Patience

The thing about some great artists that I really appreciate is their extraordinary patience. (Evidenced by this from Dave Mathews). Patience is not something I'm great at, do you relate? Nate's good at it - great in fact. But I am impatient and have much desire. Desire often unfulfilled in the time frame I wish it to be. But, as I grow up, I recognize how important patience is for the obvious reasons and I crave the peace that comes from it, for the not so obvious reasons. This week I invite you to join me in cultivating inconspicuous patience. I'll let you know what I discover next post. Stay tuned in.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/69895419]

Inspiration & Rejuvenation

What is inspiration? What does is mean to be inspired? What inspires you? Webster's defines inspiration as "a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation." (heavy!) And also, "the act of drawing in; specifically: the drawing of air into the lungs." By these definitions inspiration seems to suggest that one can find inspiration by moving towards the Divine by drawing inward. There are of course many ways this could go. For me, during this time of sabbatical, I'm seeking Divine influence, though lazily, as I need some space. Some perspective. I need rejuvenation - which ironically means "to make young or youthful again: to give new vigor to" and "to stimulate (a stream) to renewed activity especially by uplift."

Sometimes when I'm seeking inspiration or a new spiritual, creative or otherwise mysterious influence, my brains goes all scientific and logical. Does this ever happen to you? It is such an abnormal state for me that when it happens, I pay attention! So, I've come up with a little formula for inspiration.

INSPIRATION = DRAWING INWARD + THE INTERNAL WELLSPRING X STIR UP

I often take my internal time seriously, quietly almost with melancholy perhaps this time I'm going to go inside and stir something up. Something youthful, new, Divine so stay tuned!

ASANA RECOMMENDATIONFOR INSPIRATION: Sirsasana headstand, Vaparita Parani feet up the wall, and Meditation.

Back on the Mat Again

Today I got back on the mat for the 2nd time in gasp ... 4 months. As a yoga teacher/student, this is a big laps. I am pregnant and have been very nauseous so I don't feel any (well) self-criticism, but I do feel sad. I've missed my practice. It feels so good to be on my mat again. Three weeks ago, I taught my "last" regular public class in Bend, OR, said good-bye to my beloved, friends, students and yoga community, packed up all our things into storage, got into the subi with Nate, Brendan, and Coco, traveled and camped for 4 days across the country and landed in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Wisconsin ... We have been here for 2 weeks now. And in 2 weeks, we get back in our car, head back across the country and start our next life chapter in Portland, OR.

For now, I am just trying to find some stable ground. Today, I found it outside with my iPad set up with yogaglo.com amongst the trees on my parents-in-law's property in the midwest countryside. I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to be home (amidst all the change) on the mat.  I am grateful.

Being in the Flow

Nothing gets me more in the flow than live music. Right? Haven't we all experienced the incredible and connecting power of music? Nate and I have decided to go see Sigur Ros at Les Schwab in a few weeks. Nate describes a Sigur Ros concert as ... indescribable, profound, magical, epic. I have never seen them, but I can imagine what will happen under the open sky and the lights with the music playing live and I know it will be magical. That's what happens when we are in the Flow. There is a feeling of magic. Something indescribable and profound happens. I think it happens because everyone is experiencing the same flow, the same epic-ness, yet we are each on our own individual journey. We connect to the music and we connect to ourselves and we sink into this connection and let go. We are in the Flow.

How to Listen

Admittedly, I'm not the best listener. I want to be, but I'm still too into being heard, on my evolutionary journey. Speaking my truth, speaking from the heart, speaking authentically - these are all concepts I have been working on for years and of which I have a good understanding and can do now without as much effort as I once did. What you hear from me, isn't a lie. But after all this time of speaking in this way, I began to wonder if just simply speaking my truth, being true to myself and expressing myself authentically was enough to truly be of service in the world. The answer. No. I have been missing the essential piece of listening. Oh, I can hear myself, no problem. And perhaps in my quest to let go of self-criticism, I have become deaf. You see, it is not enough to speak my truth, from the heart, authentically. I must listen. To be willing to hear, even the negative self-talk so that I can make a choice. But if I don't first hear, we can not choose. Ganesha comes to mind - the great Revealer and Remover of obstacles. Just as Ganesha reveals to remove, so must I listen to let go and hear. There is so much to this concept of listening. My current desire is not so much to stop listening to myself or listening internally- this will be an on-going lifetime journey, but to spend time listening to others, to Nature, to the world around me, so that I can be of true service in the world.

To help me, I turned to TED (see Current Obsessions for awesome TED Talks on listening). And what I learned from speakers on the subject of listening was this:

• If you want to help, shut up and listen! Listen to the people you want to serve. Ask questions like:  Have you tried? Would you be willing to explore? What do you think about? What do you need? and most importantly: What do you want?
• Most people are entirely unconscious of what they listen to, that intention is very important, sound places us in time and space. Listening is the main way in which we experience the flow of time. Listening is something we are losing. Through technology, we can record, we can write, we can blog, and our world has become much louder, filled with sound. We are impatient, we want sound bites. And the art of conversation is being replaced by personal broadcasting. Bingo. Guilty. I crave conversation. I have been missing conversation.
• There is a vast difference between translation and interpretation. It is simply not enough to experience the surface level. We need to listen, to ourselves first, our motivations, our conditioning, etc., but then take time ... take time to listen. We need time with people in order to interpret them, not just translate them.

I would love to hear your thoughts! Let's start a conversation.