Adventure

It's been whispering my name ever since I can remember...that small voice that lit my wanderlust. Maybe it's because I was born to American parents in England and was in-utero as we cruised across the Atlantic. I felt the pull to see as much as the world as possible. Apparently, my first camping trip was when I was about three, and we roamed the United States, pitching a Coleman tent and sleeping on cots and in lumpy sleeping bags throughout my childhood. My father, in particular, liked to get out and explore, hiking on trails, spending time at ranger talks and in visitor centers, looking for the wonder that you find being in nature. It stuck as not much inspires me more than looking forward to my next adventure.

The idea of having an adventure can mean different things to different people. Some might be drawn to bungee jumping, whitewater rafting, abseiling or hitchhiking. Those adrenaline-provoking, heart-pounding experiences which are both exciting and terrifying all in the same moment. For others, having an adventure may be on the opposite end of the spectrum-undertaking a new course of study or trying a different food. So what sounds like an adventure to me, might not be the same for you. 

Whatever it is that makes you feel uncomfortable, yet excited at the same time, is your adventure and it's important to find it as often as possible.

Having an adventure means stepping out of our personal box of comfort, stepping beyond our normal boundaries, and experiencing something from a new or different perspective. Traveling the world has given me one major lesson -a broader world view and perspective. When I've been away traveling and return to wherever home might be, my previously parochial view has been altered. It teaches empathy and compassion. It offers an education that can never be taught in any school or structured system. It connects us to each other and to our own selves of self-reliance and curiosity.

To approach something with adventure in mind, go someplace you've never been. It might be something in your hometown that's off your well-worn path, or it might be buying a one-way ticket to some exotic place in the world that you've only ever dreamed about going to. Say "yes" to the inner calling of travel and exploration and try to avoid having to have everything be perfectly in order before you head off. Why delay what you can do now? What are you waiting for?

Some of the most exciting times I've had unfolded without having a firm plan in place. It reinforces the practice of presence. It connects us to meeting our basic needs of food, transport, and shelter and, in doing so, much of the peripheral details of life that we can become overly obsessed about begin to subside. 

I know I will travel for as long as I'm able, particularly reinforced as I bear witness to the shrinking world of my own Mother, who has dementia. An adventure for her might be getting her out for a pedicure and frozen yogurt. As we never know what's next, what I hope is next is my willingness to say yes to the next thing that scares me a little bit and brings a smile of anticipation simultaneously.

I'm packing my big boots. I'm off...to have an adventure and I hope to hear about yours when I return. And to quote Winnie the Pooh:

"When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure an Adventure is going to happen."

~A.A. Milne

Delayed

About a week ago, I returned from running my first Icelandic Yoga Retreat-Experience the Midnight Sun! It was a fantastic week, filled with lots of yoga, waterfalls, lava flows, windy beaches, and Icelandic horseback riding. We were fortunate to have a group that jelled and were fun and supportive of each other throughout the week. It was magical...once we all got there! To begin with, my husband and I had a five-hour layover in the ginormous Dallas/Fort Worth airport, only then to be delayed by three hours. I stood looking out the terminal window as the lightning struck the ground and with a sickly feeling in my gut of, "oh...this doesn't look good".

The delay in our arrival meant that we would miss the first half of the first day...a foodie walking tour. As the instructor/leader of the group, I began to feel anxious at the prospect of not being there from the beginning. I began to text my contacts, figuring out the next steps of arranging new transport from the airport and catching up with the group. Once we arrived in Iceland, we hit the ground running, grabbing a pricey taxi to the hotel, dumping our bags and connecting for the final two stops of the walking tour. We arrived...finally...safe and sound, albeit a bit harried.

Unfortunately, another retreater was delayed with a flight cancellation and missed the first day altogether. At the end of our morning yoga practice on the second day, we would be picking her up at the airport on our way to the tour for the day. I suggested that we offer her a big, loving welcome upon meeting. As we found her at the airport, I slid open the doors of the van, jumped out and yelled, "Welcome!" as I gave her a big hug. At the end of the week, she said that this was one of her highlights of the retreat!

The point of these two stories is about letting go of what we can't control. Both of our delays were due to bad weather. Nobody's fault. And, it's about recognizing that our yoga practice really begins once we step away from the mat. What we do in our regular practice is to reinforce and build resiliency so that when life throws us a curve, we are able to steady ourselves sooner rather than later. All of us could have stayed angry at what happened, but instead, the practice showed up. I definitely felt strong emotions of anger and frustration, contributing to being anxious and nervous. As I recognized and felt these sensations in my body, I was able to respond by walking around the airport, laying down and listening to music creating a new playlist, stretching and meditating. Many deep breaths and giving myself permission to let go were also part of the process. It was vital that I personally let go of the more negative energy as to not carry that forward into the retreat once we actually arrived.

It was also interesting to simply people-watch at the airport. We had yet another short delay on our way back to Palm Springs from Dallas/Fort Worth and as I sat waiting for things to get moving, it was fascinating to see how people were responding to things not happening at the time/pace they wanted. It was as though you could see those who had some sort of practice of being present and those who perhaps didn't. Agitation only seemed to accelerate the discontent and, as a yoga teacher, I thought that these moments, although they challenge us, are the perfect moments to practice letting go. 

Our practice begins once we leave the mat or meditation cushion. It helps us to be consistent, building a stronger connection for when life isn't going the way we want it to be. And all of us have had those experiences of being delayed and having to change course, so in some ways, your practice can only get stronger and stronger as life will undoubtedly show up in unexpected ways.

Take a deep breath. Get centered and enjoy whatever the present moment has to offer. That's it...that's all there is!

Serve Others

I love it when something happens that reinforces a previous theme but in a more potent way. This time it was the energy of our most recent Summer Solstice Kirtan, with our small but mighty band - Jayne & The Om Boys. We gather to play music and support a local charity on each of the turning points of the year-two Solstice and two Equinox celebrations. This past weekend, for the Summer Solstice we raised over $1,700 for a local grassroots charity-The Girlfriend Factor. They support women, 25+ to complete their college education at our local universities and community college. And one of the cool things about The Girlfriend Factor is that 100% of the monies raised goes to the scholarship recipients to use as they need, for books, uniforms, childcare...whatever!

The energy of the weekend once again affirmed how powerful it is to serve others. My journey of service, called Seva in the yoga world, began to unfold when my husband and I took our first trip to India. We spent our time visiting sacred sites and well-known monuments, inhaling the complete experience of sensory overload...smells, vibrant and confronting sights, poverty, extreme wealth, honking horns and rumbling trucks. India had reawakened my desire to expand my yoga practice in the form of service, but on my return home, I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I knew the calling to be of service felt as though it would expand and further extend my intention to live a yogic lifestyle. Known as Bhakti Yoga, a branch of yoga focusing on service and devotion had been calling me. And then...only a few months after returning from India, I came across the Global Seva Challenge with Off The Mat, Into The World. They were raising money and awareness around the issue of sex trafficking in India...my answer had appeared.

So in 2012, I began and as I didn't really know how to begin raising money to reach the $20,000 goal, I turned to my local community and asked for help. Eventually, I raised over $25,000 and took a bear witness tour to India in 2013 with a contingent of others who had reached the same goal. 

My thought for the week is that sometimes we need to place our focus outside of ourselves...as though we need to move our all-consuming personal agenda aside and bring our energy and time to something else, something larger than ourselves. My focus shifted away from me to raising money for people and organizations doing incredibly challenging work in India and I began to become invested in finding and giving voice to young girls who had been silenced. And as I went to India the second time around, I felt as though my entire local community was with me as they too, had invested an incredible amount of energy in helping me reach the goal.

From that time, Seva has continued to be part of my practice and when I opened the Desert Yoga Therapy Studio in December 2016, I realized I could offer whatever I felt would be supportive of our intention to serve as well as offer a safe and sacred place for people to attend. What evolved are four gatherings each year to support our local community and its charities.

I have deep gratitude to the Om Boys who donate their time, musicality, and energy to bringing Kirtan to DYT. Thank you, Ken, Shawn, James, and Oggi. I am grateful to my husband who walks this path with me. And what's more, I am not only stunned and humbled but deeply grateful to our community of generous supporters who step up each and every time donating money, bringing food, and helping set up and break down the event. You inspire me and my heart is full! 

Thank you, Namaste', and Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi!

What's Important

It's a simple question...what's important to you? This week, I've been exploring asking that question from three different perspectives. The first is what's important to you in the big, overarching theme of your life? What provides the oomph to move you forward and continues to keep you pointed toward your personal North Star? For many people, it's family, career, purpose, creativity, freedom, optimal health, and feeling secure in life. For me, one of my guiding lights is peacefulness. Does this decision lead me toward or away from finding ease and peacefulness in my life?

The second perspective is, what's important to me in the immediate future, such as in the next couple of weeks? As I contemplate this aspect of the question, I can't help but be drawn to my to-do list, particularly as I'll be undertaking a large amount of travel in the very near future. I'm leaving in a week to run a yoga retreat in Iceland and, in late July, heading Down Under for a good whack of time. So as you might imagine, I have a list of reminders of what would make my life more peaceful if I were to have them off the list by the time I leave.

And the third aspect is perhaps one that gets a bit less attention than the first two and that's, what is important to me now...in this very moment? If I think about the first question of the big picture, I sense the entirety of who I am...my body, my mind, emotions, and my spiritual essence. As I think about the second question of the near future connected to what needs to be crossed off the to-do list, I sense it's more of an intellectual practice, centered in my mind. When I ask the question of "What's important right now?" I drop into the space of my heart and allow intuition to be the guide. It's as though the to-do list doesn't even exist in this moment.

As you reflect on those three questions, notice if they seem to be in alignment with one another and if not, where does the shift need to occur?

My suggestion for practice this week is to spend a bit more energy focusing on what's important right now. Allow yourself to make firm footing in the present moment as all future moments arise from this space. And if we can tap into the deeper inner calling and move forward from that perspective, perhaps no matter what eventuates in the future, it will have an underlying essence of what truly matters to us. 

If we connect to what's important right now, we set the stage for what lies ahead. Trust your inner space and choose from that knowing. Perhaps you'll set yourself up for a more gentle ride no matter how near or far in the future!

Namaste

I'm tired. Yep...I'll admit that this peace-seeking yogini has had an abundant and full season. It happens about this time every year when our peak season comes to an end and I feel as though I've finally poked my head out of my own personal bubble. And when I feel fatigued, my creativity and inspiration tend to wane. I find myself looking forward to re-filling my own well, stepping off the yoga mat for a while in the role of teacher, and do other things that light my fire like travel, walking along endless beaches, and spending time with my beloved and my heart tribe. It's all on the horizon and for that I'm grateful.

This past weekend I went to SYTAR (Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research) and was pleasantly surprised by my experience.  Upon my arrival, I was dragging my tail and holding little in the way of expectations. And in some ways, I believe this is what allowed the space for whatever I needed to be revealed. 

Along with networking, meeting new people, and reconnecting with familiar faces, inspiration was sparked for not only new yogi-preneurial ideas but within my heart. The primary catalyst came from one of my most influential teachers-Nischala Joy Devi. I first met her back in 2006 when I was studying yoga therapy. It was at the beginning of the residential course and we had just experienced a disappointing few days with an anatomy teacher. Being an anatomy geek, I had high expectations and was in a grumpy agitated mood with my needs not being met.

And then Nischala Joy Devi arrived. It was as though she floated into our presence and I can honestly say it was the first time I had the face-to-face experience with what I would describe as a "radiant being". I was in quiet awe of how evident a lifelong of heart-centered practice appeared in someone. I silently thought to myself, "I want to be that person when I grow up...". Nischala has just released her new book The Namaste Effect and it inspired this week's theme for my class teaching.

I describe the meaning of Namaste as "The light in me, sees and honors the light in you and when we are both there, we are one." This inner light or sense of connection to our inner beingness is beyond our physical body and our thoughts. It's the consistent essence of our true nature that has always been present and will still be present even as our physical and emotional selves change and dissolve over time. The invitation this week is to deeply connect to and cultivate our inner light. If that light is hidden from us, if we have no awareness of it, then how can we possibly recognize it in others? The essence of this light is love.

The light held within the meaning of Namaste has also been peaked with our recent radiant full moon and the Summer Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere. Nature and the lunarscape are calling us to honor the light in all its expressions. We've been focusing our practices this week on three aspects-the light within us (Namaste), the light reflected back to us (the full moon) and the light of the planet (Solstice). 

Remember to breathe light into your own heart first, then send out little shooting stars of light to others, such as those who light you up, those who've forgotten their light, those struggling or facing life challenges, and light to all beings upon this earth.

May the light in your life shine brightly from within and be reflected back to you. May all beings find connection rather than separation and remember the most powerful and benevolent of forces...love.

A Loving Voice

Take a moment to think of someone who softens your heart and brings a smile to your face simply by hearing the sound of their voice. Wanting to be seen and listened to, as well as to be the receiver of loving thoughts, is a human condition that at times is under-appreciated. The theme this week is to become an observer of the loving voice and how often it comes to you, from you, and within you.

On the opposite end of the spectrum to a loving voice, is the sound one hears when turning on the evening news. If you feel agitated, angry, depressed, or anxious, notice if you're someone who gives a fair whack of energy to staying up-to-date with news and current affairs and if you're balancing that energy by connecting to those offering a loving voice as well. If you find an imbalance it may be pointing you in the direction to go on a news fast and hang out with people who lift you up.

An incredible amount of information comes at us on a daily basis and this week the intention is to notice the type of voice that we're receiving. One of the most powerful voices is our own inner narrative which can be critically brutal, shameful and relentless. We tend to have habitual thought patterns and they can begin first thing in the morning. I was recently listening to a podcast that was saying that it only takes 17 seconds to link into a different thought pathway...yep...easy peasy, a meager 17 seconds to go from focusing on what we don't like about ourselves to what is good, whole, and awesome about ourselves. I heard that and thought, "Wow! I can do that...I only need to notice when my loving voice isn't speaking, welcome her in  and let 'er rip for 17 seconds!"

As a therapeutic yoga teacher, I check in with students on a regular basis and encourage a shift of inner dialogue when they describe a part of their body as "bad". The conversation often sounds something like this: Jayne: "What do you need today?" to which the student replies: "I have a bad back, knee, shoulder, hip...fill in the blank".  I find this to be the perfect opportunity to try to re-frame our inner and often habitual response of my "bad" part to nothing in us is "bad" but simply letting us know that something needs a bit more TLC. Over time, when I ask more experienced students the same question, they'll reply "My hip needs some loving today" or "I'm taking care of my shoulder and need to find some kindness". In some ways, it can feel pedantic but it begins to deepen the groove of an inner loving voice, which invites a sense of union and harmony rather than a feeling of wanting to disembody a particular part of our physical selves.

To me, it says "Hey body, I'm listening. I hear you and I promise to do my best to look after you."

Another element to creating a loving inner voice is by addressing the energy of the throat or fifth chakra. This center is the residence of communication and creativity, the place where we share and speak our truth. Over the years, I've done a lot of work on this particular part of my being as it had been blocked and shut down for many years. I used to feel silenced, that what I had to say wasn't worth hearing, and I had no courage to strongly vocalize. It doesn't seem to be a coincidence that at one point I was getting laryngitis at least twice a year, completely losing my voice altogether. 

The return to empowering my center of communication and creativity began with speech therapy and lots of humming (no singing). I began to learn how to use my voice more effectively and when yoga, mantra, meditation, and chanting began to come into my life, I had found a powerful method for really learning how to express myself and to understand that I needed to do so in order to fulfill my purpose in being in this body in this lifetime. My path is strongly devoted to sharing what I know in as many forms as possible. In order to do this, my throat energy is vital and over the years I've have spent time writing, singing, doing mantra repetition, humming, and sitting in silence. It is said that creativity arises out of stillness and in order for us to be authentic communicators, we need to not only have clarity of thought but to be able to listen without jumping ahead to how we will be responding.

The sum total of the message this week is to pay attention to not only your voice but to all the voices that come to you and to notice if they have a sensibility of loving kindness. And if you can, surround yourself with people whose voices lift you up rather than drag you down. Participating in group singing whether it be at a yoga-inspired Kirtan, in a choir, or sitting in a drumming circle is one supportive way to open the energy of the voice and let the love flow!

Potential Sits Within

One of the deepest lessons that my yoga and meditation practice has instilled in me is to trust my inner knowing and intuition. When I first stepped onto the yoga mat, this isn't something I anticipated would happen, but am certainly happy that it's one of the many benefits of a regular practice. I began practicing back in the early 90's more out of curiosity than anything else. Yoga was one of the most popular activities on offer at the Melbourne University Sports Center and I wanted to find out why so many people were flocking to it. At the time, I was managing a large group fitness program and teaching group exercise (aerobics classes) daily as well as whatever came with managing 35 instructors in three separate facilities.

Murray, my first yoga instructor, said to me fairly early on "Jayne, you should teach yoga..." to which I replied, "I don't want to teach yoga, I teach everything else." And quietly I thought, "I'll keep this just for me." Well, I didn't know that Murray was a prophet, but he sensed something within me that I had no idea existed. 

Most of us aren't taught how "to do" inner reflection. Like many people, I had my foot on the accelerator of life and was revving my engines to full throttle. I was moving so unconsciously through life, that life seemed to just happen and I was going along for the ride. I didn't have any idea of what living intentionally meant, what it would be like to do less rather than to do more, or what my purpose was. I did what I was doing because I was athletic and energetic and had been my entire life, so physical education, coaching gymnastics, and the fitness industry fit the bill just fine. Yet, as I grew deeper into my physically-based career and began working more one-on-one with people, I had an inkling that there was something deeper to experience. Staying in the physical realm made sense for many years until it didn't. Thankfully, my yoga path and this realization were colliding around the same time.

I had dabbled in "New Age" books and meditation and sought out "like-minded" women who liked to talk more deeply around the meaning of life over good food and a few bottles of wine. But it was when I began the more formal yoga studies that I recognized for what I had been searching.  It was an instantaneous spark and it felt like coming home. And indeed, it was. It is said that all we need to know is sitting like a seed in the center of our being, a place where ease and peacefulness reside. When we tap into it, it ignites a spark that has always been present and it's up to us to keep the flame growing.

Now, many years later, I have dug deep into my practice and recognize that my intention has many facets, one of which is to live with an awakened consciousness as much as possible. It's a constant current running through daily life from the moment of rising to the moment of heading off to sleep. It's as though each moment is an opportunity to be in the practice of yoga, breath, mindfulness, compassion, self-love, ease, acceptance, and of letting go. The potential to awaken to this sits within all beings and it's up to all of us to recognize that we create and grow our own individual story. We so often think that what we're looking for is somewhere else, with someone else, completely outside of ourselves so that's where we focus our attention. 

Thank goodness for having those key people nudge us in a direction that we may not have seen. This week, we've been honoring the energy of our own awakening and using the symbol of the lotus flower. It represents new beginnings and finding our way. The flower itself is anchored in mud, rises through murky waters to find it's way to full radiance on the surface of the pond. We so often don't have clarity or know where we're pointed, yet all of us has the potential to dig deeper into our inner landscape and realize that all we need to know is simply sitting within us, waiting for us to say "Yes! It's time to grow and blossom!"