Archive for December, 2012
My Year of Outrageous Bliss
Monday, December 31st, 2012
Back in January, I declared 2012 to be the year of adventure and outrageous bliss! My theme lived up to its name. I have had many adventures with lots of personal and professional excursions and have had several emotional inner journeys.
To hold myself accountable and focused on my theme, I met weekly with my good friend and Life Coach, Myron. We spent nine months meeting every week to set goals, share stories, and create our own mastermind group. Together we laughed, cried, shared success, and moments of challenges. What I loved most about my weekly meetings with Myron is that we could be real and vulnerable. We shared our big dreams with one another. When we struggled with personal and professional challenges we could share without being judged.
At the end of each year, I slow down before I speed up into a new year. I take time to reflect, to be grateful, and to acknowledge. There were so many moments of 2012 that were filled with bliss. Many were everyday moments that brought a smile to my face.
I am grateful for every lesson, every journey of my heart, every tear, every smile, every friendship, every laughter, and every moment that brought me closer to outrageous bliss. Thank you to everyone who shared themselves with me on my journey – whether you know it or not, you made a difference in my life. Everything became my teacher this year from the NYC subway, to my nine year old nephew, to the Pacific Ocean, to a new health condition. I allowed myself to be open to the adventures of my heart.
2012 brought some big, wild, outrageous adventures that I led or created. I am grateful for starting a new coaching company, Growing Edge Coaching, traveling to Peru and leading a ceremony on Machu Picchu, giving my Wild Cosmic Heart Retreat in Hawaii, and expanding Toning the OM with new beautiful meditation videos.
It certainly was a year of adventure and outrageous bliss! Thank you for sharing it with me. I look forward to many new adventures together in 2013.
This blog is dedicated to my dear friend, Myron Tucker. You made this year full of more joy, laughter, and love – thank you my friend.
Perspective
Friday, December 28th, 2012
Thank you I95 for the traffic. The highway reminds me to slow down and breathe.
Thank you for the homeless people who ask me for change. You remind me just how much abundance I have.
Thank you to the sirens for your loud sounds. You remind just how much music fills my life.
Thank you to my backache. You remind me how strong my body is.
Thank you to the snow, sleet, and cold nights. You remind me to hibernate and take time to rest.
My Third Grade Teacher Was Right
Thursday, December 27th, 2012
My third grade teacher would say before taking a test, “Always keep your first answer.” After intense studying for tests, my teacher recommended that we trust our instincts (even in the third grade!). Research says that we instinctually know things within 2-3 seconds of situations.
This came to mind when I had to make a recent decision to follow my gut or instincts. I usually get a sense right away whether something is a yes or no. The harder part is listening to that answer. I find that when I question my gut or don’t listen to it, I am responding from a place of fear.
After some recent lessons of not following my gut and paying the consequences, I am beginning to really understand the theory of always keep your first answer.
Mantra: I trust my instincts. I listen to my heart. I follow my path of highest good.
Kindle a Conversation
Wednesday, December 26th, 2012
In a social media world where we can like, follow, tweet, add, watch, text, and update a status in an instant, let us remember the importance of sharing a real conversation and developing healthy relationships. Perhaps we can put away the smartphone and enjoy a cup of tea with a friend. Perhaps instead of reading status updates, we can pick up the phone and hear about the status of a loved one. Perhaps we can kindle a conversation rather than add to a long thread on social media app. Perhaps we can have more personal experiences.
To invest in the life of another is perhaps one of the best trust funds we will ever have.
Technology has the power to ignite, connect, provide accessibility, increase workflow, and connect to others on a global scale. Yet, it can also keep us isolated, disconnected, and addicted.
This holiday season, I am inviting everyone (myself included) to use social media to kindle a conversation, connect with a community, create a tribe, lead powerful dialog, invite access to mindful practices, and provide opportunities that leverage social movements. We have the power to promote relationships over results.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
I’m ready to kindle a conversation.
Let There Be Peace on Earth
Monday, December 24th, 2012
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take…
Yes, let there be peace on earth.
Let there be peace within me.
Let me be the peace.
May the season of hope, miracles, and light allow each of us to be the peace we seek.
Shine On!
Friday, December 21st, 2012
Shine your light more.
Shine your light again.
Shine your light bigger.
Shine your light brighter.
Shine On!
I Imagine
Thursday, December 20th, 2012
For the past few days, I have heard myself say frequently the phrase, “I can’t even imagine.” I was referring to the gut-wrenching grief the families and community of Newtown is going through. I also noticed I was feeling guilty about my strong emotions because “I’m not a parent.”
When I allowed myself to release the guilt, I realized that in many ways I have been a parent to children. For over 21 years I have worked with youth. I have run an after-school program, worked in drop-out prevention programs in the South Bronx, created youth summer camps, served as liaison to the city about positive youth development, and developed a mentoring program for youth with an incarcerated parent or involved in the juvenile justice system. I have supported, advocated, taught, nurtured, protected, and loved many, many children.
I have decided to turn my, “I can’t imagine” to “I imagine.”
I imagine a world filled with beautiful children, laughing, singing, playing, dancing, drumming, drawing, swinging, coloring. I imagine a world with adults loving, nurturing, hugging, laughing, and teaching our children. I imagine a world where we choose love. I imagine a world where we love ourselves.
I know this is possible because I have seen it – I have lived it.
May our love of children be our guide.
I imagine…
Breathe Peace. Give Love.
Tuesday, December 18th, 2012
May our children feel safe.
May our children feel peace.
May our schools feel safe.
May our schools feel peace.
May our towns/cities feel safe.
May our towns/cities feel peace.
May our country feel safe.
May our country feel peace.
May our planet feel safe.
May our planet feel peace.
May we feel safe.
May we feel peace.
Be peace.
Breathe peace. Give love.
Take a Moment
Monday, December 17th, 2012
As many conversations take place around the tragic event in Connecticut, many people have expressed feeling stunned and shocked. People feel overwhelmed, sad, angry, grief-stricken, worried, and many other emotions. Like numerous people I spoke with, I cried and cried and cried.
A horrific event like this brings up our coping skills, our problem-solving skills, and even our numbing skills. Nothing will make this better and despite our attempts from our brain to rationalize this tragedy, there is no real explanation that will be understandable.
I have noticed that I have wanted to make this better by blaming. I have expressed my frustration at the lack of mental health or the easy access of purchasing guns. None of those conversations made me feel better. I realized I was still feeling too raw, too sad, and too angry.
Before going into solution mode, I needed time to be with my feelings. I needed to take time to be and listen to my heart.
Breathing in and breathing out, my meditation reminded me to take a moment.
Take a moment to listen.
Take a moment to feel.
Take a moment to sob.
Take a moment to grieve.
Take a moment for self-compassion.
Take a moment to be peace.
Take a moment.
A Meditation on Compassion
Friday, December 14th, 2012
Take some time to go inward and listen to the wisdom of your breath.
Breathe easy in through your nose and out your mouth.
Ask your hand to go where your body needs some attention.
Breathe more fully where your hand is.
Breathe light into your hand.
Breathe compassion into your hand.
How much is compassion can you show yourself?
Fill yourself up with compassionate with each breath.
What do you look like when you are living compassion?
Show yourself some compassion right now.
Allow your hand to move & breathe compassion into your body.
Notice your body and breathe compassion.
Let compassion move your hand.
How are you transmitting compassion?
What is your message of compassion today?
Listen to compassion.
Take a deeper breath in and out.
Breathe compassion.
When you see the world with compassion, what’s possible?
And take a nice big breath.
Be compassionate to you, always.
Beam compassion with every interaction.
And so it is.