Grateful For Today

Written by Alice Hocker, author of Finding Inner Peace

Today let’s raise our level of awareness to be in the here and now being grateful for each moment of this day.  As you are focused on what you are thankful for, your vibrational energy simultaneously elevates.  Your energy level will soar today! 

You will be a bright light that radiates wherever you are.  You become a magnet as you draw others toward your positive energy.  Have you ever had the experience of walking into a room and you immediately feel the energy of others and you find yourself drawn towards the person or persons whose energy level is elevated?  Today you ARE that person.

As you stay tuned into the abundance of blessings in your life today and acknowledge them, you will find yourself in a state of gratitude and you will love the feeling.  Do you know why?  I believe it’s because this is when we are in alignment with our source and we are living in harmony with our true selves.  We are in a state of allowing.  Allowing to receive, to take in the beauty of being alive, of being present in this day, in each moment of this day.

I call this level of cognizance, living on the super-conscious level of life because you are not resisting anything today and you are giving yourself permission to take in the little things that we often notice but do not really see.  You FEEL gratitude and love because at the core of each one of us this IS who we are.

The smiles you give today and the smiles you receive today go directly to the heart of each other, to the soul of one another which is where we are all connected.

May your today flow into your tomorrow with a continued state of gratitude seeing with eyes of a child, the beauty in everything around you.

With much love,

Alice

You may be wondering why I haven't posted over this last week.  Well, my husband and I attended the London Book Fair and I was unable to acess my laptop to update daily.  Now that I am back home, I will be able to post daily inspirational quotes once again.

The London Book Fair was truly an amazing opportunity to meet fellow authors and participate in sharing with one another different ideas and thoughts.  It was genuinely an awesome experience and I am thankful we were able to attend.

HAPPY EARTH DAY

"Humankind has not woven the web of life.  We are but one thread within it.  Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.  All things are bound together.  All things connect."   ~Chief Seattle, 1855

Living Mindfully

Written by Alice Hocker, author of Finding Inner Peace

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk who practices through meditation the art of living mindfully.  Thich Nhat Hanh is 86 years old and he lives in the Plum Village Monastery which he founded in 1969.  It is located in the South of France.  He is also the author of more than 100 books.

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “It is essential to keep peace in yourself.  Deep intention is your beginners mind and from here you begin to nourish your passion.”  His attention is continually aimed on what his purpose is in life and abstains from moving away from that mindset.  Through the practice of living mindfully he has developed his mind, his thoughts remain centered without wavering. 

Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh states, “Intention is so strong that it can protect and keep you alive.  Enlightenment is always there when you breathe in and if you are aware of it; that is already a miracle.”  Through mindful walking meditation he says, “You touch the ground with every step and you say I have arrived in the here and now to touch wonders of life, as you breathe in.  As you breathe out you say I’m home, in the here and now.  Free from regret of past and free from fear of the future and you can touch life deeply with every step.  And the greatest miracle is to be alive.”

Thich Nhat Hanh teaches the meditation of mindful walking.  After becoming aware of this form of meditation, I have begun to implement this mindset into my daily walks and I must say they are powerful!  You genuinely feel with each step that you are in the here and now and because you are so focused on that moment, that step, you are free from everything and it is an awesome experience.  Mindful walking has taken me to an even higher level of living authentically. I encourage you to try it.

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “With practice you can always be in the present moment and be happy in the here and now.  Present thinking/ present walking helps you to go home and be in the present moment.  Being aware of being alive.”  This was exactly the experience I had in practicing mindful walking.  I practice mindful living, I just had not been aware of implementing mindful walking.  I am grateful for the knowledge to now do so.

Thich Nhat Hanh states, “People sacrifice the present for the future and life is only available for the present moment.  Mindful walking teaches you to live life happily every moment of our life.”  That is a powerful and a very true statement.

In the practice of Buddhism, absolutely everything from walking, eating and drinking their tea, is a practice of meditation to be completely present in the here and now.  We can definitely learn from the meditation of mindful walking which elevates our consciousness to a state of mindful living and truly live in the here and now.

I would encourage you to give mindful walking a try.  It really has expanded my consciousness to live with an even deeper sense of living daily with the mantra, “Be here now.”

With much love,

Alice