Practicing Compassion and Kindness

Every time I step on my yoga mat, my wise teacher reminds the class, “Yoga is a practice.”  I’ve learned that a “practice” means you approach whatever you are doing without expectation, taking what comes in the moment with gratitude. It’s a simple concept but not always easy to do. My mind likes to assess…

Listen to Your Inner Voice

This month we have been featuring the creativity of members of our community and what a wide variety we have! Have you been going to our Facebook page to check out the variety of artists that we have? If not, now is a great time to do so. Of course, I remind you that the…

My Favorite Parenting Advice for this Mother’s Day

You know that old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”? I think that’s true. And, also, I think it takes a village to support the parents. One of my best sources of parenting inspiration and guidance is the Parent Forum and Rev. Pattie Mercado. She is my North Star when it comes…

New Thought’s Musical Minister Comes to San Clemente

Music is the quickest way to the heart, they say, and I believe it. Anthems, like Pharrell Williams’ Happy, take over the collective consciousness because they remind us what’s right and true in this life and just make us feel good. This weekend one of New Thoughts’ anthem singer/songwriters comes to the Center to open our…

Balance Found

Yoga is one of my favorite exercises. I love how my body feels after a series of poses: relaxed, energized, free. Last year, I committed to a regular practice, going to class a few times a week. Then life got busy and yoga seemed an expensive luxury so I stopped going. I missed it, but…

Photography as a Spiritual Practice

Join Juli Isola, San Clemente photographer and spiritual seeker, for March’s Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley Women’s Group meeting on Friday, March 7, 7 p.m., for an evening discovering Photography as a Spiritual Practice. The event is free and participants are asked to identify and bring 3 to 5 favorite images that they have…

A Dizzy Path to Consciousness Connection

“The children are acting like a bunch of whirling dervishes!!” I would tell my husband amid screaming and wild energy, thinking in my mind of the Tasmanian devil from Looney Tunes fame. Well, this weekend I was schooled! During the after-Sunday-service Conscious Connection, September Warren, Conscious Connection leader and practioner, revealed that a whirling dervish…

Delay is not a Denial

Moving toward our dreams is not always easy. Sometimes we can feel lost at sea, unsure about which direction to go. The ego serves up fears and negative thoughts about our choices and then we find evidence to support “staying stuck” in our experience. The well-meaning friend who warns you of the unseen dangers, or…