Ajna, Third Eye Chakra

The Third Eye Chakra is the 6^th of the seven major chakras. Ajna, the Sanskrit name for the 3^rd Eye Chakra means “Command” due to its function as our command-center and is the key to accessing our higher perspective. The main function of this chakra is “To Perceive” as it is the gateway to our intuition or inner knowing. When this chakra is open and balanced we experience insight, clarity, a connectedness and belief in our intuition, vision to imagine our lives the way we desire it, and it gives us a deeper perception to the larger picture of our lives and relationships. When the 3^rd Eye Chakra is closed or out of balance we can experience a disconnection to our intuition, headaches/migraines, hallucinations, nightmares, sleep disorders, and sinus problems.

Ways to bring balance to the 3^rdEye Chakra:

• Indigo is the color most associated with this chakra. The indigo color can be utilized by wearing indigo clothing, visualizing indigo light at the center of your forehead where the chakra is located, and eating foods that resonate with this chakra such as grapes, blackberries, plums, eggplant, and any other naturally indigo/purple colored foods.

• OM/AUM is the seed sound of the 3^rd Eye Chakra. Om can be chanted to strengthen and balance the seat of our intuition. Additionally, because the Om seed sound also has a symbol, quieting the mind while gazing at the symbol can be used as a meditation to bring vitality to this chakra.

• Gemstones such as sodalite, lapis lazuli, and azurite, as well as any other deep blue/indigo/deep purple crystals you are called to work with can be worn as earrings, used in meditation, or simply placed in spaces of your home where you relax to bring in vibrations that heal the 3^rd Eye Chakra.

• Essential oils that support this chakra are clary sage, rosemary, and ylang ylang. These oils can be diffused in your home or car or can be worn diluted. (With strong oils such as rosemary always use small amounts if applied to the skin and test for sensitivity.)

• Affirmations are a powerful tool to shift your thoughts and bring in health, balanced qualities that you wish to nurture. The following affirmations help to strengthen the 3^rd Eye Chakra energy:

“My intuition is strong and clear”

“I trust and follow my inner guidance”

“I see the bigger picture in relationships and situations”

• Yoga is a practice to bring balance to our entire being. The following yoga asanas or postures can be practiced to bring more vitality and awareness to the seat of our intuition:

Child’s Pose

Wide-Legged Forward Fold

Dolphin Pose

I invite you to explore any or all of these tips to balance and strengthen your 3^rd Eye Chakra. Each of these suggestions is powerful tool when used with intention to help you create the life and experience you desire. Trust that what you are drawn to is because it will have benefit for you.

 Vissudha, Throat Chakra

The Throat Chakra is the 5^thof the seven major chakras. Vissudha is the Sanskrit name for this chakra, meaning “Purity” and is related to the need to balance and open the lower chakras 1-3 and the 4^thchakra in order to fully activate, open, and balance this chakra. This is because the throat chakra is about expressing your truth with honesty and purity, most especially to yourself, requiring a lack of fear (1^stchakra), creativity (2^ndchakra), personal power (3^rdchakra), as well as compassion and love (4^thchakra). The main focus of the throat chakra is “Self Expression & Life Purpose”. When our throat chakra is open and balanced we can experience our truth, purpose, our expression and communication is compassionate, and we experience synchronicities in life. When the throat chakra is blocked one can experience teeth and gum issues, hearing problems, and thyroid imbalances, as well as habitual lying, a fear of speaking and a lack of purpose.

Ways to help bring balance to the Throat Chakra:

• Blue is the color of the throat chakra and can be used by visualizing a ball of color at the throat area, wearing blue clothing, and eating blue colored foods such as blueberries, blue-green algae and blue potatoes.

• HAM is the seed sound of the Throat Chakra and can be chanted to strengthen and open this energy center of personal truth.

• Gemstones such as lapis lazuli, turquoise, blue kyanite or any other blue stone you are drawn to can be worn as a necklace or earrings. Additionally, these crystals can be meditated with or simply kept nearby in relaxing areas of the home.

• Essential oils that support the throat chakra becoming fully expressed are jasmine, lavender, and frankincense. These oils can be worn diluted or diffused in the home or car.

• Affirmations, a powerful tool, can be used to shift your thoughts and bring in the healthy, balanced qualities that you wish to nurture. The following affirmations help to strengthen the throat chakras energy:

“I live my truth by speaking my truth”

“I am guided to live my purpose”

“I express myself with compassion”

• Yoga is a practice meant to bring balance into the entire being. The following yoga asanas or poses can be used to focus on the throat chakra:

Lion’s Breath Pose

Shoulder Stand Pose

Plow Pose

I invite you to explore any or all of these tips to balance and strengthen your throat chakra. Each of these suggestions is powerful tool when used with intention to help you create the life and experience you desire. Trust that what you are drawn to will have benefit for you.

Anahata, Heart Chakra

The Heart Chakra is the 4^th of the seven main chakras. Anahata is the Sanskrit name for this Chakra meaning “Unstruck” referring to the Vedic concept of unstruck sound, encompassing a calmness which is without violence. The main focus of this chakra is “Love & Connection” and it is the well within us that compassion and serenity flow from. When this chakra is open and balanced we experience deep love, trust, connection, balance, an ability to surrender our control, and equanimity in our lives and relationships. When the heart chakra is blocked or stagnant ailments of the heart, lungs, and breasts can arise, as well as feelings of loneliness, disconnectedness, and anti-social behaviors.

Ways to help keep the Heart Chakra balanced:

• Green is the color most associated with the heart chakra, however pink is also a color that resonates with this love-energy center. Color can be used to contribute to a healthy heart chakra by visualizing it in the physical heart/sternum area where the chakra is located and by eating green foods brings.

• YAM is the seed sound of the Heart Chakra and can be chanted to help strengthen and balance this center of compassion.

• Crystals such as emerald, green aventurine, and rose quartz, as well as any other green or pink stones which you feel called to can be worn as pendants, meditated with or kept nearby in areas of your home where you relax to bring in the loving and healing vibrations of the heart chakra.

• Essential oils which support the heart chakra are rose, rosewood and neroli. These oils can be worn diluted or diffused in your home or car.

• Affirmations are a powerful tool to shift your thoughts and bring in the healthy, balanced qualities that you wish to nurture. The following affirmations help to strengthen the heart chakras energy:

“I am a being of love, both loving and lovable”

“I am compassionate”

“I am calm and balanced”

• Yoga is a practice to balance our entire being. The following yoga asanas or postures bring more vitality into our heart centers:

Camel Pose

Upward Facing Dog

Wheel Pose

I invite you to explore any or all of these tips to balance and strengthen your heart chakra. Each of these suggestions is powerful tool when used with intention to help you create the life and experience you desire. Trust that what you are drawn to is because it will have benefit for you.

Our lung function and ability to breath are rarely things we think about unless something happens where these essential functions become compromised. If you’ve been unfortunate enough to have an experience where breathing has become difficult for you such as an asthma or allergy attack, or a chest cold, pneumonia, collapsed lung, or the new and present reality of the corona virus known as COVID-19, then you know that this experience can become very scary, very quickly.

We live in a world were air pollution has become common place, adding its own impact on lung function and ability to breath. In fact there is a direct correlation between asthma in children and living in areas with traffic and/or industry pollution, and unfortunately this is just about all medium to larger cities and even some of the smaller ones. In conjunction, chosen and forced sedentary lifestyles due to careers which require large amounts of stillness and sitting, children who are required to sit the majority of the day in schools, (and employers and school systems who are behind the times in providing a healthier work spaces such as standing desks) the prevalence of shallow breathing, and habits such as smoking all adds up to a potential decrease in lung function over time.

Thankfully there are actions we can take to maintain and improve our lung function.

One easy way to help our lungs is to have Good Posture by sitting up straight. Sitting with our spine erect in its natural upright position verses hunched forward or rounded is the best position for all of your internal organs and aids in their optimal functioning. Particularly for the lungs, exercising good posture allows your lungs to inflate fully and helps prevent loss of function, especially in the lower lungs which are more prone to disease process such as pneumonia. If you currently suffer from poor posture it will most likely feel equally good and uncomfortable to shift into a practice of maintaining a good posture. Until a good, upright posture becomes your habit, you will most certainly revert to the previous posture and not even realize it, to help you with this you can place post-it notes in areas of work and home to remind you, ask a friend or family member to remind you, or you could even set a repeating alert on your phone.

A few easy ways to promote better breath intake and lung capacity is by the following breathing practices. Developing a practice takes effort and time but the rewards will continue to have a positive impact long after these practices become habit.

Belly Breathing is the way we naturally breathe when we are born. Over time as we become adults we often unknowingly transition to a shallower breathing pattern which does not give us the robust oxygen and therefore energy that belly breathing has the ability to give us. Belly breathing helps to strengthen our diaphragm, which has an important role in the physical action of breathing. Belly breathing can be practiced laying down and then and you become more accustomed to how it feels in your body you can begin to practice it up-right and while being active. To begin, lay on your back in a comfortable position, with one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly (this is to feel the movement). As you inhale imagine the air moving down into your lungs and allow your belly to lift with each breath. As you exhale imagine the air moving out of your lungs while allowing your belly to soften and sink in. You can repeat this breath for 5-10 minutes daily and allow your practice to grow in time or frequency. While practicing this breath do your best to be engaged in the activity without forcing it by allowing your body to remain relaxed and the rising/falling of the belly to be a natural action of the breath moving in and out and by avoiding actively pushing out or pulling in your belly.

Pursed Lip Breathing is simple and easy to do. To practice pursed lip breathing you simply breath in through your nose and breath out through your mouth for twice as long as the amount of time you inhaled with your lips “pursed”, as if you’re going to kiss someone. For example, breathe in for 4 counts, and with pursed lips to slow the exhale breathe out for 8 counts. Pursed lip breathing can be done anytime and is a great way to aid recovery from exercise or activity, especially if it induced shortness of breath.

Both of the above exercises are recommended by the American Lung Association to help to rid the lungs of stale air, which gets trapped in our lungs from inactivity and shallow breathing, making room for fresh oxygenated air, building better lung capacity and a stronger diaphragm in the process.

Another breath I invite you to practice is Square Breathing or a modification of square breathing to increase and build your lung capacity. To perform square breathing you inhale, hold, exhale, hold and repeat for the same count. For example, inhale for 4 counts, hold your inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts, and then hold the 4 counts before inhaling again. When performing this breathing exercise the idea is to start with a count which is easy to maintain, and then gradually keep adding 1 count to your practice until you reach your maximum count. An alternative to this is doing the same for the inhale and exhale but skipping the holds, so you are breathing normally but for the same count both inhaling and exhaling. This breathing exercise has the additional benefit of helping to shift your thoughts and emotions positively since you are placing your attention on your breath to keep the count rather than allowing your attention to be focused on a person, feeling, or situation.

With all of these breathing exercises it is important to have an awareness of how you physically feel while practicing them. If you have feelings of light-headedness, anxiety, tension, or any shortness of breath it is best to stop your practice and go back to your normal breathing pattern. Give yourself a break and try again later or the following day with a different count or length of breath, you may have to play with this several times to find your baseline.

Hopefully over time you will be able to implement some of these practices into your lifestyle giving you the biggest benefits over time. Making good posture and breathing practices as some of your habits will help you to have a healthy and balanced life.

Manipura, Solar Plexus

The Solar Plexus is the 3^rdof the seven main chakras. Manipura, which is the Sanskrit name, means “Lustrous Gem” which, is representative of the precious nature this chakra’s role plays. The main focus of the Solar Plexus is “Power and Identity” and indeed is the foundation of our personal power, which informs and shapes our identity. A healthy, open Solar Plexus fill us with confidence, humor, mental clarity, will power, and the personal strength (power) to be able to act on our passions and ideas. In essence it allows us to show up authentically and fully in our own lives. When the Solar Plexus is out of balance a person may experience low self-esteem, rage, timid-ness, chronic fatigue, and issues related to the digestion and processing of nourishment.

Ways to keep the Solar Plexus balanced:

• Yellow is the color associated with this chakra. Yellow can be used by: visualizing a vibrant yellow color below the ribcage, above the navel in the diaphragm area, by wearing the color yellow, and by eating yellow colored foods such as: yellow squash, melon, and golden delicious apples.

• RAM is the seed sound of the Solar Plexus and can be chanted to help balance and strengthen your Lustrous Gem.

• Gemstones especially resonate with the energy of the Solar Plexus and can be worn as jewelry or carried on your person. Meditating while holding your crystal or placing it nearby can also be a powerful way to bring this energy into your Solar Plexus. Some gemstones to use are: citrine (natural), tiger’s eye, and honey calcite, however any yellow colored crystal you are attracted to will work nicely.

• Essential oils that can be worn (diluted) or diffused in your environment are: bergamot, ginger, or lemon.

• Affirmations are another powerful tool to work with your chakras. When we begin an affirmation with “I am” we bring the words following into our experience. Here are a few to help with the Solar Plexus:

“I am powerful”

“I can do anything”

“I live my life authentically”

• Yoga is a tool that we can use to help keep our Solar Plexus strong and balanced with the added benefit of contributing to a balance in our whole being. The following asanas or postures are beneficial for the Solar Plexus:

Boat Pose

Reverse Plank

Warrior 3

Implementing any of these tools is a great way to help bring stability and balance into your Solar Plexus. You can choose one or two or you can combine many of them to fit what resonates with you and trust that what you are called to include is because it is the most beneficial for you.

Svadhisthana, Sacral Chakra

The Sacral Chakra is the 2^ndof the seven main chakras. Svadhisthana, the Sanskrit name for the chakra means “One’s Own Place” and is representative of our emotional body, encompassing our sexuality and creativity. The main focus of this chakra is “Emotions and Intimacy” and it governs our connection to our partners and the creative force in our lives present through the act of creating another life as well as the creative expression found in passions such as making music, art, food, and other form of expression. A healthy, open Sacral Chakra leads to a sense of joy, sensuality, creativity, fertility, and ability to indulge in pleasure. When the Sacral Chakra is out of balance a person may experience issues around sexuality and fertility, fear and insecurity, jealousy, disorders of the sexual organs, rigidity, and a lack of inspiration or creative expression.

Ways to help keep the Sacral Chakra balanced:

• Orange is the color associated with the Sacral Chakra, visualizing this color in the area above the pubic bone and below the navel, wearing orange and eating orange colored foods can all contribute to a healthy Sacral Chakra.

• VAM is the seed sound of the Sacral Chakra and can be chanted to help strengthen and balance this sensual and creative chakra.

• Crystals the resonate with this energy center are: carnelian, peach moonstone, orange aventurine, and any other orange colored gems which can be worn or kept in your pockets.

• Essential oils that can be worn (always dilute before applying to your skin) or diffused in your space are cardamom, clary sage, and orange blossom.

• Affirmations are another powerful tool to work with your chakras. When we begin an affirmation with “I am” we bring the words following into our experience. Here are a few to help with the Sacral Chakra:

I am creative, and adaptable.

I am sensual and sexual.

I enjoy life’s pleasures.

• Yoga is a wonderful tool to help strengthen your Sacral Chakra energy center and contributes to an overall sense of wellbeing. The following asanas or postures are beneficial for our center of creativity:

Bow Pose

Low Lunge

Goddess Pose

Any or all of these tools can be used, individual or combined, to help bring strength and vitality into your Sacral Chakra. Trust your intuition that what you are most called to implement is the best choice for you.

Muladhara, Root Chakra

The Root Chakra is the 1^stof the seven main chakras. Muladhara, the Sanskrit name for this chakra means “Root Support” and is truly representative of our foundational needs to be rooted and supported, giving us a strong foundation which we can move forward inour lives with. The main focus of this chakra is “Physical Existence” and it governs our basic survival needs such as nourishment and shelter, as well as emotional interconnectedness.  A healthy, open, vibrant Root Chakra leads to a sense of stability and safety, vitality, prosperity, grounded-ness, and lack of fear in foraging ahead in life and overcoming obstacles. There is also a connection between our financial abundance and a strong healthy root chakra since we can move towards our goals in a supported and fearless way. When the Root Chakra is out of balance a person can experience disorders of elimination, anxiety, spaciness/ungrounded-ness, chronic fear, and financial problems.

Ways to help keep the Root Chakra balanced:

• Red is the color which is associated with the Root Chakra, visualizing the color red at the base of the tailbone, wearing red and eating red foods can all contribute to a healthy Root Chakra.

• LAM is the seed sound of the Root Chakra and can be chanted to help strengthen and balance this fundamental chakra.

• Gemstones that resonate with this energy center are: garnet, ruby, red jasper, and fellow red colored gemstones, all can be worn or kept in your pockets.

• Essential oils that can be worn or diffused in your space are vetiver, patchouli, and sandalwood.

• Affirmations are another powerful tool to work with your chakras. When we begin an affirmation with “I am” we bring the words following into our experience. Here are a few to help with the Root Chakra:

I am grounded, safe, and secure.

I make a good living doing what I love

I am stable, strong, and healthy

• Yoga can also not only help strengthen our Root Chakra energy center it can also help us find overall balance. The following asana or postures are beneficial for our foundational chakra:

Warrior 2

Forward Fold

Childs Pose

Bridge Pose

Implementing any of these tools is a great way to help bring stability and balance into your Root Chakra. You can choose one or two or you can combine many of them to fit what resonates with you and trust that what you are called to include is because it is the most beneficial for you.

As we are now well into 2020, many of you have already heard this term “Chakras”. Some of you may even already have some association with these metaphysical energy centers located throughout the body. 

The truth is that while most information focuses on the 7 major chakras, and indeed we will as well, there are actually hundreds of chakras located all over the body. There is however, good reason that the focus tends to fall on the 7 major chakras, and that is because those 7 have such a major role and impact on our overall well-being. 

So to begin, the word Chakra is Sanskrit for “wheel” or “disk” and this has much to do with the perceived shape of the chakra and the fact that when healthy and vibrant it spins much like a wheel in motion. The idea of the chakra being a disk however, is true only to the extent of a particular perspective. When facing a person (if you can see or sense energy) their Chakras do in fact appear as a disk, they are, none the less funnel shaped smaller at the body and larger as they move away from the body somewhat like a tornado. This funnel actually allows us to exchange energy in both directions, to our benefit as well as to our detriment. Additionally 5 of the Chakras found on the front of our body also have a corresponding Chakra which is on the back of our body, these are the 2nd-6th Chakras with the 1st and 7th Chakras being funnels which extend up and down, the 7th toward the sky and the 1st toward the earth. 

So as you might have already caught on, the main Chakras are numbered, 1 through 7. And, much like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid, each Chakra builds us up on the physical, emotional, mental, and energetic levels to get us to a place of self-realization and connection with our true-selves, leading to a sense of one-with-all. Unfortunately, the converse is true as well, when our chakras are unhealthy, stagnant, and blocked they can lead to unconnectedness and dis-ease in our physical, emotional, mental, and energetic selves.  

The first Chakra is the Root Chakra, also known by it’s Sanskrit name Muladhara which means “Root Support”. This Chakra is connected to the Earth element and is a masculine energy. The color red is associated with this Chakra, that represents our sense of safety, stability, security, and having our basic needs – such as food/water, shelter/safety, as well as support/interconnection, met. The Root Chakra located at the base of our tailbone is our essential survival center and governs our physical existence. 

The second Chakra is the Sacral Chakra, known as Svadhisthana in Sanskrit meaning “One’s Own Place”. Orange is the color of this Chakra which represents our creativity, sensuality/sexuality, and emotions. This Chakra is connected to the water element and is a feminine energy. The Sacral Chakra, located between the navel and pelvis governs our emotions and intimacy. 

The third Chakra is the Solar Plexus, known in Sanskrit as Manipura, meaning “Lustrous Gem”. A fire element, this Chakra is also masculine. The color yellow is the hue associated with this Chakra. The Solar Plexus represents your willpower, self-esteem, and warrior energy. The Solar Plexus is located just under the rib cage, above the navel and governs our personal power. 

The fourth Chakra is the Heart Chakra, Anahata in Sanskrit with the meaning of “Unstruck”. The Heart Chakra is an air element, and is a feminine energy. Green is the color most commonly associated with this Chakra, however Pink is also connected to the Heart Chakra. The Heart Chakra is associated with balance, compassion, affection, and love. Located in the actual heart center/sternum area this Chakra governs our love and connection. Additionally, this Chakra is the bridge that connects our three lower Chakras (first, second and third) which are tied to our physical aspects to our three upper Chakras (fifth, sixth, and seventh) which connects us to our spiritual aspects.  

The fifth Chakra is the Throat Chakra, known as Vissudha in Sanskrit which means “Purity”. The Throat Chakra is the element of sound, and is a masculine energy. The color blue or sky blue is most closely associated with this Chakra. The Throat Chakra represents our ability to speak our truth (to ourselves and others) and share creative expression. The Throat Chakra located at the throat governs our self expression and our life purpose(s). 

The sixth Chakra is the Third Eye Chakra, known in Sanskrit as Ajna which means “Command”. The Third Eye Chakra is a feminine energy, and represents the element of light. The color Indigo is the color associated with this Chakra. The Third Eye Chakra represents connecting to our wisdom and insight also known as our intuition. Most cultures regardless of their knowledge or belief in the Chakra system, have some sort of collective belief about the Third Eye and its role in connecting us to our inner knowing. The Third Eye Chakra located in the center of the forehead governs our clear perspective and psychic awareness and abilities. 

The seventh Chakra is known as the Crown Chakra, Sahasrara in Sanskrit, meaning “ Thousand-spoked”. This Chakra is the unified energies of masculinity and femininity and resonates with the element of thought. The colors violet, and sometimes pure white or gold are the colors associated with this Chakra. The Crown Chakra represents our divine connection and unity with all beings and all elements. The Crown Chakra located on the very top of our head governs our connection to Spirit and wisdom. 

Just knowing about these energetic centers in the body empowers us to take the steps to live our best lives. Knowing what each Chakra represents and relating it back into your personal being will help you discover which, if any of your Chakras are unbalanced. Developing a personal practice of working with your Chakra system can help ensure you are giving and receiving healthy, beneficial, supportive energy to and from your environment, which includes the people you interact with. The Chakra system is a powerful tool to help you find balance, well-being, and connectedness in your life.

My thoughts this morning are about getting clear on my goals, I don’t mean the day to day, month to month, “pay off this, go do that” type goals… I mean life goals, the goals that give one purpose lead by a vision, no pressure right? But.. I suppose sometimes we need to turn up the heat on ourselves so our true flavors can start to come out and mingle with the spices we call life. But how do I do this, this “getting clear”? Are we either clear or not clear? And, if we are not clear how do we get clear? I think goal-setting, like focus and self-discipline (2 skills needed to attain a goal by the way) are seldom actually taught but are instead the by-product of activity and learned through trial and error. Some learn it, some don’t, I guess that’s the fact on all aspects of life. So back to my question, how do I figure out my life goals? What are the tools to implement to help me figure out the direction I am moving in? To be honest every time I come to this question I give it a good ponder and then I find a reason to move on. Frankly, its an uncomfortable space, and its more comfortable to get busy with whatever form of distraction is accessible, moving my body or numbing my mind. 

I’ve read a good place to start with this is by setting “end goals”, not the fluff of life along the way but what the actual outcome is. My end goals are: 1) Travel, 2) Help People, 3) Be in Service, 4) Financial Freedom. I know my end goals, the problem for me is not not knowing those. The problem for me is that while travel and financial freedom have some clear steps involved, helping people and being in service are somewhat vague big picture concepts. Truth be told these are things that can be done on every level, through even the smallest acts of kindness, understanding, and acceptance.. I know this and I try to show up in my life in this way daily although admittedly some days are better than others. My big question then is how can I help people and be in service in a way that leads to traveling the world and financial freedom. This is where I get stumped. How can I narrow the field of possibilities to apply laser focus on building these end goals in harmony? Because truth be told these goals can be done, possibly even easily done, in disharmony, trading or compromising an aspect of life for one or the other. How then do I measure out my skill set, my natural gifts, my values, my ethics, the sacrifices I’m willing to make? And how do I match those with vision and purpose that leads to my end goals? 

For me I think the beginning of the end on this complex question might start by first defining what my end goals actually mean to me. What are there inherent values to me and what is my why in having these values? 

For example, what is financial freedom (to me)? Is it having a certain amount of money in the bank? Is it living my life in a particular way? Is it simply that my income exceeds my bills and I am debt free? 

What are my terms around travel that keep it from turning into a chore? How do I define travel? If I travel for work will I eventually become burned out? Is there a way to travel for work that is sustainable? Is travel something that is best to keep as a pleasure and leisure activity?

How do I want to help people? What are my terms and values surrounding helping others? What am I willing and unwilling to do? How do I balance helping others without loosing sight of my own needs?   

And lastly, being in service, what does this even mean to me? How do I define this? How are my values reflected in this idea and why are they important to me? Why do I want to be “in service” what is my why? When does being in service become unsustainable? 

What are the skills I need to nurture or attain to lead me on this path? What are my personal values? And, why do I have these values? Do they still reflect me, my wants in life, my needs? What do they mean? What are the problems and sacrifices I am willing to face and unwilling to face? 

This, I think is a good starting point. Asking the hard questions but better yet is answering them with honesty and abandon. I sense a freedom of the soul is possible by becoming clear in who we are, what we personally value and identifying our own “Why”.

How can you implement some of these musings into your big picture and purpose? What are the questions that will help you define the next step on your path to fulfillment?

Ecuador is an interesting country I recently had the pleasure of visiting while doing an Ayurvedic Retreat at Flowing River Retreat.  As a nature lover, I soaked in the lush green-ness of thriving plants growing with abandon as we drove from Quito to the Retreat. Tropical plants, trees and shrubs in every shade of green covering steep mountain sides jutting up and plunging down caressed by lazy clouds kissing the tree tops and mountain peaks was our tranquil view as we made our way through the winding mountain pass. Along the way we passed the Middle of the World, measured at exactly Latitude 00 degrees 00’ 00”, which has been calculated by GPS. Did you know that Ecuador is the only country in the world to be named after a geographical feature, the Equator? For science lovers a visit to the Middle of the World will reveal how the highest point on earth affects gravity, strength, and even the direction of flowing water.

During our time in Ecuador it was hard not to notice the hummingbird was an image used again and again. This is because Ecuador is an environment where hummingbirds thrive, as there is a constant supply of flower nectar. The 130+ species of hummingbirds found throughout the country range from commonly seen to those limited to specific habitats. Another beautifully winged and colorful creature known well to this country rich in biodiversity is the butterfly. It is estimated there are over 4000 different species of butterflies in this small country more than half the size of Texas, USA. These delightful creatures of flight along with many others not mentioned, the multitude of plants and flowers including the 6000+ species of orchids, and lest we forget the creatures who swim, stalk, swing, trot, and crawl; combine to make Ecuador one of the 17 “Megadiverse” countries. In short, a visit to this country will be true delight to anyone interested in plants and animals.

Marking the short journey to our serene destination located in a Cloud Forest, we passed a splendid waterfall called Leap of the Tiger and steeped with folklore. This was the first of many waterfalls both easily accessible by road and those requiring some serious trekking through rivers and rainforest that highlighted our visit. One of the best features of this country is its diverse landscape, which includes the Andes Mountains, Coastal Lowlands, Amazon Jungle, and of course the Galapagos Islands means it has a lot to offer to many different kinds of travelers and each with its own special features and activities. One of the activities my party did was zip gliding. A truly exhilarating experience to slide across from one high point to another taking in the wonder of space below and around me as I made my way through the course. It was a fun and unique experience that I highly recommend.

My time in Ecuador was well spent but alas still ran short, and while I did not get to see all the country has to offer on this visit, I did have the chance to spend some deeply relaxing time, dotted with good conversation, tasty scratch-made meals, dips in the pool and hot tub along with yoga and Ayurvedic massage to round out the exploring and adventure. I look forward to planning a future trip back to the Flowing River Retreat and this beautiful country.