poems of the heart

My Beloved Child

 

My beloved child, break your heart no longer.

 

Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart;

 

you stop feeding on the love which is the wellspring of your vitality.

 

The time has come. Your time to live, to celebrate.

 

And to see the goodness that you are.

 

Do not fight the dark, just turn on the light.

 

Let go and Breathe in to Goodness that you are.

 

~Swami Kripalu

 

 

Leap of Faith

 

Standing before a fork
in the road
there is not a right answer

or truth cast in stone, there are
choices and plans and desire,

there is the heart of fire and
twist of fate,
there is the unveiling

of who you are and who you
are becoming.

This I have found after
bargaining with my hopes

and my destiny. There is only
a still quiet voice within

that tells me trust what you
know and then surrender,

leap if you must, let your wings
unfurl, let your angels play catch.

We drink dreams from a
sliver of moon.

 

~Wendy Brown

 

 

 

 

talkin' gratitude

I have a little nephew on the way, and woke up this morning feeling full of love and gratitude.  Using my classes as my platform, I gushed on and on about what a proud auntie I am and how excited I am to have another little man on the run.  This turned into a talk on gratitude.

I'm reading Brene Brown's The Gifts of Imperfections and one of her ten Guideposts is cultivating joy.  She talks about joy vs happiness and says that happiness is an emotion that we feel and is fleeting based on external situations that come and go.  Joy. on the other hand is an attitude that we cultivate. 

We are not born joyful, nor do we achieve joy and stay in a state of it, but we work towards it moment by moment, situation to situation.  She goes on to say that one of the things that  joyful people share is that they all practice gratitude.  And that gratitude, like joy, is something that you choose.  It's something that you practice.

Here is my practice:

Today I am grateful for all the people that come out to my classes week after week and let me ramble on and play with them as we work to crack each other open bit by bit. 

Today I am grateful for those who came out to practice with  me in the park despite the scary storm clouds that filled the sky.  Through breathing and love and gratitude, we brought out the sun.

Today I am grateful for my gramma - the ultimate yoga cheerleader - who came out to practice tonight and cheered us on and breathed with us.

Try this: 

1. Come into savasana.  If you have props, use them.  Laying on a bolster or blocks - something to open up your heart will help.
2. Tune into your breath.  Breathe from the center of your chest.
3. Say "I'm grateful for ____".  Bring an image to mind - let it fill you up, the sound of it, the smell, the way it makes you feel.  Fill yourself completely.
4. Stay here for a few minutes sending out your love and gratitude into the universe.
5. With palms facing up, crack open the space in the center of your chest and receive all the love and gratitude that is coming to you.
6. Go out and love.

Gratitude Photo Journal

Beach days

Nature Walks

 

Elivs Weekend

Vintage Jewellery

Yoga Play with my homeboy



Book shares from yoga pals

 



What are you grateful for???
      

the truth of it

The truth of it is, I live in a place of fear.  Fear of not being enough.  Of not being smart enough, or funny enough, or good enough.  And it's exhausting, but it also makes me sad.  Take this blog for example:  I started this blog with the intention of just writing.  Not writing to be read, but just writing to get my thoughts out.  And in the beginning this blog served me really well.  And then all of a sudden I had a comment and it was like "holy shit, it's not just me anymore, someone is actually reading this."  And then everything changed.  I stopped writing for me and I started writing for an audience.  My voice changed.  I started re-reading and editing my work as though I was writing for a publication.  Although I was being honest in my writing, I wasn't really being authentic.  I'm reading Brene Brown, and she talks a  lot about authenticity and the way she describes it is that people aren't necessarily authentic or not authentic, but that in every situation, every moment throughout the day you can either be authentic or not.  It's a choice by choice, moment by moment sort of thing.  And over time my writing lost it's authenticity.  As I read over past blogs, I can see the real me poking through but under a bit of a lens.  I'm tired of this.  I changed the blog's name thinking that it was catchy and would get me more readers...then I changed the url thinking that surely I should have my blog under my own name just like the big-wigs do.  I'm done with this.  'a side of yoga' is back.  And I'm pledging to myself to bring back the true intention of this blog.  Which is to write...for me.  And to provide a place to gather and store my thoughts and my studies.  So that's it.  I'm back.  Because I love to write.  And I'm choosing not to care if other people think that I'm smart enough, or funny enough or good enough...because the thing is...it doesn't matter so long as I believe that I'm enough.
Back to the basics. 
Love.

Self Love

Me and my Valentine

Vaentine's Day isn't just a day for romance, it's a day for love.

For all love.

Friendly Love.
Family Love.
Confusing Love.
Unrequited Love.
Passionate Love.
Frustrating Love.
Forbidden Love.
Love of chocolate.
Love of books.
Love of wine.
And self love.

Charlie Chaplin gets real for a moment in this beautiful poem.  He wrote this on his 70th birthday. (April 16th, 1959)

As I Began to Love Myself – Self Love Poem by Charlie Chaplin

As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering
are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth.
Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY”.

As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody
As I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time
was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this
person was me. Today I call it “RESPECT”.

As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life,
and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow.
Today I call it “MATURITY”.

As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance,
I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens
at the exactly right moment. So I could be calm.
Today I call it “SELF-CONFIDENCE”.

As I began to love myself I quit steeling my own time,
and I stopped designing huge projects for the future.
Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do
and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in
my own rhythm. Today I call it “SIMPLICITY”.

As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for
my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything that drew
me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude
a healthy egoism. Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF”.

As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since
I was wrong less of the time. Today I discovered that is “MODESTY”.

As I began to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worry
about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where EVERYTHING
is happening. Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT”.

As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me
and it can make me sick. But As I connected it to my heart, my
mind became a valuable ally. Today I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART”.

We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems
with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing
new worlds are born.Today I know THAT IS “LIFE”!

Happy Valentines Day!!!!!

inspiration

The theme for January is inspiration.  I thought this would be great to kick off the New Year.  Last year I worked really hard to get myself set up teaching as many hours a week as I could.  And the  hard work payed off.  I'm finally teaching a full (ish) schedule and not having to stress about it.  So for a couple of months now the question has been: "What's next?"

And I don't know.  I'm not sure if what I want is to keep growing my yoga practice and to start offering workshops and retreats, or if maybe it's time to start exploring other passions and see how they can fit in to my life and career.

Inspiration.  I have a Desire to Inspire.  But before I can go out into the world and inspire others, I need to find my own inspiration.

This month I have been working out of a book called Desire to Inspire.

It's a super fun, creative book filled with inspirational quotes and stories from a collaboration of artists and other creative souls.  At the end of each chapter there are exercises to help you to dig a little deeper.  Exercises to start to bring things to the surface.  What do you want to do?  What's holding you back?  How can you make a difference?  What makes you happy?  These are the types of questions that are to be answered through the exercises.

So far I've been having a ton of fun going through the book and am learning more about myself than I thought I would.

The book was kicked off with a battle cry and a letter.

It looked something like this:

Exercise ~ The Superhero in you

My Superhero Powers

Magic words: "move from your heart", "you are as strong as the wind", "you are enough"
Power move:  standing/sitting tall
Talisman:  meditation ring - gives me calm, creative courage
Theme song:  Between Two Lungs ~ Florence and the Machine

Exercise ~ Letter to your small self

You are free. You are free to choose—to choose the life that you want to live. You have the whole world before you and the unshakeable love and support of your family behind you. All you have to do is jump, and trust that the wind will carry you.

You’re young and smart and beautiful and live in a time and a place where anything is possible. Your path to freedom and happiness is yours for the taking.

It’s this spirit of freedom that makes you special; this sense of wonder that keeps you alive. Don’t cage yourself to suit others. Embrace who you are. Even if what you want and what you need seem scary a times.

Your free spirit will lead you to greatness if you just let it.

Believe in yourself. Don’t hold yourself back out of fear. Don’t let yourself be held back by others out of a sense of duty.

You’re light and loveable—let yourself soar.

Free yourself of judgment and expectations; of fear and worry. Let go and follow your heart. 

You are free. Never forget that. 

P.S. I love you.

~peace :)

are you happy?

Are you happy?  This is the question posed by Gretchen Rubin in her book The Happiness Project.  Or more specifically: could you be happier?

I devoured this book in a couple of days, not becuase the writing was so good (it was okay), but because I've become obssessed with the idea of being happier.

A couple of months ago during yoga, as the class winded down into savasana the instructor said to bring someone to mind that could use a little extra love.  And you know who came to mind: me.  Like a five year old version of me.  I started crying.  Luckily the class was online through www.myyogaonline.com and I was in the comfort of my own home enjoying a very nice pants off morning.  Nothing like a good cry in your undies.

This got me thinking: a) I need more friends, b) I need to start taking better care of myself, c) I love what yoga can do

This book came to me - recommended by a student of mine- at exactly the right time.  I was breaking down.

"When the student is ready the teacher will come".  This is a buddhist proverb that Rubin talks about in her book.  This book, this idea of a happiness project has become my teacher.

This is how my happiness project is going to work.  Or as I like to call it "the no shit experiment"  As in; eating healthy will make you happier.  Uh, no shit.  Or, taking better care of your finances will make you happier.  Uh, no shit.  Or, cherrishing and having more sex with your partner will make you happier.  Uh,  not shit.  Etc, etc...

Each month will have a theme, and then within that theme there will be resolutions to help me to stay on track.

This month is all about Energy.

My resolutions, and these are daily, are to:
Eat three servings of veg/day
Have a green smoothie
Listen to music while getting ready
Do yoga
Get outside for a walk
In bed by 10pm (M-F)
Out of bed by 7:30am (M-F)
Floss

She suggests making a resoluting chart to help to keep you on track and to have a constant reminder of what your resolutions are for the month.

Mine looks like this:

But for those of you who are artsy or have any sort of computer skills it may look a little different.

So, who's up for this 'no shit experiment'?  In the words of Jerry Maguire..."who's comin' with me"?  repeatedly.

Happiness project or not here's a great way to have some fun.

Put on your favourite album, leave your yoga mat in the corner and just start to move.  See what comes up.  The freedom that comes from moving outside the confines of your mat brings up some exciting new sequences/dance moves. 

In my mind I look something like this:

I probably look something like this:

Hopefully it's somewhere in between.  Album of choice for me:  Ceremonials by Florence and the Machine!

Amazing!!!!!

Cheers to happiness!

ps.... my homeboy is doing it too!!

pps...pass it on to anyone you think could use a little extra happiness  http://happiness-project.com/