The Liberation of Me!

Today I sat in the hot sun and looked up at it not seeing a single cloud in the sky so I closed my eyes and let it shine on me. It's the day after Independence Day and I sat on a hill looking outward to the mountains, trees and lake. I was overcome with joy, gratitude, unity, potential, power, love and so on. Just select every synonym of every blissful word and shake them all up in a bag and bake a cake then eat it slice by slice really slow; that’s how I feel, liberated with every bite. Indeed I am hoakie and meatball to a degree, but I am thankful my glass is half full, aren’t you? Interestingly, I am finding that it is more and more difficult to translate my experience here into words. I read a quote from Osho that said that the most beautiful and profound things in life cannot be put into words because they are beyond language. Perhaps an inventory is better than a summary of some kind. I’ve crafted a somewhat random laundry list of new things I’ve learned, noticed, practiced and observed over these past eight weeks. I’m halfway there folks; two months down.

• I like kale with a spray of Bragg’s, who knew?
• The Bhavagad Gita book club and study group has been a highlight every Friday afternoon.
• Rice dream is a dream come true every morning for breakfast.
• Seeing a flying wild turkey on a walk to the main building seems to be a regular occurrence.
• “Skillfulness in action” has a lot to do with being mindful enough to figure out if you’re skillful or not.
• I use more Sanskrit words than even I realize. My favorites you ask? (Jai Bhagwan, Om Namah Shivaya, Sattwa, Jai Ganesha, Om Shanti, Santosha, Ahimsa)
• Weekly blindfolded pranayama class is blissful.
• “If I chase it. I separate into the chaser and the chased. If I am it, I am it and nothing else.” –John Lilly
• “Holding space” for someone has nothing to do with holding anything tangible
• I notice my arms are stronger from walking the daily downward dog.
• I frequently utilize ‘hand mudras’ to manifest things; to my surprise it works.
• Cat/Cow/Fish/Camel/Pigeon….all have new meanings for me.
• Yoga is more than just using my 4 limbs, it's learning about 8.
• Saying “Jai” with hands in prayer while making eye contact with someone in the hall is a great way to say hello.
• I spray rose water in my eyes and use a tongue scraper thanks to Ayurvedic philosophy.
• Energy can be seen in colors.
• The trees dance when you ask.
• I dance when my spirit asks.
• I feel the three-part breath actually traveling from my belly up to my heart.
• Gluten-free pancakes taste better than regular pancakes, so do gluten-free cornflakes now that I think about it.
• “Listen to your life. All moments are key moments.” –Fredrick Buechner
• The metaphysical and mystical are alive and well.
• The designated volunteer table in the dining hall gives me a home for most meals where I can connect with peers. It’s like eating with the Broward House family during lunch, it’s a nice exhale during the day.
• I can now separate my thoughts, my emotions, the spiritual guidance and life lesson like a carefully taken a part friendship bracelet.
• 60 days and counting of breakfast in silence, what a nice way to start my day.
• I’ve learned that the difference between the “self” and the “Self” has to do with the ego.
• Meditation isn’t so bad. I say such good things about myself when I stop and give time to inquiry.
• “There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” –Albert Einstein
• Have I really become desensitized to squirrels, rabbits, slugs, bats and oversized crows? I think I have.
• I learned I can hold the goddess pose for 5 minutes straight; they challenged us with this one day to practice working through mental barriers.
• Getting up at 6:00am gives me so much more energy then waking up later.
• I actually like the plank pose now because I feel my power.
• I realize I know Kirtan mantras by heart, how’d that happen?
• Physical exertion and journaling everyday has reconnected me with the stream of spirituality and consciousness.
• "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." --Henry David Thoreau
• Intuition is now so much more to me than just a ‘gut feeling,’ thanks to the owl.
• I have more gratitude than I know how to contain in my physical body and I think it has something to do with my openness and faith.
• The other volunteers are friends that are like deeply rooted flowers that shine with an inner beauty, a caring spirit and an accepting heart. They fill me with meaningful conversation and warm hugs and are truly genuine souls.

Pictures from this week: the fish pose, some wild berries growing in the forest, the trees dancing, me taking the kayak out on the 4th of July.

Coming up next week: Rob in MA, a program on past lives, staying offsite, real pizza and so much more. It’s always so much more when every moment is cherished, I love that.

“Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live in every experience, painful or joyous, to live in gratitude for every moment, to live abundantly.” – Dorothy Thompson

Jai Jai