Day 4 of the Feast
Dear One,

I love the early mornings. The 13th Century Persian mystic Jelaluddin Rumi was truly on to something. His poem, as many know, was the inspiration for the birth of the Feast many years ago.

A new moon teaches gradualness and deliberation,
and how one gives birth to oneself slowly.

Patience with small details
makes perfect a large work, like the universe.

What nine months does for the embryo
Forty early mornings
Will do for your growing awareness.

These early mornings help to create a true sense of flow for the day, and an interior resource of well-being. Your practice and the way you live have a ripple effect. Thank you for putting your spirituality first during this time of deep practice. I am practicing with you.
Here's to peace inside and out.

Love, Sarah

Sarah McLean
Director, Feast for the Soul, Inc.
Sedona, Arizona
Meditation Teacher Highlight
On Day 4, the featured meditation is from Richard Miller, the founder of iRest Meditation (Integrative Restoration), a modern-day evidence-based, mind-body approach to health, healing, wholeness, and well-being. Richard's work is based on ancient transformative meditative practices, derived from the teachings of Kashmir Nondualism and Yoga Nidra (yoga = experiencing our interconnected wholeness with our self and the entire cosmos; nidra = no matter our changing states of consciousness). Find out more about him here.

Spiritual Practice Tip
“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.
A.A. Milne, The House on Pooh Corner

When you first become aware of something, there is that fleeting instant of pure awareness just before you identify it – before your mind starts thinking…”oh it’s honey…oh it’s a dog, oh it’s a ….this is “mindfulness.” Tune in to that. A tip from Feast Faculty member for Teens & Tweens, Christine Rolfe. You can find her meditations on the Feast for the Soul website , or visit hers.
Living the Feast
Sarah Fletcher is a meditation teacher and owner of Quiet Mind in Melbourne, Australia who is coming to Sedona this week to share her work. She often shares easy meditation tips with her corporate clients that they can practice at lunch, such as this one:

" When stressed or angry, people can tend to hold their breath and tighten their belly.
Constricting your stomach for whatever reasons can severely reduce your oxygen intake and leave you with a feeling of discomfort and unease. Not only that, this tension also compromises your ability to think clearly.
 
To bring a sense of ease and balance into your day, take some time to relax your belly (loosen your clothing if you must) and breathe easily for a few minutes. Invite a luxurious deep breath to fill and expand your belly, and then release all of the breath so that your belly folds back towards the spine. Breathing through your nose. It's like filling and emptying a balloon. 
Today, bring your attention to the gentle in and out flow of your breath. Whether you take a moment while brewing your coffee or while waiting for someone, you can do this easily. Your breath is a terrific anchor to the here and now, and in reality this moment, right now, is where and when your life is.
Quick links
Facebook   YouTube