Aligning with Grace

I arise early, on this Sunday morning, with the first feeble rays of sunlight seeping into me, and rousing me from sleep. A heavy fog blankets my yard and neighborhood, and I excitedly make my way down to the river in silence... It is breathtakingly beautiful in the park. Herds of deer grazing, breakfast in deep oblivion, illuminated by pristine shafts of early morning light, piercing through the fog and the trees, which punctuate the skies, like exclamation points... I step onto the boat launch, inches from the water, and am silent witness to squirming tadpoles. I yearn to paddle on this exquisite morning, but I must make my way to the other side of the river to teach a very early yoga class... The river before me disappears into the gray mist - blending into the sky and the shoreline of the neighboring state I will momentarily be crossing. I cannot ascertain where one begins and the other ends. I watch a pair of fishermen silently glide away from the shore, swallowed by the thick and...

The light of day is waning, and I am drawn to continue the thread started yesterday, bringing closure to last night's post - especially, since many resonated with it. Are we not, after all, spiritual beings having the same human experience? I would love to report that I had a day devoid of irritations - but it was not so. I am often most irritated when I have expectations - of how others should act or behave - and of how my days should unfold and interactions with others flow. I know. NOBODY appointed me Master of the Universe or Master of Ceremonies! But somehow, I manage to constantly forget it! So, I offer these words by Caroline Myss , from her book, Entering the Castle , which I shared in my " Yoga of Forgiveness " class on the last day we met this past Wednesday. This passage was suggested by a friend. Perhaps, as this day concludes, or begins for some, we may find a kernel of wisdom or two in here that will illuminate the dark spaces within... "Contemplate wha...

I had one of those days where I was constantly irritated, by the littlest things...At being made to wait - rudely at times - ignored by salesclerks at a pharmacy, and at a movie theater. I was irritated at not sleeping enough hours - and spending too many of them in the car this week. All these things made me reflect on forgiveness and accepting what is - lessons that must be learned and re-learned again... The fruit of our meditation or yoga practice can often be noted by a sense of greater patience and capacity for love, compassion, and forgiveness. Sometimes I think I am making progress. Other times, it seems I'm being sent back to the drawing board. There are weeks and days where I am tossed between a mind and attitude trending towards expansiveness - and one that wants to suck on resentments like a lollipop! Did I mention I was also irritated at not meditating as often or as long this week? But then, whose fault is it anyway? This week, I finished my " Yoga of Forgiveness...

On this overcast day, cool and crisp, and reminiscent of the coming fall season, I am drawn to the river once again, with my coffee cup in hand, as I started almost every day, for the course of a year and and a half - three years ago in December... The river calls, and I return again... I came to this river to meditate almost daily, at a time during so many transitions and unanswered questions. I return once more, at a similar time once again, wondering what the future holds, and what will for me, in time unfold... It is hard to see, and harder still to know - what will come and what will be...But one more time, the river calls, and it still flows... I return again, not sure what to answer - or even ask... But this is a different river. They say you never step into the same river twice...My heart longs to get into the water to paddle, but I have deadlines to meet, and preparation for teaching and subbing for others this week...So I pause for just a moment, to offer these words... I wal...

Dreams can deliver powerful messages to us, if we have the ears to hear, the eyes to see, and the openness and wisdom to understand... This summer, I have had many powerful and sometimes disturbing dreams. Each and every one of them has arrived, knocking on the doors of my heart, bearing insights I cannot ignore... Some dreams have been frightening, waking me up with a dreadful start. All of them - vivid and lucid - arrived delivering unmistakable messages. I believe that once I gave the intention earlier this summer to no longer depend on others for direction, and trust my intuitions instead, my dreams - taking center stage - manifested incredible power, authority, and wisdom from the Other Side... In one recent and memorable dream, the father of a dear friend of mine, who transitioned a few years back, came to me in a beautiful garden, populated by very happy beings. He gave me a very poignant message and spiritual advice. I was later told that he has visited a number of my friend...

The afternoon begins its measured descent into the waning light of day, as it deliberately chases the coming evening and its blanketing darkness. The golden light and the length of summer days reverses its trajectory and yields its gains without fanfare towards the advancing Autumn. In this sacred time between light of day, and dark of night, I take a moment to re-visit where I am, embraced by my eternal yearning, for greater solitude... I am not drawn to write, or to be with others, at this time, and I even refrain from the pull of social networking sites - choosing instead, to journey more deeply inward into a place of no words and greater silence... Memories of ushering in this summer in the company of friends at Wolf Trap, where we dutifully worshipped at the quirky altar of the guru-like Garrison Keillor, arise momentarily, before becoming scattered like the first leaves falling in the dryness of this late summer. This glorious event and yearly ritual, spent in the company of the ...

About four years ago, I self-published a volume of my poetry, titled Dancing in the Divine: More Poems from the Heart of Practice , and this theme of dancing in the Divine is one I chose to re-visit this week as a class theme. On Sunday, Anusara Yoga celebrated its 13th birthday. The word Anusara is often translated as "flowing with grace," or "stepping into the current of grace." Anusara at its essence, is a practice which invites us to "align with the Divine." If we align with something - we pulsate in resonance with it - our energy dances with it. Most of us like to dance - behind closed doors in the privacy of our own company where no one else is watching - or we like to do it with a special someone. When we align - we dance - there is a certain fluidity and freedom of movement that occurs when the energy of the Divine moves through us - and in our practice, the Anusara Universal Principles of Alignment lend their support, enabling us to create th...

Today, I excitedly, and quite spontaneously, accompanied a friend to one of the first showings of Eat, Pray, Love . This is one of those rare books that has spoken to me on many different levels, and I have read and re-read it every year since it's publication - even before it became the wildly popular memoir it now is - and before anyone really knew anything about it. I was divinely led to pick it up off a shelf, enthralled by its cover and title, encompassing three of the most significant interests in my life! But today, I just as easily lost myself in the exquisite adaptation of this work, and the film did not disappoint on any level. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment! The movie was lush, visually stunning, filled with wonderful gems of wisdom and insight, and it contained beautiful portrayals of some of the most poignant moments in the book. Just a week ago, I had students participating in my "Yoga of Forgiveness" class read a section of the book, where the author, El...

There are hard edges to every soul... And there are soft edges to every heart... And vice versa...I know...Because I came into this life embodying both... I walk, in the intense heat of the morning, reflecting on so much, and I hear the words of Snatam Kaur , a subtle track, laid underneath a rich mantra, whispered solely for me, given and received as a personal message: "Follow your heart! Fulfill your destiny! Awaken your soul!" At a time of great transitioning and re-imagining my life through a different lens, these words - along with the new personal mantra I have embraced in my meditations - arrive as a precious reminder of the never-ending discovery of my own true purpose... I tell a neighbor, early in the morning, as she is watering her thirsty plants on what will be another scorching and record-setting day, that for too long I ignored my intuition - trusting the insights of others - sometimes more deeply than my own wisdom. But now I have chosen to listen more careful...

I am very much aware that recent astrological events are stirring the pot for many. For example, we have just witnessed a conjunction of 7 planets in a T square position - that has not occurred - and will not be repeated for centuries. This is referred to as a Cardinal Grand Cross . This month will also be a witness to 5 Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, and this happens once every 832 years! And from a numerological perspective, as a friend noted on Facebook yesterday, this is a call for greater balance and enlightenment in our lives. Much more could be said of all of these things, but suffice it for now to simply mention - that while our emotions may be challenged at this time, we must work hard at not giving in to them or being ruled by them. It is a time of great change for many... Yesterday, I thought of this as I prepared for my Yoga of Forgiveness course, by transcribing some elements from the " Finding Peace: Guided Practices for Radical Forgiveness " CD by Colin Tippi...

Amidst so much busyness, I crave the silence and stillness within, that I often find, floating on the river... And as always, messages arrive, from sundry places... "As timely as a river, God's life passes into this world..." ~ Wendell Berry "Silence is the place of reflection and contemplation, and where we can connect with the deep knowing, to the deep wisdom way." ~ Angeles Arriens "Growth takes place in a person by working at a deep inner level in a sustained atmosphere of silence." ~ Dr. Ira Progoff Silence beckons - like the ebb and flow of ocean tides - and the waves of the river - in a constant state of spanda - Divine pulsation - in an infinite expression of the eternal dance between contraction and expansion... My heart and soul are carried by those waves - not knowing where I am going - but very much certain that it takes me where I must go, as it reveals in due time, all that I must know... Like those waves, I too, am infinite, and they rem...

I am now halfway into teaching the short course on the Yoga of Forgiveness at Willow Street Yoga Center . But really, it is more about its facilitation, because we are all ultimately, teachers and students to one another. And of course, as teachers, we simply teach what we need to know and learn... Yesterday, I shared these words from a poem titled, "Forgiveness," written by Gerald Jampolsky , MD , and they simply took my breath away...I found myself reflecting on them over, and over again... I have much more to share about this course, but it must wait for now... I offer these powerfully searing words, which are feeding me at the moment, as morsels to feed your own soul and heart, throughout this day, and the remainder of this week. May you masticate them and extract from them whatever it is that you need... It is never too early to forgive. It is never too late to forgive. How long does it take to forgive? It depends on your belief system. If you believe it will never happ...

How does a soul wake up? In so many different ways... What makes a soul wake up? So many different things... Like, meditating or practicing yoga, in the early morning with the windows wide open, after a long, hot summer, to the sweet sounds of birds happily chirping... Like, paddling on a river you have all to yourself - surrounded only by blue herons and creatures great and small... Like, spending time with a treasured friend, and laughing joyously with great abandon... Like, being in the effortless company of a like-minded soul, that energizes your own, and never drains you in any way... Like, listening to great music as you dance all around the house... Like, completing a designated task, and crossing it off the list, and then enjoying the fruits of a job well done... Like, reading, and writing, with all the time and not a care in the world... Like, going for a long ride or walk in a park, or along the beach... There are many things that make us feel alive, and make our souls wake u...

I arise in the morning with the freshness of the day, and very much sensing the energy of a new month... I sit in meditation, more deeply and longer than I have in weeks, and I am ready to re-commit myself to my path once again... My day becomes consumed with painting a spare bedroom off of my home yoga studio - and I realize, that every time I am in the midst of major transitions in my life, I paint a room! I recall a couple of years ago, when I was still very much in the throes of depression, sitting in an airport, and reading how the color of a room contributes very much to one's moods - its elevation as well as its descent into denser regions. I came home, and painted my bathroom the loudest, in my face, yellow that I could find - to tackle the depths of winter and the gathering storms of whatever darkness attempted to settle in my mind. I painted with the intent that this shade of yellow give voice to what I could not articulate in that moment. I willed it to assertively screa...