New Use for Yoga Mats

I bet you hadn't thought of this one!! He taped it together and made it his "skirt".

My Son Eats Meat

It is true. My 4 year old eats meat. It was a difficult decision for me, I have been vegetarian for over fifteen years for a variety of reasons and my seven year old daughter is flourishing as a vegetarian. My husband and I suspected our son needed meat for 6 months before we finally fed it to him four months ago. My husband also eats meat so it isn’t an anomaly in our house. He was vegan for several years in high school and just couldn’t keep himself grounded. He needed meet for balance. He still does. I can tell when he hasn’t had meat for awhile and have been known to suggest he go out for a hamburger so he can feel better. My son is similar. He doesn’t seem to enjoy food very much and yet was very interested in meat when he was around meat from babyhood on. He was thrilled to eat it. He is even more excited about beef than cookies. It is an interesting process in letting go of what you expect and allowing others to do what they need to do, especially when it is with your children. When I surrender to what he needed, I felt myself soften and the rest was easy. Seeing him flourish on beef also helps me surrender. It was clearly the right decision.

Surrender - Being in the Heart

I just realized that surrender is about being in the heart! I spend so much time in my head, ruminating, planning, thinking, analyzing and reanalyzing. None of those things are necessary when you are truly surrendering! I had created this meditation awhile ago when I realized the energy bubble around my head was buzzing when I meditated and the energy in my heart was still. I wanted more energy in my heart for meditation. I thought you might enjoy it too. May it bring you more into your heart and a state of surrender:

Energy In The Heart

Inspirational Quote

“Ultimately, whether we achieve the final posture or not is insignificant. Those who do not believe this may be quite disillusioned to discover that nothing particularly remarkable or even pleasant happens when you finally put your feet on the back of your head. If our practice has been driven by hopes of radiant delight in that final moment, we may find ourselves asking, ‘Is this all there is?’ when we achieve our so-called goal. The delight, the remarkable moment, was happening all along, but we were too busy getting somewhere to notice.” (Donna Farhi)

How many of you needed to hear that one today? Another great quote comes from Ramanand Patel, one of my favorite teachers. In a particularly challenging class when we were working up to a pose that makes you wish you had no ligaments, he wryly commented, "I have been in the final pose. There is nothing there. There is no hurry." We often need reminders of these thoughts. Yoga is not about the final pose. Frankly, it isn't about getting stronger or more flexible either. Yoga is about growing, evolving, learning more about yourself and ultimately growing in consciousness by taking your body where it hasn't been before.

My Time With Judith Lasater

This is what I did last weekend:

Surrender: Part II (or is it III or IV?)

Okay, I am back and what an interesting month it has been! Between being sick, attending a conference, going on a trip, and having internet on the fritz, I kind of feel like March was a blogging blur. I feel I abandoned my blogs! I feel renewed energy and a bunch of ideas are flowing around my head and I can’t wait to share them with all of you!

The biggest idea and the one I want to explore here is around my study of surrender this year. For those of you who read my blog often, you know I choose a theme each year to focus on. This year it is Ishvara Pranidhana, or surrender. What is surrender? We talk about it a lot. “Letting go” and “trust the universe” are the catch phrases of our current times, but what does that mean? How does one “do surrender”? I am a “doer” and I want to know what I can “do” to surrender. This question is one I am still answering for myself and continue to explore it on my mat in my practice (where I always turn when I have questions). You can read what I do to “practice surrender” yogically here.

Ironically, though, it seems surrender is more about not doing and instead merely being. Relaxing into the space of the moment, the process of what you are doing, and being fully present. It means not forcing yourself into the future nor being stuck in the past. When you surrender, you are open to what the future might hold for you (not your idea of what the future might hold for you) and you are grateful for whatever the past had to teach you so you can move on.

For now, surrender to me means not worrying because I trust God, the Universe, the process, the bigger picture, whatever phrase works for you, to guide me into the experiences I need to have to grow more into the person I know myself to be. It means not doing things out of fear (doing things because you are afraid something else will happen) and instead doing things because you know they will bring good things to you. (Coming from love not fear – intrigued to read more about that idea? Read my other blog entries here and here.) Surrender also means trusting that even the challenging times have their purpose and I needn’t add to the challenge by worrying about them.

As a recovering control addict, I find the balance between doing what I want to do and going over the line to doing what I feel I have to do for something to succeed extraordinarily fine. It is what I am working on now – it is only April!