slow pour

i dream often
visions and feelings that feel awfully close
too real
i question
i guess
i fear
i leave them alone

i love often
persons and truths closer than my breath
too many
i retreat
i lose
i fight
i walk away

i live, most days
arguable for me
most days, for others
i regret
i forgive
i pray
i try to remember

me
in all this
it's a slow pour...

our self with the Self

THE SOUL DOES NOT CARE ABOUT WHAT SOCIETY VALUES. IT DOESN'T MEASURE SELF-WORTH BY THE SIZE OF OUR BANK ACCOUNT, THE SIZE OF OUR HIPS OR BICEPS, THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF OUR HOME OR HOW MANY CARS ARE PARKED IN OUR GARAGE. THESE ARE NOT SPIRITUAL MILESTONES, BUT THEY CAN BE MILLSTONES CHOKING OUR SPIRIT. WHEN WE DON’T MATERIALLY POSSESS WHAT WE FEEL WE DESERVE, COMPASSIONATE PATIENCE DISSOLVES ILLUSIONS OF ENTITLEMENT AND SELF-BLAME. WE QUIT PICKING ON OURSELVES, WE QUIT TINKERING WITH SURFACE IMPROVEMENTS AND BEGIN DIGGING DEEP INTO OUR INTERIORITY.  WITH COMPASSIONATE PATIENCE, INSIGHT BECOMES THE INNER AUTHORITY WE LISTEN AND RESPOND TO

Rev. Michael Beckwith

How we choose to measure success, is rooted in how we measure our relationship with God and ourselves. How do we decipher from the voice of our ego or emotional self with the voice of Spirit or our intuition? 

While listening to the sermon this morning from Rev. Michael, it was clear to me that this idea of "letting go" and really choosing to be free from our attempts to control, fix or participate in arguments of limitations is absolute. it is something we really should choose to do. it's more than just letting go of the past or memorizing affirmations to alter our damaging thoughts about ourselves, circumstances or others -- it's about KNOWING we have all that we need and without thinking about much else, focus ourselves on being our most honest and brightest lights through the wisdom, creativity and joy that lies within us. 

we do this with our spiritual practice -- meditation, yoga, prayer, running, cooking, music, art -- whatever lends itself to being still, quiet and grateful. we use our practice to enhance our connection with ourselves, each other and the world. the extensions come with the gathering of like minds -- whom the universe supplies when we are ready!

i'm learning that there are worldly and spiritual meanings to everything, especially success. with intention, today i choose to lessen the grip my ego has when it comes to opportunities, where i usually place weight on my degrees and levels of education -- i know that what the universe opens up, is meant for me. everyday i strive to be a global citizen, working towards changing the conversations and agreements on a global scale. because i believe that love is really all that matters. 

last week-- my work and talents have become bi-coastal in a very unexpected way! my heart is open and i am so excited for what's to come. nyc i'll see you in may :))

xo, me.

who are we?!

checking our ego is a necessity -- everyday, all day! taken from yogajournal.com 

Meditating on the question "Who Am I?" for as little as 5 minutes can help you look beyond your ego's definition of you and discover what lies beneath.

1. Settle into your body.
Come into a comfortable seated posture, with your eyes closed, and your hands folded in your lap. Lengthen your back, and let your chin move back so you feel as if your head is being suspended by a cord from the ceiling. Scan your body, noticing and softening any tightness in the shoulders, face, thighs, belly, arms, and hands. Take 5 deep inhalations and exhalations.

2. Focus on your breath.
Become aware of the rise and fall of the breath. Let your breathing be natural and relaxed as it brings you into the present moment. Feel the coolness of the breath as it flows in the nostrils and the warmth as it flows out. Notice where you feel the breath in your body. Do you feel it in the chest and shoulders? In the diaphragm or belly?

3. Quiet the mind.
Sensing the flow of the breath, inhale with the thought "I am." Feel the energy of the words mingling with your breath, flowing into your inner body. Then, with the exhalation, feel the space that these words leave in your consciousness. Continue to repeat the pure mantra "I am" without attaching any other thoughts to it. Stay here for several minutes if you can, allowing yourself to become more and more relaxed.

4. Practice inquiry.
As your mind quiets, begin to drop in the question, "Who am I, without words? Without thoughts? Without memories or emotions?" Pay attention to the awareness that opens up. If words or emotions arise, allow them to be there. Identify them—"thoughts," "sadness," or "confusion"—and return to the question. You're not looking for an answer. Look past the answers that arise to experience the bare awareness that is your sense of being, of pure existence.

5. Rest in awareness.
This sense of pure existence is there, and as you practice this meditation, it will eventually reveal itself. Continue your inquiry, and see if you can gently rest for a second or two in the wordless awareness that immediately follows the question. The opening into awareness may last only for a few seconds. If you get hung up on your thoughts, start over: Return to the breath, and the mantra "I am." Then, ask the question again, and notice what arises. Stay with the practice for as few as 5 or as many as 30 minutes. Then open your eyes, and return to your day.