It's been a while since my last post and I apologize to my readers for that. To be honest, I've found myself distracted by life the past couple weeks. I kept telling myself I needed to wait until I was in a place of inspiration to write again. Moments came and went and I experienced all sorts of emotions ranging from irritable to ecstatic. It's always a gentle reminder that as I venture down this path, I am still human with a sometimes weak heart and impatient mind. I too allow for life to become bigger than I, finding myself lost in the mess of it all. But someone how I come out again, and usually with an even clearer mind and stronger intention. I tell you this because I made a commitment to be honest with you. I admit that this is a journey for me and that I will stumble into times of difficulty and confusion and I will call on YOU my readers, invested souls and beings of support. What I remind my self of, in these times of disconnect, is that I accept myself, all of myself, in this moment and allow for the possibility of change. I acknowledge the feelings of doubt that may have crept in and then work to dismantle and dissolve them. But that takes time and also a dedication that sometimes waivers. Alas, tonight I think I broke through, woke back up and came out of it. What's funny is that during this lull, I experienced some physical discomfort as well. I don't often get sick, but I noticed the icky feelings of an oncoming cold. I felt a bit fatigued, sore throat, cough. I personally do not doubt that these were the physical manifestations of my emotional discontent.
I am certain that I experienced this disconnect as a way to deepen my personal growth. I practiced breathing in times of stress and reminding myself that even with a lot of junk swirling around, I really only had control over this current moment. Yoga was a place of refuge for me, allowing me to practice training my mind to stay with the present moment even during discomfort and pain. I allowed myself to accept the uncomfortable feelings of insecurity, even anger and sadness. Through acceptance I have been able to move through these feelings and notice them slowly dissolve.
So during this time I thought about how I could stay connected with you all, even though I wasn't feeling truly inspired to write. I realized that not every post needs to be from MY heart. That I could use this as a vehicle to share wisdom that others have shared with me. I chose the following pieces of wisdom, because I feel they are relevant to where we are in this discussion. They are in no particular order and are offered to you to ponder, meditate on, file away for times of need. I hope they ignite in you what has been ignited in me, an ever lasting pilot light of calm, confident inspiration and bliss. Please feel free to share your comments, reactions and your own pieces of wisdom with us as well.
Message from Archangel Micheal:
"The how is not what matters. "How am I going to do this?" Focus simply on the knowing that you can. Trust that your Soul knows exactly what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Everything will fall into place from there."
"Remembering is like the knowingness that wells up inside you. Call for that knowingness, find it, and pay attention to it, and it will tell you clearly what you want to know. Call for that knowingness, and it will allow you to feel loved beyond imagination, eradicating pain, lonliness, and unworthiness. Set your doubts aside as to whatever that knowingness within may be; it's as real as you are, because it's what you are."
Lynn Grabhorn
"In every moment we get to choose to come from fear or love."
Kathy Freston
"You are beautiful. Your body is strong, healthy, and most of all beautifully unique. No one else looks like you, nor can they radiate the beauty that you can. Free yourself sister, from the tangled web of doubt and insecurity and as they unravel, let them go so that you may soar into new realms of self love.
Embrace self-love!!"
Emily Tretter
Namaste.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Breathe
There's been a common theme, almost a message that's been ringing clear for me over the past week or so. It's something that's been hitting me from all angles lately and I wanted to share it with you. I'm talking about the practice of being present. I've been open to this for a long time, but I don't think I've actually put it into practice consistently. And it's no secret why not, it's certainly a difficult thing to do. Simple, but challenging. Life gets in the way. And we get distracted by schedules, fear, deadlines, facebook, immediate gratification. Life is wonderful, and it can be wonderfully busy! We need to sleep, eat, work, and play - all in one day. Ever hear the phrase, "there just aren't enough hours in a day"? We've all wished for more time, to go back in time, to hurry time up. It comes so natural. However, in doing this we often forget about the only moment we actually have any control over and that is THIS moment.
On Thursday I attended a Zen meditation. This is something I'd always been curious about, the idea of meditation and letting stillness be the vehicle to a clear mind. This introductory "class" was an experience that has settled inside of me and made itself at home. I'm not going to exlain it in great detail, because I think if you're interested you should go experience it for yourself. I think everyone walks away with something different. Except, of course, for the message of paying attention, waking up, and being present. Take a deep breath. In. Out. How many breaths do you remember taking today? Our breath is what sustains us, and yet we forget about it all together. Except of course when we lose it. By focusing on breath, we are immediately brought back to the present moment. In. Out. When life begins to get too fast, in. out. There is nothing, absolutely nothing to lose in slowing down. In breathing. The world will always be there. In fact, we do the world a great service in practicing this. Because by being in the present moment, you are actually there and people count on you to be there! In conversation, in reading this blog, in making dinner, in making love. BE THERE FOR IT. I don't mean to yell, I'm just excited. As I write this, it becomes clear for me too! Like I mentioned in my first post, I am not doing this because I believe I have all the answers. Not at all. But I do believe I am experiencing awakening, and I want to share it with you. In sharing it with you, I can feel that I am becoming stronger in my own journey.
As of late I've felt very open and light. I can't really find other words to explain it (language falls short when trying to explain a revelation), but it's as if something really good is happening. All the time. I kid you not when I saw that these days I don't get in a bad mood. I'm hardly ever irritated or mad. It happens of course. Especially if I stub my toe, spill on myself, don't do enough yoga, or burn my tongue. However, when asked about my mood - I can honeslty say it is generally always positive. I even have a reputation for being the "life cheer leader" among my friends. I tell you all of this not to toot my own horn, but to demonstrate that this is possible. It's fun to be happy! It's fun to feel good inside and out. And again, perfection is not what we're discussing. Quite the contrary. Perfection is boring, life is messy and colorful. However happiness, contentment, overall well-being has nothing to do with perfection. We are all speckled with impfections that make us unique and beautiful, inside and out. Happiness is about how true you are being to yourself, and that requires us to slow down and pay attention to how we feel in each moment we are in. Breathe. In. Out. How do you feel?
Choosing to be present in the moment that is happening right now, allows you to do what you do 100%. You owe that to yourself, the people in your world, your job, and yourself. In. Out. Slowing down and paying attention will dramatically change your experience in the world. I promise you that. Work at it, and understand that it takes practice and patience. A couple things that help me:
Focus on my breath
Think of and say outloud to yourself (or jot down) 3 things you are enjoying about the current moment. Someone very intelligent (and pretty) suggested that to me once.
In closing, I leave you with this thought: there are opportunities all around us. Opportunities to make changes where you want, live the life you want, recieve what you want, go where you want, feel how you want. You just have to be paying attention. Slow down. Breathe. Pay attention. In. Out.
Music suggestions:
Awake My Soul - by 100
Birds Without Wings - David Gray
The Cave - 80
Reading Suggestions:
The Alchemist - Paulo Cohelo
Stillness Speaks - Echart Tolle
Get Happy - will get back to you on this one
On Thursday I attended a Zen meditation. This is something I'd always been curious about, the idea of meditation and letting stillness be the vehicle to a clear mind. This introductory "class" was an experience that has settled inside of me and made itself at home. I'm not going to exlain it in great detail, because I think if you're interested you should go experience it for yourself. I think everyone walks away with something different. Except, of course, for the message of paying attention, waking up, and being present. Take a deep breath. In. Out. How many breaths do you remember taking today? Our breath is what sustains us, and yet we forget about it all together. Except of course when we lose it. By focusing on breath, we are immediately brought back to the present moment. In. Out. When life begins to get too fast, in. out. There is nothing, absolutely nothing to lose in slowing down. In breathing. The world will always be there. In fact, we do the world a great service in practicing this. Because by being in the present moment, you are actually there and people count on you to be there! In conversation, in reading this blog, in making dinner, in making love. BE THERE FOR IT. I don't mean to yell, I'm just excited. As I write this, it becomes clear for me too! Like I mentioned in my first post, I am not doing this because I believe I have all the answers. Not at all. But I do believe I am experiencing awakening, and I want to share it with you. In sharing it with you, I can feel that I am becoming stronger in my own journey.
As of late I've felt very open and light. I can't really find other words to explain it (language falls short when trying to explain a revelation), but it's as if something really good is happening. All the time. I kid you not when I saw that these days I don't get in a bad mood. I'm hardly ever irritated or mad. It happens of course. Especially if I stub my toe, spill on myself, don't do enough yoga, or burn my tongue. However, when asked about my mood - I can honeslty say it is generally always positive. I even have a reputation for being the "life cheer leader" among my friends. I tell you all of this not to toot my own horn, but to demonstrate that this is possible. It's fun to be happy! It's fun to feel good inside and out. And again, perfection is not what we're discussing. Quite the contrary. Perfection is boring, life is messy and colorful. However happiness, contentment, overall well-being has nothing to do with perfection. We are all speckled with impfections that make us unique and beautiful, inside and out. Happiness is about how true you are being to yourself, and that requires us to slow down and pay attention to how we feel in each moment we are in. Breathe. In. Out. How do you feel?
Choosing to be present in the moment that is happening right now, allows you to do what you do 100%. You owe that to yourself, the people in your world, your job, and yourself. In. Out. Slowing down and paying attention will dramatically change your experience in the world. I promise you that. Work at it, and understand that it takes practice and patience. A couple things that help me:
Focus on my breath
Think of and say outloud to yourself (or jot down) 3 things you are enjoying about the current moment. Someone very intelligent (and pretty) suggested that to me once.
In closing, I leave you with this thought: there are opportunities all around us. Opportunities to make changes where you want, live the life you want, recieve what you want, go where you want, feel how you want. You just have to be paying attention. Slow down. Breathe. Pay attention. In. Out.
Music suggestions:
Awake My Soul - by 100
Birds Without Wings - David Gray
The Cave - 80
Reading Suggestions:
The Alchemist - Paulo Cohelo
Stillness Speaks - Echart Tolle
Get Happy - will get back to you on this one
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The beginning of the middle.
Today is Ground Hog's day, and as significant as that may be for some people, today marks a much more important milestone for me. Today is my first day being 25 years old. Something my mom always told me was that "when you turn 25, everything changes." For me, things have been changing for a while and turning 25 only propels the momentum. Among many commitments I've made to myself about being 25, I've decided to start a blog. Since the last blog I wrote had a decent following and mostly positive feedback, while being about my bowel movements and bodily fluids, I figured I've got a good shot at keeping people engaged. However, the intent of this blog is multi-fold. As I experience incredible growth and awakening, I feel compelled and almost responsible for sharing this. Not because I have all the answers, in fact quite the contrary; the further along this journey I go, the more curious I become. This blog is also not intended to be a story with a beginning and an end. I'm starting now, only because today felt like the right day to begin. I'm right smack in the middle of my story and have no idea when it will end. There are no monumental things happening to me, other than life. And to me, that is exciting in and of itself.
My hope in writing this is to inspire you. To ignite within you the light of life we are all entitled to. What I'm realizing, and what I want to share with you, is that life is what we decide to create for ourselves. We have a power over our lives that is incredible. Waking up in the morning, being filled with happiness and peace is a way we all deserve to wake up. Going to bed feeling fulfilled and content is a way we all deserve to fall asleep. We create our own suffering, and as dismal as that sounds it's actually great news!! By creating our own suffering, we can also dissolve that suffering by changing how we live. I'll be honest with you (I promise to be honest with you this entire journey) every once in a while a tiny voice speaks up in my mind. It says, "are you sure about all of this? What if you're wrong, and what if this IS what it's all about?" I acknowledge that voice of doubt and kindly tell it to go away. The point is we have a choice. We have a choice about how we live. Millions of choices, actually! We are so lucky about how much choice we have. We can choose weather to walk or drive. Recycle or throw it away. Smile or just walk by. Honk your horn or refrain. Go to bed or stay awake. Eat this or eat that. Think about how many decisions you make in your life. Soup or salad? Go to the gym or go home and watch The Bachelor? Call him or don't call him? And now, the realization that perhaps by making different decisions, we can actually change the way we feel. Change the course we are on. Change the destination. Change our destiny. We all have our own personal legends. We all have an incredible purpose for being here. That purpose is to reach complete self-realization and enlightenment. I say that with the utmost confidence. However, in order to fulfill that purpose, that legend., we must be honest with ourselves. We must slow down, and take a look inward. That is where you will find your answers. not from me, and not from this blog. But hopefully, this piece of work will inspire you to seek out those answers. I hope you will join me on this journey. We can support each other through times of doubt and charge each other up in times of enlightenment. We can evoke in ourselves and in each other the insatiable zest for life and unconditional love for, well, everything. So chew on this a while. Perhaps something has stirred inside of you. Maybe you'll visit this blog again, because just maybe a part of you knows all of this is true. So I hope we meet again here.
It's time to wake up.
My hope in writing this is to inspire you. To ignite within you the light of life we are all entitled to. What I'm realizing, and what I want to share with you, is that life is what we decide to create for ourselves. We have a power over our lives that is incredible. Waking up in the morning, being filled with happiness and peace is a way we all deserve to wake up. Going to bed feeling fulfilled and content is a way we all deserve to fall asleep. We create our own suffering, and as dismal as that sounds it's actually great news!! By creating our own suffering, we can also dissolve that suffering by changing how we live. I'll be honest with you (I promise to be honest with you this entire journey) every once in a while a tiny voice speaks up in my mind. It says, "are you sure about all of this? What if you're wrong, and what if this IS what it's all about?" I acknowledge that voice of doubt and kindly tell it to go away. The point is we have a choice. We have a choice about how we live. Millions of choices, actually! We are so lucky about how much choice we have. We can choose weather to walk or drive. Recycle or throw it away. Smile or just walk by. Honk your horn or refrain. Go to bed or stay awake. Eat this or eat that. Think about how many decisions you make in your life. Soup or salad? Go to the gym or go home and watch The Bachelor? Call him or don't call him? And now, the realization that perhaps by making different decisions, we can actually change the way we feel. Change the course we are on. Change the destination. Change our destiny. We all have our own personal legends. We all have an incredible purpose for being here. That purpose is to reach complete self-realization and enlightenment. I say that with the utmost confidence. However, in order to fulfill that purpose, that legend., we must be honest with ourselves. We must slow down, and take a look inward. That is where you will find your answers. not from me, and not from this blog. But hopefully, this piece of work will inspire you to seek out those answers. I hope you will join me on this journey. We can support each other through times of doubt and charge each other up in times of enlightenment. We can evoke in ourselves and in each other the insatiable zest for life and unconditional love for, well, everything. So chew on this a while. Perhaps something has stirred inside of you. Maybe you'll visit this blog again, because just maybe a part of you knows all of this is true. So I hope we meet again here.
It's time to wake up.
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