Thursday, July 30, 2009


Yesterday I had the opportunity to go down to Indian Rocks Beach and participate in a sunset yoga class right on the beach. It was a beautiful evening. The weather was quite bearable considering we were on the beach and in the sun. We lay our towels down on the sand and began to face the ocean. The music started and we listened tentatively as Diana began to lead the class.

The whole experience was awesome. I attend Diana's yoga class every Monday night but tonight's class was especially superb given the beautiful surroundings. At the end of the 1 hour class we all sat down to a guided meditation. Diana read us a passage written by the Dalai Lama entitled compassion. As she read I began to notice where in my life I could start practicing more compassion. I looked at the people in my life that I could extend a helpful hand to or just a quick hello to check in with how they are doing.

As I drove home I noticed that my problems and resentments that I had accumulated for the day began to fade as I focused my attention toward compassion for others.

Thank you for the yoga class. Thank you Diana.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Early morning

The morning . . .

This morning my alarm clock goes off at 7:45am. This is 30 minutes before it regularly goes off. Last night I had decided to wake up early and take Miss Bell for a walk before I began my day. Needless to say, once I heard the piercing sound of the alarm all I wanted to do was to roll over and go back to sleep.

In my mind I was going back and forth 'should I go or should I just carry on sleeping'. I was being very creative about my reasons as to why I should keep sleeping. Honestly it was sheer guilt that got me out of bed. I had promised myself that I would get up and take Miss Bell for a walk and I would rather the inconvenience of getting up early than the guilt of not taking her out. Nowhere along the way did I ever consider that the walk would be good for me.

So at exactly 7:07am we left the house. I was yawning and Miss Bell was eager to get going. We walked our usual route; about a 40 minute one. I began to notice a shift in how I was feeling. For no apparent reason I began to feel at peace and quite content. I kept looking around me and I had such a sense of gratitude.

Now I am not one for all these airy fairy kinda things but this was an experience that really captivated me. When I returned home I had energy and a desire to start my day. The thing I noticed most was that even though there were things going on around me that I didn't like and would have normally become easily irritated by, something inside me remained constant and I just brushed those things by. I had a real experience of what it is like to remain in my own body and keep my inner perspective strong and purposeful, regardless of what is going on outside of me.

I also noticed during my day at the office that things seemed to flow and I was able to accomplish quite a few different tasks along the way. It reminded me about something I had read once. I will not attempt to quote it word for word, but it went something like this. The universe (or life force, or God or god or universal energy - or whatever term you subscribe to)is waiting for us to be in a space a.k.a a frame of heart and mind so that we can receive the events, thoughts, feelings or desires that will assist us in completing our life's purpose. These come to us in the form of small doses each day. So each day if we prepare ourselves mentally, spiritually and emotionally we will open ourselves up to our life as it is meant to be.

Today was one of those days. And while I still got annoyed about something and while I still had moments of restlessness and lethargy, there was an inner strength and knowing that life is unfolding perfectly!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

I want to know . . .

Do you ever catch yourself doing something for hours and then wondering where the time went to?

Do you have a longing to express yourself in a way that makes your heart sing?

Do you know there is something you have that by sharing it with the rest of the world will make you shine and the world resonate?

We all have something we are passionate about; that speaks to our soul. Something that ushers in love, power and freedom. And when we are fortunate enough and brave enough to stand in between our mind and our heart, we have the ability to create amazing things.

Watch the video below. It is not just a video about a hair product. It is one person's longing to be all that she can be even in spite of all the resistance she may endure.

I invite you to close your eyes and dream . . .






It doesn't interest me what you do for a living
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing

It doesn't interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive


Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Source: The Invitation