Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?

Well, do they? I have an amazing soul in my life that does so many things for me, is so thoughtful but doesn't (my interpretation) feel comfortable expressing feelings in words. I surmise it's based on past experience in a marriage where sharing verbally didn't happen and also he was wounded by an unfaithful partner.

Is it insecure to crave the ego-boosting words of another? Does it really matter? I ride the rollercoaster of, no, it doesn't/yes, because it feels good and involves trust, vulnerability, shedding the layers that protect us.

We also all communicate in our own way. Who is to say one form of communication is better than another, right versus wrong?

Here's where I trust in my own intuition, confidence, and trust in the Universe's divine plan for me, knowing I am enough!

Freedom...

True freedom comes from acceptance...of self, other, the unknown, the uncertain. We're truly missing out on this beautiful moment by needing to plan, needing to know, needing to covet. There's a divine plan for us all. Trust, wait patiently, experience, love. That's when the magic happens.

Nesting!

This bitter cold weather we're experiencing in Colorado right now has me loving my Sacred Space. Yes, that's what I call my home, Sacred Space. Our homes say so much about our lives. If our homes are messy and disorganized, cold and cluttered, do we really enjoy spending time in that environment? Can we see it as a metaphor for our lives? Are we constantly on the go, never spending time in our homes, never having time to give them some TLC?

I've bought almost every nick-nack, painting, curtain, you name it, at a thrift store! One woman's junk is another's treasure! And everything has a past life, a story. But the decor says so much about me, my spirit, my depth. People feel relaxed here. I'm relaxed here (all 800 square feet of it)!

Maybe I've inspired you to reaquaint yourself with your sacred space. What does it say about you? What would you like it to say about you? Warmth, love, passion, balance?

Faith=Peace

I inhale and chant FAITH
I exhale and chant PEACE

When I have faith in the workings of the Universe and the unfoldment of my path, I can't be anything but peaceful.

Count Your Blessings!

I told my yoga clas on Friday, "We can all find SOMETHING to be grateful for." Every day I express gratitude for the (too many to count) blessings in my life. I've been having scary thoughts lately about my financial situation. We all can relate to that. I know with all my heart, mind, and soul that I will be okay. I always am, always have been, but the thoughts creep in and freak me out every now and again.

When you find yourself in these thoughts, don't dwell in this negative state, emitting this negative energy. Think of how rich your life truly is. Count your blessings, write them down. I'm certain you will be pleasantly surprised at how many awesome things you have to be grateful for! Then lift your heart toward the sky (open your heart! as we say in yoga) and say thank you!

Gratitude is a gift to everyone. Saint Paul said "Give thanks in ALL circumstances."

Faith!

‎"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Okay, so I'm a day late in honoring this amazing human being. He was certainly a sage...knowing and acknowledging that we're all created from the same divine source, the same fabric. We are all one.

I posted this on my FB page yesterday and felt compelled to talk about faith today. I still have my struggles with having faith. I guess it's because worry and control have been a part of my monkey mind for so many years. Has worrying ever changed the outcome of my life, my struggles, my challenges? NEVER! Did I find I worried needlessly and then had a good laugh at myself? YES!

When I stop, think, slow down, focus, I truly believe the universe is totally honorable. We ALWAYS get what we need...not necessarily what we think we want or what we recognize as what's best for us. We are totally supported and taken care of ALWAYS.

So let's take that first step together, blindly, nakedly, vulnerably, and trust that we will get to the top of the staircase in our unique way, in our own timeframe, with perfect results!

Yoga, Meditation, Chanting, Peace

A beautiful way to peace, stillness, and presence is through the practice of yoga, meditation and chanting. From all three of these practices comes a quieting of the mind. We race through life, running errands, doing (sometimes) meaningless chores, never stopping to rest and rejuvinate.

I have had several friends lately try one of my yoga classes or come to a yoga class with me, and now they are practicing regularly. They too have found a place to call home! A place where no other thoughts enter the mind. A place to be totally in your body and reconnecting with the true self, the perfect self. What a gift!

Meditation and chanting place the focus on the breath or a thought or phrase or mantra. Meditation and chanting ask us to let go of the constant chatter in the mind and sit quietly, peacefully and surrender. The energy and vibration that's created is stunning. It is truly palpable.

These are no easy tasks. They all take time and effort and dedication, but are so worth it. Make it a part of your day to start incorporating just one of the three into your life. You (and those around you) will start to notice a beautiful, peaceful glow surrounding you. I can't imagine anything more beautiful!

Ethics and Virtue

I am reading an amazing book called Essential Spirituality, which pulls from the World Religions spiritual thoughts and practices. There are gems on every single page! I am in the midst of reading about ethical living. Some of us were raised to live ethically out of fear and guilt, hellfire and damnation. Yikes! How motivating is that?

Basically ethical living just means being kind, compassionate and truthful...to yourself and others. What a gift! "What we do, we become." One woman in the book said that "stress may be as much a question of a compromise of values as it is external pressures and fears!"

Acting ethically can be a source of healing...we actually become a source of healing to others as well. What we intend for others we create for ourselves! According to the great religions,(I've noticed these in myself quite profoundly), the many gifts of ethical living include a greater capacity for openness, honesty and intimacy, a heart that is more open, kind and loving, confidence, strength, closer, kinder relationships, joy, the list is extensive.

I close with this beautiful quote: "When we give someone our love,"(of course we're talking about loving all beings, even those who have hurt us) "that same love first flowers within our minds and then overflows into others, leaving its healing imprint on both."

Fear

We cannot experience fear if we live in the present moment. Fear is always about the future, and the future does not exist. Only this moment exists. Everything else is made up in our imaginations! Right? False Experience Appearing Real! (FEAR)

"The true person sees what the eye sees and does not add to it something that is not there."~Chuang Tzu

If we shine the light on the darkness and ignorance, all that imagined fear shrivels up and dies. So be with the fear, look carefully at it, recognize it is not real, then begin to experience freedom from it! Fear not!

LOVE

Now that I have spent the last year and a half relearning how to love myself, I am truly astounded by how easy it is to love others and not judge. I am not talking about "romantic" love here. I am talking about unconditional love, respect, appreciation, gratitude for all beings, even the ones that are hard to love! Once I came to the realization that talking down to myself just wasn't working anymore (oh, and that it truly was all bullshit that I was saying to myself anyhow!!), it opened my eyes, my heart, and my mind to so much more.

I just spent 9 days with my parents and had a wholly different experience than ever before. The jugment, the criticism, the expectations just started to roll away. I finally can see them for the loving, giving, accepting parents that they are. We all are on the path, our paths all look different, but who are we to judge another's? We all are doing the best with what we have and what we know. I've said this numerous times, but everyone is our teacher. My parents teach me patience, acceptance, nonjudgment, and so much more. If not for them, I wouldn't even exist! Neither would Lily!

Check in with yourself...is it time for a lesson in love?

"Spiritual love has no desire to get but only to give, no goal except to awaken itself within others, no need except to share itself. Being unconditional, it never fails or falters. Being endless, it embraces everyone."

Intention

Intention has been on my mind...then 2 of my teachers blessed me with their thoughts on intention, so of course I had to share all of our thoughts bundled together!!

What do you intend for 2011? I first suggest saying thank you and goodbye to 2010. We must be grateful for the blessings, gifts, and lessons the year brought to our paths, and now we must let go. Otherwise, our intentions for 2011 will be fraught with disappointment as we needlessly hold onto the past.

Now set an intention for the coming year and open your heart and your mind to be in receipt of whatever graces your path. KNOW that you deserve it all. Feel it in your heart and soul. Love yourself like you never have before (or at least have forgotten how)!

Sat Nam

Miss Nothing!

"The fragrance of blossoms soon passes
The ripeness of fruit is gone in a twinkling
Our time in this world is so short
Better to avoid regret
Miss no opportunity to savor the ineffable."
~Loy Ching Yuen, 20th Century Taoist Master

Don't be afraid! Don't hold back! Bust open your heart, your eyes, your ears, your nose, your touch! Savor the ineffable! Taste the sweetness!

Warrior Goddess

The Shambala Warrior is a gentle, nonviolent warrior. This warrior breaks down the walls encapsulating her heart. She's unafraid to dig deep inside and face what's there. She feels the power in groundlessness, uncertainty. In fact, the adventure excites her. She realizes this takes bravery and courage.

I'm slowly becoming that warrior, accepting it as a lifelong journey, a long road. I love with every ounce of energy I possess. I trust more deeply in the goodness of others and the Universe. I feel safe and supported. I invite you to join me on the exciting, glorious journey.

"Every moment is an opportunity for love and transformation."~unknown

All is as it should be!

Surrender...Trust...Have Faith...Let Go...Whatever words resonate with you. When we learn to surrender and get out of our own way, the Universe, God, fill in the blank, always takes care of us. What seems like an impossible situation, a painful challenge, a heartbreaking event suddenly unfolds as a magical experience to learn, grow, discover our true path. We must sit patiently, be present, breathe, and be open to whatever comes next. No judgment, no control, just loving kindness.

"I learn by going where I have to go."~Theodore Roethke

A New Year...A New You??

I don't believe the statement which is the title of this blog post today. It should read A New Year...The Real You...The Original You...The Forgotten You. On the path called life, we eventually will find we have come full circle, back to the divine, beautiful, perfect self. We all already possess everything we need. We've just forgotten or been brainwashed by the constant chatter (chitta vrita) in our minds.

One of my focuses of late has been to be the "observer," the "witness," of my thoughts. I've noticed that I don't even believe the old tape recordings that I continue to play over and over in my mind. We all become so programmed, tuned out, shut down to these thoughts. I've started noticing, hitting the stop button, then the erase button, and letting go and moving on. I'm not hard on myself so much anymore.

Do you still need to worry? Live in doubt? Fear? Can you trust? Do you believe? When is the last time you revisited these questions honestly, presently?

"Only I am responsible for what I think. It is at this leve that I exercise choice."

Finding Peace

I guess the title of today's blog describes where I've been for almost 2 months! Digging deep, reading books, meditating and doing volunteer work at Shambala Mountain Center, focusing on my beautiful daughter and gift, Lily, and being vulnerable:busting my heart wide open. The shift to groundlessness has occured; when I realize nothing is solid, nothing is stagnant, nothing is changeless. What a relief. All that struggle, attachment, high expectations, assumptions, fears...they've loosened their stranglehold grip on me and my mind. They have not totally vanished (goodness, I'm human!), but they've noticeably backed off. I realize I have absolutely nothing to lose, because I don't even own any of it in the first place.

Buddhists believe that we cause our own suffering, samsara, by believing things to be permanent, changeless. Freedom comes from just allowing, being, trusting.

It's nice to be back...but not on solid ground!

Truly Loving Life

I wrote "Celebrating Life" on my FB page today, just another way to state how amazing life is if we only take the time to truly just be in it and be grateful. I live in one of the most beautiful cities/states around, I have been blessed with an awesome daughter, amazing, big-hearted friends and family, I am financially stable, super fit, mentally healthy and truly a loving soul. I wear my heart on my sleeve and love people and am always giving them the benefit of the doubt. What's a "second" chance? I give third, fourth, fifth chances!! Why the hell not?

I also quoted Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I know of him through my love of Pema Chodron, his student. I highly recommend ANY book by CTR. I happen to be reading Shambala, the Sacred Path of the Warrior. The path of the warrior has nothing to do with violence or fighting. It's exactly the opposite. It's about bravery and fearlessness, especially when it comes to loving ourselves and knowing just who we are and loving ourselves anyhow (which then of course makes it a piece of cake to love and be kind and accpeting to others). It's about kindness, gentleness, warmth, and celebrating life!

Yes, I am a warrior goddess. I'm brave, kind, loving, unafraid!

How Do You Respond To Discomfort?

This is one of my favorite questions. My favorite yoga teachers ask it in every class, several times throughout class. I ask my students in my indoor cycling classes (and plan to in all my yoga classes). The answer is very telling...and of course I'm not just referring to physical discomfort.

In yoga, when my quads are on fire, holding an asana, where does my mind go? Do I want to come out of it? Give up? Curse the instructor? Then do I beat myself up because of my decision? This is absolutely a metaphor for life. When things get uncomfortable, when "stuff" comes up, when things aren't going our way, how do we respond? Denial? Blame? Self-destruction? Shut down? Don the armor?

I'd like to encourage all of us to start trying, just trying, a different approach. How about staying in the asana, breathing hugely through the discomfort, repeating something beautiful and positive to yourself, being gentle and loving, experiencing fully the discomfort and letting go of the story.

I know, this takes so much trust and faith in ourselves, two emotions that don't come so easily for us. But what's the alternative? Repeating the pattern over and over, of course! And therefore not really "doing" yoga and certainly not "living" our yoga.

Paths Crossing

Do you ever wonder why some people come into our lives? I think about this a lot. It's very intriguing to me. I believe everyone is a teacher. I believe in past lives. Have we met these folks in another life, possibly in a different form? Will we keep meeting them in future lives until we finally learn the lesson they were meant to teach us? Isn't this great stuff to ponder? I think it's yummy, juicy, sweet. I, of course, am speaking of those folks we love, those we hate, those we connect with, and those that drive us crazy. They were brought into our lives for a purpose. Just think back...you'll find numerous examples of what I'm speaking of.

More recently, I've tried not to judge. What do I know of another's path? I try to put myself in the other's shoes. I try not to give up on them too easily. I'm feeling more compassionate and unconditional. It's so darn easy to judge, to convict, to blame. What if we stop for just a second and reconsider judgment and dismissal? All the more love we get to receive in return!!!

The opposite of samsara

Samsara is associated with suffering, or dukkha. It's a part of life. Avoiding it is futile. Dwelling in it, creating it: optional. The opposite of samsara is when the walls we've built crumble, our cozy cocoon disintegrates, and we are open to the magic of "whatever." We step into it, naked, vulnerable, like a child.

I so love the symbolism of child's pose in yoga. We step onto the mat, take child's pose, becoming open to whatever comes our way, feeling playful, letting it be the first time we've stepped onto the mat, a new, fresh, surprising experience every single time. Child-like, we have no judgment, no expectations, no competition, no fears. We get out of ours heads and into the miraculous.

I am a warrior goddess. My journey is uncertain, unknown, and exactly taking shape as it should.

WAHE GURU WAHE GURU WAHE GURU WAHE JIO