.....the view from afar

Dear Yogis,

Arriving home from a week at the beach! 

As I exit the highway and begin weaving my way into the neighborhood, slowly winding up our hilly street, I am suddenly surrounded by green.  The trees and bushes dense and lush.  The car shaded by a thick canopy as if I am entering the forest.  Such a sharp contrast to the barren landscape of sand dunes, sea grass and cacti that line the Outer Banks.  So much life here.  Every year I notice it but every year it surprises me. 

Seeing what I wouldn’t notice if I hadn’t stepped away……..

Vacations are a wonderful time for reflection.  Plucked out of our normal environment and routine we can sometimes see things we otherwise couldn’t.  I have been watching this week and here is some of what I spotted.  Many just affirmations of what I already knew and others reminders of tweaks I may want to consider.

The first is that I don’t look up enough. I love the dirt and the stones and the wild weeds so much that I am always scanning the ground……and missing the vastness of the sky.  While doing yoga on the beach each time my arms reached overhead and the eyes followed, the white clouds against the piercing blue sky  made my heart flutter.  In down dog I watched pelicans fly overhead and in boat pose my gaze was focused on where the sky meets the ocean.  The stars at night and the flashes of lightening in the low lying clouds.  All asking me to look up.  Seeing what is here but also opening to the infinite potential above. 

You all know I love to be barefoot.  Since I work from home and do everything outside without shoes, my feet and shoes become strangers in the summer.  So one day this week when I was running to the grocery store, it wasn’t until I had already gotten in the car and moved it, ran back in for something and was getting back into the car that I realized I had no shoes on. Not sure the grocery store would have appreciated my naked feet.  But I sure do appreciate them.

Even on vacation I fall into a routine within a couple of days.  I realize that not only do I not feel confined by routine, I flourish in it.  Granted my beach routine looks different from my one at home (daily hot tub and an afternoon bag of Cheetos), but both provide me with a structure so that the daily to-dos fall into place without thought, leaving me feeling more free to be.  I know for others having no routine is what makes it vacation.  But my morning beach walk, like clockwork, sends me forward in my day. And now I will have an eye on my home daily routine and see if perhaps any portion has become stale. 

What else?  I confirmed that I LOVE heat.  90’s every day and I couldn’t be happier……On arrival I always have to unpack everything and get it all set up before I feel I can go to the beach…...The part of my body that creates too much thought and angst (we all have one) is my belly, and a menopausal one has ratcheted that up (more on that topic in another post)……….  Home is wherever I am (thanks Mom and Dad)…………I don’t think about work at all when I am away. Not one bit.……….I have fears regarding water. I want to face them. It's time.  

Finally, the trip home is where what lies ahead reenters your viewfinder.  Seeing your life as you head back toward it.  An excellent barometer of what is and isn’t working. If there is any sense of dread take time with it.  Look deeper before simply jumping back in. The view from afar can enlighten.

When I arrived home my garden welcomed me with 7 rather large cucumbers! Time to learn how to make pickles!

Stepping away to see more clearly,
SARAH

......can you hear me?

Yogis,

Our voice is an odd thing.  What should be so simple – putting into words what is going on in the inside and sharing it with the world – is anything but.  Too often are voices are instead shaped but what it going on outside.  Our words determined by the expectations of those around us or what we think we should sound like.  Our voices are a powerful tool, but can often become timid, challenging, scary, filled with facts, vague or boastful.  Shifting throughout the day as we move between our different life roles.  Worker, parent, friend, neighbor – all with a different tone.

This disconnect begins quite young.  Perhaps you grow up in a family where children should be ‘seen and not heard’.  Every time you told a joke you were praised and quickly became the class clown.  Called on in class when you didn’t know the answer and never raised your hand again.  Discovered when you were quiet you could slide under the radar, or noticed the popular girls embraced you when you made fun of those who weren’t.  Found that brown nosing helps with climbing that corporate ladder and talking a lot keeps everyone’s eyes on you. 

Classes this week were focused on our throat energy.  Vishuddha  chakra.  Shifting the flow of energy from what we think we should say – down from the mind and out of the mouth, to speaking our truth – up from the heart and out of the mouth. Speaking as you. The real you.

In Vishuddha we create our vibration.  It is our radio tower. Our personal unique frequency which many times is not in sync with our words. That feeling when you are somewhere having a conversation – blah, blah, blah, blah – and inside your heart hurts and longs to be speaking something else. Something meaningful. Something true. 

But when we tune our vibration well it can share so much more than our words can ever hope to.  And the words you do speak are a lot fewer and filled with meaning. And whatever you are vibrating will attract the same back toward you.  If your vibration is filled with fear or worry, hold on because more is on its way!  If you are set to the frequency of ‘busy’, the to-dos will flood in. Since you are always sending some signal out, why not choose a good one!

So how do we tune our frequency?

• ·         Be present more often.  Noticing when you are dwelling in the past or worrying about the future and instead stop and watch your breath.  Looking around you to see where you are and feel your body.  The past and the future take us away from our internal song. 
• ·         Gratitude.  For life itself.   I went to a friend’s yoga class and she shared a lovely quote at the end.  ‘Stop thinking of gratitude as a byproduct of your circumstances and start thinking of it as a world view.’  Gratitude raises our vibration and attracts that which we are grateful for.   A boomerang.
• ·         Spend more time doing the things that bring you joy.  Your passions.  Find the time!
• ·         Self-care.  Feeding your own soul allows you to feed others.
• ·         Singing, humming, letting out big sighs, an occasional full out scream, chanting – all to clear the path from the heart up through the throat. 
• ·         Surround yourself with others who resonate with you.  This doesn’t mean you are the same but your vibrations harmonize, helping to strengthen yours vs causing discord.
• ·         Having silence in your life.  Every day.  No tv, computer, radio or talking, so that the trees, birds, sky, bugs, wind, moon, stars and sun can share their vibrations with you. They are amazing symphony conductors.    

And finally, close your eyes and imagine who you would be if there were absolutely no expectations of you and you had no concern for what anyone else thought.  Totally free to be exactly who you are.  What is that vibration?  Turn it on and send it out.  Let us all hear you loud and clear!

Letting me out,
SARAH

......a new day

Yogis,

Phoebe knows my routine down to the minute.  When my alarm goes off in the dark of the early morning she barely stirs, as she knows I first go in to use the bathroom and brush my teeth.  Then into my closet to dress. It isn’t until the click of the closet light going off that she leaps into action.  Running ahead of me into the hall with her entire body wagging.  Huge grin as she rubs against me and the wall with uncontained exuberance as we make our way downstairs.

“Yay!  A new day!”  I say to her each morning.  She never forgets that each day is brand new.  A blank slate on which amazing things can and do happen.  She never forgets.  But I sometimes do.  Good thing I have her to remind me.

Children are the exact same way.  I have vivid memories of groggily walking into the boys room after being woken from a deep sleep by their call.  Finding whoever was youngest standing in their crib in feet pajamas bouncing up and down so hard that the whole crib was rocking.  Huge grin.  “Yay! A new day!” their body language shouted from across the room.  Young children never forget.  Good thing we have them to remind us.

This week as I spoke those words to Phoebe each morning I decided to set the intention to live them myself.  To enter the day with my eyes wide open to all possibilities.  To be ‘dog-like’ and ‘child-like’.  And no day disappointed. 

Day #1……walking quickly past the garden but something makes me slow.  Well hello Mr. Frog!  He even waited patiently while I went in to get my camera.  Striking a pose.

Day #2…….. Mommy wren.  Her song is the sound I wake to through my open window, but also follows me throughout the day as my open office windows face her home as well.  I realized that her voice is my day long personal serenade as she tends to her new family.  In fact – I hear her right now.

Day #3….. When a flower like this blooms in front of your eyes, how can your heart not stir

Passionflower

Day #4………My grandson Johnny takes his first steps!  And so his journey begins.

Day #5……. Have you been catching glimpses of the moon??  Pure magic.  Look for her over these next few nights as she waxes to full and open yourself so she can fill you too.

Day #6 ……The tastes and smells of summer food.  Corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, basil.  And peaches.  My mouth feels as if it is attending a month long fiesta!

Try it this week.  Set the intention when you first step out of bed.  “Yay!  A New Day!”  And watch with eyes, ears and heart wide open.  Amazing things await you……….  I would love to hear what arrives for you.

Thanks Phoebe,
SARAH

....lightening the load

Dear Yogis,

When something crosses your path three times the Universe has a message for you. This week the art of packing, of all things, crossed mine. So I am looking deeper.

It began because I am in the midst of planning a trip to Greece in October.  My parents are coming along so I told my mom ‘I am going to pack light’. Yeah right. Who am I fooling? When I have ever ‘packed light?’

I always start out with the right intention…..a few pairs of pants, couple pairs of shoes, some short sleeve and long sleeve tops.  But what if it gets cold?  The sweater goes in.  Oh I should take two so I am not wearing the same sweater every day.  And those hiking sandals aren’t dressy enough if we go out, so in go some dressy sandals.  But what if I am not in the mood for those particular tops…..as a couple more are placed in…..just in case.  But what if……and what if…….Until I can barely zip the suitcase and have to hold my breath to lift it even a few inches off the ground.  Weighed down by my stuff.

A few days later a blog post from Jonathan Foust, an insight meditation teacher, hit my inbox.  It was a description of everything he took with him on a 21 day touring trip (less than I tend to take on my weekend trips to the beach) and included a link to an article he is quoted in on packing mindfully.  The third crossing occurred Friday when I looked to see what was new on Elephant Journal.  The first article I clicked provided a list of ways to lighten up in the summer and the first one was ‘travel light’. 

So what is it that causes me to need so much stuff??  Why is what I start out with in the suitcase never enough?  It reminds me of that old George Carlin skit on ‘stuff’ which I always found hysterical.  Most likely because I saw myself in it. 

In the mindfulness post there were 5 tips:

·         Think about what you will actually need (notice it doesn’t say ‘might need’)

·         Keep it simple

·         Focus on what you can control

·         Find your balance

·         Make mundane tasks an exercise in mindfulness

Wait!! These feel a lot like life tips – not packing tips.  I guess that is because they are.  Our outer stuff is simply a representation of our inner stuff.  Whether it’s my need to bring everything with me, or your need for one more pair of shoes, or someone else’s need to have every bookshelf filled, it all is our yearning to fill some void. And it weighs us down. Stuff is heavy. 

From the travel light post :

To live in the present, practice packing light. The burden of where we were, the worry over where we will be—all of this past/future stuff is extra baggage. We don’t need it, and it’s keeping us from enjoying fully and moving freely in this moment. Lose the baggage.   ~ Lorna Bennett Samatas

I have an aunt who would arrive at our house for the weekend when I was young with only a small bag. Yet somehow she managed to look cool and put together the entire time.  I still remember being in awe of her packing skill and how by being unburdened with stuff, she appeared  to me as light and free.  I wanted that. I wanted to be able to pack only a backpack and know I could be gone a week. I still want that.

I have a beach vacation coming up which will give me yet another opportunity to practice leaving the stuff behind.  Letting a little be enough.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

 “Leave one shelf open for possibility.” ~ Darcie Purcell

Letting go of some baggage,
SARAH

.....choosing

Yogis,

I’m back from a gorgeous week at the beach.  Relaxed and tan.  Bottoms of my feet toughened by the sand, stones and black top. My season has arrived……summer! Wild and free. Not a care in the world.  And more in love with my grandson then ever…………

Checked the garden first as I always do.  Saying hello to all of my plants who have suddenly become so green and lush.  The wrens singing their song as I check my green beans and peas, expecting a large harvest but instead finding them eaten to the ground by one of my furry friends. Oh well. 

I sort the pile of mail and can’t help but notice the large postcard on top providing guidance on how to protect myself and my family from the Zika virus.  Yes, it is good to understand how to avoid inviting large mosquito populations, but I notice they don’t mention the bats, for which I offer plenty of housing.  But honestly I know the summer will also gift me with some mosquito bites. 

I unbag today’s paper and notice the front page. No, I am not going there and send it unceremoniously to the recycle bin.

I unpack.  Set my alarm, open my window and am ready to dive into bed when I notice the flashing light on my phone.  Messages.  Eight of them!  I never answer the home phone (hint, hint) and rarely check the messages and hope no one who still calls my home phone was trying to reach me last week. 

Here is the rundown:

·         Have I or any member of my family suffered from internal bleeding from the user of Xarelto?  If so, call this number

·         What do I think of Donald Trump?  Will I take this quick survey.

·         Mr. Herman from the IRS stating this is his second call and if I don’t call back there could be serious implications.

·         Have I had complications from a pelvic mesh implant?  This group is here to help me. 

·         This is the final call regarding my required grand jury appearance.  Now that one sounds serious………..

·         Etc., etc., etc.

Fear.  I almost forgot while soaking in the sun, surf and stars. 

Although even there I did here discussions on how could friends still be traveling abroad with all of the danger.  Possibilities of terrorist attacks on our homeland over the 4^th as we are probably due.  The potentials for our country after this election, and of course, Brexit.

Fear.  I am choosing not to go there. But let me be very clear….  It is a choice. 

We are surrounded by the news of all of these events.  Disease.  Politics.  Gun Violence.  Those who wish us harm.  Fear seeps in and contracts us.  Yet when we stop and notice this moment, 99.9% of the time everything is fine. The world shines. This 99.9%  of the time is love.  But Love does not sell. 

Everything has its roots in one of two energies.  Fear and Love. Everything. Each and every moment you chose one or the other.

So as you go through these next few days I challenge you to notice.  Notice the headlines in the paper.  Notice the first words when you turn on the news.  Notice the conversations around you. The mail, billboards and web sites.  Notice your thoughts.  Name all of them.  Fear or Love.  Because only when we notice can we then choose. 

As I left the Nationals baseball game a couple of hours ago, this quote hung on the fence as I turned the corner:

Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too.

                                ~Yogi Berra

Love….and baseball,
SARAH