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Though Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, any moment is the perfect time to reflect on what you appreciate in your life.
I appreciate the many visitors and residents who come and join me at the Sunday afternoon drop in meditations at the center in Sedona. It's a program open to anyone! Each week there's a different meditation offered. It's $5 or free, depending on your budget.
I am always honored when readers like you come and meditate with me when they are visiting Sedona. But, i f you can't make it to Sedona... check out some free meditations here. Or, find a meditation & mindfulness teacher trained by me near you, many are listed here.
I also appreciate the work I do. The next few weeks are exciting, I'll be leading the Creative Soul Retreat (a writing retreat for women, here in Sedona. Then my husband and I are going to be presenters at the Spiritual Solutions weekend with Deepak Chopra, Gregg Braden, and Lynn Twist at the Chopra Center in Carlsbad, California.
Get the details below, or visit my website for the most current information on events and classes.
Thank you for creating personal peace so we can make this world a more peaceful place to live for all. Let's meditate together soon!
Sarah
Director, McLean Meditation Institute
Sedona, Arizona
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 Gratitude in any Moment
Almost every moment offers an opportunity to be grateful. Though practicing gratitude does take a bit of attention and time, it can really help you to thrive and find more peace.
Scientists at the University of California have discovered that those who practice gratitude really do have a better time than those who take life for granted.
Grateful people are more empathetic, more generous, place less importance on material goods--theirs and others. they are also more satisfied with life, and have more vitality and optimism.
You can be more grateful with a little practice. Here are some easy ways to get your gratitude groove on:
- Remember all who work on your behalf: As you go through your day, remember those who make your clothes, grow and pick your food, provide you with water and electricity, and those who built your car, house and place of work. Take a moment and look at the work that went into any item in your room. Even this magazine. Many hands are a part of your life.
- Attend to present moment: When you're mindful, you can appreciate everyone around you and the environment you're in. Right here, right now, your life is taking place. You can savor your life by slowing down to pay attention to each moment, instead of rushing to the next thing on your to-do list. For instance, on your way to school or work, you might notice the clouds form in the sky, or the sunlight reflecting off of the leaves of a tree, and instead of ignoring nature's beauty, perhaps you awaken to it and appreciate it.
- Keep a gratitude journal: Before bed or first thing in the morning take a moment to jot down a list of people, things, or experiences you are grateful for. This practice will train your attention to look for what you're are grateful for all day, every day.
Take a moment now to appreciate your life. With appreciation, the world can become a friendlier place.
Read more about how to more fully appreciate the gifts this wonderful life offers in my book: Soul Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks with Meditation
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 December 4-6, Sedona, AZat Agave Center. Explore meditation and mindfulness exercises to connect to your creative soul. You'll write, listen to yourself, and be heard... perhaps for the very first time. Women with any level of meditation and writing experience are welcome. facilitated by Sarah McLean and others. Learn more here or call (928)204-0067. Though early registration has passed, readers of this email can save too!
December 10-13, La Cost Spa, CA
at the Chopra Center at La Costa Resort & Spa.
Spiritual Solutions with Deepak Chopra, Lynne Twist, Sarah McLean, Martin Birrittella & so many other great speakers! Spiritual Solutions offers a culmination of Deepak's most powerful foundational teachings. Explore tangible, practical tools for health and wellbeing, relationships, success, and personal growth. You'll discover ways to live your life to the next level. With curriculum inspired by the best-selling book of the same name, Spiritual Solutions is designed for individuals who are ready to let go of struggle and start living with joy and success. Call Gabrielle, a Chopra Center Program Consultant, at (760)494-1639 to get your best price. Find out more.
 December 24, Sedona, AZ
Join a Christmas Eve Candlelight Meditation, 4:00-5:00 pm, with Hay House author Sarah McLean at the McLean Meditation Institute. Reflect on the spirit of the season with a heart-centered meditation and cultivate the goodwill and compassion we all wish the world. No meditation experience necessary. Please arrive on-time to join in. No need to pre-register.  December 31 (and January 23), in Sedona, AZLearn the Simple, Easy, Every Day Meditation method, 2:00-5:00 pm with Hay House author Sarah McLean at the McLean Meditation Center, 411 New Year's Eve Meditation Retreat in Sedona, Arizona. $225 per person, 10% off when you register with a friend. Scholarships are available. Get your online sign up form here or call 928.204.0067 to register. Special $95 rate for Be the Peace Retreat Participants. If you can't make it to Sedona, find a certified meditation teacher near you!
December 31 - January 1, Sedona, AZ
Be the Peace, New Year Meditation Retreat at the Agave Center, 7:30 pm-12:30 am, and New Year's Day 9:00-11:00 am. Be the peace you want to see in the world. Bring in the new year with deep meditation and mystical music with Sarah McLean and Ani Williams. Enjoy the timeless even as the year changes. Enjoy a visioning council on the first day of the year. $145. Limited to 30 people. Find out more here, or call (928) 204-0067.
McLean, a master meditation teacher and retreat facilitator, at the Sanctuary Resort. Discover the keys to Satori, and realize your true nature. Find a more peaceful, centered and fulfilling life as you are pampered with signature massages, delicious meals, wondrous accommodations, and guided into deep meditation for insight, rejuvenation, and inspiration. Experience the yoga of breath, meditation in motion, and mindfulness practices. Look at the itinerary and discover what is included in the Satori Retreat at the award-winning Sanctuary Spa & Resort on Camelback Mountain here. Or call 480-624-8513.
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Reflection on Your Goodness
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Ask Sarah
I've been meditating according to your instructions for about three weeks, and I'm rereading your book Soul Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks with Meditation. I have one question: due to a deviated septum and allergies, I sometimes can't breathe through my nose. At such times, I am afraid that because I have to breathe through my mouth, the meditation has little (if any) benefit - yet I don't want to miss a session. What are your thoughts about this? ~ RL
Thanks for your email. I'm glad that you're meditating! It's ideal to breathe naturally, so if you feel that you can breathe better naturally through your mouth, then by all means do it. Meditation doesn't have hard and fast rules. Instead, it requires your gentle, nonjudgmental attention, a point of focus, and your willingness to do it. You are receiving benefits as long as you're following the 5 essentials found in the introduction of the book. Check out this discussion.
New to meditation or looking for tips to enhance your meditation practice? Send your questions to Sarah@McLeanMeditation.com. Put "Ask Sarah" in the subject line. I'll answer you privately and perhaps feature your question in an upcoming issue.
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Creative Soul: A Meditation & Writing Retreat for Women
December 4-6 at Agave Center
in Sedona, Arizona
For many, writing is a spiritual practice that leads to a profound experience of timelessness and present moment awareness. A single moment of inspiration can become an eternity. The same is true of meditation: for those who practice meditation, life can be transformed physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
During the Creative Soul Retreat Hay House author and meditation expert Sarah McLean will guide you in meditation, mindfulness, and creativity. Participants in this retreat will learn and practice meditation and mindfulness exercises to remove the veil of stress that keeps them from knowing who they really are, outside of the roles and relationships they play. If you join us, you'll discover expansive writing exercises and learn to attend to silence, stillness, and the present moment, so that you can listen to and trust your own voice as you transcend your inner critic and express yourself from the womb of creativity. Newsletter readers can still get the early bird registration rate of $450, a $65 savings. Retreat Alums Save 15%. Come with a friend and save 10% each! Learn more here or call (928)204-0067.
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Soul-Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks
with Meditation
Looking for happiness, fulfillment, and a little inspiration?
I wrote this book to make meditation simple and easy for you.
In it you'll find the 5 Essentials to a successful meditation practice, along with step-by-step instruction in a wide variety of meditation practices, including an eating meditation, a number of walking meditations, and a variety of seated silent meditations.
You'll also discover the many transformational effects of meditation which include becoming more self-aware, becoming more joyous, being less judgmental, treating yourself and others with more compassion, feeling more connected to your true self, expressing yourself more honestly, receiving the gifts of your life, and establishing a nourishing lifestyle. Order your copy here.
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On Sarah's Bookshelf
Author Ali Katz is a graduate of the McLean Meditation Teacher Academy, a mindfulness coach, and a mom of two precious boys. Her book Hot Mess to Mindful Mom: 40 Ways to Find Balance, Joy, and Happiness in Your Every Day is her gift to moms who are ready to get honest/still/present/MINDFUL and really have some fun in the process. Ali shares practical tips that any busy mom can quickly incorporate into her daily life. A must-read for moms on the path to mindfulness and more joy! Get your copy here.
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