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Articles from Melanie McGhee | Selfgrowth.com
- Dance Like No One's Watching - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2013 from Melanie McGhee“What the hell; you are what you are, and self honesty occupies a definite and vital part in the ever-growing process to become a real human being and not a plastic one.” ~Bruce Lee Who knew that Bruce Lee was such a wise yogi? I didn’t! I’ve long adored the love poems of bhakti poets that ...
Views: 1040 - Dancing With Time - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2013 from Melanie McGhee“Come out of the circle of time, and into the circle of love.” ~ Rumi As this month draws to a close, I’m sitting cozy in my office, three large dogs sacked out on the floor around me, while sheets of ice fall from the sky. This is by no means a typical winter day in east Tennessee. I’m ...
Views: 1020 - Gather ye Rosebuds - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2013 from Melanie McGheeGather ye rosebuds while ye may” is perhaps my favorite line of Robert Herrick’s poem, To Virgins, to Make Much of Time. Remember this poem? Maybe you’ve never heard it. Maybe you have and you’ve forgotten it. Gather ye rosebuds. This past year, as most years do, held some challenges, some big ...
Views: 1069(1 vote) - Cultivating Sustainable Personal Peace - by Submitted on Nov 29, 2012 from Melanie McGheeWe each have the power to cultivate sustainable personal peace, build greater confidence and create fulfilling relationships. It’s a journey that can begin with intention and a willingness to love YOU, that much. Love yourself as if you are worthy of the greatest gifts life can offer. From my ...
Views: 915 - The Dance of Mindfulness and Thanksgiving - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2012 from Melanie McGheeThis time of year, many of us in the U.S. turn towards the practice of thanks giving –giving thanks. For me, this comes down to a very simple yet fruitful practice, mindfulness. Being mindfully thankful for the simplest gifts of life coupled with sense awareness not only gifts me with the ...
Views: 1462 - Moments of Transcendent Awareness - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2012 from Melanie McGheeThe sun streamed through the late southern summer afternoon in golden rays. And, there I stood in front of my grandmother’s mirror. It seemed huge and somehow magical to me. This was not the first time I stood in front of that mirror. My grandmother often placed me in front of that mirror and ...
Views: 1368 - Serve the One You’re With - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2012 from Melanie McGheeRecently, several of the yoga coaches I’ve trained were talking about how their class and client numbers are down. I shared a few tips with them about how to bring those numbers back up coming from a dharmic place of service. If that’s also been a challenge for you, this might help. I ...
Views: 1339 - What is Beauty? - by Submitted on Aug 15, 2012 from Melanie McGheeI was recently asked by a friend of mine, Ramona Rice of DeStress Express to share my thoughts about beauty. What a great contemplation! In this day and age with so much focus on external beauty, I have loved thinking about what I find beautiful and when I’ve seen beauty. For me, beauty boils ...
Views: 983 - Immerse Yourself in the Ocean of the Heart - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2012 from Melanie McGheeThe yogi who is established in a steady posture easily becomes immersed in the ocean of the heart. ~ Shiva Sutra 3.16 As I reflect on this sutra, what is most compelling to me is the phrase “ocean of the heart.” As we all know, the ocean can be still and smooth as a mirror ...
Views: 1326 - The Most Loving Act Part 2 - by Submitted on May 25, 2012 from Melanie McGheeIn my last blog I wrote about my plans to travel with my father. By now, we have launched ourselves into the trip and I am in Turkey attempting to remember a language I spoke about 4 decades ago. The point of last week’s post was acceptance. Accepting yourself and others for who they are and how ...
Views: 1288 - The Most Loving Act- Part 1 - by Submitted on May 11, 2012 from Melanie McGheeI will be travelling to Europe with my father in a few weeks. We both love to travel and it will be a trip that revisits places very dear to both of us. My dad is now 82 and traveling together is a precious and, like everything else, time-limited. These sorts of events get me thinking about a ...
Views: 1033 - Playing Consciousness - by Submitted on May 01, 2012 from Melanie McGheeI happen to enjoy foggy days every once in a while. There’s a sense of the world turning inward, veiling itself so that only the most immediate can be seen. It’s a different perspective than my usual wish to stretch the eye as far as it can see to find out what’s over the next horizon. In the ...
Views: 1055 - Approaching Ahimsa Like a Warrior - by Submitted on Apr 20, 2012 from Melanie McGheeThink of the qualities you associate with a warrior. I think of ferocity of determination, one pointedness in attention, and definite strength. Now think of the yogic quality of ahimsa. Ahimsa is one of the yamas (restraints) in Patanjali’s sutras. It is usually translated as nonviolence or ...
Views: 1192 - Patience as a Refernece Point - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2012 from Melanie McGheeI went to see my daughters for an all too brief visit not long ago. This trip landed smack dab in the middle of several stressors that aren't part of my usual routines; the car was having trouble, house repairs from storm damage were underway and some critters that were supposed to live outside ...
Views: 1186 - An Exploration of Liberation - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2012 from Melanie McGheeLiberation. It’s a word that often gets tossed out as the goal of yoga or the goal of meditation. Liberation. Though it sounds enchanting and is delightful on the tongue, it can seem so unattainable and so intimidating that some turn away from liberation as a real goal, or don’t give it much ...
Views: 1086 - Trust Yourself or Trust Your Yoga Teacher? - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2012 from Melanie McGheeAnother yoga rock star, John Friend, has fallen, see this NY TImes Article. The unfortunate truth about people in power is that they sometimes abuse that power. Initially, these abuses of power are not typically grand. They are small betrayals that can lead up to big abuses if left unchecked. ...
Views: 1217(1 vote) - Never Give Up - by Submitted on Jan 20, 2012 from Melanie McGheeGoal setting is huge in our culture. We are a future and accomplishment oriented society and many of us live only to see the next day’s task completed. But what happens when something gets in the way? How do you react when an obstacle is placed in your path to your goal? Do you throw up your ...
Views: 1199 - Stay Curious - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2012 from Melanie McGheeWe human beings are dynamic creatures and our relationships are vibrant expressions of that dynamism. But problems can often arise, especially in long term relationships, when we fall into the habit of thinking we know – thinking we know what our partner thinks, will say, or will do in a given ...
Views: 1278 - The One Desire - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2011 from Melanie McGheeThe desire to know and recognize God, Truth, to experience that sweet space of Oneness is thought by some philosophers to be the root of all desire, the one desire. It may be that the desire disguises itself, showing up as a wish for a new car, or a particular job. Perhaps it shows up as some ...
Views: 1037 - Restoring Your State - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2011 from Melanie McGheeYour state of being is at the heart of how you experience yourself in life. It informs your perspective and your choices. It is your responsibility to protect and restore your state. Yet, when your state is jangled by the challenges of life, you get thrown into a variety of very human ...
Views: 1290 - Understanding Anger - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2011 from Melanie McGheeAnger generally has an outward directed energy. Someone in your life does something that does not meet your expectations or standards and you get mad. Or they don’t do something they said they would do and you get mad. Or they fail you or someone you care about and you get mad. Often this ...
Views: 1365 - checking assumptions ~ uncovering requests - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2010 from Melanie McGheeI recently met with a client who has long held a belief system about how others should behave in particular circumstances. As I listened to her confront her own assumptions, I was struck by the courage and humility it takes to really challenge a belief or a “should.” So many of our ideas ...
Views: 1390(2 votes) - routines, one of life’s containers - by Submitted on Oct 14, 2010 from Melanie McGheeMost of us have routines. We do this, then we do that. I think routines are great containers for our lives. They provide a space in which to explore and live life fully. However, if the routine is not serving our highest interests, then perhaps its time to re-evaluate your routine and create ...
Views: 1705(2 votes) - reclaim life balance, reclaim peace - by Submitted on Sep 22, 2010 from Melanie McGheeI think that it's possible to cultivate a life of balance and peace? Do you? Seriously, do you? As a young mother, I knew that to be the kind of mom I wanted to be, I needed to take time for myself --- to meditate, to take care of my body, and reflect on my life. As an older mother, and so ...
Views: 1365 - burn the seeds of violence, not qurans - by Submitted on Sep 22, 2010 from Melanie McGheeListening to the news this morning, I found myself feeling both saddened and angry at some minister I don't even know. He intends to burn the Quran, despite General Petreus' concern that such action will put U.S. troops in danger, despite Secretary Clinton's admonitions, despite the fact that ...
Views: 1263(1 vote) - becoming a life artist - by Submitted on Sep 22, 2010 from Melanie McGheeThich Nhat Hanh a contemporary Buddhist monk, writes with great elegance of the joy to be found in bringing our awareness to the present moment. He encourages us to be so completely immersed in the task at hand that it becomes to us the most important thing in our life. In The Miracle of ...
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