Author Susan Apollon shares ‘Eleven Steps to Help You Tune into Your Inner Self and Forgive and Love Unconditionally’ and I’ve included them as she has written them below.  My hope is that you will focus on living in the moment and enjoy your own Mindful Adventures.   Happy Holidays!

Find Peace on Earth…(and Peace Within):
Eleven Steps to Help You Tune into Your Inner Self and Forgive and Love Unconditionally

Being present and loving during the holidays is not always easy.  But Susan Apollon, author of Touched by the Extraordinary, Book Two: Healing Stories of Love, Loss & Hope , says there are steps you can take to find inner peace that can help you survive and even enjoy the hectic holiday season. The practice of visualization and meditation can help you reclaim control of your mind and emotions during this time of year.

These methods will not only help you stay centered during holiday events, they will allow you to achieve your intention to show unconditional love to your family and friends. But perhaps most importantly, these techniques will help you forgive yourself and others and move past negative emotion. When you learn to let go of painful memories and release the power other people hold over you, the holiday season will brighten considerably. Read on to learn how to find inner balance and be present throughout the holidays.

• Set the stage. Choose a room that feels good and that has a chair or a comfortable place to sit: peaceful, safe, and inviting. If possible, use the same location and sitting position every time. You want to create a sense of strong association. This scene will become a trigger in your mind’s eye. With enough practice, you will be able to immediately quiet and center yourself just by thinking of the space.

• Play quiet, gentle music. Apollon recommends Pachelbel or Native American flute music. However, anything that helps you relax and get centered is fine.

• Assume the “meditative or intuition posture.” Sit comfortably with spine straight, feet flat on the floor, palms up. This will help you visualize. With your feet on the ground, you can visualize that you are connected to the earth. With palms up, you will feel more inviting and that the universe is open to your energy and you are open to the energy of the universe.

• Count to ten as you begin to quiet and center yourself. Hold your breath to a fast count to ten and release your breath to a count to ten. While you are exhaling, visualize the breath moving through the body, as it moves through every cell in your body. (The next two tips provide more details on how to do this. Understand that these tips are not necessarily sequential; some of them will happen simultaneously.)

• Give your breath color and shape. Feel the warmth of your breath as you breathe in. Visualize that your breath has a shape and color. You might find it helpful to choose a color that symbolizes your intent. For instance:
Green = Healing
Blue = Peace
White = Divine energy
Pink = Compassion
Research with imagery has validated the importance of visualizing your breath. As you consciously breathe deep, relaxing breaths, chemicals in the brain much like an elixir are released to help you feel greater warmth and relaxation.

• Follow your breath on its travels. See the breath actually entering the crown and watch it start the journey through the body. You want to see it to feel it in your mind’s eye. Visualize it going through every organ, limb, vertebrae, muscle, and tissue. Picture it flowing through your bloodstream. Envision every cell delighting in the breath. See yourself feeling the warmth and see yourself feeling good. This facilitates progressive relaxation. “While doing the breathing, you will experience an increased sense of heaviness,” notes Apollon. “The paradox is that you will notice a feeling of lightness.”

• Find your mantra. I’m feeling more peaceful. I’m becoming pure love. I am grateful for my loved ones. These are just a few suggestions. Your mantra can be a favorite expression, the first line of your favorite prayer (e.g., “The Lord is my Shepherd”), or something that just helps you relax, like “Shalom.” Whatever you choose, associate the tone of your mantra with finding peace. Whatever your mantra is, say it over and over in your mind. This creates your “mind’s ear” connection.

• Make a connection with something greater than yourself. It doesn’t matter whether your “something greater” is God, Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Universal Energy, or Mind. Just imagine breathing in Its divine energy. Ask your Higher Power for help and guidance.

•Begin with gratitude. Be certain to give thanks for your blessings, which include your family and friends that you may be seeing over the holidays. The vibration of thank you, the vibration of blessings, is very powerful. It brings to us what we secretly desire. Gratitude is a higher state of consciousness. So be very generous in reminding yourself of your life’s blessings.

• Love is the Key. Fill your body with love. Imagine your whole body being filled up with love. Not romantic love, but pure, unconditional love—the kind you would feel for a baby, a puppy, or a kitten. Make love your intention. Give it a color and a shape. See yourself feeling it and becoming love. If you are intuiting specifically “for” another person—perhaps someone you would like to forgive, consciously fill your heart with feelings of love and warmth for him or her. Visualize yourself becoming loving energy and put that energy to good use in your life.

• After you’ve made the shift, state your intention. After about ten or fifteen minutes of breathing, you will feel an inner shift of consciousness. (The shift may be very subtle, and the time required to reach it will shorten with practice.) You will know this subtle shift when it happens; it means you have established a connection with your higher wisdom. This is the time to state your intention of loving and forgiving. (You may also state your intention at the beginning of the process, before you begin your breathing.) I want to love myself unconditionally. Or I want to forgive and love my mother. Or even I want to be joyful and at peace at Aunt Eunice’s holiday dinner.

Additional Note from Mindful Adventures:
Consider using your journal to write about how you feel, thoughts that come to mind when you use one of the above steps.  If you don’t journal (yet), consider beginning with a Gratitude Journal – document all of your blessings – it’s a way of staying focused on the positive in your life.  It’s powerful and can enhance your well-being.

Book information:
Touched by the Extraordinary, Book Two: Healing Stories of Love, Loss & Hope
Matters of the Soul, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-9754036-9-3, $24.95,

Also available on Amazon
Touched by the Extraordinary

Have you meditated today?

Not too long ago I was more consistent with my meditation practice due to ‘Getting into the Vortex’ by Esther and Jerry Hicks.  Fifteen minutes in the morning – that’s all I was required to give of my day and then I let other tasks take over and found myself saying, “I’ll do it later.” And, well, you know….later never came.   It’s like going to the gym on those hectic days; we think we’ll go ‘later’ and then something else comes up and that’s life.

I noticed that my lack of meditating led to an imbalance in my thoughts, which became a reflection of my outer world and physical being.  It’s like the door to chaos reopened.  That feeling permeates in everything and yet there’s an awareness and acceptance that has led me back to my meditation practice and maybe that’s one of the benefits – to realize that when things go awry you can do something about it with a knowing that we can create a new reflection of balance in our life and when that happens we can manifest more of what we desire vs. what we don’t want in our life.

And this morning I remembered how much meditating was benefiting me.  That calm feeling.   Thoughts of clarity.  And more focus and energy to get me through the day.  How could I neglect something that promoted such a positive influence?  So that was the question I woke up with this morning and I made a decision to commit once again.  That’s the reason for this post today.  If you give meditation a chance you’ll see the benefits as well and find that ‘balancing rhythm’ that Esther Hicks and Abraham refer to.  Chances are that if you stop by Mindful Adventures often then you probably are already meditating and that’s great as research shows that there is an increase in those who meditate.

All you need is 10-15 minutes each day and the morning is best as you can set your positive intention for the day and you’ll feel a sense of peacefulness and clarity during your meditation that will continue once you’re done.

If you’re new to meditation:
- Set aside 15 minutes in the morning before you get into your day
- Find a comfortable position, relax and close your eyes
- A guided meditation CD is best for beginners and one that I like is Getting in the Vortex by Jerry & Esther Hicks

- Focus on your breathing – this is important and a guided meditation will help you
- As you continue with your meditation practice you may find that you’d like to add beads/prayer beads to help you focus
- Thoughts may come and go and it’s best to acknowledge them and release them
- Relax and release any resistance you may feel  – let the guided meditation lead you to a renewed state of being

More info:
According to the latest research, meditation has been linked to changes in blood pressure, metabolism, brain activation and other bodily processes.  It has been shown to help with pain reduction and stress relief.  Two of the major benefits most of us seek along with that feeling of inner peace.

Are you ready to experience the benefits of meditation?  I hope you’ll consider adding this practice to your day and hope even more that you’ll come to feel inner peace, clarity and balance.

Recommended Guided Meditation CD:

Getting Into The Vortex: Guided Meditations CD and User Guide

If you’re still thinking of what to get your Mom for Mother’s Day, perhaps the gift of music or even sharing these songs will touch her heart.

1.  A Mother’s Prayer by Rachel Aldous

2. Mother’s Day – I wasn’t able to find the artist at this link, however it’s another
wonderful song

3. Lullaby by Creed

Also, did you know that the idea of Mother’s Day dates back to 1868?   Click here for more on the history.

Feel free to include a comment here for your mom – no matter where she is you’re always connected.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Photography by Donna Adinolfi. Copyright 2010-2011.

My interest in speaking with Susan for both Book 1 and now Book 2 is also personal and this interview was timely as well.  I was first introduced to Touched by the Extraordinary in 2006 shortly after the passing of my husband and because it was so timely, I felt that it was a sign  that it appeared when it did. And, here we are five years later at the 5th anniversary of my personal loss.  I believe in  signs and have witnessed several over the years, and so this interview  is special to me and my hope is that it will be timely for you as well.

Early in our discussion, you’ll hear us discuss ‘Signs’ and according to Ms. Apollon,  “Many of us love to have those moments.  The reason for this, I believe, is that these times are validations that there is so much more to life than what you can see, touch or feel and that life may not end with the death of the body.  Their very occurrences indicate to us that we are not alone, that when we ask for help, we are heard and that we are dearly loved.”

Whether you have recently lost a loved one or are going through a time of healing, I believe that you will feel a sense of hope and love as you listen to our conversation.  That is my hope and that is my intention as I post this podcast for you.  Please share it with others to help them in their personal journey.

Listen to my interview with Susan Apollon

A follow-up article will also be posted here on MindfulAdventures.com in the next few weeks and until then, listen as often as you need to and let Susan’s compassionate voice and wisdom help you in your personal healing.

For more information on Susan Apollon:
Visit: HealingStoriesofLoveLossandHope.com

I love music and when I’m working and writing I tend to listen to instrumental music with a relaxing and inspirational vibe, something like you’d listen to in a spa.   When I first heard this CD by Emmy award-winning composer, Gary Remal Malkin, it touched me on so many levels and I have to say that it is one of the most beautiful works I’ve heard.   It evoked feelings of sorrow to joy to gratitude to that of purpose.  The music offers an inspiring mix that could change your day from that of doubt to determination and faith.  That’s a bold statement, I know, however it’s how I feel and that’s the point – it touches the depths of your soul and unleashes so many feelings.  Although all of the selections are amazing, some of the tracks capture your attention even when you’re deep in thought or your work. 

“It evoked feelings of sorrow to joy to gratitude to that of purpose.  The music offers an inspiring mix that could change your day from that of doubt to determination and faith.”

The music tugs at your heart and grabs your attention, especially track #5, A Time Ago.  It draws you in to a simpler time and touches your soul to a point that you must stop what you’re doing, close your eyes and feel the music even more deeply.  The piano is so beautiful in this piece.  As you listen to this track, you may connect or reconnect to ‘A Time Ago’ in your own life.

Trail of Tears, track #7, is another favorite due to the flute and sounds of nature in the background.  So many visuals come to mind such as what this could mean in the mountains or even the desert, the animals and perhaps those that blazed trails years ago in the Great Smoky Mountains.   The thunder, the storm, and the ghostlike sounds of this track make it so recognizable and when the next layer of instrumentation blends in, it takes the listener to their next level allowing us to connect to our authentic self.

Each track energizes me, inspires me or allows me to go back to another time and reflect.  One other track to note is #11, The Courage to Dream.  I always know when this one comes on as it pulls on my heart strings and I’m flooded with the memories that have brought me to my current state of being.  As the music continues, it reminds me of the story of my heart and all the dreams yet to be fulfilled.  The courage to get through past challenges and the faith to continue searching; it’s like a door opening and leading you to a new beginning.  Then, toward the end of the track as the music builds, there’s a vision of a cowboy returning to his ranch or perhaps a loved one returning home.

The entire body of work on this CD is moving and just beautiful.  It has the power to move you from where you are to where you want to be: body, mind and soul.  It can spark creativity and inspire the listener in so many ways.�
                                                                                                                                                                                                – Donna Adinolfi