Praise for Sunshine

Welcome Home, Sunshine,

This Kentucky Gal is thrilled that you’ve come to town, these white blossoms and emerald green grass lawns make for a striking debut.

My toes celebrate your arrival by pressing themselves down into the awakening earth, stretching out into sandals, and receiving pedicure love.

My summer dresses are eager for morning strolls around downtown with friends and evenings spent sitting on porch steps, sipping wine and talking with soul mates.

Hey, Sunshine, I sing your praises with the car windows rolled all the way down, windblown hair locks drinking in your rays while blasting a guilty pleasure pop song.

This Sunshine coos for iced green teas, mint chocolate chip ice cream and kale smoothies. All meant to be sipped slowly and thoroughly enjoyed.

Sunshine likes Saturday afternoons spent lounging poolside in heart-shaped sunglasses, tanning in a blue polka dot bathing suit.

Sunshine desires lazy trips to bookstores and early evenings spent reading in the last rays of light.

Cheers to You, Kentucky Spring. You’re a gracious hostess asking me to remove the heaviness of my winter’s coat. Your playfulness dissolves any lingering winter grayness. 

I am reawakened to the fact that I am a Being of the Sun, a Sun-Being nourished by the vibrancy of Life. Your appearance soul achingly needed after such a dark and icy night. 

I press my fingertips toward this azure sky and I breathe in you in. I breathe you in and Shine. 

Loving This World

Hot Off The Lex Press

   

I’m gushing over the recent and brilliant additions to Lexington’s magazine scene. Whenever I’m in a coffee shop, at a boutique, or passing by a community table, I am delighted by the growing abundance of well-written, socially aware, entertaining and locally chic magazines.

Written by Lexingtonians for Lexingtonians, these magazines celebrate the city’s evolving artistic and cultural scene. My favorite fashion magazine, Mour showcases runaway inspired ensembles that can be found and bought at local boutiques. My most recent reading obsession, Flashpoint focuses on the city’s rising social and artistic conscious by highlighting cutting edge artists and musicians.

I’m also keeping an eye out for the first issue of Miss’ing Magazine, a Lexington feminist magazine due to come out at the beginning of next month. Miss’ing seeks to address and engage the community on local issues concerning oppression, inequality and injustice. The magazine will be a voice for the disempowered while also nurturing connections between organizations and individuals dedicated on promoting equality.

These magazines offer a new perspective on my native city, opening my eyes to the talent and unique beauty that surrounds me. I am continually inspired by the passionate and dedicated individuals who are featured in the magazines, reaffirming the significance one person can make in his/her community.

Lexington is up and coming. Lexington is still in the process of establishing itself in the Cool and Hip scene. This is the adolescent, or perhaps postgrad stage of hope and dreams. As a local, it’s so delightful and wondrous to witness this change and to be a part of it. And I will be part of this city’s evolution by staying up to date on all things local by continuing to be an avid reader of Lexington’s very own magazines.

Hey, hey! Check them out either in print or in digital style!

Mour Fashion Magazine: http://mourmagazine.com/

Flashpoint Magazine: http://flashpointmagazine.com/

Miss’ing Magazine: www.missingmag.com. The editorial staff welcomes and encourages individuals to submit articles and art to be featured in the magazine. 

Creativity

  

March blew in like a lion – snow, ice, and single digit temperatures, but now the winter spell is dissolving into sunshine, blue sky and a growing presence of spring. The earth is stirring awake.

My creative energies are sparked and eager to stretch. I’m undergoing a fashion craze, musing on fun, glitzy ensembles, impatient for floral dresses and lacey crop tops paired with jean shorts. I’m sensing a shift in my yoga practice, and in my teaching style, an energizing wave of inspiration that instills confidence in my instinct and intuition. The arrival of sunshine plants ideas for writing projects, so my temperamental writing self is momentarily satisfied.  

This sparklingly emergence of creative energy reminds me of the 2^nd chakra, the governing energy center for creativity, sensuality, sexuality, and emotional identity. The temperamental nature of March is a good time to contemplate on the svadisthana chakra, or the 2^nd charka. I’m dedicating this blog post to revel in its rich and vibrant energy.

In Sanskrit, chakra is defined as wheel. Traditional yogic philosophy believes in seven significant chakras located on the spine, connecting the subtle energy body to the physical. When an energy center is healthy, energy flows freely, spinning the energetic wheel. If energy gets stuck, the wheel stops spinning, and emotional problems and physical illnesses arise.

Located right below the navel, the 2^nd chakra resides in the lower abdomen, genitals, lower back and sacrum. A healthy 2^nd chakra translates to feeling connected to others, to tapping in and owning your own unique creativity. It means fully enjoying good food and rich conversation, and being alive in your senses. You guiltlessly receive  and give spontaneously. You feel comfortable in your sexuality and happily experience pleasure. You speak your emotional truth in the moment.

Repressed emotions get stuck in the 2^nd chakra, including fear and even unprocessed feelings from a traumatic event. This disconnection from emotion throws a 2^nd chakra out of balance, which can manifest in the physical body through low back pain, kidney, bladder and fertility issues, and even imbalances in the endocrine system. Resisting change is another sign of an unbalanced 2^nd chakra. Water and all things watery in the body, such as tears and blood circulation, symbolizes the 2^nd chakra. Ultimately, this chakra invites us to flow with the natural high and lows in life.

While going with the flow, svadisthana, also wants us to play! The 2^nd chakra is the home of the inner child. Bringing this chakra back to balance means honoring that inner creative energy that is childlike in its pure desire for play.

These sun soaked March days are perfect invitations to play and be vibrantly alive. So, whatever weather March delivers, let the svadisthana chakra happily spin, bringing emotional well being and igniting your creative insights for the coming Spring.

Svadhisthana Notes and Tips:

Color: Orange. 

Yoga Poses: Any pose that opens the groins and the hips is beneficial for the 2^nd chakra: pigeon, cobbler’s pose, open angle pose. Child’s pose is also a soothing way to reconnect back to self, and remind yourself to honor and care for your inner child. 

Balancing Tips:

*Turn on an upbeat song and DANCE!!

*Envision the red-orange of a rising, or setting sun and breathe those sunrays into your being. Exhale and exude light and warmth.

*Journal about your feelings, or find a trustworthy friend to share them with.

*Create time to fully engage your inner artist.

*Eat nutritious and delicious food with uplifting company. If you like to cook, then show off your kitchen flair and treat your friends! (And invite me!)

*Water is healing for the 2^nd chakra. Swim, take a relaxing bath, or spend time near a stream. 

A 2nd Chakra Yoga Play!list: Go with the Flow

1. The Wolves & the Ravens - Rogue Valley

2. Blood Flood - Alt-J

3. Stay Alive - Jose Gonzalez

4. Atlas Hands - Benjamin Francis Leftwich

5. Where the Wind Blows - Coco O.

6. Upside Down - Jack Johnson

7. Truth - Balmorhea

8. Bloodstream - Stateless

9. La Mar - The Beautiful Girls

10. Imagine - John Lennon, and Jack Johnson does a very lovely rendition as well

Speak Kindly

Friday afternoon: I waltzed out of work beaming weekend bliss. I passed a coworker on my way out. Feeling a tad bit guilty about skipping out of work a little early, I made a quick joke about the sudden appearance of a plethora of comp hours.

“They just magically appeared,” I cooed, though in actuality, they were the result of some extended shifts and weekend workdays.

“You could have miscalculated. You could just be bad at math,” was the quick retort. The verbal arrow popped my confidence bubble. The weekend high evaporated and I felt hurt and confused by what I perceived to be the unexpected put down.

I replayed the incident in my head, wishing I had quipped: “Hey now! I can joke about my bad math skills, but you can’t!!!”

Then there was a small epiphany – I don’t have the right to put myself down. If I want others to be kind, then I need to start speaking kindly about myself. I had made countless (what I had intended to be humorous) comments about my math challenges in front of this coworker and she was continuing this conversation, only her tone was sharp and her words left a barb.

In truth, I did know where the comp hours had come from. I had calculated them correctly, had been productive at work and could guiltlessly leave a little bit early. The confusion and hurt that erupted from that comment stemmed from me not speaking and honoring my truth. I had belittled myself and had gotten stung as a result.

I’m a pro at using self-deprecating humor - it’s my way of making others feel at ease around me. But if making others feel comfortable around me means belittling myself, then I have a little bit of work to do.

My intention to nurture love for myself, to soften my tone toward myself, encompasses my verbal words, too. I want to extend this verbal consciousness toward how I communicate with my family, coworkers, friends, the coffee shop barista, even my dogs.

Words are energetic beings. They hold the power to uplift, hurt, make peace, or make drama. Tone and intention shapes the way words are delivered. I want to be more selective and truthful in my response and conversations with others.

I tend to verbally slip when I’m energetically drained from spending too much time with people (alone time is essential to the well-being of this introvert). Most often, though, I say something too quickly without pausing to sort out and choose my words thoughtfully. I’m working on pausing before I speak.

I’m also focusing on my body language. Adjusting my posture when I speak rejuvenates and empowers me. If I’m feeling overwhelmed in a conversation, I remember to lengthen my spine, open up through my heart and press my feet evenly into the floor. This subtle shift in body awareness makes me feel stable, capable and confident, and my words flow smoothly as I respond and listen.

I’m watching my words. I’m watching for ways to eliminate unnecessary negativity. My body’s response to my words will tell me how I am communicating. I always feel guilty after gossiping; those gossipy words leave a grimy residue around my heart center. I’m striving to speak kindly about people who baffle and irritate me. Though it takes a little bit more effort, I always feel better when I decide to speak kindly instead of throwing my own ego reaction into the conversational mix.

Writing this I’m glad for the coworker’s math comment. Yes, Universe, you gave me another opportunity to soften and love myself, and this time it is through my spoken words. The weekend begins with an intention: to speak from a place of kindness and love, and let my ears and heart find peace and security in those verbal energies.

Softening

   

   
Softening: this is my new daily practice. I consciously pause and remind myself to soften the tone and volume of my thoughts. I soften my shoulders, relax my hips and let my belly be like liquid. I soften so I can be gentle toward others and myself. 

This practice is a keepsake from a yoga practice I shared a few years ago with a very wise yogini and friend. 

“Soften your face, your brow, your lips, the corner of your eyes,” she reminded the Saturday morning crowd of meditating yogis.

“Soften your internal world, soften your interior edges.” The words unlocked lingering tension, a grasping I wasn’t even aware I was holding and even my bones felt lighter.

Softening. Years after that Saturday morning class, I’m still learning to soften.

This softening nurtures love for myself. I am reminded to release my shoulders back and down and let go of stress that pushed them up to my ears. I become more conscious of my internal dialogue’s tone and gently urge kinder words to replace negative, stale ones. This softening makes my internal world a more compassionate and loving haven to turn inwards to when I need to step back and check in.

This softening welcomes and works with my sensitivity. I have been accustomed to fighting my hurt feelings and baffling over the intensity of my emotional reactions. 

As Rumi wisely councils about emotions, “The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whatever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.” 

Softening my own response to my emotions will provide needed acceptance and space to breathe and be a witness to what emotional guest is present. 

This emotional acceptance paints a welcoming inner landscape, a shelter I can fully recover in after the misunderstanding, the insensitive comment, the awkward incident. I can find refuge within myself more quickly than before. This softening practice is a way to befriend myself. I am my own ally, understanding, or at least aware, of my actions and quick to forgive others and myself when there’s friction.

The temperamental winter is a yoga teacher, reminding to me to soften, to relax my outer shell and dissolve inner walls. I befriend the Being underneath the tension and fears, and breathe a bit more deeply, softening and settling into an embracing Now.

  

Namaste

“Have Peace. Have Courage.” I’m listening to my heartbeats. After rising from savasana to a comfortable seat, my mind is soothed and calm. “The Light in me salutes the Light in you,” Madeline says and I envision a spark of flame igniting within my chest. “Namaste.”  A soft chorus of namastes echo throughout the studio’s space.

Opening my eyes, I see a beaming Madeline, perched perfectly on her mat in a classic meditative seated pose. She’s my first yoga teacher, the one my fifteen-year-old self magically found.

During this month of glittery hearts, romance and love, I’ve been thinking about Madeline, the gift of Namaste, and relationships, more specifically, people I’m not feeling a lot of love for these days.

I’m contemplating the nature of forgiveness because now seems the time to let go of some grudge residue. More energetic space to Love and less negativity for the Universe is welcomed and needed. My thoughts have turned to the wisdom dwelling within the offering of Namaste.

In Sanskrit, Namaste translates to “I bow to you,” or “you bow to me,” and is typically said at the end of practice with the hands in prayer, anjali mudra, at the heart. It’s a quiet, blissful moment where teacher and students recognize the Divinity within them and acknowledge the Divinity within others.

On my yoga mat (as a student and as a teacher), I am fully committed to seeing the Divine in my fellow yogis. Practicing Namaste off the mat is a challenge, especially recently, because it’s hard for me to see the Divine in the person who sent me a biting facebook message.

Forgiving someone for me is a continual process. My initial reaction is ego fueled: I’ve been wounded, so I strike back in hot words (that probably the said person will never hear, they will be journaled and passionately expressed to kind, listening friends). And when the anger dissipates, I do my best to forgive. I wade through my smoldering emotions and seek for their humanness: “she was really nice to me that one time…”

And then I repeat: I forgive again and again, and I forgive myself again and again, until one day (and that day does arrive) when I feel relatively peaceful toward that person and I can say, Namaste.

As I continue to work on freeing myself and others with forgiveness, I’m returning back to Madeline’s closing line for the practice: “Have Peace. Have Courage. Namaste.” 

Have Peace: I want to feel peaceful in my relationships and toward people that sometimes pop up in my facebook newsfeed. I’m so blessed, so it seems incredibly silly to not hold a little bit more peace in my heart. If I feel resentment toward a person, then I’m taking it as a sign that I need to get quiet, figure out what’s bothering me (typically I’m projecting my own insecurity about something onto that person). Then, set an intention for taking peaceful action: talk about it, write about it, set my boundaries. Sometimes simply acknowledging that I’m going to feel that certain prickliness when I’m with that person helps me dis-identify with those feelings and I can become the observer and just let it go.

Have Courage: “The world is 99.9% projection.” This is one of my dad’s favorite lines. At times, when I’m angry and I just want the other person to be the bad guy, it’s a hard one to digest. It takes courage for me to sit and see my own personal underlying issues in a blowout with someone. The initial “he insulted my intelligence” emotional response soon unveils an already lurking insecurity that I have about my intelligence.

It takes courage to see and own my role in the breakup, but it brings to surface lessons I need to work on and allows me to see and be (grudgingly) grateful to the so called bad guy who in truth is a teacher. It takes courage to not identify with the wounded ego. It takes courage to lovingly decide to either embrace that person back into my life, or gently release them and still wish them well.

Namaste: I’m returning to the beaming Madeline, who so graciously looked past teen awkwardness to see the Divine in my fifteen year old self. She’s my inspiration for living Namaste off the mat. I’m going to need a role model like Madeline who is kind and confident to guide me with these forgiving Namastes. I know it takes effort for me pause the thought storm and silently offer a particular person a Namaste. Ultimately, that moment of higher recognition, that we’re all in this together and just doing the best that we can, lessens the burn, soothes some of the hurt and reconnects me to my true self.

February’s heart-energy gently reminds me that forgiveness is more about me than the other person. The Namaste whispered in the hopes of forgiveness heals past wounds and inspires my heart to continue to glitter and shine.

Dear February, I’m thanking you for the cold that has led me to hibernate and contemplate on the workings of my heart. And to close the month, I say, Have Peace. Have Courage. Namaste.