Inward Read online

  when we use purifying healing techniques, the body begins releasing these knots of attachment, allowing our field of energy to return to balance and move more freely and powerfully. this causes changes in our body: not just physical changes, such as the healing of disease or ailments, but immaterial and internal changes as well, such as believing in oneself more, the growth of love, and the aspiration to grow into wisdom. really, there is no separation between the mind and the body; they move together as one under the leadership of our mental contents.

  if you spend too long not

  letting yourself be creative

  you can literally start feeling sick

  you were born to create

  let it flow, do not overthink it

  i am not fully healed

  i am not fully wise

  i am still on my way

  what matters is that

  i am moving forward

  i knew i was on the right path when

  i started feeling peace in situations

  where i would normally feel tension

  find the tools you need to heal

  every time i meet more of myself

  i can know and love more of you

  a person

  grows in beauty

  whenever they

  move away from

  what harms them and

  into their own power

  never forget

  the ones who

  saw greatness

  in you even in your

  darkest moments

  where do good decisions come from?

  a calm mind

  how can you measure your peace?

  by how calm you stay during a storm

  how do you know if you are attached to something?

  because it creates tension in your mind

  where are the greatest revolutions fought and won?

  in the heart

  do you know why you are powerful?

  because you can change the future

  feed your fire

  cleanse your air

  tend your earth

  treat your water

  (self-care)

  progress

  is when we

  forgive ourselves

  for taking so long

  to treat our bodies

  like a home

  in one lifetime we can

  be reborn many times

  and so she moves forward,

  with a little more wisdom,

  a heart that is more open

  to love, and a mind

  that welcomes deep healing

  (release)

  i feel victorious

  and free every moment

  i do not measure my

  personal value by

  the things i do or own

  a partner

  who supports your dreams

  and your healing

  is a priceless gem,

  a heaven in human form

  (selfless love)

  a hero

  is one who heals

  their own wounds

  and then shows others

  how to do the same

  i started speaking

  my truth

  when being free

  became more

  important than guarding

  the fear of my ego

  her rebirth was stunning—

  she lifted herself up from

  the depths of despair,

  grasped her dreams,

  embedded them in her heart,

  and walked forward into

  a future that only her will

  and vision could control

  (revival)

  i closed my eyes

  to look inward

  and found a universe

  waiting to be explored

  much of my confusion and sadness came from being disconnected from myself. the greatest journey i have taken so far is the one where i ended the alienation between me and all that i am, the one where i connected my light and my darkness, where i united what i wanted to know with what i did not want to face. only through this union and truthfulness did i begin to feel at home within my own being.

  (coming home)

  forcing ourselves

  to be happy is not

  genuine or useful

  being honest

  about what we feel,

  while remaining calm

  and aware,

  is the real work

  reminder:

  a sign of growth is being

  okay with not being okay

  there is an important difference between dwelling in misery and understanding that on the path of healing things will come up that sometimes cause us to feel the old emotions and patterns that we are working on letting go.

  there is great power in honoring the reality of our current emotions—not feeding them or making them worse but simply recognizing that this is what has arisen in this present moment and that this will also change. when we create this space within ourselves—a space of calmness that is undisturbed by the storm—the storm tends to pass more quickly.

  practicing such profound honesty within ourselves helps in all facets of internal and external life—there is no real freedom without honesty, and without honesty, there can be no peace of mind.

  healing ourselves isn’t about constantly feeling bliss; being attached to bliss is a bondage of its own. trying to force ourselves to be happy is counterproductive, because it suppresses the sometimes tough reality of the moment, pushing it back within the depths of our being, instead of allowing it to arise and release.

  healing ourselves is the personal movement we embark on to let go of all the conditioning that limits our freedom; in this journey there will undoubtedly be moments of bliss and difficulty. real happiness and wisdom grow from the reality we experience, not from the fleeting moments of bliss that we feel.

  the more love

  in my body,

  the less harm

  my body can do

  who i am is always changing,

  not because i am being fake

  but because i am always open

  to growth and transformation

  it may have taken a long time,

  but in the end it did not matter.

  after much healing through

  self-observation she now had

  strength, she now had courage,

  and the wisdom to wield her new

  magic with virtue. no longer did

  she run from her pain or her

  troubles, no longer did she allow

  delusions to capture her mind, no

  longer did she doubt that the greatest

  healer she has ever met is her own

  unconditional love.

  (you are a healer)

  dear moon,

  thank you for shedding light in the darkness,

  for helping me know myself better than before, for giving time and magic to the earth and order to our nightly stars. you are a mother who sees all, knows all, and asks for nothing in return.

  i trust the ones

  who are always

  seeking to grow

  the undeniable radiance of

  someone who is not afraid

  to grow, be free, and thrive

  find someone you can heal with

  i want a love that doesn’t break

  one that gives me water

  when i am consumed by fire

  one that offers me shelter

  when i am lo
st

  one that helps me see

  that the hero

  i am looking for

  is me

  (partners)

  real love began when we

  both stopped expecting and

  instead focused on giving

  many forms of modern-day love contain conditions, meaning that we have an idea that we want those we feel deeply for to fulfill. sometimes we don’t see our hopes and expectations for the ones closest to us as conditional forms of love, because we perceive what we want for them as “good.” unknowingly, in our wanting of what is “best” for them we limit our ability to give them the finest and most powerful form of love, a selfless love that empowers them to decide for themselves what is best for their lives.

  so much of what we think is love is actually attachment and expectation. focusing on giving in our relationships isn’t easy; it is a habit that requires strengthening, repetition, healing our minds, and allowing our selfless nature to come forward for it to become our new normal. there is a special harmony that arises when two people focus on giving more to each other, a subtle communication and growing awareness between them that allows for better support of each other’s happiness.

  we may worry, “how will i ensure that what i desire is met?” a better question may be, “has solely focusing on meeting my desires truly brought me happiness?” the happiest people, the ones who have successfully purified their minds of all conditioning and craving, tend to have such a strong compassion and understanding of love that their lives naturally focus on giving to others. in this giving and clarity of mind they find happiness.

  though most of us are far from having fully liberated minds, it is always worth understanding that giving is one of the most powerful forces we can set in motion, that through giving we not only support those around us but also wisely follow the law of nature—everything we do will ultimately come back to us in some form or another. if everyone focuses on giving, we will each receive more.

  they were wrong.

  this pain, this heartache,

  these harmful habits,

  they don’t last forever

  why? because the heart

  is made of water and

  the mind is made of fire—

  the essence of both is change

  the will to heal can remove

  the deepest stains on our spirit

  progress is being aware when there

  is a storm happening inside of you

  and remaining calm as it passes by

  what does it mean to “live in love”?

  it means to rise above judgment so that we may see the world and ourselves with eyes of compassion. it means allowing the wisdom of love to orchestrate our actions, to always seek to produce thoughtful movements that support the good of all beings, and to emit peace into the ocean of humanity with our every step. living in love is allowing ourselves to move through life with an open heart so that all may share in the gift of our goodwill and kindness. it is to ask ourselves, “how would love heal this situation?” before we make our move.

  i want to live in a world where harm

  is not systemic, where love organizes

  society, where the earth is respected,

  and where life is valued above all else

  anyone who is willing

  to know themselves,

  to face themselves with

  honesty and work toward

  loving themselves and

  all beings without condition,

  is a hero who is adding to the

  collective peace of humanity

  two things are true:

  people who truly know and love themselves cannot be hateful toward other people

  the same way we are anchored and grounded by the earth, the earth is healed and nurtured by our unconditional love

  a human is as deep as an ocean,

  yet most of us spend our lives

  knowing only the surface

  when we decide to dive deep

  within ourselves, we set in motion

  the miracle of personal evolution

  (deeper healing)

  though the pain

  once felt unbearable

  and everlasting,

  the peace i feel today

  is a testament to the

  heart’s ability to heal

  all along i have searched for

  knowledge when what i was

  really looking for was wisdom

  not the information that fills

  my mind with details and facts

  but the experiences that fill

  my being with freedom,

  healing, and the light of insight

  (liberation)

  then came the day

  when i looked into a mirror

  and saw ten thousand faces;

  in that moment i understood

  that my body not only holds

  a multitude of stories

  but that i also exist

  in many places

  and many times

  at once

  (timeless)

  rebirth:

  the moment people

  wake up to their power

  and start moving

  toward their freedom

  my mission

  is to heal

  my mind

  with wisdom

  and to infuse

  my body

  with love

  allow yourself to transform

  as many times as you need

  to be fully happy and free

  the inward movement can be summarized as follows: we observe ourselves, we accept what we find without judgment, we let it go, and the actual release causes our transformation.

  we are already always changing, but when we focus on healing, we can change in the direction of our choosing; these are moments when we intentionally reclaim our power. every moment we take to know ourselves, we return as someone new.

  whatever calms and concentrates the mind causes the purifying release of old burdens that weigh us down. one can be successful with simple inward observation, but when we observe ourselves through proven healing techniques, including different forms of meditation and practices of yoga asanas, among many other things, we accelerate the process of change.

  different techniques reach different levels of the mind. ultimately, any practice that you feel is challenging but not overwhelming and is giving you real results is the right one for you at the moment. as we progress, we may take on sharper tools for deeper healing. anything that can heal the subconscious of our mind and create space for love is powerful enough to completely change our lives.

  when things get tough, remember that we are not building something small, we are building a palace of peace within our own hearts. it takes determination and effort to complete something of such beauty and magnitude.

  when you want to change yourself, do not change everything at once. pick a few things to focus on first. setting yourself up for success is key.

  trying to change too many things at once is sometimes overwhelming. being consistent with a few changes, applying them in your life until they become integrated as new positive habits, helps you build a strong foundation for future transformations. setting yourself up for victory helps you build momentum; it makes the consistency required to achieve greater goals in the future much more attainable.

  goal:

  find the balance

  between being

  productive and

  being patient

  letting go is medicine

  that heals the heart

  letting go is a habit

/>   that requires practice

  letting go is best done

  through feeling, not thinking

  heaviness comes from hanging on tightly to emotions that were always meant to be ephemeral. it is not easy to let go, especially when all we know is attachment. we want things to last forever and we turn difficult moments into long-lasting pain simply because we have not learned to let go. we have not learned that the beauty of living comes from the movement of change. letting go does not mean that we forget, and it does not mean that we give up. it just means that we are not letting our present happiness be determined by things that happened in the past or by things we wish to happen in the future.

  there is no mystery to

  the miracle of self-healing;

  it is courage, commitment,

  and consistency that move us

  from misery to inner peace

  i gathered my habits

  and started releasing

  the ones that can

  never lead me to

  lasting freedom and joy

  i am making more time for the

  people who make me want to

  be the best version of myself

  as her love grew, her ability to feel the

  unseen and listen to the wisdom of the

  eternal strengthened. the walk on the path

  to freedom had changed her; though she

  still experienced times of difficult release,

  the feeling of unity remained ever present

  in her body. now that she lived her life in

  the grassy field between mortality and the

  infinite, she could feel that the space in