Provided From Within.

This week's postcard and quote sets the tone for the four postcards for the month of April which are all around the theme of self-love and abundance. As I am revamping reflectionpond.com and adding useful products up on the site, I am naturally focussed outwardly. This quote by Goethe, points out so eloquently that our abundance and our wealth is within us. Teachers of consciousness will very clearly demonstrate to us that our consciousness creates our outer world. In other words, our inner life is what determines our experience on the sensory, physical plane. No matter how many times I hear that, I am just amazed at that concept. My external, environment really is a result of how I am thinking, feeling and vibrating in my consciousness! It certainly is empowering because now I have complete "control" or let us say rather, responsibility to create my experiences. Powerful, don't you think?

I am reminded of an incident that just happened last week when I was visiting the post office to mail off some books. I wanted to give the Post Office Representative exact change which included three pennies in the total amount. As I handed him the pennies, I said: "3 lucky pennies for you!" To which he replied with some concern: "There goes your luck". I found myself smiling at him and saying: "The more I give, the more there is!" These words came so spontaneously, along with a sense of realization that there is always more and more and more created in our world of abundance. Besides, I have come to believe that we are all lucky. Everything is lucky. Each moment is lucky. We are swimming in a sea of Luckiness.

And all that abundance and luck is provided from within. It is within us, to begin with. It has become such a habit for us to look to the outside world for our happiness. We may look to circumstances, to people, to the weather, to the world around us and what we see is a sign of the state of affairs in our internal world, either individually or collectively as human civilization. Let us begin to provide ourselves with plentitude and follow Goethe's suggestion to look within.

Love,

Sophia 

Mindfulness inspired by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Sophia talks about what she learnt from the book, "Wherever you go there you are."

3 Lessons related to 3 Questions: How do I ease into meditation? How long should I meditate? What keeps me from having direct contact with life? 

It's good to know where you can get this book yourself.

Get Your Personalized Guided Visualizations

You know the power of your mind. And you know the magic of visualizations. How would you like it if you were guided through a visualization meditation that is specifically designed for you and your group? No matter where you are located, I can lead you through a powerful visualization.

Personalized Visualization Meditations are tailor-made to your needs. Want to create more abundance in your life, or you want to build more harmony and creativity or whatever your specific goal may be, I can design a visualization just for you.

Learn more here.

Guided Visualization Free Sample Track for Creativity

As promised, here is the meditation track I wanted to share for you to sample. Please feel free to share with me any feedback you may have on this visualization.

Wishing you a lovely time tapping into your creative fountain. Enjoy. Find a comfortable place and close your eyes. Make sure you have 14 minutes of full attention. Please do not listen to this while doing something else.

Here is the Visualization Meditation for Creativity. Duration: 14 min.

Visualization for Creativity

After the meditation we did last week for the Asheville based Music band, I was inspired to make a meditation track that focuses on tapping into creative energy. 

Creativity is of essence in every day life, not only for artists, performers, writers and creatives. Creativity ic channeled in relationship-building, peace building, project management, conceptual work and any other task which engages the human potential.

So I am very happy to share with you a meditation track which you can use at any time to tap into your creative energy. Come back to this blog tomorrow for the new track.

Musician Uses Visualizations To Get In Touch With Their Inner Tune.

Last week, I was invited by an Asheville based Musician to do a visualization mediation. The band wanted to start their music practices with a meditation. I was so pleased and honored to do so. I believe that visualizations are a great way to begin any creative project. It helps to calm down the mind that is raging with countless thoughts. One becomes relaxed and open to the voice that is wanting to be expressed. Really beautiful way to quiet down nervous energy, doubt and anxiety.

The band chose to sit on the floor for the meditation in a circle. This is wonderful to get grounded and closer to the Earth. A candle was lit and placed in the center of the circle. This helped to bring our attention to the center of the circle and symbolically to our own center. We conversed about visualization and I asked the band why they wanted to use the visualization which gave me insight and helped direct the visualization to suit specifically the band members.

I then led the group through a visualization meditation. We first began by focussing on the breath which is often an important starting point. Then I led the group through a series of visual journeys to get connected with their deeper self. The meditation lasted for about 20 minutes, after which everyone shared their experiences. I loved to hear the unique images and sensations that people experiences. It was a real honor to be able to hear about the visualization experience at the end of the meditation. 

The band was now refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go for their practice. This was simply beautiful.

Building Peace with a Smile.

We all know and have felt the magical power of a smile. A genuine smile can pour straight into our hearts, breaking down all barriers- physical or emotional. Especially, when the heart is aching, a loving smile from a friend can heal all wounds. A smile is something we can do also with our eyes. When someone is smiling with their eyes, you know it when you see it.

Mother Teresa even says that in a smile is the beginning of peace. At first sight, this may appear to be a long shot. How can a single smile do something so "huge" as build peace? Yet, there it is. In our midst, smiles that represent the inner calm and joy that we experience. And with each smile, we are building the foundations of peace that can travel around the world unlimitedly and in an instant.

So let us practice smiling. How about smiling at our image in the mirror? This, in itself, can take us far. Smile from your heart, through your lips and your eyes and your thoughts and your actions. Shower the world around you with smiles and laughter. And share that beautiful smile of yours.

Love,
Sophia

Online Community Comes Together To Heal Japan

Yesterday's Online Event Healing for Japan was simply moving.

People from around the globe participated to send their love and healing energies to Japan. The event brought together Bonnie Gold Bell and David Sun Todd of www.bellandtodd.com as well as Rod Krug of www.blogtv/People/didgerod. I joined in to moderate the event and to do a healing visualization of a healed Japan and a harmonious Earth.

The event was so beautiful. David and Bonnie gave us some insights into what the messages from our Mother Earth are and what do all the events that are unfolding right now, mean for us. David shared some deep messages that we was given which really resonated with everyone. Bonnie inspired us by sharing tools that we can use to get in touch with our inner self and maintain peace within us. 

After that part, I was delighted to take the Live audience through a guided visualization. This visualization was a visual journey, helping us to envision a healed Japan. We visualized how the nation of Japan and its people were completely healed and stronger than before. We went on to visualize a harmonious mother Earth with all the resident living in love and peace. 

We then listened to soul soothing music from Rod Krug. We played a lovely track from Rod's new CD Universal Dreaming. It was so beautiful and such a joy. It indeed helped us to go deeper into our visual journey and to send our healing love to Japan.

Then we opened up for questions to the live audience which David answered so eloquently and with such wisdom.

I really encourage you to listen to the show which lasts for an hour. You can go here to get the free replay: 

http://www.reflection-pond.com/healing-for-japan/

Consistently Kind.

These words of the Dalai Lama bring a little smile on my face. Being kind as a way of life is a beautiful thought. To be kind to our own self is something we have to relearn at times. If we can come to understand and truly know within that all that we want to be is already within us, then bit by bit it becomes easier to be kind to ourselves. 

Recently, I was watching a documentary in which a physicist was talking about the structure and movement of the Universe. He was essentially talking about a unified theory that explains and even demonstrates how everything is one. If everything is one, then in someway all is within us. And if we acknowledge that, we realize that the divine and infinite, the abundant and the omniscient, is all within us. It is us. How then can we be anything but kind to ourselves! It becomes natural to ease into love, compassion and kindness. It seems with consistency, this process becomes easier and easier. 

There seems to me no end-goal or a final quantification of how kind or how much loving we are to be. The world of measurement simply dissolves. There is only love. There is only compassion. And as the Dalai Lama reminds us, it is always possible to be kind. 

So let us make one more act of kindness towards ourselves and do it as consistently as we can. It is with our self that it begins. And when this self is filled with our own love, then love naturally flows from us into everything and everyone. 

Love,
Sophia



Beautiful Healing Image for Japan

So many people have come together to bring their healing energies for Japan. Here is the beautiful log that Manuel designed for our Event on Saturday. It is symbolizes the birth of the new coming out of the events. The bud that blossoms from the debris. Sending hope and love for recovery and rebirth. All loving energy to Mother Earth.

Help Heal Japan.

So many of us have this desire and urge to do something for Japan in the wake of recent events. All over the world, people are feeling that they want to do more than donate. They want to feel connected and support the healing of Japan.

I am very happy to share with you one such event that will take place this Saturday!

Healing for Japan Live Online Event.
Saturday, March 19th.
4 pm Eastern. 3 pm Central. 2 pm Mountain. 1 pm Pacific.

Come and join this special free Live Online Event that brings together wonderful people who all want to contribute to the healing of Japan.

Healing for Japan is envisioned to be an event that brings people together for sending our love, support and healing energies to the people of Japan and Mother Earth as both are recovering from the recent earthquake and tsunami. It will not only help the people in Japan but also give you an opportunity to connect with all those who have a desire to help in some way. Our loving and healing intentions sent out unitedly with one focus can have tremendous positive effect and so this event will do just that.

You can join by dialing in, via skype or via a link to hear it online. You will get this information when you register for the event.

To register for this event and get the call details, click here:
-->> www.reflectionpond.com/healing-for-japan/

Bonus: When you register for the call, we will send you a recording of the replay. So register even if you cannot make it live. You can listen in to a replay and still be able to send your healing intentions to Japan. 

I am so thrilled to share that amazing people have come together to create this event. During the Live Event, Bonnie and David creators of the Blessing the Time-Wave Project to help the world's shift through 2012, will talk about ways to connect deeply with Mother Earth and each other for the sake of blessing. Sophia guides us through a visualization to envision a healing of the people and restoration of harmony with nature. Rod will move us with Universal Vibrations, playing Native American flute and other healing instruments. Manuel sets the tone for all of us with the beautiful design for our event.

Register for this event and get the dial-in/webcast detals. Go here Now:
--->> www.reflectionpond.com/healing-for-japan/

See you on Saturday.

Warmly,

Sophia

Japan needs Power of Masses

Countless scientific studies are piling up to demonstrate that the human mind can influence things with our thoughts, especially when a large group of people come together with the same positive intent.

Lynn McTaggart, the author of books such as "The Field" and "The Intention Experiment" sets out to do the share these stories. It makes one really wonder to what extent we can use our mind to alter, change and improve things.

At a time like this when the people of Japan are in such tremendous need of recovery, we can do a lot more than donate. We can come together and set our intentions to help the speedy recovery.

I am coordinating such an event soon. More details coming up right here on this page shortly.

Visualization for Spiritual Peace

Last Saturday, we had a wonderful visualization meditation. The theme was spiritual: I am at peace. I was inspired to take people through a beautiful journey of visualizing. It happened in three phases.

1. First, I invited everyone to think of a moment in the past when they were completely peaceful. They were invited to envision it in every detail.

2.Then just like sliding a screen, I asked the participants to imagine a situation in the future when they are experiencing peace. Perhaps, a serene place in nature where they feel at complete peace.

3. Then, I asked everyone to bring up a new scene as if in a movie. In this scene they are to visualize all their projects, their dreams, their aspirations becoming real. They are with the people they love, in the place that inspires them and they feel at complete ease.

Then, everyone was asked to make a quick summary of all that they visualized and bead the three scenes together as if in a bead necklace. Then, they were to let this necklace go...on a body of water. And as it floated away, we detach from it all and know that the dreams we just created are becoming true.

This was such a beautiful meditation to do. There was wonderful feedback from Rod who shared how he enjoyed how I beaded the three scenes together. It enabled him to reconnect with the beautiful places he had been to and to connect with his childhood.

An amazing surprise was that Rod offered to play some music. So we were all blessed with a beautiful piece of flute music. It felt as if it as resonating across the valleys and dancing through the mountains. It was really special.

Saturday morning meditations have become such a lovely part of my life. And I enjoy connecting with people and sharing the moments of visualizing a world of peace and harmony, starting with our own internal peace. I believe that the external follows the internal. So when we begin clearing and releasing from within, our external world follows suit.

Visualizations are a beautiful and a powerful way to go about changing the world for the better, starting with our self.

Taking Steps in Faith.

Faith: a strong knowing without physical evidence. For the logical mind with its home in the left hemisphere of the brain, it is next to impossible to believe something that it does not see. This is one of the reasons why so many artists, entrepreneurs and visionaries are scoffed upon as they are starting out. People don't see the fruits of your creativity and passion yet, and so they hesitate in believing in you. They may even doubt, discourage, criticize or secretly laugh about your ideas and projects and endeavors. It is simply because they are used toseeing in order to believe. Although, it is in believing first, that we often see.

We all know about countless examples from history when a mind-blowing idea, a burning desire and a visionary dream is all that carried an individual from the alleys of anonymity to the halls of fame. Along the path were people lined up, laying not welcome mats or red carpets but a sequence of hurdles, doubt, even scorn and worse.

Yet, the individual did not budge from their dream. They kept going. They kept believing in their dream, even if they could not see the whole staircase. No, especially, because they could not see the whole staircase. All they knew was that the realization of their big dream is inevitable- one day, some way, some how the dream would become real.

Such was the knowing and determination of Dr. Martin Luther King. I take great encouragement from the story of his life and his dream. And as I walk along my own path, with a dream in my heart, I take my steps with the faith that everything is emerging and blossoming as it should. I invite you to join me in taking your steps in faith, especially if you do not see what turns your path will take and how you will reach the end of the staircase. Just take the steps in faith. Keep moving. Keep on moving.

Love,
Sophia Ojha

Impossible until Done.

Do you see the tiny blossoms on this tree? They are gracefully emerging from a wintery slumber. Very soon, the tree will be full, alive and vibrant. Mother Nature does what may seem to us impossible, over and over again. She also shows us in her myriad ways that nothing is impossible. Create aerodynamic silent Owl wings so that mice don't scurry away? Done. Insect need protection from birds and needs to look like a stick? Done. Pouch for carrying Kangaroo young? Done. Web weaving skills for Spiders? Done. Underwater subsonic sound for Dolphin communication? Done. And on and on and on.

Anything and everything is possible in the natural world. We, humans may have distanced ourselves from the ways of Nature, yet we are intricately connected to her with deep loving bonds of wholeness.

If you and I want to deepen the connection and come back under her loving fold, all we need to do is to desire that and she will fully and completely embrace us again. And then, we would understand and know and feel that all that we want to create and give birth to is possible, feasible and even greatly desired. We are an extension of mother Nature and so are her creative children. Creating beauty, creating love, creating and connecting with our true selves and creating a world of compassion, joy and love...These are all beautiful ways of creating.

So let us reconsider what we think is impossible. Let us look to inspirational beings for guidance. Let us believe in ourselves, again.

Love,
Sophia Ojha



Intention for Today: Smile

The intention for today is Smile. 

Wear your best smile today. Imagine your smile radiating with love. Everything and every one you smile at, including yourself, will glow with your beautiful love. Smile as much as you can. If someone asks why you are smiling, just say, "I have all the reasons in the world to. I am alive and happy." Or make up your own answer.

Thank you Smile for giving us so a way to express our love.

Intention for Today: Abundance

The intention for today is Abundance. 

Put your abundance hat on today. Get into the mind-set of abundance. When you see a tree next time, remark on the abundance of leaves on it. Or when you walk in the grass, remember how flourishing and opulent our world is. Think of the handful of squirrels in the forest who have tons and tons of acorns and nuts and other delicacies to feed on - a seemingly unlimited supply of resources. That is the same with you. There is a seemingly unlimited supply of everything your heart desires. Tap into abundance mode today.

Thank you Abundance for giving us a world of plenty.

Intention for Today: Dream

The intention for today is Dream.

Gift yourself a moment to dream. Dream all that your heart desires. Access the world of open, unbounded opportunities that lay within you. Pour in your heart, your love and your wildest imaginations. Dream! Dream big today.

Thank you Dream for helping us step into the beautiful world of yours. 

Dream one size bigger. -John Maxwell

Can you think back to your childhood right now and think of your fondest memories? What did you love to do? And can you remember what you wanted to do when you grow up? Your Big dream? Think about it for a few minutes before reading on.

When I was a kid, I was interested in so many things. I loved making paper boats. I grew up in India and for three to four months of the year, the monsoon season would rage all its might. Opportunities to float the boat were plenty. We lived on the second floor of an apartment building. I remember making different paper boats and aiming each one at various puddles that had collected downstairs. And then, I would watch them race each other. I loved it. And I continue to have a special connection with boats and with water.

As a little girl, I would also spend Sunday afternoons watching the trees. There was a row of luscious trees at a distance of 50 meters from our home, full with leaves swaying in the wind. The wind made a gentle rhythmic sound as it blew, nudging the leaves softly to shimmer in the sun. It was mesmerizing. In the evenings, my Dad and I would walk across the street and step into the sandy beach of the Arabian Sea. We would find a nice spot on the rocks and look to the horizon, preparing for a short yet grand event. We would come well in advance so that we could observe the brilliantly painted clouds. Each day, a brand new painting, more beautiful than yesterday. I would imagine the world beyond the horizon. Africa! I dreamed of traveling to Kenya and Tanzania on the other side of the Arabian Sea. I would imagine how amazing it would be to dive deep into the depths of the ocean and see what lay there on the ocean floor. I would gaze at the clouds and wonder all the places it had been to and all the things it had seen. Then, my Dad would alert me to bring my attention to the grand event. Yes, it was time. The sun was to submerge under water now; right where it seemed the waters and the sky came for a meeting. Wow! What a sight! The big orange ball of edible-looking-egg was to now gracefully dissolve itself. Each nano-second more and more and more of it was then, enveloped in the ocean's blanket of love.

It seems that as a kid we are so observant of all that is around us, making an ever-lasting imprint on us. Every miracle of nature seems miraculous and brand new. The moon, the clouds, the sound of the waves, the sensation of warm sand under your feet, the coconut trees in various curvaceous positions reaching to the sun.... All these glorious moments are as if alive in me even today. I close my eyes and I hear the waves of the Arabian Sea crashing on the rocks with a hum of the wind ever-present in my mind.

And also as kids, everything seemed possible, right? There did not exist a word called "no" or "impossible" in our awareness. Possibilities and imagination were like brothers. Whatever we imagined, we knew was possible. How wonderful it is to reconnect now to that world-view of infinite possibilities, of wonder and miracle and awe for all that exists. Taking example from the kids around us (even neighbors), our own kids or the kid inside of us, we can tap once again into this brimless, never ending bucket of dreams. Dipping ourselves just like the sun during sunset into the boundless ocean of imagination. Reaching into a bottomless bag and picking out the most enjoyable, the most amazing dream for ourselves and our world. How about that? What is the limitless dream that you have emerged with?

With Love,

Sophia Ojha

Transformation.

In each moment, we embody the spirit of the caterpillar as well as the butterfly. 

I believe that transformation is as much a personal choice as it is a natural way of change. Like a caterpillar that can transition into a cocoon, we have an innate ability to step into our own cocoon of transformation. As our conscious choices lead, inspire and nudge us along, it is up to us to pick up the inner desire for change and be the gentle stewards of our own metamorphosis. This choice is in our hands at all and any moment in time. Right this moment as you read these words, you can consciously with complete awareness choose on inhabiting a new aspect within yourself. An aspect that can give you wings, add grace to your movement, and bring joy to how you navigate this life.

This is an empowering embodiment of choice that can heal your mind, body and spirit. The tools, gadgets, and support are all available. The only question remains, do you want to actively access it? Without your explicit and clear desire for making the conscious choice, the grand change comes disguised. The trajectory of your path can tweaked or overhauled completely. We are all constantly transforming and changing within our body, anyways. Now, we can tap into that transformational force more deeply, consciously and with complete trust.

So consider the immense capacity you inhabit within yourself. A capacity that is bestowed upon you for you to harness and play with. And it has NO limits. So look within. Reflect on whether you want to consciously make the commitment toward the dream that you have embraced. If you are inspired to say yes, then silently commit to yourself that you are ready and willing. Then, become open to the hints and intuitive awareness of the action steps that emerge before you and move forward with complete trust in the process.

The environment will then, take care of itself, naturally.

With Love,

Sophia Ojha