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Happiness Is In Our Hands

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.-Frederick Keonig



Have you ever been inside of a box just big enough to hold your entire body? I remember feeling safe, secretive and secure...for about five minutes. Then I'd want to stretch my arms and legs and burst out of it like a hatchling. There was always a flash of freedom for all of my senses when I finally stood up, looked around and took a deep breath.

Slight changes in routine this past weekend had the same effect on me. Yoga classes were canceled on Saturday in observance of the 4th of July, a friend came to town for a visit and I also had a chance to see relatives that I hadn't seen for over a year. There's nothing like seeing your world through the eyes of others and I plan to make the following a regular part of my life:

Alter Time Schedules. You might find a better way to do something, or learn to appreciate what you've got going.

If I make it to the Keauhou Farmers Market on a Saturday, I try to get there early, around 8am, so I can take my fresh veggies and flowers back home and leave in time to teach my 10am yoga class. This Saturday we got to market after 10am, the sun was higher in the sky so it was hot and the energy was different and I decided that I preferred getting there early, even if I felt a little hurried.  I'll now look at my early but small window of time as a chosen pleasure, rather than as the "only time" I can make it to market.


Fill in the blanks: "I don't ____ ____", then go do it.This weekend I said, "I don't watch tennis." My house guest got up at 3am to watch the Wimbledon finals and on Sunday I caught the end of the Men's Finals and loved it. I would have missed it if I had stuck to my pronouncement. I want to be more cautious of my absolute sentences or at least be sure that they end with the word "yet".


See Things for the First Time. Again and Again. My aunt has been having difficulty with her short term memory for a few years and last night while at my home for dinner, she kept asking who the tall man in the room was. When told that he was my son, she'd of course remember the little boy she used to lavish affection and gifts upon. "Oh my, you've grown up to be so tall and handsome", she said, every time she saw him anew. My son's grandparents, wife, and mother-in-law were also there to bask in her compliments, every time she said it.

It was the perfect illustration of how good thoughts and words can elevate the emotions of those around you. I don't think anyone felt sad last night about my aunt's fading memory, she kept us all happy. Now if I can only remember to do the same...

Photo: by Kona photographer E. Franke.

Zen and Yoga

The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking. ~ Albert Einstein

My classes last week were all Restorative, being the end of the month. In one of them, we followed a little Zen meditation exercise that you can try out for yourself. If you aren't familiar with yoga restorative poses, just sit in any comfortable position.

When you've settled into your pose, close your eyes and take a few slow breaths. Now notice your body. Are there any physical sensations that you're aware of? If your thoughts are focused on anything to do with your body; something you smell, an itch on your ear, or a tug on your lower back, say "body" either out loud or to yourself.

Notice that area just behind your eyelids. Are there scenes or objects that project onto your mental picture screen? If so, say "image".

Then notice the area between your ears and if you hear talk or chatter, say "talk". If a combination of any one of the three is present, choose the strongest one and voice it.

Then just notice. The "body" sensation, the "image" you see, or the "talk" you hear may fade away, or not. If it does, say "gone". You have only four labels to give voice to: body, image, talk and gone. Continue the process while holding your pose for about ten minutes.

I seem to have more images than anything else. My body may be relaxed but the images scroll by like a silent Power Point delivery. Usually, I take a seat and start watching it, and through some strange editing feat, one movie is spliced into another and another and another. But by simply labeling my thoughts, I've been able to separate my mind, my thoughts and my consciousness quite easily. It's like deconstructing a sandwich.

This simple Zen exercise turns out to be a vital yoga practice and I'm getting the sense that it's one more step on the long, never ending journey. Then again, where else would I want to go?

Read more on the subject of "Witnessing Your Thoughts in Yoga Practice", by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati.

Photo: Science Daily

"Loved the class, hated the teacher"

A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectations.-Patricia Neal




I got this remark one day from a man I follow on Twitter:

"Did I tell you I had my 1st yoga class? Loved the class, hated the teacher."

As it often occurs with written words, I was left to shade in the possible emotions within the lines formed by his sentences. Was he being funny? Could someone actually hate a yoga teacher? I decided to simply reply:

I think that was a good outcome: love class/hate teacher. The teacher sounds interesting to me. :)

I truly was interested in the teacher. How did he/she manage to deliver the message while being rejected as the messenger? When I brought it up in one of my classes, there was general agreement. Despite the unkind and impatient teachers they may have encountered, folks said they loved the yoga that filtered through. They may not go back to a particular teacher, but they will continue to go back to yoga.

It sounds a lot like life. Although our teachers may be disguised as children, bag ladies or terrorists and the lessons sweet or vile. We love the class and Life can be our master and teacher, unless we decide to take on those roles for ourselves.

Photo: RafNap

The Rule of Thumb

Just do your best to keep yourself in balance. One of the first things that causes Energy misalignment, is asking or demanding too much of yourself in terms of time and effort. In other words, you just cannot burn the candle at both ends, so that you are physically tired, and then expect yourself to have a cheerful attitude. So, the rule of thumb has to be: "I'm going to be very, very, very happy, and then do everything I have time to do after that."-Abraham-Hicks

Photo: Robert Lz

Inspiration & Motivation

Inspiration comes forth from within. It's what the light burning within you is about, as opposed to motivation, which is doing it because if you don't do it, there will be negative repercussions. -Abraham-Hicks



I think this photo instantly demonstrates the difference between motivation and inspiration. Those who are climbing the walls are motivated to put distance between the bull's horns and themselves. While those outside the gate are inspired by the challenge.

Wall-climbing decisions and actions are our fight or flight reflexes operating at their best. But when we persistently react to life in that mode, it takes a toll on us physically, mentally and emotionally. How long can you cling to the side of a building?

The more I look at it, the photo reminds me of the importance of discernment and my appreciation for the freedom of choice. There are more "inspired" people than "motivated" ones and similarly, for the rest of my life I want to be inspired to move forward rather than be motivated to move away.

The gate represents my power of choice. Wherever I choose to erect it, I decide what's inside and not. I could even decide that it's the bull I prefer to be with rather than an irrational crowd and that would change everything. Quoting Abraham-Hicks once more: Your choices of action may be limited--but your choices of thought are not.

How about you? Do your actions stem more from inspiration or motivation? What if you made the raging bull your friend?

Photo: Creative Loafing

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.-Aristotle Onassis

Last week's nuclear test by North Korea, has rippled fear and anger across the globe. Even though nuclear experts believe that North Korea is years away from being a "nuclear state", a 4.7 magnitude, underground, radioactive explosion is, peacefully stated: unnatural. Even anti-nature.You can't call any action that carries global consequences, "a feeble attempt by an ailing ruler".

That's it! That's all I'm going to say about what happened. I'm not even going to suggest what the rest of the world should do but I am doing something.

In perfect choreography, I received an e-mail Saturday morning from the Global Coherence Initiative (GCI) with the following suggestion: For the next two weeks let's take a few minutes a day to hold a state of compassion for the Earth, while envisioning it in a perfect state of balance and alignment. Send heart coherent compassion which is free from fear-based drama and attachment to outcome. This multiplies the effectiveness of our care.

Briefly*, the steps are:

1. Breathe and calm yourself in whatever ways you choose.
2. Choose something you appreciate - a person, pet, nature, etc. - and radiate the feeling of appreciation to them for about 2 minutes.
3. Now evoke the genuine feelings of compassion and care for the planet.
4. Breathe the feelings of compassion and care going out from your heart.
5. Radiate the genuine feelings of compassion and care to the planet or to a specific area of immediate need.
6. See yourself, along with other caretakers, participating in this process of healing and facilitating peace.

I was going through all the steps except for the last one, seeing myself in the process with other people. It feels so much more powerful that way. Let me know if I should see your face too.

Of course, this particular event may not be in your scope right now. You may have issues closer to home and heart but you can employ the same tactics. Says the GCI message:

When our meditations, prayers and other practices are genuine, they count and can help reduce planetary discord wherever they are focused. All of our efforts add to the whole, which increases the power of our individual and collective intention to help.

*Complete Coherence Instructions. 

Global Coherence Initiative simply explained.

Source: Reuters, "Q+A: Why did North Korea rush to a nuclear test?". May 27, 2009.

Photo: Tree Hugger

Food as Medicine: Almonds

Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food. -Hippocrates



During Jehangir Palkhivala's workshop last month, I mentioned that my foot was cramping in a few of the poses and he suggested I eat 3 almonds, three times a day. I did it and the cramping stopped on the fourth day.

Almonds have protein, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus and my muscles got whatever they needed through a steady, three times a day dosage with no adverse side effects.

I've mentioned this in my yoga classes and decided that this was a great way to get the recipe out. If it works for you, please let me know. At the very least, you'll find a delicious new snack (with a higher nutrient content than the canned nuts). I'm also using a sesame seed recipe for bone building and juicing cilantro for my parents to cleanse and strengthen their arteries. After several weeks, my mom has cut her blood pressure medication in half and my dad's blood sugar level has gone down.

I know, it's not hard science and purely anecdotal evidence at this point, but it's all real food, in small portions. It's certainly given me greater appreciation and respect for unprocessed, unadulterated food: generic goodness!

Sharon Warren, of Warren Botanicals, wrote down Jehangir's recipe as he prescribed it to her and kindly shares it with us:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
One cup raw organic almonds
Juice of 1/2 lime
Real good salt* (amount is according to your taste)
Mix lime and salt into a light paste and rub almonds well with this mixture.
Spread almond mixture out onto a baking pan
When oven has reached 350 degrees put almonds into the oven and immediately turn oven down to 200 degrees
Roast for 20 minutes
Remove and turn almonds over and return to oven for 5 more minutes
When finished roasting, cool almonds and store in a glass jar
Eat 3 almonds three times a day before each meal to eliminate muscle cramps

If you have any questions or are interested in receiving remedies for other ailments, let me know. It's all in good health.

Photo: University of Toronto
*Such as unrefined sea salt.

Closing the Gap Between Work and Play

What cannot be achieved in one lifetime will happen when one lifetime is joined to another.
-Harold Kushner



I've had several conversations in the past few weeks tossing about the subject of a healthy community. (What defines it? How do we encourage its growth?) I had a few paragraphs written here when I came across a link to a passage attributed to Lao-Tzu and I erased my attempt to explain what he says so gracefully:

The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both.

That about sums up the reason why I'm re-starting my Prenatal Yoga classes. I remembered why I love teaching that class so much and it's something I can do immediately to help foster a healthy community. It was right there on my mat: my work and my play and the community that has formed around Kona Yoga (that would be you).

I'd like all pregnant women who would like to add yoga to their prenatal health care to be able to attend. A weekend class will hopefully make it easy for those who work or attend school and an open fee structure should make it affordable for all. There's more to come. I expect it.

What about you: is there a distinction between your work and your play?

Photo: Scott Herman

Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly. ~Epictetus


This weekend, I had fun gathering photos for a Mother's Day video for my mom. My brothers sent some current pictures and I dragged and dropped photos from old files in storage, resulting in a four and a half minute piece with 69 shots. Set to music, Johnny Mathis singing Because You Loved Me, I thought it would be the perfect way to show and tell her how much she means to all of us.

I have only experienced one mother in my life and have been the mother to only one person and my reflections and sentiments are, well, pure Hallmark material. But I was reminded of the multiple interpretations of mothers and motherhood, in talking to the women in class on Saturday. Our mothers are/were as different as we are.

Later, I happened to see a performance by Sarah Jones, who transforms on stage into eight different female characters with uncanny precision. She utilizes their varied accents, mannerisms and belief systems to underscore a single theme: self-invention. When do we go beyond our cultures and experiences and begin to self-construct?

While watching her amazing acting ability I thought: "That's one woman playing multiple roles while motherhood is one role played by billions of women and therefore, no single performance can ever be duplicated ." It's a vital, critical, often unrehearsed role that's handed to a woman when a child is borne.

As my completed video streamed pictures of my brothers and me, our families and friends, I could see the separateness of my mother and her role. We are blessed because of the person she is, not by the person she's supposed to be.

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Watch Sarah Jones: One Woman, Eight Hilarious Characters. (TED: 21:00)

Photo: Sinful Eyes on Deviant Art

Out of Box Condition

Many a man fails as an original thinker simply because his memory is too good.-Friedrich Nietzche



"Return your computer to Out of Box condition" was the choice I decided to make last Wednesday after three days of unsuccessful log ons. I faced the choice twice before making the final leap and will spare you the technical drama played out in boot menu, the number of restarts, etc. Near the end, I thought about the scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where they are at the edge of the cliff with a river below and a posse closing in behind them. Sundance would rather fight than jump because he can't swim:

Butch: "You can't swim?"
Sundance: "I can't swim!"
Butch: "Hell, the fall will kill you!"
Then they jump.

So after a similar internal dialogue, I pressed start and wiped out three years of memory, byte after byte after byte. When it was over, my computer's personality was altered completely and everything that I once expected it to do, it didn't.

The beauty of it all, shines through the inconvenience of having to reload programs to run my printer, back-up my Blackberry, edit and reprint yoga schedules, ad nauseam. The beauty of it all, is that the fall didn't kill us.

My computer works better than it has in months, even before all the virus problems began. I too, had to return to the out of box state in order to communicate with it and I'm enjoying the chance to use different programs and set-ups. It has me thinking about my own memory and operating systems and once again, I find possibilities in yoga:

While memory is indispensable to progress, it can also be an obstacle, or screen, to perception, because it is linked to prejudice, cultural conditioning, and our own desires. According to the tenets of Ayurvedic medicine, memory's wellspring is in the heart. The more one loves, the better one remembers. Thus we say, 'learn by heart'.(1)

Photo: Achieve-Master

Sources:
(1) The Essence of Yoga by Bernard Bouanchaud, Rudra Press, Portland, Oregon.