2008 Integrative InSight
Choosing the Best ...
Upcoming events for late April & May 2008


Spring has sprung with its glorious abundance, and quite appropriately the theme of "choosing the best" has been making an appearing in different areas of my life.  I've noticed that I often default to "most convenient". While this can be a wonderful choice when made consciously, "most convenient" does not always leave me fully satisfied when relied upon out of habit. "Choosing the best" is a simple concept ... it is about making a conscious choice of how I want to be in a particular situation.  It is a choice to make this meal the most colorful or the most exotic; or choosing to be my most attentive during this conversation; or to be my calmest during this commute.  Creating an intention on how I want to be in a situation helps me be fully present to the resulting experience.  My meditation students have been playing with this idea with amazing results.  Try it on for size.   

"Choosing the best" has resulted in new programs and recent changes to unveil.  Take a moment to check out the
revised homepage and new menu categories on my website.  For those of you who process information visually, I just had professional photos taken of me facilitating supported stretches, which will be showcased next month.  Remind me to give you one of my new professionally designed business cards the next time we meet.  In the not-so-distant future, I will create an Integrative InSight meditation CD in response to popular demand. 

Why all of this continued investment in infrastructure? Easy answer ... facilitating your creation of spaciousness
- in body, mind, emotion and spirit - from which new possibilities arise is my joy. While I continue to refine this wording, I want to share this realization that stems from your generous, appreciative feedback. So, these investments are intended to support you in sharing what you appreciate about my service with others.  Next, they are intended to support those whose life situations preclude them from attending my programs in person. Lastly, they demonstrate my professional commitment to my service as I seek to expand my audience.  In May, I will be the featured speaker at the Solo Entrepreneur's networking meeting.  I am also starting the process to educate local healthcare providers and support groups about the nature of my services. Your support and suggestions - both past, present and future - are invaluable as they inspire and challenge me to continue to evolve towards the "best me".

Sincerely,
 
Meenal
Meditation for Busy Minds - 6 Week Course
Camarillo Health Care District

3639 Las Posas Road
Suite 117
Camarillo, CA 93010
(805)388-1952 ext 117

Two courses available:
6 Tuesdays, 4/22-5/27;
6 Tuesdays, 6/3-7/15
(no class 6/10)
5:30-6:30PM

Pre-registration required.

$72 for series; $60 if pre-registered 1 week before start of course.

Relax your way to a quiet mind ...

Both beginning and experienced meditators rave about this class - 'I didn't know there were so many ways to meditate'; 'I use it when I am anxious or when I need to fall asleep'; and 'I didn't know I could make routine activities into meditations'. Join me to experience for yourself what they are talking about!

Please bring a yoga mat or something comfortable to lie upon. Basic concepts taught in the first two meetings will be used throughout the series, so drop-ins are discouraged.

Price: $72 for course ($60 if you pre-register 1 week before course starts).  Course repeats every 6 weeks.

Pre-registration is required. Available options:

A Taste of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Workshop
PRYT logo
True Yoga

3625 East TO Blvd,
Suite 322,
Westlake Village 91362

Saturday, April 26
10am - Noon

Price: $25 / $20 (special website discount)
By popular demand ... A Ventura County first!
 
Consider that your persistent head-ache or 'stuck' feeling could be your body's way of communicating with you about your choices or perspective.  By tuning into these vital signals, uniquely customized insights are revealed. 

I have people ask me all the time about my private Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy sessions. Those who've tried them will agree that they defy description, but simply must be experienced.  In response to your requests, I have developed this 2 hour workshop to introduce you to a session, but in a group environment.  This is the first-ever workshop of its kind ... by Ventura County's only Certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy practitioner. 

Come experience for yourself a modality that defies labels.

Price: $25 at the door / $20 (Register now for the special website discount
 
Free Spiritual Meditation Fellowship
Camarillo United Methodist Church

Howald Parlor
291 Anacapa Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010

Sunday, May 4, 2008
5:00-6:00pm

Free

Meditate with a group of explorers ...
 
I rarely have place in my newsletter to share this on-going opportunity with you.  Word is spreading and we have people driving from Ventura and Moorpark to join this unique group.

The Spiritual Meditation Fellowship, which I founded, meets on the first Sunday of every month and it is open to anyone who wants to attend. Those of us who enjoy doing so take turns leading the meditation - the result of which is that we've explored styles from all over the world. 

Join me as I lead a unique meditation on the power of emotions, the use of which has transformed my daily life.  This is a meditation that honors the work of Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, the founder of Non-violent Communication, who I consider to be a leader in the movement for peace. 

Price: Free, but please RSVP by clicking here.
Discussion Group - Eat, Pray, Love
Eat Pray Love Book Cover

Camarillo United Methodist Church

Mission House
291 Anacapa Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010

1st Monday of
May and June
7:00-8:00PM

Free

Is pleasure self-nurturing or self-centered?

This was one of the questions that we discussed at our meeting in April that had the room buzzing (remember, I did say we would create a buzz of our own!).  We had a wonderful balance of familiar faces and new ones, but the conversation was as spirited as usual.  It is never too late to join us!

Join me on the 1st Mondays of May and June from 7-8pm.  Plan to read before our meetings and as we meditate on "India" in May and celebrate "Bali" in June. 

We will continue to meet in the Mission House at the Camarillo United Methodist Church, 291 Anacapa Drive, Camarillo, 93010.

Please RSVP by clicking on the link below. We came close to a full house last time, and I would welcome the opportunity to accommodate a larger group in a different room.  An approximate headcount will help determine whether we are standing-room only or comfortably seated.  Please RSVP for each event.

Price: Free.

To RSVP for May ...

To RSVP for June ...

Exclusive Invitation - Garden Meditation at Camarillo Ranch House
Stop and smell the roses
Camarillo Ranch House

201 Camarillo Ranch Rd.
Camarillo, CA USA 93012
805-389-8182

Saturday, May 17
8:00-9:00am

Requested Donation: $5 per person
Your chance to stop and smell the roses ...

In A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle offers an explanation as to why garden meditations are so effective for me. Nature meditations are about engaging all of your senses. When you are noticing everything there is to notice, even that your thoughts are distracting you, then you are necessarily fully present in the moment. Gardens provide an abundance of opportunities to simply stop and notice. The sensation of the breeze or sun ... the sight of flowers or light filtering through leaves ... the relaxation that effortlessly descends.

Join me in the first-ever garden meditation at Camarillo Ranch House. In keeping with my agreement, this invitation is being extended exclusively to you. Meet me near the fountain between the parking lot entrance and the house. You will have the opportunity to meditate on flowers or a tinkling fountain or to absorb the quiet presence of trees that are 100 years old. This is an excellent meditation for both new and experienced meditators.

Requested Donation: $5 per person contribution as a donation to the Camarillo Ranch Foundation. For your convenience, pre-pay by credit card through my site. All payments received will be donated by Integrative InSight to the Camarillo Ranch Foundation.

Private Thai Yoga Therapy Sessions
Saul David Raye demonstrating supported cobra stretch
At My Place

For more information or to schedule a session, call me at 805-504-6640.

The photo above is of my teacher, Saul David Raye, and is provided simply as an example of a supported yoga stretch.  All stretches are customized to each client's range of movement.

Depth of relaxation that's beyond your dreams.
 
What is Thai Yoga Therapy?
  • It is a 2-hour facilitated, one-on-one moving meditation.
  • It combines supported customized yoga stretches (see photo to the left), breath focus, acupressure, gentle twisting and energy work.
  • It releases stress and tension, quiets the mind, and improves well-being.
  • It deepens the connection between mind, body and spirit.
Absolutely no knowledge of either yoga or meditation is required - simply relax and leave that to me!  With your help, I've completed 1/3 of the 60 2-hour sessions required for the intermediate certification. While I am excited by my progress, please support me in reaching my goal.  You can have an unlimited number of sessions at the special price of $75 in exchange for a short feedback form.

Recent feedback:  "It was comforting, relaxing and meditative. ... My mind felt like it was freely drifting, while my body felt safely supported at all times.  The movements effectively released muscle strains in [my] lower back, shoulder and neck."

Call now 805-504-6640 to experience it for yourself! 

Read what Saul David Raye, world renown Thai Yoga Therapy master and my teacher, has to say about this modality.

Free for You ... At Your Convenience
Stroke of Insight ... this video blew my mind.
       _________

"Plight of the Peaceful Warrior" accepted into the international This I Believe database!


Just a mouse click away, when your schedule permits.

When you have 20 minutes, watch this video of a talk given by neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor in which she describes observing her brain functions slip away during a massive stroke. I completely agree with this description: "This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another."  Her description is uncannily similar to what some people experience in extremely deep meditation.

At the end, many hear her plea that we should move from living in our left brain to living in our right as absolute. Listen closely to her experience. She describes excruciating sensory overload as she moves from left brain to exclusively right brain. I offer this perspective ... we are not intended to live exclusively from either side.  But we need to seek ways to balance the use of both, because our daily lives encourage us to be in our left brain most of the time.

If you are looking for ways to support moving towards balance, join me at any of the events I've shared above as meditation is one simple means to practice easing from the left brain into the right brain.
                        ________________

Update:  Several of participants in the FebruaryThis I Believe discussion group chose to write a personal essay.  I just received notice that my essay, "Plight of the Peaceful Warrior", was accepted into the international database! 
 
Integrative InSight
PO Box 3064
Camarillo, California 93011-3064

805-504-6640
 Integrative InSight facilitates appreciation and personal growth through opportunities to focus, contemplate, and grow (meditations).

http:www.integrative-insight.com
Integrative InSight | PO Box 3064 | Camarillo | CA | 93011-3064