Purple haze, all in my brain.

Today's intention: Peace within uncertainty


Our life is, in and of itself, a process of unfolding. There are layers of ourselves which are brought to the surface in stages. Our awareness, maturity and understanding don't all happen simultaneously, but are instead an ongoing evolution determined by our choices and the path we walk. Along the way, we experience those times when the road is clear; when decisions come with ease. In contrast, our lives are decorated with those times of uncertainty. Try as we may, we can't determine the right course and can find ourselves in a place of indecision and inaction.

It is my intention to be more accepting of those times when I just don't know what my next move should be. In those gray patches, where things seem so foggy, there is the potential to delve into a deeper understanding of myself, another being, or a situation I find myself in.

The recent, and rare, cloudy and rainy days we've experienced here in the desert serve as a natural reminder that clarity isn't always available, and that sometimes its ok to curl up and really be with the haze.

Leading the dance.

Today's Intention: Know when to take the Lead

In honor of President's Day, I got to thinking about what it must be like to be in a position of so much power. Its difficult not to grimace or have an involuntary emotional response as we contemplate the role of the Presidency during such a volatile political climate. But I tried to move past the opinions, views, priorities and simply reflect on the qualities of leadership.

Like most of my blog posts, I can find a metaphor for the Yogic principles in just about anything! In regard to leadership, I am reminded of the Anusara concept of Balanced Action. Balanced action teaches the art of inclusiveness. We are never doing only one thing. Never just exerting effort without some level of surrender, never just strengthening our muscles without also opening them, never just thinking without feeling, never just working without playing.

There comes a time when we all must lead. This may happen more frequently for some than others. But if we pay attention, regardless of our jobs or personality types, we will see there are ample opportunities for us to step up and into ourselves, embracing and owning our ability to lead. When we do so with integrity, humility, and with inner-consultation with our heart & mind equally, then the fruits of our leadership can be tasted more sweetly.

'Cuz you gotta have faith, faith, faith....

Today's Intention: Have faith

My intention for today came from a whispered observation by a fellow yogi in the class I took last night. In the safe confines of my favorite class of the week, with the instructor who has influenced me so deeply, we did partner work. The demo intimidated me: After kicking up to handstand at the wall, we were to drop our hips so that they rested on the wall while our partner pressed our thighs back and up. After we saw what was expected of us, I turned to my friend and said "this scares me, so I may not do it."

She graciously volunteered to do the pose first. All went smoothly, and she seemed to really enjoy the partner assist. My turn arrived. I placed my hands, swung up into handstand with ease, and before I even had a chance to think about it, I dropped my hips to the wall with no problems whatsoever. She pressed my legs back and up, which felt amazing, and I dismounted feeling energized.

After a minute or so, she leaned over and said "You seem to be afraid of things you can totally do."

WHAMO! SHABAM!

My friend has partnered with me before, as you can see. More true words haven't been spoken in a long, long while.

So today I will have more faith in myself and my abilities, and take more chances. More often than not, things are much less challenging and scary than I anticipate them to be. And the fruits of the work are so sweet. This is a big one for me. I could write pages and pages, but will save that for my journal. And really, most important of all is not that I wrap my brain around this concept, but that I allow it into my heart where the real shift is possible.

Thanks, Pat, for the way you respectfully shared this observation, for your honesty and for seeing me so clearly.

We are Gathered Here Today...

Today's intention: Be the Gatherer

Watch the subtleties.
Listen to the small sounds.
Gather thoughts. Sift through.
Gather words, carefully. Choose whether or not to speak them, carefully.
Contemplate.
Ponder.
Wonder.
Reflect.
Practice inaction.
Be still.

Reading rainbow...

Today's Intention: Ease up.

An epiphany of incredible magnitude has occurred for me in the past couple of weeks! The source for this realization couldn't come as more of a surprise.

Always a little behind the trends, I finally started to read the popular Twilight series. I had seen the the movies and was a fan. The books pulled me in almost immediately. I devoured page after page, completely immersing myself in this fictional, romantic, supernatural world.

It was embarrassing how much I was enjoying myself. I felt truly ashamed to be so enthralled in subject matter which I deemed to be trivial, adolescent, irrelevant.

While I was so busy critiquing my happiness, I hadn't stopped to notice the simple fact that life was still happening, and with a bit more ease. I've been less edgy, more relaxed, and definitely more receptive to being still. While I joked that these books were distracting me from my responsibilities, I actually began to notice that things were still getting done, just with less anxiety and force than before.

Sam, my four year old son, seemed to notice and appreciate the shift in energy around the home. Both yesterday and today, I joined him for "quiet time" in the sunny backyard. Together we enjoyed one another's company, in silence. His imagination fed by the sandbox, fort, slide, grass and clouds... mine was inspired by werewolves and vampires.

Since Sam was born, I haven't read a single book, all at once, cover to cover. Every time I'd try, I'd fall asleep. All of my selections were non-fiction, mostly Yoga-related philosophy texts. These hold great value for me; of course I do not discredit the benefits of steeping into such studies. However I am reminded that self awareness and realization comes at the most unexpected moments, from bizarre sources. These silly vampire books, and the level of obsession I am experiencing over them, has reminded me of the recurring lessons I still struggle with: Ease Up. Let Life Happen. Exert less Effort. Chill out. Lighten Up. Get swept away.

Word.

Today's Intention: Mindful speech

Our words are so powerful. They impact not only those around us, but the words we choose also have an incredible influence on the way our own minds and hearts function. We believe what we tell ourselves on some level, so we must be mindful to be speaking the truth.

Drawing once again on the powerful metaphor of muscular and organic energy, it is important that we remember to draw our attention inward before we speak. When we allow for time to discern, the words we finally choose to share are more meaningful and usually reflect authenticity.

The quality of our words is also greatly dependent on the quantity. As a chatty person by nature, I have learned on countless occasions that fewer words are usually more effective and even beneficial for all involved. When raising a child, this is a lesson to continuously revisit. The more plain and direct our words can be, the more they can be heard and felt by ourselves and the person we are communicating with.

I set this intention for myself this morning, and practiced it all day. Its a change for me to write at the end of the day, about the way it unfolded for me. As much as I appreciate and value the setting of intention in the morning, I also recognize the significance of looking back at the challenges I faced as well as the moments when I was truly mindful and able to integrate the intention well.