Time To Blossom

Over the past month, I have made many forays into my local environs hiking the local trails close to Palm Springs. It has simply been irresistible as I have been hearing the sweet voice of Mother Nature calling to me-come out and explore!

Our desert is in full bloom due to the above average rainfall this past winter and above average temperatures these past couple of weeks. It's as though the dormancy of winter has been shaken awake. We have lived in the desert for over 17 years now and I have never seen our mountains look so green or with such an array of wildflowers and grasses showing their full color. This has all happened because the conditions have been just right. We have been in drought the past five years and only Mother Nature knows when the next time will be that we are able to enjoy such vibrancy.

Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere have just passed the first day that marks our transition from winter to spring-the vernal equinox. The hours of darkness and light are about the same length and we will begin to see more daylight hours as we mosey up to the summer solstice three months from now. This time of year is ripe for some reflection, for looking at the quality of balance in our lives and see what may be blossoming for us. We know that the desert bloom has happened not just because we had rain and warm sunlight, but because of the seeds and buds that were awaiting such a perfect storm of conditions to show their full display of beauty. If the seeds hadn't been in the soil in the first place, then no matter how much it rained or shined no blooms would have appeared.

The same is true for us. Spring blossoms because what has been planted in the previous few months. We can reflect three months back to the winter solstice and see what we put in the soil to hibernate over the winter months. What is blossoming for you at the moment? Was it something that you toiled into your inner landscape and now have ripe conditions to see it to manifestation? This is my thought of the week...what have you been digging into your own soil that you would like to bring into bloom? 

Try this visualization. Close your eyes and enjoy a couple of relaxing breaths. Imagine a dear friend sitting opposite you, one that you talk openly and honestly with. They ask you the following question, "What is it that you are wanting to have in your life?". Notice what arises. Perhaps it's bringing more peace, ease, quiet time or calm to everyday things. Perhaps it's letting go of what you no longer need. See if you can notice what is present without needing to judge or change whatever bubbled up.

Now, what are doing to plant these seeds into your life?

One way of creating a rich soil for what we wish to manifest is to have daily practices, things we do, no matter how big or small, that till our own inner garden where it can be nourished. Each time you step onto your yoga mat, sit in meditation, offer loving kindness to yourself or others, connect to gratitude, appreciate the earth or serve others you are nourishing your inner garden. It may take longer than we anticipate for the conditions of our own life to be just right for what we've planted to manifest.

It's not like I've held a lifelong dream of owning my own yoga studio so when the opportunity arose it seemed like perfect timing. This was the case because I had spent years steadily doing work that not only supported others on their path of living a balanced and insightful life but connecting to my own inner life on a daily basis. The sense of living from intention, every day, is what creates a nourishing environment to bring to life what we most desire.

As we step into spring here in the Northern Hemisphere and move into fall in the Southern Hemisphere take a few moments to be still and honor the steady process of our own growth. Check in with yourself to see if something is ready to come more fully into your life and start working with it through having the intention to do so.

It is time to blossom and I thank the natural cycle of nature for the stunning reminder.

Inner Power

So did you feel it? This past Sunday we had a full moon that fell in the earthly sign of Virgo. It was a powerful reminder of strength and inner power. As Tanaaz (Forever Conscious, Intuitive Astrology) said,

"It is time to enter into warrior mode. Gone are the days of feeling sorry for yourself or being the victim. Gone are the days of getting irritated by every challenge or setback that life has brought you so far. Gone are the days of resisting what the Universe is trying to show you. This is about finding that inner strength so you can heal, repair, nourish and reflect in whatever way you need to...Trust your instincts and see what arises for you, because chances are this Virgo Full Moon will show you the way and will show you where healing is required..."

When I read this I just said, "YES" and it got me to thinking about how we foster and connect to our own inner power. In our culture people are quite aware of physically working out. Whether or not they actually do it is another question, but people know that being in our physical body is generally a good thing. Over the many years of personal training I had this experience several times where the client would be either on the elliptical trainer or treadmill in a steady state of regular breathing with their heart rate elevated. They would turn to me and almost whisper, "I've never told anyone this before but...". And it didn't just happen a couple of times but frequently. I began to think more deeply about how our body is the gateway to opening up our emotional and mental channels. People would start working out and untapped issues would rise to the surface. In times of challenge, people will often avoid the difficulty by escaping to the gym or their yoga mat. By turning to the physical effort, we feel as though we can bypass the sticky moment and hope it goes away yet we know that it won't, as avoidance doesn't lead to resolution.

The next piece to this thought is that this is where people would then stay in the physical body. My thought for the week isn't about working out but about working in. Our body is one way in which we can tap into what our soul's conversation is. Our breath finds rhythm, we release endorphins and relax just enough for the curtain to be drawn back to reveal something deeper and perhaps unconscious. Our yoga practice, as well as other forms of movement, gives us the invitation to explore our inner landscape. And sometimes what is revealed challenges us and sometimes we turn it off and move back to just working out. But if we have a safe and sacred place, we can allow whatever arises to be there and perhaps begin to shift what needs to change. As Judith Hanson Lasater (A Year of Living Your Yoga) says:

"...it is in the difficulties that we grow. You don't need to like the difficulties that life sends you, but remember that they too are part of the sacred path of evolution." 

An appropriate meme that I came across this week just about sums it up:

So as you step into your practice this week allow for the rising of a deeper consciousness. We can support this connection to our inner power, building our inner strength by tapping into the third (Manipura) chakra, the seat of our self-esteem, self-will and confidence. We build our inner strength every time we chant its bija mantra of RAM, sung or spoken with the mouth wide open and allowing the lips to hum the "m" sound to the end of our breath. We stand strongly in our posture as we vibrate this energetic center. Fully trust the gut feeling that arises when you need to make a decision or to stand up for what you believe.

A final thought on inner power is the understanding that our outer strength and power will shift as we age. A point will arise where we have passed our strongest physical selves, even if we have a lifelong commitment to working out. However, that doesn't need to be true for our inner strength as it has the potential to continue to expand until our last breath. As we know our time in this body is limited and it shall change and eventually disappear, yet our inner power will always be the light we carry within.

Let your light shine...work in.

Enough

Say this word silently to yourself, "enough". Pause.  Listen to what arises in you when saying this word.

I've been asking my students to try this in class this past week. I say the word "enough" and we sit. I then ask what popped up? It's been an interesting discovery of how just one word can trigger quite different responses. Here's a summary of what people shared:

I am not enough.

I am enough.

Enough! With a "stop" hand gesture.

Enough technology, news and screen time.

Enough news about politics.

I have enough, I am content.

Enough out-of-town visitors!

Enough joy.

Enough negative talk!

It seemed to swing between a feeling of recognizing abundance to a state of not having or being enough. When this theme came to me it was more from the perspective of lacking and from self-doubt. Like an invisible curtain that stops us from doing something that might be on the periphery of consciousness. I'd love to do this but I don't have enough ________ (time, money, resources, knowledge, skills etc). And often when we feel as though something is lacking, we begin to look outside of ourselves for answers. We may find ourselves stockpiling material goods, taking numerous self-help courses, or holding onto relationships that no longer bring us joy. In Buddhism, a basic tenet is that our attachments will bring us suffering. As Imam Ali said, "Detachment from worldly desires is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you."

In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the final Yama on the eight-faceted path is Aparigraha, often translated as non-grasping, non-possessiveness or non-attachment. Similar to Buddhist thought, when we cling to things, material or otherwise, we halt our own connection to the deeper meaning of our lives. So part of the process is recognizing of what we can let go, whether it be a thought, an action or connection to something else.

An interesting intersection happened this week with the occurrence of the International Day of Women. It got me thinking about strong and determined women that I have had in my life and one, in particular, stood out. I met her in 2013 in New Delhi, India on the Bare Witness Tour as part of the Global Seva Challenge for Off the Mat, Into the World. Ruchira Gupta, a social worker, founded an organization that not only was rescuing girls from being trafficked but was working on creating legislation on a national/political level to alter the punishment for those who trafficked women and girls. This woman personified fierce compassion in action. It was as though she said, "Enough! Enough violence against women and girls" and upon that recognition took action to actually do something to radically shift it.

My thought of the week is to recognize how we responded to the word "enough", to witness what rose up within us and then to ask the question, "What can I do with this?". So if the feeling of having abundance in your life arose, then perhaps the next thing is the practice of gratitude. If feeling as though you're not enough was present, then working on an affirming statement such as "I am enough" is the next supportive step. If you've had enough TV, news, politics, internet or social media, it would make sense to give yourself a time-out from technology. Sometimes this process is a recognition of what's happening and letting go-remembering that who you are and what you have is enough.

I know that this is personal journey. What is enough for me may not be enough for the next person, yet it's the recognition of what that is for you that matters. Since opening my own yoga studio I have been drawn to listening more to podcasts around minimalism and slow living. It's as though I'm reminding myself that abundance will flow into the studio in so many ways if I have gratitude for all that does come my way. 

I've gotten better at saying this to myself, as in the past my "thing" was I felt I didn't know enough. It took many years to finally rest in a place where I can say "I know enough" and use my continued studying as a way to simply deepen that well of knowledge. And for that, I am deeply thankful every day.

I am enough, I have enough and I know enough. Now I can let go of needing things to be different. And as my teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater said, "We can remember that we were actually whole in the first place." 

Transitions

A snowbird friend of mine recently had to return home from a shorter than usual season here in the desert. I asked her how their season was and she replied, "It felt short. It's the transitions that kill me!". The statement really stuck to me as how changing locations can hold so many challenges -- routines needing to be re-established, connections to your favorite services like your hairdresser, dentist and yoga studio! As I thought about this further I realized that we are always in some state of transition, although some may not be as large as others.

Think about what you were doing just before reading this. Could you replay the last 10-minutes in detail? How did you transition from where you were to where you are at the present moment? Did you notice or were you projecting ahead to what was next? To paraphrase the Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh-'When we are focused on a goal that sitting is front of us, we can miss the appointment with our own life'. It's as though we look toward the future and lose our connection to the richness of the present moment and the experience we're having within it.

Think about your breath for a moment. It has been in transition since the very first one you took and is never the same breath. We go our entire lives, breath after breath, aware or not that the breath we are breathing in this moment is unique unto itself. As I breath in air molecules, they will have been touched by other beings on this planet. When the air enters my body, it is now touched with my own unique "body-print" before being released, in a different form, back into the world. Our breath is not only always in transition, but is the one thing that is always in the present moment. When we slow down and become conscious of it, we begin to awaken to a subtle wisdom that is lies deep within us.

The first time I saw Deepak Chopra speak was in the early 90's in Melbourne, Australia. He was talking about quantum physics and suggesting that we try to find the gap between our thoughts. I thought to myself, "We have gaps between our thoughts??" as I certainly didn't believe that I had gaps but just one thought abutting the next. He went on to say that within the gap is where we tap into profound insight. Okay...he had me hooked. I was curious to know more and was probably the first time that I started to see if I could find any space between my endless choo-choo train of mind chatter. This is one of the moments that led me to want to learn more about meditation as that seemed like the space in which to explore the questions that arose. I wanted insight...I had to do something and this seemed like a great idea!

For any of us who've sat on a meditation cushion, we know that the process is anything but easy. It sounds simple enough-- sit down, follow your breath and when your thoughts distract you and you notice the distraction, simply bring your awareness back to the breath. It takes consistent practice to begin to truly get a sense of what this process reveals as we are constantly jumping out of the present moment. But if you're like me and curious enough to explore a deeper connection and gain inner wisdom, then sitting on a meditation cushion or stepping onto a yoga mat is a great place to hone our skills. 

This past week in classes the focus has been to try to stay connected to how we move between the poses, rather than focusing on being in a pose. And if the pose is held, then the focus shifts to the ever-transitioning breath. It has invited all of us to slow down, to truly taste the experience that we are having. And it's challenging because a part of our habituated mind asks us to go at the speed that is familiar, so we can enter this tug-of-war between unveiling something new and being enticed to hang out with what we know. On another level, the slowing down connects us in a different way to our practice, revealing what it can feel like to be radically awake in whatever we are undertaking.

My thought of the week is to slow down, explore the physical sensations of the breath and to deeply embody the moment. You can practice this as you complete the reading of this blog by noticing what it is that you do next...and really pay attention to how it feels as you do it. Transitions...the sweetness that you'll taste if you allow yourself the time to do so!