I’m Different Since I Started Meditating

Julia W. // October 8th, 2013

Julia W. in Yellow Jacket

Since I started mediating, I’m nicer.  Not just to other people but to myself.

I found it a bit alarming at first to realize how often I had invalidating thoughts about myself or other people. Over time those thoughts subsided and I’ve been pleased to discover that I quite like me.

I used to create a lot of drama in my life.  I liked it — it felt exciting and I got a lot of attention for it. But as I became calmer on the inside, my life on the outside became a lot calmer. That isn’t to say it is boring. There are just fewer unexpected, unpleasant surprises.

My Existential Crisis at Age 12

Jeanine // October 1st, 2013

Jeanine Black & White
I feel like I would be a totally different person today if I hadn’t found Lightwork and started on my spiritual journey.

When I first started doing Lightwork, I was 12. I was trying to figure out what it meant to be on this planet. Twelve is young, perhaps, but I was going through what you could call an existential crisis.

I was really frustrated about certain things in my life and I wanted something to be grounded and to make life manageable.

Meditation gave me something that was solid. I finally had something that was reliable and certain: myself.

I started to recognize my own power, which gave me the ability to change the parts of my life that were frustrating. I mean – it’s been a long journey, and I’m nowhere near the end, but I feel like today I am much more in charge of my life.

Meditation Changes Your Life In Huge Ways

Tiffany // September 19th, 2013

Tiffany Cooking

Meditation has changed my life in huge ways. Probably in all of the ways I wanted to change, but never knew how.

I’ve created more healthy and loving relationships. I’m in love and married now – really deeply and happily married. I’m working for an

organization that I am inspired to be involved with and I have colleagues that I respect and who really respect and care for me. I live in an environment that feels nurturing and close to nature. I’m participating in the creation of an Ecovillage – an outdoor centre for spiritual practice and sustainable living…just as I’ve always dreamed of.

I’m pretty much living all of my dreams since I started to meditate. I’m creating the life that I’ve always wanted and I’m letting go of the aspects of my life that weren’t really for me. It’s been huge. I’m deeply grateful.

How Meditation Changed My Friendships

Julia W. // September 17th, 2013

Julia W

Before I started meditating I was quite judgemental. I had a lot of opinions. I thought this made me sophisticated…my university education encouraged this.

Now I see how much this limited me and made it hard for anyone different from me to be in my life. Two of the big lessons I’ve received from meditating are the practices of neutrality and non-judgement.

When I started to see that there is no right or wrong way to do things but simply many different paths, it helped have a wider group of friends and deeper relationships.

If someone thinks they are going to be judged they often keep a guard up, and this limits friendship.  That is what creates frenemies. I’m thankful my relationships are a lot more loving now.

I See Beauty Everywhere

Darci R. // July 2nd, 2013
Darci R. Creating a Centrepiece at a Lightwork Meditation Retreat
Darci R. Creating a Centrepiece at a Lightwork Meditation Retreat

 
 

Because of meditation, I see more connections between the small things in nature and the cycle of life.

Something like a mushroom growing on a log has new meaning for me. Now, when I look at the mushroom I see that it nourishes the tree, and I see the owl that eats the shrew, that eats the mushroom, that grows on the tree.

Let me put this in perspective for you. During my first meditation retreat at the Lightwork Ecovillage in 2007 I was asked to make a bouquet for the dining table. I was excited at the prospect of this task and immediately went outside to look for flowers.

I looked and looked. I came to the conclusion that there wasn’t much worth including in the centerpiece. I couldn’t see anything except ferns and grass.

I’ve been diligently meditating since then. This past summer I was assigned the same task on the same land.  My experience was completely different. I had trouble deciding what beautiful things to include in the bouquet. Beauty was bursting in every direction.

I recognized the change in my perception immediately.  The new experience of abundance flowed through my body, warming me to the core.

To Anyone Who Wants to Meditate…But Is Hesitant

Tiffany // June 25th, 2013

 

Tiffany at the Lightwork Ecovillage

Tiffany at the Lightwork Ecovillage

If you want to meditate, but you feel uncertain…I say, it’s  a real relief to just try something you’re curious about. Just let it unfold…just see what emerges. You can’t do it wrong. That’s what I’d really like to say…you can’t do it wrong, so why not give it a try?

Meditation doesn’t look like the same for everyone, and it’s a completely different experience for everyone. Your experience may not match your idea of what it should look like. Just go with it.

Now That I Meditate Nature is Mesmerizing

Julia W. // June 18th, 2013

Julia Watson in the Garden 1

Since I started meditating, I notice nature far more.  I sometimes find myself mesmerized by specific things. It could be a cool bug or the petal of a flower.

I feel a deeper connection to nature now that I am able to control my thoughts more. It is such a wonderful feeling to sit silently in a meadow and not think about anything. To just be.

Sometimes I look up into the sky and tune into the immensity and magic of it all.  It’s mind blowing!

I’m Different on a Cellular Level

Darci R. // May 14th, 2013

Darci T. in the Moss

Meditation has changed me on a cellular level.

My behavior and automatic responses are different after years of meditation. For example I recognize more fully when I judge someone, and I use meditation to examine what’s going on for me that’s causing that to happen.

Because of this, my relationships have deepened and become more loving. I am more patient and attentive to myself and others.

I find that with more presence and awareness, I’m no longer trying to act a certain way just to fit in.

Realizing Meditation Actually Works

Jeanine // May 14th, 2013

Jeanine in the Park

I first realized meditation was working for me when I noticed I was waking up each morning and felt ready for my life.

Waking up and thinking about the day ahead used to feel overwhelming — like it was just

too much. When I realized I wasn’t dreading life, I knew something had changed. I’ve had many moments of realization, but this one was the biggest.

To actually look forward to my life, and to feel excited about it is such a blessing. I think meditation has helped me get to this place, and has given me something to fall back on if life feels hard.

Meditation has helped me create a support structure so I don’t feel so alone in my life. I have a new relationship with myself that helps me feel stronger. I have a new ability to understand my fears and emotions, allowing me to deal with them more easily.

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Scott Robinson

Scott Robinson is the founder and spiritual director of Lightwork Spiritual Development, based on Gambier Island, B.C. For more than 30 years, Scott’s spiritual evolution has been his life focus, along with helping others discover themselves as spiritual beings.

Even in earlier stages of his life Scott lived outside the confines of mainstream society as a hippie kid, musician, video artist, photographer, poet and world traveller. Spiritually aware from childhood, he could see energy, and he knew there was a bigger picture than the material pursuits of life.

His spiritual purpose took shape in his early twenties when he discovered a meditation style that was an immediate fit. He dove deeply into spiritual studies, deepening his clairvoyant abilities and learning the art of self-healing.

Scott is constantly pushing the boundaries of spiritual knowledge. Through teaching, writing and photography, he empowers others to become conscious, bright spiritual beings on the path to freedom.

Scott is also Chair of the Board, chief visionary, and manager of the Lightwork Ecovillage, the Gambier Island sacred site that is home to the Lightwork practice.

Alison Cretney

Alison has been practicing Lightwork meditation since 2007. As a certified Lightwork teacher, she offers classes suitable to first-time meditators or anyone who has practiced other meditation styles. You can attend her classes in beautiful Nelson, BC, or by phone or Skype.

Alison has found Lightwork's clarity, ease and potency to be transformative in all aspects of her life including parenting, work, relationships and stress.

She has a Masters in Strategic Leadership Toward Sustainability which she applies in collaborative projects seeking solutions for climate change.

Julia Watson

Julia offers meditation and consulting services for organizations and individuals.

She started her conscious spiritual journey in her mid-twenties but it wasn’t until she came across Lightwork in 2002 that she found a meditation practice that really worked for her.

Julia completed Lightwork’s seven levels of training in 2010. She has been joyfully teaching meditation classes and offering private energy readings since then.

She was previously the Program Director at Hollyhock (Canada’s leading educational retreat centre) and is now a self-employed bookkeeper.

Julia received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University in 1994. She received a permaculture design certificate in 2000.

Julia Thiessen

Julia started taking Lightwork classes by phone from Winnipeg in 2004. The classes rocked her world so thoroughly she moved to Vancouver to continue her meditation studies, eventually graduating from Lightwork's most advanced program, 'Level 7: The Apprenticeship' in 2012.

Her move to the West Coast allowed her to become involved in the Lightwork Ecovillage, where she continues to deepen her meditation practice and learn life lessons (like...you really can grow kale year round!).

Julia is a certified Lightwork Teacher. She offers Lightwork Level 1 and Level 2 classes for beginners, as well as private energy reading sessions.

She brings creativity to the Lightwork administration team, and manages two annual meditation retreats: the summer '9-Day Dharma Healing', and 'Winter Light Week'.

She has an intuitive and studied understanding of all things green, arising from her work in therapeutic gardening at BC Children's Hospital and other locations around Vancouver.

Cathy Belgrave

When Cathy signed up for her first Lightwork class, she entered brand new territory. Coming from a scientific background, meditation was well outside her normal repertoire but she felt compelled to try it.

Without even being able to describe how, she shifted perceptions in all parts of her life and began making decisions that decreased stress. Encouraged, she thought she would keep meditating until it no longer felt like a fit. That day never came. She’s now a committed Lightwork practitioner and teacher.

Cathy offers Lightwork Level 1, Level 2, private classes and energy reading-healings. She blends her passions for writing, teaching and meditation by offering creative writing workshops for children and adults.

Darci Rosalie

Darci discovered Lightwork meditation in her last month of nursing school. She realized she wanted a totally new way of coping with stress.

So she turned down a fancy job in California with a big signing bonus and season’s tickets to her favourite football team. Instead she registered for Lightwork's beginners class and never looked back.

Throughout her healing journey Darci has witnessed how meditation has the power to shift tough situations and heal what needs healing.

Her favorite thing about being a Lightwork teacher is the simplicity and presence of being in the moment. The big and small of the universe come into focus and make room for significant awareness and healing.

Darci graduated from the Lightwork Apprenticeship program in March 2014. She offers energy reading sessions and meditation classes in a loving, supportive environment.

Tiffany Robinson

Tiffany Robinson has 18 years of experience in the social services sector, a B.A. in psychology, and over 15 years experience developing and facilitating dynamic wellness programs for youth and adults. She is a full-time instructor of Lightwork’s Level 1 – 3 meditation courses and Teacher Training program, and has been studying meditation for over 15 years, completing Lightwork’s two-year meditation teacher training in 2012, and a three-year apprenticeship in 2015. She is also Lightwork's Director of Operations.

As the Wellness Programs Specialist for the Crisis Centre of B.C., Tiffany co-developed and facilitated hundreds of workshops, webinars and wellness programs designed to enhance well-being, resilience and mental health. Over 13 years, she championed the centre’s first mindfulness training programs and was instrumental in establishing key contracts to deliver large-scale mindfulness programs to 1,500+ employee organizations, such as the Vancouver School Board.

Tiffany lives at the Lightwork Ecovillage on Gambier Island, an off-grid permaculture farm-meets-meditation-centre set on 80 acres overlooking Howe Sound.

Jacqueline Voci

Jacqueline first learned to meditate as an antidote to stress and a crazy-busy lifestyle in the tech and PR industries. As she gradually made it part of her daily routine, an entirely new way of experiencing life emerged.

In March 2014, she completed Lightwork’s two-year meditation teacher program and began its most immersive course, a three-year apprenticeship to founder, Scott Robinson.

Jacqueline teaches Lightwork's beginner classes (Levels 1 & 2) and offers meditation workshops for companies and organizations. She has hosted workshops for the Dalai Lama Center for Peace & Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine, BC Cancer Research Centre and BCIT Student Association.

She is also a writer and communications consultant.

Elizabeth Stevenson

Elizabeth decided to give Lightwork a try in 2010, after observing a friend's Lightwork journey. Deciding it was a fit, she took classes from her hometown of Victoria by phone for six years. She then packed up and moved to Vancouver to continue her studies, completing Lightwork's Level 6 Teacher Training Program in 2017.

Meditation has helped Elizabeth let go of fears and embrace all aspects of herself. She's excited that teaching now gives her the chance to offer the Lightwork techniques to other people.

Prior to Lightwork, Elizabeth completed a B.A. in anthropology, and certifications in community counselling and permaculture. Music has always been an important part of her life. She enjoys singing opera and jazz, and offering vocal improv classes.

Leslie Dickout

Leslie took her first Lightwork meditation class by phone in 2012 while living in the busy city of New York. She was awestruck by the simplicity of the tools she learned, and how they helped her let go of old patterns. She knew she wanted to learn more.

Now settled in Vancouver and enjoying a much simpler life, Leslie offers Lightwork Level 1 and Level 2 classes, as well as private energy reading-healings. She completed the Level 7 Apprenticeship program at Lightwork in 2021.

She also works in communications at BC Recreation & Parks Association.

Zhenya Andriyash

Zhenya started taking Lightwork meditation classes in the fall of 2012 while living in New York City and working for a bank. Meditation was his way of dealing with stress-filled workplace and hectic city life.

While taking Lightwork's Next Step program, he moved to Vancouver to lead a quieter, healthier life with a focus on his spiritual development.

Zhenya completed the Apprenticeship program at Lightwork in 2021 and now he offers beginner Lightwork classes (Level 1 and 2), as well as reading-healing sessions.

Having a job in the tech sector, Zhenya finds his meditation practice to be essential for having wellness and balance in his life.

Bogdan Serban

Bogdan Serban is a certified Lightwork teacher and a soccer-playing dad of two boys.

He started studying Lightwork in 2015 after many years of interest in spirituality and energy work. He considers the Lightwork practice to be life-changing, improving his relationships at home and work, and instilling a deeper self-confidence. He uses the Lightwork techniques every day to support his parenting, marriage and work life.

Bogdan originally hails from the picturesque, mountainside city of Brasov, Romania. He’s lived in Vancouver since 2005 and works in the telecom sector. In his down time, you’ll usually find Bogdan hanging out with his family or on a soccer pitch.

Bogdan completed his Lightwork teaching certificate in 2020. He also holds a degree in business management.