Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Relationships-we all have them. Relationships with the family, maybe a partner, a pet, a job. We also may have a close personal relationship with the couch, the remote control, or the cannoli. Yum-delightful relationship there!Maybe it's the small tech device glued to your hand(talk about co-dependant relationships!) We have a relationship to our body-there are days where we feel ten miles high, and other days that we may feel like we are living in a  friggin' sewer! Talk about your proverbial love/hate relationship there! Practicing yoga brings a relationship with your asana that is very telling. Think about it-we all have poses we love or dread(much like a visit from that relative that shall not be named!) Certain poses bring  strong reactions up in us...."I could hang out here all day"....."oh no, not that- I hate this one" (as the heart and breath speed up, the mind races!). Look into the glass and examine why you relate the way you do.These reactions can tell you about yourself-maybe bringing you insight Through the teachings of yoga we are said to all be one, so how we relate to ourselves is a mirror of how we relate to others. Look at the relationships in your life-and see how that reflects to you. Maybe there is one that really can tell you about yourself. Loving, tedious, or codependant, all relationships take work, looking into the mirror of self reflection is the first step to a deeper knowledge of ourselves which enhances our relationships with others.Mirror, mirror, on the wall-do we know ourselves at all....

Step out of Line

Why is it that as human beings we repeatedly beat ourselves up by continuing things that cause discomfort? (Visual-Monty Python animation of monks with boards hitting themselves in the head while chanting...works for me, how 'bout you? If you aren't of a certain age group or had the pleasure to watch old BBC comedy, do yourself a favor, you'll get the anology) According to the Yoga Sutras the Klesas(the source of suffering) is related to Samskaras(patterning) that we repeat like like hamsters on a wheel , or those monks of Monty Python, sometimes this lifetime, and if we don't break the pattern, sometimes into the next. Why can't we just take a few whacks, learn the lesson, and put down the board?  Suffering isn't the answer to get us to the next level. Why would anyone want to whack themselves continually? Sometimes it's comfort zones and fear of change. Fear of the unknown, fear of judgement from peers, family, society. Fear of one hurt being greater than the other. Fear of loss. Sometimes it's ingrained from childhood -seeing what is the pattern around us and accepting it (Bet the monks of Python would say because it's what we do and have done and will continue..... side note-cue the chanting and boards cracking) I have recently discovered myself unaware of repeating patterns that continually cause discomfort in my life, standing myself in line with the monks and being my own willing victim. Ouch. Pretty hard head I must have-stubborn Celt, through and through. Take a good look at the things that cause you discomfort, and then see why you continually subject yourself to it ;I don't care who you are.... WE ALL have something!. Once we see the pattern,recognize it for what it is maybe we can pry the board from our own hands.. We don't have to repeat Samskaras-we can stop being our own worst enemy and step out of line. Who wants to travel life with knots all over their head, anyway?

Your Karmic Deductible Contribution

Wow, another year over, the champagne popped, the Mummers mummed, the confetti swept up. Happens over and over, year after year. Just like the ads we hear on a loop..."still time for your tax deductible contribution." "Give to us and write it off..." yadda, yadda, yadda. Feel good fiscal charity, lighten your pockets and your tax load. Listening to this mantra over and over got me thinking-what if those ads instead asked you to reduce your karmic debt?  Would we reach into our hearts and contribute good works instead of cold, hard cash? Karma defined as "the effects of all action/effects caused by past action." We've all heard it...Karma's a bitch, Karma will bite you in the butt; beware Karma, it's gonna come back and get you! Some pretty heavy connotations-Karma carries the same bad rap as the tax man. But really to reduce our Karmic debt isn't that difficult, we really just need to show up, authentically living our lives and sharing that gift with others. Start with an audit of yourself-when was the last time you selflessly acted without thought to the bottom line? We're human, most of us usually have one. We need to make selfless service our bottom line.Show up, smile, and be of service to yourself by serving others.  To quote Winston Churchill..."We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." So what's your Karmic Deductible Contribution going to be this year?

Your service light is on....

The check engine light comes on...uh-oh. Service is needed. Choice-suck it up and get it done(mine is on as we speak, but can't seem to find a "mechanic" with a clue as to why.*%%##..more later!) or ignore it and possibly face a big problem. Choices, choices!! The right choice seems obvious, right? We take care of our "stuff", but as humans we tend to not  service ourselves.If we don't service the car, a break down stops us in our tracks-going nowhere.Same principle applies to us-we get stuck. Seva in the yogi world means service. We are called to selfless service-to do for others. But sometimes service for us has a selfish aspect, a tool the ego uses to keep us in it's service bay. It feed us the line " this is what I can do, but I won't do that, nope, not me. Look at what I just did for them, and them, and them......"  We all know those people that exhibit this. We sometimes serve because it feeds the ego -we give what we want, not always what is needed.  By looking inside ourselves, servicing a love for ourselves we begin to extend that love to the person right next to us.We connect and our ego based limitations fall by the side of the road.  Service doesn't have to be the big "look at how wonderful I am", it doesn't have to be monetary,  it can be as simple as asking what is needed - "what can I do for you?" By selflessly serving we receive on a deeper level, we connect with something bigger than our ego. So check in with your service light-see what is needed on your highway, it might just be the beginning of a beautiful journey.  

Get on the couch..your own

We all have "stuff." The kind that gives us stress-finances, the job, family (especially in these chaotic times!) The kind that keeps us limited and stuck-fear. The kind that cripples-self doubt.  Human nature is to analyze, we judge ourselves and how we relate to that model society casts for us. Gotta fit the mold. We judge. We become the product of  our fears, past programming, and the self doubt it creates in our mind.We become a self fufilling prophecy. The mantra of "I'm never gonna make it," You're just a---(fill in your own blank!) Our spirit sinks in the mire and muck of negative patterns and sluuurp-we get stuck there. That's a whole swamp full of goodies for us to wallow around in-if we choose to accept it.   No thank you-we don't have to! By using analysis to study the self, we can begin to wade our way out. When you hear that little voice in your mind beating you down-turn your attention internally and get on your own couch and inquire within. Why do I judge myself this way? Why do I feel "I'm not..( again, fill in your own blank!)  ...let the answer come to you, acknowledge it, but then release it.Through yoga, meditation, breathwork and svadyaya or self study we begin to come to the realization of our own true nature-we are boundless, limitless, formless-we are NOT our thoughts, mind, or body. Replace the "I'm not" with I am". Sit cross legged  with your eyes closed. Let your right arm be straight resting against the knee with the thumb and index finger connected. Bend the left arm and let the palm be in front of the heart, about four inches. Everytime you breathe in, let the left hand come out to about a foot from the heart and internally say " I am" and  see yourself expanding beyond your boundaries , into your own infinite nature. You ARE that...your spirit! Let yourself soar beyond the swamp, hose off the mud of negative thought, and then take that step off the couch, become who you were truly meant to be!

Blowin' in the wind

It is feeling really crazy out there..... like the song says "it's a mad, mad world"( no shit)...all around us the winds of change are blowing...what the hell is going on? Last year there was an astrological formation in the summer that told of upcoming upheaval-youth uprising, "veils" being pulled off governments.Looks as though it was on target. Since early spring things have been escalating...all over the Middle East regimes are toppling. Africa is suffering severe drought, crimes against humanity abound. London is burning and rioting in a frightening way.  Wisconsin sits on a huge recall vote, the "Tea Party" is enjoying the financial circus as our credit rating(is that what they call it?) falls and the stock market tanks. It gets more and more out of control every day-but  on some things the controls are growing tighter.  It seems a farmer-owner of a co-op type operation that specialized in unpasteurized dairy and cheese found himself the victim of a raid....for his wholesome product! The good ole' FDA(the same people that didn't notify about the Cargill turkey salmonella problem ...) pulled a swat team type raid. They destroyed his inventory and interrogated over the cash he had to purchase more product to sell to his customers in a normal  red, white, and blue(capitalist) way. You've got to be kidding, right-busted for selling a choice-dairy free of treatment and processing, the way it was intended! Nothing is really making sense out there.  With the vortex of  madness that is ensuing around us we need to rip the blindfolds from our eyes to see what is real, the gag from our mouths to speak out against injustice, pull the plugs out of our ears to hear truth, and untie the ropes that bind our hands so that we can extend them. We need to stay as grounded in our center as we can, stay strong as we can, open our hearts and hold each other in the face of the upcoming  storm so that we, too, are not swept into the wind.

Tapas..you mean it's not food?

It is the way the universe reiterates lessons with me, be careful what you wish for- yea, I asked for it once again!  My theme for classes this week has been that of tapas-meaning austerity, offering something up for purification. Not the lovely little smackerals you get at a "tapas" bar.(damn..if it only were!) It started at a yoga activist training I attended this weekend, powerful stuff. The presenters talked about tapas, and stepping out of your comfort zone, really resonated with me, hence-my weekly theme. People are living in austerity out there; emotionally,physically, and financially. Sometimes through no fault of their own. I, on the other hand, am doing o.k. In steps the universe-tapas you say;here you go! You see, I get paid monthly, direct deposit. On the first of the month. Comfortable routine. Nope! This month, my funds(through no fault of my own!) weren't to arrive until the 3rd, gulp. Not enough funds, things don't get paid. Like the satellite tv...turn it on, it won't work without greenbacks to feed it. Need to purchase things, no buckeroos, no goodies. The list goes on.. We take a lot for granted every day. Being able to get and do what we want when we want it, turning things on with a click. Instant gratification world. The silence and getting basic were at first not too comfortable(whadda you mean I can't watch Keith Oberman ##$$%*) but then the silence became a comfort. In order to see other's reality, sometimes we have to begin by living it-even if only for a short time. My tv is back on, I can go to the store, but you know what-the tv is off, and the silence.... is ok!