What inspires you most? Is it sustainability? community agriculture? art? Is it creative energy? dance? burning man costume making? Is it cooking and sharing food with friends? Is is renegade food-sourceing? Is is helping others in need? sharing your heart space with someone over tea? Is it yoga, the sacred cultivation of union, in all its forms? How is do you find the energy to sustain all of you passion and keep your inspiration?
For me, it was a recent trip to probably one the most rejuvenating places on the planet, Eselen on the coast of Big Sur and home to natural hot springs situated on the cliffs above the ocean. The sound the Mother Ocean healing and bringing life to every cell in my body. I joined my teacher, Shiva Rea for a weekend retreat "dedicated to cultivating rasa through an integration of yoga, ayurveda, and sacred art as natural way of bringing balance and sensuous communion to (my) life." Rasa is the "juice," the "essense" of the radiance of life. Its the energy that fills your body with a sense of delight and deep connection with the vibrantcy of all of life. It is what I live for!
Often times, we can loose our passion, weather it be temporarily or for long, seemingly un-ending periods of time. So, what do we do?
Yoga: with the intention of restoring strength, love and peace in our lives.
Self-Care: with the desire to connect to our bodies, to honor our living temple that holds the flame of our hearts, and to love on ourselves. A Dinacharya (a daily routine) can be just the ticket. Dinacharya combines practices like waking with the sun to honor and give thanks for the light in our lives, tounge scraping and netti potting to remove toxins, and my favorite self-abyanga (self massage), where you oil, in long strokes, your bones and joints, slowing massing your skin, your largest organ, your direct connection to all of life, followed by a shower where you take the time to feel the water moving over your skin, slow moving, mindful yoga and meditation which allows to really enjoy the movement of breath, of prana (life force) in your body.
Massage: there is nothing like receiving a massage, just receiving. The massages at Eselen are world famous and the one I experienced was incredible. Though, I must admit, our local talent ... Lucius Wheeler & Julia Deskin ... will save you a 10 hour drive.
Hot Springs: the waters at Eselen are healing waters, hot springs that come out of the earth and flow towards the ocean and pool in tubs right on the cliffs before making their way home. Oregon's Cougar Hot Springs and Breitenbush aren't too far away to go for a day. We also have the Turkish Bath at McMenmin's and epsom salts in the bath tub will do wonders at the end of your day.
Vibrant Food: eating healthfully and with the intention of bringing balance to our systems; simple, brightly colored foods and lots of fresh water, meals shared with friends where the conversations are enjoyed as the words come out of our mouths and the nourishing mana of our meals move down towards our bellies.
and
Deep
Rejuvenating
Rest: summertime is the perfect time to nap in the shade in the afternoon or go to bed early, allowing the waning light of day relax your nervous system, instead of watching tv, surfing the internet, or catching up with friends on facebook when it gets dark, try lighting a candle and just watch as the day's remaining moments of twighlight fade into deep darkness, and you slip off into deep sleep.