Vote With Integrity and Alignment

Today is Election Day in America and it's a perfect time to talk about integrity and alignment.

As a friend pointed out to all on Facebook this morning, the 'campaign' to vote for Proposal 1 in the New York elections is flawed if you look at it from the context of integrity and alignment. The proposal states:

"The proposed amendment to Section 9 Article 1 of the Constitution would allow the Legislature to authorize up to 7 casinos in New York State for the legislated purpose of promoting job growth, increasing aid to schools, and permitting local governments to lower propery taxes through revenues generated." 

He opined, "Should we allow State government to enter a symbiotic relationship with a corruption-prone enterprise?"

I thought to myself, he has something here? 

Where is the integrity and alignment of such a proposal with our core American values?

Is that the kind of long term jobs we hope to create?

When was the last time we had transparency of lotto winnings to local schools?

And when was the last time our property taxes went down?

The deeper question is, does opening 7 casinos fall into integrity and alignment with what the American people see as bold, innovative and competitive in such a modern and dynamic world. As Americans, can we think of something better than casinos to generate revenue and enhance our society? This proposal speaks to the current standard. Where is our ability to think outside the box and lead people and America to it's greatness?

And where is the integrity and alignment within the core values of this great nation?

Even if you are not a yogi, yoga is in everything, including politics! 

Yoga can be used to decipher a simple issue such as how should we vote on a particular issue.

In general, yoga speaks to integrity and alignment, not only in the physical body on our mats, but also in our lives off our mats. While many of us are "seeking" to achieve bigger or more complex postures  or higher levels in the community, we also need to be concerned with the integrity and alignment in our own lives.

How can we apply the mastery of integrity and alignment in our physical body to create an awesome headstand but be so off balanced in our personal lives?

So, my wish for all of you is to make your life decisions, small or BIG, based off of your core values as Human Beings.

And if you live in New York State, consider your core American values when voting on Proposal 1. 

Life is short, so get messy!

The White Moth

When on a silent meditation, I woke up on the fourth day and headed to the meditation hall for the 8 am service. The cold, damp autumn was upon us and as the line of practitioners streamed up the muddy hill, I noticed hundreds of pristine, paper-like, white moths trapped in the mud, succumb to death. As I walked, I watch the moths disappear under the shoes of the person in front of me. I struggled in the moment to make sense of it all. Had it been real? Had we all just unknowingly killed all of these beautiful creatures? I wanted to scream but I couldn't speak. 

During mediation, I tried to focus on my practice, all the while contemplating the end for so many. Upon the end of my practice, I bolted outside to assess the damage. Stuck in the mud were numerous tiny moths, so many, no longer even visible. I frantically searched for survivors, a way to redeem the integrity of the retreat, after having taken a vow to not kill any living thing during my stay. And then finally... there is was! A single white moth moving in the mud. I scooped the moth onto my hand, allowing for its wings and limbs to dry in the cool, damp air. And then I gently set the moth down on a rock beneath a tree. Tadasana ... a new starting point to continue the journey.

The Yoga Sutras state, “There are a number of predictable obstacles (1.30) that arise on the inner journey, along with several consequences (1.31) that grow out of them.”

As your inner journey unfolds, it often leads to relationship consequences.

First comes the uncomfortability of others around the new you.  And at first you think…. “It must be them.”

But soon you realize, no … it’s YOU!

You’ve changed. And not for the worse… but for the better.

And somewhere inside, you realize that because of the yoga, you have released a part of you that no longer accepts the conditions around you. You are willing to release that which is not serving you. 

But you struggle with the new you ... getting comfortable in your new skin.

But rather than completely give up on others, or give up your old life ... you assist by throwing them a life line ... out of love or selfishness … probably a little of both ...  trying to convince them to work on themselves, in the hopes that they can show up bigger and still be present in your new reality…. as you continue your inner work.

But the reality is the journey is theres. 

You can make a horse walk to the water, but you certainly can’t make them drink it.

Just like I could save that single white moth from death in the moment, but the reality is, eventually the white moth would succumb to the harsh winter weather. 

And with blind faith, the white moth will move on to the next journey.

Did my life line for the white moth even help or did it cause more pain? 

So I contemplate this around the 4 relationship consequences I have encountered since evolving into a deeper yoga practice. I struggle between wanting to throw a life line out to those around me to bring them along on the journey or resist the temptation by letting them have their own journey. 

4 Relationship Consequences of Yoga

 The Brick Wall: These relationships completely resist the notion of yoga and the notion of the new you. They see your practice as a fad and they find excuses to avoid you.

The Town Tryers: These relationships distance themselves from you and are in a state of trying to keep the relationship together. They are trying to take their own journey but are stuck in the stories of their own lives.  

The Full of Possibilities: These relationships don’t completely understand the changes you are going through but are inspired by your efforts. They start to tap into their own greatness in their own way. They show signs of being willing to come apart in small ways.

 The Carpet Riders: These relationships feed off of your energy and as they patiently wait and watch on the sidelines, one day, the shell cracks open and they are diving into their own possibilities. They are willing to hop on your carpet to join in the journey or they get on their own carpet ride!

So the question is ...

Do you pick the white moth out of the mud? 

Or do you allow the moth to succumb to the laws of impermanence? 

 Life is short, so get messy!

Put Your Greatness Out To The World, Despite the Doubters

When you put your greatness out to the world and you encounter doubters ... keep moving forward!

A few weeks ago, I announced to fellow committee members who I co-manage a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, group with in my home town, that I would be moving on next season to start a new CSA. Four years ago, I manifested creating a CSA in my community. Besides desiring fresh organic produce, one of my other intentions was to learn the ropes and apply those skills into forming a new CSA closer to my own community.

For those of you who don't know, a CSA is a relationship between a community, a local farmer, and a landowner to allow for city residents to have direct access to locally grown produce. Community members purchase shares from the farmer, who cultivates and harvests the land, providing fresh produce to members for approximately 22 weeks, distributing it at a designated site in the community.

After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and reaffirming my manifestation of forming a CSA upon completion of my Baron Baptiste, "40 Day Program", I finally put it out there. I put it out to the universe that I wanted to start a CSA in my community.

After sending that message out, I got more than I bargained for.
Not only was I forming a CSA in my own community, I was also forming a CSA in my neighboring community... just because the universe was calling for it.

Yes... you heard me correctly... 2 CSAs for the 2014 season.

And I was EXCITED!!!

I was excited that the site owners heard my presentation and saw the communities desire!
I was excited that the farmer was supporting my potential to get this started!
I was filled with gratitude that the core people in my life were so supportive!

But last week, when I showed up to pick up my produce, I ran into a few committee members and I ran right into their fear. They said:

"Two CSAs? That's a lot of work."

"How are you gonna run two of them?"

"You're gonna need a lot of help. Are you sure you wanna do this?"

And for a split second, doubt streamed in.

I felt the knot of doubt in the pit of my belly. I saw it as clear as their words. And as I breathed into that knot, it unraveled. I filled that space with love for myself and for my community. And as quick as the doubt had rushed in, I swept it out with love, answering them in the following way:

"I am not afraid to lead a group of people to their greatness. Besides, it's a community group. If the community really wants this, they will support it by showing up and contributing to the CSAs mission. I am excited!"

And in that moment, I retrieved not only my excitement about starting these new CSAs but I redeemed my greatness!

I was not going to let words of fear, doubt, and negativity shoot my greatness down before I even got started.

Shifting fear to excitement has always been a concept I referred to in the yoga classes I teach and it is something I continue to practice in my life. In that moment, I was aware that this concept truly works. In that moment, I was powerful, determined and yes, filled with excitement.

In that vain, I keep teaching, I keep living, I keep writing, and I keep showing up.
And I show up BIG!
Even if people are fearful of my work.
I keep showing up fearlessly.
And I keep moving forward...

Life is short, so get messy!

If you live in Staten Island, NY and are interested in participating in a 40 Day Program, contact 5 Boro Power Yoga. 

If you live in Staten Island, NY and are interested in joining one of the two CSAs forming, join us for a community meeting on October 16, 2013 or email us at SouthShoreCSA1@gmail.com. 

If you are interested in forming your own CSA, read my BLOG on MIND BODY GREEN: 
HOW TO START A CSA (It's Easier Than You Think!) 

So I am Going to Be 40...Now What? (Part Deux)

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the esssential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry David Thoreau

If you read Part One of this story, you are well aware of my decision to celebrate my 40^th Birthday at a Vipassana Center.  If you haven’t read it yet, here is your chance to go back and read it now…

Part Deux:

My experience at the Vipassana Center was life changing and while I would love to share each moment of everyday of my experience with you, I am choosing not to. Instead, my 40^th Birthday gift to you is a broad overview of what I experienced in hopes that one day you will attend any of the worldwide Vipassana Centers and experience it on your own. Besides...mediating up to 8 hours a day and having no access to a pen or paper to write my story, makes it difficult to retain every component of my experience. And, despite the program structure being the same for all the participants, it is your unique self that makes the experience. So rather than you being influenced by the specifics of my story, my hope is that you attend with no expectations and embrace your own experience.

My gift to you:

·      BE PRESENT TO EVERYTHING, INCLUDING NATURE - Attending a 10-day Vipassana course allowed me to become truly present with myself. What I realized is that I am not truly present to everything in my life. Even the way I peeled an orange, was a new experience for me. And every time I peeled an orange, I was in creation to peel it in a new way! Since I had no communication (verbal or physical) with other human beings, I was in constant observation of how the course landed on my breath, body and mind. Furthermore, when I was not meditating I was immersed in the landscape of my mind and my surroundings, completely observant to my thoughts and nature.

The ability to take 10 days for myself... to shut down technology and turn off the world... to be with nature at its finest moment of seasonal change, was enlightening. During my Vipassana, I spent my free moments exploring nature. I witnesses bees and chipmunks working diligently in preparation for the winter, all as the trees shed their pine needles, pine cones, or maple leaves. I saw truth and answers about life in the nature that surrounded me. It is truly all there in front of us, we just have to be present to it in order to see. 

·      GET UNCOMFORTABLE and OBSERVE THE TRUTH WITHIN YOU – Rather than attending the closest Vipassana Center in Boston, MA, I traveled 2 hours outside of Montreal, Canada to the Quebec Vipassana Center, where the course was taught in both English and French. While I felt uncomfortable, my three years of high school French was quickly resurrected. Sitting in meditation postures consistently was uncomfortable in the beginning but what I learned is that sitting through the discomfort, observing it and focusing on breath, the discomfort soon passed. The learning experience came in each subtle moment of physical or mental discomfort, where I witnessed the truth on my meditation mat or simply sitting with nature. Finding some of these small truths become a composite of the our larger Noble Truth. All we have to do is the work! 

·      IMPERMANENCE, METTA, and TRUE LOVE – The Vipassana training used the notion of impermanence as a central tool to navigate through discomfort. It was this notion of impermanence that I struggled with the most. For me it was not in alignment with my heart. By day 2 of my Vipassana experience, I missed my true love. In the past, we had spent time apart but never where we could not communicate with one another. It took me days... but soon I overcame this notion that even though I couldn’t communicate with him, I could look up to the stars, send my energy out into the world, and know that he was receiving me thousands of miles away. And he was. I imagine it as powerful as a Greek Tragedy, where Penelope was longing for Odysseus who had been on a 10 year journey home, and she not knowing if he was dead or alive. So, the pain passed and LOVE also became impermanent. It was metta that took it's place. Metta is "a warm-hearted feeling of fellowship sympathy and love" which grows exponentially for everyone and everything in the world. It is "universal, unselfish and all embracing love." With metta, love need not contain misery. 

·      NON-ATTACHMENT – The Vipassana training completely detaches you from everything you know about life in an instant. Being detached from the comfort of communication, people, food, space, and the way in which you spend your day is a challenge. And what I struggled with was the uncomfortable feeling of the unpredictability of the whole experience, even though I had always thought myself to be spontaneous. There were moments I doubted myself and wanted to leave, and there were moments when I sobbed uncontrollably. But by the time I was ready to go home, I saw myself attached to the perfection of non-communication and the fear of missing the Vipassana Center. How quickly in 10 days I fell into the trap of attachment to a new place. And though I believed in an instant it was gone, it exists in my continued practice of meditation, my morning walks with nature, and my nighttime viewings of the earth's starry sky. 

·    

  NON-JUDGEMENT and STAY OPEN FOR NEW FRIENDSHIPS - When the silence sets in, the mind wanders. Yes it wanders during meditation, but when you are not able to communicate during the 8 hours of the day that you are not meditating, you are conscious to everything around you, including human beings. And it's easy to judge people by the way they look, how they act, and the things they do, without ever say a word to them or even looking them in the eyes! During my experience, I observed myself judging people just based off of assumptions of how they looked, their actions and/or facial expressions. But as soon as I became aware that I was doing this, I stopped judging them and just observed them. I observed what they were doing, how they were preparing their food, the way they meditated, the nature they were uncovering and how they were ritualizing their experience. I found compassion for them, that they were experiencing similar feelings that I was experiencing and soon we were one. Once we finished the meditation, we had a 1/2 day to communicate with other attendees. I engaged those I had judged or observed. What I discovered was those I had judged were some of the warmest and friendliest people. And those I observed I had learned so much from just by witnessing their actions. We were all artists, in creation with what we had been given. When we communicated our findings to one another, we realized that each brought a different perspective to the same experience and we had been observing and supporting one another through our energies all along. We were a collective body of interconnected energies... we just didn't know it at the time. And collectively, we had a goldmine of experiences and friendships!

·      TRUST LIFE - Sometimes you just have to trust life and let things happen as they are supposed to. This was a big lesson for me on my trip. The lesson commenced 2 days before I was set to depart when I had a last minute cancellation for my ride to the center... a location 2 1/2 hours outside of Montreal and difficult to get to unless you have a car. When I first discovered I was without a ride, I started to panic. But just by putting myself out there, in an instant, I received an email from a fellow Vipassana attendee and had a ride. Not only did I get a ride, but through that experience, I obtained a life long friend and a new way of living. We shared an amazing car ride, talked about our life's experiences and took a mini-tour of Montreal. Our discussion ended talking about how we need to just let go of things. And poignantly, he ended our journey at the airport with a notion of how we were suppose to be after Vipassana.... using a French phrase "Faire confiance a la via"... To Trust Life! And so I was off... to spend the next 40 years of my life living from this place of trust. 

So, what does this all mean in light of being 40. Vipassana offers the freedom to go deeper and examine ourselves with clarity... with an intention of coming closer to our Noble Truth. It is part of the journey towards enlightenment. All you have to do, is the work. 

Life is short, so get messy!

If you are interested in participating in a Vipassana visit their website at http://www.dhamma.org. 

So I Am Going to Be 40...Now What? (Part One)

So I am going to be 40... Now What?

With a few months to spare, I went on my quest to figure it all out.
Right away I assumed I needed to celebrate 40 in a BIG way to make it more meaningful.

So I contemplated jumping out of an airplane.
But as I got closer to my birthday, I realized that wasn't what I truly wanted nor what I needed. I have done excitement and adventure my entire life. Besides, skydiving was something that my husband has longed to do...someone else's 40th Birthday celebration.

So I contemplated climbing Machu Picchu.
But as I got closer to my birthday, I realized that it wasn't what I really wanted. It was actually something my friend had experienced recently, perhaps her own 40th Birthday celebration. That mountain is BIG...but is BIGGER really better?

I reflected.

What I discovered was that I needed to see things as they really are.

I need to be in inquiry with myself, to get really clear on who I am and how I wish to see myself in the next part of my life. Somehow, I need to take the lessons that I have learned from the past to transform myself into the person I want to be moving forward.

Then I ran into a friend of mine who told me about Vipassana.
This spiritual escape would give me the opportunity to pause, be introspective and see the true person I am to be.

Vipassana was on par with lessons I have learned about myself like needing the things I am most resistant to. Meditation is one of those things I believe people resist most because it is often to painful to look at the true self absent all of the fillers of life: technology, aesthetics, descriptors, labels, etc.

But if I don't take this time now.... then when? When will I take the time to step back and examine the life I have written for myself thus far? For if I am to live the story I want to read, I need to know what my story is still missing.

It's time...to take the leap... to climb the mountain... to sit with myself.

So... today I am traveling, 17 days before my 40th Birthday, to partake in a silent meditation.
To look inward so I can project myself outward in a meaningful way for the next 40 years!

I will hold space for myself and honor stillness in my life for an extended period of time with no expectations other than to see clearly.

I will remove myself from my current life for 10 days, detachment from the world as I know it; away from technology, family and friends, my asana practice... all to gather in a spiritual place, using an ancient Indian meditation technique, joining with others who seek the same inner peace.

To quote an unknown blogger:

"It's time to let go and start over. It's time to move on from the past to the future. It's time, not to forget memories, but to learn from them and become someone new. It's time to take a new path, to walk alone and to find ourselves to know where we have to go. It's time to begin again, not by changing who we are, nor by forgetting who we used to be, but by combining both of these people and transforming into who we were always meant to be". -  i'mclosertotheedge

See you in the second part of my life.

SILENCE...

Life is short, so get messy!

If you are interested in participating in a Vipassana, seek out available programs worldwide at http://www.dhamma.org. To read more about my Vipassana adventure, read "So I Am 40...Now What? (Part Deux)" when I return.