Climb up each twig and leaf, every sprig and chip. You reach the top and move around, feeling the warmth of the sun. You open the other wing to match the one that won't close. You feel the wind and you release your hold. You fall. You pull yourself up and climb once more to the summit. You try again. And you fall again. I watch you as you try , wondering what to do. You are only given two and one is hurt. I pick the limb that holds you high and look closer. You are calm, afraid for more reasons than one. I touch the extended wing feeling what you have lost. I stare. You stare.
I place you down and you lay still in the shade. A moment passes and you begin again. Trying and trying and trying again. Then you just stay at the top, the weight of what cannot be fixed grounding you to the peak of your branch. There you stay. What you think about I will never know but in this moment little bug know that you were not alone.
In case you're wondering, I'm the one on the right side wearing a white shirt. My teeth decided they wanted to eat my smile.
Today is the beginning National YogaMonth.* Close your eyes. Exhale and gently push out any stale air in
your lungs, all the way to the bottom lungs. Take in a deep breath;
like a wave, let it lift up your stomach, your chest and then expand
outward. Release. Let it all out.
In this single moment, you will have
found an aspect of yoga. Our lives are so caught up in the business
made norm by our society that we forget how our bodies are
designed to breath—how the
way we breath affects not only our heart rate but our mental
state as well.
If you have found yourself curious
about yoga, now would be a great month to look into it. Without a
doubt you will find a near-endless supply of articles and how-to
books on the asanas (postures). You may also find some on pranayama
(breath work), and meditation. Whatever you look into, take joy in
the accessibility to so many resources. It has never been easier to
learn and educate ourselves on something new. If you want to learn
more but you feel like you're drowning or you're just not sure where
to start, I am more than happy to point you in the right direction.
Don't be shy, let me know.
What is
beautiful about yoga is that, this month can be about anything you
want it to be. It can be about the asanas (postures); it can
be about Ayurveda; it can be about the breath. The important part is
that you make an attempt to reconnect with yourself. I'm not saying
you need to go to a yoga retreat or an ashram (although that would be
quite lovely). I just recommend taking a moment each day for
yourself. Find a quiet place, get into a comfortable seated position
and just breathe. Take the moment to be in the moment. If you find
you'd like to move, give your body what it asks for. If your body is
tired and sore you can just sit or lay down-- get comfortable for a
few minutes at least. If your body is antsy and you have unspent
energy, shake it out and move. Maybe do some asanas.
It's okay to let this chunk of time
be about you. You deserve it.
*Note: If you want to try out a yoga class or try a different type of class, the link at the beginning of this post will take you to the Yoga Heath Foundation. They are offering one free week of yoga classes at participating locations.
Hugs are the most physical comfort one being can give to another. They are a vital part of our well being and happiness. Yet, do we get enough? Are they all the same?
I receive a hug from my life partner every day and a kiss to match. About twice a week I receive one from a good friend. Every now and then I wrap my arms tight around my two little angels because there's always room to fill up with more love.
When we wrap our arms around someone we are opening ourselves physically but much of the time we are also opening up emotionally. To share a close space with another person and their energy can spark all kinds of emotions and help relieve many. For me, a hug from mom just helps me let everything go because I am home once again in her arms-- the first arms that ever truly held me.
But what about hugging someone that you've known for a long time but have never hugged? Well that is an interesting one. First, there is the necessity of a hardened reason and generally a request-- whether noted verbally or with gestures.
And then when it's confirmed that both parties agree to the necessity, the embrace is much like the birth of a plant. One day you are like how you always are and in a moment you are awakened out of your shell. This sort of hug doesn't transform you, it simply reveals what was already there-- the karma, as you will. It can either reveal great discomfort and a desire for continued strict professionalism or it can be the moment you realize you were stranger-friends all along.
In a single moment, when arms are wrapped and hearts are open and vulnerable, you learn to see all the seeds that were planted for this friendship. All the positive reinforcements, the attempts at brightening your day-- suddenly they are more obvious.
In a sense a hug is one of the most emotional physical gestures we can make. They can be a catalyst as demonstrated, comfort, longing, love, or a greeting of the highest caliber.
So the next time you hug someone-- really hug them-- determine your intentions with the embrace. There need be no shame or reservations, just give a good hug. You never know when someone really needs it (unless they tell you).
The moment when you accept that you you were never going to fit into society the way you believed you were supposed to is the moment you realize it was never going to make you happy anyway. Here's to moving past what society believes is success and towards compassion.
If all we have is this one life, shouldn't it be spent feeling happy as often as possible? If we move past the expectations of society then we can free ourselves. We don't have to work a desk job the rest of our lives. Live your life, accept the consequences of change. I was brought up to fear consequences and change but they are a necessity to life.
I want to break free. Won't you join me?
So I didn't realize I missed yesterday's post until I woke up this morning and saw Kaitlin's new post. I remember I wanted to touch upon an article on the acclaimed "controversial" shark killings. There's nothing controversial-- it's aweful. While I understand the concern for human life I feel people could more easily avoid sharks than they could a car accident: simply don't go in the ocean. If shark attacks were really all that bad, people should have limited access to beaches instead of murdering sharks that may have never hurt nor would have ever hurt a person. The article made it clear: people believe humans are the only ones that matter. That's why the planet is going to poop, we don't care about the environment until it directly affects us.
I'm done with my shpeal for now.
Yesterday was a nice day. It was busy for a bit and work then got slow so I caught up on some of my reading: news and elephant journal articles. Then when I got home Alex and I went for a nice seven mile ride. When we were done my legs had no idea what they should do lol. It was beautiful outside and the route we took allowed us to chat and be a cute couple on bicycles. Afterwards we had leftovers and then we went to super target to get a few things (yay we might have fish for dinner-- I've had a huge caring for fish lately). After that I recall being pretty tired and I passed out before Alex even came to bed.
My dreams last night were about taking a plane to London, me not liking being on the plane, and then waking up in a luxurious hotel with this awesome water slide. I recall thinking how I left my yoga mat and wondered if room service would bring me one. Then I really woke up and realized I had to go to work again today.
Hope everyone has a lovely Saturday. Enjoy your freedom if you don't have to work.
There's been a lot going on for quite some time now and although I have felt overwhelmed and stressed out, there's a new little angel in my life and her name is Penny. She's so sweet and gentle and literally asks for nothing. She just gives and gives kisses and snuggles.
Alex and I took her home from Hillsborough County Animal Services on Friday and hopped onto a roller coaster of cuteness and swelling love. It was the least convenient time to get her since we had already arranged to go home to Port Saint Lucie for a couple days but, luckily, Penny wins over every heart she encounters and Alex's friends agreed to care for her while we were gone.
At first she stole Rinpoche's bed (not tt he ever used it) instead of using the doggie pillow I hand-sewed for her. Now she uses both and loves to snuggle with a blanket. We want to get her toys but she shows so little interest in them. We'll keep trying, I'm sure there are toys out there that she'll like.
So here she is, the compassionate princess of the house:
Pharrell William's Happy is so Penny's song when we brought her home.
As for Rinpoche, well... he's not so happy. He's very nervous and I feel awful because he won't come out to play. Thankfully Alex has found a helpful video that explains the proper way of getting him used to having a dog in the house. To be entirely honest I'm very worried that he'll never be playful like he was again... and that breaks my heart. My mom said that when he was at home he came out with Sheba out and about so it's most likely that, with time and adjustment, he'll leave the bedroom. Many of you saw Rinpoche's cute bed time picture I shared on Twitter recently (if not, it's in my feed on the right side menu of my blog), but here's what happens when you put flash for a picture of a kitty. Dun Dun DUN.
I realize I'm due for my measurements but I'm going to leave that for tomorrow's post. Things are heating up with the race to abs so hopefully Alex and I will both be on our game.
I've said before that we are creatures of habit, but we are also creatures who yearn for companionship. Whether we're selfish or completely self-less, we care about someone. Compassion is the essence of a happy life and it is my strong belief that we cannot love or care for others if we cannot take care of ourselves.
So many of us expect our loved ones to be healthy and do their best, but what does it mean if we don't take care of ourselves? What does it mean if we tell a child not to smoke but continue to smoke ourselves. We all know the risks, the damage things like smoking do to our bodies but we don't change. We don't change. That's where the problem is. If we don't accept change-- the battle that comes along with giving up a bad habit or an addiction-- then we fall; we fall deep into samsara and hurt not only ourselves but those who love us.
Smoking is bad and people know the risks... but it won't happen to you, right? You won't lose your ability to sit through a movie without a smoke break; you won't spend the money you were supposed to spend on groceries on your fix; you won't end up in the hospital, you won't be physically crippled.... you won't. What about us? What about the people walking by; what about your children? We are all in this together. We need to battle these bad habits and form positive, beneficial ones. You are not alone and you never will be.
Stop the bad habits. It doesn't matter how long it takes, just fight the battle every day. If you slip, catch yourself on one of the cliff's rocks; you'll be hurt but at least you won't be dead. Make the change you need to make to better yourself... so that you can better us.
The energy we use, the energy we create, the energy we release during practice is not for ourselves.
We use, create, and let go of things for others-- to be compassionate.
We welcome positive energy within us when we're on the mat
and release the negative, breathing in the balance that permits harmony.
The harmony of inhale and exhale that makes life not only possible, but magical.
When reading something, have you ever had a moment where you are emotionally startled-- not because something has frightened you, but because something make so much sense and you haven't a clue why the concept or idea did not manifest itself early. From past posts you've mostly noticed I enjoy following the Daily Cup of Yoga blog. Don't get me wrong reader, I find quite a bit of the extremist "yogi" mumbo-jumbo to be just that. But even then, I am able to find something quite significant within the message they are presenting: a message within the message. The article may be about renunciation of the world but between the lines I find some advice still relevant to me-- a person who wants to be with others and wants to experience culture.
The most recent post I read from them, "7 Ways to Have Tantric Experiences," is the epitome of everything that has been reverberating to me from this blog. It has put into words what I have been feeling since freshman year at Florida State-- that there may not be only one god, that maybe deja vu is something real and the most direct link to past experiences, and, most of all, that life is for life. Life is not to obtain freedom. Life is for compassion and exploration. Life is to always be curious to the universe around us, to accept that we will never completely comprehend everything or anything. To renounce the world... well, I don't believe it'll make me any happier than I am now. We are social creatures and, if we were to rid of prejudice and judgment, we could be happy together in harmony. Such things are romantic notions but entirely possible. Set aside ego and superiority. Set aside insignificant differences between individuals. In the end, we are all family; we are all connected.
Here is a quote from the post which I have linked to, above:
"7 Ways to Have Tantric Experiences
Recognize that everything is cosmic.
Don’t renounce anything.
Embrace the tough stuff.
Ask yourself: what is this here to teach me about my true nature?
Watch for signs and symbols.
Know that abundance is just as spiritual as renouncing money, if not more so.
When I look at footprints in the sand, I wonder who that person is, where they are going, what their hopes and dreams are; I wonder if they wonder the same thing when looking to the sand. Do they think of what others will think when we look at the sand? Are we all wondering together across the space and time of that ever changing patch of sand?
These are but a few thoughts tha cross my mind at the beach-- the evanevence of each grain of life. Each little piece of sand as a reminder that life exists only with change. The ocean understand just as the ground beneath our feet.
Do thoughts even matter until we give them a measure of importance? I know for sure that each breathe and each intention echoes throughout reality-- whether I be black or white, human or any other animal in the world.
