Earth Prayers

Earth teach me suffering,

As old stones suffer with memory.

Earth teach me courage,

As the tree which stands alone.

Earth teach me freedom,

As the eagle which soars in the sky.

Earth teach me to forget myself,

As melted snow forgets its life.

Earth teach me regeneration,

As the seed which rises in the spring.

Earth teach me humility,

As blossoms are humble with beginning.

~Chief Yellow Lark, Lakota

This poem has proven a wonderful meditation and journaling tool for me. I have added many stanzas of my own to ask the Earth for it's guidance and amazing education. Sit with it and add some of your own, what do you need or strive for? Just ask the Earth, the answers are all there.

Tapas...(no, not Spanish appetizers)

To the removal of things that do not serve us...To the taking out of the trash...To the wringing out of toxins and rubbish.....

Tapas to the rescue! Tapas is a Niyama, a self discipline on the list of 8 limbs of yoga. What is Tapas? It is literally to "heat" or "cleanse"...but so much more. It is a self discipline that may show in motivation, passion, deprivation or elimination. It is really known as the first rung on the ladder to self-improvement. By practicing asana and pranayama you start to burn out excess impurities and rid yourself of blockages. It is like heating gold to remove the rubbish and purify.

It also includes watching what we eat, and not over-eating at meals. Over-eating is like the opposite of tapas. Also paying attention to body posture and breathing patterns. Just starting to notice where you may need to make small changes. If you are breathing shallow, to become aware of that and start to take deeper breaths. If you find yourself slouching, you start to lift yourself up. The main way to see if tapas is working for you....is to ask yourself "Am I moving forward?" That is the key to tapas...is everything you do serving you in the most positive way possible. If you are fasting for months or withholding from yourself, do you notice changes for the positive, or are you suffering? If you are suffering, you are not making strides forward, you are staying stagnant or even staying in the same rut.

Use your inner fire, your inner flame for good, not evil. If you hear your inner voice yelling at your when you pick up that diet coke...maybe it's trying to steer you in the right, forward moving direction...listen to it! If your inner voice is telling you that you are fat and lazy...well, that negativity doesn't serve you (or maybe it is gently trying to tell you to get moving)... just keep asking yourself does that work towards my main purpose? Is that going to help me in the long run? Remember, just because it is something that may be hard to hear, doesn't mean you don't need to hear it.

I personally need to have a flame lit under my arse a couple of times a week. However, I do notice the more yoga I do, and the more breath work and meditating I do, the less I have to work to fuel the flame.

Light Your Creative Flame

Graffiti

Whether it be painting, sewing, dancing, sculpting, scrapbooking, knitting, dancing, singing, beading, or even thinking...we all are creative in our own ways. Even the people who say they have no creative bones in their bodies have it, they just have not found the way to tap into it. I have a flair for creative thinking (I'm the idea girl..not the do it girl), but I still get stifled here and there. This stifling comes out in horrible symptoms like hunger, sleepiness, boredom and general malaise. I go days and sometimes weeks without knowing or understanding what is wrong with me. Until a great friend or family reminds me that it has been a long time since I made something. "How long ago was it that you..." Then it occurs to me that I have a hole inside that I have been filling with food and sleep.

Things that motivate and inspire me out of my funk???

Meditation, Yoga, The Ocean, Trees, My Children, Memories, Movement, Texture, Art, Reading, Sunset, The Full Moon, Birds, Butterflies, Hot tea, Music, Walking, Snuggling, Swimming, Dancing, Boating, My Dogs, My Hubby's Hugs, Massages, Sauna-ing, journaling

My Mother-in-Law's award winning quilt at the Fair this year

More specific ideas to boost your creativity... brainstorming, carrying a notebook at all times to write down ideas, cutting things out of magazines, collage, cutting out TV time, finding a muse, cutting back/quitting drugs alcohol (while YOU may think you are brilliant on them, other people rarely agree), reading, researching, exercising the brain with crossword puzzles or debate.

"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" ~Albert Einstein

Zumba + Fusion

I did a Zumba class last night and thought I would share my thoughts. As anyone who has read my blog knows...I LOVE to dance. I have heard about Zumba from many friends and when this new class started up at my gym I just had to go try it out. While it is a little commercial and a lot cheesy...it is a lot of fun. It almost lives up to it's motto "Ditch the Workout and Join the Party" I wouldn't say it was a party, but I got real sweaty and my abs are KILLING me today. I also want to say that my hips are starting to loosen up and swing. All of that dance/yoga FUSION is really starting to work. My only complaint was that the transitions from one move to the next were a little rough, mostly because of the instructor being new (had a notebook in front of her) and the fact that I had a hard time hearing her over the music. I felt a little bad for the non-dancer types as they got lost pretty easily. But, all were sweaty and smiley...so it's all good. Fusion is what we have decided to call our new dance/yoga class. It is running about an hour and 15 minutes and we are having a blast. We are about to start choreographing to some new songs and add in more movements. The key is to keep them simple but fun and challenging all at the same time. My favorite thing to do is more of a trance dance style, while Erin is more into the choreography. So by the end of the class you have moved every inch of your body. It is so much more fun than boring old treadmill/elliptical style workouts! We have been doing this now for about 3 weeks and I can already see a difference in my strength and stamina. My goal is to do Fusion 3 times a week, we'll see how it goes... If you are ever in the Charleston area and want to try it out come join us Tues and Thurs nights at 6 (you can email me for more info mandywoz@gmail.com) I am also teaching a mega crazy Yoga Play workshop next weekend Nov. 15 at the Yoga Loft in Summerville at 1:30 (2 hours of insanity...jk) followed by the All levels class at 4...busy,busy.

Enjoy the Silence

Do you enjoy the Silence? I LOVE quiet time. I LOVE to be alone. I also get made fun of quite a bit for my love of sleeping...but, I think it is just my brain and body shutting down by to much stimulation. I can only handle to much for so long before my inner voice tells me to go lay down and shut the door.

I am a very outgoing person who loves to have people over and to play with friends. But, I really need time to decompress after a lot of excitement. You know when you have that feeling you need a vacation after your vacation? Mondays are usually my slooooow days. I catch up on my pajama wearing and book reading. Maybe, just maybe do a little laundry and some cleaning...but normally that has to wait until Tuesday.

This is crazy to my friends, who unlike me are busy bodies. They are constantly on the go with no downtime at all. They know better than to call me between the hours of 1-3, and laugh at me when, if they do, I answer groggily.

I take this personality trait to the mat as well. I like to slowly get down into Sukhasana (easy seat) to start my centering. I take my time stretching and waking my muscles and even when doing a more vigorous practice I like to wiggle a little and stretch luxuriously. Once I hit Savasana (final relaxation) I settle down easily and enjoy my private quiet oasis. I love to roll over to one side and stay there for a while. I don't like to just run through the movements...I'm in NO hurry. Staying on my side is one of my favorite parts! So many teachers just use this as a way to get up, no not me...stay...breathe....let go.... ahhhh. Once back up to seated, this is where I find out if my asana worked or not. Is my brain quieting down? Can I sit still with no wiggles for a couple of minutes? If so, yippie it worked! Now I can sit and let the real work begin.

Are you comfortable with silence? Many people are not. They have to fill all space because underneath it all they are scared to be alone with themselves. I myself have no problem with this (I always thought it came from having two children attached to me 24/7) but I get so many moms that can't slow down, that fidget and wiggle as constantly as their 2 yr olds. Why are we as a population so scared to slow down? It is like we are emotionally addicted to action, and anything less is not satisfying. We are grasping at the outer world to fill the inner void. When all we need is to find the Divine that lives within us to be happy. How easy is that? It is so easy, but we lose sight of this when upset, depressed, nervous, scared. It is so easy to slip out of the habit of calling to the inner self for reassurance and guidance. All we have to do is meditate, be quiet, be alone, and breathe. Then we make open space, and open space is where the Divine lives, so when we fill all of our space with outside pollution we shut out our own light.

To keep our light shining and bright, we have to stop resisting the silence. We have to embrace the empty spaces that we all have, we just have to find them. We have to be the musicians of our own souls creating a beautiful song of silence, and play it often. Like Miles Davis said "Don't play what's there, Play what's not there".

The picture above taken on St.John, USVI where silence is plentiful

I'm Not Complaining....

Last night before class my friend and co/teacher Erin read a passage from the devotion book "New Day, New You" by Joyce Meyer. The title for October 27 was "Complain and Remain, Praise and Be Raised". I was absolutely floored with the amazingness (a word??) of this page. "Complaining is a sin! It is a corrupt form of conversation that causes many people a great deal of problems in their lives. It also opens many doors for the enemy. Words are containers of power. They destroy the joy of the one doing the complaining and can also affect other people who have to listen to them." What a great way to put it! Shut up and just live, be free and enjoy everything that the Divine has gifted you. Don't like your butt, well, get over it...appreciate it and thank it for holding up your body everyday. Don't like your nose, hush, close your eyes and enjoy that wonderful rose. "Did you ever think that you and I can poison our future by complaining about what is going on right now?" Complaints are toxic, it really sets a bad basis to build on. It is like building a beautiful temple on top of a landfill. Once we work on shutting the complaining down, we can start to grow from the muck into the beautiful lotus flowers that we are! "When we complain about our current situation, we remain in it; when we praise God in the midst of difficulty, He raises us out of it." No matter what higher power you pray to, this is truth. When we are stuck in a rut, the only way to get out is to look up and rise with the power you hold within. "Truly thankful people do not complain. They are so busy being grateful for the good things they do have that they have no time to notice the things they could complain about." My goal is to really work hard to not complain, no more complaining about push ups...they will make me stronger, no more complaints about no one else doing the dishes...it's my time alone to reflect...no more bitching about being broke, I am grateful for my family and the amazing job my hubby does each day. I will no longer complain when I don't get my way...someone else will get theirs, I will not wallow in self pity...it is the highest form of complaint to myself and I am better than that. I deserve to treat myself like I treat others, with love, respect and kindness.

Some Quotes...

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."~ Eleanor Roosevelt "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~ Albert Einstein " I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." ~ Helen Keller "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned" ~ Buddha "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead "Mirth is like a flash of lightning that breaks through a gloom of clouds and glitters for a moment; cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity." ~ Bertrand Russell "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." ~ Anais Nin "Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down" ~ Ray Bradbury "Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen." ~ Epictetus "People who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music" ~ George Carlin "Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything Dances." ~ Maya Angelou