intentions

Gather in Sacred Circle and Weave Your Intentions into 2018: Dreamcatcher Workshop

Posted by Barbara Techel

Gather in Sacred Circle and Weave Your Intentions into 2018: Dreamcatcher Workshop

I’m thrilled and honored to invite you to this Dreamcatcher workshop that I’m co-facilitating with Rachel Nick of LaValley Nature and Equine Sanctuary. It is being held at my home studio, Joyful Pause.

This year is being hailed as the year we take back our power, nurture our intuition, and set intentions that more deeply satisfy our heart’s true desires.

In this interactive workshop we will:

  • Release what no longer serves you
  • Open to your innate wisdom through meditation
  • Capture your desires through journaling
  • Weave your visions and aspirations into a dreamcatcher
  • Gather with like-minded women, share stories, connect, and be inspired

When: Saturday, January 27th, 2018

Time: 12:30-4:00pm

Where: Joyful Pause Studio, Elkhart Lake 

Rachel & Barbara

Barbara Techel and Rachel Nick will be your guides into this intuitive, mindful, creative and fun excursion.

Cost:  $45 (includes all materials and a portion of workshop fee will be donated to LaValley Nature and Equine Sanctuary).

LaValley’s Nature and Equine Sanctuary mission is to preserve land for plant, wildlife, equine and permaculture use while inspiring others to do the same. We offer a permanent, safe and natural environment for aged horses to retire and live out the rest of their days peacefully.

Due to limited space preregistration is required.

A Welcome Surprise Creating My Own Mala Beads

Posted by Barbara Techel

What a treat I gave myself yesterday by taking a Mala Intensive class at JSM BeadCoop with teacher Mary Jo Zagozen. My mom also joined me which was such a special way to spend time together.

What I really appreciated about this class, besides making our own personal mala’s, was all the information given to us during the class and in the handouts that I devoured with eagerness last night.

I’m really beginning to grasp that there are so many ways in which one can practice being mindful. I’ve certainly discovered that in my yoga practice, forms of meditation I do, creating SoulCollage cards, and working with oracle cards, which are part of my rituals.

What I didn’t expect yesterday was how meditative it would be in actually creating my mala beads. From choosing our beads, of which I chose honeycomb agate as I was drawn to the softness of the color which I paired with sandalwood beads which are about compassion and courage, and are traditionally used in making mala’s.

In the traditional mala, 108 beads are used, of which there are many fascinating reasons why. Just to share a few here that I learned and found interesting:

  • There are said to be 108 earthly desires in humans.
  • Some say humans have 108 feelings; 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.
  • The chakra centers are where energy lines intersect, and there are said to be 108 energy lines which meet to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, which is the path to self-realization and enlightenment.
  • The number 1 represents God or higher Truth, 0 represents emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 represents infinity or eternity.

There are oodles of other reasons that I could share here as I was in awe of all the connections with 108! But back to my discovery of it being meditative in actually making my mala.

Placing a knot after each bead, at first, I thought would “take too long.” My desire to get my mala made so I could get using it, was first and foremost on my mind. But as I began to make the knots and place bead by bead on the string, I was moved to a peaceful place within. It was so relaxing! I truly didn’t expect this to happen because oftentimes when creating I’m too busy looking ahead to the finished result.

What a welcome respite of knotting and connecting with each bead as I put together my mala. Just writing about this I feel myself transported to the calmness of the experience again.

And another leap for me when I used my mala beads in meditation this morning. I’ve never been able to mediate in silence. I either have earbuds in listening to something on the Insight Timer app or I pick a soothing station on Pandora to listen to while I sit.

But today I took my mala beads in hand with no music. With my mantra I gave thought to this morning which is something I am working on for myself, then closing my eyes, and bead by bead I ran my middle finger and thumb across each bead pulling my mala beads toward me, repeating silently to myself my intention.

When I was at the end where the “guru” bead sits, a wave of gratitude washed over me as that bead is not to be gone over, but rather used to take a moment to thank our teachers and/or higher spirit.

Now I’m looking forward to making more mala beads for myself – not only for the beauty of them, but really for the fact that I was pleasantly surprised by the double meditative process of it – once in creating and then in using them.

And one last thing, besides getting yourself to a Mala bead class if this calls to you, which I have a feeling JSM BeadCoop will offer again as it was a big hit, is a great book about how mala beads helped change one authors life, check out The Magic Mala by Bob Olson.

Thank you for sharing and subscribing to my blog updates.

A Reminder of the Gift of Pausing Often

Posted by Barbara Techel

A Reminder of the Gift of Pausing Often

One of my heart centered intentions for this year is to pause and meditate ten minutes in my writing cottage before I open my computer for the day.

In the past, I’d meditate right after my yoga practice, then eat breakfast, and get ready for the day. Oftentimes that left me losing the feeling of what I’d gained during my practice and I’d rush right into my work. 

While recently listening to a podcast with Kaya Singer, who interviews wise and wilder women, it was Shamanic Medicine Healer, Susan Jenkins who offered this ritual as one that she does. I loved how it sounded and a resonating, warm feeling washed through me.

I started this ritual last week. So far, I really love it. Though I’ll admit there are some days, like today, with exciting projects on my plate, that I had lots of anxious butterflies flying around in my stomach. I didn’t know if I could sit for ten minutes.  So I chose a word as my mantra. 

I chose center and in my minds eye I slowly wrote out each letter, over and over, until the butterflies disappeared. I think this is the thing with meditation – it’s not going to be perfect – but one that if you can find a way to sit through those times you are anxious, you will be greatly rewarded.

And I was reminded just a few days ago of another way in which to pause when I was deep in my work on the computer, and felt something tugging at me to stop and look.

As I stopped, looked over to my right to my oversized wicker chair, that I saw Gidget looking at me in such a sweet way, which I captured in the photo above. Another way in which I honored the gift of the pause and just sat in silence and stillness with her for a few moments.

Thank you for sharing and subscribing to my blog updates.