Weekend workshop morning pages

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morning-pagesDuring The Power Of Me Weekend workshop we will learn how to write our own Morning pages.

What are Morning pages?

They are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages – they are not high art. They are not even ‘writing’.

What do you write about?

They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind – and they are for your eyes only. Morning pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritise and synchronise the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages, just put three pages of anything on the page and then do three more pages tomorrow. Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way, says that really they should be Mourning Pages because they are a farewell to life as you knew it and welcome to life as it is going to be. You write down whatever is moving through your consciousness like a meditation, some people call these ‘Cloud thoughts’.

Why should I do them in the morning?

The reason for doing them first thing in the morning is to get all the negativity down on the page so you can get on with the rest of your day in a more positive frame of mind. You can view morning pages as a kind of brain dump, get rid of anything annoying you, playing on your mind and stopping you from being your powerful vibrant self. If you wish to return to The Power Of Me Weekend Workshop page, click here.

Weekend Retreat Solar Plexus

During The Power Of Me Weekend Retreat some of our meditations will focus on the Solar Plexus Chakra – The Gateway of the Sun.

The Solar Plexus Chakra or energy centre
is located just above your belly button. It is the centre connected to your innate power. The Solar Plexus is also known as the gateway of the sun as it is associated with the colour yellow and it’s element is fire. The expression ‘I’ve a fire in my belly’ is probably unknowingly associated to our power energy centre, the Solar Plexus. This chakra rules the digestive system and just as the physical digestive system digests food to give us energy, the Solar Plexus extracts and stores Prana. Prana is the life force energy that permeates all life. The Solar Plexus is our place of empowerment in the world, our personal fuel store. When our fuel store is low we lack the power and drive to project ourselves in the world. The Solar Plexus is also called Manipura which means ‘lustrous gem’ or ‘city of jewels’. In Irish mythology it is believed that there is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The rainbow represents all the colours of the chakras which is symbolic of the journey through the chakras. This saying teaches that spiritual ascension, up the rainbow or through the chakras, will lead us to the priceless golden gift of enlightenment. We can balance our Solar Plexus energy centre by meditation and imagining a yellow sun in our belly or holding our hands on the centre and feeling the warmth beneath them. Eating yellow coloured fruits and vegetables also help balance the centre, so bananas, lemons, yellow peppers, yellow plums will all help balance the Solar Plexus. Exercise and treatments that help balance our chakras in general include yoga, tai chi, Qi Gong, Reiki, Shiatsu and Amatsu. Practicing deep breathing is also an excellent way to connect to your Solar Plexus. Harness that power in your belly, light your internal fire today. If you wish to return to The Power Of Me Weekend Retreat page, click here.

Weekend Retreat Journaling

During the weekend retreat we will introduce participants to the benefits of daily journaling. In our fast-paced world where everything happens so fast and life gets so busy, it is important to be able to process and analyse our own felt experience. There is so much emphasis on “treatment” or “cure” for this or that ailment, so when it comes to psychology we seem to have adopted the same approach. Somewhere a long the way, we have forgotten how valuable our own insight is – to ourselves. What is the famous quote of Socrates, “Know thyself”. The ability to inspect our own experience with pure compassion and no judgment at all – is one of the most vital self care tools we can hope to cultivate and it can carry you through the tough times and the good times. It is good to be able to record joy and happiness as well as learning about our own behaviour. Why this upset us? Why our feelings were hurt? How we react in certain situations. How we can change over the months and years. To return to The Power Of Me Weekend Retreat page, click here.

Weekend Retreat Manifesto Writing

During The Power Of Me weekend retreat we will write our own personal manifesto. You have heard this word before, no doubt. Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto? It is a credo. Our personal manifesto is something like our mission statement. Most companies or organisations have a mission statement. A raison d’être. We, as humans can also have our own mission statement. It keeps us focused and often can give us some perspective and calm when things go awry. It can be good to look back over our written manifesto to clarify things. Our personal manifesto is a written document that puts into words our deepest feelings about ourselves, our purpose and our beliefs. What we stand for? What we are willing to accept or not to accept. What we feel we deserve. What we wish to see in the world, in our lives, in our partners’ or children’s lives. It is a record of our hopes, aspirations and dreams. To return to The Power Of Me Weekend Retreat page, click here.