Jeanine // June 1st, 2018
I was sitting on a water taxi and talking with a friend of mine. We were both travelling to Gambier Island to spend the weekend at the Lightwork Ecovillage. And in this moment, as a wave crashed across the bow of the boat, I noticed how much meditation has changed me.
In the past, a long weekend would typically mean two nights available for partying instead of one. A long weekend might mean some chores and lots of television. Maybe, if I was able to organize it – a long weekend might mean grabbing brunch with some friends.
But now? This current version of me was excited to be spending a long weekend digging a drainage ditch, meditating, checking out the extensive garden, investigating the winter pond situation, cooking delicious and healthy meals from scratch, and enjoying time with friends.
This current version of me was able to have this weekend full of all these amazing things I love, with very little space for unconscious, zone-out time. And it’s because I love myself enough to spend an entire weekend doing things I love with people I enjoy spending time with. I love myself enough to eat healthy, embrace exercise, and spend downtime watching the world around me.
Meditation has given me this great gift of an increased ability to have more of what I love in my life, and less of what I now identify as “painkillers” (rather than joy-givers!). I don’t need to binge watch an entire season of something to avoid my life and forget about the things I don’t like. I don’t need to drink large amounts of alcohol to interact with other people. I don’t need to feel lucky I shared a single meal this week with friends.
And getting off that water taxi? It felt like the life I’ve always wanted was in motion.
Julia T. // April 1st, 2018
I saw the best shirt of my life in 1987 when I was 8.
It was a black T-shirt. The sleeves and the bottom were fringed, making it totally tough-looking. But what really intrigued me was the message on the front, in cursive font: “If you love something set it free. If it comes back it’s yours, if it does not come back it was never meant to be.”
So intriguing! My 8-year-old brain started to play through scenarios of what this could possibly mean. If you took the leash off of a dog, and it ran away and never came back…it was not meant to be, so just suck it up? I asked my mom who didn’t seem to have a satisfactory reply. I wondered, who would wear that shirt? So hardcore.
Fast-forward 30 years to today. Would I wear that shirt? I’d have to consider it. I may need to wait another 30 years before that wisdom fully soaks in. Don’t get me wrong I like idea of fringe. But what does it mean to truly set something free?
It makes me think of a technique I learned in Lightwork Level 1 Meditation. The technique is about consciously creating what you want. In last part of the technique you use the following message, “I would like this to be manifest if it is of my highest integrity and the highest integrity for all.” You hold the intention of creating the thing you want only if it won’t harm you, or anyone else. Then you completely let go of attachment. It feels so good to let go in this way.
I remember when I first moved to Vancouver I was looking for a place to rent. I did the conscious-creating technique in meditation, including that last crucial step of letting go. That weekend my roommates and I looked at two suites. One had such a horrible stench we could barely make it through the tour. Nope. The other was lovely. Wood floors, fireplace, great location. We put in our application. And waited.
The landlord said no. Application rejected. Somebody else got that beautiful place. We were so bummed! Where would we go? Not the stench place? Noooo.
I kept having the feeling I should walk down 3rd Ave, and sure enough, there was another suite for rent on that street. A little mountain view, reasonable rent by Vancouver standards, a newly renovated kitchen. This place was great! We said, “We’ll take it!” and the landlord agreed.
A few weeks later, I walked by the beautiful place we didn’t get. I could smell the fire before I saw it. The neighbouring house had burnt to the ground and ravaged the surrounding homes, including the suite we had admired but not secured. I could see directly into the suite, as the fire had eaten right through the walls. It was shocking. I was stuck with the knowledge that I had so wished for that suite, and now I was so grateful I didn’t get it.
It was a good reminder that sometimes even though I may really want something, but there may be more than meets the eye as to why I can’t have it. I’ve learned to trust the process, and allow myself to just let go.
Tiffany // March 1st, 2018
About 10 years ago now, I moved to Vancouver from a northern Gulf Island. I was coming out of a tumultuous time; it was the end of a relationship. I was full-on soul searching and making a major course correction in my life. I was ready to let go of pretty much anything that stood in the way of finding a renewed sense of myself.
I moved to Vancouver to take the Lightwork Level 4: Transformation program. I felt hopeful about this decision and other big changes I’d made; I landed a new job and scored a great apartment, seemingly overnight.
Settling into the city felt like taking a plunge into a deep sea. It felt rattling, relentless, unfriendly and cold. I missed the green and wild of island life.
I couldn’t get over the realities of city-living, like hearing the pedestrian walk signal from my apartment, and feeling the thick concrete floor always beneath me. It was a new and different place to call home. And while I had deep sense that I would find my way, it was definitely one of the most uncomfortable times of my life.
In retrospect, I now understand the enormity of what that move represented. I was basically laying it all on the line, spiritually speaking. I needed answers to some important questions that had been plaguing me, and a way out of an unhealthy relationship pattern. I was doing major repair work, and everything in my life was changing around me. I was in the throes of an intense transformation.
At times I felt raw and vulnerable. Sometimes uneasy. Sometimes emotional. Yet simultaneously more comforted, more at peace and more free.
At some point, I realized that I was out of the woods, so to speak. And I was ready to give back. This was a wonderful shift.
Skip ahead to present time and my life feels quiet, strong and settled. I see now that it’s hard to witness one’s own transformation while it’s underway; it’s hard to know that it’s actually happening. But with commitment to a healing path, change does happen and pain is alleviated. It just takes a little while sometimes.
Now, as one of the Lightwork staff, it gives me great joy to teach meditation classes and give energy healings to others. This past year I’ve had the honour of assisting the current Level 4: Transformation students as they dive into their own self-healing journeys. What a thing, to see the process full-circle, and now be in a position to offer support. I am immensely grateful. I can’t think of anything more satisfying.
Leslie Dickout // December 31st, 2017
Life in North America is designed to be busy. We are expected to fill our time
with work, friends, family, social media, travel, and a host of other activities. I
believed for a long time the fuller my life was, the richer my experience of life
was. And although I have no regrets, I recall the moments when I thought my
life was at its “richest” and still there felt like something was missing, or that I
wasn’t truly happy.
Meditation has allowed me to make room for what was missing…simplicity.
Calm. Presence. Me. Instead of filling my time with more and more, the most
fulfilling thing I do is the same meditation each day that brings me back to my
centre, to my grounding, to that quiet yet alive place that is me. It’s a kind of
fulfillment I have only dreamed of.
Experiencing life from this place has made everything I do throughout my days
that much richer. From taking in the changing leaves on the trees in autumn to
having conversations with loved ones, interactions with colleagues, or time by
myself. Being more present in each moment, and letting that be enough, has
allowed me to feel the true richness of my life.
Julia W. // October 31st, 2017
Lightwork meditation focuses on awareness of the human energy system to keep your body healthy and Spirit bright. Instead of focusing on watching the breath, you consciously move your energy through your energy channels and energy centres.
You still your thoughts as you move the energy throughout your body, letting go of tension and anxiety. It is an active, engaged form of meditation that can work well for anyone more used to doing rather than being.
Cathy // September 26th, 2017
I am extremely grateful to be on the journey of self-discovery and growth.
Over the summer I was taking stock of my life with some changes in mind. As I did this review, I realized that I live a very textured life. My life is rich in experiences and relationships.
Meditation has helped me get to this place. It has supported me in letting go of fear and limiting thought patterns. I have been able to open my creativity and express myself more clearly, develop more authentic relationships and simply be me.
Cathy // May 30th, 2017
Lightwork meditation teaches you how to focus your energy.
It teaches you how to be aware of when your mind wanders, and you learn techniques that help you to refocus your attention.
It also provides opportunities to change things in your life so that you can live with less confusion, and fewer feelings of being scattered or not on top of your game.
This can affect life’s biggest and smallest things. For example, Lightwork has helped me become more organized simply by seeing that if I changed just a couple things in my daily routine, I would feel less stretched and overwhelmed. Instead of having many things on the go, I learned to bring things to completion as they came up.
With these changes I feel better about myself, more capable and settled.
Julia T. // March 29th, 2017
Learning Lightwork meditation has helped me understand how to manage my energy.
I can do a meditation to be more grounded. And I’ve learned that being grounded affects my perceptions and experiences of life. I feel safer. More present. I’m more effective in whatever I’m doing.
Now I know I can shift my energy by meditating. I’ve become much more conscious of my energy system, so I can assess what needs to happen for me to feel more at ease, more in flow. I can increase my flow of energy by doing a meditation.
Everything in the universe is made up of energy, so learning about how energy works is truly fascinating. It’s helped me understand myself and the world so much more deeply.
Denis P. // February 28th, 2017
For many years I felt that something was missing in my life, and also that this wasn’t even really my life, but rather a movie I found myself in, with no control over the direction it was going. Then at one point, a thought popped up in my mind – there must be more to this.
That thought was present for a while, and then I met my partner who’d been doing Lightwork for a long time. I kept asking her about meditation. I had many questions, but was looking for the information from more of an intellectual point of view, so one day she told me, “You can find all the answers from within, and meditation will facilitate that.”
I took my first Lightwork class shortly after. She was right.
Darci R. // January 23rd, 2017
I used to think that freedom meant you could just fly where the wind takes you without a care in the world. I equated being free with not having any responsibilities.
I was under the impression that there was freedom and then there was reality. The two did not intermingle. Now, though meditation I have deepened my understanding of freedom and I recognize it as an internal state. It is not about external things.
Analytically I knew that even people in tough situations of abuse or poverty or war could be ‘free in their mind’. I’d heard stories of historical figures such as Gandhi or Mandela who overcame great oppression and maintained a level of freedom but I didn’t understand how this could apply to my own life.
Through meditation, I continue to learn what an internal state of freedom feels like. I experience deepening levels of freedom that come with self-responsibility and internal peace, all while living a seemingly normal day-to-day life.
I’ve learned I can choose freedom.
Jacqueline // November 21st, 2016
This post is based on a recent class taught by Scott Robinson
So we find ourselves in a time of great change. Perhaps great stress. Great intensity. But you need to know, the effects of the U.S. election do not need to determine how you feel inside. Or how your spiritual path unfolds.
If you choose to be conscious, you are in charge of your reality no matter what is going on around you. You can live in a state of brightness and freedom. But you have to choose it, otherwise you are at the mercy of external forces.
The Buddha lived during a period of intense political unrest and violence in India. Not only did he find his own personal transcendence during this time, but he created a practice that has helped countless others transcend; a practice that is still going strong 2000 years later.
Tibetan monks continued to choose consciousness and spiritual freedom even when Chinese invaders overwhelmed their country, killing untold numbers and destroying 6,000 monasteries.
And consider that Nelson Mandela emerged from 20 years of imprisonment and hard labour, a brighter, freer, more conscious being.
Human beings are powerful. You can create what you want to create. But a bright, conscious existence must be chosen. You won’t fall into it accidentally.
The great news is, the initial steps to taking charge of your reality are simple. As you go about your day-to-day existence, are you bringing light into the world? Or are you participating in darkness?
Participating in darkness can happen so easily. Like being competitive with a colleague at work. Taking out your frustrations on your spouse. Angry annoyance at someone on the bus. Judging someone who has a different view than you. Immersing yourself in news coverage that gets your blood boiling. Posting charged comments on social media.
If you are aware of some of your own dark behaviours right now, don’t freak out. Don’t judge yourself. Just start to make different choices.
Meditation really helps with this. It is a very real, very powerful way to bring lightness and consciousness into your life. It can help you through life’s ups and downs; even your darkest moments.
Now more than ever before, with so many global challenges facing us, it will be important for you – for everyone – to have a way to process stress and live in a state of light.
Whatever your way is, find it. Choose it.
Julia T. // July 25th, 2016
The great thing about meditation is that it is a proactive thing you can do when stress starts to creep in.
What was once just “stress” has become a chance for me to learn more about myself. Now when I feel stressed, I ask myself what is at the root cause, and I meditate to release it. It works!
Meditation has not erased stress from my life completely. Even on days when I have long meditations, occasionally I can still be found fretting over some tiny detail, and forgetting to stop and smell the roses. So although I can safely say I am not immune to stress, meditation has definitely decreased my daily stress dramatically.
Instead of feeling like a victim, I’m in charge.
Darci R. // June 15th, 2016
As a nurse, helping patients through loss and grief is essential to my job. Becoming more neutral with the losses I’ve experienced in my own life has allowed me to assist others with theirs.
Meditation has allowed me to release my own grief in a simple and clean way, without drama. This has allowed me to grow; to evolve personally and professionally.
So I can really say my meditation practice helps me do my job effectively.
I can be there for others in their most challenging times. I can be more present and supportive because I’m not carrying the weight of my own losses around with me.
This is just one way meditation is a lifesaver.
Denis P. // May 10th, 2016
I grew up watching a lot of TV. I’d watch anything that was on – from the news and documentaries, to cartoons and movies. TV was the focal point of our family and we spent pretty much all of our time together just staring at the screen.
There was very little, if any, restriction from my parents on what I was allowed to watch or how much time I spent watching. They thought it was great I showed interest in world news and nature shows.
When I first started meditating, I still watched TV regularly. But then with time, the more I meditated, the more I realized that TV (and all other media) are just a distraction.
Meditation has helped me bring my focus back to what is really important: me.
Denis P. // February 12th, 2016
I work in a very dynamic and competitive industry. I always have many projects happening at the same time. The priorities change frequently with a fast-moving market, and there is an ever-present pressure to launch new products and services before the competition.
Before I started meditating work could feel overwhelming and at times, out of control. It consumed most of my energy. At the end of the day I’d feel depleted.
Meditation helps me release all that pressure and stress, and keeps me more focused. It helps me see the bigger picture, so I don’t spend much time worrying about small details. Meditation also brings structure to my day, which enables me to use my time more efficiently.
Scott Robinson // November 12th, 2015
A gentle nudge
A hello to what is
The sleeper slowly opens his eyes
Eyes that have been closed for so long
Now the light starts to shine in
Squinting, the sleeper questions the choice to awaken
Unconsciousness, the drift of the sleeper was easy, but also empty
Now the colour returns
Vibrant and true he had forgotten its beauty
Soon the sleeper uses his new vision
And sees
Himself
He is shocked
Lots to clean up here, he thinks
Even though the job is big, he is becoming focused
Slowly his will is becoming forged
He sees the awakened lands
And stumbles toward them
With a crude, determined grace
All returns to light
All returns to Source
In the end and the beginning
Source is all there ever was
Scott Robinson // November 12th, 2015
Tiffany // September 23rd, 2015
The fall can feel like a new year – the freshness in the air, kids returning to school and an overall sense of possibility. Here are three great reasons to take advantage of the season and learn to meditate.
#1: Improved Focus
Picture this: you’re at work on the computer or reading at home and suddenly you notice you’ve become completely distracted. Bingo – these are classic examples of when meditation can help.
Why? Well, like doing anything – sports, music or cooking – skills get better with practice. Meditation teaches you how to direct and redirect your attention on demand. With practice, the mind can overrule tendencies to become distracted, more of the time.
Replicate this in your home or work environment and say hello to a greater focus, potential for increased productivity and ultimately more control over what you think.
#2: More Energy for Life
According to the Journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, mindfulness-based techniques – which can include seated and walking meditations, as well as mindful eating and yoga – correlate with structural changes in the brain known to play a key role in the stress response.
Two separate studies found that after only four months of practice, participants who learned to meditate had lower levels of stress hormones compared to non-meditators.
Similar research from the Centre for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School confirms that learning to meditate improves the ability to cope with stressful situations and leads to increased relaxation, greater energy and more enthusiasm for life.
#3: Personal Time
For many of us, as parents and professionals, we’re often facilitating new experiences for others. But when was the last time you signed up for a class or workshop that’s just for you?
Maybe now’s the time. Taking a meditation class is a great way have quality time for you.
Lightwork is a Vancouver-based meditation centre geared at training western minds to learn to meditate through simple, step-by-step instruction.
Check out our roster of fall Lightwork Level 1 classes – and keep in mind, more classes are added all the time.
Jacqueline // September 9th, 2015
It all began with a meditation workshop on Hornby Island in 1995. And now, 20 years later, Lightwork is a vibrant meditation community. The anniversary was marked this summer during the 9-Day Dharma Healing summer retreat at the Lightwork Ecovillage on Gambier Island. You’ll find a series of photos below from that sacred event.
To everyone in the Lightwork community: YES to the brightness and consciousness you bring to the planet. Way to go, people.
Darci R. // June 9th, 2015
Since I started meditating, I’m much more present in all areas of my life — whether I’m at work, play or rest.
I began to understand the power of presence in nursing school. When I was really present in my interactions with patients, I could see a therapeutic impact. Just the act of of sitting down with them and deeply hearing them assisted their healing.
Sometimes they needed less pain medication. They ate more. They were often more willing to spend time sitting up in a chair, rather than lying in bed.
The impact of being present with patients outweighs the pressure to speed through my task list – even though some days I’m so run off my feet I’m lucky to get a quick break.
I apply the power of presence beyond my work. I am now more awake, aware and present for life’s daily activities. Even the smallest thing — brushing my hair, sweeping the floor or watering my plants — is filled with light and enjoyment when I am present for it.
And when I am in relaxation mode I can truly have that experience. I’m not drifting to the past or thinking about what the future may hold.
I can just be.
