Do you hear what I hear?

Just wanted to bring in a holiday song since I've been virtually offline all month! 😜

But it is about listening, and to me, listening is truly hearing what is around and within you. All those voices inside and out? We don't need to tune them out. We just need to hear them all. And listen. 

Listen to your heart. Listen to your body. Listen to your mind. Listen to your ego. Then have your big S self make the decision on the action. 

Under the tree

UDid you wake up and find loads of presents under the tree? Yes? Awesome! No? Also awesome. Why? Because after the gifts under the tree are opened, they will be fun and amazing. They will probably run their course and you will want more gifts next year. 

You are the gift. Open yourself and find a lifetime of stimulation, amusement, satisfaction, amazement, and ultimately lasting fulfillment.

You got what you wanted. You are what you wanted. 

With love. Happy Holydaze!

#myniece

#youarethegift

#hollyjollychristmas

#givethegiftofyou

52 pickup

You are a deck of cards. When you play  one aspect of yourself, remember that you are still the whole pack. If we play a card or two more often than the others, we might forget that we are more. Often, the more used the card, the easier it is to pick from the deck, so the more often that number may come up.

Who is dealing the hand? Who is playing the hand? In your game, what are your rules? 

And remember, as you play your cards in this game of life, we are all playing with a full deck. We all have a full deck. There are no partial decks.

So when you wonder about the cards you were dealt, or if you don't like your hand, keep playing. There's a whole pack available to you.

#houseofcards

#52pickup

#fromfullnesscomesonlyfullness

#youarethedealer

Gratitude is the New Black

Gratitude is the new black. It goes with everything. Which is good to know during the holidays. You can wear it with everything. It rocks every outfit- physical, mental, emotional. 

Wearing the color of the season, here is my offering to the table of thanksgiving rampages:

I am grateful for gratitude. I am grateful that I feel gratitude for every single thing in my life. 

All of the things that worked out like I wanted them to. All the things that didn't work out. And the things I kept trying to work out that never came to pass. All were pointers that kept me out of my ego and on my path. All showed me who I really am and what I'm really doing here- and gave me the option to see or not to see.

All the heartbreak and the love, for they both taught me what love really is and that it had very little to do with what my pictures of love were. Together they helped me see, feel, know, a bigger picture.

For all my choices, dumb and smart, for they were the best I could do in the moment, and I know that. 

For all of the people who call me "teacher." Know that you teach me every day. Thanks for going on this wild ride with me, for trusting the Whole, for your fearlessness, willingness, tears, and laughter.

For those that I call "teacher." Those that taught me that it's never outside of myself, to stop judging, to love myself, to stop judging, to be aware of the obvious, to stop judging, that it's all God, and to stop judging. For teaching me that the information is in the space. Teaching me the value of rest, relaxation, and reflection. For teaching me that life is a research project and we are scientist, lab, and experiment. For reminding me that the answers I seek are within.

So I let go of judgment on the word "gratitude," and let myself feel the Wholeness." I have Everything to be thankful for. And I am Giving Thanks to All.

Thank You. All. Of. It.

#gratitudeforall

#enoughtogoaround

#Thanksgiving

#youarewhatyoueatsoeatlove

#gratitudeisthenewblack

Gratitude is the new black. It goes with everything.

Date night!

Medidate. Make a date with your body, mind, and soul. Get to know each other. The ultimate threesome.

#hurtssogood

#meditatingcanbefun

#dressingupformySelf

#datenighteverynight

Yoga Snuggle

Following up from yesterday's blog. Yoga nidra. Surrender all physical, mental, emotional weight and snuggle with the Divine.

Just sayin

#yogawverydamnday

#yoganidra

#takeanapwithgod

#rodstryker

#richardmiller

#transformationalflowfirsttuesdays

The Art of Snuggling

My dog Winston has snuggling down to an art. What are the secrets to mastering this ancient and profound state of being?

1) Total and complete surrender of weight. He allows himself to completely sink in to the surface area of his snuggle, ie me, and merge with it by releasing all tension, all weight. He doesn't try to make himself lighter, worry about his alignment, or worry about anything for that matter. 

2) He gives his weight and mind completely to the object of his snuggle and the present moment. In the moment of total snuggle-ness, time goes away, and there is no need or desire to do or be anywhere else.    

We can take a lesson from this. This surrender if weight is found in the yoga sutras of Patanjali. Patanjali talks about "ishwara pranidhana" or complete and total surrender to/with the Divine as a way to reach the state of samadhi, or becoming one with your "dhi," your highest state of knowingness. This implies a relationship with an object (the divine, aka your big S self), where you completely surrender your weight (all your crap), you are free of tension and in the present moment with no desire to be it do anything else. 

So find your dog, or another snuggling guru, whoever has mastered this art, and take a lesson. Then take what you learn and snuggle up to the divine.  Completely surrender your weight, release tension, and enjoy the sweet state of the divine snuggle with the Infinite.

#extremesnuggling

#ishwarapranidhana

#mydogasguru

Veterans Day

I'm grateful to the veterans who fought battles I didn't have to fight. Got their hands dirty, so I could get mine dirty in a different way. Thanks for doing the work I wasn't cut out for this time around. My trust is that my path has supported and freed you as well. 

I'm also grateful to the veterans for the little things like Veterans Day, because today is less traffic just when I needed it a little more space and ease. Not to mention the day off from street sweeping.

#weloveourvets

Do Less. Relax More.

Yes. I'm back on that train again. If you want to work hard, work hard at doing less and relaxing more without guilt or fear.

From a physiology point of view, in order for us to digest, assimilate and absorb nutrients, the more relaxed we are, the more we can get that job done. If we want to experience a state of steadiness, stability, and the joy that comes from a place where fear isn't driving the bus of you, start by digesting our physical food as optimally as possible. If we can at least wrap our brain around the benefits of relaxing in that capacity, it might make a nice bridge to embracing the benefits and by products that come with living from a relaxed point of view.

When we are relaxed, we are more apt to see a bigger picture. We are more apt to make a clearer decision. We are more in tune with "the right amount for me." We are more able to hear and respond to our inner Voice of Truth. And there is no guilt or fear in that Voice. Just our Truth.

So if we are "relaxing" and feeling guilty, are we really relaxing? It could take some practice, but the benefits are well worth the "effort" to learn effortlessness.

Yep. It's a can of worms. And it's open.
Enjoy your lunch.

#wormsforlunch
#artofdoingnothing
#relaxdammit
#improvedigestion

Day of the Dead

Coming off the heels of Halloween, we celebrate the day of the dead. In my view, this is the perfect kickoff to the holiday season. What are we celebrating? House cleaning! As we ride the energy of the demons and the dead, then proceed to surround ourselves with thanksgiving, sugar plums, and #108whateverthehellyouwant , we have the perfect recipie to clean our house of those houseguests in our mind that have started to stink. 

As those ghosts of the past, those old patterns that lead us into tizzies of confusion, doubt, fear, self hate, rear their ugly heads, at the very least - remember who you really are! Remember who the fuck you really are! Just do it! Remember now! And don't stop remembering until you are. 

#happyholidays

#108daysoflettinggo

#108daysofchoosingyourSelf

#108daysofRemembrance

The new black

Grey. The new black. Red. The new black. Orange. The new pink. Me. The new you. You. The new me. 

Sometimes you need a brush

Sometimes it works to roll the paint on, but when you need heftier coverage, Ya gotta use a brush. 

The bigger the samskaras (impressions), the more paint you need to clean the slate and create a blank canvas.

#paintingandyoga

Things come back around

Yes they do. Ooooo baby oooo. 

When we moved to the Bay Area in 1996, I stopped painting. I tried to keep it going, but since I paint large, and space came at a premium, I put it on the back burner until the stars realigned and I could pick up a brush. Yes, I could have adapted, and I tried, but it wasn't my expression. What I did, however, was trust. And wait. And without forcing and grasping, we are now sharing a large creative space. All the art is in. Resistance is out. And the heat is on! Bring on the primer and staple gun!

God I love my life.

#artallday

#paintinggames

#letsgetmessy

Happy anniversary!

Happy anniversary baby! 20 years! 

20 years. The result of putting one foot in front of the other. Staying present. Welcoming growth. Self study. And then you look at yourself, each other, whatever, and say, "yeah, we did that." 

20 years. 20 years in relationship with another person is just part of the equation. There are all those other years in relationship with Self as well. And the combination of both can be really powerful. At least it has been for me. Thanks to the mirror that has been my husband, my partner, I have had a constant reflection of what I look like, how I operate, where my buttons are. Where it was easy to hide from certain aspects of myself, ignore or even justify the righteousness of my personality, in relationship, I had, and still have, a constant litmus test to see what is driving me. And for this I am truly grateful. 

One of the big things that I got to look at was the ideas around justice, fairness, and the behavior of others. I got to ask myself the question, why do I want a person to behave in a certain way? Is it based on my concern for them, or out of concern for my own well being? Did I want them to treat me a certain way because I feared being hurt or inconvenienced in some way? And what would be the fear around that inconvenience?

Great questions. And over time, great answers. Life isn't about convenience. Marriage may not be convenient sometimes. And like life, may hurt sometimes. But over the long haul, I am grateful for the process, for the partnership, for you husband. 

My public hallmark card. Marriage may not be easy, but from where I sit, it has been worth it. So worth it on many levels and dimensions. 

Thanks for you. Thanks for us. 

And would you please pick up your socks? Or not.

I love you.

:)

Sunny side is up again

I love a sunny day, that's for sure. We talk about walking on the sunny side of the street, have sunny dispositions.  But now, California is in a drought. We had a half inch of rain this past week, and practically before the streets could dry,  the weather person was saying, "we're going to have fantastic weather today! Aren't we glad we're going to have sunshine and blow away all this humidity! We can get outside and enjoy the weekend!" What a relief! I mean, after those 5 minutes of rain while I was sleeping gave me cabin fever!

Can we handle the rain? Is looking at the other side of the sunny street beyond our capacity? Maybe we have become so used to the sun that we literally don't have the capacity to weather the storm. Do we anesthetize, numb out, avoid each other, and our selves?

Like I said, I love a sunny day. But I also love the rain. Without the rain what are we left with? Maybe too much of a "good thing" is too much. Maybe if we embraced more rain look to the cloudy side as equal or important or even relevant, we might have water. 

We get what we ask for, so if we want rain, we may need to accept clouds. 

Or we just keep cooking ourselves. 

Just saying.

Galaxies

Ever wonder what you are doing with that  unused part of your brain? In the human body, everything we have had a purpose. So what about that massive percentage of what we call dormant gray matter? Maybe we are in charge of galaxies somewhere in outer or inner space. There's a whole universe of possibilities. 

Brain- the next final frontier. 

Think about it

And wake up to who we really are and what's going on with the other 90% of our world. 

#knockingonheavensdoor

#brainfood

#innergalaxies

Colors

When a person shows their "true colors," what else could they do? Are there "false colors?"

We are particles of light, packed dense enough to hold the form of our thought constructs. But we are microscopic particles, eventually getting small enough to be light. And light contains all colors. All of our colors are our colors. There is no color that we don't contain. There is nothing that we are not.

Celebrate your rainbow!

#truecolors

#rainbow

#rainbowpeople

#nothingfalseinme

911

Emergency. Or today's date. Or both, depending on the day. 

Today's yoga class was right in line with what I've been sharing the last couple if weeks. 

In the yoga sutras of Patanjali, sutra 1:27 talks about the ever present sound, the pranava. The great commentator, Vyasa, refers to this sound as "aum." But regardless of what you hear, this ever present sound, this pranava, permeates all things. Is accessible to all things. 25/7. Even in a 911 situation.

Pranava means "that which softens" referring to that which softens the ego - our attachments, our expectations, our self proclaimed identity. We soften those hard lines in our mind, not to become more diffuse or vague, but to become clearer. Clearer because we open ourselves up to seeing a bigger picture. Clearer because we invite and welcome other points of view. 

So today on 911, we can use this day to heal (yoga sutra- sutra means "suture" that which heals) by softening the hard lines in ourselves. By welcoming other walks of life and points of view. By doing more than just "tolerating" differences. Instead of bracing and hardening ourselves, resisting the unfamiliar, we challenge ourselves to lean in and soften,  so we are not pretending to listen, but to soften our ears and actually hear. We hear the unstruck sound of the pranava and let it pierce our hearts, softening fear and pain, freeing ourselves to experience our own vast and infinite light. The light that propels us deeper into the softening of understanding and acceptance. 

911. Emerging. See? Emergency.

#911

#yogasutra1:27

#pranava

#om

#thesecretoftheyogasutra

Community Part 2

So continuing with the value of community. It's interesting how the whole thing works. Once something is out there, it's out there. Like yesterday's post. I logged in today to start writing about "honesty," maybe going into an Olivia Newton John thing, like "I honestly love you" and talk about self love, being honest with ourselves and how important that is in order to really See or Hear, but I guess that will have to wait. Because honestly, yesterday's post on community was supposed to be a draft, a work in progress, not to be seen by the public. When I logged on today, and I saw that what was supposed to be a Draft was in the Published area, I felt like I had been caught with my pants down. For a moment, I had that sinking feeling like - omg, what did I say? I hope it didn't suck/didn't hurt anyone/didn't count. It felt like I aired dirty laundry without the permission of others, others meaning my internal voice of truth, my editors inside who help me discern what it is I'm really going for and what it is I'm trying to express without my "stuff," my samskaras, my attachments to cloud the truth as I experience it.

And it's all perfect. Because now I get to blog about something else. I can't take it back. That's the theme. We can't take stuff back. Once it's out there, we can't take it back. Just like yesterday's incomplete, out of context, unrefined babble of a blog. And no, i'm not beating myself up or judging myself. I'm just calling it like it is. It was, and still is, a work in progress that I may or may not choose to finish someday, but because it's now "out there," it leaves an impression. And we can't take these impressions back. We were the Cause of an Effect. Consciously or unconsciously.

So what do we do when we are left with the proverbial egg on our face? We are wanting to take back something that we said or did, perhaps impulsively, reactively, unconsciously? We clean it up. We let it go. We trust that we were doing what we needed to do in the moment and we get honest with ourselves about what went down for us internally in the moment of our decision to act, speak, not act, not speak, whatever. And then we get to work. If our actions harmed others, we clean it up. We can apologize, not for our actions, because we were doing the best we could do at the time. We apologize by acknowledging that perhaps we hurt someone in the process, including our own Soul, and we created an obstacle to learn from. But even then, maybe apology is not the best way to put it, because "yay! another obstacle to learn from!" is what we are doing here on Earth.

So we clean it up by seeing a bigger picture. By using the unconscious moment to help wake ourselves up to what was unconscious inside of us. To see that all of our little unconscious decisions, maneuvers have far reaching Effects. Because we were the Cause. Cause and Effect. Karma.

So how do we clean it up? We stop judging ourselves. And we stop judging others. And if we find ourselves hanging out on the corner of, let's say, the intersection of Conjecture and Imagination, where Samskaras love to breed, then get out of the way of flying Karma.  Because if we make a value judgement, take a side, get emotionally charged about someone else's Cause, we end up becoming the Effect. We are affected. Positive or negative.

So back to my original idea about Honesty. Get Honest with your Self. Who are we hiding from anyway? What is there to fear? Dirty laundry, schmurty laundry. And you know from past blogs (see "Another Load," "Laundry Day Part 2" etc...), i love to do laundry! Let's get to washing those clothes!

And, btw, in case anyone is conjecturing and concerned, I'm cool with everyone seeing my unfinished blob of a blog yesterday. I'm not taking it personally and I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of.  I know who I Am. And if it took a me having a momentary freak out about an having a writer's babble bordering on blithering to get published instead of saved due to a combination of internet error signs and possible wrong button selection to get me to today's blog, then great. I'm even great-ful.

So community that I honestly love, thanks for being witness. I honestly love you. All of you. All of us.

#ihonestlyloveyou
#OliviaNewtonJohn
#gratitude
#karma
#ilovemycommunity
#fuckit-iloveallcommunities
#myclothesareclean

Community

Community. What does community even mean? According to the dictionary:

a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

And why do we value community? We value community for many reasons. We raise our children together - "it takes a village." We used to build our houses together. Teamwork. Everyone is important and plays a vital role. Even the Village Idiot, the Jester, the Scapegoat. We are all playing roles in this thing called community.

Each of our bodies is a community. We are comprised of parts of the whole. Each part plays a part.

Many of us sought community to find a group of like-minded others to support our growth. What happens when one person is singled out, for better or for worse? Do we ostracize them? Do we judge them? Do we punish them? Do we rarify them? Do we worship them? Hopefully none of the above. When a person asks for support of the community from a member of that same community, what do  when that fear button has been pushed?

We look inside and ask what we are really afraid of. Ask whether the fear is a present moment fear or warning, or if it is based on a past impression (samskara). It this fear causes us stress, then we need to lean into the stress to find out what the root of this stress is, and as a last resort, perform surgery. When do we perform surgery? Cut it off? That is an individual call. But what do we do when the cut has been made? Can we feel whole again?

When we say "that person is making me feel uncomfortable" or "i feel uncomfortable around that person" we can usually blow it off, tell a friend who will basically tell you that you are correct in thinking the way you do, or do whatever it takes to make sure that you never cross paths with that person. This is one answer, yes. But it could also be a missed opportunity for growth. What is the root of that uncomfortableness. Does it have to do with that person? Does it have to do with a past impression/samskara?

Two Sides to Every Story

As we all know, there are two sides to every story, and when we are neutral about the subject matter, or the people telling those stories, it is easier for us to see those 2 sides. But when we have a hard line, a judgement, a sense of righteous and wrong, a fault-finding, then we have hardened our brain and our emotional bodies into forgetting the "2 sides to every story" idea. We lock down into 1 story, 1 side, 1 reality, 1 is righteous, and the other wrong.

So when we feel righteous, and that "call to action" is coming from a place of "brotherhood!" "sisterhood!" "solidarity!" etc... pay attention. What side haven't we considered? What side isn't being heard? What aren't we hearing? And as a result, what are we missing? For that outcast side is also part of us. And don't we all want to be heard, and at the very least, considered?

Just sayin...

#2sides2everystory
#letshearitfortheman
#isrighteousright?

Loving the Life we Have

We can yearn for a life or a dharma (life's purpose) that is someone else's thinking that our lives would be happier, "poppier" if only we were someone else.  Notice how sad the flag in this picture is as it watches the glowing poppy, yearning to have its life. If Flag was thrilled with his own destiny, he might notice the other happy flags around him, just doing flag things, and might feel the power in his flapping flag in the wind.

Embody your dharma and learn to love it. Then you will be like the glowing poppy.

#aflagslife
#californiapoppies
#beahappyflag

Offering the Fruits of my Labor Day

The fruits of my Labor Day. Applesauce from our tree. Rhubarb sauce from our yard. Oranges from our tree. Discovered a secret sauce ingredient. All from God. I offer you the fruits since without my Creator I wouldn't be here to have fruits. Or Labor.

I labored and was left with this saucy smile. Enjoy!

 #winkyemoticon

#fruitsofmyLaborDay

#homemadeapplesauce

#homemaderhubarbsauce

USA on Labor Day

#sockittome
#USALaborDay
#anotherartshotofasockonarock

Soapy soap

Life is a soap opera, but there's nothing clean about it.

#soapopera

#squeakyclean

#soaponarope

De-Labor Day

Not to be-labor the point or anything, just wanted to lay a little "un-labor" day idea on you. 

Last week I taught an unlabor day class  to de-labor the result of our lives from the beginning of the year, or however far back you wanted to go. To melt the effects of hard work? Not really. That would be to undo the fruits of our labor. Stop working hard? Not really. That would mean we wouldn't ever grow. I'm talking about melting our attachment to struggle as a way of life. 

We face challenges, but do we have to struggle? Fight? Kick and scream? Maybe. And if so, at least have fun and enjoy the process. If not enjoy it, then accept it, get through it, stop making it personal, and grow- bust on through to the other side! Then it's not about "labor" as in workin for the man, etc... It's more about "labor" - birthing a creation. 

So de-labor from the struggle and perceived poor me gloom and doom (unless it's fun, and for some it might be- no judgements here!) and birth the baby of your big S Self. Hmmm. So I guess we are back embracing Labor Day. So be labor it then! Be the labor that we are and give birth to our Selves! 

And I don't think they give epidurals for this one. Which is why reframing, hence unlabor ing, is so important. 

#epiduralforlife

#laborday

#changethefaceoflaborday

#whenIseeitdifferently,lifedoesn'tsuck

The Good Gardener

Weeding the garden. Weeding through old papers. Weeding out closets.

What do weeds do? They just keep coming. That is the nature of a weed. Despite all odds and all the bad vibes, they grow in the face of adversity. We talk to our plants to make them grow. We swear at our weeds and they grow anyway.

What are these weeds that just keep coming?

These weeds are our habits and attachments, either unconscious or conscious, that keep coming up through the soil of our lives. The seeds of weeds run deep, and they are hard to burn. They are so ingrained in us, that in spite of all odds, they grow without care. Perhaps they grow because of lack of care. They keep coming unless we pay attention. And that is one of the first steps towards breaking an attachment or habit.

In order to overcome these weeds, we need more shakti, or power, or desire, or motivation, or hangin' chops than they have. We have to be more consistent, more "on it" than they are. We have to stay on it until they become manageable, and then eventually, the garden is easier to maintain. And yes, at some point, we have to get our hands dirty.

But the result is well worth it.

#gardeningtips

#roundupworks

#getyourhandsdirty

#weeds

On a clear day...

On a clear day you can see forever. You can also see forever on a cloudy day. It just looks different. 

#onaclearday

#seeforeverfromhere

#gpsisworkingjustfine

#returntoforever

Light

When it comes down to it, we are all light. And all light is not the same. Yesterday morning when I got up, the light was exquisite. There was some "It Factor" about it. The light at high noon - completely different qualities. Painters, photographers, lighting designers, poets, architects, and many more build entire careers or artistic stamps around use of light. Even household light. What bulbs do we prefer? Soft? Bright? Yellow? Blue? Black? Full spectrum? The list is virtually infinite.

And we all seek the light. At some point we want to come out of the dark. We want to wake up and experience the light of whatever our day brings. (Even for the night shift). 

We all seek the light. The Light. The Truth. The is no one light, and there is enough light and as many varieties as we need to go around. So why do we hang up on making some lights better than others? It is because of the variety we have infinite combinations, infinite possibilities, infinite creations. 

We seek the light the resonates with each of us. We seek the light so we can see and know ourselves. We are looking for our own light. We want to Know who we are and remember. And we know it when we see it. And we recognize the light of who we really are.

So, lighten up! You are the light that you seek. So what's the problem? Are you not already here?

#blindedbythelight

#lightenup

#maninthemirror

#thelightsareon

Wake up

Open your eyes. Really open them. As if you were really awake like you've never been awake before. Act like you Know. Sense. Feel.  All. Or at least more than you did before. 

Did it work? 

#actasif

#fakeittilyoumakeit

#simplesolutions

Birth Day

We all had one, so we all have one. And in a way, we have many of them. Every day is a birth. Every moment we evolve, we start over with new information. Our world view changes. We push ourselves out of confinement. We push through walls of limitation. We experience more. We also dare to leave what is safe and comfortable - the quiet and solitude of a womb-like environment, for the bright lights of the outer world. We leave what is safe behind because we can't stay in there forever. We might as well decide to emerge, because if we wait too long, someone will come and get us, and we miss the opportunity to say "yeah, I did that. I made that decision to grow." Regardless whether we push through prematurely, wait until the last moment, or we get pulled out kicking and screaming. It is inevitable. Change. The opportunity to find more freedom. The chance to move beyond perceived limitations. The chance to let go, break through, and breathe air. 

Pretty amazing that one moment we breathe liquid and the next moment we breathe air. Remember that if you ever doubt the miracle of you. If the weight of the physical world gets too overwhelming, and you feel like you might be drowning in stuff, remember that you were so able to adapt, you breathed air and lived. So you can also breathe under water of your physical life lessons. You can breathe anywhere.

Happy Birth Day O miraculous One! Embrace your Self. And great job for adapting, changing, growing, challenging, accepting, transforming yourself. What else can we do but that? 

And thank you mom, for the temporary housing. It was great, but it was time for me to get my own place...

#breathe

#airbreather

#breathingunderwater

#ididit!

Tree Pose doing Down Dog

Breaking boundaries.

Allow yourself to be your Self. Don't let a title or a name lock you into name and form. Feel the freedom that comes when you find the Space within. And soon, even though you are a tree, you can become an animal and do downward facing dog pose.
#treepose
#vrksasana
#downdog
#adhomukhasvanasana
#breakingboundaries
#breakingrules
#yosemitetrees

Tree pose

#treepose

#vrksasana

#sukhasthira

#mariposagrove

#lovesequoias

#saynomore

Reboot

Two words. Cold. Plunge.

Just do it.

Do. It.

Ok that's 4 words.

#acoldplungeisworth1000words

#coldplunge

#4words

#justdoit

When life gives you busy-ness

When life gives you busy-ness, remember to mind your own business. In other words, the busier we are, the less time we have to spend worrying about what others think of us, worrying about whether we've done enough, done it right. When wheels of busy/ness come our way, use them to practice detachment. To practice taking care of ourselves. To practice letting go. To practice not taking things personally. Because all these things take time and energy, and when you are really busy, you just don't have time to waste on them. Notice how you feel if you don't waste time on them. Notice how you feel if you do. And if you have time, get back to me on that!

#busybusybusy

#timetoprioritize

#mindyourownbusiness

Mountain pose

Be your own mountain. It takes all kinds to make a range.

#elcapitam

#tadasana

#yosemiterocks

Ice cream

"Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for Pork loin!"

That still makes me giggle. And I printed my free birthday ice cream come coupon from Baskin Robbins and I intend to use it.

Just sayin'

#giggles

#baskinrobbins

#whatevermakesyousmilecantbeallbad

#lightenup

#birthdayclub

Light my fire

Looks like this dry stump is waiting for someone/something to light it's fire. Sometimes all you need is a spark, a match, another flame to light the light that is already within you. 

Chocolate Soup

I saw a sign - "Chocolate Soup." It was a store. My imagination went wild. John and I were driving through a town, I saw the sign, and said, "let's stop!"  From my point of view, how could I lose? 2 of my favorite foods! But alas, the store had neither. Just a mishmash of random items for the home.

Had I been attached, I would have been disappointed. Or even infuriated. We had broken the flow of our ride home from Yosemite. 

There are signs everywhere. How many mean what they say? How do we respond? Do we get bummed if they don't deliver? Or do we even care? Are we numb to the unclarity of the written/spoken word? Are we numb to the unclarity of our own words? Do we feel safer assuming that much of the time people don't say what they mean or mean what they say? Does it give us permission to be unclear with ourselves about what we want, what we believe, who we are? In other words, do we like to take our chocolate soup with a grain of salt? 

There is a comfort in clarity. We get to depend on it. We can even get attached to it. Yet, there is room for both clarity and signs that don't deliver. Because there may be method to the madness of the misleading sign. It got me in the door didn't it? And it also provided me with an opportunity to sit back and watch the Jean show respond. 

ake comfort that there is chocolate soup. I haven't tried it, but I fulfilled my own curiosity loop. It could be amazing. 

Let me know!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-soup-recipe0.html

 Rating: 5 - 10 reviews - 45 mins

Get this all-star, easy-to-follow Chocolate Soup recipe from Ham on the Street.

#chocolatesoup

#justtryit

#truetothetitle

#foodnetwork

Sticking to chairs

One thing I had forgotten since my life in San Francisco - wearing shorts. And during summer, wearing shorts at a restaurant. And wearing shorts in a restaurant for lunch and getting up. And having leg skin stick to the chair. It happens fast this stickiness. And not only in the summer.

Stickiness happens. We get used to something. We like it. We sit in it. And before we know it, we have developed "stickiness." Not quite an attachment, but just enough of something that it hurts a little to get up. As someone in my yoga class said a couple of weeks ago-"I'm getting back to yoga after a few weeks.  Just ripping off the bandaid and doing it!" 

Stickiness. And thank goodness we have stickiness as an option, or stamps wouldn't stay on the envelopes. 

Just sayin

#justripoffthebandai

#stuckonyou

#stickysticky

#1910fruitgumcompany

Angels in the sky

When in doubt, look up.

And if I had a wider lens you would see more of her. Nature. God. I love. All.

#angels

#naturalskywriting

My ship has come in

After all these years of waiting -  my ship has come in! Awesome!
But where's the water?

Pay attention to what you ask for...
:-)

Be your big S self

This gorgeous sequoia says it at. And it's essence is pre-dinosaur. Just sayin' just do it. Just be your Self. Take it from the trees. Be. Here. Now.

#whatareyouwaitingfor

The labyrinth project: day 2

I went to the sand. The rocks. The earth. Ganesha. The root chakra. The obstacles. And someone clearly had the same vision as me. Or that was my egostisitcal interp of the situation. 

There were new pathways today, where yesterday there were none. I added my point of view, and now there are more. So to say "I opened the gates for spiritual seekers" or even those who are curious, that is bullshit. 

Life went on and evolved. And there are fewer obstacles because of it. If you are looking from

My point of view. 

If you are looking from present moment, the obstacles may look like the same.

Or different. That would depend on the eyeballs and the lifestyle. 

#lifeinthesand

#labyrinthlife

Bass lake: the labyrinth project day 1

Jean spots labyrinth on the beach. All paths lead to nowhere. She is concerned for spiritual seekers and plans to alter the structure. 

Teaching Teachers

That about sums it up. We just keep teaching each other. And learning from our teachers. Who we taught. Who taught us.

#gurupurnima

#thankyouteachersoneandall

Reflections on looking in the mirror

When you see yourself

Who do you see

Your ego

Or divinity

What's important to some

May be all well and fine

But the point of your life

Is yours to define

It's a crap shoot out there

Rolling the dice

Bet on the house?

Who's rolling your life?

When I look in the mirror

What do I see

My big S Self

Or who you want me to be?

My ego

Or divinity

Follow your bliss

Do what you love to do! Follow your bliss! Live your passion! Etc Etc!

All those little quips telling us to do what makes us happy. Why? Because, 1) if we do what makes us happy, we will be in a better mood  2) if we make a choice from our own volition that we believe might result in our own happiness, we are less likely to blame someone for the outcome and 3) when we get older, we won't have as many regrets, which will probably make us feel better about ourselves and how we've lived our lives.

So it may not really be about making choices that make us happy. But making choices that make us happy, could result in being happier. Depending on the outcome of those choices of course. And depending on our attachment to "doing what you love" "bliss" and "living your passion."

Or we can get in present moment and see where that takes us. Oh yeah, to the next present moment...

#livinginthenow
#iwaslivinginthenowthen
#iusedtoliveinthenow
#nowi'mliving

Good Old Choices

Our physical life is a product of our choices. What we do or don't eat and drink, or if we exercise, rest, work, play. What we think, what we say. For example, in the big picture, if I do or don't do yoga asana today- what is the effect? For some, it might make the world of difference. For others, it may not be that big of a deal in that moment. For that day. 

The result of our choices that I'm talking about are the ones we see down the line. For some, way down the line. We can really learn from our elders. As my family ages, and yes, I'm in that family too, no matter how many of you still see me as 25, 30, 35, 45... and what is fascinating is how I see the products of choices. Why do some age more "gracefully?" Why do some "rapidly decline?" I'm not an expert in the science and physiology of aging, but what is becoming clear to me is how we are the result of choices we've made. We are the effect of our causes. We might say that we are living karma. 

So, if I don't do yoga, or meditate, or pick my clothes up off the floor. How will this affect me when I'm 20, 30, 40, 50 years older? Hard to say. The body starts to break down. For some, the mind starts to break down. So do the choices we make, help realize our spirit? Self realization perhaps? What is the effect if denial of spirit? 

The nutshell version this comes from my observations after visiting a relative at an independent living facility. The physical and mental grooves and attachments we set up seem to affect our quality of life when we age. So whether or not we do yoga, meditate, study the yoga sutras and understand all the book learning about consciousness and philosophy from a scholarly point of view doesn't seem to matter unless these practices help us make clear, conscious, and Loving (the big L love) choices. The "practices" of yoga may not make that much difference, unless those practices are affecting our attitudes about ourselves and others. Are we more accepting and less judgemental, or are we more dogmatic, holier than thou, and attached to "right living?" 

To me, it boils down to the "real yoga," the daily life activities and choices we make in our interactions with others and with ourselves. Are we being true to ourselves? Are we living in our own integrity? Are we accepting responsibility for our actions and cleaning up own own messes? Are we focused on the faults of others, or are we focused on why those faults derail us from feeling peaceful? Are we afraid to lose our jobs because we might starve to death and suffer? Are we afraid to die? Maybe it's more a matter of being afraid of how we die? 

Choices. We make them every moment. See yourself as 80. How will that action or thought affect me as an 80 year old? Think about it. Then make a choice. 

#notafraidtodie #notafraidtolive #notafraidtochoose #notafraidofmyself

Timing

When your delayed flight lands early, you know time is not always what it seems. Sure, you can "expect the unexpectable," but that sets up expectations and possible attachments/dissappointments. Another option is to allow the unexpected. And get home sooner, relax more, kiss your partner and pet your dog. Or iguana.

Sparkle

July 4. Plenty of fireworks. Sequins. Glitz. Sparkle.

Sri. Sri means resplendence. Resplendence means sparkle. So on the day where fireworks are banned , illegal, and yet displayed anyway, light your own light, your own sparklers, and sparkle. Be the beautiful display of you. Be illegally bright. Be illegally you.

Yes. Be that big. Because that who is who you really are. And even more. So get used to feeling your light, to seeing/being/loving/acknowledging your light. That prepares us to see/be/love even more.

Shine. Sparkle. Sri. Be.

Apologies in advance

When we preface a sentence with "I'm sorry but..." What are we really doing? Are we sorry? And for what? telling the truth? Expressing who we really are? 

I'm not saying there isn't a time or place to apologize. Socially, we need to pull that out time and time again. Also, there are times when we do or say something that is so out of present moment we are just trying to clean up the karmic mess we laid down. But even then, we learned from out "mistake." We learned that what we just said or did was coming from a place outside our big self Self (not that there is a place that is outside of out self, but for purposes of this discourse, it's all I got from a language point of view.) and why should we be sorry for growing? Oh yeah, that's from back in the day where we started finding a way that was a outside of the social and ethical rules laid sown by our parents, where they got scared and tried to scare us straight into their way of thinking. 

So what is an apology except for something that we use to mask who we really are. Stop apologizing for your Self. It's an act of love to be your fullness and express your point of view for that same place of fullness. What is there to be sorry for? It's as if we are apologizing for being born, and hey, our birth wasn't all on us.

So maybe Ali and what's his name got it right. Maybe "love means never having to say you're sorry." When you love yourself.

#lovestory

Good Grief!

Good Grief Charlie Brown!

Grief. A powerful force. Today is the second anniversary of my sister's death, and I feel it. I'm feeling it now. And I'm glad about that. Because grief can be good, because it may be necessary.

Last year, I wrote about how it hit me like a tidal wave, literally knocking my feet out from under me, to the degree that I completely forgot that I was supposed to teach a very important and packed yoga class for my boss! That really woke me up to the power of this force.

This year, I am awake in a different way. I knew that it might happen, so I was prepared to not take certain things personally. And it came. And still amazed me with the power of this state of being. I don't' really know what to call it yet  - emotion, state of being, state of consciousness, deity, devil? Doesn't really matter, but is an interesting idea to ponder at another time.

Present moment grief can provide an opportunity to release past pain. All those tears we stuff. All those emotions we pretend we don't have that can get stored in the body and the mind. Sometimes a big ol' wave of grief can be just the ticket to setting them free, providing them the time and space they need to fulfill their destiny. Providing me time and space to allow that to happen without judgement of them, or even judgement of myself, as I watch snot run out of my nose in front of a class where I'm supposed to look like a "yoga teacher." Well here's a news flash: Yoga Teachers Have Snot, Too

Maybe that will be an article in some high powered magazine someday.

So in the present moment, I still feel the joys and pain of my everyday life as I carry a wave with me until I cry what I need to cry, how I need to cry it, and for the right amount of time. And with each tear, I let go of the pain of childhood teasing, parental criticism, love life disappointments, career choices that went nowhere, etc...  And I'm ok with that. Because this is part of what life looks like sometimes. And on another day, another year, it will be different.

So if you have anniversaries where the wave of grief comes to town, prepare. Set your intention for how you will ride that wave. Will you blame, judge, criticize? Or will you assimilate and eliminate? No right or wrong. I can tell you which one is more fun.

Did I just say grief can be fun? Yes. Because waking up is where it's at, and it's a very loud alarm clock.

Thank you sister of mine for providing me more opportunities to see and experience an even bigger picture. I love you.

The new 100%

When did 120% become the new 100%? Someone mentioned or somewhere and it stuck. We thought more than the full package- 100%, was better. To work at 100 percent capacity was now not enough. Somehow, we had to figure out how to work more than we were capable of. And at what cost. Because there's always a cost. 

Today, a yoga student reminded me of something I mentioned in a yoga class once- "work at 80%. Why? To put less stress on your joints and ligaments so they will last longer." Pretty smart. And that could explain why my classes aren't packed to the gills. But at some point, 80% might become the new 100%. Because just because your car can go to 100 mph, doesn't mean you should drive it like that all the time for longevity, efficiency, or even gas mileage. 

What if we consumed 20% less? Is less really more? Who says that? And who believes it? Because if it's true, then 80 might actual be 100 without the wear and tear.

Are you ready to be a trendsetter and go for 80? 

#trending80percent #losethatfreshman20

Dream on

Dreams. We have them. They are ephemeral, not solid, therefore we call them fiction. They are not real life. Or are they? Not real physical life anyway, where we wake up every morning, like Goundhog Day, slogging it out over and over until we get it right, or until we die. In our physical life, we have dreams of a better physical life. "Living the dream" and all. In this way we put dreams on a bit of a pedestal. Because we can imagine any reality we want, we make them better than, greater than, that which is physically happening. Some of us live for the dream. It motivates us, inspires us, keeps us going in hopes of a better life.

And then there are dreams when we sleep. How is it that these astral creations have the same name as the aspirations of our desires? These dreams that "happen" when we are "asleep." These dreams that can be nightmares. I don't want to get into the nightmares right now. I just want to talk about one of my favotlrite subjects- consciousness. 

It is proven that rest is one of the best healers. When we go to sleep, we rest. We go unconscious. We may or may not remember our dreams. We may or may not know we are dreaming when we dream. We are asleep. When we start to wake up to dreaming, and we become conscious in and of our dream state- then what? Will we be able to rest? To sleep? No. We will be awake. Awake 24/7. Conscious all day, every day. And isn't that what waking up is? Being conscious? Super conscious? Isn't it's what we want for ourselves? 

So why do we resist waking up? You know we do. We create excuses to go unconscious. To not do yoga. To not meditate. To keep making Matter matter more than anything because it's the Real Thing baby! Maybe because part of us needs a break from our Matter, our dual world of right and wrong/good and bad, and if we are awake all the time we won't get a break from ourselves. 

Something to think about. 

The answer? First of all, I suggest lightening up and taking the pressure off. Get some space. Then start to make things less black and white, good/bad. Blur the edges by seeing a bigger picture. Walk a mile in someone else's moccasins. Then we won't resist and fear our own awakening. We will also be more accepting of what is, and we won't feel like failures when our dreams and physical reality don't converge. 

And in the meantime, get some rest.

Mothers Day

We all have or had a mother. She grew us for up to nine months. We took over her body like a parasite and when we grew large enough to survive life outside of the womb, we came out. Beautifully, painfully, all of it. We embodied all of it.

So this is for the children of mothers on Mother's Day. Lower your expectations of your mother. She did the job that gave you life. For those 9 months, we ran her show, we were her body, her mind. Her world was our world. 

Now we are adults. Are we still looking to our mothers for life support? For sustanence? For approval? For anything?  During those 9 months in the womb, we got into the habit of depending, expecting, counting on life support from the outside- from our mothers. We forgot that in the very beginning, before we attached to the wall via the umbilical cord, we had a yolk sac and we actually fed ourselves. During that time, we didn't eat what our mothers ate. We took care of ourselves. 

Many of us forgot this after we attached to the uterine wall and took over the body of our host. As we grew up, we continued to expect things from our mothers- behaviors, food, money, comfort, approval, safety, etc... Maybe it's time to remember that we can look to ourselves for these things and stop expecting them to magically come from mothers or mother figures to fill our needs. 

Thanks mom, for continuing to mother me past my time. Maybe our gift to our mothers  is their independence. We will no longer suck you dry with expecting you to fill our every physical and emotional need. We will grow up and free your psychic space. We will stand on our own two feet in gratitude for this gift of life that we will not squander. We will lower our expectations of you so we can love and see you as a regular person and bestow the courtesies we share with strangers. And maybe we will take care of you for a change. Not because we have to, or  because it's our duty, or a karmic debt. But because, as we drop our expectations, we see you as a fellow human who is just trying to figure it out like the rest of us.

I love you Mom. Thanks for the whole bloomin thang that it my life. I wouldn't be me without you.

The Caring Conundrum

Caring is sharing. Caring is what good and nice people do. We are taught to care. But what does that mean exactly? And to what end? I think caring is great, as long as it is coming from a place of non-attachment. A place where we aren't attached to the outcome, and we don't have grandiose expectations regarding the fruits of our caring. As long as we can care from a place of clarity, then we won't create more karma for ourselves and others. If I pretend to care, but sit there silently in judgement, what kind of karma am I creating? I believe that it's the judgments, aka the emotional charge that we carry, that creates karma. I believe that if we are acting from clarity, and a place of non attachment then we are not racking up charges on the old karma card. 

So the conundrum is to care or not to care? Not exactly. It's to pay attention to what we are caring about and get honest with ourselves about what and why we care. Then we can start assessing th,e cost of caring and see if we can afford it. We may not like what we see at first. But if we can start by not getting down on ourselves while we figure it out, it's a start. And then we can begin to dig ourselves out of any karmic hole we created. 

And if you are a person who cleanly cares, awesome! It's great to see how it's done! It may it look like what we think it should, or it might. Because if a person cleanly cares, there is an element of not caring that goes along with it. A clean care comes with the part that the carer doesn't care what other people think. It takes guts to really care and not care simultaneously. That's the conundrum. Jesus cared so much that he didn't care how many people's feelings he was hurting when he agreed to do the cross thing. Socrates didn't care how many people he left behind when he chose hemlock over life for the sake of his truth. And I believe that when we get really clear, we even lose the attachment to Truth. But that's another story for another day.

Another question. Another conundrum. Another thing to care or not care about. And I do care about caring. I just want to be clear about what I'm caring about.

Another load

I realized something about myself. As far as household tasks go, i choose laundry. Of all the things on my list, there is something satisfying about doing laundry. There is a clear beginning, middle, and end to laundry. I see the bins. They are full. I wash. Dry. Fold. Put away. I see the bins. They are empty.

Unlike the proverbial "laundry list" with the never ending spin cycle in my brain that keeps churning task after task. The list never ends. But laundry. It gets done and I get to experience satisfaction of seeing empty bins. I get to feel like I actually accomplished a measurable task. That feels good.So does clean underwear.

So take a load off. Do a load and see the empty bin. Empty is space. And space is infinite.

Busy as a Be

One thing about being busy. Yes. We are. That's been established. And busy-ness gets a bad rap sometimes. But the cool thing about being busy is that it can take our mind off of the emotional or mental roller coaster that we can get stuck on. So if we are busy at work, and we can do the work without emotional charge or attachment, it can be useful. It can help us focus our energy somewhere other than our habitual-ness.  So being busy can help us "be" somewhere else in our mind. And that can "be" a relief sometimes. 

Wheels

Life keeps going. Life doesn't stop. It feels like it's accelerating. Getting faster. Crazier. Busier. But when you look at it, is it actually busier, or does it just feel like it?  

Like the big wheel that keeps on turning, we keep on burning. It's how we perceive the burn that will affect our experience of the "same old same old." "Same same but different." All these phrases that are out there make more and more sense every day. It's as if our big S self really is talking to us in a language we can understand. So listen to our little s self and hear what our big S self is telling us.

And here's a caveat.. Chakra means wheel. So remember - each of are chakras. Wheels. We are a chakra/wheel. We are our own veritable hamster wheels. And we keep spinning, turning, churning. That's what we do as we Open our Selves up to infinite possibility.

So of course we are trying to get our own attention.

Star crossed

Feeling a sense of uber-busy-ness? Perhaps you've been feeling like there is an insurmountable plate load of stuff to do, to get through, to handle. Maybe it feels as though time is no longer on your side. Well, yes it is. Because you've come running back. To your Self. Because nestled between 2 solar eclipses (April 15 and April 29) about April 21-27 there was is significant celestial event called the Cardinal Cross. (Need I remind you of the recent holiday that just passed where this particlar symbol played a significant role and what that was all about? Interesting and appropriate timing). 

Apparently this happens once every few thousand years or so. Please don't quote me on this. I'm not an astrology expert. What's important is that this occurance is rare, and even your great great grandparents haven't been through this particular planetary shift, unlike mercury retrogrades, Saturn returns, solar eclipses, etc... 

The Cardinal cross is where Pluto is directly opposite Jupiter and Mars is directly opposite Uranus , and the all form a cross in the sky. Hillory Skott, from the Vancouver Astrology Examiner says to picture a square with a big X through it. Like a big "energetic trampoline intended to launch us into a new dimension of reality." (Yes, I actually researched a bit for this because I know zippity do dah about astrology.)

I concur. This is a moment in time where all the work we've done in yoga will show itself. According to Patanjali, the result if effective yoga practice is when pairs of opposites cease to have impact ( yoga sutra 2:48). As we sit in our usual pairs of opposites like self/relationship, home/work, good/bad, right/wrong, physical/material, we feel the heat of this cross as we are forced to find center or burn up or out.

Whoever said that when opposing forces (such as Ida and pingala) align, we find the bliss of center, didn't share the whole story. The bliss of center comes when we have released or at least softened our charge on those forces- Where those forces no longer have a stronghold on us. If you feel like you are burning up right now, you can keep holding on to what you think life is all about, or start to let go of the positive/negative view of life, and be willing to see who you really are. Bottom line - you get what you ask for. And you've been asking for a very long time.

So pay attention . To your Self. Because it's here to stay and so are you. This busyness and urgency you've been feeling may be because you know you have a purpose and it's time to get it done. Remember this as you let your day feel busy. Because if it feels like you are spinning your wheels, it's probably because you haven't seen or embraced your purpose yet. If you know or have a sense of your deeper purpose, then re-frame your busyness knowing that it's just your physical self trying to catch up with your big S self. That this busyness is urgency in a bottle. That it's here. Your birthday. 

Relax and open your present. Moment. Self. Remember that stuff is stuff and only matter matters. You can play or not play. It's your party and you can cry if you want to. Or sing. Or dance. Or pet your dog. Or (fill in the blank). 

Or Remember. You Know.

Patience

Just want you to know that the Easter bunny has not forgotten. An appropriate blog is forthcoming. Let's just chalk it up to a) too many chocolate eggs, 2) not enough chocolate eggs 3) just the right amount of chocolate eggs 4) no chocolate eggs (which might be related to #2). Regardless of chicken or chocolate egg, I'm feeling the omelet that we are cooking in. Yes I have thoughts to grease the pan. Yes I want to put them to paper. And yes, what you feel is spot on the omelet. 

Cheese, mushroom, or Denver, we are all in the same pan. It's hot. It's greasy. And we feel cooked and fried. Which is not a bad thing, since we are cooking ourselves, transforming if you will, into exactly who we really are, so we can answe the big question- who am I and what am I doing here?

Picture this

Our pictures are worth more than a thousand words. So when we spend our time affirming this and that, pay attention to the picture that runs right beside it. Is it the picture you want, or the opposite? In the world of manifesting, it's more like a coffee table book than an encyclopedia of concepts. 

A side of dog perhaps?

Fluids

If life feels sticky, if creativity feels dried up, if you got no juice, then be aware of the obvious and hydrate.

Seriously. Increasing fluids has been know to contribute to understanding and funding fluidity in life. We are not talking about drowning here- just feeling the right amount of turgidity. Not rigidity. There is a fluid quality to the former and a stuck quaility to the latter.

So once again, the answer is, "drink more water." See what happens and get back to me with your fluid story.

Slugger

Slug. Interesting word. A punch, an animal, a bullet. When we think of the animal slug, or describe humans as slugs, we think of slow, sloth like, inferior. Ok, seriously? You are challenging me on that? Name one time when comparing yourself to a slug in any way was a positive. 

That's what I thought. 

So it's interesting that on the inanimate side of it, slugs have a penetrating power.  Yin and yang? Slug and slug? 

This little guy was minding its own beeswax the other morning, and if I had the chops of a Nat Geo photographer, you might be able to feel what I felt when I saw it slugging its way across a cement slab wall.

Bring it!

Our ability to digest is a determining factor in how much we can take on, and also how we feel about what it is we have on our proverbial plate. Good digestion gives us confidence, clarity and the ability to say "Bring it!" with enthusiasm. When digestive fire (Agni) is strong, we can extract the nutrients from that which doesn't serve us, and then whatever it is we have on our plate can feed us, grow is. If the fire is weak in relationship to the amount of stuff that sits on it, we may feel stuffed, overwhelmed, frantic, and ironically  undernourished considering how much richness is available to us. 

So if your plate is full, your guts are full, your life is full, and you still feel overworked and underpaid, it could be that the fire you have isn't enough to digest your life. Or food. 

So when we say yes, more please, take a breath and see if our eyes are bigger than our fire. When we find that balance, we digest our "food," we get hungry for more. Then when we say "bring it," we mean it. We are ready for it. 

This "bring it" attitude comes with an inherent sense of confidence, clarity, and fearlessness. So the more we listen and know what we are capable of digesting in any given moment, the more efficient and joyous our process of living becomes. 

So, would you like to see the dessert menu?

Presence

Yesterday, after what was probably an hour or so of a breathing exercise, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen said "So for the next 20 minutes, explore being present." Or something like that. I was on my back, covered up with layers and a blanket because the room was cold. About as invisible as a person could be, and she was asking us to look at being present. I asked myself - from my vantage point, what does that even mean? And then, do I even WANT to be present? And what kind of presence are we talking about? Can I be present in my inner life without sacrificing my outer life and vice versa? What was this thing called presence?

Did i have to DO something? Or was it about being?

I don't have answers. But I do know that the interesting question was asking myself if I even wanted to be present in that moment. What does "being present" entail? And what made me think it was something that would entail a lot of work?

That question is still present. Even if I'm not. Or maybe I am.
Hmmmm....

Balancing Act

Is balance an act? An event? A myth?

I call balance a moving target. We find balance. For a moment. Then we grow. Our capacity to handle what is on our plate, or what is in our mind, changes. And life keeps moving around us. And voila! We are now out of balance. What is important about learning about this thing called "balance," is that we start to become more aware of what it feels like to be in balance, instead of looking at a bunch of external cues. i.e. - just because I'm not falling over, doesn't necessarily mean I am balanced. I may not be falling over, but how do I feel when I'm not falling over?

When we practice this thing called balance, tune into the feeling. What do you feel like when you are balanced. What qualities are present? Not present? Again, this is something that only you can determine. Not your mother, your boss, your best friend, your spouse. Not from a book, not from a to-do list that has everything or nothing crossed off. Not from the amount of sleep you get or don't get. Not from the amount of free time you have or don't have.

It comes from that internal state of whatever "balance" feels like to you. And that is a moving target. So we keep moving in and out of balance, just as the waves of life ebb and flow.

A balanced state is constantly  moving.
A balanced state is an act, an event. We hit it or we myth.

Are you ready for the show?

Are you ready for the big one? The big time? The real deal? Are you ready for the full blown "enlightenment" experience? Just to check further, are you ready to surrender to grace and leave the mind behind? Are you ready to see it all, know it all, be it all?

Think about it. Think about what we avoid and run from every day. The parts of ourselves we don't want to admit we have. Are we ready to see all if ourselves? Yes, that's me and my evil twin. 

On this path of consciousness, we become awake to more. More good as well as more bad. That's why it's important to understand how dropping judgements can help. If I drop the attachment, expectation, emotional charge from a situation, then if have nothing to fear. That situation or event or state of being can no longer hurt me. There is no more "wrong" or "blame" or "bad." There is also no more "right" (nothing to achieve) or "good" (something I can be proud of and brag about) or "better than" (something I can hold over other peoples heads).

Because when we leave our mind behind, we leave our mind behind. We leave our cognitive thought process to experience something beyond cognitive thought. We leave our judgements behind. Then we see it, know it, become it all. We "remember" all. Awesome.

Then we land back in the body and all hell breaks loose because in that moment of oneness, all hell did break loose. The difference is, that in that moment if oneness, we weren't making value judgements fraught with emotional charge, fear, and self righteousness. But now we know. We know all about the light side and the dark side because we bring that knowingness back into the body that we have been using, the one we have been growing, the one we have been training.

Are we ready for the show? The big time? Enlightenment? Are you ready to see and know all of your Self? Even the humiliating, emabarssing parts? The ugly parts? Can you still love yourself knowing you are those ugly parts too? Can you still love the world, and love god, knowing, experiencing, being, the ugly parts?

Are you ready for the show? 

#bringit #keepracting #romewasntbuiltinaday

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#whenyouknowyouknow