Category: mind body connection

Appreciating Uncertainty & Change – Wabi-Sabi Mindfulness

Post author By Toby
Post date May 26, 2020

“Work creatively, appreciatively with impermanence, imperfection, uncertainty in a way that invites curiosity and excitement (rather than debilitating anxiety)”

Dear Integral Meditators,

At the moment, we are going through a time of unprecedented uncertainty and change. The article below explores practical ways of responding mindfully and creatively to the challenge. I’ve called it “Wabi-sabi mindfulness”, after one of my favorite artistic movements!

In the spirit of appreciation,

Toby

In case you missed it: Here is a 20 minute beginners mind meditation
…that I recently recorded. Actually it is more like a beginners body, mind and heart meditation. In it we use the image of a new moon, and a new-born baby as a way to re-invigorate ourselves with new life and new possibilities. Enjoy!

Appreciating uncertainty and change – Wabi-Sabi Mindfulness

Originally ‘Wabi-sabi’ is a type of Japanese aesthetic found in the arts and crafts, specifically in ceramic and home decoration. It works with an appreciation of the way in which impermanence, imperfection and decay affect everyday objects, and our life.
‘Wabi-sabi mindfulness’ is a particular approach to self-leadership that I have developed. It has has five main elements

You are are the artist and the creative force in your life

Life is perpetually changing, unfinished (or uncertain) and imperfect – This needs to be accepted and flowed with, rather than resisted
If they can be accepted, change, imperfection and uncertainty can be appreciated for their own particular aesthetic and beauty – This stage is the essence of Wabi-sabi
You are the leader who is responsible for the next creative act – You are responsible for the ongoing creation of your imperfect, uncertain and beautiful life
Working creatively, appreciatively and responsibly with impermanence, imperfection and uncertainty in a way that invites curiosity and excitement (rather than debilitating anxiety and fear) is the essence of Wabi-Sabi mindfulness and self leadership.

Pointers for practice:
Following on from the above, here are five Wabi-sabi mindfulness practices. Each practice has a link to a previous article of mine on the subject:

Awaken your inner artist – Practice seeing and experiencing yourself as the Artist and creative force in your life.
Acceptance – Observe and notice the impermanence, imperfection and uncertainty in your life, practice accepting and working with it, rather than resisting or denying it.
Appreciation – Notice the things about impermanence, imperfection and uncertainty can enhance your appreciation. “When you truly know what you have is transient, then you can short-circuit the natural tendency that we all have to take things for granted. This in turn gives us a powerful incentive to appreciate what we have, and make the most of it today.”
Self responsibility – Habitually choose to take responsibility for your life. based upon acceptance and appreciation, choose your direction forward! We can receive support and encouragement from others in our life, but finally we are the ones who are responsible for choosing what we want, and taking the direction that we want.
Moving from negative anxiety to curiosity and excitement – Whenever we have uncertainty in our life, or when things move from predictable and ‘under control’ to unpredictable it means that there is a creative window opening up in our life; a window that if we are open to we can find opportunities to grow, learn and enjoy. We can learn to respond to our anxiety with excitement rather than stress.

Article © Toby Ouvry 2020. You are welcome to share, but Please do not reproduce without permission.

Sundays 6-6.50pm – Qi gong energy body activation meditation (Livestream)

These are Qi gong meditation sessions to activate and enhance the flow of ‘qi’ or subtle energy in your body. We will then be using this flow for:

Enhancing physical health and healing
Increased emotional wellbeing and mental balance
Access to deeper, more dynamic meditation states to transform and regenerate your body, mind and soul…Full details of session

Read full details

Saturday 31^st May, 2-5.30pm – Wabi-Sabi mindfulness – The art of creative leadership and self-leadership, A Livestream workshop

In a sentence: Learn how to work creatively with uncertainty, imperfection and life’s inherent messiness to realize your leadership and self-leadership potential. Manage stress and anxiety better using mindfulness in combination with the practical philosophy of Wabi-Sabi.
Full details of the workshop

Online Integral Meditation & Mindfulness classes

Build focus, beat stress, cultivate wellbeing!

Each session involves simple practices that you can apply to make a real difference to your wellbeing and effectiveness in life…full details of classes

All upcoming classes and workshops for at IMA:

Weekly Online class schedule

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)

Ongoing Sundays 6-6.50pm – Qi gong energy body activation meditation (Livestream)

Tues 5th & Weds May 6th, 7.30-8.30pm – Online Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

Sat 23^rd 6-7pm, Tues 26^th 7.30-8.30pm, Weds 27^th 7.30-8.3pm May – Monthly new moon, new beginnings visualization and envisioning sessions

Saturday 31^st May, 2-5.30pm – Wabi-Sabi mindfulness – The art of creative leadership and self-leadership, A Livestream workshop

Tues 2nd & Weds May 3rd, 7.30-8.30pm – Online Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

Saturday 20th June 10.30am-12noon – ONLINE Get your meditation practice started now – The shortest & most time effective meditation course ever

Integral Meditation AsiaOnline Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology

creative imagery Integral Meditation Life-fullness meditation and creativity Meditation and Psychology Meditation Recordings Meditation techniques mind body connection Mindful Resilience Mindfulness Presence and being present Primal Spirituality

Beginners mind recording (& New moon visualization sessions)

Post author By Toby
Post date May 21, 2020

Dear Integral Meditators,

Here is a 20 minute beginners mind meditation that I recently recorded. Actually it is morel like a beginners body, mind and heart meditation. In it we use the image of a new moon, and a new-born baby as a way to re-invigorate ourselves with new life and new possibilities. Enjoy!

Its a great meditation to combine with the new moon cycle each month, and you can join me on Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday to enjoy some New moon visualization and manifestation meditations around our health, career and relationships. they’re going to be both fun and powerful.

Other classes and sessions are below also!

You can also see below my article on how to combine our beginners mind with our experienced mind!

In the spirit of new beginnings,

Toby

Article: How to combine your beginners mind with your wise mind

“There is an art to combining your beginners and experienced mind that will enable you to be successful in your chosen endeavors, as well as derive more pleasure and enjoyment from them”…
Read full article

Sat 23^rd 6-7pm, Tues 26^th 7.30-8.30pm, Weds 27^th 7.30-8.3pm May – Monthly new moon, new beginnings visualization and envisioning sessions

These are meditation classes done monthly around the turn of the new moon that enable us to open to new beginnings, new possibilities and make a fresh start with regard to:

Our health
Our inner growth
Our relationships
And our life’s purpose and future goals

Read full details!

Sunday May 24th – Qi gong workout class

This is a Qi gong session that begins with movement, breathing and energy work to thoroughly energize and refresh your body, nervous system and energy meridians and regenerate your physical, energetic, mental and spiritual being…read full details

Sundays 6-6.50pm – Qi gong energy body activation meditation (Livestream)

These are Qi gong meditation sessions to activate and enhance the flow of ‘qi’ or subtle energy in your body. We will then be using this flow for:

Enhancing physical health and healing
Increased emotional wellbeing and mental balance
Access to deeper, more dynamic meditation states to transform and regenerate your body, mind and soul…Full details of session

Read full details

Saturday 31^st May, 2-5.30pm – Wabi-Sabi mindfulness – The art of creative leadership and self-leadership, A Livestream workshop

Online Integral Meditation & Mindfulness classes

Build focus, beat stress, cultivate wellbeing!

Each session involves simple practices that you can apply to make a real difference to your wellbeing and effectiveness in life…full details of classes

All upcoming classes and workshops for at IMA:

Weekly Online class schedule

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)

Ongoing Sundays 6-6.50pm – Qi gong energy body activation meditation (Livestream)

Tues 5th & Weds May 6th, 7.30-8.30pm – Online Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

Sat 23^rd 6-7pm, Tues 26^th 7.30-8.30pm, Weds 27^th 7.30-8.3pm May – Monthly new moon, new beginnings visualization and envisioning sessions

Saturday 31^st May, 2-5.30pm – Wabi-Sabi mindfulness – The art of creative leadership and self-leadership, A Livestream workshop

Integral Meditation AsiaOnline Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology

Tags integral meditation, integral mindfulness, meditation and visualization, meditation in singapore, mindfulness in Singapore, mindfulness meditation, new moon meditation

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Re-sensitizing your body

Post author By Toby
Post date May 19, 2020

“As we start to re-sensitize our body, we start to feel more energy, which is a resource that you can then direct towards any positive purpose that you want to in your life.”

Dear Integral Meditators,

This weeks article explores the subject of re-awakening the sensitivity of your body, I hope you enjoy it!

And do check out the upcoming New moon visualization sessions beginning this Saturday 23rd May, 6-7pm!

In the spirit of feeling alive,

Toby

In case you missed it: Meditation recording and Article on Natural Happiness

Here is a meditation recording: 8 minute power meditation on Natural Happiness You can read more about the practice in my article…
Read full article

Re-sensitizing your body

This article outlines a meditation that I have been doing recently at the beginning of my Qi gong light-body meditation & workout live sessions, but it is one that is an important part of any mindfulness or meditation practitioners’ repertoire. Below are a few essential pointers to the technique, what its benefits are and how to start practising.

The point of life is to feel alive
Whatever goals you may have in life, if you are not fundamentally in touch with the feeling of being alive, then your life is going to feel rather dry and abstract. If we want to feel fulfilled in our life, then it’s important to be viscerally in touch with our life-force. Since the basic feeling of being alive is most immediately a feeling in the body, then the more we are awake to our body and its feelings the more alive, and potentially fulfilled we are going to be.

Your body is not a robot
For many people the experience of being in their body is that they are kind of stuck in their brain, operating their body rather mechanically, rather like a driver in a cockpit operating a big robot or machine. Naturally if this is our experience, then our sense of being alive is reduced, as our connection to our body as a living, sensitive being has been cut off.

Re-sensitizing your body
To re-sensitize your body means to gently try and experience it as if it were a living organism, with each cell having energy and life-force within it. You can go from the crown of your head down to the toes, exploring each area of your body, re-awakening that connection to the living nature of your body. When you start to get used to this what you notice is that the feeling is naturally quite comfortable and blissful. You yourself start to experience yourself as being fully alive as your body re-awakens!

Full body breathing
One simple technique you can try is as follows. Imagining all of your cells in the body to be alive (which they are!), as you breathe in feel each one of them inhaling with you, taking in fresh energy and life-force. As you breathe out, all your cells breathe out too, relaxing, releasing blocked energy and/or toxicity. Follow this pattern of full body breathing for a few minutes, allowing the cellular structure to start re-awakening.

Re-awakening energy flow
If you do this regularly, you will start to notice that, not only do you feel more relaxed and well-disposed, you actually start to feel more energy in your body, which is a resource that you can then direct towards any positive purpose that you want to in your life.

Getting out of your head and into your body
Re-awakening and re-sensitizing our body can take a little courage, as there is comfort in being stuck in the abstractions of our head. But as I hope I have outlined above, the benefits of re-sensitizing our body are well worth the effort and bravery to step back our of our head and re-inhabit our living body!

Being prepared to face a little trauma
One reason why we have retreated from our body is that for everyone there are stored feelings of emotional pain in the body. As we explore our body, these feelings of pain can and will come up in order to be healed and released. When it happens, there is generally nothing to be worried about, and we simply need to allow these feelings come up and out naturally as they heal.

Enjoy exploring the living nature of your body!

Article © Toby Ouvry 2020. You are welcome to share, but Please do not reproduce without permission.

Sat 23^rd 6-7pm, Tues 26^th 7.30-8.30pm, Weds 27^th 7.30-8.3pm May – Monthly new moon, new beginnings visualization and envisioning sessions

These are meditation classes done monthly around the turn of the new moon that enable us to open to new beginnings, new possibilities and make a fresh start with regard to:

Our health
Our inner growth
Our relationships
And our life’s purpose and future goals

Read full details!

Sunday May 24th – Qi gong workout class

Sundays 6-6.50pm – Qi gong energy body activation meditation (Livestream)

These are Qi gong meditation sessions to activate and enhance the flow of ‘qi’ or subtle energy in your body. We will then be using this flow for:

Enhancing physical health and healing
Increased emotional wellbeing and mental balance
Access to deeper, more dynamic meditation states to transform and regenerate your body, mind and soul…Full details of session

Read full details

Saturday 31^st May, 2-5.30pm – Wabi-Sabi mindfulness – The art of creative leadership and self-leadership, A Livestream workshop

Online Integral Meditation & Mindfulness classes

Build focus, beat stress, cultivate wellbeing!

Each session involves simple practices that you can apply to make a real difference to your wellbeing and effectiveness in life…full details of classes

All upcoming classes and workshops for at IMA:

Weekly Online class schedule

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)

Ongoing Sundays 6-6.50pm – Qi gong energy body activation meditation (Livestream)

Tues 5th & Weds May 6th, 7.30-8.30pm – Online Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

Sat 23^rd 6-7pm, Tues 26^th 7.30-8.30pm, Weds 27^th 7.30-8.3pm May – Monthly new moon, new beginnings visualization and envisioning sessions

Saturday 31^st May, 2-5.30pm – Wabi-Sabi mindfulness – The art of creative leadership and self-leadership, A Livestream workshop

Integral Meditation AsiaOnline Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology

Tags integral mindfulness, meditation and health, meditation and wellbeing, meditation in singapore, mindful body, mindfulness and health, mindfulness and wellbeing, mindfulness in Singapore

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On mindful visualization & envisioning (And tree meditation recording)

Post author By Toby
Post date May 7, 2020

Dear Integral Mediators,

This week’s newsletter features an 8 minute Tree visualization & envisioning form you can just click the link to listen!

The article below is on the importance of visualizing and envisioning well and how to get started.

In the spirit of mindful envisioning,

Toby

On mindful visualization & envisioning (And tree visualization & envisioning form)

Visualization is the capacity to create and build clear images in your mind. It’s an important aspect of many meditation practices. For some people it is a more visual process, but for others it can be more about feeling, hearing or even smelling the object that is being visualized.
Envisioning is the capacity to use visualized images in the mind in order to connect to existing subtle energies and forces on the emotional, mental or spiritual level. For example, if you visualize the moon, and imagine it connecting to the energy of the actual moon, then the image will act as a ‘conduit’ or conductor of the lunar energy to you. You can basically use images to connect energetically to anything that you want in the world!

You are doing both all the time
If you look at your mind during the day, you will quickly start to notice that it is actually visualizing and envisioning things all the time. Your imaginative process can produce heaven or hell, it can create a good mood within you or it can make you deeply unhappy.
Conscious use of your imagination (that is to say your process of visualization and envisioning) is a super-power. By choosing to take control of the images that your mind produces, you can learn to influence your health, psychological wellbeing, your future, your relationships. You can use images to connect to energies within ourself and our environment that support, empower and invigorate us.

Combining visualization & envisioning an example: Tree envisioning form

Stage 1: Take a tree that you know, perhaps that is nearby your house or apartment. If you can, take a bit of time to study it physically by going to see it, even take a picture of it for reference.
Stage 2, visualization: Then, sit down and try to picture that tree clearly in your minds eye. By seeing it, sensing it, smelling it, try and build a clear image of it in your mind, and hold that image using gentle focus. Spend a few minutes jut focusing on building your visualization skill.
Stage 3, envisioning: Be aware of the sky and stars above the tree, and the living earth beneath it. Imagine the tree drawing down light and energy from the sky and stars above, and up from the earth below. See this energy as a light rising and descending into the tree, filling it with power, health and energy. Next, imagine yourself AS the tree, with the sky and earth above and below you. Feel the drawing down and rising of the energy through your branches and roots, rising up into your trunk. Notice any energy flow that you experience in your actual physical body as you are sitting, up through your feet, and down from above. Allow it to gently balance, harmonize and energise your body, mind and heart. Conclude when you are ready.

Listen to the recording of this here: 8 minute Tree visualization & envisioning form

Closing thoughts
This is an exercise that you can use to practice your visualization skills, the image of the tree. It then combines it with your envisioning skills, using the image of the tree to connect to the living energy of sky, stars and earth, as well as the tree itself. It’s a visualization form that I have practised versions of in my Qi gong meditations over the years, as well as in various western traditions I have been involved with (Druidic, Tree of Life etc…).
If you understand the basic principles of visualization and envisioning, you can use them to create your own meditations to connect you to qualities and energies that you want to build in your life!

Article & content © Toby Ouvry 2020, you are welcome to use or share this article, but please cite Toby as the source and include reference to his website www.tobyouvry.com

Sundays 6-6.50pm – Qi gong energy body activation meditation (Livestream)

These are Qi gong meditation sessions to activate and enhance the flow of ‘qi’ or subtle energy in your body. We will then be using this flow for:

Enhancing physical health and healing
Increased emotional wellbeing and mental balance
Access to deeper, more dynamic meditation states to transform and regenerate your body, mind and soul…Full details of session

Re-starts Sunday 10th May – Qi gong workout class

Saturday 16^th May, 4-6pm – Mindful Envisioning – A meditation, visualization & imagining masterclass

A picture speaks a thousand words! Learn how to build powerful meditation states through your imagination and visualization that can be put to many practical uses…
Read more about the workshop

Saturday 31^st May, 2-5.30pm – Wabi-Sabi mindfulness – The art of creative leadership and self-leadership, A Livestream workshop

All upcoming classes and workshops for at IMA:

Weekly Online class schedule

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)

Ongoing Sundays 6-6.50pm – Qi gong energy body activation meditation (Livestream)

Tues 5th & Weds May 6th, 7.30-8.30pm – Online Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

Thursday 7th May, 6.30-7.30pm – Online Wesak Meditation on Compassion

Saturday 16th May, 4-6pm – Mindful Envisioning – A meditation, visualization & imagining masterclass

Saturday 16th May 10.30am-12noon – ONLINE Get your meditation practice started now – The shortest & most time effective meditation course ever

Sat 23^rd 6-7pm, Tues 26^th 7.30-8.30pm, Weds 27^th 7.30-8.3pm May – Monthly new moon, new beginnings visualization and envisioning sessions

Saturday 31^st May, 2-5.30pm – Wabi-Sabi mindfulness – The art of creative leadership and self-leadership, A Livestream workshop

Integral Meditation Asia

Online Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology

Tags imagination meditation, integral meditation, integral mindfulness, meditation exercise, meditation in singapore, meditation recordings, mindful imagination, mindfulness in Singapore, visualization meditation

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Guided meditation for emotional wellbeing

Post author By Toby
Post date April 16, 2020

Dear Integral Meditators,

Here is an eight minute guided meditation that is designed to help you cultivate your emotional wellbeing, strength and harmony:

8minute power meditation on emotional wellbeing

It explores two positions essentially:

Becoming aware of and acknowledging emotions that are present in order to process them more fully
Connecting to energies within landscape that strengthen and uplift your emotional self

If you enjoy it, then you can listen to a longer meditation from last weeks newsletter: Traveling while staying indoors

The Men’s Group starts again on the 27th April, online of course!

In the spirit if harmony,

Toby

PS: Another related article: Mindful of your moods, emotions and dispositions

Starts April 27th 7-8.15pm – The Men’s Group Online – The path of conscious manhood

How can you move from coping to thriving in your life as a man?

Much is asked of men in their traditional roles as fathers and sons, partners and husbands, students and teachers, employees and employers….read full details

Online Integral Meditation & Mindfulness classes
Build focus, beat stress, cultivate wellbeing!

Each session involves simple practices that you can apply to make a real difference to your wellbeing and effectiveness in life…full details of classes

Online Class schedule:

Sunday evening, 6-.45pm – Class link: https://zoom.us/j/675470535

Monday lunchtime, 12.30-1.15pm – Class link: https://zoom.us/j/590663680

Tuesday lunchtime, 12.30-1.15pm – Class link: https://zoom.us/j/321314189

Tuesday Evening: 7.30-8.30pm – Class link: https://zoom.us/j/555319558

Wednesday Evening: 7.30-8.30pm – Class link: https://zoom.us/j/609271461

Thursday evening, 18.30-19.15 – Class link: https://zoom.us/j/757015034

All classes in Singapore time. Not in Singapore? Check the time for your country HERE.

How to sign up: Simply message info@tobyouvry.com or +6596750279 with the time of the class that you wish to attend. The link to attend each class is next to the class. Then make payment using the methods detailed below.

Cost: SGD$30 per class, or set of 4 classes for $100

Payment can be made in Singapore using PayNow on +6596750279, Or you can use the PayPal Link HERE to pay from anywhere in the world.

To pay for a set of 4 classes on PayPal, click HERE.

April 17th-19th – The Way of Energy: Qi gong foundation course & Program for coaches and trainers

THIS WORKSHOP IS ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE AS A LIVE-STREAM SESSION!

This is s a practical introduction to Qi gong for those who want to understand the principles and develop their own practice. It also offers a series of simple practices for coaches, trainers and therapists that they can use with their clients to help them to build energy and wellbeing…. read more about the course

All upcoming classes and workshops for at IMA:

Weekly Online class schedule

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)

Saturday 25th April 10.30am-12noon – ONLINE Get your meditation practice started now – The shortest & most time effective meditation course ever

Starts April 27th 7-8.15pm – The Men’s Group Online – The path of conscious manhood

Friday, Sat, Sunday 17,18,19th April Online – The Qi Gong Foundation Program & Program for coaches and trainers

Tues 5th & Weds May 6th – Online Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

Ongoing – The Integral Mindfulness & Meditation Online Program, January-July 2020

Integral Meditation Asia

Online Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology

Tags emotional intelligence, emotional wellbeing, integral meditation, integral mindfulness, meditation in singapore, mindful of emotions, mindfulness in Singapore

Awareness and insight Enlightened Flow Integral Awareness Integral Meditation Life-fullness meditation and creativity Meditation and Psychology Meditation Recordings Meditation techniques mind body connection Mindfulness Presence and being present

Guided meditation recording: Three aspects of the positive mindfulness game

Post author By Toby
Post date April 9, 2020

Dear Integral Meditators,

Here’s a 10 minute recording of Three layered meditation practice to help you build your mindful positivity. It combines focusing on sensory, emotional and cognitive objects, to help you build a more resilient approach to your inner wellbeing!

In the spirit of staying well,

Toby

Article: Meditation – Life as a positive mindfulness game

What I want to explain here is a mindfulness game that we can do as a form of meditation. In this exercise the positive object of meditation is not so much one particular object, feeling or affirmation. Rather it is a process of paying attention that functions to make our mind calmer and more appreciative. One of the benefits of this exercise is that it gradually trains our mind to orientate itself around positive thoughts and feelings, making them the ‘front and center’ of our moment to moment experience….read full article!

All upcoming classes and workshops for at IMA:

Weekly Online class schedule

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)

Tuesday 12.30-1.30 – Integral Meditation classes at Space2B on Stanley Street

Tuesday 7th, Wednesday 8th April, 7.30-8.30pm – Monthly Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

Friday, Sat, Sunday 17,18,19th April – The Qi Gong Foundation Program & Program for coaches and trainers

Ongoing – The Integral Mindfulness & Meditation Online Program, January-July 2020

Integral Meditation AsiaOnline Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology

Tags integral meditation, integral mindfulness, meditation and positivity, meditation in singapore, meditation recording, mindful positivity, mindfulness in Singapore

A Mind of Ease Energy Meditation Integral Awareness Life-fullness Meditation techniques mind body connection Mindful Breathing Mindful Resilience Mindfulness Presence and being present

A simple mindfulness exercise for building your immune system and health

Post author By Toby
Post date March 25, 2020

“In times such as the one we are living in, it becomes increasingly clear that the more responsibility we can take for our own personal health and well-being, the better off we are going to be.”

W
Dear Integral Meditators,

The article below explains a simple mindfulness practice that you can do to build your immune system mindfully each day.

In the spirit of self-determined wellness,

Toby

A simple mindfulness exercise for building your immune system and health

In times such as the one we are living in, it becomes increasingly clear that the more responsibility we can take for our own personal health and well-being, the better off we are going to be. This is especially in the face of conditions where the medical establishment has limited means to help us. What I want to explain below is a simple practice that you can use everyday to improve your health and well-being using the power of mindful attention.
The principle that it works off is this: If you are faced with a potentiality infectious disease, your immune system needs to be functioning well. In order for this to happen, your body and nervous system need to be in relaxation and regeneration mode for much of the time (technically this means your parasympathetic nervous system is activated). If you are nervous and your body is in ‘fight or flight’ mode, then the blood tends to be moving into the limbs of the body, and away from the organs of the body. This may save you if you are running away from a bear, but if you are trying to stay healthy, then you really want the blood moving away from the limbs and into the internal organs (particularly the gut), where it can build the health of your internal organs and immune system.
So, counter-intuitively, in the face of the risk of disease, you really need to relax, so that your body can build its defense!
Here is a simple, three stage mindfulness exercise to help build your immunity. You can do it for any period of time you want, spending a roughly equal time on each stage:

Sitting comfortably, as you breathe in acknowledge any stress or anxiety that you might notice present in your body. As you breathe out, invite your body to release that tension. Gently encourage your body and nervous system to relax and move from ‘active, energy expending’ mode, to regeneration and healing mode.
As you breathe in, imagine your blood flowing into your torso, flooding your internal organs with fresh blood and energy. As you breathe out feel your internal organs relaxing, releasing energetic tension and chemical toxicity. Let your body’s natural healing and regenerating function kick in and start to build the strength of your health and immunity.
If there are any organs or areas of your torso that are particularly in need of healing, you can focus your attention on them. Your gut and intestines in particular can be a good place to center your attention regularly.

Once you are used to this practice, you can do it for short periods anywhere. You create a habit of relaxation that enables your body to build its health and immunity for periods of time each day. Enjoy practicing!

Article ©Toby Ouvry & Integral Meditation Asia, please do not reproduce without permission. info@tobyouvry.com

Saturday 28th March, 2-5.30pm – Meditations for Developing the Language of Your Shadow Self WorkshopBy working with these shadow characters in meditation you will develop the capacity to:

Developing a fuller and more intimate understanding of the language that your own shadow self uses to communicate with you
Understand different aspects of your shadow self as it relates to different time periods in your life (childhood, puberty, early adulthood etc…)
Finding and articulating your shadow as it relates to different areas of our life, for example your relationships, work life, spiritual life and so on.

Full details of session

April 17th-19th – The Way of Energy: Qi gong foundation course & Program for coaches and trainers

All upcoming classes and workshops for January 2020

Weekly Online class schedule

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)

Tuesday 12.30-1.30 – Integral Meditation classes at Space2B on Stanley Street

Restarts Monday March 23rd, 6.30-8pm – The Men’s group, the path of conscious manhood

Saturday 28th March, 2-5.30pm – Meditations for Developing the Language of Your Shadow Self Workshop

Friday, Sat, Sunday 17,18,19th April – The Qi Gong Foundation Program & Program for coaches and trainers

Ongoing – The Integral Mindfulness & Meditation Online Program, January-July 2020

Integral Meditation AsiaOnline Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology

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Dealing with your anxiety more effectively (Identifying causal anxiety)

Post author By Toby
Post date March 9, 2020

“Working effectively with any type of anxiety means making friends as much as possible with the feeling of anxiety.”

Dear Integral Meditators,

This weeks article looks at a particular type of anxiety, and how we can start to work with it more effectively, enjoy!

In the spirit of acceptance,

Toby

Stress-Transformation coaching with Toby
Stress, anxiety, fear, pressure, anger, attachment – Ordinarily we see these states of mind and emotion as negative; things that get in the way of our happiness and well-being, and prevent us from achieving the goals and quality of life that we would like….full details

Dealing with your anxiety more effectively (Identifying causal anxiety)

In this article I am going to explain a method that gives you greater effectiveness in the face of your anxiety. It is in relation to what is called ‘causal anxiety’. Causal anxiety is anxiety is so named because, at least superficially, it has a clear, tangible cause that we can identify. For example:

I am feeling anxious regarding a test result that will come through shorty
I am nervous about a speech that I have to give in front of a group of people
I am worried about catching a disease that has been going around

Meeting Causal anxiety with either acceptance or pro-activity
So, with causal anxiety, the position is quite simple. We just ask the question “Am I going to be pro-active in dealing with the challenge I am worried about, or am I simply going to focus on accepting it as it is?” So for example:

With my test result, I may simply choose to accept that I’m just going to have to wait for it. There is nothing further I can do, so I make a clear decision to relax and accept that. Note here that this also means accepting the feeling of anxiety that I have, getting ‘comfortable with the discomfort of it’ so to speak. It is unlikely that I will be able to get rid of the feeling of anxiety totally, but in making peace with it and accepting it, I can diminish its disruptive power substantially.
Regarding the speech the I have to give, I can respond to the anxiety by choosing to prepare for another half hour, and then practice acceptance. At a certain point of my choosing, I have to make a decision that ‘I have now done enough’, and now can focusing on relaxing and accepting (or if possible releasing) the anxiety.
Regarding the disease, I can choose to take all sensible preventative measures; hand washing and so forth, and then just accept that there is some risk, knowing that I have done all that I can do!

So with causal anxiety, I am being clear about my choice to do or not do, and dealing with anxiety that way. As you can see from the examples, your response can be a combination of action and acceptance. The point is that the alleviation of anxiety comes from being clear about what you are going to do about the challenge, and then having done it then practicing letting go and acceptance.

Getting comfortable with the feeling of anxiety
A final point here; working effectively with any type of anxiety means making friends as much as possible with the feeling of anxiety. Whatever the cause, the more we can accept the felt sense of anxiety in the body, the more easily we will be able to work with it. If this feeling is our enemy and adversary, we are generally going to have a tough time with it. This is because, for tender humans like us, feeling a degree of anxiety is often synonymous with feeling alive.

Tuesday 10th, Wednesday 11th March, 7.30-8.30pm – Monthly Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

This meditation, done on or around the full moon capitalises on the heightened lunar energies at this time of the month to:

Bring energy and health to our physical body
Increase benevolent, life affirming emotions such as appreciation, joy and gratitude
Release patterns of energy, thinking and feeling that are no longer serving us
Focus on clarifying our intentions and manifesting our current life-goals

Full details of session

Restarts Monday March 23rd, 6.30-8pm – The Men’s group, the path of conscious manhoodHow can you move from coping to thriving in your life as a man? – Much is asked of men in their traditional roles as fathers and sons, partners and husbands, students and teachers, employees and employers. The men’s group is a professionally moderated and confidential forum for men. A forum is a safe place for exploring, learning and sharing the successful perspectives, skills, and strategies… Click here for full details

Saturday 14th March, 10.30am-12noon – Get your meditation practice started now – The shortest & most time effective meditation everIntegral Meditation Asia is happy to provide you with a truly practical and super short (90min) workshop that teaches you:

What meditation is and how it works
How to start your own effective daily meditation practice with just a five minute a day commitment

Full detail of session

Tues 17th & Weds 18th March – Spring Equinox balancing & renewing meditation

At the spring equinox we can think about the spring and summer periods that lie ahead of us, what our goals and expectations are, and sow the seeds on an inner level of the things that we wish to manifest over the next few months.
Full details of session

Saturday 28th March, 2-5.30pm – Meditations for Developing the Language of Your Shadow Self WorkshopBy working with these shadow characters in meditation you will develop the capacity to:

Developing a fuller and more intimate understanding of the language that your own shadow self uses to communicate with you
Understand different aspects of your shadow self as it relates to different time periods in your life (childhood, puberty, early adulthood etc…)
Finding and articulating your shadow as it relates to different areas of our life, for example your relationships, work life, spiritual life and so on.

Full details of session

All upcoming classes and workshops for January 2020

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)

Tuesday 12.30-1.30 – Integral Meditation classes at Space2B on Stanley Street

Tuesday 10th, Wednesday 11th March, 7.30-8.30pm – Monthly Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

Saturday 14th March, 10.30am-12noon – Get your meditation practice started now – The shortest & most time effective meditation ever

Tues 17th & Weds 18th March – Spring Equinox balancing & renewing meditation

Restarts Monday March 23rd, 6.30-8pm – The Men’s group, the path of conscious manhood

Saturday 28th March, 2-5.30pm – Meditations for Developing the Language of Your Shadow Self Workshop

Friday, Sat, Sunday 17,18,19th April – The Qi Gong Foundation Program & Program for coaches and trainers

Starts Saturday 25th April – The Integral Mindfulness Program for Coaches, Counselors and Therapists – Creating sustainable high performance and deep wellness

Ongoing – The Integral Mindfulness & Meditation Online Program, January-July 2020

Integral Meditation AsiaOnline Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology

Tags dealing with anxiety, integral meditation, integral mindfulness, overcoming anxiety, stress transformation

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Meditation images for new year renewal

Post author By Toby
Post date January 1, 2020

Dear Integral Meditators,
W
Its the beginning of the new year, a good time to focus on possibilities, potential and our beginners mind! . The article below explores three simple images that we can use to do this using the power of images and the imagination.

Toby

Images of renewal – The body-mind of a newborn

“Can you coax your mind from its wandering
and keep to the original oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child’s?” *

Much of the basic meditation experience involves creating a unified body-mind, where our mind, body and feelings are in the same place, at the same time. Below are three images that we can use in order to access this state of unified body-mind within ourself. Quite often if we use an image as our point of entry into meditation, it can help us achieve that state of meditative consciousness more quickly by engaging our imagination. When we engage our imagination with a meditation object, then its wanderings cease to become a distraction for us, because the force of our imagination is engaged in the experience of the meditative image itself. In particular, the three images below are designed to facilitate an experience of renewal and regeneration that we can access during the day, either in a short 1-3 minute exercise, or enter more deeply into during a longer meditation.

The newborn child – Imagine you are a newborn child, resting at ease, perhaps wrapped in a blanket. Your body is completely relaxed. your mind is pure awareness, no thought or concept at all. Because your body is so completely relaxed, and your mind contains no thought, they are experienced as one; the sensory relaxation of the body and the non-moving nature of the mind come together in a state of unity or singularity. Spend a few moments entering into this experience with your imagination sampling what it is like, and noting the way in which your own, adult body-mind start to merge together into a unity quite naturally, and without effort.

The tree in the forest – Imagine a tree in a forest, it can be one you know and are familiar with if you like. Observe the tree in your mind’s eye, sensing its singularity, its deep rootedness and stability, its opening to the sky through its branches. Now imagine yourself as the tree; physically strong, no thought at all within its consciousness, completely at-ease with itself and its environment; all the processes in the tree are done with no thought; the water rises, the sunlight is absorbed, the branches bend in the trees, the birds come and go. The trees body and its consciousness are always one, always here.

The earth – Sense the earth beneath your feet, allow yourself to ‘sink’ down into it, so that perhaps you are about waist or chest deep. sense the vast body of both the earth’s physical mass beneath and around you, as well as the consciousness of the earth; her huge all-embracing presence. The consciousness of the earth and the body of the earth are unified, a single entity. All the thoughts and activities of the humans and other creatures are contained within the body-mind of the earth, but this activity is completely dwarfed and drowned out of your awareness by the overwhelming stability, singularity and presence of the earths unified body-mind; her deep presence. Now experience yourself as the earths unified body-mind; completely singular, strong and stable.

As a final stage to any of these meditations, return to an awareness of your own body-mind, and bring the feeling of unity into it, so that you are able to experience your own body-mind in a state of stability, unity and resilience.

Related article: Renewal

*Quote from Chapter 10 of the Tao te ching by Lao Tsu, Stephen Mitchell translation

Weekends of 7,8,9^th February 21,22,23rd February – The Qi Gong Foundation Program & Program for coaches and trainers

15% early-bird offer until January 10th!

How can I create more energy within myself?
How can I use the energy that I have more effectively?
How can I direct the energy within me in a way the produces sustainable, dynamic physical, mental and emotional well-being?
How can I use Qi gong practices to help others, clients, family members, colleagues etc… enhance their energy levels and well-being?

Click here for more details

A Video Introduction to the Qi Gong Foundations Program by Toby

All upcoming classes and workshops for January 2020

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation Classes at Basic Essence with Toby

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation Classes at One Heart with Toby (East coast)

Tuesday 12.30-1.30 – Integral Meditation classes at Space2B on Stanley Street

Tues 7th & Weds 8th January – 2020 New year releasing and inviting meditation

Saturday 11th January, 6.30-7.30pm – Monthly Full Moon Meditation & Manifestation Session

Starts Monday January 13th, 6.30-8pm – The Men’s group, the path of conscious manhood

Saturday 18th January, 10.30am-12pm – Get Your Meditation Practice Started Now – The Shortest and Most Time Effective Meditation Workshop Ever

Tues 21st & Weds 22nd January, 7.30-8.30pm – Lunar New Year Meditation 2020: Developing your inner-resourcefulness & practical wisdom in the year of the Rat

Friday, Sat, Sunday 7,8,9^th February & Friday, Sat, Sunday 21,22,23rd February – The Qi Gong Foundation Program & Program for coaches and trainers

Integral Meditation AsiaOnline Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology

Tags integral meditation, integral mindfulness, meditation in singapore, mindfulness in Singapore, mindfulness meditation

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Finding refuge from Time Oppression – Dropping out of time and into stillness

Post author By Toby
Post date December 28, 2019

“One point about dropping out of time and into stillness is that we can then return to our experience of time more enjoyably and effectively.”
W

Dear Integral Meditators,

Were in the gap now between Christmas and the new year, the article below offers a few hints on how to use the in between space to find a deeper experience of stillness.

I’m just getting together the new years courses, the first meditation session will be the 2020 New year releasing and inviting meditation on the 7th & 8th Jan, with the latest edition of The Men’s group – the path of conscious manhood kicking off on the 13th January.

In the spirit of stillness moving through time,

Toby

Finding refuge from Time Oppression – Dropping out of time and into stillness (to get better at time)

Almost everyone, myself included seems to be suffering from the feeling (not necessarily the reality) of ‘not enough time’. The practice below offers one way in which we can liberate ourselves from the oppression of time, and even learn to thrive in our (apparently) time poor environment.

Trying to cultivate stillness in meditation by becoming physically still and just focusing on the breathing can sometimes feel labour intensive. One way of cultivating stillness in a more ergonomic manner is to realize that the movement in our mind depends upon two foundational elements in order to sustain itself; time and space. In this article I shall be focusing on how to still the mind by stilling time.

Without time the mind cannot function
The first point to realize here is that time (The idea of past, present and future) is a concept and creation of the mind itself. If you drop the concept of time then time itself, for you in that moment stops, and you enter into a place called ‘The eternal present’.

If you drop time, stillness can be stabilized
If you imagine strongly that past and future no longer exist, that they have disappeared, then your wandering distracted mind temporarily has no-where to go except the present moment. This is because to move into the past and future depends upon the idea of there being time.

Dropping out of time, moving entering into the stillness of the eternal present
In addition to imagining time has disappeared, you can also imagine yourself in a landscape or a place that for you helps you to relax into the present more deeply, and step out of time. You have a whole vocabulary of images and felt experiences in your memory that, if you recall them will help you to relax and ‘step out of time and into the present’. You can try this technique for 3-5minutes initially, and build up to 10mins or more if you like. If you persist, then you will find that you develop the capacity to drop ‘out of time’ and into a state of stillness relatively easily, at will, and in a way that does not take much effort.

Returning to time more mindfully
The point about dropping out of time and into stillness in this way is, firstly it is very relaxing and invites recovery, self-awareness and wisdom. Secondly, by dropping out of time for a while, we can then return to our experience of past, present and future more enjoyably and effectively. Because we are not obsessively stuck thinking of the the past or future, we can consciously consider past events and future scenarios more calmly, rationally and effectively.
By stepping out of time regularly and entering stillness, we can return to time and use it better!

Related article: The inevitability of the present moment

Upcoming classes and workshops

Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm (Restarts 21st August) – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)

Ongoing on Tuesday evenings (Restarts 13th August), 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)

Tuesday 12.30-1.30 – Integral Meditation classes at Space2B on Stanley Street

Tues 7th & Weds 8th January – 2020 New year releasing and inviting meditation

Starts Monday January 13th, 6.30-8pm – The Men’s group, the path of conscious manhood

Integral Meditation AsiaOnline Courses * 1:1 Coaching * Books * Live Workshops * Corporate Mindfulness Training *Life-Coaching * Meditation Technology