i have been in this city for a week…it seems longer….
The first few days were a whirlwind of sleep and time adjustment surrounding wedding celebrations…the best part is always the reunion, those moments with family and friends…the wedding comes with its own energy…beautiful bride and the groom…in this case the groom is known the bride is a new addition to the family…beautiful couple,Ammar and Saba.
Indulgence is one word that can describe the time here…a friend takes me out for lunch and asks me "can you live in an invisible prison?"…hmmm, this was soon after a conversation in which he thinks that it is time to return to this land…i agree when he says that here you have roots, and the roots have their off shoots grown into a tree that will always provide shade…i am intrigued, as i listen to him…he is clear when i share with him my desire to travel in Pakistan, travel solo as a tourist…he looks at me and says "face it irum, in this country,you are the wrong sex to take on that adventure"…
i am still thinking in my head "thank you for showing me this challenge"…
The city has spread, there is technology, there is development and there is more traffic…i am protected, living with family, in a bubble, i have returned to this bubble…and i find no conflict, i am allowing life to happen, there is a surrender…
We sit in the courtyard of a cafe, listening to music, three friends having a quiet dinner after a yoga session…"you have a different energy about you"… "i just met you in Toronto, 2 weeks back and you were vibrating"…"and now?" i ask as i smile…the other friend agrees…i share with them, that its intentional, i am aware of what is happening…there i was pouring, now i am absorbing; watching and aware for any internal conflict…i have returned to the grounds of my conditioning…who am i , will be made clear, through the awareness and confirmation and verification of "who i am not"…its a testing ground…i hold on to the line "thank you for showing me this challenge"..
a place to park thoughts and ideas....... the people and places.......encountered in the journey of life.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
what about 2011??? some "thank uuuus"
Moving between dimensions…from 3D to 5D…the year in perspective…
January rains at Rancho Margot, Jafer and Catherine wrapped up their visit to the ranch…
The girls, big and small all five of us, Liz, Cade, Brianna, Ivannia and myself trotted off to Quepos, Manuel Antonio…the trip which is considered done in five hours we made in nine, so whos' counting when one is having fun…the journey and the destination, the morning skinny dipping in our private pool, the sand and the sun and yoga on the beach…the extra Pina Coladas, and one extra day thanks to Julia who stayed back one more day to share yoga with the Ranch guests…I am sure Juan had something to do with it, all in all we came back recharged…
And Briannas' teacher training continued into February…and the month brought new friendships, deep connection, and a sparkle with Anayancy and Mark…five days and relishing each moment…the fun and excitement at the ranch continued, small stuff makes you happy, or un, when people live in close proximity…
Asim and Kamila made their trip in March, Kamila was the photographer for over 200 pictures, of Brianna, as we worked on our Yoga Teacher Training Manual…The highlight was the trip to the 500 year Ceiba tree…
and more moments sharing with people at the ranch, guests, volunteers, employees, the owner and his family…each encounter turns into a story, a life of its own…Rosalie and Fran came for a yoga retreat, a few moments a yoga session, a conversation, sharing a few hours in the huerta pulling weeds and planting "dil"…and a "dil" (heart) connection was made which culminated in yoga teacher training in Maryland DC, with four other yoga teachers…Mary came back to the Ranch in August and found her own transformation; all through the relationships and the experiences in the space called Rancho Margot.
The time spent with Ivannia and Mario, three weeks of deepening, learning and sharing yoga…these practitioners became coaches and facilitators of yoga session as they completed the formal 200 hours required to share the practice.
Summer of 2011 spent in Toronto, brought closures and openers both…
we shared more yoga, including a full moon ritual at the harbourfront, the savasana was accompanied by the beautiful bansuri played by Anwar, as Naureen, Bina, Mamta, Talat, Micha and Katie lay on the grass in their own surrender.
Travel to Spain and Morocco, where I am sensing I will return, to explore to share the beauty of Morocco, practice yoga, and healing sessions in the desert. Abdel, will be our guide, the plan has to manifest. Selim and Hafsa in Fes, a promise made "till we meet again", is to be honoured.
I spent three hours with my uncle and his wife in Christchurch, as I hugged them goodbye, the vision imprinted was "a return to the train station, and seeing them at the other end of the platform, their warmth glowing around them"…
I also got a chance to spend some time with Seema, Batool, Malka and a brief evening with Karim and his wife. Yes many warm wishes for Hashim, what a trooper he is, irrespective of the illness, his spirit shines through…Seema and her warmth and love keeps drawing me back. Malka and Batool, two women who face their own challenges, and keep smiling, only question that these three girls have is "what can I do for you"…
Sandy and Jennifer, thank you for following your calling to share the 3 weeks of yoga, you will continue to share the practice with others, your source of guidance will always come from within…
Paula, Hannah, Jackson, Will…we had a beautiful time together, you became a family, a part of me stays with you…every yoga session, has your energy…amazing, eh!!!
Juan and Liz, for the home away from home that you have shared with me, casa de vida will continue to share its energy with many lives…
Jeremey, Gaelle and Tzion, it was wonderful to have you a part of the Ranch energy…
I look forward to spending more time with you Lisa and Bjorn, new community members, souls of peace...
The last few weeks of 2011 spent in Toronto with Asim, Kamila, Jafer and Catherine, Nimmi and her family, have recharged and reignited the connection with home.
Ignacio, Karla, Mark, Anayancy, Cade, and Frederick, thank you for being you. Our stories continue…
As the year has ended, I feel enriched; the love I shared with those who opened their hearts, and the connection made and renewed stays…the attraction, friendship, the soul and love connection, has now become my identity…through loving you "i am, and i am not" ~rumi~
January rains at Rancho Margot, Jafer and Catherine wrapped up their visit to the ranch…
The girls, big and small all five of us, Liz, Cade, Brianna, Ivannia and myself trotted off to Quepos, Manuel Antonio…the trip which is considered done in five hours we made in nine, so whos' counting when one is having fun…the journey and the destination, the morning skinny dipping in our private pool, the sand and the sun and yoga on the beach…the extra Pina Coladas, and one extra day thanks to Julia who stayed back one more day to share yoga with the Ranch guests…I am sure Juan had something to do with it, all in all we came back recharged…
And Briannas' teacher training continued into February…and the month brought new friendships, deep connection, and a sparkle with Anayancy and Mark…five days and relishing each moment…the fun and excitement at the ranch continued, small stuff makes you happy, or un, when people live in close proximity…
Asim and Kamila made their trip in March, Kamila was the photographer for over 200 pictures, of Brianna, as we worked on our Yoga Teacher Training Manual…The highlight was the trip to the 500 year Ceiba tree…
and more moments sharing with people at the ranch, guests, volunteers, employees, the owner and his family…each encounter turns into a story, a life of its own…Rosalie and Fran came for a yoga retreat, a few moments a yoga session, a conversation, sharing a few hours in the huerta pulling weeds and planting "dil"…and a "dil" (heart) connection was made which culminated in yoga teacher training in Maryland DC, with four other yoga teachers…Mary came back to the Ranch in August and found her own transformation; all through the relationships and the experiences in the space called Rancho Margot.
The time spent with Ivannia and Mario, three weeks of deepening, learning and sharing yoga…these practitioners became coaches and facilitators of yoga session as they completed the formal 200 hours required to share the practice.
Summer of 2011 spent in Toronto, brought closures and openers both…
we shared more yoga, including a full moon ritual at the harbourfront, the savasana was accompanied by the beautiful bansuri played by Anwar, as Naureen, Bina, Mamta, Talat, Micha and Katie lay on the grass in their own surrender.
Travel to Spain and Morocco, where I am sensing I will return, to explore to share the beauty of Morocco, practice yoga, and healing sessions in the desert. Abdel, will be our guide, the plan has to manifest. Selim and Hafsa in Fes, a promise made "till we meet again", is to be honoured.
I spent three hours with my uncle and his wife in Christchurch, as I hugged them goodbye, the vision imprinted was "a return to the train station, and seeing them at the other end of the platform, their warmth glowing around them"…
I also got a chance to spend some time with Seema, Batool, Malka and a brief evening with Karim and his wife. Yes many warm wishes for Hashim, what a trooper he is, irrespective of the illness, his spirit shines through…Seema and her warmth and love keeps drawing me back. Malka and Batool, two women who face their own challenges, and keep smiling, only question that these three girls have is "what can I do for you"…
Sandy and Jennifer, thank you for following your calling to share the 3 weeks of yoga, you will continue to share the practice with others, your source of guidance will always come from within…
Paula, Hannah, Jackson, Will…we had a beautiful time together, you became a family, a part of me stays with you…every yoga session, has your energy…amazing, eh!!!
Juan and Liz, for the home away from home that you have shared with me, casa de vida will continue to share its energy with many lives…
Jeremey, Gaelle and Tzion, it was wonderful to have you a part of the Ranch energy…
I look forward to spending more time with you Lisa and Bjorn, new community members, souls of peace...
The last few weeks of 2011 spent in Toronto with Asim, Kamila, Jafer and Catherine, Nimmi and her family, have recharged and reignited the connection with home.
Ignacio, Karla, Mark, Anayancy, Cade, and Frederick, thank you for being you. Our stories continue…
As the year has ended, I feel enriched; the love I shared with those who opened their hearts, and the connection made and renewed stays…the attraction, friendship, the soul and love connection, has now become my identity…through loving you "i am, and i am not" ~rumi~
Saturday, December 31, 2011
as the year turns from 2011 to 2012…from 4 to 5
do we choose the moment, or does a moment choose us,,,do we define life, or does the life define us…
"be in the world but not of the world", becomes clear when we begin to see association and identification with the structures, checkpoints, milestones…
we are born, the existence of a body is a structure, we grow with associations, checkpoints and milestones, each individual form becomes a world…
the outer world and the inner are aligned…how many things and how many thoughts we accumulate is a choice…
through the clearing, we begin to see space, in this space we feel a sense of freedom…
often as i lie under the open sky, with the earth beneath me, i look up, i feel i am soaring, flying like those birds...the feeling comes from the space, uncluttered space which i find inside me…
driving down the parkway, keeping my eyes on the road which is slippery, its lined with trees, each branch covered in glistening snow, its the moment, captured and imprinted…WOW!!!
this moment…peace and harmony
"be in the world but not of the world", becomes clear when we begin to see association and identification with the structures, checkpoints, milestones…
we are born, the existence of a body is a structure, we grow with associations, checkpoints and milestones, each individual form becomes a world…
the outer world and the inner are aligned…how many things and how many thoughts we accumulate is a choice…
through the clearing, we begin to see space, in this space we feel a sense of freedom…
often as i lie under the open sky, with the earth beneath me, i look up, i feel i am soaring, flying like those birds...the feeling comes from the space, uncluttered space which i find inside me…
driving down the parkway, keeping my eyes on the road which is slippery, its lined with trees, each branch covered in glistening snow, its the moment, captured and imprinted…WOW!!!
this moment…peace and harmony
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Balance - in yoga, in life
The balance is the Oneness.
When duality flows into the non, we feel balanced.
When the four basic needs of food, shelter, sex and self-preservation are met, we feel balanced. A tendency towards the extremes of the basic needs, generally reflects that an imbalance is being compensated.
If balance is the Oneness, then where does the imbalance originate. Possible from our thoughts, that define who we are, from the expectations, those from our minds and those imposed by other minds. Its is how we are conditioned, by 'my' identity and by 'society'.
The attention to this awareness awakens us, it guides us in re-connecting to finding the balance.
We begin the 'seeking' and the 'search'…there is so much 'stuff' to swim through. The challenge becomes clear, its the thoughts and the fear which become the boundary.
We want to throw everything out, we want to see ourselves in a new light, we move, physically, live a different life, find different ways, see how others live; the four basic instincts are with us.
Travelling, we realize that soon it will be time to move, so lets not get attached. The lesson of non-attachemt is the important one, its the smooth and firm ground on which we build our life, live our life, irrespective of the places and people we meet.
In the clarity space is created.
How does this support the idea of "challenging" our limits, going "beyond the boundaries". For me the "limits" and the "boundaries" are the result of our conditionings, where the mind has filled the free space with fears and the lists of the rights and wrongs. The challenge then seems to be to find that space, which does not need to be filled with the "excitement state"; instead I begin to find the Joy by relishing each moment, then the excitement, wonder and awe of being knows no boundaries and no limitations. I flow, flow like the stream, changing into a river, at times a fast rapid, or becoming the deep ocean.
The Taoist concept of Yin and Yang, defines existence, they co-exist, as one balances the other, without the one the other is not.
In each moment the balance of the Yin and Yang, provides the balance to our life, to living. In the practice of Yoga, in our search for the meaning of life, in seeking love, in loving and in our surrender, when we feel balanced, we live and love with abundance and freedom.
Yin is Hidden, Dark, Cold, Still, Downward, Earth, Calm
Yang is Exposed, Light, Hot, Moving, Upward, Heaven, Excited
When duality flows into the non, we feel balanced.
When the four basic needs of food, shelter, sex and self-preservation are met, we feel balanced. A tendency towards the extremes of the basic needs, generally reflects that an imbalance is being compensated.
If balance is the Oneness, then where does the imbalance originate. Possible from our thoughts, that define who we are, from the expectations, those from our minds and those imposed by other minds. Its is how we are conditioned, by 'my' identity and by 'society'.
The attention to this awareness awakens us, it guides us in re-connecting to finding the balance.
We begin the 'seeking' and the 'search'…there is so much 'stuff' to swim through. The challenge becomes clear, its the thoughts and the fear which become the boundary.
We want to throw everything out, we want to see ourselves in a new light, we move, physically, live a different life, find different ways, see how others live; the four basic instincts are with us.
Travelling, we realize that soon it will be time to move, so lets not get attached. The lesson of non-attachemt is the important one, its the smooth and firm ground on which we build our life, live our life, irrespective of the places and people we meet.
In the clarity space is created.
How does this support the idea of "challenging" our limits, going "beyond the boundaries". For me the "limits" and the "boundaries" are the result of our conditionings, where the mind has filled the free space with fears and the lists of the rights and wrongs. The challenge then seems to be to find that space, which does not need to be filled with the "excitement state"; instead I begin to find the Joy by relishing each moment, then the excitement, wonder and awe of being knows no boundaries and no limitations. I flow, flow like the stream, changing into a river, at times a fast rapid, or becoming the deep ocean.
The Taoist concept of Yin and Yang, defines existence, they co-exist, as one balances the other, without the one the other is not.
In each moment the balance of the Yin and Yang, provides the balance to our life, to living. In the practice of Yoga, in our search for the meaning of life, in seeking love, in loving and in our surrender, when we feel balanced, we live and love with abundance and freedom.
Yin is Hidden, Dark, Cold, Still, Downward, Earth, Calm
Yang is Exposed, Light, Hot, Moving, Upward, Heaven, Excited
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
the day dawns...
Been thinking of random situations, those that happened, and those that didn't…is there a difference, its all in the form of thoughts…either ways they form feelings…so i decide to watch, and see those feelings with the eye of an observer and the heart of a lover/beloved…i soon get bored, its just thoughts, and the feeling of the sun on my face feels better…i make my self a cup of tea, stand by the window and soak in the sunshine, my cells dance with each sun ray…
I follow the sun on my walk, with a sensing that i am looking in from the outside…hmmmm, okay so lets stay with this feeling…the observer walks alongside, watching each step, each passing vehicle, each moment with heightened attention…the walk ends in a bookstore…"Aleph" by Pablo Coelho, I pick up the hardcover copy, put my hand in my coat pocket and remember that I had dropped some money as I walked out the door, but not enough for the book…I see Starbucks, and a peppermint mocha looks doable…browsing through my emails, people watching and i am "absorbed"…
The sun is almost setting as i leave the store, the sensing on the way back home is of Oneness, i am not looking in from the outside, i am in…
Later I download an audio copy of Aleph, should be fun 8 hours of listening…even if i fall asleep in the listening process the dreams will be insightful…i like it...
I follow the sun on my walk, with a sensing that i am looking in from the outside…hmmmm, okay so lets stay with this feeling…the observer walks alongside, watching each step, each passing vehicle, each moment with heightened attention…the walk ends in a bookstore…"Aleph" by Pablo Coelho, I pick up the hardcover copy, put my hand in my coat pocket and remember that I had dropped some money as I walked out the door, but not enough for the book…I see Starbucks, and a peppermint mocha looks doable…browsing through my emails, people watching and i am "absorbed"…
The sun is almost setting as i leave the store, the sensing on the way back home is of Oneness, i am not looking in from the outside, i am in…
Later I download an audio copy of Aleph, should be fun 8 hours of listening…even if i fall asleep in the listening process the dreams will be insightful…i like it...
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