Silence is golden but sharing is good too :)

2012-02-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

As many students have been asking for it, here is the link to the OM Deeksha album with the mantra, "Invocation of Bliss" by Annette Carlstrom. I often use this track in classes for Savasana. Using sound (in this case mantra) to create silence may seem a paradox, but as many of my students will attest, this mantra can take you to a place where thought surrenders to the silent bliss of the present moment.

Since my last blog I have attended Parts 1 & 2 of the Anusara teacher training program where I had a realisation that I have a huge fear of writing! I'm not talking about facts here, or writing about stuff I have learned. I mean really committing to sharing my own thoughts, ideas, inspirations and opinions to paper (or blog for that matter!) petrifies me. This may explain my own silence and why it has taken me 6 months to write my second blog! I am however transformed by the experience and feeling rather brave, as here I am sharing feelings on my blog and I haven't died yet, lol! True courage comes from overcoming fear and without fear we cannot learn courage. We can try to dodge fear, procrastinate and make excuses about whatever it is that we fear doing, or we may try to stupefy the fear with drugs and alcohol that only serve to create a false courage, but when our heart wishes to speak who are we really to argue. I am learning that authentic expression, from the heart, can make us feel vulnerable but is well worth the effort. Not only does it make us more authentic but in fact requires far less effort than it does to procrastinate and make excuses. So if you here me procrastinating about writing or you don't see another blog within the next week or two, please do give me a gentle kick up the bottom!!!

My First Blog!

2011-08-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know about life beginning at 40 but blogging for me certainly has! I have to say, so far, being 40 is great and the first statement may also prove to be true. On my 40th birthday I overcame a long standing fear of driving on the other side pf the road in Spain, fulfilled a lifelong dream of creating a mosaic (no, the one to the left isn't mine...but maybe one day I'll create one as beautiful!) and met some amazing and inspiring people.

Although the mosaic workshop was challenging as it was new and I didn't have a clue what I was doing, I allowed myself to remain open, to try and to allow myself to make a few mistakes, then the creation of it became a meditation. I became so focused on my creation that the external world seemed to disappear, as those whom tried to communicate with me will tell you, I was so engrossed I did not hear! Yoga is the same...you open to the possibility of achieving a posture, you try it...at first you worry whether or not you are doing it right... but if you can let those thoughts go, remind yourself that it doesn't really matter, focus on the experience rather than the expectation, breathe into your body and open from the inside out, you will create a beautiful Yoga posture. It may be a raw form of the posture and it may not look like the next persons or a text book picture, but its yoga and from there it can be practised and refined. More on that later...off to class now! Namaste xxx

Stress Free Zone

Silence is golden but sharing is good too :)

My First Blog!