Clearing Your Sacred Space

Creative Nudge Fridays is here!

Welcome to nudge #27. We're clearing space. With our breath.

We know how brilliant it feels to shed the clutter in our home or work space, to clean that room or let go of what hasn't been used in years. It shifts the energy, lets in more light and creates the space for more of what you do want in your life. It feels just as brilliant to let go of stale energy within the sacred space that is our physical body.

Here is a nudge to tune into the cleansing power of your own breath. Use it as a meditation. Find a comfy spot where you can sit on a chair or the ground, or if you want you can lay down - though some people do fall asleep in that position! Before you begin you might like to make your comfy spot more tranquil by lighting a candle (safely) and placing a few natural elements infront of you such as a flower, leaves, crystals or shells.

When you are ready close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath. Allow your body to enter its own natural rhythm of breathing. Use your in-breath to breathe in what you would like more of in your life, it might be deeper peace, greater calm, more love, joy or whatever is calling you right now. Breathe it in as you say to yourself, "I breathe in ___________" (fill in the blank). Then use your out-breath to breathe out what you no longer need. Breathe it out as you say to yourself, "I breathe out all that is not peace" or whatever you wish to breathe out. As you exhale it can feel very clearing to let out a sound, imagine it's coming up and out from your belly. Continue the process for a few minutes or until you feel done. Then when you are ready, wiggle your toes to bring yourself back to your body in the present moment, and slowly open your eyes.

Note, when practiced in the morning it can help set the tone for a calmer day. Practiced at night it can assist in letting go any stresses and concerns you might be holding, and help induce a more restful and replenishing sleep.

If you feel to expand on the nudge further, write down your response to the meditation in your journal. You might like to note down how the process was for you - easeful or did any resistance surface?

To remind yourself that your breath can help clear and calm your energies, take a pic of your tranquil spot, then use the pic as your screen saver or wallpaper on your phone or computer.

If you give the nudge a go, comment below or be a part of the conversation on my Facebook Page. If you share your tranquil spot via Twitter or Instagram use the tag #creativenudgefridays so we can find you.

Create on, Jelena x

p.s. Our breath can speak to us of the relationship with our own life. Read more.

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to blog about this nudge or share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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Deep Wisdom of Your Breath

It's a universal language, primarily involuntary and a natural action we do our entire lives. Breathing.

Our breathing functions around the clock sending essential oxygen to every single cell in our bodies in order for us to be able to be here right now. That's a mammoth undertaking and fortunately we don't need to remember to do it. Our physical body keeps right on breathing even when we are asleep. It so often goes unnoticed as we go about our everyday happenings, though there is deep wisdom in our breath - it can inform us a great deal about our relationship with our own life and is a powerful tool for positively shifting our thoughts and feelings, especially when we might need to ground our energies or calm the self down.

The depth of our breath speaks to us of our openness to life. 

In a rested state are you more of a shallow breather or do you take long deep breaths? It can be useful to consciously breathe deeply at least once a day. Take a deep breath in to allow fresh air to fill your lungs and belly, and breathe out to release any stale air so to speak. Exhaling with a sound such as a deep sigh from your belly can feel great too.

The rhythm of our breath speaks to us of how we move through our life. 

In a rested state what is the rhythm of your breath doing - is it calm, even and easeful or challenging and out of sorts? If your breath feels easeful though your life feels somewhat out of sorts you can consciously tune into your breathe to help invite more of its easefulness into your life.

The source of our breath speaks to us of our alignment with our centre.

Breathing from our belly gets more oxygen into our system. When we enter the world we innately breathe from our diaphram/belly. We are centred in our being, connected to our divine flow. However as life unfolds, we can switch to upper chest breathing which can leave us feeling out of our centre, agitated without knowing why or breathing too much/too fast. If you desire to return to breathing from your belly be patient with yourself as it can take time to reprogram a primarily involuntary action.

The presence of our breath reminds us that we are transformational beings.

Our breath transforms after each inhale, when it flips direction and upon our exhale, flows out. We can literally use our breath as a tool to consciously flip our inner flow too. By bringing our awareness to our breath it can help ground our energies whenever we might feel anxious, nervous, agitated, irritated, frustrated or angry. When our mind and emotions are in overwhelm or overdrive, focusing on our breath can create powerful and positive change in our mental and emotional states.

How are you breathing right now? Are you giving yourself room to breathe calmly from within and in your life?

I'd love to hear from you. How does your breathing reflect your relationship with life? Add your comments below or be a part of the conversation on my Facebook Page.

Shine on, Jelena x

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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Earth Hour, Mandala Power

It's lights off at 8.30pm tonight for Earth Hour, a global event to celebrate a worldwide commitment to protect our planet. It's an apt time this weekend to gift yourself some off time too in order to check in with your inner world via the creation of an Earth Mandala.

The word mandala is Sanskrit for both circle and centre, and sacred circles have been used as a meditation, focusing and ritual tool since ancient time. The Universe is a master mandala maker, creating natural mandala's throughout all of creation, from the cosmos to our very cells. An archetypal symbol of wholeness, protection and healing, psychologist Carl Jung worked with the mandala as a therapeutic tool to help make the unconscious conscious. Mandala making is a part of all my Classes & Workshops, and when appropriate it is often used during my one-on-one Soul Work Sessions to help hold safe all that is placed within its enclosed and contained space. Inspired by Earth Hour, here is a process I have created to help you make one wherever you are.

Earth Mandala

You will need paper to draw on and a drawing tool like pencils, crayons or pastels. Draw a full size circle on your sheet of paper. This is where you will create your mandala. Sitting in a comfortable place, close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat 3 times. Allow your breath to relax your being. Now bring your awareness to your heart centre and take a few deep breaths from this space. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat 3 times. Imagine you can see planet Earth in front of you, with it's land masses and blue oceans. Imagine all the living beings that currently live on and with Earth. Imagine all the cycles, seasons and movements Earth experiences in one day. Breathe this is. Breathe this out. Ask yourself, "What does Earth mean to me?". Allow any words, shapes or images to come to mind. Sit with this for a few moments. Then, when you are ready slowly open your eyes and express this out within your circle, creating your own Earth Mandala.

Create on, Jelena x

p.s. As Kalvin likes to point out, flowers are one of Earth's natural mandala's. Yes, that's him in the centre of one. He said he's embodying my process. In order to do this he took a journey to the centre, literally, and just breathed. He said he felt wonderful and took a fancy to focusing on his breath and using it to help him be in his centre, that space where we simply be and we simply are. Kalvin tells me each new dawn is a daily invitation from Earth to be our true selves, to centre our being ~ to sit in our own mandala within.

p.p.s. Kalvin reminds me to tell you no worries if you don't create an Earth Mandala at precisely Earth Hour time, any hour is a good hour to create one!

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© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2011.

Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.