without an agenda

What are the secret agendas that drive us?

Wanting the new job, the new car, the new home, the new boyfriend/husband/partner?
Wanting my kids to be successful, do well at school, be popular!
Wanting my business to thrive and more people to come to yoga!
Wanting the sun to shine and my body to lose weight!
Wanting my yoga practise to shine…

How would life be without the agendas?

Could we live our lives in harmony, seizing the opportunities as they arose, letting go of manipulations of others in order to achieve our goals and letting go of our children in faith that they will turn out OK?

The agendas, are what blinds us to the gift of the present…

Enjoy now, watch your life unfold and let the future be!

Om shanti lovely people

The transition into another place, another being, another way of seeing is painful and stressful I find, am I getting old?

I find a million ways of getting out of doing what needs to be done. I have another tea, I go for a walk, pet the cat, everything except what needs to be done, what is staring me in the face. This is the dance.

Then – BAM! the tax is done, we have stopped smoking, we lost the weight, we have taken the step, a shift has happened.. but it needed the procrastination, it needed the dance to happen gradually all in its own special time.

Everything is as it should be and everything is shifting just at the right pace, can we trust that? What a relief!

be brave!

Being brave isn’t always what you think, is it? It is not necessarily jumping off a bridge or performing some amazing feat, it can be as simple as coming to a yoga class.

For me, being brave is dropping into my heart, opening up to the most vulnerable part of myself and allowing my deepest yearnings to be heard.

I find this is only possible, when I feel completely balanced, safe and in tune. And this only occurs for me during meditation, yoga or in the psychotherapy session.

That moment, when the critical voice takes a break and the deepest desire makes itself heard is precious, when I am truly alive.

In yoga there is an interesting concept of the three Gunas: Tamas, Rajas and SAttwa.

Tamas equates to the lethargic, rotting, fermentation aspect of Nature, so winter is a tamasic time..

Rajas is movement, noise, bright colours, spicy food, like Spring.

Sattwa is purity, stillness, awareness, astute consciousness.

We often move from one to the other, they are intertwined and rely on each other. We need someone to kick us off the sofa in order to go for a yoga class, when we have arrived at the yoga class, we need to do a few sun salutations before we feel that acute stillness, Sattwa.

It is in this state of Sattwa we are directly connected to God, or pure consciousness, or your own wisdom, however you choose to see it.

This moment is precious. This is when you are truly alive to your own life, to your lies, your evasions and your misconceptions and the path of truth and freedom avails itself gently and without effort. For some people this means a gentle awakening to an aspect of their life, a solution to a problem or simply a deeper devotion to their current path.

I truly hope you commit to coming to yoga or doing the meditation course, so that this Sattwic state of mind can become more and more part of your daily life and you can live more closely according to your calling, your vocation, your yearning.

Be Brave – Practise yoga!

There is a concept that we are all pearls on a necklace, we all belong, and have our special place next to each other. We are part of a matrix that fits perfectly, when we are following our dharma.

What is my dharma? How do we know?

My teacher used to tell me, look at your life, – what have you always been drawn to? Where are you most comfortable (no, not the sofa!), what do others admire about you? What do you find easy, yet stimulating?
These are clues as to your dharma.

When you are doing your dharma (which may not be your job), you will feel right, in the flow and others will fully appreciate you.

The trouble is sometimes we don’t feel like we belong, like we really know what we should be doing. so, maybe take a moment, look at your life, free-flow, write some words down, cut out some pictures from magazines, or from the net and see what emerges.

The great unifying spirit is waiting for you to take your place among the greats and really shine at whatever it is, whether it is cutting hair or running the country, there is no good or bad, nor is there more or less important in this matrix, just taking your place.

Go ahead! Take your place! Feel the force behind you as you start to fulfill your potential and become truly great as a service to others and yourself.

I am excited!

When I step out of my yoga centre, I feel the same – there are two worlds – one hostile, and one friendly. I don’t like dualism, I don’t like division, I don’t like them and us, good and bad – I like us.

This fear, this mistrustful world “out there”, can it be dissolved by our own minds, can we project kindness, compassion, understanding onto a cold world and transform it?

Yoga teaches that our minds are like projectors, and the world is the screen. Does this mean we can transform the world around us by our minds?

What do you project onto your world?

Lets bring the two imaginary worlds together with our own minds. Train your mind in kindness, forgiveness and compassion and watch that “outside” world transform!!

It also affects how essential messages are sent in the brain (GABA). I feel more comfortable in my skin and am more sociable, maybe even more courageous.

Increasing dopamine in the brain is considered to be the most common source of addiction.(IAS 5.5.9)

One of these ways is super common and the costs are:
£25 per week or more
increased fatigue
depression
liver disease
heart problems
dysfunctional relationships
increased cost to the NHS
(1 in 26 beds in hospitals are due to this)

another of these addictions has no running cost and will:
increase life expectancy
increase vitality
deepen relationships with others
rejuvenate the body
bring well-being and connectedness with others long-term
increase compassion
decrease disease

The second is ancient but not widely used, despite the fact that it is free. It is meditation. The first is alcohol. Which do you choose?

I watch my children release physically and emotionally here, as they run from house to house, through fields, forests and into the sea with abandon, with the total trust that there is nothing or no one to be afraid of. That wherever they are someone is watching out for them, taking care of them. If one neighbour is eating ice cream, all the kids in the neighbourhood are eating the same ice cream. Inclusion is the norm.

The recent events in Norway has propelled a greater sense of love, solidarity and appreciation of the value of the society that exists in Scandinavia as a whole too. I value a society which is tolerant, accepting, compassionate and forgiving. My prayer is that these values also permeate the rest of the world.

As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see!”, start with your neighbourhood, and watch the values spread through your community too. You are the catalyst, your life and values are an inspiration to others!

So, give yourself a break, create some space not only in your body through yoga practise but also in your life and home, by throwing out the old stuff – my principle generally is that if it has not been used throughout a 12 month period, then get rid of it, someone out there will be looking for exactly what you no longer want! Do them a favour and pass it on. Similarly, forgive past failings and wrongdoings – it is not as difficult as it sounds.

Did you hear the man on the radio today who had been shot at in Texas – he lost an eye -  and whose potential murderer was sentenced to death? The victim was campaigning for the man to be forgiven and freed! If he can forgive and campaign for the liberation of his potential murderer, who are we able to forgive? Why do we hang on to these energy sapping old wounds when our soul and our body just want to be whole and heal again?

Pull down the walls, throw out the stuff, forgive and let the new come in! Now is the time to do it, when the summer energy is at its peak!

What would wild success look like to you?

These questions have been shooting through my brain in recent days.

I have become aware of an outer shell that I carry, that is a direct result of my own shame, sense of insufficiency and self-doubt, it is the opposite of all these things – it is confident, jubilant, cherishing and proud – it is the shell around the pearl. Who sees the pearl? Who sees the delicate, vulnerable, precious gift behind the bravado, behind the shame, the guilt and the doubt? Isn’t it courageous when we dare prize open the shell and glimpse the beauty – even more courageous those who bear their souls and wash it clean with vulnerability.

When we look at what needs to happen for this shell to crumble, for this shell to dissolve, the wisdom takes you to forgiveness, abundance and courage. When the obstacles are recognised and removed, the river runs free and deep, with a strong current, pushing, forcing the flow to connect with the ocean, urgently and beautifully.

What does your life look like, with the obstacles removed?

Mine was an open sea with dolphins and islands, I am in a comfy sailing boat, in a gentle summer breeze, people laughing on the beach, plenty of deserted spaces to be at peace, safe, warm and plenty to eat. There are a few horses on the island and they want to be ridden. Life is good!

Close your eyes and imagine your life without the obstacles you have placed in your own way!