The Secret of Health

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. 

                                                                            – The Buddha

Here is a wise and familiar tenet of life. Throughout my forty-odd years of practicing Yoga this returns again and again to remind me the present moment is all that is real.

Yesterday I discovered the freezer door had not securely closed the night before and food was thawing. My mind immediately began to ruminate about the cost of a new refrigerator, the time it would take to empty and clean the freezer, the waste of thawed food, the frustration of contacting someone to fix it, on and on.

But wait, maybe the door just wasn't completely closed. Perhaps simply securely closing it and waiting a few hours would reveal a different scenario. The bananas kept on the top shelf would need to be discarded, but the rest might yet be saved. Actually, I used the half-thawed bananas, along with strawberries, blueberries and mango to make a fantastic smoothie. But that's anothter story.

Sure enough, the refrigerator did not turn into a huge hassle. By evening the motor was purring softly and everything was frozen as it should be. Ice was popping from the ice maker. We smiled at our foolishness.

The point here is the mind could have taken me on quite an unpleasant ride, spending hours worrying about things not yet happening. This worry does effect health and well being, not to mention overriding the ability to simply be in the present moment.

Of course, this is a mundane example, but it illustrates the point. The amazing ability of the mind to create our reality is indeed a wonder. What an enormous responsibilty it is to stay awake and aware in order to command this powerful instrument to serve us rather than let it be our master.

Time Enough

The butterfly counts not months
but moments,
and has time enough.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

We truly live in timelessness, one moment at a time. It is an experience I am delving deeply into as I slowly recover from surgery. It is enough ~ each moment. Opening to each moment with an awe and wonder. Noticing the thoughts and emotions, often not fun, but simply what is. The beauty of the butterfly, the goldfinch, the black-eyed susan and day lilies remind me ~ it is enough, each moment is enough...

Recognize the Light of Your Soul

May you recognize in your life the presence,

power, and light of your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone,

that your soul in its brightness and belonging

connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe.

May you have respect for your individuality and difference.

May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,

that you have a special destiny here,

that behind the facade of your life

there is something beautiful and eternal happening.

May you learn to see your self

with the same delight,

pride, and expectation

with which God sees you in every moment.

John O’Donohue

Each time I read something from John O'Donohue, I connect with that essence he writes so eloquently about. He reminds us that in our uniqueness we are shining brightly even when we can't feel it.  How filled with wonder and astonishment I am when I look beyond the facade of my life and see the eternal, beautiful rhythm of the universe connecting us all.

Something Marvelous

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."  ~ Aristotle


Just a few houses down from where we are staying is this beautiful bird-of-paradise plant. As Payton and I walked this morning, I noticed it was in full bloom. This semi-tropical climate in Florida offers so many marvelous things to enjoy with all of the senses. Though the eye is drawn to the vibrant colors, the nose enjoys fragrances of gardenia and bougainvillea, the ear resonates with the calls of so many different birds, the tongue delights in taste of ripe strawberries, and the skin feels the warmth of the sun and the touch of the breeze. Then at the beach the marvelous is everywhere ~ in the sand, the waves, the shells, the sky, the clouds, the sun... 

My Daughter

And so to these


unspoken shadows


and this broad night


I make


a quiet


request


to the


great parental


darkness


to hold her


when I cannot,


to comfort her


when I am gone,


to help her learn


to love


the unknown


for itself,


to take it


gladly


like


a lantern


for the way


before her,


to help her see


where ordinary


light will not help her,


where happiness has fled,


where faith


will not reach.

~David Whyte

I'd like to share just a portion of the poem, a prayer really, written by David Whyte to his daughter. It expresses my deepest wish for my daughter's spiritual nurturing. 

Thirty years ago, my life changed in ways never imagined. My daughter, Amanda, was born and with her came untold joy, amazement, and, of course, challenge. I don't know if we are born with the seed of becoming a mother or not, but Amanda brought such love and laughter, along with tears and struggles, that I became her protector, nurturer, guide, and teacher. I became her mother. I didn't always know what might be best, but I was open to that great parental spirit to show me the way. Mistakes most likely have been made through the years and with them great lessons. So, it has always been with great love and devotion that I have stood with her as she found her own way. She shines brightly each day and moves through life with courage and grace. 

Happy birthday to my daughter ~ a joy, a miracle ~ quite simply a remarkable young lady!

My Passion...

My continuing passion is to part a curtain, that invisible veil of
indifference that falls between us and that blinds us to each other's
presence, each other's wonder, each other's human plight.

                                                                                     ~Eudora Welty

Yesterday morning as I walked with Payton, our Golden Retriever, the intensity of this invisible veil was almost palpable in the low lying fog that covered the fields of southwest Florida. How often do we truly see each other or ourselves?

Years ago as a young girl I longed to know the meaning of life. I spent endless hours contemplating, pondering, wondering why we are here and what is it we are "supposed" to do. Constantly nervous about not doing the right thing, my focus was on discovering some great mystery.

Occasionally revelations appear and disappear, but always a very gentle knowing and a sweet surrender to each moment brings joy and peace. With passion ever present, Grace shows me the way.

Life is...

Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was
going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and
then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it
ends.

                                                                 ~Joseph Campbell

Do you ever feel like this? I am notorious for wanting to ask questions during a movie and my husband has threatened more than once to go alone rather than endure my endless inquisitiveness. But lately I've been content to watch life unfold with curiosity and childlike wonder. There is no explanation for this change in attitude. Life truly is a great mystery. Will I be called away before discovering the ending? I know not, but maybe it's OK to just enjoy the moment. I think that is the only place to find joy, love, and peace.

Day Dream

Day Dream

One day people will touch and talk perhaps easily,

And loving be natural as breathing and warm as sunlight,

And people will untie themselves, as string is unknotted,

Unfold and yawn and stretch and spread their fingers,

Unfurl, uncurl like seaweed returned to the sea,

And work will be simple and swift as a seagull flying,

And play will be casual and quiet as a seagull settling,

And the clocks will stop, and no one will wonder or care or notice,

And people will smile without reason, even in winter, even in the rain.

        ~A. S. J. Tessimond 

from Kim Rosen “Saved by a Poem” newsletter, July 2011


When I read this, it brought tears to my eyes. I'm sentimental, I guess, and I really long for this kind of day dream. More that longing, I believe in this day dream. Is it so unreasonable to think we can touch and talk and untie ourselves? Isn't it reasonable to find work simple and swift and play causal and quiet? Haven't you ever experienced time dissolving? Did you care? Each time I find myself smiling without a reason, I know we're just that much closer to having the day dream be real.

Connection with Presence

There are guides

who can show you the way.

Use them.

But they will not satisfy your longing.

Keep wanting the connection with presence

with all your pulsing energy.

The throbbing vein

will take you further

than any thinking.

Observe the wonders as they occur around you.

Do not claim them. Feel the artistry

moving through, and be silent.


~ RUMI ~

There is a point when the yearning to know the truth of who you are overshadows all other thoughts or desires. Just as the grass will turn green when it's time and the apple blossoms will open when ready, our heart will awaken without our effort. Only the pulsing energy, the throbbing vein, the longing will take us to this place of knowing. Just be silent and still, awake and aware, and present as moment by moment life unfolds... 

Not a Grief of Joy

This we have now

is not imagination.

This is not a grief or joy.

Not a judging state,

or an elation,

or sadness.

Those come and go. 

THIS is the PRESENCE... that doesn't.

~RUMI~

From Essential Rumi

by Coleman Barks

Last night was Yoga Nidra. I love to offer this class.Yoga Nidra is the most profound way to connect with who you are that I have ever known. I have been practicing Yoga Nidra for about 15 years. 


What is Yoga Nidra? It is an ancient tantric practice of deep relaxation and meditation. Several techniques work together to take the practitioner through the different layers (koshas, in Sanskrit) of the body until the deepest core of your being is found. As you practice this, you begin to let go of all the identities you think you are and come into your true nature. 


Here is the place of great healing; the place of wholeness. This is who you truly are ~ the PRESENCE that is always here.

Join the Community of Spirit

There is a community of the spirit.

Join it, and feel the delight

of walking in the noisy street

and being the noise.

Drink all your passion, 

and be a disgrace.

Close both eyes 

to see with the other eye.

~RUMI ~

From Essential Rumi

by Coleman Barks

I love this image. Most of my life I've been a people-pleaser and the idea of drinking in my passion and being a disgrace is quite simply ~ perfect. The community of spirit nourishes me daily and I feel the delight. It seems my lesson is to live wholeheartedly, with courage and authenticity. I think it means to just be my self; to allow each moment to unfold and know that who I am is more than okay.


I was introduced to Brene Brown through a friend who emailed me a video clip. Here is a woman who has spent 10 years researching shame and guilt. What became clear to her was that being authentic each day will cultivate the courage to be emotionally honest, to set boundaries, to be vulnerable and compassionate with ourselves and others. And out of this will come wholehearted living and loving allowing each of us to be who we are without guilt, shame or fear.

After watching her PBS program last night, I deeply connected with this community of the spirit. What do I see? Grace, joy and gratitude.

Halleluiah

Halleluiah

Everyone should be born into this world happy

and loving everything.

But in truth it rarely works that way.

For myself, I have spent my life clamoring toward it.

Halleluiah, anyway I'm not where I started!

And have you too been trudging like that, sometimes

almost forgetting how wondrous the world is

and how miraculously kind some people can be?

And have you too decided that probably nothing important

is ever easy?

Not, say, for the first sixty years.

Halleluiah, I'm sixty now, and even a little more,

and some days I feel I have wings.

~ Mary Oliver ~

(Evidence)

Our youngest grandson, Ben, reminds us everyday that we are all born into this world full of joy, open-hearted and loving everything. Just look at the joy in this boy's smile! It's easy to be stuck in the daily trials and tribulations, but take a moment to remember how wondrous the world really is and how precious this life of ours is.

Some days we truly do have wings ~ Halleluiah!