And, attitude is everything. I did not realize this was Fat Tuesday until today, thanks to someone in my Yoga class mentioning it. Realizing it was Fat Tuesday brought a lot into perspective. It explains why I let myself be so indulgent this past weekend with some cocktails and rich food. Leading into the weekend I knew something would have to change. We've all heard it said before that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. That's the truth. What I didn't know, when I was having these awarenesses, was that Lent was starting this week. I've never really practiced Lent before, but I am and will now. This is a powerful time to activate positive changes. And, the positive Forces are on our side supporting us in our transformation...

Before I realized it was Fat Tuesday today, I was speaking to my Yoga class earlier this morning about this very thing. I was basically saying we are in the last month of Winter. Everything in life is Vinyasa. A Vinyasa is a cycle with a beginning, middle and end. And, everything in our world is a cycle, the rotation of the earth on its axis, the rotation of the earth around the sun, (and, of course, on and on in infinite dimensions throughout the Universe, there are vinyasas) the seasons, of course, are a vinyasa, the months are a vinyasa, each week, each day, each hour, each minute, each second, each breath is a vinyasa. When we observe Nature, we realize as we move from Fall to Winter, this is the time of Nature going through it's most powerful energetic release...dying unto itself, to be reborn. Winter is the time when Nature completey withdraws energetically into itself, to restore, revitalize, renew and rebirth, i.e. hibernation. If we consider the vinyasa of Winter, we realize everything we are feeling right now, both individually and collectively, is right on track with our Natural rhythms...the seasons of our soul. The seasons are the way our souls are ripened, and as Shiva Rea would say, we never know when the fruit is going to fall from the tree. If Winter has a beginning, middle and end, then at this moment, we are in the end of the Winter vinyasa. For the blossoming to take place, we must not be afraid to release the protective sheaths of our buds that have kept us protected. The blossom will break free from the bud, but in this great energetic release happening in Nature and our inner Nature, we must realize that in the season of our soul, its normal we might be feeling as though some part of us is releasing or dying right now. I invited the class to honor this sacred transformation, this time of letting go of the old, unhealthy thoughts, ways, attitudes, aspects of oneself and to realize the time is ripe to choose new, positive, healthier ways to be reborn into...with the emergence of Spring. And, of course, this sacred time of Lent is on our side and giving us a powerful hand in this process. Soon, the days will be filled with even more light as the time changes. And, on March 21st, Spring will emerge and blossom forth new beginnings for each and everyone of us. The most important thing, is we must choose from our center of will and determination, our 3rd chakra, that we will make healthier choices for ourself and align into this shift in a positive way. The beauty is our Yoga practice guides us exactly where we need to go with each breath we breathe, the more we surrender to knowing, hearing and following this guidance. Through the stillnes, which we find through our practice of Yoga Asanas, breath and meditation, we can hear the guiding Intelligence.

So what are some of the ways I am choosing to align in a healthier way with mySelf? One of the principles of Yoga is study of the scriptures. As part of my 200 hour Yoga training with Shiva, we are required to read different texts on Yoga. I am currently reading the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Upanishads. In the next couple of months, I will also read a book on Tantra and also Pranayama. Study of the scriptures, is one of the Niyamas in the eight-limbed path of Yoga, otherwise known as Astanga. The eight-limbed path was developed by the father of Yoga, Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutras over 2000 years ago. I am also committing myself to spending even more time in meditation, as well as, developing in other pratices of Pranayama. And, I am also going to practice some hot Yoga, as well.

The Spring Equinox is one of the most powerful times of the year, as it is the turn, the shift toward light and summer. In April-May, spiritually-minded individuals all over the planet honor this powerful time with a tradition called Navaratri, a nine-day celebration which happens twice a year honoring the transition into summer (lightness) and winter (darkness). It's a time of clearing out old-regressive energy to give birth to a new, enlightened, healthier reality. So whatever it is, as we release Winter and grow positively into Spring, decide to commit yourself to some path which is going to bring about positive results for you, whether it's Yoga, meditation, pranayama, study of the scriptures, eating healthier, or all of it. If you do, you will find everything in your life improves simultaneously, and you will blossom forth into Spring feeling the positive energy of Life with you.

Namaste!

"As our health improves everything in our life improves simultaneously." -David Wolfe
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This is AWESOME. Ok, well, first of all, I attended a Yoga workshop with Senior Anusara Yoga Instructor, Desiree Rumbaugh, this past Friday. I had studied with her once before, about two years ago, when she came to Dallas for the first time. This was her second visit to Dallas...she is so inspired and ignited with inspiration, it is completely infectious. She has been practicing Yoga for twenty-two years! It's almost mind-boggling to imagine a practice of any kind sustaining that length of time. And, she is fifty! You can watch this incredible video tribute to her which illuminates the amazing Yoga practitioner and teacher she is. She has been featured on the cover of Yoga journal several times...

I've always greatly appreciated Anusara Yoga for its inspired emphasis on physical and spiritual alignment and its focus on healing the body, mind and spirit. Anusara Yoga is the style developed by John Friend, who is actually a fellow Ohioan. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland and now lives in the Woodlands near Houston, Texas. Anusara Yoga has one of the largest followings on the planet, with over 200,000 practitioners, and Desiree is one of Anusara Yoga's master teachers. I'm looking forward to sharing some of the insight and openings I received from the class.

One of the things I appreciated most about the class was Desiree's enlightenment about love. When we began the class she said, we are going to focus on love. She then went on to say, most of us think of love as a feeling. But, love is not a feeling because if it was a feeling it would be fleeting. Love is our ability to give our attention fully to someone or something, including our own self. Yoga is such an incredible vehicle because it teaches us how to love our own body, and therefore our own self, and through this, we are able to love others as we love ourself. Love is our ability to be fully present. All of our life is a journey, an evolution at becoming better and better at being present, at being able to give our attention fully, to our breath, to the moment, to our body, to our self, to our lover, our community, our work, our planet, etc...

She then went on to talk about something I had heard nothing about. Apparently, we are in the age of Aquarius, and not coincidentally, this Valentine's Day was the day the stars aligned to usher in this energetic transformation on the planet. Here is a little excerpt from this article online, but you've got to read the whole thing...it's fascinating!

Aquarian Alignment Valentines Day 2009

"Remember Hair? Well.. now we have a date, February 14th,2009.
The moon will be in the 7th house. Jupiter will align with Mars. Which, if we old hippies are right, will mean.. peace WILL guide the planets and love WILL steer the stars. Finally, this IS the dawning of the age of Aquarius! (Will someone please tell Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh et al.)

In mid February a rare astrological concentration brings together a number of planets together with the North Node - denoting higher purpose - in Aquarius that energizes and inspires the possibility for transcendental breakthrough in some perhaps seemingly intransigent situations.

We measure our global sense of both space (latitude and longitude) and time (universal time - UT or GMT) from the prime meridian located at Greenwich, England. So we can perceive the collective influence of this momentous astrological event by looking at the alignment from this globally 'centered' perspective.

When we do something extraordinary and exquisite emerges.

At dawn on 14th February the day dedicated to St Valentine, the patron saint of Love, the Moon in Libra enters the seventh house of relationships. And Jupiter and Mars are aligned in Aquarius in the twelfth house of spiritual transformation.

Forty years ago, the intuitive words of a song called Aquarius, brought the dawning of the new age into our collective awareness:

When the Moon is in the seventh house

and Jupiter aligns with Mars.

Then love will rule the planets

and peace will steer the stars

At dawn on 14th February the Cosmos actually embodies this perfect alignment to support our collective manifestation of love and peace and dawning of the Age of Aquarius."

Desiree talked about this incredible time we are in, and actually said, that for real, the shift that is taking place is we are realizing a transformation in the quality of our relationships to reflect this loving consciousness, knowing love not as a feeling, but as the quality of our presence with ourself and with each and everyone. This shift is bringing healing to our planet and to our relationships. She was funny when she said she is so excited about this recession! She was saying what a gift it is that this has been happening to the economy. If it weren't for the recession, our attention would still fully be on attainment, and money, and material things, which we realize, are NOT the Source of happiness. They are artificial fulfillment with temporary satisfaction. The Source of happiness is the quality of our relationship with our self and with each and everyone...this is where we find our joy, in loving one another. When we first begin Yoga, for most of us, our practice is pretty rough and not very graceful. But through dedication and time, our practice becomes gradually refined and this refinement is reflected in every aspect of our life. I am so grateful I got to study with Desiree this past weekend. I'm also looking forward to Sri Dharma Mittra coming to Dallas at the end of April. If you live in Dallas and practice with me, Carpe Yoga and YourSELF and attend this workshop! We are so fortunate this Yoga Master is coming to Dallas. Studying with him transformed my life in many ways when I first studied with him in April of 2008. So, I hope you will join me for this rare opportunity.

I also just started reading The Hatha Yoga Pradipika. This is, perhaps, a little advanced for the beginning Yoga practitioner, but one that as a dedicated Yogi, we all ought to read at some point in time. I am reading it as part of my 200 hour certification with Shiva Rea, so I will be enjoying spending much time reading and studying this, and several other books, in the year ahead as I complete my 200 hour certification with her. We are so fortunate to receive the gift of Yoga...

Namaste!
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(That's the title of the post I was looking for.)
(Picture of Enrique and Jenny in their kitchen...)

So, let's see...where did we leave off? I've been back in Dallas just over a week since returning from Costa Rica. Costa Rica left a permanent mark on my soul. It was eye-opening and enlightening on so many levels. Because of the awesome guidance of Global Soul Adventures founder, Kate LaCroix, we had the opportunity to really immerse ourselves in the Costa Rican community with cross-cultural exchanges, as well, while we were there. One of the days we were there, we got to have lunch with a local family right in their oceanside home. I know that sounds plush, but to say it was a house is really not an accurate description, at least in the way we think of a home here in the U.S. Enrique and Jenny's home, which is about 200 yards from the Pacific Ocean on the side of a cliff, and actually resembles more of a shack, earn a living fishing. They both awake early in the morning to go out to the ocean to catch fresh fish, which they then sell in the town of Montezuma and also make delicious Ceviche with. With hardly anything, and what we might consider here in the U.S. to be poverty stricken, they were two of the brightest souls I have met. They both had so much joy in their heart...it was infectious, and their joy had nothing to do with their belongings. It came from their heart, which is the only place joy can flow from. They were in touch with the Light and the Light shines through their eyes. I am grateful to have gotten to meet them and to have been invited into their home. Meeting Enrique and Jenny has brought greater Light to this idea of a recession here in the U.S., or even globally. What are we really receding from...stuff? Realizing we don't need hardly any of the stuff we think we do and that 'stuff' is not the key to happiness? Perhaps, this supposed recession is more of a wake-up call to the reality that joy is not anything that can be bought. The Source of joy lies in our heart and in our connection to the Source of life itself. There are many ways to call this Source, but it is that Energy which ignites the beat of each of our hearts into existence...it is the igniting Energy or the Presideing Intelligence pulsating through all of Creation.

Something I've been meditating on since returning from Costa Rica is the cycle of pleasure and pain. I went to Costa Rica knowing it was going to be an immensely pleasurable experience. But, I also considered that upon returning, I might find there would be pain waiting for me on my doorstep, and there was. I have learned that when we seek pleasure, it is usually to avoid pain. This doesn't mean we shouldn't allow ourselves to experience pleasure, but experiencing it with Consciousness is key to being able to befriend any pain that waits for us on the other side. If we consider any worldly pleasure we seek, is it not in some way to avoid experiencing an underlying pain? There is an enlightening quote from the Bhagavad Gita about this very awareness.

"One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor; and is ever steadfast with the Supreme Self." - Bhagavad Gita

"Treating pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike, engage yourself in your duty. By doing your duty this way you will not incur sin."- Bhagavad Gita

So what does this mean for us then? The good news is that at some point, they no longer seem like they are on two ends of the spectrum. The other day as I was practicing Yoga, I was experiencing pain from a relationship in my life. Where in the past I may have cursed this pain, I actually started laughing out loud while I was doing my Chatturanga push-ups. So, such is life...if we are going to enjoy the intenstity of pleasure, we must not be afraid to experience the intensity of pain, for both enrich us and enlighten us, ultimately. At the same time, we can practice being Conscious in the midst of our pleasure seeking. And, learn to love our tension...which I'll be back to write more about soon.

"It is within the experience of everyone that when pleasure and pain reach a certain intensity they are indistinguishable." - Arnold Bennett

"LIFE is a mosaic of pleasure and pain-grief is an interval between two moments of joy. Peace is the interlude between two wars. You have no rose without a thorn; the diligent picker will avoid the pricks and gather the flower. There is no bee without the sting; cleverness consists in gathering the honey nevertheless." - Sri Sai Baba

May we know the joy that is beyond the grasp of the senses with each breath we breathe...Namaste! Read more

(I tried to publish this post a couple of days ago, but was having technical issues. Don't you love when you can troubleshoot your own issues! If Yoga is anything, it's discovering how we are a cause in our own struggle.)

I have returned from my trip to Costa Rica...and it was increible. It was such a treat to be able to go on this retreat, especially with all that has unfolded in my life recently with the passing of my father.

It was awesome to get to spend time away and be able to absorb such positive energy from the incredible Force of Nature all around me. Costa Rica is completely gorgeous. If you've never been, you must go. We went to a fantastic place called Montezuma, which sits at the tip of the Peninsual de Nicoya on the Pacific Ocean. It is a small town and still surprisingly untarnished by tourism. It has managed to maintain its quaint and charming character in the middle of a tropical paradise. We stayed at the Hotel Los Mangos, which is surrounded by lush rainforest with an ocean view. We saw and heard the monkeys sitting on the front porch of our bungalow. We practiced Yoga in the open-air pavilion overlooking the ocean, and we dined at a fabulous, organic, vegetarian restaurant called Organico, where we met and connected with many other Yoga enthusiasts. The group of us who went shared a magical experience together and it touched each of us in a life-changing way. I thank Kate, Lisa, Sarah and Jill for sharing in this incredible, uplifting experience with me and being there for themselves and for one another. What the culmination of these changes and awakening experiences will be, nobody knows, but it ignited something within each of us, and once lighted, this fire awakens a burning desire to live life to the fullest, and to not take one day for granted waiting for some better tomorrow to come.

That reminds me of lyrics from a Dave Matthews song called Cry Freedom where he says...the future is no place to place your better days.

So, what's next? I am thrilled about the inspiration I am experiencing in my Yoga practice. Yoga has opened me up to the power of its healing potential. It's amazing to come to my mat with whatever tension I am experiencing physically, which usually originates on the mental/emotional realm, and to know I can turn to my practice for healing and positive change. The practice is not really what we do on our mat, but how we allow the gentle insights and guidance we receive from our Yoga practice or meditation to translate and transform into our life. Following that guidance and inspiration is our Yoga practice. The rest is just poses, breathing and tools to put us in touch with big mind, as Erich Schiffman would say. We also watched the Y Yoga documentary while we were in Costa Rica. It was awesome. In it they talk about the purpose of Yoga being healing, and that this is what we each truly need now.

So, I am inspired to be on this journey of healing and transformation we are on together. It is a time of positive change and healing and we are ready to align with the intelligent Flow that already knows exactly where we need to be.

Om shanti!

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