The Earth-Heart Institute of Vision and Healing
Vision Quests, Spiritual Retreats, Women's Retreats, Kundalini Yoga & Meditation, Personal Intensives

January 2005

Welcome to the first quarterly newsletter of the Earth-Heart Institute of Vision and Healing. We offer Vision Quests, Retreats, Kundalini Yoga and Meditation, Personal Intensives, Healing, and Spiritual Counseling. This newsletter will offer thoughts on a chosen topic with simple awareness exercises, meditations, or yogic tips that relate to the topic. We will also update you on our class schedule, recommend books or products that relate to living a healthy and conscious life, and offer some web links to check out that support a greater and more unified Vision of the world, the expansion of the human spirit, and the protection of the environment. If you are not interested in receiving these newsletters once each season, you can click on the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom.

“Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me, but try waking up every morning & loving the world all over again. That’s what takes a real hero.” -- Brian Andreas “Real Hero”

PERSPECTIVES

It would be hard to write this newsletter without addressing the difficult times that many people around the world are going through, from the almost incomprehensible devastation of the tsunami; to the storms, floods and mudslides being experienced by many in California and now moving east (which we experienced first hand); to the war and massive loss of life in Iraq and other nations around the world, just to name a few. It’s been quite an overwhelming start to the New Year.

We hear a lot of people, filled with grief, asking why? What is the greater meaning behind it? Is there any? We suggest that in dwelling on the devastation and loss and the “why’s”, the grief can become overwhelming. We can focus instead on allowing our compassion to grow in response to these events, and experience what many indigenous cultures have tried to teach us -- that “we are all connected in the web of life.” Remember that as the darkness and insanity in the world grows, so too grows the Light in response and in greater measure. Use this time to be a positive force of Light in that web of life, and reach out.

To do this effectively, to be a force of good, of compassion, of Light, you need to make sure you have ways of taking care of yourself. You need a daily practice that helps to build your energy, so that you can remain strong and steady in the face of whatever life presents. Without energy (which literally acts as a “buffer” around your physical body) you can begin to feel “battered” by the events around you. You can become so depleted that you won’t be able to help anyone. As the airlines always say, “In case of emergency, make sure you’ve gotten your own air mask on securely first, so you can then assist those around you who need help.” The simple exercises below will aid you in that process.

In the meantime, if you’d like to help the tsunami victims, you can go to this website (or a host of others) and make a donation, www.networkforgood.com (a network of non-profit resources). Whether you choose to help here or elsewhere, just make sure you take an active step to help someone, somewhere. There are probably people in your own community who are struggling. Being of service to others, in whatever capacity, will open your heart (and theirs). By taking an action, you will feel less helpless in the face of world events. And by all means, say a prayer of gratitude and appreciation for all you have in your life, and say it often. No matter what our struggles, we all have a lot to be grateful for, and life IS beautiful.

HELPFUL PRACTICES

1) Long Deep Breathing-- One of the most simple ways you can recharge your depleted energy is by connecting with your breath, and breathing fully and deeply. Make your breathing conscious. In times of stress, many of us start breathing in a more shallow manner, or even falling into a pattern of “breath holding.” To slow down your heart rate, to get out of that “fight or flight” response that many people live in much of the time these days (with the adrenals pumping stress hormones into the body), try this simple technique. Close your eyes and get centered in your body; and begin to inhale by filling your belly, then filling your lower chest, then your upper chest. Reverse direction on the exhale, finishing at the belly. Exhale every last bit of air. Start each breath with empty lungs. Breath slowly, and be aware that with every breath you are bringing in life force energy! Feel that energy growing. If you can do this outside in the healing power of nature, even better!

2) Cold Shower: A great way to reset the electromagnetic field around your body (your energy “buffer”) is a cold shower. You can cover yourself with some nourishing oil (like almond or sesame), and then get in and rub your entire body vigorously under the cold water. You will literally feel like a new person when you’re done, alive and full of energy (and your freshly flushed internal organs will thank you). When you need a fast, powerful way to recharge and change your outlook, try it.

NEWS

This year we will be running our second 100-person Vision Quest! The first one, run in the summer of 2002 was an extraordinary and profound event for all involved. Our next one will not be run until 2008, and we are already in the process of coordinating several 100-person Vision Quests simultaneously that year-- in the U.S, Canada, and Europe. Through experience we know that the energy increases exponentially as more people Quest for Vision in the same area at the same time. The results were far-reaching, affecting family, friends and co-workers thousands of miles away. The goal, as we build these larger Quests, is to positively affect global consciousness. Please help us get the word out!

We are introducing new Conference Calls for graduates of our programs. For a nominal $20 fee, you can now reconnect with the members of your class, ask Malcolm and Allyson any questions that have come up regarding your life in relation to the work we did in the class. It will also be a wonderful way for you to reconnect with the energy of the program, and tangibly bring it back into your current daily experience. Dates are posted below.

COURSE UPDATES

Announcing our new Kundalini Yoga Intensive in Sedona, AZ. A certified kundalini yoga instructor through KRI and 3HO, Allyson will be leading this course, and it will run Oct 5th-9th at the Angel Valley Retreat Center. If you’re one of the many people who’s been introduced to kundalini yoga at Lighten Up or the 2-Week Retreat, and loved the power of the practice, this is a great chance to come and deepen your knowledge of the science behind it. Especially if you’ve been having a hard time finding a local teacher in your area, and have had only videos to work with!

Please note that the date for Malcolm’s Compass of the Heart class in the 2005 brochure is not correct. The course will run May 5th-8th (not the 9th) in Malibu, CA. This course will not be held again until 2007.

Our new Sedona Women’s Retreat in April is now full. You can still call to be placed on the waiting list in case of any cancellations.

Question: We are considering running our June 2006 Lighten Up: A Healing Retreat at a secluded beach-front retreat center in Mexico. We need to make sure we’d have enough participants willing to travel before we book the property. If you would be interested in possibly attending at this location, email us and let us know. Meanwhile, check out their website! www.mayatulum.com

CONFERENCE CALL SCHEDULE

To participate, send in your $20 check and we will contact you with the number to call, and the code to punch in. Calls will range from 60-90 minutes depending on the number of participants.

42-Day Sacred Silence Retreat graduates: Saturday, February 5th at 9am (PST) / noon (EST)
Vision Quest participants: Saturday, February 26th at 9am (PST) / noon (EST)
Protector Course graduates: Saturday, March 5th at 9am (PST) / noon (EST)

WORLDWIDE “WEB OF LIFE”

We want to support organizations out there who are working for the uplifting of humanity. If you know of websites that are doing really good work, email them to us for possible inclusion in a future newsletter. We’d like to help get the word out. Consider supporting The National Resource Defense Council www.nrdc.org . They tirelessly fight to protect our environment (no matter which political party is in office). They do incredibly good and important work. Also, www.tolerance.org , a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization which fights racial and religious hate crimes. This is their project aimed at teaching tolerance to children (who are our future). Finally, The Association of Global New Thought, www.agnt.org , embraces the cause of freedom of worship and human rights for practitioners of all faiths, and calls for spiritually-motivated “compassionate activism.”

Many blessings to you all,
Allyson and Malcolm