Two brown skinned women wearing glasses smile with trees behind them.

April Faison, my niece

Two brown skinned women smile with trees behind them.

Daisy Mugford, Hiking Guide, WAWA

Five women sit on boulders with water running beneath them.

Part of the group

Two brown skinned women with trees behind them.

Terri Nicole

Two brown skinned women wearing glasses smile with trees behind them.

Shelley Danzy

Week 31 – More New Things!

You can listen to this on my podcast – 8:00 mins

Greetings!

I’m Barbara J. Faison, Your Meditation Ambassador, and if you are new here, welcome! In January I started a weekly newsletter which also serves as a blog post on my website, barbarafaison.com and the audio is my podcast called the Why Struggle podcast with Barbara J. Faison. So weekly you can read or listen.  My intention is to offer ideas, insights and inspirations to help you struggle less and enjoy life more. However you might be engaging with me, I am grateful for you listening and/or reading!

It’s been many years since I “really” set goals. You know the real goals where you write down what you are planning to do by a specific date, along with an action plan. I decided back in the early 2000’s I would call my version of goals… Getting On A Life System. Get it –  G.O.A.L.S. – Getting On A Life System. So I ditched the official goal setting and planning and just started moving in the direction of my desires and worked on getting out of my own way. That part is still something I have to be mindful of.  

I will tell you that for a former planner, it’s not the easiest way to approach life. Lol. Like most things in life, it is practice, so I continue practicing being open to new opportunities and experiences. Being grateful for all of my experiences helps a lot. I believe that gratitude is an attitude and a practice. Appreciating where I am, who I am with, and my experiences has been a huge part of being able to relax more into life’s natural flow.

I’m so grateful for the opportunities to be involved with the Kindred Healing Center, owned by Oriola E. The Kindred Center is an affordable one-stop shop location for integrative mind, body, and spirit healing located within the Historic Lakewood Heights Holistic Health Oasis area in the City of Atlanta. You can learn more at https://www.kindredhealingcenter.com.

Oriola has been a dedicated supporter of my work as a Meditation Ambassador over the years and has offered numerous opportunities for me to share my work with individuals and organizations locally and virtually. I am eternally grateful for her!

In addition to being an awesome human being, Oriola is the ultimate connector. Through her center I was a part of the Flowers and Fruit Mindfulness program where I met Daisy Mugford and through that connection I was able to offer my meditation as a part of the 5th Saturday hike at the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve.  Daisy shared the history of this 135-acre preserve in southwest Atlanta as we hiked trails to Utoy Creek which was the site of a Civil War battle and we ended our hike with a meditation at the Cascade Falls waterfall.

Was it hot? Of course it was, it’s summer in Atlanta. The canopy of trees shielded us from the direct rays of the sun, so the heat felt like a warm, sweaty hug. lol. I hiked with my niece, April,  Terri Nicole, and others before we took a breath break then cooled off by the waterfall for a full meditation session. The powerful sounds of the water against the rock immediately calmed my nervous system.

Afterwards I chatted with new people who joined the hike and reconnected with Shelley Danzy who bought my book, Why Struggle? life it too short to wear tight shoes back in 1999. That was a lovely surprise!

While doing something new I was able to enjoy four of my loves.  Walking. Nature. Meditation. Water. The Cascade Springs Nature Preserve provided just the respite I didn’t know I needed and I’m still feeling the love for this experience. You can see images on the blog post and videos on my YouTube channel.

Leading a meditation by the waterfall was a first, and it won’t be my last time doing so! 

What new things have you been up to?

Feel free to reach out to me at Barbarafaisonllc@gmail.com or direct message me on social media, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are best.

.

Relax, Listen, and Trust Your Inner Guidance.

The card I pulled for us today is the

#7 QUESTION – My body reminds me to FORGIVE myself

What is ONE THING that will make me SMILE?

In this moment, being grateful for all the wonderful people, family, friends and people I haven’t met yet that are supporting me in my life.

Use PROMO CODE: Ship10 for Free US shipping & 10% off

Our next Breathe with Barbara LIVE session for is on 8.12.23, on Wednesday from 8 – 9 PM eastern via Zoom.

You can register for the events at http://linktr.ee/barbarafaison.

There are many resources available to support a meditation practice in person and online. 

  • Our Breathe with Barbara LIVE Sessions are the 2nd and 3rd Wednesday of each month from 8 – 9 pm eastern. My live sessions include gentle movement, breathing, meditation and silence. I would love for you to join me, the sessions are only $15. 
  • If you prefer having a teacher for instruction, I offer one on one sessions as well as group sessions (min of 3 people). Feel free to reach out to me via email or on my website barbarafaison.com/contact-Barbara, pick the option that works best for scheduling a brief conversation.
  • If you prefer using APPs, I encourage you to check out the Insight Timer app, it is the #1 app for free meditations for sleep, anxiety, and stress, and I have over 40 meditations, book excerpts, and my courses (for premium members) and more out there. The link is InsightTimer.com.
  • I have meditations on other APPS including Aura, Meditation Station, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, Apple Music, Amazon and more. Just search for Barbara J. Faison as the artist and you will find me there.
  • Check out the National Meditation Playlist on my YouTube Channel, I have continued to add new meditations there. It’s a great way to practice daily, there are over 33 meditations on the list.
  • You can also find links for upcoming events and where you can meditate with me. All the links are on my linktr.ee/barbarafaison.

I’d love to know about your experience with meditation. Are you new, or would you like to learn?

If you prefer having a teacher for instruction, I offer one on one sessions as well as group sessions (min of 3 people). If you know any groups or organizations who want to offer a session, perhaps a lunch and meditate, or a program, I love referrals and would be happy to speak with them.

Feel free to reach out to me on my website barbarafaison.com/contact-Barbara, pick the option that works best for scheduling a quick conversation. Or you can message me @barbarafaison on social media, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook are best.

All of the links are on my linktr.ee/barbarafaison.

If you need a quick breath break you can take one right here.

Thank you for your support and being on this journey with me.

Feel free to share your thoughts or ask a question – via email at barbarafaisonllc@gmail.com.

Keep breathing…
Barbara J. Faison
your mindfulness & meditation ambassador