(A budding tree at White Rock Lake in Dallas)

If one is afraid of losing anything
they have not looked into the Friend’s eyes.
They have forgotten God’s promise.

The jewels you get when you meet the Beloved
go on multiplying themselves,
they take root everywhere,

they keep mating all the time
like spring-warmed creatures.

Burglars hear watchdogs
inside of His gifts
and Run. -Hafiz

So...happy Spring...almost! I hope this finds you well and enjoying this incredible time of year wherever you are. We are in the time of great rebirth and renewal and the Light of Consciousness/Love is illuminating our hearts and minds more brightly than it ever has before. Or, perhaps, we are just ever-aware of its embrace as we come to love ourselves and each other better, one breath at a time. We are the lover we are seeking and everything else...

Positive change is in the air and it's incredible to let Life flow in its own intelligently inspired way. If we let go of trying to control life, we find there is a Goodness guiding us exactly where we need to be each and every moment. It's simply a matter of surrendering our will/mind/ego to this Intelligently guided Flow. To be a Yogi means to be at ease with the moment, with this breath...no tension...no stress...simply allowing life to be and flow through us knowing each moment we are guided into the place we need to be if we align our hearts, minds and breath with that intention. When we know what the best choice is in any given moment...notice I said best...not perfect...then we align ourselves with the Universal Will. And, to align our individual will with Universal Will is Yoga. I'm learning sometimes the best choice is to have A glass of wine (or two), or A piece of chocolate, etc. Yoga is not a path of denial. It's a path of knowing joy and bliss through the acceptance of suffering and then realizing suffering is only an illusion. Does pain exist? Yes. But, if we surrender to the pain and accept the enlightening grace in it, we can know the healing that is intended for us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The Yoga poses guide us into our body, mind and breath (spirit) and the breath guides us into stillness and meditation where we can know the Eternal Teacher within the heart (God) who wishes the very best for us with every breath we breathe. And, guess what? God is in everyone. So, that means, everyone, ultimately, wishes the best for us because to wish anything else would be to wish something against themselves because, in reality, we are all one.

The Partner Yoga adjustments workshop Ricky and I taught last weekend was awesome. Part two is this weekend. If you are able to take it I would highly recommend you joining us. You will experience amazing healing from this workshop, as well as, incredible strengthening and opening in your Yoga practice and self.

As far as everything else? Things are Good. I feel fortunate and blessed in amazing ways through the practice and path of Yoga. As Dharma Mittra says...be receptive to the Grace of God. It's simply allowing our hearts and minds to be open to Goodness flowing into us, trusting in the essential Goodness of Life, and allowing Life to lead the way. So, that is what I'm allowing to happen and it's awesome. One of the most powerful practices I have began, more recently, is consistently meditating every morning and night for 15 minutes. In this month's issue of Yoga Journal Magazine, Sting's wife, Trudie Styler (who is on the cover and you can read the article here), talks about this very practice in her life. She attributes this regular meditation practice to be the most powerful part of her Yoga practice. In the article she says, "Yoga practice is an exercise in listening, and it teaches you to tune in to your relationships." I am finding the best way to start and end the day is with stillness...sitting and feeling the presence of Source and knowing our connection to it. Offering everything up to it to be aligned with what's in the Highest Good for ourselves and others. This is a powerful practice and a life-changing and enriching one indeed. Not to mention, healing. We release more tension in being still than in any other activity. When you are sitting still and simply breathing you can feel energy move through and release out of you if you simply allow it to be and let go of any tendency to be reactive in any way, emotionally or mentally, to the flow of Life and everything Life is offering you at this moment...the comfortable moments, uncomfortable moments and everything in between. Let go and Let God.

So, sit, be and breathe well and witness the miraculous transformations that unfold within you and all around you as you let go and let yourself flow into Spring with a greater Faith in the goodness of all people and things and Life itself. I wish you blessings in the Spring and beyond.

"If you constantly think of illness, you eventually become ill; if you believe yourself to be beautiful, you become so." - Shakti Gawain

"By learning to contact, listen to, and act on our intuition, we can directly connect to the higher power of the universe and allow it to become our guiding force." - Shakti Gawain

"We will discover the nature of our particular genius when we stop trying to conform to our own or to other people's models, learn to be ourselves, and allow our natural channel to open." - Shakti Gawain

"As your faith is strengthened, you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit." - Emmanuel

"Eventually I lost interest in trying to control my life, to make things happen in a way that I thought I wanted them to be. I began to practice surrendering to the universe and finding out what "it" wanted me to do." -Shakti Gawain

Also...I'm teaching at an awesome new Yoga studio in the Cross Roads near Denton. It's called Get Yogafied. I love this space and the community that is growing there. Check out their site and come join us for a class sometime...even if you live in the city. It's good to get out of the Dallas city limits once in a while. One of the founders of this Yoga studio wrote this poem and just sent it to me the the other day. I thought I would share it with you here.

Free Flowing

What do you think you’re made of anyways
Mostly water, or so they say

Water ain’t bound by balls and chains
Breaks free, flows, like falling rain

Solidity mere transient illusion
Melt your ice, withdraw confusion

How happy you’ll be
As you swim down your sea

Flowing in your current
Knowing nothing’s more urgent

Expectation not on the line
Never disappointed you now find

Love with intention crystal clear
Lacking now you’ll never fear

Get moving, find your tide, ride your wave
Grateful for all the paths you cross along the way - Shana Stein


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