Just Enough

Just Enough

With my recent trip to Australia, I was able to have time to "just be". Most days presented themselves with the chance to connect with my most basic needs. I had a comfortable place to stay. I had healthy and delicious food. I was surrounded by loving people. We were in a stunning environment and each day was spent engaging in yoga, meditation and time in nature.

My basic needs were being met and then some. As I wrote last week, I was able to unplug in from the hectic schedule often present in daily life.

As I return to my work and personal schedule back here in the desert, I have been struck by how much I DON'T need on a daily basis. In many ways, we are incredibly fortunate to have such apparent abundance. As I cruised the aisles at Costco and the supermarkets it becomes overwhelming at how we have access to such an incredible amount of stuff.

I caught myself feeling tempted to toss an extra item into my basket (that could just about comfortably fit a Great Dane), but stopped as I asked myself the question...."but do I really need it?" Every time I asked this question, the answer was always the same..."no".

This is not a new thought, that "stuff" can't make us happy. More food from jumbo sized boxes doesn't feed our soul. Do we walk around in dazzled state of consumption to cover up the deeper questions our souls are asking?

Of course, only you can answer that question.

For myself, I trust that my happiness lies within me, begins deep inside my heart and is continually fed through my practice of yoga and creating a life that I love. That includes putting into my own basket, friends, family, positive thoughts and a fulfilling career.

What are you putting in your basket this week?

Unplug

Unplug

How much daily news do you get from the TV or radio? How many times do you check your email each day or receive a "tweet"? How much do you engage in playing games on Facebook or solitaire on your computer? How much time do you experience silence each day?

My thought for this week revolves around the practice of unplugging ourselves from our often hectic lives-not just when attending a yoga retreat or on vacation, where it's so easy to disconnect, but on each and every day or our "regular" lives.


Being at Sanctuary Retreat at Mission Beach in Queensland, Australia was the perfect opportunity to disconnect and unplug. For nine days we had no phone, no TV, no radio. We had to pay for the time we spent on the Internet, so that tended to limit our time to check on anything other than "urgent" emails.

The beauty of having consecutive days of disconnect is that it allows your brain, body and spirit to find themselves in a different relationship to one another. Distractions of our busy-ness aren't given the opportunity to interrupt. Plus, if you add in a daily practice of yoga, meditation, walking along an uninhabited beach and watching a sunset, the experience enters a space of potential transformation.

So, how do we then, connect to this place of ease and stillness when we have work to do and a schedule to keep?

My answer is to firstly remember the physiological feeling of being quiet and still. Second, to create the opportunity to find it at least for 10 minutes during your day. Sit. Breathe. Be. Take a break from watching or reading the news for a few days. Turn off your phone and pick up a good book. Make it a priority...every day.

Stop doing. Just be. Even if it's only for a few moments.

Flying High At Sanctuary

The following is an exerpt from my experience...

The vision came to me over 18 months ago...of bringing a yoga retreat to Australia. This vision morphed through various stages, much as a pupae evolves into becoming a butterfly. I had the idea of traveling to Australia with a small group of people from the US & perhaps Canada, and meeting up with Australian yogis in search of a deeper yogic experience.

When I had spent a number of months in the planning stages, sent out the information and secured the dates, I then had to release the idea to the Universe as it felt it was then out of my hands. I no longer had control and needed to allow the path to unfold before me. I meditated on many occasions, asking the Universe for manifestation. What I thought that might look like was a smooth flow of inquiries with a few people committing to making the trek. Instead, this happened just like a slow, dripping tap...an email here, a phone call there. No commitment.

Yet still, I was somewhat optimistic that the retreat would happen. As timed passed, people began to back out and with one month prior to the scheduled dates, we had only four of us going. Myself, Ed, a friend from Melbourne, Lisa and another woman from Canada, Kathleen.

I contacted Sanctuary and said it looked as though the retreat wouldn't happen. Deep in my heart I was disappointed that my held vision didn't look as though it would come true.

I kept my faith in the Universe and thought that I needed to still follow my path that was leading to Sanctuary. After experiencing the feelings of disappointment, I reframed my thinking to that of having my own personal retreat at Sanctuary, along with Ed and any others who might want to share in a similar experience. I asked Sanctuary if it was possible for me to teach casually during our stay as I could no longer afford the daily room hire required for retreat use. They graciously agreed and in that stereotypical Aussie way said that we could just wait and see what comes about.

In my own way, being in Australia offers me a sense of freedom and connection. The continent has always held that for me. I have the internal image of my feet being embedded up to my ankles in sand. It grounds me and connects me not just to the ocean and beach, but to something that's indescribably greater. I believe it to be a connection into the deepest part of my soul. So the idea of heading back to Australia without a retreat in tow, was still a great way to be spending my time.

We arrived in Cairns, took a 2-hour shuttle south and a 4WD brought us to Sanctuary. As we got to the top of the hill where you check in at reception housed within the "long house", you get your first view of the Coral Sea. The beautifully designed long house has an expansive veranda, open doors towards the sea with sea breezes offering a natural way of keeping the bugs at bay and the temperatures comfortable. The long house has a modern zen feel to it, with a pitched ceiling, purple, green and cranberry walls, comfy sofas and floor pillows for lounging, as well as wooden tables and a long bar made from local timber and rough finished to give you the feel as though you're sitting on a slice of a tree.

Our deluxe cabin was well-appointed, perched on wooden stilts with a private balcony overlooking the rainforest and out towards the Coral sea. It was fully self-contained with private bath/shower, mini-fridge and towels. The room colors were a subtle lime green, yellow and vibrant orange sofa and Indian wall hanging. We dropped our bags, unpacked our stuff and headed off to explore the Sanctuary.


The paved, yet steep path down to the Yoga studio ensured that you began your practice of mindfulness prior to stepping into the yoga space. The studio was simply beautiful, with a polished wood floor, high ceiling, natural light and a view out of every long window of the abutting rainforest.

The long-house became a place to relax and hang out throughout our entire stay. I could take a book or laptop into the space, sip tea, or a fresh juice as I tended to my set intentions of reading and writing. It was also a peaceful place of mingling and getting to chat with so many of the interesting people from all over the world.


In conjunction with Paul, the boss/manager/developer of Sanctuary, we came up with a very loose yoga schedule for the upcoming week. What eventuated was better than I could have imagined. We ended up holding a mini-retreat over 8-days. I taught yoga most mornings from 9:30-11:00 am, as well as a restorative class one evening and an earlier class on the day of departure for one of the guests from 7:45-9:15 am. I had a steady group of five students as well as eight other people visit the classes throughout the week. A total of 13 yoga participants came out of the ashes to form an experience that I hadn't anticipated.


I was able to teach to beginners as well as to those who were thirsting to learn more about living a yogic lifestyle. I introduced the concept of doshas and Ashtaangha yoga (referring to living the 8-limbed path). I introduced students to the concept of being fully supported in a restorative practice and the practice of meditation. It was more than I could have hoped for in that I went to Sanctuary thinking that I might teach a class or two, but ended up offering a significant impetus to many peoples practice. I love the idea of how yoga can touch one person at a time, thus creating a ripple effect that continues to resonate outward, away from the catalyst, in this case...me.


Outside of yoga, Brookes beach, the jewel at the end of the downhill hike from Sanctuary, beckoned us each day. We had two morning sunrise meditations on Brookes beach and most of the time if five people were on the beach, it was crowded. Many hikes/bushwalks were close by with one afternoon spent at Bicton hill lookout and another at Garner beach, just north of Brookes beach.


We took a day trip with Coral Sea Kayaks that situated us in two-person sea kayaks. We pushed off onto a sea of glass, following instruction on technique and how to use the vessels with an experienced guide, Attie (short for Atalanta). We paddled over to Dunk Island, 4-km off-shore, saw green sea turtles and went snorkeling as Attie fixed us a picnic lunch on the beach. I took a nap in the shade of a palm tree as the rest of the group (six in total) either did a rainforest bushwalk with Attie, explored on their own or hung out on the beach.

To sum up, I fell in love with Sanctuary retreat in Mission Beach, Queensland. I was able to teach more yoga that I had expected. I met many soulful and interesting people who were in a place of spaciousness both physically and spiritually. It gave my husband and I a setting in which to connect to each other on a deeper level. The setting was peaceful, contemplative and authentically Australian (rainforest, beach, local wildlife).


My intention is to have a regular retreat to this place. My vision didn't manifest in the way that I anticipated, but did in a way that I wasn't able to visualize. I so deeply wish others to share in this experience.

Life at Sanctuary Retreat

Greetings everyone,
We have been at Sanctuary Retreat since Sunday and upon our arrival, we were greeted by a baby cassowary. A cassowary is a large flightless bird related to the emu and inhabits this rainforested area. I have been teaching casual classes the entire week, then spend the rest of the day hiking down to the beach, exploring the area, reading and writing. It's easy to pass many hours looking over the canopy of the rainforest to the Pacific ocean. The water is warm, inviting and the beach typically has only had no more than 5 people occupying it at one time.

Tempting eh? Next year, I hope to offer a full on retreat and can wait to share more photo's and experiences with all of you. We are retreating into our own hearts and spirits in this beautiful land Down Under.

Peace and Namaste',
Jayne

The Thoughtful Voice

I have had many thoughts passing through the super highway of my brain that seem to be displaying opposite views and perspectives. As I wrote last week, I felt pure joy witnessing the expression of genuine happiness at the Bhakti Fest. It has remained fresh in my mind and my thought this week was how much contrast I witnessed since stepping back from the blissful edge and into the reflection of our daily culture.

It really hit me as to how disgruntled people are at the moment. They seem angry at the government and in despair over the economy. We had people losing their minds like Serena Williams' outburst at the US Open, Kanye West bursting on-stage during someone elses acceptance speech at the VMA's, a Senator yelling out in a joint session, people cutting in front of me at Trader Joe's...I mean C'MON PEOPLE...where's the decorum?

People seem to be expressing their dissatisfaction. As Mick Jagger put it, "I can't get no..."

My thought is, "Is this expression necessarily bad?". Inappropriate?. Absolutely. But, it's expression nonetheless and voicing is good for the spirit. Perhaps it becomes more destructive when there is no counter balance...no yin with the yang. No feminine amongst the masculine. No ebb, just flow. So how do we express ourselves appropriately without thrusting our inappropriate behavior onto everyone else? Once those words have left the source, there is no taking it back.

Consciousness. That's how. Developing our own awareness for how we imprint the world. Whether that be through words, actions or thoughts. Realizing that we ARE a reflection of the rest of the Universe. We share the same Divine light as every other being on this planet.

The practice of yoga has hung around for some 5,000 years because people have consciously experienced how awareness raising it can be. I invite you to listen to yourself from the inside first, before you outwardly express. Feel your own inner beauty and peace and project that onto the planet.

I recently heard that wisdom is being able to hold opposing views without feeling that either is right or wrong.

I hope you enjoy an expressive few weeks!

Peace and Namaste',

Jayne

What Does Joy Look Like?

Greetings everyone,

I spent yesterday at Bhakti Fest, the first celebration of kirtan (music), yoga, food and energy of its kind, held in Joshua Tree, CA. It brought up numerous thoughts for this weeks writing, but one has stuck more strongly than the others.

Finding and expressing joy.

The beautiful thing about visiting the Fest was watching people express joy and happiness. Many moments in our daily lives are routine, often challenging and frequently riddled with different types of stress.

To step into a community of people who were letting go, of all kinds of daily life connections was reflective of a larger practice-that of non-attachment and experiencing the NOW moment.

I watched people stand up and dance with their eyes closed, chanting along with the kirtan leader. I saw people practicing Acro Yoga and doing Hula Hoops. I saw people smiling, hugging and truly embracing the experience. I saw my old high school friend, Dave Z, create a beautiful image of Shiva as he stood alongside the stage with Jai Uttal rocking the crowd. As I looked into the expressions on peoples faces...I saw happiness.

I invite you to find something that brings that feeling to your heart and radiates out through your being to others. The reason is, that seeing joy-brings joy. It's contagious. It's worth catching.

I hope you enJOY the upcoming week and to see you in classes soon!

Peace and Namaste',

Jayne

Morphing The Dream

With my upcoming trip to Australia, I have been in various stages of planning and re-thinking. My original vision that popped into my head over 18 months ago was a trip Down Under with a group of people in tow with all of us stepping into the natural beauty of Australia to practice yoga on a deeper level. What has transpired is that vision has morphed into something different and my question is, "how am I OK with that?"

The reality is the retreat isn't happening. I'm going to Sanctuary Retreat in Mission Beach, Queensland and will stay there for a week or so. I'll be there with my husband, Ed, and the two other people who wanted to do the retreat. The best we can hope for is that one or two other people who are staying at Sanctuary will be interested in taking a yoga class during our stay. If that happens, then I will be teaching yoga at the site.

The positive upshot of all of this is that a lesson is sitting within the experience. I'll have the opportunity to experience the retreat center from a different perspective and check out the setting. I won't be working quite as hard as originally planned and will have time to practice yoga, explore, read and write. I'll know more about what to do in future attempts to create an overseas retreat and I hope to bring back images and first hand experiences of what it's like to be in this setting.

Although my original vision has changed, my desire to pursue that vision has been an exercise in facing fear and disappointment. As it turns out...I'm still OK with all of it!

Peace & Namaste',

Jayne