Unwrapping the Ordinary

There are times my theme for my yoga classes does not arrive easily - it just simply eludes me....And then it arrives, as a total gift - right at the last minute...

I knew what quotes I wanted to use for this week and what sequence of poses I would use - but things just did not come together in my mind. I was also exhausted from a lot of driving, teaching, and situations that had drained me emotionally...

So, when I started teaching today - I wasn't quite sure what I was going to say. I was glad I was NOT being observed for my yearly review by a peer for my Anusara Yoga certified status!

I was working with a twisting sequence that seemed appropriate after Thanksgiving. Twisting poses have a way of releasing all that does not serve us and contributes to detoxing the body - in addition to the mind and soul as well. So I did speak of these things, and then it came to me - as I quoted an excerpt from Macrina Wiederkehr's A Tree Full of Angels - that by detoxing and releasing - "we unwrap the ordinary in order to disclose the extraordinary" - that is, the holiness that in contained in the essence of the ordinary.

My morning students shared their holiday experiences and I had to add, that mine had not quite turned out the way I expected. One of my students then wisely reminded me of my theme the previous week - "cultivating an attitude of gratitude," inviting me to look deeper into a situation that had consumed me emotionally, for there too, was the seed of something to be grateful for.

I thought of reading Christina Sell's blog yesterday - an Anusara certified teacher, who was also gently reminded by another yogini - to look past a certain situation and dwell on all the things that were going well in her life, for these would accentuate the positive and color the rest of her experiences.

As I taught my class this morning, I marveled at the beautiful community that had formed and taken root all around me. This was especially evident when one student shared her husband had lost his job the day before Thanksgiving. Two of my other students with jobs in the same field, jumped in, with offers to help disseminate his resume, and even critique it to make sure it caught the eyes of potential employers...

Here, right before me, was a perfect example of a moment of unwrapping the ordinary - a moment of disclosing and revealing the extraordinary - taking the form of gracious, willing, and generous hearts, who extended a helping hand and embracing arm...

On her way out, one very special soul lingered, and as we shared some recent challenges, she too, wisely noted - how we receive exactly what we need - whether it is or not - what we want or desire...

I was left thinking of Mother Teresa and St. Jane de Chantal who noted, that "we cannot always do great things - but we can always do little things, with great love."

Life is a series of ordinary moments wrapping around the extraordinary. Life - at its essence - is holy. Yes, if one has the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

This Sacred Season of Advent, of waiting, of preparation, of silence, and stillness - beckons to us - inviting us to enter more deeply into the cave of our hearts - our precious temple where the holy resides and knocks, making its presence known...

"When I was blind I found not a door
that led to Thee.
Thou hast healed my eyes;
now I discover doors everywhere;
the hearts of flowers,
the voices of friendship,
memories of lovely experiences.
Each gust of my prayer opens
a new entrance to the vast temple
of Thy Presence."
~ Paramahansa Yogananda

Advent 2009 (Poem)

Today, we begin the Season of Advent. We are also starting to head into a season that is sacred to many religious and spiritual traditions. And so, as I reflected on the coming season of Advent for Christians, I found myself writing these words last night...

Advent 2009

I enter quietly
And softly
Into this Sacred Season
Of Silent Waiting,
Into this Holy Season
Of Soul Preparation,
Into this Blessed Season
Of Deep Longing

I Wait
And I Prepare
Because:

"O-Beloved One!
I am dying of yearning
to rise!"

I am Dying
of Yearning
To Become
Word Made Flesh
In My Own Words,
And Deeds, and
In All That I Am

(Quote - by Macrina Wiederkehr, A Tree Full of Angels, 1988, 1995)

May this coming season of silence and waiting draw you more deeply inward, to the true treasures stored in the cave of your heart!

Living in a World of Theophanies

I spent the last couple of days re-reading portions of A Tree Full of Angels: Seeing the Holy in the Ordinary, by Macrina Wiederkehr, a monastic. Years ago, before I had heard of this book, I came across this quote from its introduction, which I used as a reading at the end of my classes at the time:

"You live in a world of theophanies.
Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary.
There are burning bushes all around you.
Every tree is full of angels.
Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb.
Life wants to lead you from crumbs to angels,
but this can happen only if you are willing
to unwrap the ordinary by staying with it
long enough to harvest its treasure."

There are so many sections of this book that spoke so deeply to me. I wish to share some other quotations here:

"There is a yearning deep in the human heart - so deep is it an ache within. An ache for God...! The ache in our heart needs to be fed. Crumbs are entirely sufficient. Crumbs are those small things that the world would toss aside, seeing little value in them. However, to the one who lives under the eye of God, they are far from valueless...For the person who has learned to see with the inner eye, there are no leftovers...

Will I harvest the angels hidden in those crumbs? The incredible gift of the ordinary! Life comes streaming from the table of daily life. Will I be there to catch the rays or will I remain blind to the holy because I'm too busy to see? Am I too busy with my own agenda to let God's agenda bless me?

There is nothing - no thing, no person, no experience, no thought, no joy or pain - that cannot be harvested and used for nourishment on our journey to God...

Everything in your life is a stepping-stone to holiness if you recognize that you do have within you the grace to be present to each moment. Your presence is an energy that you can choose to give or not give. Every experience, every thought, every word, every person in your life is a part of a larger picture of your growth....

Let everything energize you. Let everything bless you...

Your emptiness accepted creates a space for God in your life. When you embrace that emptiness, God can begin to fill you...Sin is trying to fill up your own life rather than allowing God to fill you. Sin is being willing to stay where you are rather than go through the pain and joy of being in process...

Sorrow makes it impossible for us to be absent, and so, blesses us with real presence...

A word of kindness is a Word made Flesh!

How do I pray? I listen. I talk, I weep. I am silent. I embrace the beloved. I gaze with reverence. I wonder and adore. I share my needs. I have tea with God. I give gifts. I receive gifts. I give thanks and I say I am sorry. I get angry. I show God all my life, including my very divided heart. I relax. I'm at home. Sometimes I read a poem or tell God a story. Sometimes I dance. God loves stories and poems and dances...

O-Beloved-One, I am dying of yearning to rise..."

I think I will end this here - I think I leave you with enough food for thought - enough crumbs to nourish your soul and satiate your hunger. For those who will be celebrating tomorrow the First Sunday of Advent - a "Season of Waiting" - and of "Soul Preparation" - take a moment to notice the theophanies in your life. Weave them into something beautiful for God. And perhaps, you too - may see a tree full of angels!

Advent Blessings!

How to Expand Love

A few years ago, the Dalai Lama wrote a book titled, How to Expand Love, that is filled with wonderful meditations to deepen this practice in one's life. His Holiness noted, that everything is always in a state of change. Nothing remains stable - not even our feelings towards our loved ones or friends.

I re-read portions of this book late last evening, and while all the meditations and practices are of great value, I will highlight one that caught my eye. I highly recommend however, reading the book in its entirety to benefit from the systematic plan that is laid out in its pages for expanding our capacity for love...

• Consider that during the span of this lifetime, there is no certainty that specific individuals will always be friends, enemies, or neutral. Consider examples of this from your own life - a neutral person who became a friend; a neutral person who became an enemy; a friend who became neutral, or an enemy; an enemy who became a friend.

• Visualize that a friend who has helped a lot in this lifetime brought harm to you in a previous lifetime and was neutral at other times.

• Imagine that an enemy who has harmed you in this lifetime was neutral in some other life and brought repeated benefits in another.

• See that in the longer perspective of many lifetimes, friend, enemy, and neutral observer have all equally helped and harmed you or your friends, so it cannot be concluded that they are solely one way or other.

• Realize that in terms of the long course of beginning-less rebirth, none of us could decide that someone who helped or harmed us in this life has been doing so for all lifetimes.

• Decide that it is not right to single out one for intimacy and yet another for alienation.

While I realize that not everyone reading this blog subscribes to a belief in reincarnation, I do feel you can still benefit from this practice. You can imagine the lifetimes as being different stages or epochs in your life. Or, you can visualize these situations as hypothetical ones, or resort to an the understanding that at the very least, the concept of rebirth resides in the "collective unconscious" so eloquently described by Carl Jung. Whatever path taken, we must all realize that everything changes - including those relationships that may seem changeless. For everything, there is a season.

During the coming season - sacred to so many traditions - let us all re-commit to expanding love and making this world a better place!

Thanksgiving Day Blessings on Land and Water

Blessings come in so many ways. In ways that are expected - and in ways that are not...

I arise on this, Thanksgiving Day - and it is blanketed in fog. I go down to the river - there is a yearning inside of me to see it - to connect with this river that has played such a pivotal role in my life. It has been raining for days and I can't remember when I last brought Grace, my kayak, down to these riverbanks, to commune with these healing waters...

The river is breathtakingly beautiful. The skies are totally gray - as is the river itself. The sky and the waters merge - in their oneness - they are only separated by a haze of bare trees - acting as an ethereal silhouette, softly etched in the fog. I think of the description of creation from the Book of Genesis - and it seems that now, for the first time, I am seeing the dome in the sky separated from the waters below. The scene before me is so haunting, I lose myself in it. The waters are totally still - as still as my soul...

I give thanks on the riverbanks - for all that is - and for all that is not. I give thanks for the opportunities, the blessings, the sorrow - for all that has made me - without any indication of what the day might hold for me...

As always, my Twitter and Facebook family, and friends, do not disappoint - so many beautiful postings touch my heart...

"God has two dwellings:
one in heaven, and the other
in a meek and thankful heart."
~ Isaak Walton

"Oh Lord who lends me life,
lend me a heart replete with thankfulness."
~ Shakespeare

"Wear gratitude like a cloak
and it will feed every corner
of your life."
~ Rumi

"Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow."
~ Melody Beattie

"The depth and willingness
with which we serve
is a direct reflection of our gratitude."
~ Gordon T. Watts

"Saying 'thank you' creates love."
~ Daphne Rose Kingma

"I awoke this morning
with devout thanksgiving for my friends,
the old and the new."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"No duty is more urgent
than that of returning thanks."
~ St. Ambrose

I am grateful for what is - and what is not. I am grateful for what brings me joy - and what brings me sorrow - for this too - has made me the embodied soul that I am - and it brings me even closer to God's Heart.

I end, with wise words from Paramahansa Yogananda for today:

"We put forth our hands to receive God's gifts of life and sun and food and all the other things He bestows on us; but even as we receive them, we are unmindful of the Giver. If you have lovingly given presents to someone and then find out that he never thinks of you, how hurt would you feel! God feels that way too."

Thanksgiving blessings to all!

A Thanksgiving Prayer and Blessing

Yesterday evening, I went to sub for a friend of mine - a beautiful yogini who has been traveling with John Friend in South America. Her class consisted of a wonderful group of funny and welcoming students. We had a great time. Two were celebrating birthdays. One of the two was a bit older than the second person, so we joked about one being a "bordeaux" and the other a "port" as opposed to a "beaujolais." I often use this imagery to explain that some of us need to take time to experience and taste our poses. Like aged fine wines, we need to "breathe our poses..."

But, that was not my theme. I continued using my theme of cultivating an attitude of gratitude...

At the end of class, I played this song by Eliza Gilkyson, called "Prayer 2000". Years ago, my own teacher used this in her own class during Thanksgiving week, and I have used it with my own students ever since. It is a beautiful reminder of all the things we have to grateful for, and it became an anthem of sorts for me.

Prayer 2000

Thank you for the sun
Thank you for the full moon
Thank you for my true love's face
And our lives and love consumed

Thank you for the stars
A home along the river
Thank you for the ancient groves
And the fishes brown and silver

Ponies running wild
Grass enough for grazing
Water flowing clean and pure
All the beauty that saves me

Thank you for the dawn
Oceans rise and falling
Children born to carry on
In the end that's always coming

Thank you for the songs
Thanks for all my good luck
All the things that don't go wrong
And the hopes that don't give up

Thank you for my tears
Loved ones who forgave me
Thank you for my darkest years
All the sorrow that made me

Thank you for my tears
Loved ones who forgave me
Thank you for my darkest years
All the sorrow that made me
And the beauty that saved me

This song is haunting for me. In many ways, it symbolizes the last two years of my life, and what I have learned to be grateful for...

I ended class by sharing this quote by Meister Eckhart:

"If the only prayer
you say is thank you,
it would be enough."

At the end of class, a beautiful student approached me and shared how a great aunt of hers, 94, had passed on last week. She was in a hospice. After having been helped to get to the bathroom, she turned to the person assisting her, and said very simply, "thank you." It was the last thing she said. She died with those words on her lips.

This student thought I would appreciate hearing this story. And it was an incredible gift to me. I also thought of how blessed it would be to die with these two words on your lips - "thank you!" So many traditions teach that how one dies determines more than anything else, what happens in the afterlife. I could only imagine the beauty of this woman's living that was in implicit in her dying.

Today, take a moment to say "thank you" - in more ways than one. There is so much to be grateful for!

More on Gratitude

I posted these these quotes this morning on the subject of gratitude:

"Gratitude is like a muscle.
The more we do with it
the stronger it gets."
~ Jon Gordon

"THANK YOU.
They are two words
that have the power to transform."
~ Jon Gordon

"If the only prayer you ever say is thank you,
it will be enough."
~ Meister Eckhart

And these entries come from Paramahansa Yogananda's Spiritual Diary for the last few days:

"Thanksgiving and praise open in your consciousness the way for spiritual growth and supply to come to you. Spirit pushes Itself out into visible manifestation as soon as a channel is opened through which it can flow. You should be thankful for everything at all times. Realize that all power to think, and speak, and act comes from God, and that He is with you now, guiding and inspiring you."

"When the summer of good fortune warms my tree of life, it easily burgeons with fragrant blossoms of thankfulness. During winter months of misfortune, O Lord, may my denuded branches changelessly waft towards Thee a secret scent of gratitude."

"Every day should be a day of thanksgiving for the gift of life: sunshine, water, and the luscious fruits and greens that are indirect gifts of the Great Giver..."

And finally, from myself:

"Be grateful.
Dwell less and less
on what you want,
and more and more
on what you have."

Thanksgiving Releases Joy

Everywhere, and in every place, there are so many bright souls and hearts focusing right now on the beauty and sacredness of this season of Thanksgiving and its relationship to joy.

I paraphrase and share excerpts from this e-card that I received from Mary Robinson Reynolds today, because it contains such inspirational and appropriate reminders of what is really important for all of us to consider and reflect on as we celebrate Thanksgiving...

"We give thanks for the love we've shared,
the love we hope to share,
and the return of loved ones to our homes.

This is our blessing,
this is our bounty,
this is our thanksgiving.

We pray from Psalm 122 that there may be:
'Peace with our walls,
and prosperity within our palaces.'
Let us be fully present in this moment,
that we may be truly giving and for-giving.
May there be peace within our families.

The secret of the power of joy is this--
giving is that which releases joy
and this feeling, this realization of joy,
is all that matters.

Invincible forces are ever working
in and through this time of harvest.
Praise and give thanks--
this is the greatest blessing
for the joy that it contains within,
and the power to do good.

May good things be yours in abundance
not only at Thanksgiving
but in all moments
throughout the year as well."

Know, that when we give thanks, when we are grateful - joy flows like a river - from our hearts to others. As Paramahansa Yogananda once wrote:

"From joy I came.
For joy I live.
And in Sacred Joy
I shall melt again."

Or, as Marianne Williamson noted:

"Joy is what happens to us
when we allow ourselves to recognize
how good things really are."

Give thanks! And now, go spread some joy to your friends, co-workers, and families!

Every Good Deed (Poem)

I am off to a very full day of teaching yoga philosophy - the first of two days - consisting of a detailed and comparative look at Classical Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra, to be covered on this day. Then, an overview of the kleshas, koshas, and tattvas - both in Samkya and Tantra tomorrow.

I awaken this morning rested, and full, from a wonderful Friday. I had lunch with a very dear friend, and we were waited on by the most attentive young man, who took the time to make our espresso and cappuccino in the same manner as they are prepared in Rome. It took me back to that magnificent city. Truly, the best cappuccinos and espressos I have ever savored, were the ones I had in Italy...

Then, I met some more dear friends who have traveled the spiritual path with me for many years, for drinks and appetizers. It was truly a delight to see how all of these friends I spent my day with have grown - one not only as a yoga teacher, but as an incredible human being - and the others - not only as spiritual human beings and wonderful parents - but as the innovators and founders of a non-profit company that sells crystals to healers all over the world. I have been privileged to watch both sets of friends emerge from their cocoons, and give wings to their dreams. All three of them are changing the planet - one person at a time...

My heart is filled with gratitude - for these friends - and so many others that have touched my life and soul so deeply...

I wrote this poem a few days ago, and it seems appropriate to share here, because it goes well with this theme of gratitude that I have been reflecting on, and which I plan on using in my yoga classes in the coming week...

Every Good Deed

Every Good Deed
Every Kind Word,
Every Act of Love--
Reverberates Eternally

No Act of Kindness
No Embrace Given,
No Love Offered--
Is ever Lost

Somewhere,
Out there--
I hope all my Good Deeds,
Well-wishes,
And Good Thoughts,
Outweigh the Moments
I Failed to Love
And be Compassionate

In my Heart of Hearts,
I Believe this is so

Be Mindful
Of your Thoughts
Your Words,
Your Actions--
For all the Good you Do,
is Eternal

Every Act of Love
And Compassion
is never Forgotten
And Dances Forever
In God's Heart

Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

This morning, I wake up with gratitude in the deepest recesses of my heart, for all that is - and what is not.

I am grateful for the simple things - the gift of life, of friends, a cup of Italian espresso bought in Paris, and the opportunity to sleep in and lazily stay in bed a little longer...

I am grateful for those hearts that have brought joy into my own - like beacons - they have helped me navigate the way out of deep sorrow...

In this season of giving thanks, I am reminded of how important it is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude - in everything we do and say. And when we do, we notice subtle shifts in ourselves and those around us - beauty blooms all around us. What we say and do - matters. What we appreciate and our expression of it - also matters. WE matter!

I think of a dear student and friend who said to me, months ago, when I was emerging from deep depression like a butterfly - "Your life so matters!" It gave me the ability to see light where I had previously only seen darkness...

I am blessed, in more ways than one. I have friends that share my spiritual path - so many committed to furthering their lives spiritually through their practices of asana, meditation, and prayer - and for all of these wonderful blossoms who have come into my life, I give thanks...

This morning, I found this wonderful e-card from Mary Robinson Reynolds sitting in my inbox, and it crystalizes so many of my feelings in this moment...

"The season of Thanksgiving is upon us.
Giving thanks for family,
and friends,
and Life's Gifts
and Simple Pleasures

The smells coming from the kitchen,
the hugs, the Love, the kisses...

Giving thanks for all the stuff
relationships are made of

Giving thanks for the year's challenges
and opportunities

For this year's harvest,
and this year's bounty

As we prepare to share the happiness
of this Thanksgiving

(And here I add my own words)

Take a moment to thank someone
for their friendship
their companionship -
and for sometimes helping you learn
the painful lessons
you must learn and embody

Take a moment
to be grateful
and always, in every moment
cultivate an attitude
of gratitude."

I was also warmed this morning, by so many inspirational quotes from my Twitter family, and will share a few here...

"May this day open your heart
to new levels of joy
so you can witness a new world
of pure light and Divine Love."
~ MichaelBathurst

"Take a moment in sweet silence today
to witness all your inner glory
and serve your highest self with respect."
~ MichaelBathurst

"Flowers grow out of dark moments."
~ Sister Corita Kent

"Best of all, preserve everything,
in a pure, still heart."
~ Conrad von Gesner

"Every tomorrow,
is determined by every today."
~ Yogananda

Blessings sent to all of you, in a shower of grace. Today, give thanks. Share it. Embody it. Let everything be a reflection of cultivating an attitude of gratitude.

Thank YOU - for reading this, and sharing my journey!

And one last Twitter posting:

"Give often. Be guided by intuition.
Keep your feet on the ground.
Lift your heart to the world.
Express unconditional compassion.
It is the way."
~ ShamAnArtist

Cultivate an Expectation of Grace

It was a full and rich weekend, of teaching yoga on the other side of the river, and re-connecting with college friends. Many of the moments were filled with grace and offered its own beautiful blessings...

As I rode to teach classes yesterday morning - subbing for a wonderful teacher - I marveled at the beauty of the fog lifting all around me, and thought of it as a veil lifting and revealing the manifestation of the Divine in every aspect of creation. The beauty simply took my breath away!

I began this Monday morning as I have for some time now - with my wonderful garden of yoginis. My students engaged their core very exuberantly, by working strongly with Kidney Loop. They worked hard, and went into their back bodies - initiating their poses from there - and radiantly expressing them fully - from their hearts. I marveled at what I saw - and felt humbled and honored by the beauty they shared with me. What a gift to walk this journey with others - of opening to grace and aligning bodies, minds, hearts and souls as one!

As a wonderful yogini often likes to tell her students, "Grace always has your back!"

I look forward to playing with my other classes and wonderful students this week as we continue to work the core by applying the Anusara Yoga Universal Principles of Alignment. Every day I teach, invites me to open to grace - encourages me to receive grace - and bids me to extend grace more fully to others as well...

After various errands, I rode the currents of my grace filled morning down to the river for a few moments. I would have loved to go in - it was in many ways a perfect day for kayaking, but other activities took up my time. The river was calm and the day was splendidly warm as well. The trees are just about totally bare of leaves now. After surveying the river for a while, I sat in my car, did my Kriyas and meditated, and remembered a grandmother who would have been 104 years old today...

A couple of days ago, I received this from a friend from a newsletter she receives, titled, "To You, Love God."

"Cultivate an expectation of grace.

You can awaken fully and easily with this simple shift in your thinking. Once you begin to expect grace, you will experience it. Expecting grace makes this moment peaceful and devoid of strife. Expecting grace makes the next moment full, rich, and abundant.

Your life seems to be moving; this is your perception. If this be so, why not expect that around each corner is a blessing? Begin to anticipate something good and you will discover it waiting on the stoop when you open your door.

This day, cultivate an expectation of grace."

Truly, a wonderful reminder. And so, I will cultivate an expectation of grace today!

Amazing Grace, 54 Salutations, Anjaneyasanas, and Blessings

On this, my 54th birthday, I sleep in a little, listening to the rain, and enjoying the quiet of a late fall morning...

I am meditating, in my sacred space, ten minutes after arising...

I read these wonderful words from Yogananda's Spiritual Diary:

"The Searcher of Hearts
wants only your sincere love...
When your love for Him
is as great as your attachment
to your mortal body,
He will come to you."

What beautiful words to read, first thing, on this, my birthday! I sit for an hour, communing deeply with the Divine, offering deep gratitude for my life, for the little things, for the people in it, and for the challenges as well...I make a special birthday request for all those I know who are currently in pain and suffering - and for a special friend...

I go to get coffee and then go down to the river...Several feet of drowned leaves hug the riverbanks. It has rained non-stop for days, but in this moment that I visit this river that has played such a significant role in my life, it has stopped. I step lightly into the river, and it is as far as I will get with performing river ablutions today...

Rain, on one's birthday is an auspicious gift, and this is the second year in a row it has rained on my birthday...Last year, at this time, I had not fully emerged from depression, but the seeds had been already sown for a tremendous change in the course and direction of my life. I had no idea then, the opportunities that would come my way, offered as sacred blessings...

I return home and am overwhelmed by the birthday messages on Facebook, and in my inbox - nearly 70 in the morning, and it continues to steadily grow throughout the day...

I receive beautiful gifts and cards from my husband, and flowers from a friend...I take two of the roses and put each one in a bud vase and place them on the altar in my sacred space...

At noon, I go down to do my 54 sun salutations - a beautiful custom I adopted at 50, from a friend who has done them for years. Today, they are modified, but I offer them none-the-less - punctuated by 54 anjaneyasanas - the "signature pose" of Anusara Yoga, chosen by John Friend, because it exemplifies devotion - which is the heart of this practice...

I place my mat down over the small canvas labyrinth that I have, and begin my practice to Tanmayo's rendition of "Amazing Grace," which I wrote about in my blog entry of October 31st. I listen to my current favorite playlist of yoga songs, including songs by Snatam Kaur, Deva Premal, and a dear friend's rendition of "The Water is Wide," among others...

I begin by offering gratitude for the gift of life, and the many blessings received...Somewhere during the flow of my practice, I close my eyes, and at times slow down, savoring the experience, and at other times I get lost in the practice. It is not pain-free - for yoga and daily life and movement has not been that for a long time. But I release, and let go, knowing that I am much greater than this body, and that the Divine and I are embracing in a Sacred Dance...

I do not necessarily focus on the individual years anymore, as I once did, but at 4, I think of beginning to awaken to my life's mission, and at 14, I think of a special child, now becoming a young woman...At 24, I think of my son...at 34 and 44, other memories arise...

I begin to tire at 35, but soldier on, until coming to 50 - a pivotal year in my life...These last few salutations are much slower, more conscious and deliberate...

I finish and surrender my body to the earth, in savasana - in corpse pose - at the center of the labyrinth - again, to the tune of "Amazing Grace" by Tanmayo - which begins and ends my playlist...

I am exhausted, but satisfied that I completed my salutations. I had no idea if I could do them. But they evolved beautifully, in a sequence that was perfect and appropriate for me...

The mail delivers the last of Yogananda's spiritual lessons. I have studied them for 3 and 1/2 years, and now this journey, too, will end. I receive the last lesson, on this, my 54th birthday, as I received my Kriya Lessons, on my 52nd birthday. There are no coincidences...

I have yet more to accomplish this day. At twilight, I will meditate on the labyrinth that I own - it is a smaller replica of the labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral in France, which I visited the day after my 50th birthday. I have walked replicas of this labyrinth for years - and was granted the grace to go Chartres and experience the labyrinth, where I felt the power of centuries of devoted prayers and supplications offered, embrace me in its center...

I light candles on a big cookie and brownie given to me by two beautiful friends, and sing "Happy Birthday" to myself - something I have never done, and then, smile, and laugh!

The day with end with dinner with my husband and son...It began, anchored in Spirit, with so many blessings bestowed, and so many more to unfold...

Slow, Steady, Opening (Poem)

Yesterday, I was inspired to write this poem after a friend posted a paraphrased quote from Cyndi Lee, as her status on Facebook.

It has been a long, full day, of making wonderful connections with many souls. And so, before I go off to meditate, I leave you with this inspiration that came to me, which I know will incarnate into a theme...

Slow, Steady, Opening

The body is always

a gracious temple of the Divine,

and when it offers itself

wholeheartedly to the practice,

its various sheaths—

layers of being, or koshas,

come into balance

and harmony,

in a state of oneness.

A gifted and wise teacher

deftly instructs her garden

of beautiful yoginis,

each one a unique blossom

and embodiment of grace,

to deepen their experience,

by releasing their affliction,

or klesha—

by letting go

of their tendency to cling

to what does not serve

their bodies, minds, or souls:

“Let the quality of aggressive craving,

shift towards a grounded sense

of watching the slow,

steady opening

that happens in the practice.”

One eager awaiting heart

receives what is imparted,

and by gently softening

and melting into grace,

the various layers of her being—

annamaya kosha – the physical body,

pranamaya kosha – the breath body,

manomaya kosha – the mind body,

vijnamaya kosha – the wisdom body,

and anandamaya kosha – the bliss body,

Align with the Divine,

as her soul experiences

the result of slow,

and steady opening

wash over her

with surprise

and elation

Living in Grace

Yesterday, I spent the day with one of my dearest friends, who came to visit and to celebrate my birthday a few days early. We enjoyed each others presence, went for a walk, and deeply shared matters of the heart, and of our spiritual practices and respective life journeys. She is a soul friend, and those are always very precious.

I received beautiful gifts from her - a wonderful chakra banner for my yoga studio, with people doing yoga poses inside of each chakra. She also gave me a wonderful T-shirt, with a kayak in the middle, surrounded by the caption, "Take me to the river!" It captured the role and journey the river has played in my life, and I never would have gone to the river initially, had not this dear soul friend brought me to its riverbanks. Somehow, God divinely inspired her to lead me to a place that would figure so prominently in my journey into healing and greater wholeness.

I presented her with gifts of my own, including my latest poetry book, so appropriately titled, A River of Grace. This river would not have become "a river of grace" for me, without this friend's promptings and guidance...

I have marveled time and time again at how our relationships play such pivotal roles in our growth and healing - if only we let them. Every person and every challenge experienced is an invitation for us to grow...

A few days ago, I received a newsletter from BJ Galvan, one of the most heart-oriented, and dedicated Anusara Yoga teachers that I know. Everything she says is always filled with both grace and shakti energy, and a source of deep inspiration to me. I wish to share part of her newsletter, because it touched me profoundly, and I hope to share her gifts and insights with a wider audience:

"Gazing back over the year, I'm humbled in gratitude and awe at the power...of intention and the power of Grace. It is by Grace that I am living the dreams and visions I held in my heart...So many blessings, too many to even choose a highlight!

Every moment has been a profound initiation into the First Principle of Anusara Yoga, 'Open to Grace.' The very nature of traveling and teaching is an invitation into this mystery, it just gets deeper. Everything is unknown, everything is a mystery!

Traveling is a mystery...I never know how the hosts will receive me...Will they be open? Will I be open to them? Can I meet them in a way that I can offer them the teachings of Anusara Yoga? Every single venue has offered me an opportunity to deepen my appreciation of the power of Grace. A constant practice, it is a moment to moment letting go of my ideas of how things should go and be, softening into the present energy, feeling the energy of the space around me...whoever I'm in relationship with at the moment! Every moment is an opportunity to stay anchored into the Source that holds everything. Everything is the first principle.

This year, as always, I count everything as blessings, every thing is a blessing, a gift of Grace. One of the blessings of yoga is developing the capacity to count those blessings that are disguised as challenges. Can you count losing your home, a friend, or an injury a blessing? Those are thresholds into the first principle, invitations to expand through the challenge, by Grace...When in doubt, when all else fails, count your blessings and choose Grace!

Everyone has become a blessing to me, and it is my highest intention and prayer to be a blessing and serve who ever takes the invitation into one Heart!

May the garden in your heart be sown in ways your life overflows with the most radiant field of wildflower dreams!"

Thank you BJ, for YOUR grace, and your beautiful words of wisdom and invitation to enter more fully into the dance of grace.

Just as I was beginning to write this blog, I came across this Tweet:

"Best state to live in? Grace."

May we all live in Grace!

For more information on BJ Galvan, the full text to her remarks, and her schedule:
www.heartcoreyoga.com

Anusara Invocation

I have so much I would like to share here, but it must wait. My heart is filled with good things, and wonderful experiences, but it must wait.

One of my students asked me to post the "Invocation" we chant at the beginning of every Anusara Yoga class. It is an ancient and very beautiful mantra. So I reproduce it here, with a translation.

OM
The Primordial Sound of the Divine

OM Namaha Shivaya Gurave
I bow to the Presence of the Divine within me -
Who is my True Teacher

Saccidananda Murtaye
Whose Essence inside me, takes on the form of -
Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss

Nishprapanchaya Shantaya
And is always present
and full of Peace

Niralambaya Tejese
Completely free, illuminating all
with Divine Light

Passion and Compassion

I began this Monday morning the way I usually do - with my Monday morning garden of beautiful yoginis. Last week we explored the theme of devotion, stories of Hanuman, and culminated class with Hanumanasana - which is the splits.

This week we continued working with lengthening and releasing the hamstrings by doing poses like Uttitha Hasta Padangusthasana (extended hand to toe pose), and revisiting Hanumanasana, with the theme of "passion and compassion," woven in throughout the class.

After my initial remarks on the theme, I shared this reading from The Radiance Sutras, translated by Lorin Roche, that seemed to illustrate the essence of "passion:"

"When possessed by lust,
or anger,
greed,
arrogance,
jealousy -
Stop!

Dive deeper.
Throw yourself with wild abandon into
the elemental motion of emotion.

Witness:
Fire burning, illuminating,
water gushing, moistening,
air inspiring, soothing,
earth supporting, holding,
space expanding, embracing.

Go deeper still and rest in essence,
awaken to infinite spiritual energy
surging into form."

My own teacher had used the theme of "passion and compassion" in her classes last week, but I chose to go a slightly different route with it.

I noted, that what brings us to a yoga class initially, is not what keeps us there. At first, our practice might be characterized by a lot of passion. But in time, this may give way to compassion - which is a heart quality very much linked to love and devotion. Passion may bring us to the practice, but compassion is the fruit of that practice.

Passion makes us feel vibrantly, and as a result, we hold on to the object of our passion. But compassion, enables us to let go and set things free.

Compassion literally means "to feel with" and it is at the heart of all great spiritual and philosophical traditions. It is compassion that changes us - and yoga as a practice - is a technology for transformation. It connects us to our passion, but ultimately teaches us compassion not only for others - but for ourselves - which is often more challenging for us.

The poet Hafiz once wrote:

"I wish I could show you
when you are lonely
or in darkness,
the astonishing light
of your own being."

My students and I explored and embodied the theme for today with joy, lots of laughter, and at times irreverence as well, and we acknowledged the incredible journey that we are privileged to share together.

I ended class with this reading from The Radiance Sutras, which I felt captured the essence of compassion:

"Extend your awareness
into the body of other living beings,
feel what those others are feeling.

Leave aside your body and its needs,
abandon being so local.

Day by day, constrictions will loosen,
as you become attuned
to the current of life
flowing through us all."

Hidden Blessings

It has been days since I last made an entry. The days have been full and busy. I taught 8 yoga classes this week - which is twice the number I usually teach, and I will be teaching every weekend except for one, through the end of December...

Life has been busy, but as a friend noted recently - it is a good sort of busy. So many wonderful experiences have occurred, many connections have been made, and life has unselfishly dispensed blessings - some unexpected, and some which were initially hidden...

I've been reviewing the book, Falling into the Arms of God: Meditations With Teresa of Avila, by Megan Don, which I read a couple of years ago or so. Here are a number of excerpts from Teresa's writings that have spoken to me once again...

"Soul, you must seek yourself in Me
and in yourself seek Me...

Soul, since you are My room,
my house and dwelling,
if at any time,
through your distracted ways
I find the door tightly closed,
outside yourself seek Me not...

With such skill, soul,
love could portray you in Me
that a painter well gifted
could never show
so finely that image...

For love you were fashioned
deep within me...

It is all a union of love with love...
entirely pure, and so delicate and gentle...
there is no way of describing it...

Lord, how You afflict Your lovers!
But everything is small in comparison
with what You give them afterward...
it is a small drop of water in the sea...

What a wonderful thing it is for two souls
to understand each other,
for they neither lack something to say
or grow tired...

As this heavenly water begins to flow
from this source of which I am speaking -
that is, from our very depths - it proceeds
to spread within us and cause an interior expansion
and produce ineffable blessings...

To this life
worldly love adheres;
Love divine
for the other sighs.
Eternal God, without You,
who can live?

Let nothing disturb you,
let nothing frighten you
everything passes,
God does not change,
patience
everything does obtain."

Moments and Choices of Grace and Blessings

I continue to be gifted with such moments of grace and soul connections - with those I have known - and with those I am coming to know and which the Divine is bringing into my life...

Yesterday, I read a posting by an intuitive that affirmed these very things. We are connecting more and more with like-minded spirits who are in tune with us vibrationally, and we are touching each others lives - helping one another to grow and take vital steps on our sacred paths. We are truly not alone! And we are profoundly transforming ourselves, those around us, and this planet.

I marvel, how in just an hour or two upon awakening, I make several important connections - one with a new Twitter friend who hosts a radio show - another with a life-long friend who has just begun an inspired blog - and still with another friend, who sends me this precious gem, from a newsletter she subscribes to - written as a love letter from God...It contains valuable messages for me, and I wish to share it here...

To: You

"You have chosen.

You have chosen your life.
You have chosen your body.
You have chosen your parents.

YOU have chosen.

No one did anything to you.
You chose.
Perhaps your choices have been painful
and challenging, but your soul
made these choices as part
of the path it walks.
It is a divine path.
Therefore, everything that has happened to you
has been sacred.
It has been a blessing.

Can you begin to see all things as blessings?
Can you begin, this day,
to find gifts wrapped in the misfortunes
you have had?
As you do this,
you will begin to delve evermore deeply
into the truth of who you are."

Blessings come in many ways. In the things that are obvious. And the ones that aren't. Every opportunity that comes our way is an invitation to align with grace - to take the high road - to become most fully whom we are meant to be. This is what I strive to be. This is what I try to do.

It does not mean that I have not failed - for I have - sometimes horribly so. It does not mean that I am not profoundly sorry for the wrongs I have done, and the people I have hurt, sometimes needlessly in my life. But, it does mean - that every day I have the chance to start over. It is up to me. I have that choice. I recognize that there are choices I make daily about the person I want to be, and the life I want to lead, and the legacy I want to leave behind...

Coming Home to My Garden in the Heart

This morning, before teaching my morning garden of yoginis, who all rose to the occasion and the challenge brought before them - devotedly expressing Hanumanasana - some for the first time, I was inspired by a soul who goes by the name "glowiththeflow" on Twitter.

As often happens, I receive exactly the message I am supposed to receive. Even though there is not one individual soul in my life right now that I am primarily sharing everything with, there are many who are very close to me, and I am deeply blessed to be surrounded by exquisite friends - so many wonderful and true soul companions.

But I also realize that Divine Love breaks through to our hearts in many unexpected ways, and for me, there is a legion of like-minded souls in cyberspace that I am in communion with. Thus, I receive exactly what I need to receive, in ways that may be out of the mainstream for many...

"Living multi-dimensionally means we are no longer bound by the constraints of what we have agree upon as time.

We can go back to our past as though it is our present, heal what's up for healing and instantly live new futures.

Much of the wisdom of the past is no longer relevant in these times; choose your truth with your heart, not your memory.

Healing isn't necessarily sequential.

We might temporarily appear to be going backwards, when we are, in fact, moving forward.

Call in Divine Love, observe the process, love yourself wherever you are in your healing, and allow yourself to be led.

If you surrender to Divine Love, you'll find yourself saying and doing things that may scare, astonish, and inspire you.

And in those paradigm-shattering moments, you will live from your Divine essence.

And so it is."

I marvel at how these words, born of someone else's experience, were perhaps recorded and meant for me - destined to touch and move my soul - conveying the message and the suggestions for moving needed energy and working through specific issues that I required...

Life is a constant journey of lessons given, received, learned, and re-learned...

I send a message of gratitude to the author of these words who in turn sends me a beautiful acknowledgment and response, and urges me to "align with grace!"

I bask in both the message received, and my yoginis, who beautifully expressed from the essence of their hearts and souls several new poses, as we worked with the theme of devotion...

I conclude my class with this verse from the Radiance Sutras, as translated by Lorin Roche:

"The One Who is at Play Everywhere says,
There is a space in the heart where everything meets.
Come here if you want to find me.
Mind, senses, soul, eternity - all are here.
Are you here?

Enter the bowl of vastness that is the heart.
Listen to the song that is always resonating.
Give yourself to it with total abandon.

Quiet ecstasy is here -
And a steady, regal sense
Of resting in a perfect spot.

You who are the embodiment of blessing,
Once you know the way,
The nature of attention will call you to return.
Again, and again, answer that call,
And be saturated with knowing,
'I belong here, I am home.'"

I am brought back home again, to my heart, where the Divine dwells, and speaks, and waits...

Transmutation

We begin a new month of sacred energies, and I think of all those things which transmute and transform us...

As the sun begins to set on this day, and I prepare for my evening meditation, I come across this beautiful sutra - or verse - from the Radiance Sutras, an ancient Tantric text, translated by Lorin Roche. It is utterly delicious and full of so much richness, I could easily get lost in it for hours...

"The real transmutation,
The offering to God,
Is to pour the elements of your body,
All of your sensual impressions,
Into the fire of the Great Void.

Your richness of experience
Is the wine that you offer
To the Divinity that is everywhere."

After an afternoon of study and reflection, and preparing my remarks for an upcoming workshop where I will address the yogic concept of the kleshas (afflictions in us which arise due to the ignorance of our true nature), and the koshas (the five sheaths or layers of being of our existence - most of which are subtle and cannot be physically perceived), I take a break and imbibe in the refreshment and wisdom offered by this sutra. Ahhh!