Present time!

It's that day again! Time for presents (presence)!

So open your presence.

and

Enjoy your presence.

The Choice is Yours - Really!

In this season, and in any season, know you have a choice. Own it. Digest it. Get off your back. And move on with a more enlightened (or at least educated) point of view. Here is the rant from Ageless Yoga class on 12_14_2016.
Enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/user-168113093/you-have-a-choice

E-ticket ride bought and paid for

Well, 2016 has been an E-ticket ride for sure. Think about all the changes. Think about how much "them and us" "are you with me or against me" "un-friending" "liking" etc... there has been. Personally, politically, and in the news, movies, social media (and more). (This is the Ha and Tha of Hatha yoga. The duality of our reality.)

One cool thing about our country is that our constitution guarantees us the "right" to free speech. How do we use that freedom? Or maybe some of us don't use it at all, and just say what we think others want to hear? Regardless, we live in a world where we can publicly vent, lie, tell the truth, escalate, calm, on a moment to moment basis. As soon as we press "send" - it's out there! (It was out there regardless, but that's another blog). And then, how do we change our mind? It's out there after all? How does one gracefully change one's mind without feeling embarrassed, less than, stupid, etc...? With all this free speech and expression, can we put some space in there so we can all listen and grow and evolve?

That is the E-ticket. We all bought it when we came to Earth (Earth-ticket). We all bought it when we came to physical form because like it or not, we came to Evolve (Evolve-ticket).

I'm not sure if there is a refund policy, but since it's the "Holidays" you can't get anyone on the phone anyway, and no one wants to give you your money back, so why not sit back and enjoy the ride. I mean really people, who would buy a ticket to a roller coaster or Space Mountain if you just sat there?

And if the ride feels too rough, remind yourself that this too shall pass. Remind yourself that you only get what you can handle. Remind yourself that sometimes going to the gym is hard, but you come out stronger. And try smiling at strangers. Laughing at yourself. Changing your mind. Listening instead of talking. Paying it forward. Asking for help. Remember that your Big S Self is driving, hoping to get your attention, so maybe pay attention. Or not. Personally, I'm big into hot baths and dorky Holiday movies. And looking at things that make me see that the roller coaster in my mind is not the only reality, like twinkly lights, my dog's cute face, cityscapes, landscapes, a dying house plant. The list is infinite and if one thing doesn't work, I move on to the next until I find one that works for me in the moment. Such a delightful surprise to see "dirty sidewalks sparkle in the sun." (a song lyric I never got to use).

Love yourself. Love the ride.  Love the dirty sidewalk. And remember, at some point, you might feel gypped if it was boring. 

From Mushrooms to Apples

Yes, yesterday was a day of opposites. "One side of the mushroom will make you grow taller. The other side will make you grow smaller." As I paraphrase Lewis Carroll, I point out that neither tall nor small is the right choice. There are times where small is more useful and there are times when tall is what is better for the situation. The important part of that is to know which one is needed in the present moment. So it's not about tall or small. It's about the size that's right for you in the moment.

So back to the pairs of opposites. And remember what Yoga Sutra 2:48 says (again paraphrasing) - the result of mastery of the physical is when opposites cease to have impact. In other words, we are not thrown off our center by positive/negative and other opposing points of view, etc... Opposites.

Back to the mushroom. So I had a 2 sided mushroom kind of day.

One side of the mushroom:
On one hand, my breakup from my former employment is going less smoothly than I hoped. But when a person commit to really learning, and I made that commitment to myself,  the Universe, aka your Big S Self, makes sure that you look at all the parts. And leaving isn't always the easiest solution. I wasn't expecting it to be easy. It wasn't. Deciding to move on took a lot of time and thought for me, because I am a Leo and really loyal. But last weekend, the trigger was pulled and the apple cart is tipped, and when that happens we have the opportunity to see what's in there. And we all have some apples that wouldn't make the State Fair. I'm not afraid of my non-State Fair apples. Those are the ones that will help me grow better apples. Or at least keep the cart from stinking.

This side of the mushroom made me grow ____________ (fill in the blank with taller or smaller. your choice. it's all the same to me)

The other side of the mushroom:
On the other hand, my mail-lady came to my door yesterday, as friendly as she always is and asked how I was (as she delivered a package containing a UNICORN POPPER!!!!! ) (YES I SAID THAT!!!). She asked how I was, and I answered, "Well, my back is hurting, but at least I can walk to the door today! I can't quite stand up straight though." She responded (I'm paraphrasing in spite of the quotes),"If you want, I have some remedies that really helped my husband. I'd bet happy to come by and put them on you tomorrow." I said "yes, come by anytime after 11."

And she did!!!  She came by, with some Chinese medicine patches which she heated up and then applied 4 of them to my back. This is the person who knows me by name and delivers the mail!!!! That's some great State Fair Apples!

This side of the mushroom made me grow ____________ (again, fill in the blank with taller or smaller. your choice)

So opposites in one day. Contention and Kindness. Both grew me. Both showed me how to grow more amazing apples. So eat the Whole mushroom. Unless you're allergic. Then find another metaphor. 

The Holidays Part 1: Give a Gift

The Holidays! Or should I say Holi-daze???  And lest we forget the Holi-nights! And the Holidaze after the Holi-night. And then there are the Holy-days and Holy-nights. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

"The Holidays" is such a big state of consciousness, it's hard to not get swept up in this flurry at some level. The consciousness is so big that when I say "the holidays," we know exactly what time of year that I am referring to, even though there are many other holidays throughout the year. These are the actual "Holidays." Interesting.

So here is my holiday tip for the day:

Give yourself a gift today. Then pay it forward.

Once your cup is full, you'll actually have something to give.