How To Get On Your Yoga Mat

How to get on your yoga mat?  What?  Sounds too simple, right? Many people avoid a yoga class saying, “I am not flexible.” Or, “I don’t like those tight pants.”  or … “I can’t get on the floor; I’ll never get back up!” Whatever the barrier is, it’s easy once you know how to pick a class.  So, let’s start with the basics.

Choose a yoga class that suits your level.  Generally, a yoga studio will have more choices and different levels.  Bonus, the yoga instructors usually have lots of experience and are registered with the Yoga Alliance.  If you are recovering from a chronic or an acute illness, and your doctor has recommended yoga therapy, no problem, I go into more detail about this type of yoga a little bit later.  But for now, think about your goals for taking a yoga class. 

Health clubs and gyms often have staff who are certified instructors.  All have had to “audition” and have passed an initial screening. Some are drug tested and have CPR training.  If this is important to you, you might ask about these qualifications.  Since gym classes tend to be larger than a yoga studio, you might not get personalized attention.  If you are fearful of getting hurt, book a private class to start.  If you just want to get started, go for it.  Below are some things to know right off the bat.   

Let’s start with the “Do’s and Don’ts”:

*Don't eat before yoga practice.  Water or juice only.  If you must eat and drink, make sure it's two hours before class.*

1.    Turn your phone to “silent mode” during class.  Yoga is an internal practice of the body, breath, and the mind.  Phones take our minds off our practice. 

2.     Step around the mats of others – if possible.   

3.     Take off your shoes and socks and practice with bare feet.  Leaving socks on can lead to injuries and will compromise the feel of the poses. 

4.      Keep your mat clean.  Wipe it down after every class and wash it once a month.  Put it out in the sun to dry.  I have a great recipe for a yoga mat cleaner.  I'll put it in the comments section below.  

What you will need to do for sure:

·      Get a good quality yoga mat.  The cheap ones are slippery and will flake quickly.  Keep in mind this yoga mat will be your Yoga Home for at least two years.  (My yoga mats have lasted for longer with a lot of tender loving care.)  A nice mat will encourage you to keep practicing. 

·      To avoid injury, let the instructor know it is your first class.  Most instructors will keep an eye on you so that you practice safely. 

·       Since all bodies are different, let go of the idea that you must look exactly like the instructor or the other students in the class.  Just do your best and never force yourself into a pose. You will get all the benefits of the practice by just following along to the best of your ability.  In time, you will get better and better. 

·       The yoga mat is your space during class.  Mentally, keep your mind on YOUR mat.  Try not to judge your practice next to others.  Yoga is “a practice” and we are all there to practice. 

·       After you have been to a few classes, ask the instructor to use verbal cues only.  In this way you can find YOUR pose.  This will help you avoid injury.  Listen carefully and breathe and feel YOUR way into each pose. 

·        Props:  It is perfectly fine to use props.  A chair, a block or a strap will help you.  There is data suggesting that the ancient yoga practitioners used props.  Props are not 21^st Century, they are truly BCE.  Read about the Ancient Yoga Strap. 

·       Just as in daily life, never force or push yourself into a posture.  Avoid injury by slowing down and learn to connect your breathing with your body’s movements.  This takes time to master this body/mind/breath stuff, but it will get easier, and it will make your yoga practice so much more enjoyable. 

·       Don’t worry about your flexibility, your strength, your sweat. Class is usually only one hour or less.  Just be willing to be present with your SELF just as you are.  Breathe through your worries and tensions.  In no time at all, you will see your practice improve.  The yoga sutra 2.46 says: “Stirum sukham asanam.” (Yoga postures should be steady and comfortable.)

·       Breath:  Breathe only through the nose unless otherwise instructed.  The mouth is for emergency breathing only. 

The Best Part - The Corpse Pose or Shavasana at the end of class:

“All poses lead to shavasana”, says Anna Ashby, a great teacher of restorative yoga.  Shavasana is a three minute practice (more or less) at the end of class where we just allow ourselves to just relax after our yoga practice.  We challenge ourselves to do nothing, to let go.  It’s the hardest of all poses.  Shavasana requires that for a few moments, we do not move or think into the future.  We bask in “The Now”.  Allow the body to melt into the mat and release all the tension and effort of your yoga class.    

As mentioned previously, if you are in the midst of a chronic or an acute disease/illness and need specialized yoga practices to help you heal and/or recover, Yoga Therapy is an excellent tool. The certification for yoga therapy falls under the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).  Yoga Therapists, unlike yoga teachers, have 1000+ hours of extra training plus experience working with mental, physical, and emotional issues.  Yoga therapists each have a “specialty”.  Contact IAYT and find a therapist in your area.  It’s true what they say, “Anyone can benefit from yoga.” 

Evolving Into a Raw Food Vegan

 

Who would ever want to be a raw food vegan!?!  It’s so extreme!  No cooked food?! No veggie burgers? No Soy Delicious, No Vegan Brownies, no Daiya cheese, no bread, no crackers, and no  fries?  Who would want to live like that?  Just the idea is abhorrent!  The suffering!  Oh, yes, very true. There is a lot of suffering and I will get to that later; but who talks about the good things that happen?  Who talks about getting away from medicines and high priced hospital visits?  Imagine you could spend less than one ¼ of the $20,000 hospital copay on a retreat in Costa Rica or a spa in San Diego?  The extreme measures of the raw vegan lifestyle, pale in comparison the outrageous schemes of industrialized medicine.  Anyway, why suffer?  As they say, “Pain is inevitable, Suffering is optional.”  Let’s surround ourselves with loving people with sun in their cells, otherwise called: Biophotons! Let’s get outside, eat some fruit and meet each other.  Let’s get the like-minded together and share this abundant planet. 

 Well, I have already gone through a lot of suffering in 2004 when I went vegan cold turkey (Sorry turkeys! I used to eat you, though under duress. You never tasted that good to me.  Even if I smothered you in cranberry sauce and gravy, you were not delicious.  Still, I am sorry I used to eat you without a second thought.  Forgive me.)  As a cooked vegan, I was very unhappy at restaurants who had nothing to offer me.  It would make me so mad when people would say, “I can make you a salad?” 

 “A salad?!!!  I am healthy, not on a diet!” I would snarl and then I would take the salad.

 

Nine times out of ten, the salad they would bring would be be a terrible arrangement of white iceberg lettuce with a bland tomato and maybe a sliver for onion or carrot.  The dressing would be some high fructose corn syrup or MSG abomination.  I would rather go hungry!  Meanwhile my friends chowed down on greasy burgers and overly pink salmon.  You would think I would stop going out to eat but I was determined. I have to say, I have been enjoying eating out less and less.  The whole SAD way of life just causes me distress.  No one makes your food with love unless you are at Café Gratitude or The Spiral Diner or Karyn’s. 

I quickly saw that eating a cooked vegan diet was not a big change from the Standard American Diet (SAD).  I was still eating burgers and fries and vegan ice cream and some greens.  Correct, no animals were harmed but I was being harmed! My cholesterol was still not great. (Not that cholesterol is some great measure of anything but for this blog’s simplicity, I will use it.)  I still had terrible headaches and neck pain and this did not go away with a vegan lifestyle.  Contrary to popular belief, going vegan did not produce the wonderfully moving bowels that many had claimed it would either.  In short, I did not see any major health benefits of being a cooked vegan. The joy of not contributing to the meat and dairy industry and single-handedly saving hundreds of sentients a year was still amazing but I was disappointed that I did not feel any better physically. 

Lucky me, I met a wonderful health coach here in Houston by the name of John Rose in 2005.  He suggested I go on a juice feast or juice fast for 90 days.  I took his advice and I made it to day 30.  I felt great but hungry.  I broke the fast properly with salad and simple raw foods for two more weeks.  Worms crawled out of every orifice, but I did not have a big healing crisis.  The experience made me appreciate food and how great it can taste but I quickly went back to cooked vegan eating.  I lost touch with John Rose but remembered all he had taught me on juice feasting.  See his video lecture here.  If you were ever considering going on a juice fast, he answers all your questions here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04lhe1gzfgU

John Rose recently came back into the health scene in 2016.  His YouTube Channel extols the value of the raw vegan lifestyle.  He says we go raw vegan, not for the animals, they will benefit, but we go raw vegan to get connected to nature, to boost our biophoton levels, to re-open our 6th Sense.  He encourages us to, “Test an idea whose time has come”, and do a juice fast so we can see for ourselves the joy of living on plants.  We are all suffering from a disease he coined called: Hypoheliosis.  We are afflicted with this condition only when we cook our food, he says.  The less live food we eat, the more “disconnected from sun energy/nature and each other we become”; hence the term: Hypoheliosis. John Rose has many videos on this topic, I would encourage you to watch them on his YouTube Channel. 

Seeing John Rose again on YouTube really helped me to see that I could go let go of cooked food. Going raw vegan seemed so much easier than a juice feast.  (I don't think I can face the worms in the near future!)  Also, I would be less disconnected from the general public.  (I'm very social.  I don't like not being able to share a meal and being tied to my juicer.)  So, I decided on May 23^rd 2016 to go raw vegan, a feat I have never before pulled off.  Believe it or not, going raw was a lot better than doing a juice fast.  I was ready! 

I made my mind up to do things a little differently than I did when I went vegan.  I made some changes:  

1. No whining!  I have accepted the fact that when I go out to eat with friends, there will not be a great selection of foods to eat.  I will be appreciative for whatever is served. Best of all, I will eat ahead of time or bring food with me. 
2. No Boasting!  People don’t want to hear how I feel so good, nor about what I had to do to look so happy and feel so energetic. I would not tell a soul.  I will say nothing unless someone shows genuine interest.  Even then, I will say very little and I will keep the raw vegan repartee to a minimum. 
3. Accept the Detox – going raw is rough.  I would feel sick!  Headaches, stomach aches, diarrhea, constipation, blurry vision, toothaches, burning urination, and a host of other delights await those who goes raw.  It is The Hero’s Journey, as John Rose puts it.  It’s not for everyone.  My friends and family will say and do things that could possibly throw me off course.  I will have my resolve ready!  I know the feelings of illness will pass. (See No. 1!)
4. John Robbins or Tony Robbins suggest that we generate a list of five reasons why are embarking on this new journey.  Why am I going raw?  I have written them down.  I will have this anthem of my resolve written and ready for the times when the SAD way of life calls my name.

Ok, so all this said, I am really raw!  At first I had to have my espresso but now I can’t touch it. The smell is not tempting.  The other is sweets.  So far I have not been tempted to touch sweets either.  Beans! I did have my friend Raquel from Cuba’s black beans.  I ate about ¼ cup and loved them.  Very delicious!  I ate them slowly and with reverence.  However, after just a little taste, I was happy.  That’s what I have found so far about raw. I am content. I don’t have this feverish need for food.  Raw food is so plain at first but your taste buds regenerate, they come alive again!  Everything tastes good and smells good.  I smell my food before I eat it.  If it doesn't smell good, I don't eat it.  Also, I notice that once I am satisfied, I quit eating.  This was never the case with cooked food.  Lastly, it is all so simple and easy.  It’s really about eating to live and eating with love.  Eating out is not a gluttonous event with raw food.  Eating become a reverent act.    When raw, I find that love and respect are key.  It's the key to everything!

 Now that I am eating raw food, I am beginning to feel the connections with all things. John Rose said this might happen.   Imagine, nature and humans can unite once again.  Imagine getting our 6^th Sense back?  Ralph Smart alluded to this (though he is not a raw vegan) in his fabulous video about decalcifying your pineal gland.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTC_eeJj7zE  The very title of his video spoke to me.  That's how my brain feels sometimes: Calcified!  The idea that live food living can invigorate the whole human's energy system is an outstanding fact. 

I really never thought this phenomenon of High Vibrational Living could really happen for me in such a big way but I am starting to see it may really be so.  John Rose and Ralph Smart got me interested in really experimenting with this.  Raw food could well be the way to higher consciousness.  If more of us would try this way of life, the higher vibrations we all would have. 

Since May 23^rd I have noticed the following changes:

 

1. My sleep has improved.
2. My skin felt great!
3. I have food in the house all the time. Mainly it is fruit. Lots of it!
4. I'm never hungry!
5. My dentist tried to clean my teeth but they were clean!
6. My general physique looks better.  I have probably lost weight but I don’t want to lose weight, I want to look good. 

July 20^th I get my cholesterol checked.  I am hoping my total cholesterol is under 150. If so, this will be the first time ever.   Again, I know that cholesterol is a useless measurement tool but our medical system has not caught up with this fact yet.  So, I am using it.  Also, I am hoping that I my weight is still 120lbs. I do not want to lose weight like I did when I was first vegan. 

 So that’s my evolving Raw Vegan Journey so far.  It’s very exciting. I am amazed that I am almost at two months and it’s easier than I thought. Big thanks to John Rose, Ralph Smart, Tannyraw and Janis Hopper (see her Blog: www.simplerawandnatural.com) for helping me on my raw vegan road. 

 

 

The Love Altar

The Love Altar

Since Dr. Wayne Dyer crossed over, I have been reading his books and listening to his lectures non-stop.  I also have folders of Youtube videos, Hay House audio downloads; and of course, many thoughts generated by conversations and cafecitos with my dear Soul Sister, Rebeca Salazar.  I drive to work listening to Wayne.  I come home from work listening to Wayne.  When I go walking, I put on my headphones and walk in nature listening to Wayne.  Because of Wayne, I created a special "Dream Book" which I read before I go to sleep.  (I have learned from Wayne that the last five minutes of thoughts we have before we sleep are what the subconscious goes over and over for the next eight hours.  If this is so, I want to make sure I am not thinking about work or anything stressful!  I want to dream about flying and travel and beautiful places!) I am bringing in as much Wayne as I possibly can.  This influx of "Wayne Wisdom”, encourages me to feel braver about speaking and living my truth.  I am starting to see that my “I AM” presence is God Energy and calls me to my life's purpose at all times.  So, if my calling is to write down my inspirations and share them with you, then so be it. 

While listening to Wayne’s lecture on, There Is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem, I heard him speak about a program called, AIM Program of Energetic Balancing. Wayne endorsed this program by saying that Stephen Lewis, the founder, was onto something.  So, I paid attention!  Wayne said that Deepak Chopra confirmed the findings of Stephen Lewis by saying something to the effect that 100 years from now we will be able to clone a sheep from a photograph.  According to what I know so far about AIM is that our photograph holds our genetic material, an energetic imprint of us within a photograph.  Lewis receives a photo of you and puts it into one of his many metal trays and sends energy to it from his many computers. This super computer of sorts, has half a million frequencies going to you 24/7/365. This energy is so strong that it can empower you to heal your imbalances. This sounded so fabulous to me!  I went to the website and found that this privilege costs $1000 per individual or $2000 per family (free for those with Down Syndrome or Autism.)  A hefty price!  Well, I was not deterred by the price, but I wanted to meditate on this before I just sent a check. 

Being the curious person I am, I signed up for more AIM information and was immediately called by a "Facilitator".  She was very sweet and said I could call her at anytime. I told her I wanted to read Lewis' book, Sanctuary, and formulate my questions before I talked to her in depth.  So, I called my Love Sister, Janis Witherington Hopper (Read her blog: Simple Raw and Natural here)  She's on a similar path as I am. I knew she would help me think clearly and lovingly direct me to my senses.  Janis turned my attention to my own energetic power.    

Meditating on my own "I AM" presence, I thought back to one of Wayne’s lectures.  Maybe it was in: There Is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem … Not sure.  Wayne said that when he writes, he always has his most precious books, holy artifacts and pictures around him.  The very presence of these wonderful items inspires him totally.  He never experiences writer’s block.  He feels the holy presence of these materials very strongly and feels that they influence his work in a positive way.  That was it!  I needed to create my own Super Computer - Harness the Power of my "I AM" presence and God's Love Energy!  

Today, October 31^st, 2015, I rounded up my high energy LOVE materials.  Out came my three bibles.  Two are gifts from my father and one is a gift from my maternal grandparents.  I took my statue of the Mother Mary out of my closet.  This statue was in the home of my maternal grandparents until they died.  This statue was lovingly placed on my Love Altar. I went into my photographs and got images of all my friends and family.  This ; included, of course, my boyfriend's children, family and friends.  (We are one!) I got rosaries that belonged to my father and my maternal great-grandmother and found a place for them.  The book of wisdom from Dalai Lama was freed from my bedside drawer and placed tenderly on the Love Altar.  My silk-wrapped Reiki manual was also placed on the altar.  I then went to my box of stones which are kept beneath our bed to keep us grounded, and “asked” each stone, via my pendulum, who wanted to move to the "Love Altar".  After I had assembled all of these precious items, I smudged the entire house with a sage wand and said prayers in each room, alcove and closet of our home.  My Love Altar was now in a high-frequency environment.  I was finished!  This said, I know that I can add to this Love Altar anytime.  I am sure I will be inspired to do so!

As of this very moment, fabulous Love Energy is now emanating from my Love Altar 24/7/365!  Beautiful Love Energy is now flowing freely in our home (and beyond!), and to each heart of those we hold dear.  A very special “Thank You” to Wayne for this blessing and idea.  And of course, a special “Thank You” to Rebeca and Janis for being with me on this amazing journey and sharing their thoughts with me.  

My journey with AIM is still ongoing.  Stephen Lewis' books: Sanctuary and Peak Performance are on the way.  I will read them and will give you an update.  Should you have any experience with AIM, I would love to read your comments.  

The Great Spirit of Wayne

     Dr. Wayne W. Dyer made his transition/transformation on August 30th, 2015. The author of, Your Erroneous Zones, has expanded to his next big journey. It was funny, I was watching him promote his new course online in late July and was thinking how he seemed too spiritually enormous to fit into his current Hay House program. As I watched, I could tell this program was just too small. I felt sad for him.  The information he was presenting was excellent but it was his spirit that concerned me. I could tell there was something missing. He was just not able to be fully Wayne. When I heard he had passed on, I was still shocked and saddened. But, I felt so happy for him too. Free at last! He could be his true amazing spirit once again. 

     My dear friend, Rebeca Salazar, who shares my love for Wayne’s work, came to my house and together watched his memorial service on September 18th, 2015. We laughed, we cried and we marveled at the impact this man had on our lives and the influence he had on this planet. However, in my opinion, the memorial was too small for him too. It appeared to me as though nothing in this world could quite encompass all of this amazing being. He was more beautiful than any of us could have ever imagined. Wayne W. Dyer was big! Very Big! As time goes on, we will see more and more clearly the legacy he has left behind.

     Wayne W. Dyer first came to my attention in 1986. A coworker meekly and humbly suggested I read, Your Erroneous Zones. She could see I needed Wayne’s teachings desperately. But my response was, “Wayne Dyer? You have to be kidding,” I scoffed. “He’s so mainstream, so overdone. I read literature,” I protested. As a result of my ignorance and ego, I missed out on an opportunity to change my thoughts and change my life. I remember feeling sorry for my coworker. I looked at her with pity and almost said aloud: “Self-Help books ... and a topic about sex ~ Please!” Like others, I am sure, I didn’t even take the time to correctly read the title of the book!

     Now here it is almost thirty years later and I cannot get enough of this man’s work! My distain, my ASS-umptions, my lack of openness sometimes shock me. I see now that this sort of knee-jerk reaction to something was a clear sign I was off track. I now cast my mind back on that moment in 1986 and imagine that interaction taking place in a new way. I see myself accepting that book my coworker so lovingly offered me. I see myself reading the book and having much to discuss with her. I see how she became an ally and a friend, instead of someone I would not take the time to get to know. Thanks to Wayne, I see clearly how time is not linear. I can now send love to this coworker from so long ago and thank her for showing me something about myself I really was not ready to embrace at that time. I know she feels this love.  In this moment I say, “Thank you.” I send her love.

     My second calling to the teachings of Wayne came in 2001 from my boyfriend at the time. We were watching a PBS Special. My boyfriend, like me, could be very dismissive about mainstream culture. He gently and tenderly asked me to watch Wayne’s program. Who could resist such an offer? The lecture was on how to get what you "Really, Really, Really Want." It was excellent! Together we began watching, listening and reading everything we could get our hands on. We were hooked. I was particularly drawn to the sound of Wayne’s voice. He had the most soothing speaking manner. His lectures were so well done. I began to see Wayne as a real teacher. I could see that Wayne’s teachings were for the ordinary person like me. I now understand that he wanted to be mainstream! He wanted everyone to find their true calling, to hear how to find their life's purpose. 

     Fast forward to 2015, I am currently listening to Wayne read his last work, his autobiography, I Can See Clearly Now. I have this feeling that Wayne’s work has cast me on a bigger and more exciting spiritual journey. My sorry little life has just gotten bigger. To date, I have read: Inspiration – Your Ultimate Calling, and Excuses Begone!; and still I have never read, Your Erroneous Zones! I just gave a copy to Rebeca. I am excited about reading this book now. I suppose I am saving it for a very special time when I can focus on it completely. Maybe I will write about this book in another blog entry. We shall see.

     At the memorial service, Dr. Carolyn Myss referred to Wayne as a prophet and a mystic. Yes, he was both. He grew into a great spirit.  His teachings showed us how to go within and listen. He showed us that ordinary people can be great if we listen to our inner self, that Great Spirit which ceaselessly calls to us night and day. Taking Wayne’s teachings to heart, I am feeling I will stay open to all opportunities and will be careful not let my ego get the best of me. Wayne said ego was an acronym for: Edging God Out. If we are all God, as Wayne suggests, it would be wise to stay humble and say, "YES" to chance opportunities, like someone offering us a book to read out of the blue.

     In closing, I have a feeling if we start to emulate the Great Spirit of Wayne, we will be blessed by learning more about who we really are.  Wayne loved humanity and because of this love, his influence will never die. He gave us all such a gift we never knew we needed so badly. Thank you, Wayne for all your 75 years here on this planet! I am excited about seeing you in your new form. Your loving presence is still with us, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

My 77+ Journals from 1978 to the Present

  The Wonders of the Journal

 





      It was the Fall of 1978 and I was experiencing something new ~ connections with people my own age.  We were the blind leading the blind.  Big gangs of teens roaming the streets, the malls, the city and the bars.  It was a heady time with disco music and punk rock colliding into each other.  Should we be happy or mad?  We looked at each other for guidance.  I soon realized that that there was no guidance coming from my peers.  My parents were starting to go their separate ways, my brothers and sisters were sort of periphery thoughts for me.  They almost seemed invisible as I focused on: my friends, boyfriends, “just” friends. 

 

     Realizing that even if I did know what to ask, I didn’t have anyone who gave me answers that I really valued or appreciated.  Self-help books were not popular yet.  I didn’t even know there were words like “Psychology” or “Philosophy”.  There was no internet. Some people didn’t even have landlines. Coffee shops were horrible places where greasy dirty food was served.   We had to meet to firm up our plans.  Since we were not very organized, we just went to the bars where we had established a friend base.  From those bars we started to create our community. 

 

 

     Still, with all the friends, pub parties and dances, I still had a lot of time on my hands to think and wonder about my newly forming social circle and the meaning of life.  One day, without much thought, I took an empty notebook and started to write in it.  Something just clicked!  I had an immediate positive response.  Though I only wrote a page, I felt relief from my thoughts.  I had no idea that I had so many thoughts swirling around in my head.  The sensation was so nice, I did it again.  There was nothing profound in these writings but the release of mental tension was profound. 

 

     Pretty soon I began taking my notebook with me on my walks. I would find a beautiful place, sometimes just leaning on a tree or sitting on a rock and I would write.  I had this thought that writers were depressed, so I began to see myself as an angst-ridden writer from old.  This phase did not last because when I wrote,  I had to be honest.  I could tell when I was being untrue to myself.  I found when I wrote, it was like there was someone, something answering my unasked questions, giving me guidance and support.  This was much needed at the time of adolescent upheaval. 

 

     I began reading about other writers when I started to identify with certain quotes I heard.  Like, "People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges." By Joseph Fort Newton, a Baptist Preacher from Texas.  (It's sort of interesting to me that I was in secondary school in Ireland when I read this quote and I ended up living in Texas.)   This was the first quote I ever read that resonated with my spirit.  The other inspirational quote I read in college.  It was Rainer Maria Rilke.  The quote had come from his book Letters to a Young Poet:

 

 

 

     After Rilke, I was hooked on poetry and nature and spirituality and the quest to understand self. I read the book, The Artist's Way by Julie Cameron who suggested writing for thirty minutes a day ~ everyday! So, I did this for many years but I found that my spirit did not really work within the rules too well, so now I just write ~ no rules! My journals went from lined notebooks to sketchbooks without lines.  I met a wonderful artist who encouraged me to paste things in my journal and expand my page playground. 

 

     I find that the best time to write for me is early in the morning when no one is up and the world is silent.  It's sort of like meditation because I am listening to myself. I have tried writing on the computer but it does not work for me.  There is something about the hand, the eye, the pen sliding on the paper which creates the alchemy of the journaling. Hand-writing is so powerful for me that I must have a pen that feels just right on the paper or the inspirations do not come. I have started to keep an "Inspiration Notebook" next to me because these amazing ideas come to me and I want to remember what they are and to follow up on them.  I do not re-read my journals because 90% of it so terribly boring.  Plus, the past is the past.  I am nothing like my past.  Each day I change.  Journaling helps me to become a better person. 

 

     Sometimes I think of burning all my journals and freeing myself from the past.  I am still too attached.  I think about reading them all again and looking for reoccuring themes and ideas.  For this reason, I keep each entry dated.  I sometimes include where I am writing and recent events but other than that, I just start with the minutia of my life and work into a good one hour writing sesssion. 

 



 

          The whole journaling experience is a continuing journey and I complete this blog entry with the above quote from May Sarton whose writing helped me go deeper into those moments of joyful solitude.  These quiet times are so precious to me. Journaling has proven to me that I am never alone because some of my inspirtations are beyond anything I could have made up in my head.  How I ever picked up that notebook in 1978 was a miracle.  I feel immense appreciation for the wonders of the journal and the soul.  I keep writing.      

›



A Journey of Self Discovery

My Ten Favorite Books:

1. My most favorite book, the book that gave me best understanding of chakras, energy and healing was

Anatomy of the Spirit by Carolyn Myss.  This book is a step-by-step guide (an interesting guide) to understanding energy in the body. Myss helps you understand how to have healthy energy.  The book has meditation suggestions and practical ways to live a life that is vibrant and spiritual.  Myss has another book that was just as enlightening:  Why People Don't Heal - and How They Can

2. My second favorite book has to be Awareness by Anthony DeMello.  DeMello was a Catholic priest from India.  He had a different view of religion and spirit.  When I read my favorite quote in this book, I was hooked, "I'm and ass, your an ass." DeMello was direct and forthright throughout.  He says forget what others think, be you.  He used wonderful stories as teachings which helped drive home the theme of the book which is be yourself.  If you feel like having your illusions of religion shattered, read this book. 

3.  My third favorite is by Leo Buscaglia, PhD.  Dr. Buscaglia wrote the first book with the simple title, Love.  I so admired the lifestyle of Buscaglia!  He used to invite himself into the presence of anyone sitting alone in airports, restaurants and parks.  He was just interested in people and loved to hug.  His books are filled with stories of love and family and friendship. Buscaglia loved leaves and would bring them into his livingroom when the neighbors complained that he needed to clean up his garden.  Busscaglia loved family and togetherness.  He was a model of love during his life and made everyone in his presence feel universal love and joy.  Any book by Leo Buscaglia will bring your heart healing and love. 

4.  Fit for Life and the companion cookbook The American Vegetarian Cookbook - from the Fit for Life Kitchen are awesome!  They are old, but the information is the same.  Eat a plant-based diet and you will learn how to eat, stay healthy and enjoy life to the fullest.  Harvey and Marilyn Diamond are the authors.  Thanks to these books, I learned about Natural Hygiene and got to meet my health guru: Mamiko Matusda, PhD.  Dr. Matsuda is featured in one of my earlier blogs. 

5. On the same lines, Tissue Cleansing through Bowel Managment by the late Bernard Jensen, D. C. and Nutritionist, teaches how to care for the bowel, the origin of disease and ill-health.  This is a classic text which taught me what I needed to know to have a body that works wonderfully.  Below: a photo that makes fun of my obsession with the colon that followed after reading this book. 



Hotel Colon, Barcelona, Spain



6. The next book that I love is: Psycho-Cybernetics - A New Way to Get more Living Out of Life, by Maxwell Maltz, M.D.  This book was my intro to the power of my mind.  Written in 1960, this book opened the door to the infinite possibility of visualization.

7. Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.  McDougall takes a trip to Mexico and studies the Tarahumara Indians, the barefoot runners of the world.  He discovers through his own back and foot issues that wearing more and more padding on one's feet will not stop the issues caused by running.  By his study of the Tarahumara, McDougall writes a national bestseller that sparks a debate on running barefoot.  Since I began yoga in 1987, I have been fascinated by the feet and I was so happy learn new insights on how to preserve my feet.  McDougall taught me that my feet were sensitive for a reason and wearing shoes that are heavily padded blocks the body's ability to sense how to orient the body during movement.  Excellent videos are online to show ways to run correctly.  I thank my brother, The Blaggard for introducing me to this book.  Just as a side note, I went hiking with the Tarahumara in 1992.  I was able to see first hand that these amazing people go barefoot in the snow.  One of my Tarahumara guides was only 11. She had to keep slowing down for me. 

8. The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron.  What a beautiful book this was! I am a right-brained sort; therefore, this book appealed to me body and soul.  'Artist Dates', journal writing, and confronting the negative voices that one hears when taking radical action toward a dream, are but a few of the teachings presented in this wonderful book.  I have written a journal since age 15 and only after reading this book, did I start to pay attention to the insights and messages that writing and creative activities inspire.
 
9. The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho. I never knew a beautiful book like this could ever exist.  No book has ever touched me to the core like this book.  Coelho was indeed Divinely inspired when writing this book. When reading it, I had this feeling of "I knew it!".  I had this same feeling when I saw the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know?  Both this book, and The Artist's Way, were given to me my friend Paula (wherever you are now - Thanks, Paula!).

10.  The last book could be The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell or Journey of a Solitude by May Sarton or The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach or the wonderful story of the Delaney Sisters or The Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman; but I am choosing Louise L. Hay: How to Love Yourself.  All the books on this list have helped me learn about who I am. The life journey is so exciting and full of so many twists and turns, but Louise Hay helped me to get to the bottom of it and just accept Self.  What a powerful exercise it is to look in the mirror and say, "I love you, I really love you", without squirming, looking away or hearing the saboteur's laughter.  With practice, I am learning to discover who I am and why I am here.  I do realize that books are only guides, they cannot do the work for me. It's my journey to take the action needed to make manifest the Soul's calling.  Blessings to all who have the courage to speak their truth, live their dreams and follow their hearts, regardless of what others think. 


 

The Tibetan Five Rites

The Tibetan Five Rights (T5R) both stimulate and balance our hormones and return our chakras to their regular speed.  When your chakras are spinning correctly (clockwise) your glands are also restored to health.  The key is to practice all five rites each day and to do the whole 21 repetitions of each rite.  Start with 3-7 and work up to more, as the strength increases.  

The T5R originate from a remote monastery in Tibet where they were done by the monks every day.  The monks looked extremely young for their age and lived surprisingly long.  More about the T5R can be found in the book: The Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth by Peter Kelder.  Youtube has also a range of demonstrations to watch and learn about the rites.  Maryse Moerel does a very nice video presentation (see bottom of page).  She claims to be doing the T5R for fourteen years.  

Rite I

Rite I is reminiscent of the whirling dervishes of the Sufi Tradition.  The spinning action of this rite mirrors the directional spin of our chakras.  By this spinning, the Chi, Prana or Life Force is stimulated.  It is very natural to feel dizzy during this rite.  In fact, it is actually a sign that our vestibular systems are working correctly when we get dizzy while performing this exercise.  Practice only three to seven reps at a time and work up to the whole 21 spins.  

Rite I stimulates the Crown Chakra.  While turning, place the tongue behind the teeth and this allows the psychic energy to enter the body.  When this rite has been completed, lay flat on the mat and allow the body to relax.  This is a perfect transition point for Rite II.

Rite II

Rite II has a lot of stretching and bending to the spine.  In yoga, this action is considered to be extremely rejuvenating.  Plus, this action moves the cerebral-spinal fluid which has a positive effect on the whole nervous system.  There is increased circulation within all the internal organs with this rite.  The abdomen benefits the most.  The Root Chakra and the Sacral Chakra receive the infusion of energy of this rite.  Such energy stabilizes mood and many psychological issues related to family, career, money and relationships are balanced.  

The Mula Bandha and the Uddiyana Bandha are two of the yogic locks that are also stimulated performing this rite.  (The Bandhas or locks give strength and stability to the body.)  
 

Rite III

This rite stimulates the Cervical and Thoracic Spine. The chakras affected are the Solar Plexus, The Heart chakra and the Throat/5^th Chakra.  The heart, thyroid, parathyroid and thymus glands are revitalized during this rite.  Keep the tongue behind the teeth, as this rite is performed for the full benefit of psychic energy.  Remember to perform only what is possible and build up to all 21 repetitions.  The Jalandhara Bandha is the yogic lock which is strengthened during this rite.  Goals related to personal power and career are revitalized here.  

Rite IV

Again, the Solar Plexus, Throat and Heart chakras are stimulated while performing this rite; but also the Third Eye chakra center is activated.  Life Force energy is driven into the body by the movement of the lower extremities while supported by the arms.  Keep the tongue behind the teeth and practice nostril breathing.  The Jalandhara Bandha is also strengthened during this rite.  Psychic abilities are increased by Rite IV.

Rite V

This final rite is great for the immune system in general.  It rejuvenates the nerves in the spine and strengthens our arms and legs.  The hamstring muscles are lengthened, thus reducing lower back pain. All three bandhas are stimulated during this exercise.  This exercise builds the sense of contentment and creativity to the Self and promotes personal wellbeing.  The Heart and Solar Plexus are the main focus of this rite.  

In Closing: 

In closing, please read this information after the first week of practice and again after 30 days.  Take note of how you feel and notice what parts of the exercises you may have omitted or overdone.  Notice how much stronger you have become.  If possible, keep a log of what parts of your life have improved or need improvement since you began the T5R.  

Here is a link to  Maryse Moerel doing a fabulous demo of the Tibetan 5 Rites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qLKhvsfQKc

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