Build Your Tribe

We have just passed the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States, a day not only rich in turkey, stuffing, pies and tradition, but a day that can be honored with an attitude of thankfulness. As the day approached I was struck by a deepening sense of the importance of community. Following the Paris terrorist attacks with the anger and rhetoric that ensued, along with deep sadness, it reminded me of how important it is to stay connected to each other from the highest place of intention and integrity.

My thought of the week is to create our own tribe, to build a network of people who are supportive of each other even with each of us having different objectives and ways of life. The stronger we can come together with a collective intention of loving kindness to manifest peacefulness in the world, the better. Even if it just begins with you and one other person  sharing the hope of peace and acting upon it can begin to offer a shift away from negativity toward a more positive vibration. The point is to act upon the intention of support rather than keeping it as a theoretical and perhaps seemingly unattainable ideal.

When I began to shift my teaching career out of the fitness industry toward teaching the mind-body practices of yoga and meditation, it took quite a bit of steady determination. I had been teaching very large and often popular group fitness classes where people would arrive early to "get their spot" and would often need to share equipment to ensure everyone could undertake the practice. It was an abundant time yet deep inside I knew I was being called to work more with the connection of body-mind-spirit. I had the experience for quite some time of sitting by myself in the yoga studio, hoping and waiting for someone to walk through the door. Classes were often just a couple of people but my heart wanted to teach as though the class were full...and so I did. Fortunately, this determination and persistence has begun to pay off with what feels like an ever-expanding pool of people who've stepped onto the mat or sat down on a cushion.

Part of doing what I do involves building our local community of yogis and yoginis and what's astonishing is that some 12 plus years later, I'm actually bearing witness to its ripple. Building a loving and conscious community is vital for us to propagate peace in the world, even if it's just one person at a time. 

Since moving back to the States in 1997, I often felt like I couldn't find "my people". For years I had (and still have) what I call my "heart family"-the group of friends who hold your heart dearly and support your own path of growth and evolution. Leaving Australia, I left this behind and was hoping to find a similar connection back in the States. But what happened was somewhat surprising. My new tribe seemed elusive and I had many false starts as to what I was hoping to be authentic and long-term relationships. It was through walking my own path, being driven by a sense of my purpose in the world, that my tribe started to appear. It was as though I had to let go of what I wanted from other people and needed to focus on what I could do to serve other people.

Perhaps as you read this you're thinking about your circles of friends and community. Perhaps you already have a strong sense of connection. My thought for the week is to say: if you don't have it, build it through your own intention and if you do have it...make it bigger and be the catalyst that fosters a deeper sense of acting from love and support.

And to all of you who have crossed my path and joined me in this pursuit, my heart is wide open with gratitude. Thank you.

Peace and Harmony

It's been another one of those weeks where we've been transfixed on the occurrence of yet another horrible act of terrorism, this time unfolding in the city of lights, Paris. I heard the news of the attacks late on the Friday night after they happened and was away for the weekend to celebrate the wonderful event of our granddaughter's Bat Mitzvah. I didn't see any television coverage or hear anything on the radio during the weekend as the energy was all about seeing a young, and quite capable, near teenager become part of a community. It was about celebrating with family and friends as well as carrying on traditions that have been passed through the generations.

It wasn't until I started to make my way back home that I saw, not so much the news of the attacks, but how people were reacting to them. As Monday morning arrived, I had to decide on my teaching theme of the week and sat thinking to myself, "Again...another opportunity to talk about something so heinous that it breaks our hearts and tosses us into the den of fear. How should I approach things this week without sounding cynical or hopeless?"  It felt like the only refuge that I personally had was to go into my heart and pray for peace and healing, even though I had done this countless times previously, it still seemed like a sacred place to reside.

So how do we stay in our practice when such devastating things are part of our world? How do we continue to manage the feelings of disgust, anger and hatred toward others? And more powerfully, how do we hold such deep sadness in our hearts? I sadly believe that I will not see peace in the world in my lifetime. Does that mean that I should stop trying to?

My thought of the week is around holding ourselves in a place of compassion and love. That in order to find peace in the world, we must find peace within ourselves. Such events have only strengthened my personal resolve to make continued choices that are of the vibration of love and compassion, rather than "turning to the dark side". In order for my stunning granddaughter 
and spectacular grandson and all of our future generations to find peace in their lives, they must be supported in fostering this from the generations that have come before them. So I am determined to hold my own vulnerability, anger and fear in such a way that it is felt and acknowledged but doesn't lead my actions. Rather, my actions are led by trusting that at the core of my own essence is love which is the most powerful of energies and intentions.

We must begin with ourselves in finding self-love and offering ourselves loving kindness. May I be safe, happy, healthy, live with ease and find peace. What I wish for myself is what all beings wish for themselves. It's as though the seed of my compassion needs to be planted and nourished within my own heart so that it may ripple away from me, to all of my relationships, to all of my actions, to all beings known and unknown, so that the energetic vibe is that of love. 

May all beings everywhere be free of suffering. May all beings everywhere be safe and have enough food to eat. May all beings be happy and healthy. And may all beings everywhere find peace.

Om shanti shanti shanti...

Shine Your Light

My teaching theme and hence my thought for the week has been about "Shining Your Light" out to the world. It was inspired by this week's new moon (meaning "no moon") and a completely darkened night sky which signaled the beginning of Diwali, a sacred holiday in India. To quote yoga teacher, Saul David Raye:

"Diwali is a sacred festival from India, honoring the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil, wisdom over ignorance and hope over despair. It is a time to pause and reflect within, to remember the light within our hearts and that truly we are made of light. With the flame of awareness, we light the lamp of wisdom, the lamp of love, the lamp of peace within our hearts and invoke the power of the Oneness."

I love the image of light illuminating darkness and the metaphor of us sharing the light that lives within each of us, yet it is the same light that lives within all of us. We all have something to offer, some unique way of sharing our gift with others and when we tap into that and feel our individual offering we begin to express the deepest and most soulful aspect of ourselves. This light is the light of love. So instead of us focusing on our suffering, of what needs to be better or our own darkness, let's take this lead from Diwali to focus on the light.

A good way to practice bringing our focus onto our shining light is by asking the following questions:

What is going well in my life?

Why is this going well?

What have I done to invite this manifestation into my life?

When I asked myself those questions, one thing that arose was my past and current yoga teacher training courses. As I sometimes focus on what's next or what could be better, the questions above bring me back to my original intention of why I created the course in the first place. It allowed me to sit in recognition of something I have worked hard at, given many hours to and find deep satisfaction in doing. Why is this going well? I know it is when I hear the stories of graduates bringing yoga to their community, when they share what has been challenging and fulfilling. I know it's going well when I hear trainees ask insightful questions and show up with incredible curiosity and a hunger to learn. I know it's going well when I feel that deep sense of doing what I am here to do, to walk my path of dharma (purpose). It's as though my heart swells and gratitude is what is filling it.

And what have I done to invite this? I listened to that inner voice that whispered many years ago, take a chance, trust what you know and follow your path. Instead of just saying, "oh that sounds good, but I doubt I could do it, it seems too hard." I took a chance, did the groundwork, built the foundation and put it out there. Being passionate drives us to do great things in our lives...the beautiful and true saying, "if there's a will, there's a way". We find a path that supports our desire and try to make it happen. It also means taking a risk in that it might be different to what we imagined or it might take a turn in a direction we never could anticipate.

Letting our light shine is a fulfillment of our soul. We dig into what truly will bring meaning to our lives and radiate it out there. The more we do it, the easier it becomes, the more fulfilling it is and has greater impact. My thought for the week is for all of us to trust our inner wisdom, to expand our awareness of what's whispering inside our hearts and to let the peace and love flow out of us from the deepest source of our being.

Let's hold Mother India in our hearts for lighting the way and let's all shine our light and illuminate the Universe.

Is Anybody Out There?

I've been writing this blog for quite some time now it all began when I wanted to keep in touch with the many folks who are seasonal visitors to the desert, as well as to stay connected to my circle of people in other places such as Europe and Australia. My "Thought of the Week" was inspired by those asking for what I was teaching on a weekly basis and to reach out to them via cyber space. They wanted to stay connected to what I had been sharing during our time together. And so was born the weekly e-newsletter and associated blog.

Since beginning this outward communication, I had no other intent than to have one more avenue in which to share my experience and knowledge with people who have crossed my path. I write, my husband Ed edits and I hit the "send" button out into the vast unknown. I have little to no idea who will open the newsletter, what they'll read or if anything will actually resonate. It's as though I take a leap of faith each week that perhaps what I have written might make a difference to someone else.

What continually drops my jaw is when I hear a story about what I've written and how it impacted someone else. Sometimes I feel as though I'm writing and sending thoughts into an abyss, wondering "is anybody out there?". It truly is a practice of trusting an inner voice and then letting it all go. The simple act of writing regularly is a spiritual practice unto itself. If nobody ever replied or commented, it is still a way in which I delve into my soul, look for the weekly lesson and offer my voice as an expression of my own individual journey.  For someone who likes to feel a sense of control, this is definitely a practice of surrender.

It blows me away when people say "I look forward to your blog/newsletter every week", or "I felt like what you wrote was directed precisely to what was happening with me". I feel immense gratification every time I hear one of these stories as the expectation I hold is that I write and let go...so when something comes back, it's a joyful moment of surprise!

It's the same for offering teachings at charitable events. My experience through the Off the Mat fundraising year and through Poses on Paseo/Poses For the People have been personally satisfying as I feel that one way for me to be of service is to teach from my experience in the hope of raising funds and awareness. Recently, I had two stories of people who had crossed my path this way. These were people I didn't meet directly during those events but who came to offer their support and energy to a cause. Additionally, they started receiving my weekly e-newsletter, have followed various happenings and writings and are now undertaking my Yoga Teacher Training through Desert Yoga Therapy!

My point of all of this is not to boast about what I'm doing but to be reminded of the impact we can have through what we are doing. All of these are examples of me just putting it out there and letting go. My intention is to offer whatever I have through my heart with authenticity and passion. My lesson has been that as I stay true to that, I might just be surprised by the incredibly powerful impact one action may have acting as a catalyst for another action to be ignited.

My thought for the week is to put it out there...whatever "it" may be and do so from that inner realm of your soul. It's speaking to us constantly and if we can get quiet and listen, we are empowered to spread whatever it is that we have to offer.

Trust and offer it up. As I'm learning, the answer to my question, "is anybody out there?", is YES!