Marching toward.....our natural state

Yogis,

“March….A Mindful Month”, now in Day #9, has 80 of us meditating daily for at least 10 minutes.  Each of us finding a window of 10 minutes in our day to sit quietly and observe our breath.  

 

Easy……..right?

 

Well it should be.  We are merely sitting quietly with ourselves.  Finding just 10 minutes of the 720 that each day offers.  But somehow that can turn out to be the hardest thing in the world to do!!!

It’s actually kind of funny when you step back and think about it.  We have a hard time being alone with ourselves.  We are able to be with that difficult boss, the overly sweet woman at the drugstore, the annoying neighbor and the gloomy relative.  But when it comes to spending time with little old me and see what’s going on in there, I choose going to the dentist instead.  I think perhaps the floor needs scrubbing.  Are you sure you don’t want me to  go to DMV for you?  Anything not to be alone with my thoughts.

Why is that? 

Mostly it is because we are out of practice.  As small children we spent hours playing alone.  Daydreaming and spending time with our imaginary friends.  Allowing what was happening on the inside be just what is was.  In touch with our inner world.

But as adults, with kids, jobs, time pressures and schedules….not mentioning the streaming info that the tv and internet constantly pump into us,  our minds become busy.  The old “Mind Full”.   Jumping from thought to thought to thought with no space in between.  This is referred to as Monkey Mind. 

My morning alarm is set to WTOP.   For about 2 minutes each morning I hear the “news”, which is the only radio I hear all day.  But in those 2 minutes they probably cover 5 or 6 stories.  Snippets.  High level, no depth, usually leaving me with something that I ought to be worried about.  How can I hope to have space between my thoughts, when the world around me does not.   

During the day as we move from task to task to task, using any gap between events to check email and Facebook, the Monkey Mind is not noticed.  In fact it loves us to be ridiculously busy.  That’s where it thrives.   As soon as there is the slightest pause in our activity, it reminds us of what to think about and do next!  Like the commander in charge.   And we begin to believe that is just “how we are”. 

But boy……when we choose to sit still and be quiet, Monkey Mind is not a happy camper.  It ramps up and begins to shout commands, distracting you from the breath, and trying ever so hard to take you off of your seat before the 10 minutes is up.  And that is normal!   

However, our natural state….a place of calm….is always in there behind the curtain.  Trust me on this.  Our job is just to sit and watch the Monkey Mind, not fight it but also not throw fuel on it.  No arguing with it.  No debate or judgment.   Watch.  Watch some more.  Be curious.  Having the courage to see what is going on inside so that over time the mind will begin to settle.   It is a practice. 

A March back toward our natural state.  And it has to begin somewhere…………….

I am below looking up and watching (and giggling at the absurdity of it J),

SARAH

Marching toward.....the deep end

Yogis,

So February 2014 is forever gone.  I am actually just a little sad to see it go.  February is that page on the calendar that is somewhat empty.  Never sure exactly what to place there.  Somewhat suspended between seasons. Separated from every other month by its shorter length, and the fact that it is the only month that can pass without a full moon.   Like a pause……but not for too long. 

Here we are in March.  Named for Mars, the Roman god of war, who also was the guardian of agriculture.  March is the beginning of the season for farming and contains the equinox, the official beginning of spring when the earth passes neutral and begins its tilt back toward the sun.  When day and night are of equal length. 

The beginning of the March forward…….

The blankets of crocus on our street have begun to bloom.  And nothing…..not snow, nor ice nor cold……will get in their way as they lift their faces toward the sun.    

Have you ever noticed that March contains a lot of reasons to drink?  March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras and college Spring Break all fall in the month of March.  Wow!  A wonder any of us make it through.

I like a good beer as much as anyone, but I chose March last year to focus on also spreading the word on meditation – perhaps as a counter balance.  And I am repeating it again this year with “March…..a Mindful Month”.    A virtual community where we all commit to at least 10 minutes a day of meditation, including daily emails from me with tips, techniques and inspiration.  We are now up to 73 people!  (if that little voice inside is still whispering….send me an email and join in!).

Why would I want to meditate?  Well the list of health benefits could fill a page.  But to me, the magic of meditation is in simply seeing yourself more clearly.   Over time beginning to realize that “you” are not your thoughts.  So freeing!

In the Yoga Sutras (basically the bible of yoga) by Patanjali, he begins by defining Yoga:

1.2

Yoga is experienced

In that mind

Which has ceased to identify itself

With its vacillating

Waves of perception

Huh.  So yoga is not about placing the body in shapes.  The yoga asana practice that many of us do is simply one of the pathways to Yoga.  A wonderful one….I might add.  The asana practice helps us learn to become still while we hold a pose.  To focus on what each part of the body is doing.  To find the intimate link between movement and breath.  To step out of our day and onto our mat.   Meditation is another one of the pathways.  Another chance to step out of our day and into our seat. 

When I was a child I loved to dive down to the bottom of the deep end in the pool and look up.  Where I sat felt so dense, calm and silent.  Unmoving.  Up above I could see the flailing legs and splashing of the water.  I could just barely hear the yelling and shrieks of laughter.  All far away in what seemed like almost another world.   Those legs and waves at  the top of the water symbolize the mind.  Busy, moving, changing, loud.   And when you are up there it feels like that is all there is.   Caught up in the action.  But by diving deep down you can see clearly that there is more….so much more….buried beneath the surface.  That still place of calm is the true self ….”you”.  And “you” can look up and watch your thoughts.  That’s what meditation is. 

 

“I must be a mermaid, Rango. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.”

― Anaïs Nin

Diving deep whenever I get the chance,

SARAH

March Meditation is back!

Last call (well not really…..) to join us for a month of meditation.

If some quiet little inner voice is saying “maybe I should do this”…….that would be the Universe talking.  Then that follow up inner dialog that says “I don’t have time, this will be too hard, I don’t need to meditate, she doesn’t really mean me, blah, blah, blah……that would be the mind.  And the ability to decipher between the two is what meditation is all about!

March is quickly approaching…..time to meditate!  Who is in?

Last year about 50 of us meditated as a virtual community under the auspices of March Meditation Madness.    This year I would like to introduce:

March – A Mindful Month

 

What is it:   Daily meditation for the 31 days of March

What do I have to do:  Commit to 10 minutes a day  (everyone has 10 minutes…….really)

Where and When:  At your home or office, anytime of day

What do I receive from the program:  A daily email from me with guidance, ideas, techniques and inspiration

What do I get out of it:  Inner calm, better focus, increased health, slower breathing, deeper sleep, lower blood pressure and on and on and on. 

How do I join in:  Just send me an email letting me know which email address to use!!!  Please also pass this along to anyone else who may want to join!!!

Whether you are brand new to meditation, or a seasoned veteran I would love to have you…….as we all move together through March mindfully. 

One breath at a time,

SARAH

sarah@serenitycircleyoga.com

 

.....life is like a garden

Yogis,

One of the highlights of mid to late January is the arrival of the seed catalog!!  On a cold, blustery day I tromp to the mailbox with my snow boots on, looking in expecting to see the usual stack of bills and mailers…..but there it is.   The official beginning of the gardeners’ year!

Pages and pages of organic vegetable, flower, medicinal herb and native plant seeds.   Each one unique with its own story to tell.

Cardinal Flower – Native to the south and east; Roots used by First Nations people to make a love charm;  Brilliant scarlet flowers relished by hummingbirds…….Green Towers Romaine – columnar head that conserves space in the garden while pumping out significant quantities of salad!  Stinging Nettle – premier spring tonic and one of the best plant sources of micronutrients and minerals….Poppy – swift growing with outrageous flowers containing pain relieving alkaloids; general activity is soporific, inducing a deep sleep. 

Seeds are the containers of potential. 

 

The instinct is to quickly get the order in and get ready to plant!  But it isn’t time for that yet……..  February and early March are the tail end of winter, but they are still winter, and will clearly remind us lest we forget.  And every gardener knows the pitfalls of tending to the garden, or planting too early.  Patience. 

This is the time to continue tending to the inner soil.   During these cold months we have slowed down to notice exactly where we are.  We nourished our bodies with warm, comforting foods and kept our inner flame steady.  Less rush, slower movements, more sleep and fuzzy socks.  The shift now is not with what we “do” but simply with what we “see”.

February is the month to fine tune and crystallize the vision of what you want to manifest this year. The days are getting brighter and longer…lighting the way.  No need to do anything quite yet…just beginning to gently awaken from the  winter slumber, rub the sleep from the eyes and look forward. 

This weekend we had a glimpse of spring.  A big thaw and rising temperatures.  And if you looked up to the trees here you could even see the swelling of the buds.  Everyone was out – biking, walking, visiting.  So there is this temptation to jump into high gear.  To start doing things.

I considered raking some of the leaves out of the beds……but then the fragile new growth wouldn’t be protected.   Maybe I could at least reset some of the rocks that form the circle…….but it is too muddy and we still have the real potential of more winter storms.  I began to pull out some of last year’s pokeweed growth……but realized Bunny Rabbit would have less cover and protection.

So instead I pour through the catalogs, creating the image of the garden I want to have this summer.  Reading and re-reading.   Visualizing the vibrant mix of colors, the flutter of the butterfly wings as they land on the Zinnia, and the call of the Titmouse as he perches patiently on the Eucalyptus tree waiting for me to throw out some seed.  Seeing myself collecting greens to make a salad and filling a jar with chopped lemon balm to prepare a tincture.  Closing my eyes to “feel” myself lying on my grass pod as the bees hum.  I order the seeds and when they arrive they will simply sit on my table bringing me pleasure as I know they are the containers of potential. 

Late winter is the time to see and be grateful.  Being grateful now for what it is that you intend to manifest.  Thank you Universe for the delicious kale and the smell of the lavender!

So what is it that you want?  See and be grateful…..  See and be grateful.

So today I chose to take a walk, and then pull out a beach chair and sit in the sun.  Visualizing what I want (thinking big) and giving thanks. 

Let these next couple of weeks be exactly what they are, not wishing them away to get to spring.  Embrace the return of the cold.  Feel the slow shift of the season.  Spring and summer will be here soon enough.  And what manifests for you then will be based on your intentions today.  Because we can only create the future in this present moment.   

The time will come to turn the soil and plant the seeds.  And I will be ready.  But for now I am relishing the first step of the journey. 

Yes, it is coming indeed!

Friends with February,

SARAH

....Valentine's Day

 

Yogis,

I did not intend to write about Valentine’s Day.  In fact I nonchalantly try to ignore Valentine’s Day completely.  But with statistics like these, it isn’t easy to do…………..

Valentine’s Day Statistics	Data
Average annual Valentine’s Day spending	$13.19 Billion
Number of Valentine’s Day cards exchanged annually	180 Million
Average number of roses produced for Valentine’s Day	196 million
Percent of Valentine’s Day cards bought by women	85%
Percent of flowers bought by men	73%
Percent of women who send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day	14%
Percent of consumers who celebrate Valentine’s Day	61.8 %
Percent of women who would end their relationship if they didn’t get something for Valentines day.	53 %
Average number of children conceived on Valentine’s day	11,000

 

I have always found Valentine’s Day to be somewhat awkward.  A specific day on the calendar where the pressure is on to express your love in some outward way.   I know….I sound like a scrooge.   It is just a little too “pink” of a holiday for me – and those of you that know me well know I am not a pink person. 

 

Chocolates with a surprise, and not necessarily a good surprise, center.  Carnations.  Red hearts, candy hearts and teddy bears.  You’re mine.  Love forever.  Dates.  Dinners.  Romance.   It makes me feel boxed in. 

 

The irony of it all is that what I teach is love.  Opening the heart, rising to the vibration of love, feeling love, being love…………..and Valentine’s Day, after all, is the day of love.  So why do I resist it so much?

 

I watched on Friday.  First, I let my husband know that I didn’t need anything for Valentine’s Day.  In the last 7 weeks we have celebrated Christmas, New Year’s, my birthday and our anniversary.  In fact I never thought about it before, but did you realize there is a holiday in every single month except August?  Not even counting your birthday. 

 

So a usual work day, with a few “I love you” notes sent out.  But not because of the holiday – although that did prompt the thought – but because for the last few years I have really worked on saying it.  Those three simple words that I can be stingy with at times.   Again, why?

 

An evening of yoga and dinner in Bethesda.  Couples everywhere with women in dresses, teetering on high heels, roses in the arms of many.   A long line at Georgetown Cupcake and teenagers holding hands.  Champagne and set menus.  Me…..in my jeans and wool sweater with a beer.

 

I don’t know that I have an answer to share.  The trite answer would be that I just oppose the commercialization of it, which I do with so many of our lovely holidays, but it isn’t just that.  It is something deeper.

 

Love, when experienced in its truest expression is pure joy.  It is explosive, filling and radiates.  It is unconditional with no expectations of anything in return.   It is our true nature.  It is us.  And when experienced, there is less and less of a need to receive things.  You are so full there is no lack.  Once I discovered the inner energy of love, my desire to share it is more through deep connections, touch, hugs and looking others right in the eye.  Being there completely. 

 

But…….somehow Valentines’ Day made its way in through the back door.  During yoga class I looked down and noticed that I was wearing my new top which happens to be “pinkish”.  During dinner I found that my sweater was a deep red.  The full moon shone down with her magnificence on the ride home.  And as I began to run the tub and poured in the new bath salts I made that very afternoon…….I realized that I had blended them with white and red rose petals and rose essential oil.  Ok Universe, you got me!  Darn……maybe I am a closet romantic.   

 

Finally I have to share a new Valentine’s tradition that my parents discovered this year.  On Thursday they admitted to each other that with all of the storms they had last week, neither had gotten out to get a card.  So on Friday morning my father proposed to my mom that they go together to CVS, pick out a card for each other, exchange and read them…..and then put them back!  It is brilliant on so many levels!

 

I love you all!

 

With an open heart (even if I don’t like jelly in my chocolate),

SARAH



.....the junk drawer

Yogis,

The other morning as I woke and looked out my window to the garden and the woods beyond, I saw……..nothing.  No movement.  No squirrels.  No birds.  No rustling leaves.  No Bunny Rabbit. Nothing. 

Not a whole lot going on in the dead of winter.  No distractions.  No neighbors wandering by.  Quiet.  Stillness.  The season of rest. 

So this theme of emptying continued to sit with me again this week.  What better time to look inside then when nothing is competing for my attention on the outside.

So I, like most of us, have a junk drawer………………

Well, to be honest, I actually have two.  Yikes!

 

Neither one started out with the intention of being a junk drawer.  The intention was “This drawer will be for those items needed near the telephone.”  On our move in day I mindfully placed a few pens, pencils, tape, glue, a notepad and a few other items all neatly lined up in the drawer.  But then life happens. 

When things enter the home and I don’t know what to do with them or I sense that maybe someday I might need them, they are placed in the drawer.  What started as a few rubber bands has snowballed into 100 rubber bands of every size and shape…just in case there is a rubber shortage.   The box of straight pins that somehow always seems to empty itself into the drawer requiring me to retrieve them one by one with my fingernails and the patience of a saint…because you never know when there will be another wedding or prom where I am asked to pin on the boutonnieres.   And my favorite, no less than 40 loose keys, unlabeled and looking very sad as they line the bottom of the drawer……but of course when my son loses his car key, not one darn key in there is of any help as we end up calling the car dealership. 

We are very adept at bringing things in.  I have enough batteries now to power the street in the next blizzard!  But not quite as good at letting things go. 

Our minds can easily become that other junk drawer. 

The practice of emptying is one of mindfulness.  Allowing things into our lives with the inhale, being with them fully, and then just as easily letting them flow out on the exhale.  So that “we” remain uncluttered….able to experience what is here for us right now without connecting it with what happened in the past or our expectations of the future. 

There are many definitions of mindfulness.  I liked this combination of two of them:

A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations  Mindfulness involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment.

Without judgment.  Without attachment.  Without getting stuck.

As challenging as it is to let go of the physical items that no longer serve us (oh, but maybe I will need that once I have grandkids!), the emotions we hold on to are even tougher. 

Without judgment.  We judge constantly.  I like this, this is bad, she is mean, that book is badly written, if only they took better care of themselves, and on and on.  That running inner dialogue as we label what we see and experience.  Watch yourself this week.  See if you can catch yourself when judging.   Let it go with an exhale and look with new eyes at the situation or person.  Simply see what is there if even for a moment.   Things just “are”.   

Releasing an old anger, or finally forgiving, can feel like we are somehow saying that what happened was ok.  That we are letting the other off the hook for something that was wrong.  It is so hard to do.  Part of our identity becomes tied to that anger.   But that anger, just like that large roll of masking tape that I never use, only takes up precious space and keeps us from being able to close the drawers of life properly.   

It is no different when letting go of something beautiful.  In fact it can be even harder…..releasing that time of life which seemed to be “the best”, a true love, or  the need to bring back memories on a daily basis.  The sense that if we let go somehow they will no longer exist.  But they will…. And at the even deeper level of the soul.

As we clear the junk drawers of our lives,  we become emptier and we gain clarity.  Seeing what is truly meaningful.   We live more presently. 

A friend sent me this cartoon last week.  It sums it up…..

The emptier I become….the fuller life gets,

SARAH

wringing out the sponge

Yogis,

We finally got our January thaw……it just took its time and waited until January 31!  And with the groundhog not seeing his shadow this morning, we have 6 more weeks to work with our inner world. 

This week we again practiced opening the crown of the head.  Connecting with the infinite spacious energy of the sky and dissolving the illusion we carry that we are somehow separate.  Breathing out to the very edges of our skin…..and beyond.   Bringing in clarity.

And learning to empty………………… in order to receive.

During my Friday night “download” from the Universe, the message that blazed in neon lights was – The emptier I get…..the more amazing life gets. 

One of the images that I think helps to explain this is a sponge.

 

You have a brand new sponge and you have a coffee spill.  You wipe it and the sponge becomes soaked with coffee.   Now slightly brown the sponge can no longer bring in anything new.  It is heavy and full.

So you hold it under the faucet and squeeze it out, allowing it to get saturated with water again, and squeezing it out.  Again and again and again.  Letting the coffee go to fill with fresh clean water.  The sponge becomes alive as it inhales in the fresh water, life and energy.  But in order to move forward and be useful in helping with the next spill, it must also exhale as all of the water is squeezed back out.  Filling and emptying.  Inhaling and exhaling.   Bringing in and letting to.

How do we do this in our lives?  It’s easy to talk about emptying, but how can we actually do it?

First, like everything else, you must want it.  Then it’s all about letting go….letting go….letting go.   And the three tools that have caused dramatic changes in my life have been the yoga asana practice, meditation and the breath.   With yoga and meditation we slow down to become present and mindful.   Cleaning the slate each time.  And of course our incredible exhales.  Full and complete.  Holding nothing back.  Squeezing out the sponge to prepare to be filled again. 

The emptier I get….the more amazing life gets.  

It isn’t that things get easier or go away – they just appear easier.  Less worry.  No anxiety.  Not thinking ahead or looking back for very long…..just quick glimpses.  Then getting back to the beauty of this moment.  And of this moment.  Empty and ready for something amazing.

Meditation teaches us to catch ourselves when we get lost in thought.  Notice.  Allow.  ……and let it go.  Over and over and over.  Clarity.

Eventually your trust in the benevolent force of the Universe becomes so strong that you don’t want any clutter to be in its way.  You begin to move through life simply setting up the framework, seeing and feeling what you want, and trusting the guidance you receive to handle the details.  Empty in order to be filled. 

An old grudge….let it go.  A failed relationship….let it go.  Wanting things to be different….let it go.  Judgments of others…..let it go.  The need to control…..let it go.  Fear of heights…..let it go.  An attachment….let it go

Our yoga teacher on Friday night shared that when they were trained they were guided to use “essential speech”.  The definition they were given was – Be open and move forward.   Wow.  Simple, but what a strong energy that has.  I love it!

The emptier I get…..the more amazing life gets.

 

Bunny Rabbit came to me in my circle when I called to him late Friday evening.  Like a vision against the snow.  I love you Bunny Rabbit!

Empty and loving it,

SARAH