“My Poses Are My Prayers” – B.K.S. Iyengar

“A Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step” — The Way Of Lao-Tzu

Building A Spiritual Altar: A Great Way To Connect With Our Soul As We Begin The New Year

By Jennifer Miller

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Building an Altar is a great way

To start the New Year.

Have fun with it!!!

Find a special place in your home.

My main altar is where I practice yoga.

There are several other small altars

Around my home that I move around

Depending on my mood and intention.

Ideas of what to place on your Altar:

  Deities – I have Quan Yin (Goddess of

  compassion), Kali and Mother Mary.

  Photographs of loved ones, who I am

  praying for.

  Mala Prayer Beads.

  Fresh Flowers – I like to place something from the earth.

  Incense – I imagine the smoke going into the Heavens

                      with my prayers and intentions for the day.

  Candles – I always light one when I am in the home.

  Aromatherapy – I love beautiful scent.

  Words of Wisdom – Beautiful thoughts as you walk by.

  Mirror – To remind me to go within for answers.

  Special treasures from travels.

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“May we all find peace within and

Extend that love to all that we encounter.”

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

Namaste, Jennifer

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(Please note that Mala prayer beads, aromatherapy and candles can

  be purchase at the Heart Based Healing Store, with a portion going

  to benefit women at risk.)

Yoga Pose Weekly: Scorpion Pose (Vrischikasana)

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR JENNIFER

“…Events That Happen In The Moment Belong To The Moment…You Must Stop Defining Yourself In Relationship To Them, And Just Let Them Come And Go…” — Michael Singer

“The Deepest Desire Within Each Of Us Is To Be Liberated From…Our Own Psychic Madness Or Patterns Of Fear” – Caroline Myss

Full Quote:  “I am convinced that the deepest desire within each of us is to be liberated from the controlling influences of our own psychic madness or patterns of fear. All other things—the disdain of ordinary life, the need to control others rather than be controlled, the craving for material goods as a means of security and protection against the winds of chaos—are external props that serve as substitutes for the real battle, which is the one waged within the individual soul.”

“Developing Trust In Relationships Is Like Putting Marbles In A Jar…” – Martha Beck Reviews “Daring Greatly: How The Courage To Be Vulnerable Transforms The Way We Live” By Brene Brown

“Love, Without Desire To Possess…This Is The Highest Love.” – Love Or Loving-Kindness (Metta), One Of The Four Basic Sublime States In Buddhism

“Countless Words Count Less Than The Silent Balance Between Yin And Yang” – Lao Tzu

“In The End These Things Matter Most: How Well Did You Love?…How Deeply Did You Let Go?” Siddhartha Gautama

“When We Feel Love And Kindness Towards Others…” – Dalai Lama XIV

Photograph of Whooper Swans from the National Geographic (February, 2011)

“Just Detach From False Mental Objects And Be Enlightened To Being-As-Is” – Baizhang Huaihai

Baizhang Huaihai (720-814 AD)

“Like A Bird In Flight, Your Life Can Soar Above The Troubles Of The World” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie

“100 Secrets for Living a Life You Love” by Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Photograph by Vince Maidens, “Snowy Owl, Canada”

National Geographic “Photo of the Day”, July 11, 2012

“Mindfulness…Is The Observing Of Things As They Are,…Without Laying Or Adding…Expectations Onto What Is Happening.” – Frank Jude Boccio

“The Butterfly Counts Not Months But Moments, And Has Time Enough” – Rabindranath Tagore

“Watching The Moon At Midnight…I Knew Myself Completely, No Part Left Out.” – Izumi Shikibu

“Dwelling In The Present Moment, I Know This Is A Wonderful Moment” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“…If You are Standing Before A Beautiful Flower, You Will Not Be Able To See It…You Have To Be Silent, Utterly Silent, Not Even A Flicker Of Thought–And the Beauty Explodes.” By Osho

“Thoughts can create such a barrier that even if you are standing before a beautiful flower, you will not be able to see it. Your eyes are covered with layers of thought.”

“You have to be silent, utterly silent, not even a flicker of thought – and the beauty explodes….”

 From “The Great Pilgrimage: From Here to Here” by Osho

Picture from: 2012 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contestant Fred An