Thursday, please look out for the new emails coming from this email: hello@createupliftingthoughts.com.

Also, the old emails sophia@abundancethroughimagination.com or sophia@abundancethroughvisualization.com will no longer be in service.

3. I will talk about abundance but from a "letting go" and "acceptance of what is" point of view rather than "acquiring" and "having" point of view (​see the video​ for clarification on what I mean). Or you are welcome to stay on and see what I create next - it may be helpful to you still.

Finally, I thank you for your patience and understanding as I figure this journey out. My intention through these changes is: to help you create greater inner-peace and calm in your life and to understand the workings of the mind through meditation and introspection to create a life free from stress, anxiety and worry and eventually, ultimate freedom from suffering.

As always, feel free to email me here. I read and respond to every email you send me.

Peace, Sophia

A New Chapter Begins: Reflection Pond is now Queen of Visualization

Many of you have followed my journey with Reflection Pond. Some as far back as 2010 when I first launched reflectionpond.com.

Now, as of July 2022, reflectionpond.com is queenofvisualization.com.

Below is a bit of the backstory of how this change has come to be.

From 2010 to 2022

The aim of my videos, blogs and programs on reflectionpond.com so far has been that of helping people create inner-peace and happiness. I have been guiding meditation classes since 2010, first for friends in my living room, then for a music band who hired me to guide a visualization before each of their practice for several weeks. We (Cristof and I) even published our first CD: Creative Visualizations for Abundance. I was also publishing many useful videos doing book reviews as well as cultivating new habits of gratitude and cover many other personal development topics on my YouTube channel.

Later, I conducted guided meditations for individuals online via Skype and eventually group sessions via weekly Zoom sessions for our local High Country Meditators group (HCM).

When the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, people were still meeting in groups indoors. But I had a strong intuition that this is different. I made a last minute decision to move our in-person meeting to an online Zoom meeting back in Feb 2020. This decision was an important one and it may even have saved some of us from contracting the virus at a time when there was no vaccine or a cure. Since then, Cristof and I held weekly guided meditation sessions for the HCM group on Zoom along with delivering short presentations on things ranging from cultivating inner-peace, topics of forgiveness, gratitude and the Buddha’s teachings of the Noble Eight-Fold Path.

Something new was brewing
And as 2022 came around, I started to feel that something new is wanting to emerge. I didn’t know what it was. But what I knew was that the weekly sessions needed to come to a stop.

Isn’t it often that way in life? We have to make space for the new by shedding the old. To add a new book to an already full bookshelf, we need to choose which book needs to be donated. The old book fulfilled its purpose and can now go on to help another reader.

It was something similar that I was feeling. I know that our meditation group members enjoyed our weekly meet-ups online and loved to meditate together. But for me, instead of an enriching and enlivening experience, these sessions had become energy-draining. I couldn’t understand why that was. It could be that showing up on video each week live was getting to me. All I knew was that I needed to stop doing these sessions.

I am pretty happy with what Cristof and I have created for our community - a total of 93 sessions over a period of two years. That’s quite a consistent effort and output. You can watch all these sessions here as part of the High Country Meditators Video Series.

We stopped our weekly HCM meditation sessions in Jan 2022. And I went quiet for more than 5 months.

Then, towards the end of June, this new but also not new desire came to surface - do creative visualizations.

A New Chapter and a New Journey

Throughout these years, one thing that people in my sessions really enjoyed was creative visualization. If you want to know my approach to creative visualization, read about it here but in short, these are guided visualizations where I create a world of imagination which is out of this ordinary world of ours. We go to a place where we receive guidance from our future self or higher self or guides as well as create a vision of the life we want.

So creative visualization, itself, is not new for me; the desire to fully focus on creative visualization, however, is new. And I am very happy about it.

Over and over again, folks have told me that they enjoyed these visual journeys. Plus, I also love doing them. So in short, here are some of the reasons why I have chosen to go on this path of Doing Creative Visualizations from now on:

1 | People have liked my visualizations. They have come back for it. They like the rest and relaxation factor. Guided Visualizations are attractive to people. Almost everyone has said that “I could use some of that.” They have received messages, they have felt peace.

2 | My visual skills are my strongest skills/ talents. This shows in my poetry which is very visual, in my speech as well as in my imagination. I have a very strong sense of visualization when something is mentioned, I can very clearly SEE it. So don’t ever mention worms when I am eating! LOL!

3 | It comes naturally. It is the only thing, that I don’t need to prepare for. It comes to me naturally. The words flow. The images flow. And it all comes so beautifully to me with ease and I enjoy it. It seems to be coming directly from the divine. I am rarely nervous or doubting whether I can do it. I just know that I have it in me and the guided meditation will come out beautifully. I feel good doing it. And I feel confident and happy when I am guiding a visual journey.

What this means for you?

Now that reflectionpond is queenofvisualization, what this means for you is that you will receive content in your inbox and on the website and on my YouTube channel that is all about creating a life of our dreams using the method of creative visualization. There will be free youtube videos with guided visualizations, book reviews of books on creative visualization and related topics as well as workshops and retreats around creative visualization.

You will get these in your inbox, so sign up here!

I am working to build the best resource online for creative visualization so that you can have the tools, methods and inspiration for creating a life that you want by design.

If this resonates with you, I am happy to have you part of this email list. If you are not finding this exciting, I will not mind if you unsubscribe. And if you are not sure, stay on the email list for at least until Aug 31st to see what kind of content I am sharing and assess if it’s helpful to you. Only then make a decision to unsubscribe - that’s my recommendation!

Onwards!

I am super excited for this next chapter on my journey and I can’t wait to share all that I have envisioned for you plus all the new things I will be inspired to create for you down the road.

With gratitude,
Sophia

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Now, it’s your turn.
Let me know in the comments any supportive comments you have on my new chapter!

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Hi! My name is Sophia and this is my message to you:

It’s possible to live the life you want.
Visualize the Life of Your Dreams + Believe + Take Action + Sprinkle In Some Gratitude = Create A Life You Want

To learn more about my approach to creative visualization and how you can use it in your life , see all the details here.

Bhante Vimalaramsi Visits High Country Meditators April 14

I am super excited to announce that for the second time, Bhante Vimalaramsi of the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center is joining our weekly online Zoom meeting of the High Country Meditators. He will give us a dhamma talk with references to suttas, the Buddha’s teachings, as well as his own experience of over three decades being a Buddhist monk. His wisdom will guide us in our own meditation practice as well as in every day life.

The session will conclude with a Q&A session. Please come prepared with your questions about meditation, the Buddha’s teaching or how to deal with life’s ups and downs better.

Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Time: 2 pm to 3 pm EDT.

The event is free of charge.

Sign up is no longer possible. Watch a recording here: https://youtu.be/NogU-_h4yIo

Uplifting Audiobooks: A Collection

Uplifting Audiobooks: A Collection

Banner Photo Source: Photo by Dedu Adrian on Unsplash

The year was 2017. I had just come back from my first 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in Georgia, USA. It was there that I learnt about the non-profit publishing house, Pariyatti. I went online and found so many free and for pay books and audiobooks. I selected my first audiobook from there, The Art of Living from their online streaming platform. It was there that I saw a note that said, anyone who would like to volunteer to record these audiobooks please contact us here.

That’s how I got started. By now, we have recorded three audiobooks. And I just got the green light to record an audiobook for a work by Ayya Khema. I am super excited. I am happy to share them with you here:

Stream/Download: You can either stream the audios on the website itself. Once you click the link of the book below, you will see the streaming section. It will look like the screenshot on the right. You can play the audio right there.

Or click the three dots on the very right to download the audio.

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Note: Descriptions have been copied from Pariyatti’s website.

1. Inspiration from Enlightened Nuns

Narrated by: Sophia Ojha Ensslin

“In this audiobook we will be exploring poems composed by the Arahat bhikkhunīs or enlightened Buddhist nuns of old, looking at these poems as springs of inspiration for contemporary Buddhists. Most of the poems we will consider come from the Therīgāthā, a small section of the vast Pali Canon. From the poems of the enlightened nuns of the Buddha’s time contemporary followers of the Noble Eightfold Path can receive a great deal of instruction, help and encouragement. These verses can assist us in developing morality, concentration and wisdom, the three sections of the path. With their aid we will be able to work more effectively towards eliminating our mental defilements and towards finding lasting peace and happiness.”

https://store.pariyatti.org/Inspiration-from-Enlightened-Nuns-br-audiobook_p_4982.html

2. The Elimination of Anger

Narrated by: Sophia Ojha Ensslin & Cristof Ensslin

“The Elimination of Anger, by Ven. K. Piyatissa Thera is a helpful manual highlighting methods that the Buddha taught to help understand and deal with anger. It also contains two stories retold from Buddhist texts, The Reviler and The Anger-eating Demon. This is an audiobook version of this booklet. It can also be found in the book Collected Bodhi Leaves Volume III.”

https://store.pariyatti.org/The-Elimination-of-Anger--MP3-Audiobook_p_5104.html

3. Mudita: The Buddha’s Teaching on Unselfish Joy

Narrated by: Sophia Ojha Ensslin

“This audiobook of Wheel Publicaton No. 170 contains several short essays, one by the editor, Ven. Nyanaponika, and three by lay practitioners on one of the lesser known and too-little practiced sublime states of mind. Mudita, usually translated "sympathetic joy," was designated one of the brahma-viharas by the Buddha, one of the sublime, noble states of mind. How is it to be practiced and what are the implications of mudita on the spiritual path? These essays address those questions. Stream the audio using the audio player below or download as multiple MP3s or a single, long MP3 file (Duration: 71 minutes).”

https://store.pariyatti.org/Mudita--MP3-Audiobook_p_4895.html

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More Audiobooks:

Pariyatti has many other audiobooks that you can find here: https://store.pariyatti.org/audiobooks. And you can also see all their other materials here: pariyatti.org.

We hope you will find them useful and will find inspiration and peace while listening to them.

Love,
Sophia + Cristof

New In-Person Meditation Sessions in Western North Carolina

Hello there! 

I am super delighted to announce that we will be holding live in-person meditation sessions in Boone, North Carolina starting in Feb 2018! Here's some more details from the Press Release.

Inner-Peace: Meditation for a Healthy Mind

Location:
Watauga County Public Library
140 Queen St, Boone, NC 28607.

Event Dates: 
Feb 17th, Mar 17th, April 21st and May 19th.
Event Time:
3pm - 4pm

NEW MONTHLY MEDITATION PROGRAM
at the Appalachian Regional Library.

Starting in February, 2018, Watauga County Library in downtown Boone will be offering a program of meditation and visualization, “Inner-Peace: Meditation for a Healthy Mind.” Local residents of all ages can come and learn how to take charge of their mental well-being. The program will focus on teaching daily practices to calm the mind and wash away the daily stresses, using breath awareness exercises and relaxation techniques combined with guided creative visualizations. These are skills that the participants can learn and use on their own in their daily lives. 

Inner-Peace is a monthly meditation program held in the Meeting Room at the Watauga County Library taking place on the third Saturday of each month, from 3pm-4pm. The dates are: Feb 17th, Mar 17th, April 21st and May 19th. It is hosted by Sophia Ojha Ensslin from reflectionpond.com, a long-time meditator and writer on topics of training the mind, introspection and creating inner-peace. It is part of the mental wellness initiative funded by various national level non-profit institutions.

This program is helpful for anyone who wants to learn how to deal with tensions at home or stresses from the job. It can be used by students to better deal with the pressures of student life. It can help people better cope with loneliness, physical illness, depression, irritation, anger and can help increase a sense of compassion, kindness and love towards themselves and others. It is beneficial to all groups ranging from moms and dads, professionals, students, the elderly and anyone who is interested in taking care of their mental well-being.

Meditation A Necessity Not A Luxury

We, as a society, are re-learning how to take care of our minds after having focused, for centuries, primarily on the body. Our minds are our most important asset and keeping it healthy and nourished is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

If every single individual in Watauga and neighboring counties learned the art of taking care of their mind, with simple daily steps, imagine how much more self-confidence, peace, productivity and helpful solutions we each could experience and contribute towards.

Taking a few minutes to meditate and visualize are powerful ways to wash away the mental anguish, hurt, irritations and anger that builds up in the course of the day ⏤ helping us live happier lives.

For Media Inquires send an email to sophia@reflectionpond.com or go here: Contact
More Details See: Mindful Events Page

New Creative Visualization Series Coming Next Year 2018!

Hello there, my friend!

I am thrilled to announce that starting in January of 2018, we will be releasing new guided creative visualization series: Intentions Manifested.

These will be between 15 and 25 minutes long and we will cover all kinds of topics - all the things that you are wanting to manifest in your life. It's really juice and I can't wait to share these with you. We've already got a few of these audio tracks done!!

If you'd like specific guided visualizations on a topic that would help you best, suggest those in the comments below. And keep an eye out on the blog, the newsletter or youtube to see the first episode. You can always also sign up to the 5 days to Happier Life ecourse - as everyone who signs up to those will be the first to be informed!

Until then, stay happy and have a peaceful holiday time!

Love,

Sophia

 

Online Guided Visualization Sessions

It is my desire to bring visualizations to those who want it. I posted our services on this really cool site: www.thumbtack.com where people can find us and get access to our online visualizations as well as book a customized session for themselves.

You can check it out by clicking the link below. Also please share it with your network and I will be very grateful.

http://www.thumbtack.com/Guided-Visualization-Meditation-Sessions-Asheville-NC/service/519839">Guided Visualization Meditation Sessions

Much Love,

Sophia