Introducing The ‘Soul Directed Living’ Program

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Soul Directed Living – is a comprehensive program of philosophies, classes, and living strategies with a core aim at helping you structure you life so that you can achieve your heart’s purpose before you lose the capacity to do so. Age, accidents, illness and depleted energy all offer substantial roadblocks to our capacity and we will all have to face some or all of them in our lives. Our biology and culture have a ‘current’ of pressures that push us along life’s path regardless of our individual needs and desires. SDL is for those who hear their heart’s internal call to stop accepting reactionary living; being pushed about by fate into adopting the lifestyle which the ‘Jonses’ and marketing have dictated. Alternatively, our program provides a structure of practices and philosophies that help us to first connect with our heart and then take consistent and long term action to manifest the purpose and passions that reside deep within us in order to make our life one we are proud of with few regrets as we sit on our deathbeds.

Questions For Dreaming

What kind of life would you lead if you let your deepest emotional needs surface to directly influence your long term goal setting and lifestyle choices. Would you be happier, more engaged? Would the anxiety, depression, apathy, sadness and/or anger still be as strong?  What if you structured your daily habits in such a way that it propelled you forward satisfy and answer the deepest questions and needs of your heart? What would change if you started acting and speaking your truth?

For many people the answers to these questions are both terrifying and exciting. This means you’re on the right track! We are stimulating the ‘yes’ of our deeper energetic pulse and also pressing up against the ‘no’ that has held us in check. The paradox is that very often these two things are side by side occupying the same space. In addition to the self discovery work that allows us to identify and focus on our hearts desires, we come into stress management and the capacity to handle and process change as major aims of our program.

By putting together long term goal setting, mid term emotional/ educational processing, and daily living habits SDL creates a structure or scaffolding that we can use to build our lives to fit the needs of our soul level passions. Other core aims of this program teach us how to handle and accept disruption and stress. The paradoxical nature of stress is that we want to avoid it, but it is in some of the most stressful times that the greatest joy is discovered. By learning new ways to frame stress, vulnerability and courage are important to our being able to keep moving towards our dreams. At times massive upheavals will be thrown at us which we will need to react to, but also learning to step into disruption and stress consciously as a means to achieving greater joy is important.

Community and Action

From thought to word to deed the process of manifestation comes forth from deep within us to become physical reality. When we make larger and larger choices about how we want to live, surrounding ourselves with others of like minds is powerful. SDL provides the structure to implement action on many levels and creates a platform of connection for us all to support and nourish each other via classes, social media, and more.

When we put it all together we have a program that provides a comprehensive view of how to navigate our life and live it with passionate connection and deeply felt conviction. Are you ready?

Classes start soon.

Get connected:

Join our Soul Directed Living Public Facebook group to stay connected to inspiring content, learn about upcoming classes, and meet other soul directed individuals!

Click To Join our Soul Directed Living Facebook Group

Take an intro class!

Get started with our introductory zoom classes where we dig into the nuts and bolts of connecting with your heart, creating positive change, and building a lifestyle that makes you vibrate with passion! Sign up by calling our front desk today: 715.316.0040

  • Examine why you are anxious, sad, depressed or angry. Lets get to the core!
  • Filter through the noise! What is your heart saying? As you make a bucket list, values list, and Life goal list, what makes the cut?
  • Accountability is scary! If we take a look at how much time you have left to accomplish your deepest goals, express your deepest values, etc, how on track are you? Lets get serious.
  • Walk away inspired, with a plan and with support! Yes, from just one class. But also ready for the next step along the journey of Soul Directed Living.
  • Re-frame your beliefs about stress so that you can accomplish more and use it to your advantage.
  • Examine change as a fundamental component of life. How have you embraced or rejected change and how has that changed the way your life progresses?
  • Explore how our culture has demonized the feminine energies of surrender, acceptance, and emotional energy in general. Learn how adjusting our expectations and philosophies surrounding the feminine aspects of life can release deeply held negative self talk and open our eyes to new ways of thinking about our life’s journey and hearts needs.
  • Explore the deep insights of our program. Its nuts and bolts were developed by Josiah after 20 years of teaching and being in the wellness industry. Learn what has inspired him to develop Soul Directed Living and why he feels it provides many critical components missing from most wellness programs to provide lasting results.

 

Class Dates:

  • Soul Directed Living – Make a Heart-Directed Plan For Your Life
    • Thursday July 6th 8pm – Zoom link will be delivered to all sign ups.
  • Reframing How We Process Change – Stress Isn’t All Bad
    • Thursday August 6th 8pm – Zoom link will be delivered to all sign ups.
  • Soul Directed Living – The 9 Month Process
    • Thursday August 13th 8pm – Zoom link will be delivered to all sign ups.
  • Soul Directed Living – The 4 wheels and 5 instinctual urges
    • Thursday August 20th 8pm – Zoom link will be delivered to all sign ups.

To Sign up, simply call our main desk to get an invite. These beginning classes will all be free of charge. Also, join our Soul Directed Living Facebook group linked above to stay informed and connected.

Class: Crystal & Mineral Class April 21, 2018

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Crystal & Mineral Class with Beaux

In this introductory course you will become familiar with the crystal power basics.  You will also understand the differences between a crystals natural power and it’s Metaphysical properties and uses. Take a journey to the center of the crystal.

Explore the uses of minerals, how to understand and determine their properties.
Discover ways to connect, charge, cleanse, and care for your minerals.

Location: Back To Bliss – Colby
Date: April 21st
Time: 11am – 1pm
Cost: $30

Click Here to Register for Class

Check out this intro video with Beaux and Josiah

 

Beaux can also be found on his Facebook page Mystic Hollow found @thestandingstones

 

Fitness Class: Circuit Training Starts in April

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Circuit Training Fitness Class – 8 Weeks Long Dates: April 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th, May 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th.

Times: 5:45pm – 6:45pm Please pre-register with Reception or online

Click here to Register for class and see our class schedule

Join Christine for a good sweat! We’ll do a minute of cardio, followed by a minute of strength. The minutes fly by! We always end with stretching. We workout to FUN music! The kind of music that makes you want to move and keep moving. Not only we will sweat together, we will laugh together and we will motivate each other!

Price: There are many options to choose from:

Session Passes: (expire after consecutive date first used) 4 week – $23, 8 week – $40

Sticky Passes: (expires after 18 months)

Drop In – $10

10 Pack: $85 25 Pack: $199

 Click here to buy a fitness class series or Sticky pass

Considering A Career In Massage Therapy?

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A Local Opportunity

Back To Bliss is offering a class that was developed by a massage therapy school as a ‘first look’ into the career. When potential students would question whether or not they were ready to commit to a full year long massage therapy program, the school would steer them towards a version of the 15-hour course we are offering. Let’s face it, the commitment of time and money is often scary. Many potential students know they like to give back rubs to family and friends, but they have very little real experience or knowledge about professional massage. This course is the answer to these questions. It was designed to teach a full body oil massage in a group setting.

Students expressing any interest in Massage Therapy as a career can get an authentic experience of what it would be like to give massages as a professional. Taking this course will give enough experience to confirm or remove any doubts about massage as a career before students take the large step of committing to a full program.

Course Details

The course material covers a full body oil massage on professional tables. It is a public class for all ages. Minors under the age of 18 can attend with parental consent. We actually encourage parents to take the class with their child so they can talk about the career choice together. You can also find an online link to information regarding this massage course below:

Several people have expressed interest in this course already, but the dates we have scheduled for our first run don’t work for them. If you also interested but looking for other times that work for your schedule, please contact us with what does work for you so we can set up a second course time that does work for you.

Currently Scheduled

Choose from any of the following three six week sessions.

Session 1: 3/22 – 4/7 – Wed and Fri nights from 6:30-9 @ YRC

Session 2: 4/25 – 5/30  –  Tuesday nights from 6:30-9 @ YRC

Session 3: 7/2 – 8/6  –  Sundays from 3 – 6:30 @ Colby

 

6 classes. 2.5-3 hours each.

Fee: $125 / person or $200 / couple if signing up together.

Class by Class Description

Impatient? Bach Flower Remedies can help

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Welcome To A New Modality

Congratulations on taking an interest in emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness. Bach Flower Remedies are an amazing therapy type, or modality, that works on this level our being to profound effect. There is a lot to talk about and be interested in with these great remedies. They are gentle without typical drug interactions or side effects. They work well for a large demographic of ages and emotional needs, and most of all, they are greatly effective.

A Little Bach-Ground

Dr. Edward Bach (1886 – 1936) was very instrumental in educating the public in the remedies that reach the vibrational level of yourself to help in the healing process of emotions. In other words, think of a piece of music or art that really moves you from the core. Your reaction has deep emotional and subconscious tones that resonate through you. These ‘vibrations’ are the level on which Bach Flower Remedies work within your system. “They do not work because of the chemical composition of the liquid, but because of the life forces derived from the plant and contained in the water-based mixture…” Bach (p. 7).

A Deeper Look

Very often when things are new, it’s hard to truly understand them without experiencing them. So here are the details on Impatiens, which was the first flower that Dr. Bach produced in remedy form.

Who should consider Impatiens? Dr. Bach says that:

“Ones who are impatient, irritable, nervous and quick to judge on a subject matter with negative appeal.” Impatiens helps with frustration towards others who are not ‘being fast enough’ for our liking.

Josiah talks a little bit about this remedy below. Details on how these remedies are made and used can be found in our upcoming class.

Learn More

Join us for a detailed examination of all the original Remedies developed by Dr. Bach. We will discuss how the remedies are used, mixed, and made in detail. By the end of this class series, you should understand how to create your own mixes and evaluate flowers for friends, family, and yourself.

Register Now

References:

Kaminski, P. & Katz, R. (2000). Flower Essence Repertory: A Comprehensive Guide to North American and English Flower Essences for Emotional and Spiritual Well-Being. Nevada City, CA: The Flower Essence Society.

 

 

 

Bach Flowers: Remedies for Emotional Balance

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Anxiety, depression, judgment, impatience.  These are just a few of the unbalanced emotional spaces we can fall into. Bach Flowers give us a holistic and gentle way to resolve these negative emotions at a deep soul level. And not just deep clinical emotional unbalances. Bach Flower Remedies are great for us to use just to keep tendencies of unbalance from becoming problematic at larger levels.

Bach Flowers work at a vibrational level, which is an excellent method for transmitting deep emotional and subtle information. They work without drug interactions and are completely safe for children. In fact, since they work on a very subtle level, they are great for helping children process emotions which they don’t have words to process intellectually.

Learn about the original flowers developed by Dr. Bach as well as the seven major veins of mental anguish he categorized.  Flowers such as Holly which helps people process jealousy will be discussed so you can learn how to help the emotional balance of your family. We will discuss all of the original Bach flower remedies along with how to use them. 

4 weekly classes will run Sundays from 3:30-5pm beginning on Feb 26th. Fee is $20 without book and $40 with book. Class will be casual with tea and discussion.

 

Gems Of Ayurveda: Everyone Isn’t The Same

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Everyone Isn’t The Same

Ever get sick of ‘blanket advice?’ Sick of that commercial which is certain that the one point they are making is THE ANSWER to your health problems? One of the fundamental tenants of Ayurveda is a concept that allows for an individual body type. All of us have had the experience where we find sage advice to be horrible for us. Maybe that sage advice is good advice, just not for your body type.

The idea that you are not the same as everyone else makes finding healthy options a bit more complex. But the results, once you learn some basics about what your body type is, are much more reliable. The pearl of wisdom we are looking at today says, “Hey, I am unique. I respond to the world in my own way. I need unique advice about my health.” Pretty decent idea, wouldn’t you say?

What Are Body Types

Understanding body types isn’t all that hard. Basically, there are three primary types. There is a windy type, a fiery type, and a muddy type. These elemental types are metaphors that describe how we react in fundamental ways at all three levels of our being; body, emotion, and mind. The key is to understand that each of us is some combination of these three body types. Each body type has its own set of balancing and healing therapies. For instance, we have all heard advice about putting ice or heat on sore muscles. What’s up with that? They are complete opposites. Why would both completely opposite therapies be good? The concept of body types gives us some insight as to why the advice of both hot and cold packs can be the right advice. Both windy and muddy body types are more often cold and would like heat for balancing while fiery types are already inflamed and cold packs are more balancing to them in general. We just need to find out what your body type is to see how your unique nature needs to be balanced.

 

An Example of How It Works

We will use the example of music, which is not commonly thought of as medicine. Because, once you understand how the types work, you can turn everything in your life into something that balances you or unbalances you.

EXAMPLE:

You are tired and out of sorts from a long week of work. As you sit in your car to head home you go to turn on the radio:

Windy people love motion. They crave and live on the stimulation of new things and bouncy active events. However, that Pop 40 Station, filled with excitement, fast tones and your favorite jams that make you want to sing along and dance is depleting to you. Windy people often are imbalanced because they have spent all their energy. Now is not the time to get your groove on and burn the remainder of your vitality away. Silence would be the best answer, but maybe a channel without so much excitement would be best at the moment. Try some classical or something smooth and slow to help you wind down.

Fiery people are intense. They love lists, order, and can see what needs to be done. This ‘burning through’ decisiveness leads to a Friday drive home that probably has you tense and focused. Very often anger and control emotions are popping up because of all the obstacles keeping you from getting your list finished. The goal of balancing you now is to cool your fire from a raging inferno to a warming glow. Silence is too much of a change for you, so music that isn’t angry or intense is best. No feisty and rough lyrics for you today. How about turning off the rap and adding some country? Maybe some classics from the 50’s and 60’s instead of that 80’s rock. Even your Christian station may not be best today. It is filled with themes that inspire intense feelings within you. Now is not the time to light your fires, but to cool them.

Muddy people are steady. They endure and have consistency. Very likely they are not overburdened by the work week and are ready to roll. These people are typically in a rut and when unbalanced. That rut tends to lead them to complacency and sluggishness. So crank up the tunes. It’s time for the weekend! Muddy personalities can use a good shake up and shake down to get them moving and throw off their sluggishness. Activity and exuberance are what they need. So find your favorite jam and be that crazy person singing out loud and grooving to the beat. If your car isn’t bouncing at the stop lights, then you aren’t dancing hard enough!

To Learn More

Ayurveda takes a little bit of effort to learn. Mostly because our minds are not used to thinking in metaphors, but also because we need to learn how activities can be adjusted to make them less wind, fire, or mud unbalancing. That’s a good deal of detail. Basically, it’s a new way of thinking about our lives and how we do things. We can get very serious about it, and change a lot of things in our lifestyle, or we can take our time and focus on adjusting one activity at a time. As we grow in our knowledge, we make more and more small adjustments to our lifestyle that add up to keep us on track and balanced in a big way.

Back To Bliss offers an introductory Ayurveda class to get you started and often teaches classes on holistic health that utilize Ayurvedic wisdom.  Check our class schedule to see what’s coming up soon!

Class Schedule - Colby
Class Schedule - McMillan

Bodyworkers Share Begins

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Hands & Hearts – Bodyworkers Share

Join us this fall for Back To Bliss’ Bodyworkers Share. This is an open group for any currently licensed Bodyworker, Massage Therapist, or Alternative Modality provider. During this share, we will begin with a small discussion to set our intention and talk shop. Once we divide ourselves up for the trade, we will each receive a 45 minute service from another participant. Unstructured time is allowed at the end of each share to drink tea while we socialize and process the experiences from the trade together.

What is a Bodyworkers Share?  

A Bodyworkers Share is a group that gathers to support, inspire, and build their local wellness community. In particular, the massage and bodywork profession often lacks community where we can set up a variety of 

As all groups, it is what the members make of it, so come with questions and help us build a wonderful space where massage, and all those who bring the healing power of touch, are celebrated.

What is Hands & Hearts?

Hands & Hearts is a program organized around the idea of increasing our local area’s touch literacy. Sponsored by Back To Bliss, it has various facets including teaching friends and family how to give each other massages, supporting  local professional bodyworkers and a charitable program aimed at helping to provide bodywork to underpriviledged community members. Follow this link to see our complete program options and get involved.

When and Where

This share is 100% free, and will happen every four weeks on Sunday nights from 7:15-9pm. Each Share is hosted at Back To Bliss where we can enjoy the professional setting. We are hosting this event at both the Colby and Marshfield locations to make it easily accessible to a larger area. Tables and linens are provided by Back To Bliss. You may bring your personal oils and accessories as desired.

2016 Colby Dates:

  • Sunday October 23rd @ 7:15-9pm
  • Sunday December 18th @ 7:15-9pm

2016 Marshfield Dates:

  • Sunday September 25th @ 7:15-9pm
  • Sunday November 20th @ 7:15-9pm

Registration:

Please call or go online to reserve a spot for each month’s share. We are currently limited to 10 participants. Call 715.316.0040 to speak to a receptionist or go to http://www.secure-booker.com/division/Classes.aspx and search for the dates you are looking to register for. Feel free to send questions and comments to Monica at the bottom of the page.

Your First Meditation – So’Hum

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So, you want to give this meditation thing a shot?

We have put together a short program to give you a taste of what meditation actually is. The truth is that meditation is an internal experience that is hard to convey through the media we typically use. Meditation is about tapping into an internal experience of peace and stillness and we simply can’t show that to you in an instagram picture or via a youtube video, sound byte, book, etc.

So, if you want to know what meditation is, you have to do it. And even then, the journey of regularly practicing meditation continues to give you a deeper and deeper set of experiences as you go. These experiences help you gain access to that part of you which is beyond words, ego, and day to day consciousness. It’s like a wrapped present. You won’t know whats inside until you open it, and even after you open it, there is another present inside the first box. Each package can be unwrapped through more practice.

Getting motivated

At first we want to meditate for a variety of reasons. Impulses pulled from the cacophony of media that we have absorbed over the years. It’s cool, mystical, healthy, etc….  To be reading this page, you need to have been interested enough to click here, and that says some great things about your motivation.

Our goal is to dive right in to get you an experience of the peace which meditation can bring so that you have something stronger to keep you motivated. Because, the bottom line is, you need to carve out the time and energy to do the practice or you won’t get any results at all. That tread mill in the basement covered in cobwebs is really helpful, eh?

As a final piece of motivation, let me say from 15 years of experience as a professional and practitioner in the wide wacky world of wellness and spirituality. Meditation is the single most powerful tool to wellness I have ever found. Single most powerful doesn’t mean best for everyone, nor does it mean the only thing we should do. However, it does mean that it has my full confidence to be beneficial for everyone as a lifetime practice of wellness. Trust me. You will never be sorry that you spent some time learning to meditate.

Meditation is incredibly simple

When we talk about meditation, we have grand ideas of inner peace or life changing epiphanies. Magic, mysticism, and a lot of other myths surround it. But, the truth is that the details of performing meditation are incredibly simple. In a word, its just the practice of focus. Focusing your mind on a single thought, word, sound, picture, etc…. However, the practice of maintianing that focus is where the real work of meditation is found.  Thats it.

Once we know that we can gain a tremendously positive experience from focusing our mind through meditation and sit down to do it a bit, we have the experience of obstacles. And here is where we gain a tremendous about of benefit as well.  Why does my body hurt after sitting still for five minutes? What can I do to sit longer? Why do I get so mad when I sit for meditation? What causes that? What part of my mind keeps thinking this is stupid when I know I feel great every time I do it? Which parts of my mind are involved in that internal conflict?

As obstacles come up, we can add a whole host of practices that help us work on different aspects of health and wellness. What a great thing!

Lets do it!

Listen to the audio link below to be guided through the details of your first meditation. Then, try it by yourself for 3 minutes in silence.

The very first meditation takes three minutes. It is called So’Hum meditation because those are the words that you use to focus on while you breathe. They are used because they are the actual sounds that the breath makes when you sit with your head neck and truck straight and breathe through your nose.  The sound So echoes as you inhale. Hum as you exhale. Take a moment to close your eyes and listen to the differences in the sound as you breathe smoothly in and out through your nose.

By keeping your posture upright you keep things aligned. Obstacle removed!

By breathing in and out through your nose, you help slow down the breath to keep you calm and help with focus. Obstacles removed!

By slowing down your breath so it is gentle and peaceful, you help to keep your nervous system peaceful too. Obstacle removed!

By closing your eyes you help to remove distracting stimulation from the outside, allowing you to focus. Obstacle removed!

Now, set a timer for 3 minutes or count for 25 full exhales as you breathe. Sing the sounds So and Hum along with the complete inhalations and exhalations so that they match time.

Do it now! Go.

You did it!

You just had an experience of meditation. Congrats, you are further along than most people. However, you have just scratched the surface of a massive iceburg. Even with such a simple and short practice most people feel calmer afterwards. They feel emotionally and mentally more at peace; more at ease in general. Sometimes headaches disappear and other dis – eases are lessened.

Let that sink in. Just once, and just for three minutes! And you had these results….  Now think about how powerful a regular habit of that experience would be. How much longer you would hold onto the experience of peace and calm throughout your day if you did it regularly.

Did we get you motivated? Because the truth is that meditation time often needs to be carved into your busy schedule. Our mind throws up excuses like weeds in order to avoid being trained and disciplined. Can you be one of the few that commit to maintaining the practice? It takes work and effort, just like every wellness practice. But I hope you enjoyed the sweet taste of what it can bring enough to try again tomorrow.

Next Step

The next steps involve broadening our understanding of why and how meditation works. We will fill in some holes in our technique. In general we will expound and explain more helpful hints to make the practice easier, deeper, and keep us motivated to keep doing the work. Look for a small series of blog posts and audio clips to help keep the momentum rolling.

See you then!

Reiki Share Begins

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Hands & Hearts – Reiki Share

Join us this fall for Back To Bliss’ Reiki Share. This is an open group for anyone who has completed Reiki I, II, or III, regardless of how often you perform reiki.  During this share, we will begin with a small discussion to set our intention and talk shop. Once we divide ourselves up for the trade, we will each receive a 15 minute reiki service from multiple providers at once. Unstructured time is allowed at the end of each share to drink tea while we socialize and process the experiences from the trade together.

What is a Reiki Share?  

A Reiki Share is a group that gathers to support, inspire, and build their local reiki community. Reiki is often misunderstood, and finding safe and appropriate people and places to share and learn from is sometimes difficult. This group is intended to be that safe haven. A monthly gathering that allows us to nurture ourselves and develop our intuition. As all groups, it is what the members make of it, so come with questions and help us build a wonderful space where reiki, and all those who practice it, are celebrated.

  • The following will find the reiki share to be highly beneficial.
    • New practitioners – Get feedback from the pros
    • Home practitioners – Gather experience by practicing on new people.
    • Busy practitioners – Schedule it so you can receive, too!
    • Professional practitioners – Spread your network. Promote your Niche.

What is Hands & Hearts?

Hands & Hearts is a program organized around the idea of increasing our local area’s touch literacy. Sponsored by Back To Bliss, it has various facets including teaching friends and family how to give each other massages, supporting  local professional bodyworkers and a charitable program aimed at helping to provide bodywork to underpriviledged community members.

When and Where

This share is 100% free, and will happen every four weeks on Monday night from 6-7pm. Each Share is hosted at Back To Bliss – Colby Center where we can enjoy the professional setting. Tables and linens are provided by Back To Bliss. You may bring your personal accessories as desired.

2016 Dates:

  • Monday September 26th @ 6:00pm
  • Monday October 24th @ 6:00pm
  • Monday November 21st @ 6:00pm
  • Monday December 19th @ 6:00 pm

Registration:

Please call or go online to reserve a spot for each month’s share. We are currently limited to 10 participants. Call 715.316.0040 to speak to a receptionist or go to http://www.secure-booker.com/division/Classes.aspx and search for the dates you are looking to register for. Feel free to send questions and comments to Monica at the bottom of the page.

Walking Meditation – Classes and Group Activities

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Walking Meditation @ Bliss Garden

Walking meditation is an age old practice that combines slow walking with mental focus and intentionality. There are various types of walking meditation that range from very prescribed practices filled with details about how to walk and what to think about, to simply being observant and mindful of the moment as you walk. These practices are found in many spiritual and religious traditions around the globe. The benefits of meditation are numerous, as is being out in nature. Taking time to engage in walking meditation combines mental focus, intentionality, stress free movement, and being out in nature. This combination makes for a truly blissful experience that is fun, healthy, and nourishing to heart and soul.

We will be offering monthly classes throughout the warm months of 2016. Each class will cover a specific topic or style associated with walking meditation. After class we will enjoy a formal group practice of walking meditation in the garden at our McMillian Retreat Center (weather permitting.) The garden will be open for walking meditation and socialization for the entire afternoon of class and past students of any class are welcome to walk the garden paths.

Group Structure

Each meeting will follow the same format. To begin, we will be indoors to talk about a specific aspect or practice of walking meditation. This group discussion will be followed by Q & A and will take roughly 45 mins to 1 hr. Following this the entire group will go outside to practice the specific techniques in that day’s focus. Practice can range from 20 mins to 45 mins depending on each person’s inclinations. And after the focused group practice, the garden is open for individuals to gather and socialize or perform their personal practice. Anyone is welcome to participate in either or both the group discussion and the group walk.

Bliss Garden’s will be open for the afternoon of the group meeting for all participants of past classes to enjoy personal meditation walks as well.

Dates, Times & Topics

This series is Free with donations accepted to help grow Bliss Garden. The classes are not sequential, but will have a decent amount of material that will build from previous sessions. Anyone of any age can attend class provided they can maintain the focus and quiet needed for a discussion group as well as a focused walking meditation. Registration is encouraged, but not required.

  • April 24th, Sunday from 1-3pm – Mindfulness
  • May 29th, Sunday from 1-3pm – Contemplation In Nature
  • June 14th, Tuesday from 3-5pm – Object Based Meditation – Japa / Rosary
  • July 12th, Tuesday from 3-5pm – Rhythm walking
  • August 9th, Tuesday from 3-5pm – Breathing Meditation
  • September 18th, Sunday from 1-3pm – Intentionality & Practice Building
  • October 23rd, Sunday from 1-3pm -Potential Year End Date

Bliss Garden

Back To Bliss’ community garden project is located on the property of our McMillan Retreat Center. Everything about the layout and design of the garden is meant to help inspire us to spiritual study and to help us enjoy the beauty of nature. Several activity areas are planned including a labryinth, havan, outdoor class courtyard, and communal food and fire area. Many more practices from different spiritual traditions will be built into the garden as well.

This year, the main pathways are available for walking meditation. Our paths are grass covered. They are not perfectly even, and not suitable for those challenged by uneven ground. Bring weather appropriate clothing and footwear if you plan on participating in group walks.

Goals

It is our hope that after a summer examining the different styles and philosophies of walking meditation you will have a solid grounding for making it a lifelong tool for wellness. By gathering in a group setting we build momentum and inspiration from each other to undertake these practices. Walking meditation has many styles and some are very different. By taking a look through a broad assortment of them we will find the style and philosophy that best suits your personality and needs.

If we build a strong group with energy and momentum this summer we can continue through the winter with different forms of indoor meditation practices.

For questions, call our group facilitator, Josiah @ 715.897.6825 or comment on our facebook event pages.

Class Topic Descriptions

Mindfulness

Mindfulness has gotten a lot of attention lately so we will begin from here. Walking meditation from the buddhist mindfulness school involves very structured movement at a slow pace. You repeat thoughts based on the actions you are performing. The focus and repetition develop a space where you become very present with the motion of thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations within you.

Contemplation In Nature

Contrasting the high structure and tight mental focus on our mindfulness practice, contemplation in nature is very unstructured. We attempt to use the energy from the natural setting to calm, replenish, and open us to a mental space where we can be free of our standard thought patterns. How we choose the topic of our contemplation and the way we set up a regular practice of such contemplations is dependant on our goals.

Object Based Meditation – Japa / Rosary

Object based meditation involves repeating a sound, phrase, or sight. Walking with a counting bead such as a mala or rosary, (finger counting works fine as well if you don’t have one) is a very calming experience. We will discuss the types of object for focusing upon that work best for walking meditation for any religious or spiritual tradition. This type of walking meditation has a moderate amount of structure and a slower walk.

Rhythm walking

Here we develop a type of focus that has more physical elements in it. These techniques can be applied to someone’s typical exercise walking practices to make your exercise more holistic. The mental focuses and awareness practices we implement are all based on the rhythm and pulse of the walk you choose. This practice can be applied to a vigorous paced walk, but any pace will work.

Breathing Meditation

With a specific focus on control and awareness of breath, these practices allow you to delve more powerfully into moving prana and balancing emotion. The topic of the day will be applying breath counting to the pace of your walk and breathing in the vitality from nature. These practices can be combined with previously discussed techniques to moderate them towards emotion and energy balancing.

Intentionality & Practice Building

By the end of the series we will have discussed techniques from many different traditions with subtle variations that help them focus on different parts of our being. These slight changes in focus allow us to gain deeper benefits in particular parts of our being. Today we will discus how to take the techniques and build  them into individual practices for personal benefit. Ideas such as: how long to walk, how many days in a row, what techniques help specifically with anxiety or anger will be discussed. You will build a personal practice and then as a group we will all walk our individual practices together.

Upcoming Reiki Certification Trainings

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Reiki I and Reiki II Certification Trainings

Join Reiki Master, Monica Groth in the exploration of reiki healing.

Self-care and nurturing is essential for a balance and well-being. Reiki is a gentle, light-touch form of healing that everyone can learn to perform. It can greatly enhance your ability to nurture and heal your loved ones. It helps heal physical and emotional blockages so that our life force energy, or Ki, can flow unimpeded.  This leads to increased energy and vitality. Reiki helps one to enter into deep relaxation where healing at all levels can occur. It can also be used to relieve chronic pain and can safely supplement other healing modalities.

Reiki I

You will learn to practice self Reiki; learn about the philosophy of the seven Chakras; receive a Reiki Level 1 attunement and receive a Reiki Level 1 Practitioner certificate. This six hour class will give you the knowledge to start practicing on yourself, family and friends, even pets love it.  Reiki is a japanese healing energy technique that allows us to harness the flow of the energy we all have access to.  This initiation opens us up to the divine energy and teaches us how to direct the flow for healing of the mind, body and spirit.  The benefits of this class with help you understand the energy field around us and how healing on this level can help you and those around you.  Monica will give you scientific information to help you understand the theory behind this amazing gift.

Reiki I Manual provided
 
No prior experience required.
Open to all – licensed therapists and public.
Class is limited to 6 students.
Vegatarian Lunch is provided.  RSVP for lunch at registration
Course Fee: $175 / person
Time: 10-4pm
Dates: (Offered at two separate dates this fall.) Saturday Saturday November 12th, 2016. 
Location: Back To Bliss – Retreat Center located five minutes north of Marshfield.
 

Reiki II

During this training you will learn to practice Reiki on others; deepen your understanding of auras; learn to direct reiki for distance healing, as well as how to clear unwanted habits and manifest your goals. This course helps you deepen your confidence and receptivity to your inner voice of intuition. Receive a Reiki Level II attunement and receive a Reiki Level II Practitioner certificate.
 
Reiki II Manual provided 
 
Prerequisite: Reiki I Certificate
Class is limited to 8 students.
Vegatarian Lunch is provided.  RSVP for lunch at registration
Course Fee: $175 / person
Time: 10-4pm
Dates: (Offered at two separate dates this fall.) Sunday, November 13th, 2016.
Location: Back To Bliss – Retreat Center located five minutes north of Marshfield.
 
You may take both Reiki I and II in the same weekend. A 10% discount will be given for those attending both courses over the weekend.
For more details feel free to comment on this post or call Back To Bliss and speak to Monica in person.