a new year

Holiday Yogis,

OK, so who out there is not confused about what day it is???? 

I feel like I have had at least 4 Saturdays this week.  And when Friday finally arrived and I realized that it indeed was only Friday, I was delighted to know that I had a whole weekend in front of me in which to recover from all of those other Saturdays!  And we have another similar week in front of us.  Hope I can make it……J  Having the holidays fall on Wednesdays seemed to create a 2 week void where time and space became inconsequential. 

So here we are staring the New Year right in the eye.  Can you see it?  Can you hold its gaze?  Can you feel its potential?  A door, a curtain, a passage.  A pause.  A portal.  Leaving the old to enter the new.  As they put it in my WeMoon calendar – “At the Edge”. 

 

Powerfully amplified this year as it falls on the same day as the new moon - 1/1.  Wow!  Transitions. Moving from the dark back into the light.  Shedding what no longer serves us to be wrapped in a new way of being.  Stepping forward.

 

Take these next few days as we sink deeper into the dark to become still and use that inner vision we turned on in Ajna chakra, our third eye.  Go inward to see what it is that you want to manifest as you move toward the clear canvas that simply states “2014” as its title.  Anything.  See it, feel it, choose it.  You are a magnificent creative being. 

Then form it into an intention.  Put what it is that you want in a simple, clear, concise statement – in the positive and in the present – as if it has already arrived.

I am healthy…………..

                I have an open heart…….

                                I have a fulfilling job……..

                                                I meditate daily…………………

                                                                I can sky dive………………………………

I am fascinated by dreams (another third eye ability).  I was never much of a dreamer and when I did they were colorless and somewhat flat – typically not remembered.   So I decided about 2 years ago that there was a whole world there that I craved to tap into.  I began falling asleep on my back, placing mugwort in my pillowcase, and telling the Universe that I wanted to dream.  And there have been significant changes. 

But this year I am taking it up a notch!  My sister gave me a guidebook to Lucid Dreaming for Christmas.  The ability to wake up inside your dreams and eventually even be able to direct them.  Meeting with whoever you choose.  Deciding that it’s time to fly.  Feeling, smelling and hearing as clearly as if you were in an awake present moment……all with full awareness.   I “want” to do that, so I am choosing it. 

And the first step in the process, as with anything else we want to manifest, it to create the intention. 

I remember my dreams…………..

                I am aware while I am dreaming…………………

                                I am a lucid dreamer…………………………………

Every time I lie down at night.  Over and over and over.   With patience.  Journaling my experiences.  Knowing it will come.

Thank you Universe!

So choose what you want to see, have, feel and be on the other side of the door.  Draw it from deep within and the Universe will be there to support you every step of the way.  Be grateful now for what will come.   Don’t wait.

See you in my dreams!

SARAH

I can see clearly now

Quiet yogis,

In the throat chakra we snuggled into the warm embrace of silence.  Listening inwardly to what our hearts are telling us, without the noise of daily life.

Now in Ajna chakra, our third eye, we began to look from the inside.  To see all that our physical eyes are incapable of perceiving.   Our sixth sense.

 

Physically our eyes are quite limited.  The range of colors we see is narrow.  Our night vision is almost nonexistent.  Compared to a hawk, the distance we can see is miniscule.  And as we age, even seeing something up close becomes a challenge (is it me or is the writing on most labels becoming ridiculously small?).

But even more importantly than that, we look at the world through a distorted lens…..as if we are wearing dirty glasses.  Our mind places a layer of perception over everything we view….a layer built up by experiences, memories, likes/dislikes and judgment.  We sort, compare, evaluate and label in a mere instant.  Everything we see is shaped for us.  So is that really  seeing?

And when we are deep in the grips of stress we don’t see anything at all.  The eyes look at the surroundings as we move from activity to activity,  but nothing even registers.  Sort of like – where are those darns glasses???? – as you tear the house apart…..only to discover you are already wearing them.  Or you drive somewhere and have that panicked feeling upon arrival because you can’t even remember the drive. 

We both look at a picture of a woman.  One of us sees stunning beauty, the other sees someone too thin.  We both peer into the woods.  One sees the steadiness of the old oaks, yearning to sit against them…while the other sees the potential danger of the forest creatures, anxious to hurry back to the house.   Who is seeing correctly?

When we work with the energy of the third eye, we turn on our inner vision.   The ability to see what is real.  To see things exactly as they are. 

Those of you who practice with me know that I close my eyes often while I move.  I find that with the eyes closed I can more easily slide from the thinking mind to the feeling mind.  I don’t need to SEE you all to know how we are flowing, or sense your breath or feel the warmth of the energy that we generate as a group.   When we close the eyes, or allow them to soften, our vision becomes so much more expansive.  We begin to see with the whole body.  When you want to see another, close the eyes and draw them near.  See with your hands, see with the soles of the feet, see with your innermost core.

This inner vision also allows us to see ourselves more clearly too.  It is if we take a step back to observe ourselves – our thoughts, habits, different voices, and fears.  It reminds me of when we would watch videos we had taken and I would look at myself and feel like I was watching a stranger.  I don’t look or talk like that!!  It must be the camera. 

Close your eyes now and notice the room.  See yourself as if you are looking from above.  See what makes up this moment.

This is what meditation is all about.  Getting quiet, closing the eyes, taking a step back and watching.  What we do with what we see is our choice.  But if we choose to take out the windex and clean the glasses to see exactly what is here, we can begin to release those things that no longer serve us, getting closer and closer to the brilliant light within that we each are…..and then recognizing it in others.

I can see clearly now,

SARAH

the sound of silence

Yogis,

After another week of chanting, singing, toning, screaming and mantra my throat feels more open, clearer and pure.  Ready to speak my truths from deep within.

But first…….I have to get very quiet to hear them.  Not to hear myself think, but to hear the flow of my breath.

Though with the throat chakra we work on our voice, the actual organ of action for Vishuddha chakra is not the tongue, but the ears.  The ability to listen within. 

Silence. 

I have been watching the debate going on right now over the new law which would allow the use of cell phones in flight.  Oh my gosh.   Can you imagine?  Settling yourself in for a 2 hour flight, reaching that 10,000 feet altitude where the seat belt light goes off, and the guy sitting next to you (which these days feels like on top of you) speed dials his new girlfriend to discuss weekend plans for the remainder of the flight.  Or the women in front of you, whose reclined seat is now in your lap, calls her business partner to go over the third quarter financials.    All talking loudly to be sure they are heard over all of the other cell phone callers. 

The airplane has remained one of the few quiet refuges we have.  Nowhere is safe any longer from loud music, advertisements or tv.  I noticed this week that even Down Dog studio has a flat screen tv hanging at the front desk.  I didn’t get a chance to ask what the plan for it was, but not sure I really want to know.

Silence. 

To hear our innermost longings, to hear the direction the heart is asking us to go……we must have quiet in our lives.   And the more of it we have, the clearer our messages will be. 

So test your day.  Often noise is a habit….not always easy to break.   But first you have to notice it.  Do you automatically turn on the radio as soon as you turn the key in the ignition.   Is the tv on at times when you aren’t actually watching a show.  Do you need sound to help you fall asleep.  When you are with another, are you able to sit with them in silence, or does that make you uncomfortable. 

And noise is not only sound, but the barrage of information.  Can you go through ½  a day without surfing the web, or checking facebook.   Is it possible for you to go 2 days without reading the newspaper or watching the news.  Notice.

Silence.   The time to be just with yourself.  To hear yourself.

Silence has a sound.  A vibration ….when you listen for it.  Silence has a feeling.  Like being wrapped in a warm blanket….when you become comfortable with it.  Silence has a personality.  Like a long lost friend with whom you can be you…….when you invite it in. 

The holiday season can be a noisy time of year.  Be sure to set aside time for silence.  And ask yourself before you speak – “will what I am about to say improve upon the silence.” 

…..and  I am pleased to see that there has been a clear message sent from the majority of Americans that cell phones should remain silent while we lie back and enjoy the flight.  Let’s hope someone is listening.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.
               ~ Rumi

And finally….

Never miss a good chance to shut up.
          ~Will Rodgers

Speaking from the heart, which means there is a lot less of it,

SARAH

........the season of wanting

Dear Yogis,

So fun to sing Kirtan with all of you in classes this week!  Lengthening the neck and clearing the throat to discover and tune our authentic voice. 

So here we are in Christmas season…….

“What do you want?” 

This past week I was asked that question over and over and over, as each member of the family wanted my Christmas list.    Now mind you, in the meantime I was doing the exact same thing to each of them – using my trusty little notebook to document each of the lists.   Not wanting to share my gift ideas for others with anyone as then I would again be staring at a blank page.

“What do you want?”

I strain my brain.  I walk around the house looking to see what I might be missing.  I glance through the endless stack of catalogs that have arrived.  Finally coming up with an idea, only to then be asked  “And what else do you want?”, as they have their pen poised over their trusty notebook waiting for an answer. 

I find it all very exhausting!!!

Ok, my sister gave me a cloth purse probably 7 years ago that gets a lot of use.  Probably time for a new one so I can give that to her for her list.  Yes!  I take my phone out to send a picture of it so she remembers the type.  But as I zoom in through the viewfinder and look at the purse with this new perspective, I realize I love the purse and its worn in look and don’t want  a new one!   Darn!!!  It gets scratched off the list.

So what do I want?  Why does it seem that all year we can think of things we need, but when asked directly, and knowing that what you ask for you will most likely get, the screen suddenly goes blank?

The throat.   Where we make things real.

We began with earth, noticing exactly where we are and the pure potential available to us.  In the realm of water we uncover desire.  Here is where we find our truest, deepest, wants.  With fire we “saw” what we wanted and planted the image on the blank canvas in front of us, beginning our movement toward it.  And at the heart we surrendered and learned to trust, to sense that we are supported and aren’t doing this alone.

But at the throat…….. the rubber meets the road.  Now we speak what it is that we want.  Honestly, clearly and with conviction.  Sending out what we want with our vibration.  For me this has always been the most challenging step.  Saying it makes it so real. 

Once we speak we have begun the process of manifesting, so we want to be sure we are speaking from deep within, and not just talking from the brain.  Because once formed into words and shared, it is hard to go back. 

The throat is our free will, the place from which we choose.   So choose what it is that you want and begin to speak as if it has already here.  Thank the Universe for it now, knowing that it is on its way. 

So, what do you want?

I want things that can’t be put on Christmas lists.   I want to write a book (although it is dawning on me that this blog may be just that).  I want to expand what I offer so will need to be financially compensated for what I do so I can do more.    I want to feel even more alive.   I want to feel free.   I want to “be” love.  Expansive wants but I have complete faith that they can all come into being…..and will. 

….but I still will come up with Christmas lists!

That wasn’t easy for me,

SARAH

....... things are looking up!

Yogis,

Have you ever noticed where your gaze tends to go as you move through your day? 

I tend to be one who looks downward.  Noticing every plant, weed, bug and small creature as I wander through the yard.  Scanning the river for snakes, ducks and shells.  Watching my feet as they connect to the earth…….and unfortunately also seeing every crumb that has fallen on the hardwood floors.  The elements of earth and water, with their connection to the exhale, are downward pulling.  Seeing right where we are.

But then there are those who are always looking straight ahead.  Seeing where they are going.  Looking for the destination without distraction.  This would be those who are more closely connected with the element of fire.  Forward movement…….determination…….but having to be cautious not to run others over! 

And finally those whose “heads are in the clouds”!  Always looking up, seeing what might be possible without the restrictions we sometimes impose upon ourselves just because of what is.  Here we find the element of air – the heart chakra.  Limitless view……..as long as you don’t trip over anything in your path!

 

I began to think how much more we could be experiencing if only we could see from every angle. 

So this week as we make the move from our focus on the heart up to the throat, and the element of ether,  I decided to “look up” to see what I might find.   Here is some of what I discovered.

Trees are perfect at this!  Their deep roots holding them firmly in place so that they can reach upward with such awesome strength and power.  Looking toward the heavens, but knowing exactly where they are. 

 

All day long I look down from my office at the squirrels rummaging through my garden for hidden seeds.  Today, with all seeds finally eaten, they even decide to try one of my gourds.  But as I look up I see where they peer down at me as  I sit beneath. 



 

With the leaves down, and the cold death of winter rapidly approaching, I can also see the beauty it brings, if only I look up.

Looking up to see the score  (great game this weekend!!!)…………….

                                                      
                                                         …….and noticing the setting sun as I head in to make soup

 

So begin to notice where you set your gaze.  Remember -  seeing is the first step in manifesting whatever it is that you desire.  So See it all….See it from every vantage point…..See not only where you are and where you are heading, but what is possible when you simply expand the horizon. 

Finally, watch what happens in the physical act of looking up.  The shoulders drop and the heart lifts!  Try it!

 

I am looking up,

SARAH

......the superhighway of gratitude

 

Yogis,

 

Ok,  so I have decided I want to live life with an open heart.  Being fully present for not only the highs of love and bliss, but also having the courage to sit with the lows of sorrow and grief.  I want to live life fully.  But how do I get there?

Like anything else that you desire.  Choose it.  See it clearly…..and then take those baby steps.   Daily Practice. 

And………I believe one of the super highways to an open heart (go directly there without passing go) is via  the path of gratitude – in the DC area this would be those new 495 HOV lanes.  The Universe loves gratitude! 

This is a simple practice that everyone can do, but you must do it.  Mindfully.  Every day.  As you go through your day begin to notice those things that catch your eye, those small things that are special, those things that just happen………..  Seeing the moon in the sky.  A stranger looks you in the eye and smiles.  The warmth of the blanket as you snuggle into bed.  The smell of dinner cooking.  

Notice.  But then go the extra step and say Thank You! Internally….or for more oomph.. aloud (much more on this at the throat chakra).  Just Thank You to the Universe.  Or “moon you are so beautiful!”  Feel the gratitude, but the real practice here is to send it outward.  Begin that exchange.   And the more you do this, the more things will come your way to be grateful for!  Try it.

 

 

Every morning I sit on my bed to meditate from 6:30 to 7.  And this time of year the sun begins to rise during that ½ hour, so that when I finish and look over my right shoulder, the sky and clouds have become an exquisite coral color.   It takes my breath away every time.  Thank you Universe!

The full moon this week was spectacular.  I tried to see it rise each night, and without fail when I would get up for my second trip to the bathroom during the night (so is this what everyone has been talking about?), she is beaming in through the window lighting my way.  Thank you Goddess!

On Thursday I took my walk to the river and sat in my usual spot.  There is a tree to my left that has fallen.  I always touch it and notice it, but this week was different.  It was as if it reached out to me and made me really “see” it.   And what I saw was so beautiful.  My new nickname for him is “my Ogre Tree”.  Thank you tree!

  Front View

 

  Side View

For those who have been coming to classes the last few weeks, there has been a very special energy we have all created together.  Something a little different than usual. Have you all been able to feel it?   Thank you yoga!

My garden is now almost all brown and brittle, rustling in the wind.   But as I walked it the other night I realized that  the plants offer a different gift every season.  Their message now is to rest and allow everything that has come in over these last 6 months to settle into my bones.  To go inward and prepare the soil for the next planting season.  Thank you plants!

And finally………On Monday night I went into the center of my wheel in the dark under the full moon.  Now I haven’t seen Bunny Rabbit in 3 weeks.  I had accepted that he had moved on for the winter.  Oh no.  He came hopping right up to my feet!  After much gushing and loud exclamations of delight, I sat and fed him and then we sat together quietly for 20 minutes under the moon.  Aaaahhhhh……….Thank you Bunny Rabbit!

The reason we have to pull the shoulders back and spread the front of the chest for heart opening is that when it begins to open it gets so much bigger!  It needs a whole lot more space…..

Thank you all for reading my words, sharing your thoughts, giving me hugs and most of all for letting me “see” you,

SARAH

Peaks and valleys.....the path of an open heart.

Yogis,

Living life with an open heart……………….

                Leading life from the heart……………….

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  It’s almost cliché.  Of course we all try to do that.  Of course we want that.  But are we strong enough to really do it?  Do we even know what it means?  Can we live from that place of vulnerability all the time and not simply when it is easy?  Because when the heart is wide open……it will get hurt. 

This is why we practice fire before coming up to the heart.  Having an open heart takes a whole lot of courage.

This is what having an open heart might look like.
 

See those peaks.  Oh we all spend our lives seeking those.  Joy.  Pure bliss.  Unconditional love.  They make us light and airy, as if floating above the earth.  The heart blooming like a perfect rose, about to burst right through the front of our chest.   Powerful.  Exhilarating.  When we are here we love everyone and everything.

Now…..see those valleys.  Sigh.  Grief.  Unfulfilled longings.  Wrenching sorrow.  Lost love.  These drop us down with a loud thud, feeling as if it isn’t possible to go any lower.  The heart clenching into a tight fist.  Withdrawal.   When we are here it seems it is all we can do to keep from drowning. 

Well then,  I just won’t allow myself to feel those valleys.  That’s easy.  When life presents one to me I will just shut down my emotions.  I will go on as if nothing is happening.  I will look the other way.  I just won’t GO there. 

And that is certainly a choice we can make.  But you know what?  Here is how it looks when we choose it.

 

Because if we pull in from the lows, there is an equal and offsetting retreat from the highs.   Living here is called “comfortably numb”.    And we can find this place through busying ourselves, alcohol or drugs.  And many do.  It can seem safer.

But this isn’t living.

The only reason the grief feels so all encompassing is because the love we had was so brilliant.  The unfulfilled longings feel so hollow only because we have tasted the sweetness of fulfillment.  They are one in the same and if you dampen one you dampen the other.

 

So can you keep an open heart through the waves?

This is why we practice fire before getting to the heart.  It takes tremendous inner strength combined with the unwavering faith that we find in the heart to be able to sit with it all.   To feel it, be with it and watch it knowing that like everything outside the soul, this too shall pass.   

I know I for one want this. 

 

 

So I will SEE it……and continue to practice.  Baby steps toward becoming comfortable in the uncomfortable.  Not willing to settle for a life half lived.  Knowing I am always held.

Drawing the shoulders back to expose my heart,

SARAH

the wind at my back

Yogis,

Three weeks of fire practice for many of you!  Building both inner and outer strength, and a sense of “I CAN do anything”.

    ……..yeah I saw a lot more feet come off the ground in crow pose this week than ever before…..

Have you been setting your intention?  Seeing it clearly and stating it with conviction every day? 

                My blood pressure is going down.

                                I am writing a book.

                                                Money flows in and out of my life in abundance.

                                                                I sleep soundly at night.

                                                                                I am relaxed and peaceful.

Whatever it is that you want!  State it so many times that it begins to vibrate within you.  Because what you send out is what you will draw back – so make sure it is what you want..

Earth….we prepared the soil.   Water…..we gave it moisture and aliveness.   Fire……we planted the seed and gave it light.    We then simply tend to it daily -  taking those baby steps toward our intention, moving forward and taking action with confidence. 

And then let go of the reins with complete and unquestioning faith that it will grow.

The Heart. 

It is here that we move from me to we.  From an inward focus on what I can do, to an outward sensing of the incredible benevolent force of the Universe.  There to support us in whatever we choose to do. 

Our job is the choosing.  The knowing what I want, stating it and beginning the movement toward it.  Our job is the “what” and the focus.  The Universe’s job, however, is the how. 

But you have to be able to let go and trust.  Completely.  With every cell in your being.  Knowing it will manifest. 

Somehow we seem to do this so simply in the garden.  We plant the seed, give it water, light and love, and then trust that from a seed the size of a speck, a large plant will grow and feed us.  No need to dig it up each day to see if anything is happening.  We just believe that this miracle will happen year after year after year. 

Not quite as easy in our own daily lives.   That is why we practiced fired for 3 weeks!  It takes courage.  It takes an open heart that is willing to feel it all.   

So allow yourself to be steered.  Feel the breeze at your back guiding you.  Be carried.  Accept unexpected turns in the path as gifts.  Know the destination but don’t demand a certain route – another route may have so much more beauty along the way.

Leave the details to the Universe. 

….and the next time you are out in the wind, face into it, close your eyes and open yourself up.  A hug from the Universe.

I love this journey,

SARAH

I CAN.........except for maybe that

Yogis,

Many of you who were reading my blog last year may remember that at about this same time, while teaching the throat chakra, I lost my voice and ended up with a sinus infection.  Well last week, while teaching fire, I developed a fever and everything once again began to settle into my sinus cavities. 

It was uncomfortable.  But what was even more uncomfortable for me was having to admit that I was sick and cancelling a few classes.  I believe that may be the first time I have cancelled for illness.   I am a fire by nature – disciplined, moving forward, convinced that “I Can”…..even when I can’t.

I felt much better on Friday and Saturday.  Then last night – Sunday – my time to write arrived.  I am “supposed to write”.   I “always write on Sunday”.    But my sinuses again felt full and I had zero clarity.  Nothing to write about.  So again…. I stepped out of my comfort zone….and simply didn’t write.    Instead soaked in my tub with bath salts.  Feeling so much better after.  Learning that while it may be uncomfortable, stepping back to nurture myself when needed is a good thing. 

We learn when we go into that space of discomfort.  We see.

So how many of you truly believe that you create your lives??  Let’s see a show of hands.

That you determine your future moments. That life doesn’t just happen to you.  That you are an infinite creator….of anything that you want?

Have you been planting your intention?  It always starts with a vision.  Clarity of sight and planting it deep within.   But then we must take those baby steps, and many of them will be uncomfortable.

The known is very comfortable.   Even when it may be negative, it often seems easier to just keep doing the same known things than to start the wheels of change.  Staying in an unfulfilling job or relationship, continuing to live with physical discomfort, remaining on a committee or board for which you no longer have a passion.  Sometimes less effort than stepping that big toe out of the “comfort box” you have constructed.    But in the known there is very little growth and not a whole lot of transformation or ecstasy.    

The real power of aliveness lies in the unknown.  But it takes some courage to go there and some discipline to keep moving through it even when there is discomfort.

For those of you who take yoga, think about the poses that you believe you can’t do.  The ones where when the teacher calls for them, an UGH goes through your mind, and maybe you decide it is a good time to get a quick drink of water or blow your nose so you don’t have to be in it for quite as long.  The ones where you have convinced yourself that your body just doesn’t do that.

And discomfort can come in many forms.  There is the obvious physical discomfort – like holding plank for a full minute when your arms are shaking.  But there can just as easily be emotional discomfort.  Perhaps you are uncomfortable with chest openers because you are self-conscious of your breasts.  Maybe arm balancing brings fear to the surface because of buried trust issues.  Or the shake you have in your hand may be noticed when we are asked to settle into stillness in a pose. 

For me it was seated wide legged forward fold.  As a young girl taking gymnastic lessons I could do all of the back bends but never could spread my legs and get within even a few feet of the floor when I folded.  Ever.  I watched most of the girls as they lay flat on the floor between their legs as simply as you or I lift up an arm.  I was jealous.   I decided early on that my hip joints were just shaped differently and that I just couldn’t do that.  Who needed to be able to do that anyway?

Then 3 years ago I went to an Erich Schiffmann workshop, and as a 6’ 5”  yogi  he sat down, spread his legs, lowered down to rest on his elbows and talked to us from there for 5 minutes.   And he commented that as yoga teachers this was one of the important poses and we should all work to do it.   UGH. 

So I went home and for maybe 2 months I half-heartedly tried.  But it was uncomfortable and I wasn’t seeing fast enough progress.  I began finding reasons why I couldn’t end with that pose – seeming to always run out of time, until finally it faded from my practice.  Who needs to do that anyway?  And besides….my hip joints are shaped differently. 

Fast forward to this year when I am back again learning from Erich and it all came flooding in once more.  This time I knew it required me to set this pose as an intention……..and to take the baby steps toward it day after day after day after day.  That to continue to grow in my practice, which is simply a mirror of life, I had to step into the unknown with conviction.  And so I have for the last 7 months.  

And you know what?  My hip bones are not shaped differently!  I can’t lie anywhere close to flat on the floor and that isn’t what this is all about.  But I can go so much deeper than I could at 8 or 14 or 20 years old.   And while It is still uncomfortable, I have grown to enjoy the discomfort associated with the new growth…..the possibilities…..my limitless potential. 

         Erich Schiffmann

What is it for you?   Set an intention and see it with an unwavering focus.

I can,

SARAH

Yes........I CAN

Yogis,

This week we moved up into Manipura chakra, and the element of fire.  Our belly.  Our heat.  It is here that we create, change, transform, and move forward.  But to tap into the magnificent force of fire we first must let go of the past (earth) and be fully present in this moment without struggling against it (water). 

Let me walk you through two simple but powerful practices that help us to get there. 

1-      Become aware of the whole back of your body.  Now close your eyes and visualize every single thing that has happened in your life, up to this very moment, behind the body.  Your past……physically behind the body.  Send your next exhale out through the back body sending your past a little further away.  Detaching from the past. 
     ……it no longer exists
Now move your awareness into the center of your body – that line of energy that runs from the tailbone to the crown directly in front of the spine.  This is the present.  Trace that line with your breath and notice this moment.  Notice everything about this moment.  Feel it.  Being in  it fully and accepting this moment exactly as it is.   Aaahhhh………..

 

2-      Bring something to mind that recently was challenging or difficult.  Close your eyes and bring it all back.  See it clearly, feel it in your body, notice what your mind was thinking.  Allow the emotions that went with it. 

Take a long inhale, and as you slowly exhale watch the exhale begin pushing the vision down through the body from the crown of the head all the way down the torso and the legs and out through the soles of the feet.  Make sure your exhale sweeps every crumb of the vision out through the feet. 

And now take in a fresh inhale noticing how clean and clear it is.  Welcome to the present moment!

 

Now notice the front of the body……………..and the limitless blank space in front of you.   Your future.  Waiting for you to create within it.  Anything that you desire…………

 

The last two weeks we dove deep to discover what we truly wanted.  Our longings.   Now we visualize them and set them in motion by planting our intention.

It’s that time of year where many of us are going through health screenings for the upcoming health insurance season.  Receiving results that we often expect, or perhaps some new news.  It gets the discussions, and sometimes the worry, going.  One guy that I work with emailed me that he was surprised he was even capable of sending an email with the results he had gotten.

On my way to “hot” yoga on Friday I saw a billboard at a bus stop.  It was a women with her hands in prayer position at her heart, eyes closed.  And all it said was:  

Blood Pressure

You are going Down.

I love that!  It was a sign for Kaiser Permanente but should be a sign for the spiritual journey.   It is a perfect example of an intention.

Once we know what we want we have to “see” it clearly and then state it in the positive and plant it in the Universe.   Over and over and over.  With complete clarity and conviction.    Blood pressure, you are going down.

Notice it isn’t:

-          I wish my blood pressure was going down
or…

-          I am hoping to get my blood pressure down this time

Those are sending out the message to the Universe that it isn’t coming down right now.  And what you send out is what you attract back. 

Now on the other hand….You are going down…. Sends that exact message out.  Nothing wishy washy there.  You aren’t asking pretty please, but stating clearly what you want and that positive vibration is what the Universe will receive.  The Universe responds best to clarity and will echo your intention back to you.

Not – “I never have enough money” – which signals there is scarcity and lack, but – “Money flows in and out of my life in abundance with ease”.    No buts, no skepticism, no question.  If you were the Universe, which would you respond to?

I have a new job…… My digestion system is strong and trouble free……..I take time for myself daily………I am learning a new skill…….My shoulder is healed………

Whatever it is that you want.   SEE it, send it out, and watch it with an unwavering focus.   

……………..and then all we are asked to do is take baby steps toward it.   The Universe will support your every move. 

I am moving forward,

SARAH