Sunday, January 31, 2010

"Our Changing Sky -Sun in Aquarius - Jan 19 2010 to February 18 2010"

I don't understand the science behind Astrology,  yet I enjoy reading astrological web sites........

Yesterday a dear Aquarian, formalized her relationship and announced her engagement.........today  an interesting conversation I had over dinner with Jafer.....we explored how and what is meant by finding the right person, the idea of relationships, the premises of dating, attraction and sustaining the attraction, people getting hurt, etc,...........so I am  inspired to share these words..:........

"In this burgeoning Age of Aquarius we are called upon to recognize that we are more than organic beings bound up by a past filled with old values, memories and wounds. We are, rather, visitors from the future in the process of creating ourselves with our every thought and word. As we free ourselves from physical labor and connect our minds with new technologies, we are no longer bound by traditional ideas of order. We become fully human and free to love without fear or possessiveness."
Jeff Jawer

Thursday, January 28, 2010

watching the clouds.........

.................i look up from the computer, and see the clouds floating in the sky...................they look serene........sometimes the space between them allows the sunlight to pour.......as the temperature around me goes up by a few degrees..........Asim sitting across from me reading his book comments that he does not like what the clouds are doing, and goes on to explain that they make the temperature fluctuate as the room cools down with the vanishing sun. 

i look out the window and the glare of the sun is casting shadows.........as i pick up the camera and take a picture of the tree which i have been admiring...........the branches in their nakedness are in perfect form.......i am reminded of a yoga asana..........






Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Back to the Basics

Focus.....focus and focus.........be in the moment, please do not be distracted by external gadgets or the internal thoughts.......the mind thinks we are invincible, but the body is very fragile.........treat it like a flower.........the news item said "15 pedestrian deaths in the last 14 days"...........

Today I witnessed another body, challenging each passing vehicle, by wagging his finger, and making faces at the drivers for not stopping.  This body was crossing King St. in downtown Toronto, but not at the traffic light, he was jay walking, and doing it with a sense of entitlement..........

Nature, will bring events that cause human deaths and disasters..........can humans be humane and contribute to life and living, theirs and others??.........why not!!!! put the intention out there "I love and nurture life"......

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Beauty



And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.  It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth, but rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted.................


Khalil Gibran
The Prophet

Saturday, January 23, 2010

What do we trust..........

Trust seems to be the backbone of life and living..............starting from the newborn who trusts that his or her cries will be answered, by a warm touch, by food, or by someone who will provide the comfort and reassurance...........this basis of trust continues through life.........but somewhere along the line, we fall and feel someone outside of ourselves has betrayed the trust............ as we stumble, fumble and move through periods of darkness and light, the realization occurs that we as each soul, and in our external form, hold the key to the trust..............it is a realization that happens when the mind is not part of the equation.......... the Sensing and Guidance of the higher self is allowed to lead the way...........slowly the moments of light start to connect........... and become the path on which each moment is lived, shining with awareness, as brilliant as the stars and the galaxy............and Life Is!!!!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Toronto

i met a friend for coffee in downtown toronto.........we met after a year, a year in which much had happened, in my life and hers...........

she shared her relationships, beginnings and the endings.......change in career direction and the options waiting to happen............it was a nice energy, as I sensed that she was in non-conflict with the direction and course of her life...........

as i narrated my last 11 months to her, the last 6 weeks, were the ones which had and will continue to have the most impact on the present...........the past and the future are memories to be relived, only in the mind.

walking in the cool january weather...............i consciously  allowed the shoulder blades to drop down the back, as i remove the mind from the equation the reaction to the weather dissipates.....when there is no body, the energy feels aligned with the  surrounding, and  i realize that i am not cold anymore...........i am happy..........to be home, feel alive and be in the "known" surroundings..........the change in me, mind body and soul.............is refreshing........... i surrendered, and feel light.

Monday, January 18, 2010

moments that become a lifetime......

so what happens when the thoughts, created by the small mind, align with the happenings in any given moment........maybe a sense of bliss, of being fulfilled as the mind adopts the moment, and the pleasure becomes part of the illusion called life and living...........not watching the obstructions and the illusions of this mind, we start to believe and soon a life story evolves.........the challenge is to watch the thoughts, and keep bringing oneself back into the present moment..........eventually, with time the mind and the thoughts will loose their hold and the illusion which you believed to be reality becomes a memory.........one day you can look and see the memory bring you a smile........ when smelling the fragrance of a flower or watching a sunset or a sunrise, seeing a rainbow.................and you realize that the aligned energy which once was an illusion is now a part of universal energy.........there is only love and gratitude in the heart..........

Friday, January 15, 2010

the aftermath - Haiti

the line that caught my attention in the news was that people of Haiti are picking up and that is probably the first thing one does, when we fall, we pick ourselves up.............those who hurt their bodies are the ones unable to physically move, yet they too pick themselves up, sometimes by surrendering into the situation............the surrender is part of the process, when you surrender their is no conflict created by the mind, you accept what is about to happen, or has happened and find space to get back up, move and start fending to your immediate needs and requirements,to breathe, eat, and survive.............some souls become angels and turn their attention in helping others................it is said that when faced with an emotional or physical tragedy the humans bring out the God in them............. the poverty of the soul, is replaced with tapping into the universal energy and conciousness.

donations are pouring in, the monetary help is on the way, to provide food and build shelter..................the established organizations like the Red Cross, are allowed into the country.............it is the people that help the process...........meditation by each single person may help enrich the universal energy, to reach the souls in their fight for survival and ongoing strength to live.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Freedom from the known - J. Krishnamurti

i could not have found a more better setting than Rancho Margot to read this book.  here is an excerpt:

Poverty is to be completely free of society............greed, envy, anger, hate, jealousy, anxiety.........poverty becomes a marvellously beautiful thing when the mind is free of society.  One must become poor inwardly for then there is no seeking, no asking, no desire, no-nothing!  It is only this inward poverty that can see the truth of a life in which there is no conflict at all.  Such a life is a benediction not to be found in any church or any temple.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

departure from CR

i look up and see the Air Canada plane moving slowly towards the gate............in another half an hour we will be boarding this flight........i wonder if this is the time to capture the thoughts, from the past few days............

life happens, sometimes we give space for the events to unfold and they wow us, at times the mind and thoughts get in the way.

watching the movie, Avatar, brought to mind my own embodiment of hope, or the walking dream......was the past month spent at Rancho Margot my avatar..............the vast space, both internal and external allowed life to happen as i enjoyed teaching yoga, meeting people, connecting at many different levels, each moment a joy, each smile a reminder of the joy, as the past, present, future and simultaneous lifetimes all unfolded, moment by moment, poco a poco...........the last night spent there was just one more moment in this unfolding and at the same time a culmination of all the moments, there was no mind in the equation..........a smile comes to my face with this favorite line from the yoga teaching...........inhale abundance...........exhale and surrender with gratitude. 

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Thoughts from January 3 - Rancho Margot - CR

2010 brings in abundance with each inhale…………….during yoga practice it is a good opportunity to remind oneself that every inhale is an abundance of love of joy and an abundance of being…………..Being an energy that is in union with the energy of the surrounding mountains, river, the bird songs, rustling wind through the trees and the rain drops falling on each leaf………….each exhale a surrendering…………..surrendering with gratitude…………dreams manifest this energy in forms and I am awakened with a sense of sensing, yet not knowing……….I cannot interpret this dream with my limited sense of knowing, .I swim in the warm pool and find the space from where to teach the morning yoga class………bringing an acceptance of what is…………no beginning, no middle and no end…….

Friday, January 1, 2010

last day of 2009 - in time and space - Rancho Margot -CR

the theme of the yoga practice on dec 31st was surrender and letting go of 2009 and all that is not required to be rolled over into 2010...........all negativity, labels, judgements, toxins of the mind, body and heart,  against oneself and others.

the day unfolded with an exciting and breathtaking horseback ride..............a ride through the rainforest, where every turn took your breath away...............7 of us on the ride, each in our own space of timelessness..........and then we were at the top of the crest, with the view of lake arenal stretching out in the far distance..............continueing our ride, as a herd of cows joined us, leading the way.............we came to a clearing, dismounted and continued the hike on foot, slipping and slidding, holding the tree limbs and reaching hands for support.........we reached a point and suddenly we were in full view of the magnificent 35 meter waterfall.............as Frederick looked at us and said: now we hike down towards the bottom of the fall and walk behind the water.............more slipping and slidding and soon we were at the bottom of the fall............great control, and precise guidance by Frederick, over the slippery rocks, away from the dangerous drop.............we gasped for breath as the cold water hit our bodies and souls...........eyes closed against the volume and impact of the water, we hugged the rocks and soon the impact of the water sound, made me realized that i was right behind the waterfall.................the water was right over the crown of the head, the sound of the water combined with the sound of OM  and the shrieks from the other riders.......
any other words to describe this experience would take away from the feeling............

lailo, my horse and i were well connected in our energy, in the downhill ride, he would actually turn his head to look toward me and when i acknowleged, yes go for it, he would trot down, slipping and slidding yet keeping control, our energy in complete harmony............the me in me, never realizing that how much i would enjoy horseriding..............maybe that is when the ego took over...........as we completed our descent, the open firelds looked so serene, the i disconnected with lailo, in a split second, as he turned, and decided to gallop, i knew that was it..............the rest was in slow motion......Frederick, heard the gallop, looked back and saw me slididng off the seat, as he started to come towards me, thinking i would be able to slide back on,  meanwhile in that split second i had sensed that a struggle was no use............so in slow motion i was flying off the saddle, on to my right side, heard the helmet hit the ground, someone behind me saw the hoof hit my head, I think the opposite, lailo in his way reached with his hoof, and broke the fall........... the glasses went flying, in a moment it was over, and soon Frederick was bending over me, i got up faster than i fell, the other riders seemed more stunned, as they had watched the whole thing happen.............i gave lailo a hug, reassuring him that all was okay, it was not his fault..........i was helped back on the horse and we walked back.......many hugs, shared with the other riders, reassuring myself and them, as i was reminded that every moment is a milagro.........
the evening gathering included...........much food, dancing, and the ritual of eating 12 grapes at midnite, making a wish for each month.  Daniel, celebrating his 5th birthday, and the blue moon, showing its splendor when the clouds moved away, with each firework we lit up and cheered....... some of us sat in a personal moment of quiet silence..............happy new year.

reflecting back on the day, surrender had taken on a new meaning...........leaving one open to receive and give, abundance of love and gratitude.