Every person has a unique lens in which they perceive and experience the world.  Thoughts, beliefs and memories create this lens, a reflection of one’s inner world.  In order to live your best life possible, care and attention must be placed upon this lens.  Over the next five weeks, there will be tips for developing awareness on the lens of perception.

This weeks tip involves simple awareness that we each have a unique lens.  A great deal of discomfort for most people comes from expecting similar perceptions from others. In reality, no two people view are experience life in exactly the same way.  Acknowledging and accepting our own lens, as well as the lens of others, is vital to overall wellness.  Acceptance naturally leads to reduced judgement and conflict.  Honour your lens of perception and the lens of others for their uniqueness.  Together, we are an integral part of the great ecosystem of life!

Go with your first response.  If you are trying to decide which route to take in life, put yourself in each environment and witness your body’s response.  For instance, in deciding whether to live in a townhouse or condo, make a trip to each place and observe your physical reactions while standing quietly and calmly without mental engagement.  Does a feeling of excitement overcome you?  Do you feel energized and inspired or is there a dulling sensation with negative energy?  Are you feeling open and loving or closed and resistant?  These are all valuable indicators of what your intuition is telling you.

If it is not possible for you to physically put yourself in the environment you wish to test, try to visualize it with as much details as possible using all of your senses.  Imagine yourself standing in each setting.  What do you see?  What do you hear?  What do you smell?  Who is present?  What are you feeling?  Allow yourself to fully experience the setting with an open mind.  After a few minutes of meditation, observe your initial overall response.  If you receive no clear indicators pointing you in a certain direction, let it go and try again another day.  When the time is right, your intuition will provide you with exactly what you need to know in that moment.

Intuition requires a generous amount of love and trust. We must love ourselves enough to trust our inner knowing. When we can accept ourselves without conditions, release self-doubt and mindfully bring our heart to every moment in life, we demonstrate trust in ourself.  Trust is something we must build throughout life.  Trust is something we feel deep within.  Love yourself and build trust within that you can and will make good choices for yourself.

Inner peace is the portal to intuition and inner knowing.  Calming the active mind is vital to receiving messages from within. These messages may come in the form of bodily sensations such as muscle tension, increased heart rate or tingling sensations.  They may also be more subtle and fleeting like a flash word or phrase, or a spontaneous image in your minds eye.  Intuition comes in many different forms and is unique for each person.  Make space for your inner knowing to arise and very naturally, you will open yourself to enhanced wellness and greater balance in life!

Intuition often arises in a flash.  It may be a phrase that pops into your awareness, such as “Time to go”, “Need a break”, or “I love this!” How do you know these are not from your thinking mind?  The major difference is that intuition is spontaneous and always supports your highest self.  In contrast, thoughts are typically linear and rational, leading you anywhere and everywhere.

For instance, if your intuition presented “Tired”, the thinking mind may go on to add “I didn’t sleep well last night”, “The neighbours had a very noisy party” “There must’ve been a lot of alcohol there.”, etc., etc.  Thought trains can go on forever unless you mindfully get off the train.  Thoughts can lead you on an emotional roller coaster, depleting your physical energy.  Open yourself to inner peace and intuition will arise.  Feel the difference!

Mindfulness is being fully present in the moment, observing activities of the mind.  Let go of any reactions or judgements that arise and commit to maintaining a sense of calm.  Inner peace can be your reality anytime you choose, regardless what is happening in the external environment. The more you practice mindfulness, the more peace you are likely to experience in daily life.

Life happens one moment at a time. When you follow your active mind, you are not present in the moment.  You are missing out on life.  It is as simple as that.  Bring yourself back to the present moment and open yourself to peace.  This vast resource within is available to each and every human on this planet!

The latin word for breath is spiritus.  Therefore, we can interpret breathing as a way of witnessing the flow of spirit through us. Spirit is life energy.  If one has high energy and enthusiasm, spirit flows freely with abundance and ease. Conversely, if one has low energy and is depressed or fearful, spirit is blocked and consequently, the breath may be constricted as well.

It is normal to hold your breath when overcome with fear or sadness.  External circumstances can sometimes literally take our breath away. When this happens, it is imperative to bring attention to any changes in your breathing pattern, then focus on grounding and centering yourself through deep abdominal breathing.  Mindfully, bring yourself back to a place of calm relaxation and with patience and perseverance, the flow of spirit will naturally return in a very timely way!  Breath in love, breathe out lingering fear and sadness.

Negative thought patterns deplete life energy, which is different from physical energy.  Have you ever noticed how food does not replenish or revitalize life energy?  Life energy requires a different kind of sustenance that is not physical in form.  This sustenance is non-tangible and can only be accessed when we free ourselves from energy blocks.

To free yourself, mindfully embrace the bigger picture in life and be open to seeing what you cannot see.  For every negative thought pattern, there is also a positive.  This is the wisdom of yin yang where opposing energies are present in everything.  Dissolve negative energies by staying open to the myriad of possibilities that exists in any given moment!

The voice within contributes to our perceptions in life. Each persons’ lens of perception is unique.  No two people are alike since it is based on personal experiences and stored memories.  For example, if a group of people are observing an old tree and a strange sound ripples through the air, some may become startled triggering a wild chain of fear-based thoughts while others remain calm with only sporadic thoughts of wonder and curiosity.  This filtering process affects our energy level within.  When we are open to experiences in life, our energy expands.  Conversely, when we are closed, our energy diminishes.

Extended periods or repeated experiences of diminishing energy risks depression.  Bring awareness to when energy blocks happen.  They are merely indicators that you need to practice self-care.  Shift your focus to love and respect for yourself.  Honour all of your experiences and your potential to thrive through life!

Have you ever stopped to listen to the stream of chatter within?  Perhaps you might catch yourself saying things like “What’s going on here?  This is really bad …. I need to get out of here.” or “I’m hungry.  I’m dying of thirst.  Where’s my water bottle?  I want my water bottle right now!!”

Thoughts are energy and this energy can be expressed in numerous ways.  They can be expressed through sound, like a sigh or a groan.  They can also be expressed in behaviours or words that spill out of our mouths.  This brings intangible thoughts to the tangible world.  If someone hears our  groan or words or sees our actions and responds to them, there is a continued ripple effect of the energy in the outer world.

Bring awareness to the energy of your thoughts.  If thoughts are positive and uplifting, they will likely bring more positive energy to your external environment.  If thoughts are negative, they may drain you and make you feel depleted.  Elevate your awareness of depleting sources of energy.  Mindfully shift from negative to positive thoughts, one moment at a time.