You Have Arrived. You Are Home.

Take a deep breath. 

Stop.

You have arrived. You are home.

 Be still. 

Quiet your mind. 

You have arrived. You are home.

 In this moment, there is nothing you need to do. 

Nothing outside of yourself can create the peace that is already arising naturally within you now.

Release all tension. 

You have arrived. You are home.

 Breathe. Relax. 

Open your heart and trust that all is well.

You are loved. You are beautiful.

You have arrived. You are home.

 Smile. Be grateful for all your blessings.

Inhale. Exhale. 

Notice any thoughts that come and just let them go.

You have arrived. You are home.

Surrender to the perfection of this moment.

Breathe deeply.

You are connected to everyone and everything.

You have arrived. You are home.

Whenever your life circumstances pull you out of the present moment

Remember : You have already arrived. You are already home.

The joy of being is already inside you.

Don't search for it somewhere in the past or the future.

You have arrived. You are home.

Lots of love,

Lise Villeneuve

www.lisevilleneuve.com

My Obsession Finally Revealed!

Before we moved to Edmonton -almost four years ago- we lived in a small apartment in Montreal and I had never gardened in my life. I was a city girl and I knew absolutely nothing about gardening. I didn't know what I was missing.

Now that I've been gardening for almost 4 years, I can't imagine a life without it! I find gardening to be the most grounding (pardon the pun), calming, nurturing and creative activity! I love growing our own food, it tastes SO much better than what you find at the store. And the best part is that you don't even need that much space to grow plants -just a few pots can do the trick. Any other gardening enthusiasts out there? I thought I'd share a little bit about our gardening adventures this summer through some pictures.

Not only did we have our "regular garden" in the yard this year, but the kids each designed and planted their own gardens on the outside of our fence. I was amazed at their enthusiasm right from the start. They didn't mind digging out the grass even though it was a pretty big job.

Here is the vegetable garden inside the yard in May:

Vegetable garden in August:

Here are the kids' gardens outside of the yard (May and August):

I was surprised by how much the people in our neighbourhood loved the kids' gardens (that are in full view). Some mystery donor left us 4 lovely tomato plants. Two ladies came by with their chairs and started sketching the sunflowers. We called the police. Just kidding. Everyone who walks by comments on how well everything is growing. I love how the morning glories made a wall of leaves and gorgeous flowers all around the garden!

Somehow, the corn seeds I saw at the Dollar Store used their mind control powers to convince me to plant a corn maze on the outside of our fence. It's now getting tall enough for us to hide in it. Soon we'll be able to jump out and scare the heck out of unsuspecting neighbours walking by. I can also go there and curl up in a ball whenever I need a break from the kids -or not.

The weather has been absolutely perfect for the plants this summer -very hot, with a lot of rain. 

Here's Emma in her own personal jungle.

Needless to say, we have a LOT of food this year and just recently I've given myself a crash course on canning, freezing and drying the harvest. Yup, we bought a deep freeze and a water-boiling canner so were are SET for the apocalypse!

 Don't ask why Precious the cat is out there is her pj's.

I had a lot of fun painting these cement blocks one day, when it was about 400 degrees. There's Mitsy who jumped into the picture. She's a kitten we found back in April -the absolute sweetest kitten in the world! Precious (pj cat) hates her, she's SO jealous.

And here is the perfect ending to this gardening love story: delicious homemade goodies (hopefully!) that will last all the way through the winter months. I'm crossing my fingers we don't die from botulism.

We had to make some room for the jars so we pulled up this shelf from the basement. We may need a bigger house once the 15 tomato plants and gazillions of ground cherries ripen! I see a lot of salsa and jam in our future.

So there you have it. That's what I've been up to lately. Now for the philosophical part. You ready? It's deep, oh-so deep. I realised that I went from being a city girl to becoming a city farmer. Yup, it may not sound glamorous, but I'm a conscious farmer and I love it! I'm quite obsessed by gardening, actually. I admit it.

Planting seeds, tending to the garden, harvesting and canning are all wonderful opportunities to be fully in the moment and gently aware of all the mental chatter that may be going on inside. I look forward to practising mindful eating. Thanks for reading! What are some of your favourite grounding / calming activities?

Lise Villeneuve

Creator of Conscious Kids -an online mindfulness course for families

www.lisevilleneuve.com

20 Signs That You Are Living in The Now

Thanks to Eckhart Tolle, we've all heard about the importance of living in the Now, but how many of us are actually able to fully stay present for most of our day? (besides cats and children!) I sure wasn't, even though I really grasped the concept mentally. How about you?

Lately, I find that I'm increasingly able to bring myself back to the Now for longer and longer periods, and I have to say that the feelings of well-being and empowerment that arise from being really present are pushing me to change the way I live even more. It's a little scary, I have to admit, because it essentially means nothing less than letting go of thousands of years' worth of collective conditioning, beliefs and socially approved behaviours that are all ego-driven. Nevertheless, I believe the time has come for us to make this quantum leap, we are ready. You are ready.

Having studied psychology, spirituality and holistic well-being for decades now, I am more convinced than ever that presence is the magic key we all seek. Fully entering and surrendering to the present moment is THE most important thing we can learn to free ourselves of our suffering and to experience true, lasting peace and joy. The beauty is that anyone can learn this, no matter what their past or future hold.

Living in the Now is such a simple concept, yet so very challenging, especially when our egos get in the way. We can certainly keep living our lives the old way, through identification with our ego, our personality, our image, our reputation, our separation from others, our story, but the price tag attached to this way of life is inevitably unhappiness and suffering.

Those of us who have suffered enough will gradually shift to a more enlightened way of life. But it requires courage, guts, effort and patience with yourself. You will be swimming against the very strong current of the majority. Sometimes you will get carried away in the waves, but you will always have another chance to turn around and swim towards that beautiful, peaceful island. Are you living in the now?

Here are 20 signs that you are shifting from an ego-based life towards living in a more awakened state in the Now:

1-You notice the voice in your head. You observe it with compassion and gradually, it gets quieter
2-You catch yourself thinking about the past or the future and you gently come back to the present
3-You forgive yourself when you get triggered and reactive, and you try again next time
4-You become more in tune with sensations in your body (emotions, discomfort, stress, hunger)
5-You notice your emotions and are able to release them without adding more mental noise to them
6-You accept what the moment brings you, even if that means resistance. You notice the resistance
7-You are less concerned with "doing" and more accepting of just "being"
8-You don't feel the need to talk as much, you become a better listener
9-Your personality, image, reputation and personal opinions become secondary
10-You don't need to be right all the time
11-You become more spontaneous and creative, you don't need to plan as much
12-You allow yourself to be curious, the world becomes your playground
13-You start to notice the aliveness all around you and it brings you lightness and joy
14-You give yourself permission to play and laugh
15-You feel drawn to nature, you increasingly enjoy silence and stillness
16-You become more loving, less judgemental towards yourself and others
17-You want to connect with others who understand the idea of Oneness
18-You become ok with your human ordinariness because you know you are a spiritual being
19-Your goals and ambitions change, you are drawn to things that bring you purpose and meaning
20-You see yourself as an extension of consciousness, not just your physical body and mind

Did I forget to mention any other important signs that demonstrate a growing presence? Don't be shy, add them to the comments below.

Warmly,

Lise Villeneuve
Creator of Conscious Kids and Conscious Health (try it for FREE!)
www.lisevilleneuve.com

Do You Really Know Who You Are?

Last night I watched Eckhart Tolle being interviewed in his home in Vancouver by a curious young man doing a documentary. This interview was filmed a few years before Eckhart appeared on Oprah and became internationally famous. 

Every time I watch Eckhart speak, I am amazed and fascinated by his grace, brilliance and... yes, presence. His books have transformed my life like no other author on the planet. He is a true inspiration, a role model even. When things get too hectic in my life and obsessive thoughts start running the show, I often remind myself of the level of freedom Eckhart Tolle has attained by completely surrendering to the Now. Then I start to breathe again...

In this interview, Eckhart asked the young man "what is the one thing that has always been constant in your life?" He went on to explain: has your physical environment always been the same? No. Has your body always been the same? No. Have your thoughts always been the same? No. Have your emotions always been the same? No. Your relationships? Then he asked "If all these variables are constantly changing, then how do you define WHO you are?" 

It's interesting, because you can actually FEEL the answer to this question inside your body, as an awareness, not as a thought. This is the "space" Eckhart often refers to when he says "You are not what happens, you are the space in which everything happens. That's your true identity. Now is who you are." 

In other words, we are not all the different roles we play depending on who we are interacting with. We are not our collection of thoughts and beliefs. We are not our physical image, our pain, our suffering. We are not our successes or failures. We are the awareness behind the forms, the circumstances, the emotions in our lives. We are the presence that always watches and never changes, despite the constant flux in our physical, intellectual and psychological worlds. 

It is from that sacred, detached space that true joy, love and freedom arise. Tolle adds "When you live like that (detached from ego), your life will be fruitful and great and wonderful adventures await you. When you don't know who you are, then no matter what you do, what you achieve, where you go, who you meet...it won't satisfy you."

How profoundly true! Personally, I understand what Eckhart means and I even experience it for short durations, but it's so challenging to stay in that "space" for long periods in everyday life. We all seem to be so focused on the future. "Tomorrow I will feel more complete when...I make more money, have more knowledge, become healthier, become a Health Coach!" Everything we do becomes a means to an end. 

If we are able to connect with that inner presence more often, (perhaps by meditating or consciously breathing more) it will allow us to experience detachment from the possible outcomes of whatever we are doing (i.e., less fear). Accessing this deeper intuition and intelligence will transform our actions into more meaningful and powerful ones. When we truly operate from this timeless place of consciousness, we allow joy, love, creativity and wealth to flow into our lives. We become fearless, because we have nothing to lose but I -and I, or "little me", is nothing more than an illusion.

So, future Health Coaches, business men and women, mothers, fathers : do you really know who you are?

Warmly,

Lise

(Visit my full website, www.lisevilleneuve.com , for more healthy living tips, including my homeschooling blog)