.......what did you say?

Dear Yogis,

There is a saying that “you teach what you need.”  I have found that to be true so many times over these last several years.  And it certainly held true these last two weeks…….

Last week the topic was listening within.  Becoming quiet enough to hear the directions being provided by the heart.  Turning off the TV, radio, computer and music to hear your own inner voice. 

This week we moved up to the third eye, Ajna chakra, where we wipe away the cloudy haze created by our perceptions, in order to see clearly.  To see what is right here.  Seeing what is real.  Inner vision.

 

About two weeks ago the back of my knee started feeling sore.  It would come and go, but each time it returned it was a little more painful.  It began to shift – sometimes up the leg and sometimes down into the calf.  But I continued on.  “I have worked my way through this before.  No problem!” 

Three days of running  this  week, 6 classes and 4 home practices later….it’s even worse.  What a surprise.  But it’s Friday!  My day to go to Down Dog!  I’ll just take it easy (in the 95 degree room doing power yoga, culminating with 5 wheels J).  I’ll rub some Indian Balm on the back of my leg to loosen it up.  And so I did, and off I went.

Halfway through class the back of my leg began to tingle.  The tingle then became heat.  And within 30 minutes the entire back of my leg felt as if it was engulfed in flames!!!  Oh my Gosh – as suddenly I remembered the balm and the fact that it was made with all heating herbs – clove, cinnamon, camphor etc.  – while I heated it up to a searing 95.  Wow.

By the time I got back for “time for me” there certainly wasn’t going to be any dancing.  My leg felt dead.  I lay on the bed instead to quiet down and write and what flowed out was that I was merely paying lip service to everything I had taught these two weeks.   I know my body inside and out.  I had been hearing clearly what it was saying, but didn’t like what I heard.  I remembered the little voice quietly saying I should skip class but I didn’t want to listen.  I could see exactly what was happening all week, but didn’t like what I saw.  Easier to look away and just keep pushing forward.  How often do we do that?

We can do that – not only with physical issues, but emotional as well.  We hear and see what is right for us, and still move in the opposite direction.  Rationalizing.  Talking our self out of it.  Giving the reins back to the mind.  But sooner or later it catches up with us.  The signs get stronger and the messages louder, until eventually they take us down.  Illness, injury, sadness or general sense of being disconnected.  Foggy about where we are, how we got there and which way to go. 

For me this week that inner voice had to turn the volume way up to get my attention.   But now that it has me I have tuned back in.   I have slowed waaaaayyyyyyy  down.  Mindful movement.  Sitting in my healing garden next to my friend Comfrey – the muscle/bone healer.  Re-establishing my earth connection as I write this from my grass pod in the circle.  Hearing the call of the crows and soaking in the sun’s late afternoon rays.  The cardinals daring to come just a little closer than usual.  Noticing this moment…..and listening for what it has to tell me. 

And look what welcomed me when I walked out first thing this morning!

 

She’s not Bunny Rabbit, but a new friend.  Time to start working my magic!

 

I see you Universe. And it feels good to be home again.

Just from the act of noticing and allowing, the healing has begun,

SARAH

........I hear you

Yogis,

We get plenty of directions.  Do this…don’t do that…..call your doctor…..read this book….take that pill……call your mom.  The world is not shy about telling us what to do.              

Directions from the media, our government, our friends and our family.  Directions with each item we buy and directions on how to do our job.  Our cars even speak to us now telling us to turn right 100 yards ahead. 

So why is it that when we look ahead at our lives stretching out like a road in front of us we sometimes don’t know which route to take?

 

We have so many choices these days.  Choices offer us limitless opportunity, but can at the same time create gridlock in the mind.  Indecision.  Frozen in our tracks. 

What if I choose the wrong path?  Am I ready to do that?  What will others think?  Maybe that other directions is safer.  Perhaps the best decision is to just keep everything as it is.  Let me Google it. 

Last week we worked on clearing the energetic path that runs in front of the spine from the pelvic floor, through the open throat and out of the mouth….speaking authentically.  Speaking as “me”.   The me that I would be if I was strong enough not to care what anyone else thought.   But the organ of action for Vishuddah, the throat chakra, is the ears.  Listening.

Here we take the silence between our breaths, the silence between our thoughts, the silence between our words – to listen within.  It is in this space where we will find the directions that will take us where we want to go.  Guidance from the heart.   The map that guides us to our highest self. 

But often the mind, as strong willed as it is, will try to change our direction.  Convincing us that our choice isn’t prudent, won’t deliver the highest bang for our buck, or just isn’t clearly thought out.  It takes inner strength to listen to the heart…..and move in the direction it points, even when sometimes it doesn’t appear to make sense. 

So how do I get to the point where I can listen, choose and move?

One way is to practice this with the small decisions.  The ones that don’t have life changing effects.  Learning how your heart speaks to you (as it is slightly different for each of us) so you become comfortable with its voice.    For example:

You are in the cereal aisle.  There must be 100 different choices.  You pick one up, but immediately notice another one that probably has less sugar.  So you put it down and select the other, just as yet another catches your eye because it is on sale!    STOP.  Relax the body with an exhale.  Tune into your breath.  Mentally ask which one you are supposed to have.  And listen as you glance across the aisle.  One will wave to you!  It might be that it looks brighter, or grabs your attention, or your body begins to move toward it.  Or you somehow just know. 

Then pick it up and leave.  No “second thoughts”.  No “mulling it over” or weighing the pros and cons.  NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS!!

Try it this week.  What to wear – open the closet, relax, ask, softly look – choose and put it on.  Trust it was the right choice.  What to eat.  What route to take to work.  Which plant to buy.  Everything!! 

So that when a life changing fork is up ahead, you are ready to  choose your direction from inner guidance.  The heart does not lie.  We just must be quiet enough to listen. 

And when you begin to live like this….the Universe will start placing neon signs on the path to let you know you are heading down your soul’s path.  More on that as we move up to the Third Eye!

 

Welcome back bees!

Listening to my heart’s GPS and loving the ride,

SARAH

.......here I am

Dear Yogis,

This week we moved up to the energy of the throat…..Vishuddha Chakra.  Clearing the path that runs from the pelvic floor up along the front of the spine, through the throat and out of our mouths.  Speaking, not from the mind, but from deep within. 

Most of the day we use the opposite flow.  Telling what we know or asking questions to gather info.  We share with others what we read in the paper or heard on the news and report on what we saw in our travels.  We do a lot of “convincing” of other people of what we think, preparing our response in our heads as the other speaks.  Lots of information.  Data.  Pulling from the memory bank.

But our authentic voice comes not from the thinking mind, but from the feeling mind.  Here we speak what is true for us, not from what we learned, but what we have experienced.    It is the act of letting “you” out.

Animals do this so naturally.  I spent the day yesterday with cows.  When they have something to express the head goes up and the moo comes out.  No thinking involved.  My mama wren sings her beautiful song each and every time she lands.  It is so pure.   And the owls behind our house have been waking me many nights as their call echoes through the stillness of the night.  When I hear each of them I can feel them.  No masks.  No “making it sound like what the other wants to hear”.  Clear and plain.  They speak as they are.    (No kidding….I am out sitting on my rock and the owl JUST started hooting this minute!!!! – thank you Universe!!!! – isn’t life great.)

I have said it many times…..this is the area that asked for the most work from me.  I have always been cautious with my words, mainly so as to never offend or hurt another.  But the throat is also our place of free will.  It is where we choose.  So when we don’t speak our truths, when we don’t let “us” be heard, we hand over our will to others. 

I listened to a talk by a spiritual teacher this week – Panache Desai.  He talked to finding your voice.  What he said made it so clear to me.  So simple.  He said…..”I finally realized that talking as I thought others wanted me to was completely and utterly exhausting”.  He went on to say that he decided it was worth the risk to speak as himself from his heart and others could choose what to do with his words.  How incredibly freeing! 

On paper it sounds so easy.  But it isn’t for many of us.  It takes courage – fire.  It takes trust – heart.  We must believe that who we are deep within is perfect and that an expression of that is an expression of love.  When we speak like this there is a lot less of it.  And it is never hurtful because it is our expression of our inner truth, and not about what the other is, or does or should do.    

Today was my “Meditation 101” workshop.    I am to the point in my path that I allow the Universe to guide me when I teach.  I visualize a framework, but once I am there, I let go to spirit, trusting that what comes out is what everyone needs at that moment.   Today I put that to the test.    This was my first truly public forum.  I wanted everyone to get what they came for – which is different for each person.  But the message I kept getting this week was just to trust, relax, open and speak.  And that is what I did.  Speaking from deep within.  Clearing that path.   I let everyone see me.  And Panache was right.  It was incredibly freeing and felt perfect.  Hopefully the group agrees J

Mooooooooo…………………….

SARAH

.....as I sit

Dear Yogis,

I sit here in my rock circle on this spectacular spring day, ready to write .  Blue sky looking down, damp grass wetting my bare feet (yes it is officially time to remove the shoes!), breeze brushing against my arms, and this sturdy rock supporting me in whatever comes – my foundation.   I chose to sit here since today I want to talk again about connection.  The heart energy.  Sending out the vibration of love and gratitude.  But this time not to others….but to everything.

Connection with the Universe.  Connection to all that is.  Finding the rhythm of life’s force and resonating at its frequency.  Forming a relationship with the source of life itself.   The most important relationship you will ever have. 

How do I find this? 

Like every relationship it begins with noticing, wanting to connect and then taking that first step of reaching out. 

 

Waking in the morning and saying ‘thank you’ as you look out the window to see the new day waiting for you – filled with limitless opportunity.   Telling a flower how beautiful she is, or a tree that he is awesome.  Whistling to the birds so they get to know your call.  Smelling an herb and letting out an audible ‘aaaahhhhh…………..’.  Picking up a rock that grabs your eye and holding it while you walk.  Lying in the grass and watching the clouds drift by.  Connection.

 

As I sit here the wren keeps to returning to her house hanging from the tree next to me with new sticks as she prepares for motherhood.  I tell her she is safe near me.  The two beech trees stand guard as my protectors, offering me shade.  I am grateful.    A spider crawls across my keyboard.  I gently shoo him off, but only after saying hello.  I am serenaded by the symphony of songbirds, each one with a unique note that I now can recognize, and I know soon enough the titmouse will be here letting me know it is time to go and get his peanuts.  A bee buzzes by.  The chipmunk scampers through the garden.  Thank you…thank you…thank you……. I spread the front of my chest and send out the energy of love to all of it.  Connection.

 

 

Make it a daily practice.  Stop, notice and give thanks.  Speak to it – out loud.  Send love.  Touch.  Experience.  Feel life’s essence. 

And the more you do this, the more things you will notice that will literally take your breath away.  Life begins to communicate back.  The relationship deepens……until soon you are so connected that the magic begins.  The Universe and you, best friends.  Always together.

Funny story in the “be careful what you wish for” category.  Last fall I wished I had goldenrod on the property.  And so it was…..goldenrod grew along my woods edge.  And this year it decided that she was so cherished that it is now sprouting up everywhere!  Then 2 weeks ago I reposted my writing on dandelion.  Well……..this picture does not come anywhere close to doing it justice.  I came outside two days later to find my backyard a virtual dandelion field!!  I welcomed her and she came.  J

Finally, today is Mother’s Day.  As we all celebrate with or remember our moms, or get taken care of for being a mom, let’s also remember the ultimate mother of all.  Our earth.  We were born from her, clothed, fed and sheltered.  She is the energy of unconditional love and holds and nourishes us regardless of how we treat her in return.  So let’s treat her how she deserves.  LOVE her.  Sending gratitude to both my mom and this fabulous place we all call home.

Hi there butterfly!

Sending love to all of you,

SARAH

....following the heart

Dear yogis,

I had a vision. 

This week we moved up to the heart chakra….Anahata.  Relaxing and floating in the river of our natural breath.  Shoulders drawn back and heart lifted.  Head back in line with the spine.  Practicing physically positioning our heart further forward in space than our forehead, in order to lead life from the heart. 

 

There is a reason we worked with the fire energy - our inner strength, confidence and discipline – before lifting into the energy of the heart.  Leading life with an open heart takes a lot of courage.   Our heart, while immensely powerful, is also vulnerable and when we hold it wide open through all of life’s journey, we will get hurt.  We will feel sorrow and will experience the true meaning of heartache.  But we move forward this way anyway, because who wants the alternative?

Having an open heart asks us to love EVERYONE and EVERYTHING unconditionally.  Not just those who fit the mold of what we have determined is right.  Not only for the amount of time that they fulfill our needs or give back what we crave.  Sending love to them even when they claim to not love us back.  Loving the plants (even those you may call weeds), the bugs (even the mosquitos), the weather (even the snow) and all of the days of the week (even Monday!). 

Love is an energy that which we each contain in a bottomless well.  We simply must learn to tap into it and send it out through the front of the chest.  Loving is an action that you initiate.  No triggers.  No waiting.  Just sending wave after wave after wave.  And you know what?  The world will feel it.  And the more you send out, the more will come rushing back toward you. 

Try it.  Next time you are in a grocery line, or sitting in traffic, or in a crowded elevator ……..send love out to everyone around you or toward one individual.  Do it often. Notice what happens.   And you can even do this with someone who is far away.

The other way is when you look at someone, really look in their eyes.  When we make direct eye contact, the heart awakens.  There is an instant connection – sometimes like a jolt of electricity.   The eyes are the seat of our soul and when our souls connect we see each other as we truly are.  Clear vision.  Connecting at the heart.  This is love. 

This doesn’t mean you have to “LIKE” everyone J  You don’t have to have them over for dinner or hang out together.  But you love them.  Not their appearance, habits or personality…..but their inner essence. 

So back to my vision……

During my Friday night “time for me”,  I was sending love to many.  Feeling them in my heart.  Crying for a family member who was near the end of life and laughing aloud for those who bring me much joy.   These are all incredible feelings and they make life fantastic.  And I began to think, what if our world leaders could find some way to connect through heart energy vs their minds and wills?

So here is my vision.  What if there was a requirement that 20 of the world’s top leaders (including ours) were required to go on a one week retreat with each other twice a year.  They couldn’t bring any aides or security.  Just themselves and a yoga mat.  For one week they would practice yoga, learn to meditate, spend time in nature and work with their breath.  All together all week.  Planned times of silence and all talking was only to be about what was happening then – no policy, no debates, no opinions. 

How many years do you think it would take before we started to feel some sort of shift in the worlds energy?  For anyone who has been on a retreat with others you know how connected you all become.  You come together from different backgrounds and walks of life, but you leave bonded by the energy of love.  Like the love we all feel when we sit up at the end of class after savasana. 

So……..any outer change begins with a change within.   I plan to look lots of people in the eye, send out waves of heart energy and love everyone – even the guy at work who has been testing my last nerve this week……..

Heart wide open,

SARAH

grit.....no thank you

Dear yogis,

Well, well, well.   A couple of men and some heavy machinery later…..and voila……my vision is manifested!

Thank you Universe!

 

But as I sit on the rocks and soak in the view and the energy, I already begin to have new visions.  Seeing change.   Seeing what could be.   I realize that the manifestation  of a desire is merely a stepping stone and not an end.  My circle of rocks is only a mile marker on my journey of life.  I will get much enjoyment from them, but they will also send me forward toward other landmarks and rest stops. 

What is most important is learning to love and live the journey itself.  Not attached to the end result…..because as I am seeing, there is no end.  We never get “there”.  We never “have it all”.  The real joy, the real miracles are in each and every moment on the path, as we head from one marker to the next. 

So what have I been “seeing” this week?   

The energy of fire is what gives us the inner strength to begin to manifest our desires into reality.  That inner heat and confidence that helps us see our vision clearly and move toward it.   Forward moving energy even when we hit obstacles.  Even when others tell us it’s a bad idea.  That inner power that holds us up and makes us know that we can…..and we will. 

But right now there is an overabundance of fire energy in our world.  Go, go, go. Do, do, do.  More, more, more.  We are the best.  We are number 1.  You must struggle to get it done.  Power your way through it.  Dog eat dog world.  I could go on and on.    And at my work the theme word this year on how we will work is GRIT. 

Now I don’t know about you, but Grit is not a word that has me leaping out of bed in the morning!   And although grit can be defined as courage and resolve, the energy of the word seems to have moved toward the other definitions of nerve, steel and toughness.    When used as a verb it means to clench the teeth in order to keeps ones resolve during an unpleasant duty.  This is how we are supposed to do our jobs.  Sounds painful.  Hmmmm………

The other corporate theme – which has been an ongoing one for, oh I don’t know, maybe 7 years now – is that we are still being asked to do more with less.   Now I have a question.  Who is asking us to do more with less?  Who are they?   Where can I find them to give them a piece of my mind?  Hmmmmm……..

We are they.  We created these long hours, high stress workplaces.  Consciously or unconsciously we have created a world where we have less and less time for ourselves.  We have done it through our buying habits, our want for things to be done more quickly, our need for everything to be cheaper and our obsession with having the latest and greatest.    

So only we can change it.  But outer change always begins with inner vision. 

I see and feel fire energy differently.  I think it is misunderstood right now.  To me, if we are truly strong, we can relax completely (no clenching) during the challenges, during the work day, during discomfort.    And when we are relaxed, when we breathe freely, we find our flow and amazing things happen!

Work gets done more quickly and we connect at deeper levels with those around us.  Yes, the projects still must get completed, but we know they will without that unnecessary layer of worry placed on.  We are able to take pauses and notice our surroundings, being with what is right there and not wishing the day away.  Finding more meaning.

We were surveyed this week about our work habits.  The first question was to rate yourself on this  - “I Work Extremely Hard”.   I laughed.  No, I don’t!  I find that when I work extremely soft and relaxed the results are so much better….and a whole lot less painful!

 

Doing less and getting more.  I will have to let “them” know. 

Seeing a workplace filled with soft strength,

SARAH

......a taste for life

Yogis,

I am ready for a nap!

Our family spends Easter weekend at the beach.  Tradition has Saturday night dinner at our place.  Salmon on the grill, ham for the meat eaters, and plenty of grilled veggies and fresh fruit.  Sunday late morning is always brunch at my sister’s.  Baked egg dishes, bagels, dinner leftovers, lox, fruit and coffee cake.  About half way through the meal I feel it start to creep in.   First a simple yawn, which slowly works its way to multiples as I slide deeper and deeper into the couch, until all I want to do is lie down on the floor for a quick nap.  Maybe no one will notice.  Brunch always has that effect on me.

This week in classes we worked with our energy of fire, Manipura Chakra, our heat, vision and inner strength.  Moving toward what it is that we want.  But the energy of fire is also our digestion.  Agni…..

 

When our digestive system is strong and functioning at peak performance, we bring in the food, take from it all that provides nourishment, and eliminate all that doesn’t serve us….letting it go.  All done without a lot of thought.  Smoothly, efficiently and consistently.  Meal after meal after meal.  An effortless natural flow that leaves us energized and satisfied.  Flowing in…..flowing out.

But Agni is not solely about the digestion of food.  It is also our digestion of life.  Breathing in and receiving life, as it is – chewing slowly and enjoying each of life’s many flavors.  Taking from it all of the things that help move our soul forward – the enjoyment, the love, the lessons, as well as the pain.  But then just as smoothly, letting it all go.  Bringing each day in as you live it to the fullest, but then clearing out to make room the for the next. 

We should be just as choosy (if not more) with what we swallow in the books we read, the tv we watch and the company we keep, as we are with the foods we eat.   Because just as too much caffeine can make our nights sleepless, so too can searching the web right before heading to bed.  Too much acidic food can cause heartburn but holding onto anger has the same result.  Heavy food can make us sluggish and uninspired while listening too long to the news may leave you feeling that our world is a mess without much you can do about it.  And as I know, eating a lot of carbs in the middle of the day for me is a sure fire way to send me back to bed….the same result I get from too much chatting and not enough silence!

Worry can act like processed food, while stress can produce similar effects to cigarettes.  Negativity and judgment can weigh us down like a very big piece of cake.  Not speaking our truths can coat our throats like too much coke.   And sadness can cause us to ‘lose our appetite’.

When our Agni is strong it is like a fire that we have tended throughout the evening.  Keeping it stoked, steady and bright.  Never roaring uncontrollably, but also never allowed to dwindle to smoldering embers.  It means being able to digest everything we take in through the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.   Surrounding ourselves with what nourishes us and cleaning out the frig of that which tends to get stuck!

And speaking of digestion…….she’s back!!  And she is one of the best digestive aids that exist.  Before you head out for any weed killer, please re-visit

 

http://aspaforthesoul.blogspot.com/2013/04/fireode-to-dandelion.html

“Ode to Dandelion”

Absorbing love and eliminating worry,

SARAH