May this find you well.

This is where I am right now:

As we approach the holiday season I feel like hibernating.  Settling in for my long winters nap.  Our bodies adjust to the oncoming season too.  We may not see it, but it’s that cycle in our life.

This is my thoughts on cycles:

Everything really is on that cycle of life.  Our day starts that way, the sun rises and the sun falls.  Change occurs constantly.  That really is the only thing that is guaranteed is change.  NOTHING will ever stay the same, nothing – I promise that.  When there is birth there will be death, that is a fact of life.  We can hold onto things, memories and emotions, but that really only hurts us more.  How and when we practice just being present really helps us with the later of the cycle of life, not only with others but with ourselves.  When we become fearless in the face of obstacles we then become able to truly live our lives.  What a relief that is – just letting go.

In this holiday season this is what I practice, and I hope you give it a go as well…

I try to practice mindfulness.  Mindfulness of necessity.  Is it necessary to have that one extra shirt, that one extra cup, that one extra whatever it may be including food.  There are people that are living and surviving in this world, in this country, in your county, in your city on FAR less not by chance, but by choice.  Those extras don’t make you better.  No, they don’t.  Can you go through your closet, your room, your basement, your attic, your house and give what you don’t use/need/even knew you had to others that may need it.  How is helping you to keep it.  It truly is lifeless where it is, give it a new life and donate it to someone.  That stagnancy comes through into your life as well, it may be that you can’t loose weight, that you can’t get a better job, that you can’t find that right person, that’s because you are living in your past.  Let go, face that fear, become fearless and open up to the possibilities of what may be.  You may never know that chocolate and peanut butter go together so well if you were too scared to try them together.  I’m also not saying this is easy, it isn’t… that’s why it’s a practice.  Get out of your head and into your practice.

The more we are able to give of ourselves,

the more we will find joy in unexpected ways.

*****

Books/Movies I Like

A book I read a couple months ago was ”After the Ecstasy, The Laundry”  by Jack Kornfield.  I really loved this book.  It talks about people’s life experiences that are of different faiths, how they have lived there lives, what they have figured out and what they share or don’t share with others.  That book is up there on my fav’s list. – I really love it.

Also saw the movie “Men Who Stare at Goats” I loved that movie as well!!  Not only was George Clooney in it (another fav), but it really was fascinating.  The mind really does have control over – really everything.  When it’s in sync with that universe, things are limitless.

Fascinating.

*****

What’s coming up…

• Starting December 4 and then the 1st Friday of every month, unless it’s a holiday, I will be having Meditation class at the Yoga Room in Cortland.  The cost will be $10. The time will be from 7pm – 8pm.  If you are interested, please call or email to register.  You MUST PRE-REGISTER This meditation class will focus on breathing exercises, gentle stretches and a guided meditation practice to help reduce stress and anxiety.

• Starting in the new year I will be offering workshops to strengthen your yoga practice which will include standing postures, alignment of the spine, and more.  Please stay tuned.

*****

As some of you know, I am currently studying at Three Rivers Yoga in Coraopolis for my 500 hour yoga training.  I am learning so much and have been sharing with you what I know.  That really is the reason for me to continue my studies.

I am truly grateful to all of you.  Without you I would not be where I am today.  I learn constantly from each of you, you help me to be a stronger person.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, to each and every one of you, thank you.

Many blessings to all,

Much love,

Maureen

Ahhhhh!

Just to rest in what is.  Knowing that when you are on the path that you are meant to be on, you just float in the stream of energy that is always present.

At my retreat, someone said that you just needed to tune into the right station, just like the tuning your radio & there you are.

Om shanti

No matter how fast I’m driving, or where I’m at, or how non-thirsty I am… I always stop at Lemonade stands put together by little kids.

I just love how excited they get to have a customer!!!

Today it was kool-aid… I asked if it was good & they offered me a free sample

I said, no, that’s ok… I’m sure it’s delicious…

It was only a quarter, but I always try to have enough so that each would get the price it would have cost… so my kool-aid cost me $1… the smiles were big, the drink was delicious even though I think there wasn’t any sugar in it.

I need not say any more

Recently I’ve been starting to let things go, mentally… again.  It always seems to be a continuous journey and I always welcome it.  It feels like my mind is becoming uncluttered.

I notice to that things start to release in my body as well… it doesn’t seem to be as tense.  I’ve had this knot in my back that I’ve had for litarally over a year.  It seems as though it has branched out and started to consume the back side of my rib cage – so whenever I would do very deep twists, it would be breath-taking on the tense side… and I don’t mean breath-taking in a good way…

So I’ve stared to make some changes in my life and the tension in my back has started to release… it’s not as consuming as it once was… I still feel the knot, but my breath isn’t taken away when I get into some deep twists…

I think it’s my body letting me know I’m in the right direction…

life is good.

Ahhhh…. home again, home again jigidy jig…

After returning from another music festival & not having easy access to showers but very easy access to wet wipes… I am so appreciative of water!!!

You never really realize what you have until you don’t have it!

It’s nice to be back into the groove of things… sort of, things will be turned upside down again in August, but will settle back down in September.

Things feel so scattered for me right now… leaving for a month… how do you pack for that??  I want to tread lightly, but I also need clothing for varying temperatures and precip. and of course the yoga mat… hmmmm… I’ll deal with all of that when I get to that bridge.

Thinking like that helps me to refocus.  Everything can always feel so out of control, but if you deal with what’s at hand, then that’s all you can do… well, that’s all I can do & I try to remember that when my heart starts to race, my palms get sweaty, my head is about to explode and then I remember… breath… ahhhh… it’s all good.

With that, it is also a reminder why I mediate… so the ego doesn’t control the mind…. so the mind that controls the body is scattered causing more stress and anxiety… so the mind follows the breath… and I just am… it’s like levitating

Peace

Maureen

Just back from Bonnaroo which has developed into a yearly trek for my husband and I.  You can check out what Bonnaroo is at www.bonnaroo.com

It is a music fest. of over I don’t know, maybe 60 bands, where Bruce  Springsteen headlined Saturday night.  He also sang on stage with Phish Sunday.  The festival lasts from Thursday until Sunday evening.  It is very eclectic ranging this year from Merle Haggard to my favs the Beastie Boys (I always forget how much I LOVE them). So many bands to name but Nine Inch Nails, some heavy metal bands, Erica Badu… I honestly could go on & on…  Every walk of life is there from those that have spiked died hair, to someone that looked like my grandma, and babies to those that were in their 80’s. Over 80,000 people!!

We camp there so it’s nice to be back in my own bed.

Bonnaroo always makes me reflect on yoga.  Yoga has so many different meanings.  If you ask someone what yoga means to them, it will mean something completely different to someone else.  But to me it is a celebration of being alive.  Brett Dennen (a musician) was also there – and his song “Blessed” is my weekly quote.  When he started singing the song, I knew that was it – I really want to celebrate being alive.

Yes I am blessed to be living in this body in this life at this moment.  How lucky am I and I need to share that with others.

After sleeping on a blow up mattress, walking over 10 miles/day, eating as healthy as I can there – practicing yoga on my mat very little there due to exhaustion (but I did get to go on stage for a yoga class Saturday morning w/ Basil Jones – www.yogaoutofbounds.com or www.basilyoga.com).  I realize that giving myself that hour on the mat is a necessity.  My body felt tremendously better after the class than before.  My body hurts if I don’t stretch it.  For everyone out there that does hurt physically/mentally/emotionally – give yourself the gift of one hour each day to move, to stretch, to breathe, to just connect to yourself, that is what I ask.  You will notice substantial benefits.  It hurts more not to do anything than it does to do something.

Break out of your habitual patterns, challenge yourself mentally and physically, but with love and respect for yourself.  Work to find your body’s edge, not your ego’s edge – screw your ego – it has screwed you long enough – it’s gotten you where you are today – which is nowhere.

So step out of your comfort zone – celebrate being alive – move stretch – live – love – laugh!

So, thank you Brett Dennon! Thank you for reminding me to just Celebrate Being Alive!!

Om, Shanti

Love, Peace

Maureen

It is so easy to embrace those moments that are fun, full of life, hilarious.  We embrace them with open arms and open hearts!

It’s those moments that really suck ass that we ignore, run away from and turn our backs to.

So, how can we learn to embrace those moments too… first of all you ask, why would you even want to embrace those moments?

Well, I can only speak for myself… I embrace them because I want to stop my mind and body from being out of control.  I don’t want to have this life that is a roller coaster, these extreme highs and lows.  I want to get to a point where I can maintain.  It’s like when you’re in this yoga pose, that is very challenging to do… and instead of skipping it, you dive into it, but you feel through it, you breath deeper holding the pose, you learn to love the challenge and you do it to your degree.  Your degree depends on what you might have did that day, or the day before, what your body and mind working as a team tell you.  With the breath being your guide, you can truly feel through it.

With what I learn about myself on my mat, I am able to take with me into my life. I no longer back away from challanges, but I look them straight in the eye and breath deeply.  Martin Luther King Jr. has said “The only thing to fear is fear itself”

No longer am I afraid.

Those demons that start to control your mind causing stress and disease in the body are indicators that you have been ignoring something in your life.

So stop running.  Listen.  Act with compassion and love.  Your life will truly become what you choose to do in those brief moments before you act.  You can only control yourself.  The less reaction, the less stress… the less stress, the more life you are able to live… the time frame is irrelevant.  Remember… there is no right or wrong, there are just learning experiences.  Life is a practice… a learning experience.

Love the life you lead.

Maureen

Michael Franti & Spearhead -
Hey World (Don’t Give Up Version)

tell me why the grass was greener
year ago
I swear it used to grow here
but no more here

tell me why
on this hill
all the birds they used to come to fly here
come to die here

and tell my why i need to know
sometimes i wish i didn’t have to know
all you show me

hey world
what you say
should i stick around for another day or two
don’t give up on me
i won’t give up on you
just believe in me like i believe in

tell me why on the corner
all the kids that used to come to run here
load the guns here
and tell me why
it’s okay
to kill in the name of the gods we pray

tell me who said it’s okay
to die in the name of the lies we say
tell me why there’s child soldiers
tell me why they closed the borders
tell me how to fight disease
and tell me now won’t you please

the only thing i want to do
is to be in the arms of someone who believes in me
like i believe in you
i try try try try
i try try try try for you
don’t give up on me
and i cry cry cry cry
i cry cry cry cry for you
just believe in me
like i believe in you

~~~~

It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied together into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality… Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured, this is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

That was a quote by Gandhi.  Really if you think about it who can you change?? No one but yourself… it’s all in the perspective shift… really.  Not until you are ready will you see things change and that goes for others as well.  So why drive yourself crazy?? Seriously!

Shifts happen throughout each moment, each hour, day, month… etc…  but you need to be open to seeing them.  Let your guard down and the light will shine in.

We let all this stress take over our minds, we become obsessed with these thoughts in our minds & they become our reality… and nothing, none of that happened, or will ever happen… it’s this crazy bizarre life that we create & then we can’t enjoy the one we are living.  So stop the insanity, stop and smell the flowers and take a good hard look at why you are on the path you are on… Really it’s to learn from, it’s never good or bad, it’s laid out for you to learn from and then move on…

You attract people that you want to be around… think about it… if you don’t have things in common with people, they start to drift out of your life and others drift in.  So choose wisely who you want to be, then just wait and see what may come out of that…

Live the life you want to live!

Love what you do and do what you love.

Peace to all.