Entering the third trimester of pregnancy will make the next few months “the last of life as I know it”. As expected though, this growing experience has brought such wonderful connections with other prenatals, new moms and their babies, along with moms I’ve known for years. The North Shore is absolutely blessed with a community that cares, shares, recycles and gives resources which help build this sense of connection. And since we are so fortunate to have the availability of care that we do, I feel the need to retract a rather general and disapproving statement I made about the medical system the other day!
Truth be told, our Canadian medical system and its technology are quite excellent. A note of interest is that the Medical Services Plan of British Columbia gives most prenatals timely ultrasounds and free access to midwifery care, which can offer a real sense of emotional relief during pregnancy. Perhaps take in this recent article from a local paper that expands on midwifery and that of home birthing, bringing greater awareness to how rewarding this experience can be. Regardless whether one chooses to experience a home birth or hospital birth with a midwife, or a hospital birth with a physician, it is a true privilege to have the support of these professionals.
In addition to the professional care, personal care and nesting I have in store for the up and coming winter months, I plan to nurture the family with some of our favorite retreat recipes. Enjoy these delicious vegetarian dishes and visit the BLOG again soon for more from our latest retreat.
Count your blessings and have a safe and happy month ahead.
Namaste
Lori Charko
Meditation Exploration with Lori Charko
This meditation class will explore several different styles of meditation to help calm and focus your mind, and bring more energy into your life. Learn techniques to be present and in the moment, as well as inspire spirituality through appropriate breathing and visualizing. Meditation or dhyana is one of the eight limbs of yoga leading to a path of enlightenment.
Sunday November 14th
12:30 – 2:30 pm
$20 plus hst – Preregister Now
Dr. Wayne Dyer – The Shift ~ Moving from Ambition to Meaning
Dr. Wayne Dyer brings his latest work to Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Tuesday, November 23rd. Use special promotional code SHIFT at www.ticketmaster.ca and save 20%!
How do we make The Shift and bring true purpose and happiness to our lives? The Shift doesn’t mean that we lose our drive and ambition; it signifies that we become ambitious about something new. We make a commitment to living a life based on experiencing meaning and feeling purposeful, rather than a life based on never-ending demands and false promises that are the trademark of the ego’s agenda.
As we contemplate leaving the morning of our life, where ego has played a commanding role, and entering the afternoon (and evening), where meaning and purpose replace ambition and struggle, we may encounter unexpected occurrences that accompany this new direction. It’s almost a universal law that we’ll experience a fall of some kind. Yet these falls or low points provide the energy we need to move away from ego and into a life of meaning and purpose.
Earth, upon which this moving, breathing life exists,
May she bestow on us the finest of her harvests
Earth, the all-sustaining, treasure-bearing, resting place
Golden-breasted Earth, home of all life,
Who bears the sacred fire.
Pleasant by thy hills, O Earth,
Thy snow-clad mountains and thy forests.
On this Earth do I stand,
unvanquished, unslain, unhurt.
Set me, O Earth amidst the nourishing strength
that emanates from thy body.
The Earth is my mother, Her son or daughter am I
Infinite Space is my father, May he fill us with plenty.
Peaceful, sweet-smelling, gracious Earth,
Whatever I dig from thee, O earth,
May that have quick growth again,
May we not injure your vitals or your heart.
Full of sweetness are the plants,
And full of sweetness these my words
And with things that are full of sweetness,
I prosper in a thousand ways.
~From The Atharva Veda