Acupuncture is helpful for headaches, stress and pain management. Meditation has many of the same benefits as acupuncture. It also helps with ensuring our Qi is more aligned. Your breathe is the natural rhythm and flow of your body. Meditation helps to experience good mental and physical health. It has healing properties, it enhances creativity, and many other benefits.

Given that it is December, I thought todays theme should be about the Holiday Season. It can be a challenging time for people. This year is no exception. So I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what the holiday season means to me. And for you to take a moment to reflect on what the holiday season means to you.

Meditation connects you to the awareness when the weight of the world is being absorbed through you like a sponge essentially through your pores, hiding deep inside you. Bringing awareness to your thoughts, to your emotions, to your absorption, can help to ease the burden.

Consider what is your balance? How do you build your awareness to ensure you have what you need, when you need it. How do you find balance in all things?

Meditation increases your awareness and connection with the world. It helps to focus on the real issues at hand. It increases overall mental wellbeing for people and enhances your sense of purpose, creativity and inspiration.

A podcast to honor my daughter. Her stomping represents her eagerness to explore her world with new found freedom. At age one it was learning to walk, at age 16 it is learning to drive. Although I may occasionally complain about the stomp, I really wouldn’t change it for anything. Some day soon, that stomp may soften or change or move to its own house. So for now in this present moment, I will honor the stomp. It is my reminder of her strength. It is a reminder of my strength. It is my reminder her determination. It is a reminder of my own determination.

Consider what are your own stomps? What are your strengths? What is your determination? What is your present moment sounds that keep you going?

The process of picking berries is all about engaging your senses. Noticing the beautiful colors of the berries, the leaves and the branches. The sounds of the berries dropping into the bucket. The sensation of the berries in my hand. The animals and bugs surrounding bushes and throughout nature. Even, the sounds of the other pickers off in the distance. The bitter taste of the fresh berry. All of my senses were engaged and aware.

The hoodoos are these incredible sandstone pillars in the middle of the prairies (near Milk River). Their existence and their presence, their healing energy is amazing. I feel a sense of gratitude and appreciation towards this sacred place. The Hoodoos are where the Blackfoot people would come to honor spirit beings. The rock art connects the physical and spiritual worlds.

I am grateful for my subtle whispers of insight and my not so subtle brick walls that are my reminders to keep going and to keep coming back to meditation time and time again.

The benefits of meditation are what I am calling my six degrees of meditation. All of the degrees are linked and connected and they all relate back to meditation. They are: leadership, resilience, present moment awareness, curiousity, creativity, and gratitude.