Yesterday, I completed writing 99% of my business plan/ outline for my new website. The whole process felt like a little bit of fun and a LOT of labor.  I had to look at why I was not feeling any magic in the hours of sitting at my desk in this creation.  I also recognized all those thoughts of “not good enough” creeping in and after 6 hours, decided to crawl into bed with the question of , what was I missing?

Under my covers, I made a big decision. I decided to shift my awareness, from productivity and misery to one of mastery and mystery. What mysterious ways was my inner muse going to create in the morning? In the next moment?…and the next and the next…So, I was up at 1:30 AM full of energy to write the next portion of my plan. After a short asana practice, I wrote for three hours, went back to sleep, up again at 7:30 am and completed my document within another three hours. Now, that felt good! I even ” high fived” my yellow wall in recognition of my first conscious experience in mastery.

As I look back, it is a bit of a WOW! No ego conversation, just being in the moment of what my body was calling me to do. This process was close to impossible and all the fun was missing when my ego got into the conversation and yet by bringing my awareness to a shift in focus and attention, I changed the direction of my attitude and completed something I have been chewing on for almost a year.  Sometimes a simple shift can be…simply mysterious. Thanks Jennifer and your inspirational blogs on yoga in the world at www.oneyogalove.com

We all have to “deal” with our own existence or survival on a daily basis.  Some of us do it unconsciously, by default  with worry. Others create a more conscious, awareness practice.  One popular option is a Coffee and Donut or the up-trend to a Latte and Scone. Another option is some other morning ritual that quiets the mind and brings about a state of contemplation.  As my friend, Jennifer says, ” none of us gets out of this life time alive”.  That being TRUE, what wakes you up in the morning as you deal with each new day?

This is not  just a mental or emotional inquiry but also a question for the energetic part of our being.  This energetic area specifically associated with survival issues is often called the first cakra in ancient texts and is located around the physical body at the base of the spine.  I have consistently pondered this question for as long as I can remember with a mind that “thinks too much” and even more so in the last 5 years as that same mind has turned itself inside out. I have created practices to support my body with asana and quiet my mind through breath and now I am inspired to fortify and give reason for my own existence through an energetic practice. I am inspired to include the first Cakra as well as  the power of chant and intention through the apana prana energy,of the five winds of prana.

My intention is not to go into the practices here but to direct your mind to the inquiry and then if you decide you want to further explore the notion of your existance, through intention and chant, please feel free to download the video on the winds of change and the accompanying pdf booklet. The purpose of this blog is to leave you with the inquiry and simply see where it resonates in your own physical being. I invite you to Journal about it, talk about it and maybe even watch a powerful portion of a video I just viewed about healing cancer with althernative and conventional therapies, called Cancer Quest.  This particular snippet brought tears of inspiration to my eyes because I am all too familiar with losing someone I loved to cancer.  I am very clear it was by his choice and  that leaves me to ponder my own choice. What wakes me up in the morning?

What is your choice?  I like to tug the mind a bit and ask it a little differently under the notion that Yoga CAN cure that which keeps us separate from our optimal health and wellness connection. What would Yoga do now? Invite the inquiry after your own practice and live in that question.

I look forward to your comments about your reasons to wake up in the morning allowing you to “deal” with each new day.  Thanks to my mom and dad for inspiring me to share the journey of the question and for all those who have come before me to share their wisdom.

mahalo,

Linda

YogaCanCure.com
integrating yoga into a lifetime of wellness

By Shiva Rea

Mantra, the chanting of sacred words or sounds, is a central part of yogic meditation. Mantra comes from the combination of two syllables: “man,” meaning “to reflect” or “be aware,” and “tra,” meaning “tool for” or “agent of.” A mantra is a tool for reflection and the cultivation of awareness, and is used for both concentration and contemplation on the Source.

Within yoga, mantras are based upon sounds that reflect the energy of our divine nature. Om is considered to be the universal, consummate mantra. The following meditation is based upon the mantra “so hum,” (“I am that”) used within the traditions of Tantra and Vedanta. Since “so hum” also indicates the sound of the breath, it is a mantra that repeats itself effortlessly.

Find a comfortable posture for meditation (seated on a cushion or blanket, in a chair or against a wall). Place your palms facing up in jnana mudra (forefinger and thumb touching) with your palms facing up to open your awareness or facing down to calm the mind. Scan your body and relax any tension. Let your spine rise from the ground of the pelvis. Draw your chin slightly down and let the back of your neck lengthen.

Bring your attention to the tidal rhythm of your breath, feeling the rise and fall of your inhalation and exhalation. As your focus settles on your breath, begin to employ the simple mantra “so hum.” As you inhale, say “so” silently to yourself, and as you exhale say “hum.” Keep your focus on the sensation of your breath while silently repeating the sacred syllables, “so hum.” As you drink your inhalation, gently drawing your breath along the base of your throat, listen for the sound of “so.” As you exhale, listen for the sound of “hum” as your breath is amplified in the throat.

Let your mind become absorbed in the sound of so hum-in your internal chanting and your actual breath. As if you were watching the waves of the ocean, let your mind be naturally drawn into presence and stillness—no place to go, nothing to do, so hum, so hum. If a thought (vritti) arises, come back to the mantra so hum.

In the beginning, it may be helpful to set an external timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes so you are not distracted. When you are finished, bring your hands together in anjali mudra (prayer position) and close with a moment of gratitude, reflection, or prayer to soak up the energy of your meditation into your being and life.

excerpted from yogajournal.com

You may wonder why in heavens name is there SPAM in this headline let alone in my diet? I am glad you asked because, I LOVE SPAM! That’s right. All the unknown meat substances aside and all the preservatives unnoticed, I really love this stuff.

This morning after my Tai chi chih class I stopped at the local Hawaiian market and there it was. A little warmed up slab supported by a bed of white rice wrapped in seaweed. “This looks good, but it is not sushi, what is it?, I asked” Proudly, the cashier said, ” SPAM and it is fresh” I couldn’t help myself and said” isn’t that an oxymoron”? She chose to ignore me or didn’t get it. Ha, that was funny.

It smelled good and I had a flood of memories back to my favorite camping scenes in front of the fire eating SPAM stew. I loved it! I had to get it. I felt an immediate warm pit of peace in my stomach as she rang me up.

My house mate just rolled her eyes and said something like she asked God to forgive her for feeding her children that when they were young.

She just didn’t know.

Apparently, I didn’t either. Hawaii consumes the most Spam per capita in the United States, and it was first introduced to the island during World War II. Well that would make sense but what was this interesting combo and how bad could it be?

Spam is so popular it is sometimes dubbed “The Hawaiian Steak” and this particular dish is called Spam
musubi, in which cooked Spam is combined with rice and nori
seaweed and classified as onigiri.

Wow, I really didn’t know. I raced home, sat down and unwrapped it with care. Now, what to put on it? I couldn’t remember but Ketchup came to mind. (Then again, my dad put ketchup on everything) I grabbed the Braggs Aminos and poured a cup of greenjuice on the side. It looked normal enough and I was surrounding the little guy in healhty food. How bad could it be? One bite later, I knew.

IT WAS DELICIOUS! As I remembered or even better. I was at peace, satisfied, happy and really pleased with myself for doing what I wanted without listening to the snickers and insults of my housemates.

Afterall, if Barack Obama can eat it on a golf outing, I can eat it after a T’ai Chi Chih class. Now we really have something in common other than our Chicago roots…we both appreciate this island dish. I can also appreciate NOT having another piece for at least another century and still retaining the peace and tranquility of this moment.

Mahalao, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

Notch Oddner is my creative muse. He is a “he” in a she body-named ME! (You can quote me on that one!) I just met him this afternoon!
Rachel Flower, helped facilitate this introduction through a process called Senssoma. She has an extraordinary innate gift as a traveler through the senses and was able to help me unearth this creative fellow. It was fun!

I know some superficial things about him, like he wears a lot of Glenn Plaid, and is the caretaker of all things odd and unusual that keep my mind occupied…in a really good way. You could even say, “an appropriate use of the mind”.

All the emotional sensing I have been doing over the last couple of weeks finally gave way to an inquiry of the odd. It was a way for my mind to jump track and stop, even for just a moment, a little bit to the left of expected and underneath the “norm”. In that short moment and with the detachment necessary for observation, I fell in love with Notch.

I was able to experience his uniqueness and embrace his charm, unexpected wit, intelligence and keen awareness of the absurd. I think that would include humor. I discovered he had the ability to quickly gauge the situation and make sure both Rachel and I felt included and entertained. (I would invite him to a party any day!)

What a gift! And to make peace with this lad was the best use of my active mind to date. ( I suppose I would date him too).

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

This is true, If I look in the history books, Time is as ancient as the Vedas and it is not stated that it was a man who invented the calendar but It was a German man called Peter Henlein who invented the clock in 1510. In 1577, Jost Burgi invented the minute hand and now I wonder….who is Father Time? It was one big boys club.
What if a woman had created the first time piece or…Time for peace?

There you have it. What would it mean to be at peace with time? With the hour hand creeping along? The second hand sweeping past? This is rich with meaning and you don’t have to go but a millisecond to find more.

In that periphery way I have of observing things I ponder, “what does it mean to make peace with time?” Here are my top ten responses:

1. Aging would be a non issue.
2. Schedules would be fluid.
3. No one would be late for dinner.
4. Everything would get done “just in time” and that timing would be “perfect”.
5. Procrastination would be like pupus. (Little things done before the main course)
6. There would be no “getting there first” but being “right on time”.
7. “Time will tell”…would have nothing to say.
8. Timing really would be the ONLY thing.
9. You would not need to “watch the clock” because seconds would never matter.
10. You would never be on time so you might as well just give it up.

Now, I will never miss another blogging deadline again!

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

And when we come to it
To the day of peacemaking
When we release our fingers
From fists…and allow the pure air to cool our palms

When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear

When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

Excerpted from
A Brave and Startling Truth
By Maya Angelou

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

God, I am relentless in my search for my truth, Obsessive in my addiction to over turn each rock, one by one. Aching at the joints from carrying the load of expectation that one day…soon, It will all be perfect and I will know myself.

In this act of seeking, nothing feels like “a good time,” let alone a peaceful evening! Crazymaking would be a more appropriate word. Where is the peace? Where is the expansiveness in the night sky?

” Just invite it in” was my friends suggestion last night up at the observatory. ” open your arms and allow it”

And I did. In fact, all that night and into today.

I figure I had done my work, I had said my prayers and it was time for me to let go of the hunt and allow the feast.

In the past, when I am able to observe this phenomonen, I have called it surrender. A letting go and an experience of momentary peace. That would all be fine except in the next moment….I would find myself grabbing on to the next thing.

In wallowing in the allowing, an ongoing flow is beginning to happen. It is a continuous moment by moment and like a spiritual pig, I am going to enjoy each moment by moment connected by an occasional snort.

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?

OMG the night sky is an unbelievable tasty treat. Tonight I had the pleasure of being up at the Hawaii University Observatory in the top of Haleakala for sunset and star rise. It was a surreal experience for me watching the milkyway become visible. I had not seen stars like this in such a long time. I was so glad they were still here! I was delighted by being in the presence of two eager astronomers jumping up and down at splitting a star on their telescope. It was just to much to hold back a giggle. Oh, did I mention, these were 60 year old grown men. Nothing like a little observation to bring out the peaceful kid in all of us.

Mahalo, Linda
This is your place. Is this your peace?