She's back!

Wow! I have been hankering to get back on here and pour out some relative wisdom. So many things have changed, contracted or expanded, in my life since my last post. I'm going to skip the catch up, because as the Bhagavan Das would say, "Don't think about the past; just be here now," or "Don't think about the future; just be here now."

When I look at the when of my last post, to the now of this post, I notice that they bookmark a rather dark period of my life. Well, to be fair, the entire world experienced a lot of that darkness as a pandemic. But I'm talking of a deeper darkness. This darkness has followed me around my entire life, always there, just over my shoulder, sometimes overwhelming my spirit, and other times just casting a shadow over anything that would be shiny and bright. It was as oppressive as I allowed it to be. 

I remember when I was going through my initial yoga teacher training, with the divine Christie Cairo, how struck I was at how easily some of the women in that circle understood and acknowledged the wisdom Christie was illuminating for us. I felt so priviledged to learn amongst these wise women. I also remember being slightly jealous that they had had this information for most of their lives and had benefited from these truths, where I, having only stumbled upon this path, had not. I lamented the suffering I had endured over my lifetime and I just wanted to, first, rage that I hadn't had this path to peace available to me when it was so evidently necessary, but also, I wanted to run out and share it with all of my family and friends.

Looking back, how silly it was of me to believe I would have had the bandwidth to have downloaded so much truth. My psyche was only just getting to a point of exhaustion from doing things the same way, always with the same outcomes, (the definition of insanity, right?) These last few years of misery were the final nails in the coffin of my former self. I am thusly ready to be the architect of my own joy. 

So thank you for coming back to indulge me in my vanglory! I can't promise my ego won't emerge and push her way around this forum, but I will make every attempt to be as aware of this as possible. For now, I invite you to enjoy this talk from Ram Dass, Polishing the Mirror. Around the 12 minute mark is a lovely affirmation mantra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbm8iqXXxq0

Ayiti, cheri

Travelling to Haiti is always an emotional adventure.  Whether I'm travelling with a work crew or going for a leisurely visit, something about leaving my US home and heading to my island home always chokes me up. I am always a basket of emotions on that lovely island of Hispaniola. What is it about this land and it's people that tugs so hard at my heart strings?

The Haitian people are key to this transformation.  Something about their value system of putting family above everything cuts me to my core. The very things I crave in my own family experience are a given for these strong, courageous, and resilient people.

One thing I know as true, I have never been able to visit this island and come home the same as I left. Whether it's the heat, the exhaustion, or just the energy that vibrates through the land, I am never more alive than I am in this land.

It welcomes me back, each and every time. Whether I deserve it or not, this island is my home.

Thank you for making me feel at home.  Mwen se Ayiti, ak Ayiti se nan mwen

Yoga for Cancer Patients and Survivors

At some point in your cancer journey, someone has probably mentioned yoga and meditation as helpful in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Today, we have a lot of medical data, statistics, imperical evidence of the short and long term benefits of a mindfulness practice in reducing and fighting the path of cancer. Check out this article from Yoga U on how changes in the fascia can prevent and reduce tumor growth:

read about fascia and tumors

Where Do Broken Hearts Go

When your heart is broken, truly, devastatingly crushed, or even just tossed around, there is a physical pain that is very real.

It doesn't matter if it was a lover, a friend, a confidante or a child who did the breaking, the pain is still real.

It doesn't matter if the relationship was a flash, a season, a year, or years.

What matters most, is that you don't stop being open to new experiences.

A ceremony for healing broken hearts:

1. On a piece of paper, write down everything you feel about this heartbreak. Allow yourself to just babble from the heart. 

2. Fold up this paper and set aside. 

3. Collect up 1 or more items, photos, or reminders that have sentimental meaning related to this person. 

4. Light a candle and set an intention to release any residual feelings you have about this heartbreak. 

5. Say a mantra of releasing, repeat 9 times. 

6. Throw the items, and the paper into the fire. 

7. Let the candle burn until gone. (put in safe place)

8. Live your life. There's no better revenge for a broken heart than to move on and enjoy your life. 

Moon madness

I've mentioned a few times in class about the power of moonlight to recharge your feminine spirit. Well, that's right, ladies! I may not have made any of my neighbors very comfortable if the caught sight of me disrobing to moonbathe. Well see how I feel tomorrow,  hoping I get a solid night of sleep. Haven't had one since moving in here 2 weeks ago.

Facebook Break

There are moments in life that are meant to be shared with our friends and family. We rejoice in celebrating some of these moments together, while other moments bring us closer by sharing our pains and agonies. Facebook has been a wonderful instrument for sharing these moments. But not everyone agrees on what, when and how some of these moments are shared. 

And Facebook isn't the only medium we use to share. Some people share more than others. I use several formats of social media for both personal and professional sharing. As a self employed yoga therapist, I rely heavily on these formats to get the word out about my classes, services, and even to sell some of my handmade items. 

But as of late, I've noticed that I spend way too much time browsing and not enough time developing myself professionally, so I've decided to take a hiatus from my personal Facebook. I will continue to use my business page to share yoga news and events. I will also be using my instagram to simul-post to Twitter and Facebook. I hope to use this time saved to reflect and meditate on my future. All things being equal, I hope to realize a direction for my future with a clarity I feel I cannot achieve with my face buried in that book. 

When and if the time comes that I feel the urge to come back to the book of faces, I look forward to catching back up on all these moments. In the meantime, if you want to share any moments with me, you'll have to do it the old fashioned way.

Peace, love and applesauce, my friends.

My Shadow

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDd64Q5AQBG/