Summer has arrived, in the Northern Hemisphere at least.  For those of you who have been reading my e-zines for a while, you know that I am a big fan of summer, with the long day-light hours, fresh fruits and vegetables, and a vacation-energy that permeates the air.

I am excited to share some wonderful specials and information in this June newsletter.  First, be sure to check out the special summer savings.  For a limited time, take advantage of Summer Special Savings - The Renew Yourself audio series, normally $75, this summer purchase the whole series for just $35.  Use this summer as an opportunity to renew and revitalize, body, mind, and soul.  This series is an inspiring, uplifting, and informative tool to help you along your path.

Also, be sure to check out my dear friend and colleague, Lissa Coffey’s special web series CoffeyBuzz. Lissa Coffey is a bestselling author and relationship expert who is also featured on Call Number Two of the Renew Yourself audio series.      

As always, if you are ready to break free from your challenges, overcome obstacles, and live the life of your dreams, take advantage of individual coaching.  Sign up for your introductory session today.

Love Always,

According to ancient eastern teaching, you lose yourself in order to find yourself.  It is said that life is ultimately a cosmic game of hide-and-go seek.  We all come into this world, this physical world, in order to discover who, or rather what, we truly are. There is just one small twist. 

In order to find ourselves, we must first lose ourselves.

And thus with birth begins the cosmic game of hide-and-go seek.  We are born into this world, and life is the process whereby we lose ourselves and find ourselves again and again.  With every experience, with every phase of life, we go through this process – lost and found, lost and found.  We hide ourselves, only to discover ourselves again.  We lose ourselves in order to find ourselves. 

Gradually, over time, through this game of hide-and-go-seek, we discover who and what we are.  Life is nothing other than this maturation process, whereby we discover, over time and only through living, what life is about, what our life is meant to be, and who we are meant to become.

I have found this teaching to be incredibly helpful as I navigate my way through life.  Life has an inherent purpose, an inherent order.  Yet the way it seems to work is that there is an up-and-down, and off-and-on, and light and dark.  We seem to lose ourselves momentarily, pass through the valley, only to wake up and say “Oh, wow!  So that is what that was about.  So that is who I am becoming.”  The difficult part is that we don’t always know, in the midst of the valley, why we are going through whatever difficulty.  We can find ourselves apparently lost in darkness, playing the hiding part of hide-and-go seek, but it doesn’t feel quite like a game – it doesn’t feel very fun.  In fact, it can feel utterly terrifying and horrid. 

But if we persist, sooner or later we wake up and say, “Ohmygosh!  Look at what I have found!  Look at what happened.  Now I see why this happened; now I see why that happened.  I had to pass through that in order to find this.  I had to get lost in order to get found.  I had to lose myself in order to find myself.”  

And then before we know it, we get lost again.  “Wait!  Where did I go?  I was just here and it was fine and bright and I knew right where I was!  What happened?  Where did the light go?  What the h--- happened!  Why am I standing here in darkness?  I was just standing in the light.  Everything was going okay, I had just found myself standing right here.  What happened?”  Thus begins the process of finding ourselves all over again.  After a while, we once again wake up and say “Oh, so that’s why I was in darkness for that period.  That is why I got lost.  I had to get lost in order to find this.”

It is, of course, very natural, when you are lost and standing in the dark to feel lost, afraid, and confused.  It is understandable, when you are standing alone and the lights have been turned out to, well, freak out.  There might even be the desire to throw a tantrum of sorts (who me???).  It is helpful during these times to remember that the ancient teachers called life a game of cosmic hide-and-go seek.  Remember the game part.  This is to diminish the understandable human response which probably is something like – “Holy crap!  Who turned out the lights???  It is dark and cold and where is the light switch!!!  This isn’t fair!  Why me?  Why??????  What the heck is going on?!?”

It is during these times, however, that your awareness can make all the difference in the world.  You can remember, when you are standing in darkness, that you just happen to be in the hiding phase of hide and go seek.  The great news is that if you are lost, sooner or later, you will  inevitably be found.  Sooner or later the lights will come back on.  When that happens, you will see why you were standing in darkness, and more likely than not, you will be amazed by what you have learned and how you have grown.

It is important to remember this both when you are standing in the darkness, as well as standing with the lights on.  When you are in the finding position, you will soon enough be in the lost position.  When you are in the lost position, soon enough, you will be found.  When the lights turn on, they will go back off, but when they are off, they are certain to come back on. 

The more you see this for yourself, the more you experience this for yourself, the easier it becomes to navigate through the various stages of life.  Over time, it becomes easier to ignore the freak out, knowing that soon enough it will pass.  It becomes easier to not get swept too far away with excitement when the lights are on because soon enough they will go back off.  With this understanding, you can begin to float a little more, understanding that this is just how life works – this is how it goes in the cosmic game of hide-and-go-seek.

Meditation is an essential tool in helping cultivate your awareness.  If you are interested in learning more about meditation or developing a meditation practice, schedule an individual coaching session.  I also talk about meditation in my book Love Your Body, Love Your Life.  You can also visit the Chopra Center for Well-being for a list of certified instructors in your area. 

Just always remember – when you are standing in the darkness, the light will come back on sometime.  So even in your deepest, darkest moments of despair, know full-well that you are hiding right now and soon enough you will discover someone that you never even knew was there.  Conversely, when you are standing in the light and think you know just what is happening and who you are, don’t get too attached because sooner or later the lights will go out and you will have to find yourself all over again.

As you know, I’m a Chopra Center certified instructor and love sharing timeless tools for healing, self-empowerment, and true fulfillment with my community. I’m very excited to announce that this summer the Chopra Center will be coming to Whistler, BC, Canada with its premiere event, Seduction of Spirit, a 7-day retreat led by Deepak Chopra and other Chopra Center master teachers.  
 
I’ve attended Seduction of Spirit and it is a profoundly transformative experience, where you will receive instruction in foundational and advanced meditation techniques, practice daily yoga for body-centered restful awareness, and learn other profound tools and techniques with a wonderful group of like-minded individuals.  As part of my network, you’re invited to attend this amazing event and receive the Chopra Center's lowest special pricing of only $1,875 USD.
 
Be sure to check out the flyer and an inspiring video featuring Seduction of Spirit, Whistler!
 
The event is being held July 3-9 in the beautiful setting of the Fairmont Chateau in Whistler.
 
If you have any questions or you are interested in enrolling:

 
Hope to see you at Seduction of Spirit in Whistler!

P.S. I invite you to forward this special offer to your friends and family.