Shift perspective… and suddenly your world is transformed!
Just recently we had the opportunity to, yet again, submerge and soak in the mineral laden waters of Wilber Hot Springs, high up in the hills of Williams, CA. Nothin’ but good things up in them thar waters - ahh, I love the smell of sulfer in the morning! But, seriously, there IS healing in those hills that spout the bubbling brew that’s mixing and mingling beneath the earth’s surface. Spewing forth its heated prescription of a remedy for whatever ails you, the waters of Wilber envelope you like the womb you were born from, and you begin to experience the dissolution of your own dis-ease as though it’s rising and evaporating from the very steam that dissipates in the air around you.
Late one night upon emerging from a long, languid soak, I wasn’t quite ready to go inside. The moon and the stars were so bright and the cold breeze that was blowing before I entered the waters was now warm and comforting. I laid my body down on a bench on the deck, flat on my back so to see the sky. All was quiet and the gentle wind blew around me and up into the trees, rustling the dry leaves making a soothing sound. It occurred to me how comfortable I was in the 35 degrees, cloaked in only a light, terry cloth robe. When I came out earlier, I was freezing! Funny, I thought, how by changing my internal temperature automatically changes the external temperature of my environment. Granted, it was still 35 degrees, but my relationship to that same 35 degrees had changed. I was no longer cold and put off by the discomfort. I was now relaxed and enjoying the experience with a completely different perspective.
So, herein lies yet another validation: simply by adjusting our core temperature (or temperament), we CAN transform the appearance of our external environment and thereby, our response to it. By relaxing into our true nature - that of peace, kindness and compassion, our experiences in the world can become more palatable, less threatening and more gratifying!
Soak it up!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Opening Day at Lulemon Annapolis
The Annapolis Lululemon girls under panties and the Lady Guru banner!
The big day came today for Lululemon Annapolis and boy those LLL girls had it ALL together. The store looks great with lots of cool stuff: work-out/dance/yoga wear, hats, yoga bags and mats (I know I'LL be heading back for that great sticky-travel mat). Janelle was there demonstrating yoga postures and tea, courtesy of Teavana, was served up with an array of scrumptious goodies. So get yourself down to Lululemon, visit those hard-working girls, and make a dent in your holiday shopping.
Sat Nam!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Latest Arrival!!
The long awaited Lady Guru Chakra Affirmation Card deck has finally emerged on to the scene!
This card deck comes neatly tucked in a colorful array of organza drawstring pouches (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo & Violet). Every card contains its own chakra related yoga pose and an inspiring, uplifting affirmation - 7 cards in 7 chakra corresponding suits. Include them in your yoga practice or simply keep them on your desk, in your purse, on your dresser, leave them by the front door and grab one on your way out. 49 cards - 49 affirmations to help set your intention for the day! - $18.00
To order, please visit LadyGuru.com.
Sat Nam!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Ease in the Effort
Relax… and suddenly everything seems easier!
“You can’t always get what you want. But, if you try sometimes, you might find - you get what you need.” Jagger/Richards said this back in the 60’s and it never lost resonance for me. As a matter of fact, it holds true even more so today as I learn to give way to the circumstances and events that arise in my life – some good, some not so good.
We pine for so much, we desire so much – more than what we need, no doubt – and this makes me think of us as children wanting to eat candy all day long and stay up late, but our mother knows it’s not in our best interest. How could this be? We want it so badly, it must be the right thing. Sometimes we even act out when we don’t get what we want - when in hindsight - we can see it clearly, and how what we thought we wanted, is far from what we were supposed to have.
So, does this mean we should give up on our goals? I think not, but rather check our intentions behind these goals. What exactly is fueling our desires, our wants? Are they self-serving? Are they for the greater good? We can’t always understand why things turn out the way they do, and so oftentimes we find ourselves discouraged and defeated, concentrating our focus upon what we DIDN’T get verses what underlying jewel has been gifted to us – and sometimes, when the dust settles, maybe a day, a week, or years later, we awaken to the nature of the experience and all it’s riches to discover we have indeed, gotten exactly what we needed.
Why then, are we repeatedly pulled into the vortex of resisting the daily sour challenges that befall us when all we want is the sweet stuff? Perhaps we could rest in complete harmony with our experiences if we just remember that too much sugar and not enough sleep is not necessarily a good balance for us, even if it is our heart’s desire. And, that in the end, the Universe knows best and that with just the right amount of struggles amidst our repose, we will grow stronger and wiser – the Yogis call it: Sthirasukha, ease in the effort –the ability to maintain steadiness and alertness while remaining comfortable. And, it is through this practice we can open to the abundance of experiences that are to come, knowing that we are held and supported and getting exactly what we need.
Blessings and Peace.
“You can’t always get what you want. But, if you try sometimes, you might find - you get what you need.” Jagger/Richards said this back in the 60’s and it never lost resonance for me. As a matter of fact, it holds true even more so today as I learn to give way to the circumstances and events that arise in my life – some good, some not so good.
We pine for so much, we desire so much – more than what we need, no doubt – and this makes me think of us as children wanting to eat candy all day long and stay up late, but our mother knows it’s not in our best interest. How could this be? We want it so badly, it must be the right thing. Sometimes we even act out when we don’t get what we want - when in hindsight - we can see it clearly, and how what we thought we wanted, is far from what we were supposed to have.
So, does this mean we should give up on our goals? I think not, but rather check our intentions behind these goals. What exactly is fueling our desires, our wants? Are they self-serving? Are they for the greater good? We can’t always understand why things turn out the way they do, and so oftentimes we find ourselves discouraged and defeated, concentrating our focus upon what we DIDN’T get verses what underlying jewel has been gifted to us – and sometimes, when the dust settles, maybe a day, a week, or years later, we awaken to the nature of the experience and all it’s riches to discover we have indeed, gotten exactly what we needed.
Why then, are we repeatedly pulled into the vortex of resisting the daily sour challenges that befall us when all we want is the sweet stuff? Perhaps we could rest in complete harmony with our experiences if we just remember that too much sugar and not enough sleep is not necessarily a good balance for us, even if it is our heart’s desire. And, that in the end, the Universe knows best and that with just the right amount of struggles amidst our repose, we will grow stronger and wiser – the Yogis call it: Sthirasukha, ease in the effort –the ability to maintain steadiness and alertness while remaining comfortable. And, it is through this practice we can open to the abundance of experiences that are to come, knowing that we are held and supported and getting exactly what we need.
Blessings and Peace.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
River of Knowledge
Awaken… and suddenly you have met your truth. Create your own, brighter dawn!
We tend to think that in order to feel accomplished, whether it be in our career, relationship, health, with our children or inner self, we need to be finished or done with something. This idea tends to make us feel complete… for the moment. Every time we reach another milestone, we delude ourselves in believing we have “arrived”, leaving ourselves open for disillusion and disappointment. Of course we are never finished or done. There’s a reason it’s called a “journey”. Everything in our lives has the potential to wake us up … over and over and over again.
As I walk this path, step by step I have come to understand that every moment is an opportunity for learning or awakening. Every action, every thought, every intention I put forth in the world, brings with it powerful potential for growth. My own Lady Guru continues to remind me over and again that we are never “finished”. The lessons cycle back to us continually until we become masters at the art of learning. Hence the phrase: “River of Knowledge”… continually flowing, and as Alan Watts says: “You cannot understand life and its mysteries as long as you try to grasp it. Indeed, you cannot grasp it just as you cannot walk off with a river in a bucket. If you try to capture running water in a bucket, it is clear that you do not understand it and that you will always be disappointed, for in the bucket the water does not run. To 'have' running water you must let go of it and let it run."
Perhaps the “knowledge” is not about “having”, but about seeing, and being in the flow of the awakening, the learning in every new moment.
Sat Nam.
We tend to think that in order to feel accomplished, whether it be in our career, relationship, health, with our children or inner self, we need to be finished or done with something. This idea tends to make us feel complete… for the moment. Every time we reach another milestone, we delude ourselves in believing we have “arrived”, leaving ourselves open for disillusion and disappointment. Of course we are never finished or done. There’s a reason it’s called a “journey”. Everything in our lives has the potential to wake us up … over and over and over again.
As I walk this path, step by step I have come to understand that every moment is an opportunity for learning or awakening. Every action, every thought, every intention I put forth in the world, brings with it powerful potential for growth. My own Lady Guru continues to remind me over and again that we are never “finished”. The lessons cycle back to us continually until we become masters at the art of learning. Hence the phrase: “River of Knowledge”… continually flowing, and as Alan Watts says: “You cannot understand life and its mysteries as long as you try to grasp it. Indeed, you cannot grasp it just as you cannot walk off with a river in a bucket. If you try to capture running water in a bucket, it is clear that you do not understand it and that you will always be disappointed, for in the bucket the water does not run. To 'have' running water you must let go of it and let it run."
Perhaps the “knowledge” is not about “having”, but about seeing, and being in the flow of the awakening, the learning in every new moment.
Sat Nam.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Creating Valuable Space
Expand… and suddenly you can’t ignore your own vastness!
Regarding mental clutter, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati said: “Without space, creation cannot take place. When you purchase a house, you purchase the space, which is surrounded by the walls. The more space, the more valuable the house. You cannot think anything if you have no space within your mind. You cannot welcome any guest in your house if you have no space within your house. You cannot receive any thought from outside if you have no space within your mind.”
I love the way this analogy really drives it home for me. I find when I look upon the times that I am feeling stuck, whether in work, relationship, or in any unfavorable reaction that may arise in a given day, I can see it relates directly from my over thinking and mental spinning. When I think of words that define a positive and receptive state of mind, it makes sense that they come to me as: “clear” and “open”. There truly is a feeling of “spaciousness” when my inner and outer worlds are in harmony.
My clutter always comes with a story. If I were to look at it clearly, I could, no doubt, trace it back to old belief patterns that try to convince me that I am right. It will tell me that I have all the information to assess whatever situation is before me and all that information is true, therefore, I need not take it further. This can show up by way of a casual conversation, planning my day, driving to the store, cooking dinner – in short, my daily life. So because of these beliefs driven by personal historical content, I become closed and unreceptive to any new perspective. But, by keeping an “open” mind, I can “clear” my mental space. In Buddhism, they call this “beginner’s mind”, which now provides room for “new guests” – even if they seem familiar – to roam or rest in the expanse I have cultivated by dropping the history. More space… more value!
Sat Nam!
Regarding mental clutter, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati said: “Without space, creation cannot take place. When you purchase a house, you purchase the space, which is surrounded by the walls. The more space, the more valuable the house. You cannot think anything if you have no space within your mind. You cannot welcome any guest in your house if you have no space within your house. You cannot receive any thought from outside if you have no space within your mind.”
I love the way this analogy really drives it home for me. I find when I look upon the times that I am feeling stuck, whether in work, relationship, or in any unfavorable reaction that may arise in a given day, I can see it relates directly from my over thinking and mental spinning. When I think of words that define a positive and receptive state of mind, it makes sense that they come to me as: “clear” and “open”. There truly is a feeling of “spaciousness” when my inner and outer worlds are in harmony.
My clutter always comes with a story. If I were to look at it clearly, I could, no doubt, trace it back to old belief patterns that try to convince me that I am right. It will tell me that I have all the information to assess whatever situation is before me and all that information is true, therefore, I need not take it further. This can show up by way of a casual conversation, planning my day, driving to the store, cooking dinner – in short, my daily life. So because of these beliefs driven by personal historical content, I become closed and unreceptive to any new perspective. But, by keeping an “open” mind, I can “clear” my mental space. In Buddhism, they call this “beginner’s mind”, which now provides room for “new guests” – even if they seem familiar – to roam or rest in the expanse I have cultivated by dropping the history. More space… more value!
Sat Nam!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Celebrating Half a Century
Be Alive… and suddenly consciousness exists in every cell of your being.
Yesterday, my body and I celebrated our 50 year anniversary together. It was a simple, albeit, significant day, a day of honoring exactly where we are together; all the aches and pains and new wrinkles, the fluctuating moods that come with perri-menopause, and not to mention the ever so slightly, but definite beginnings of the dreaded “meno-pot”. However, it was also a day of mindfully thanking and honoring the beauty, strength, resilience and grace of: these feet that have walked hundreds of miles to get me wherever I needed to go; these legs that have danced me into oblivion a countless number of times; this spine, so strong in supporting this structure in all its unlimited (and limited!) ways; these arms for all the hugs they’ve ever given AND received; these shoulders for carrying the weight of all the challenges they’ve ever had to bear; these eyes for all the beauty there is to see; these ears for experiencing the infinite vibrations of sound; this nose for all the memories it can conjure from one simple sniff; this tongue for to taste, talk, sing; and this heart… not only for keeping the blood flowing through these veins, but for the love, the compassion, the gratitude and the forgiveness as well as the sorrow and suffering that all comes from being painfully and joyfully human.
Happy Birthday to Us, and to Us a birthday EVERY day.
Blessings and Sat Nam!
Yesterday, my body and I celebrated our 50 year anniversary together. It was a simple, albeit, significant day, a day of honoring exactly where we are together; all the aches and pains and new wrinkles, the fluctuating moods that come with perri-menopause, and not to mention the ever so slightly, but definite beginnings of the dreaded “meno-pot”. However, it was also a day of mindfully thanking and honoring the beauty, strength, resilience and grace of: these feet that have walked hundreds of miles to get me wherever I needed to go; these legs that have danced me into oblivion a countless number of times; this spine, so strong in supporting this structure in all its unlimited (and limited!) ways; these arms for all the hugs they’ve ever given AND received; these shoulders for carrying the weight of all the challenges they’ve ever had to bear; these eyes for all the beauty there is to see; these ears for experiencing the infinite vibrations of sound; this nose for all the memories it can conjure from one simple sniff; this tongue for to taste, talk, sing; and this heart… not only for keeping the blood flowing through these veins, but for the love, the compassion, the gratitude and the forgiveness as well as the sorrow and suffering that all comes from being painfully and joyfully human.
Happy Birthday to Us, and to Us a birthday EVERY day.
Blessings and Sat Nam!
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