Friday, March 30, 2018

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Rain Brings Reminders

When it rains, I am reminded of these things:

Stay  hydrated
Be fluid
Be aware of the presence of tears and let them flow
There are Masters present
Slow down
Slow down so you can see/hear/express more clearly
Things may be surprisingly slippery so pay attention
Wet things dry
There is light in the rain
There is power in water
It's a miracle
Nourish yourself
Stay hydrated

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Party time!

Yes! A "going away" party! (reward at the end of this blog!)

What does that mean? Well, the obvious of course. John and I are giving up our "permanent" residence in SF, and will become "permanent" somewhere else.

But for me, the real "going away" is really a "moving towards." An appreciation of the waves of life, and a willingness to acknowledge and act with the timing of those waves without resistance. 

As you know, we talk about yoga as energy management. Thank you Rod Stryker for that brilliant way of putting it! And "going away" is more about re-evaluating how I'm spending my energy. How much here, how much there, and how those "investments" of my energy (conscious, unconscious, or "life/shit/more happens" are working out. And the "moving towards" is taking steps towards different outcomes (#doingitdifferentlyin2018 #gethonestfaster)

And I have nothing in my life to complain about. Seriously. So I'm not escaping anything, or giving anything up. In tantra, we talk about "adhikara," or "next steps." More like "the most appropriate/best next steps." And that's what this is. Adhikara. 

So let's celebrate together! Celebrate all the "going aways" we've ever done and continue to do! All the moving towards that come from going aways! And all in the quest to move closer and closer into Present Moment, which is actually one of the stars in this whole show. 

And in "going away," well, I'm only changing mailing addresses. Our connection isn't going away. My commitment to teaching and my willingness to serve the Wholeness isn't going away. I'm moving towards a different way of doing it. And we've trained some amazing local teachers, so step into their amazing-ness! And in our amazing age of technology, we can "see" each other anytime! It looks like we have figured out a way to teleport after all! ;-)  

So here is the info on the Party! 
6:30 -- doors open
8pm -- The Mazzei's play some music for 1/2 hour
10-11 -- Pack it out

How to get there: 1094 Revere @ Griffith, Room A34. It's a warehouse. Come in the side door on Griffith. Come up the stairs. The studio is about 1/3 down the hall on the right. Look for clues. 

This is your "reward!" The evite! Check it out for details!
http://evite.me/S9KkMw5Cqb
But the biggest reward is the love and support we have for each other. And THAT is something to party about!

Friday, March 9, 2018

You can't mess this up

You can't mess this up. This life is already messy. The mess is part of it. And if you think our individual lives are messy, consider how messy the Wholeness is, with all those individual lives roaming about!  Maybe part of the pain of the mess, is that we actually think that things should be neat and orderly. And perhaps the mess is orderly, depending on how "mess" and "order" are defined. Accept that we can't control the mess of the world. We can only control the mess we make. And sometimes it seems we can't even control that!

So, accept and enjoy the puzzles, the challenges, the mess. And when you make a mess, clean it up. Cuz that's one way we grow. 

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Favorable Circumstances

Not that it's about favors, but one way to look at it is:

When you receive, you do the giver a favor.
When you give, you do the receiver a favor.

This exchange makes for favorable circumstances if we let go and play our part of the exchange without conditions or apology.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Age of Reason: Part 3 - Being Reasonable About It

Exploring reason (which is starting to sound like raison, which is close to French for reason, which is making me kind of hungry, even though I just ate. Not very reasonable.)

What does reason get us?
Being "reasonable."
"If we can only reason with them."
"There must be a reason."
"Everything happens for a reason."

In our vernacular, it seems like we put a lot of energy into trying to make sense out of things. And justify choices with Reason. And for good reason? Maybe, depending on the circumstances.

But what if reason doesn't seem to be working? Or what if reason is no longer enough/satisfying? What if you glimpse something that defies reason, and yet you Know it is true?

At some point, as we move into realms that transcend the dimension of duality,  we need to surrender our need to know why and the need to make sense out of things. This also pulls out our need to make cents out of things. We need to surrender our need to "reason" as our first response. As we surrender our need to reason, we begin to trust our intuitive faculties more, and the connection to the divine becomes more "reasonable."


Friday, March 2, 2018

Age of Reason: Part 2 - The Need to Know Basis

Many of us seem to operate on a "need to know basis." This can show up in a various ways:

1) "I NEED you to know what I'm talking about."  "I Need you to know what I'm thinking about."  Really? What if they don't know? Will something extreme and irreversible happen? What will happen to me if you don't know what I need you to know? Do I need you to know so I don't have to deal with some person, place, or thing?

2) "I'll tell you when you I think you need to know." As if it's up to me to decide when someone needs to know something. As if I'm the orchestrator of the Universe and I'm the one handing out Knowledge Cards. I'm not saying that we should be sharing everything we know in every moment. And yes, as a teacher, we structure classes according to "adhikara" which can be translated as "need to know" and we create a learning arc so the info can be more easily digested. Am I structuring, or am I just withholding?

3) And then there is the part of us that just "needs to know" because we feel incomplete or inadequate without the book learning part, the logic part, the tangible and linear part. And do we "need to know" because we are collecting evidence to prove something right or wrong in the future? Or do we "need to know" because we are afraid there is a pop quiz coming?

more food for thought in case you get hungry...

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Boundaries

Boundaries. Are they just another "Wall?"
Are they for keeping things out?
Some people get resistant to the idea of setting boundaries for fear that they will be "closing themselves off" or "cutting themselves off" or "losing connection." And in some cases, that is true. And sometimes necessary. And like most things in this dual existence that we lead, there are 2 sides (at least!) to this story of boundaries.

Have we considered boundaries as a way to keep things in? Like your energy. Your sense of Self.

Perhaps if we think of boundaries as a way to honor, cultivate, or establish a container that holds our essence, we can see that instead of keeping us from connection, they can help us understand who we really are as we stop unconsciously leaking our energy/our sense of Self. As we strengthen our self awareness, we gain the capacity to see a bigger picture and make decisions that are clear-based instead of fear-based.

Healthy boundaries can help us differentiate what is "ours" and what is "theirs" and in examining the parts, we can have a greater understanding of the Whole.

So today, think about what it is you really want, and then see what kind of boundaries you are using. And if they aren't really doing what you want them to do, it may be time for a re-model.