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January 2010: New Beginnings |
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“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” 2010 has arrived and the new year brings with it a fresh start, a time to make new commitments and personal resolutions. We make these commitments with the best of intentions, but once the train gets derailed we are back to our old patterns. Inertia is hard to overcome in such a large chunk. What if we were to consider every day as a new opportunity to create a positive change in ourselves and the world? Remember the freedom of choice that we all possess when choosing the words we speak and the actions we exercise. How will I choose to define myself by my choices in this moment? My personal resolution for 2010 is to remind myself of a mantra every morning that I will repeat in order to consciously plant a seed of clarity: “This is the perfect moment to begin living my life more in accordance with my values.
Today is the perfect day to embody the change I wish to see in the world.
Now is the perfect time to be the person I wish to be.” For me, it will be a daily reminder to keep moving in the direction I see as “forward.” One thing that we can always count on in life is change. While we are powerless to stop things from changing, we can determine the direction of the change. Positive thoughts breed more positive thoughts. Correct actions lead to more correct actions. As I make my daily commitment to simply be a little more honest, a little more compassionate, a little more peaceful, I slowly but surely embody my Truth ever more each day. I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on what is important to you and perhaps to establish a mantra that speaks to you and your Truth. Create a beautiful 2010. | Playlist #5: 1 hour Yoga Flow | | Pranafestation | Desert Dwellers | | | The Eastoner | General Midi | | | Ocean of Joy | Ikarus | | | Meu Destino | Thievery Corporation | | | Oscar | Tosca and Anna Clementi | | | Gute Laune | Tosca and Tweed | | | Jai Ma | Wah! | | | Jai Hanuman | Shaman's Dream | | | Durga Shakti | Shaman's Dream | | | Samadhi | Shaman's Dream | |
Inspiration Archive December 2009: Feeling Connected November 2009: Gratitude October 2009: Change September 2009: Beyond The Physical August 2009: Not Rushing July 2009: Aparigraha June 2009: The Mat - A Sacred Space; Your Body - A Temple May 2009: Identify with what you want, not with what you don't want |
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December 2009: Feeling Connected |
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Being connected is not a rational thought or just a pleasant feeling. It is a “knowing,” a deep and utter awareness of being part of a vast and grand scheme. We seem to only stop and take notice when we have these moments of feeling connected because for most of us, most of the time, we feel completely dis-connected. Disconnected seems to be our default state, the condition we are used to. The nature of the modern age is such that the majority of our lives do not require us to be aligned with the cycles and rhythms of nature. Our society has evolved to the point that the seasons, the tides, and the weather hardly affect most of our daily comings and goings. We are fortunate enough to live in a place where just about any crop is available to buy at any time of year. We have heating in our homes and cars and offices for when is it cold and air conditioners for when it is hot. Most of us spend the majority of our lives indoors, inside of little protected boxes. We get into our car “box” to drive to work. We step into our office “box” from 9-5. We drive over to our gym “box” to exercise. We get back into our car “box” to drive to our home “box” to spend our evening. If it is too dark out, our boxes even light up. If it is too bright out, we close the shades. We go to great lengths to keep the “outside” (insects, animals, wind, rain, even other people) out there, away from our own personal little bubble. We do not want the outside getting inside. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these comforts, if we don’t make the effort to notice the natural world then we will resign ourselves to feel disconnected from it. Ancient cultures paid close attention to the seasons, to the weather, to the moon cycles. Farmers still do. They know the importance of planting and harvesting at the right times of the day and year. As diverse as they may be, surfers and physicists alike know that everything in life has rhythm and is made up of waves. Like the Earth, humans are composed mainly of water. We are fluid beings. And like the Earth, our bodies are affected by the cycles of the moon and the movement of the stars. So how do we get re-connected? A teacher told me “No matter how disconnected you may feel, you never really are. It’s always all right here.” Getting outside of the “boxes” helps. Just step outside: taking a walk or jog (without earphones!), watch the sunrise or sunset, watching the waves on the ocean, sitting in your yard to eat breakfast, stargaze at night. Do any of these things and pay particular attention to the sky, the earth, the temperature of the air, what the plants are doing this time of year, the smells, and the sounds. Our yoga practice is a beautiful place to find connection. When we enter the room, we remove our shoes. Our bare feet touch the earth. Our hands touch the earth. Our entire bodies ground down and connect us to Earth. We listen to our breath and the rhythmic beating of our hearts. Like waves on the ocean, life pulses through our bodies. The natural world has rhythm and cycles: the seasons, the days, the tides. By watching yourself, you notice the natural rhythm of YOU: breathing, pulsing, living. And then you remember that it’s not all out there. It’s all in here, inside of you! Humans are a microcosm of the Universe. Everything that is without is also within. As the Vedas say, “You are That.” The feeling of connection stems from that realization: You are all of this! You are not the small, stressed out, stuck-in-your-head, dis-connected person that you believe yourself to be. You are all THIS, as far as your eye can see, as deep as your mind can fathom. So this month, I invite you to get outside, drink in the air, smile and make eye contact with the other people who are part of this beautiful journey, and rejoice! “The small man builds cages for everyone he knows. While the sage, who has to duck his head when the moon is low, keeps dropping keys all night long for the beautiful, rowdy prisoners.” ~ Hafiz Playlist #4: 1 hour Yoga Flow
(I am on a bit of a Cantoma and Thievery Corporation kick this month!) | | Offshore | Chicane | | | 5th & Avenida | Afterlife | | | Marisi | Cantoma | | | A Gentle Dissolve | Thievery Corporation | | | Air Batucada | Thievery Corporation | | | So Com Voce | Thievery Corporation | | | Samba Tranquille | Thievery Corporation | | | Shadows of Ourselves | Thievery Corporation | | | Maja | Cantoma | | | Only People | Cantoma | | | Down Slow | Moby | | | Everloving | Moby | | | The Time We Lost Our Way | Thievery Corporation | | | All That I Am | Shimshai | |
Inspiration Archive
November 2009: Change October 2009: Change September 2009: Beyond The Physical August 2009: Not Rushing July 2009: Aparigraha June 2009: The Mat - A Sacred Space; Your Body - A Temple May 2009: Identify with what you want, not with what you don't want |
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I woke up this morning feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Of course I am grateful for the usual things: the beautiful place that I live in, my warm bed, the food in my kitchen, my healthy body, my loved ones … But I also had a new realization. I am actually grateful for the painful events that occurred in my life last month. In last month’s Inspirations I wrote about “Change.” As fate would have it, the topic turned out to be a very fitting one for me when I was unexpectedly terminated from the yoga studio that I had taught at for 6 years, a place that had felt like my second home. Compounding my initial feelings of shock, betrayal, and deep hurt was the challenge of facing the major adjustments that this would present in my life and career. Change can be scary and oftentimes it is very unwelcome, arriving when we least expect it and shaking up our secure world. An anonymous quote states: “God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable.” This “disaster” has forced me to step out of my comfort zone, to exert myself in new ways, and ultimately to recognize my vast potential. If this event had not occurred, I probably would have remained in my secure space, never reaching higher. Because we only see the world from our limited vantage point, it can be very disappointing when things don’t work out the way that we wanted or planned. But perhaps what seems like a hardship now is really just preparation for the next step in our personal growth. Perhaps what seems like a loss is really just clearing space for the next big thing to arrive in our lives. This realization transformed my attitude from one of dismay to one of acceptance. Feeling the tremendous outpouring of love and support from my students this past month and finding new doors opening for me at every turn has really caused me to remember: The Universe does not always give us what we want, but it always gives us what we need. Instead of holding on tightly to the shattering “self” that I thought myself to be, I just let go, trusting that whatever happens will be for my own highest good and learning. As I have practiced relaxing into life instead of trying to fix it, my outlook has shifted from mere acceptance into deep gratitude. I am grateful for everything, even the challenges, for through them I have come to know myself and my Dharma (life purpose) in a more profound way. With Thanksgiving coming up at the end of the month, I think that November is an apt time to practice gratitude. Gratitude involves a subtle shift in perspective. Instead of focusing on what you wish was different, you turn your attention to your many blessings. It is not about changing what is, but rather about having a willingness to trust that everything is as it should be. Give thanks for both the blessings currently in your life, as well as those yet to come. Happy Thanksgiving. From my great Soul to your great Soul, Namaste. The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.~ Rumi | Playlist #3: 1 Hour Yoga Flow | | Crazy Heart | Bahramji & Maneesh de Moor | | | Cosmopole | Cantoma | | | Elixir for Sunsets | Phobos | | | Africa | Cirque du Soleil | | | Porcelain | Moby | | | Om Narayana | Wade Imre Morissette | | | Jai's Dub Shack | Jai Uttal | | | Miracle | Afterlife | | | The Nomad | Niraj Chag | | | Imagine | Jack Johnson | | | Pure Essence | Maneesh De Moor | |
Inspiration Archive October 2009: Change September 2009: Beyond The Physical August 2009: Not Rushing July 2009: Aparigraha June 2009: The Mat - A Sacred Space; Your Body - A Temple May 2009: Identify with what you want, not with what you don't want |
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As we say farewell to the summer and transition into autumn, we begin to notice changes in the weather, the temperature, the quality of the air, the intensity of the wind. We become aware of the length of daylight growing shorter as the nights become longer. We see the leaves changing color and then releasing, falling to the ground. And we are reminded of the transient nature of things. Nature blatantly shows us that nothing remains the same for long. In fact everything, including you, is constantly in flux, ever moving, growing, transforming. Due to our fear of change and because of our desire to have something solid to hold on to, we expend a good deal of time and energy attempting to create a rigid image of ourselves. We try to label and define who we are. “I am like this. I am a Taurus. I am shy. I am physically weak. I do not like this kind of food. I am not a morning person.” Once we have defined ourselves, we spend even more energy trying to uphold this image that we have created. NOTHING WILL CAUSE YOU MORE PAIN THAN THIS! You are so much more than the tiny, inflexible self that you have defined yourself as. Stop trying to hold on to this image and instead let it go. Reconnect to the You that lies beyond the constraints of your mind, the You that exists beyond your mere thoughts and rationalizations. Take time each day to close your eyes and experience being alive, without putting any words or labels on your feelings. Just pure, unadulterated feeling. Feel how you change and shift in each moment, riding the ebb and flow of your breath and of your life. Dive in and celebrate! We are the ones we’ve been waiting for… “There is a river flowing now, very fast. It is so great and swift that there will be those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and suffer greatly. Know that the river has its destination. The elders say we must push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open and our heads above water. See who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history we are able to take nothing for personally, least of all ourselves, for the moment we do that, our spiritual growth comes to a halt. The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves; banish the word “struggle” from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred way and in celebration. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” ~ from a Hopi elder
| Playlist #3: Upbeat FLow | | The Long Road | Eddie Vedder & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan | | | Slow Down | Moby | | | Inside | Moby | | | Gamelan | Cirque du Soleil | | | Connection | Stereo MCs | | | The Connection | Travis | | | Essarai | Cantoma | | | Moonsmith | Cantoma | | | Pandajero | Cantoma | | | Blessed to be a Witness | Ben Harper | | | Let Go | Frou Frou | | | Feel Good Inc. | Skye | | | Storm of Prayers | Craig Kohland & Shaman's Dream | |
Inspiration Archive September 2009: Beyond The Physical August 2009: Not Rushing July 2009: Aparigraha June 2009: The Mat - A Sacred Space; Your Body - A Temple May 2009: Identify with what you want, not with what you don't want |
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Inspirations
