Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Rules to live by........
Life is SHORT...so BREAK the rules, FORGIVE quickly, KISS slowly, LOVE truly, LAUGH uncontrollably and never REGRET anything that once made you smile........
Know yourself and be yourself
All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was.I accepted their answers too, they were often in contradiction and self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone questions which only I can answer.It took me a long time and much pain to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with:that I am nobody but myself.
Just be yourself, because who you are and what you are becoming is far more important than you can fully understand.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
From Baron Baptiste
The Two Wolves: One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, 'My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, fear, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, self doubt, feeling inferior, lies, false pride, superiority, arrogance, and excessive ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, potential, confidence, commitment, inner knowing, trust, and faith.
'
The grand son thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
'Which wolf wins?'
The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'
He said, 'My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, fear, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, self doubt, feeling inferior, lies, false pride, superiority, arrogance, and excessive ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, potential, confidence, commitment, inner knowing, trust, and faith.
'
The grand son thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
'Which wolf wins?'
The old Cherokee simply replied, 'The one you feed.'
Awareness is boundless
"Awareness has no frontier; it is a giving of your whole being, without exclusion. .....and awareness, which is total and excludes nothing, are states of mind that can be understood only by objective, non prejudiced observation."
Bruce Lee
You find truth when you have the patience to simply sit still and observe. In your breath, in your body, in the beauty of the simple pleasures of life. Learn to observe and accept thing's as they are, good or bad, light or dark
Knowing there are no boundaries between yourself and other's, between your spirit and God's. That everything is simply connected and we are all simply human. And that is a very good thing to be! Destined to realize our full potential, if we are objective about ourselves and learn first and foremost to accept ourselve's this is often the best foundation for our personal growth.
To not be happy with stagnation but to lovingly guide ourselve's into fullness and contentment, knowing very often that your best teacher can be yourself! And giving yourself permission to trust in your own wisdom, your own intuition. This is a form of honest self expression and has a way of bringing out the best in us. And when we give generously to ourselve's, we are in a place to give to other's.
An awareness that we all have a unique expression of the soul to bring forth and that we are powerful beyond word's. Not the power to hurt, but to love and to inspire other's.
And dont be distressed if life has brought you 'bad' thing's lately. Choose to have awareness of what you can learn from it. this is often life's way of waking us up to live more fully free of attachement's. Often when we think something 'bad' happened it's God's way of releasing us from the very attachment's that made us miserable to begin with. It also serves to expand our awareness.
Think about it....
Bruce Lee
You find truth when you have the patience to simply sit still and observe. In your breath, in your body, in the beauty of the simple pleasures of life. Learn to observe and accept thing's as they are, good or bad, light or dark
Knowing there are no boundaries between yourself and other's, between your spirit and God's. That everything is simply connected and we are all simply human. And that is a very good thing to be! Destined to realize our full potential, if we are objective about ourselves and learn first and foremost to accept ourselve's this is often the best foundation for our personal growth.
To not be happy with stagnation but to lovingly guide ourselve's into fullness and contentment, knowing very often that your best teacher can be yourself! And giving yourself permission to trust in your own wisdom, your own intuition. This is a form of honest self expression and has a way of bringing out the best in us. And when we give generously to ourselve's, we are in a place to give to other's.
An awareness that we all have a unique expression of the soul to bring forth and that we are powerful beyond word's. Not the power to hurt, but to love and to inspire other's.
And dont be distressed if life has brought you 'bad' thing's lately. Choose to have awareness of what you can learn from it. this is often life's way of waking us up to live more fully free of attachement's. Often when we think something 'bad' happened it's God's way of releasing us from the very attachment's that made us miserable to begin with. It also serves to expand our awareness.
Think about it....
Accept there's thing's you just cant change....
"Some things in life just don't work out. No matter how bad you want it, or how bad you work towards it, it just doesn't work the way you want it to. But excepting this and realizing that trying to hold on to what can't be, only inhibits what could be, and will make your life that much better. Don't blame yourself for other peoples actions and don't hold grudges, only hold lessons."- Travis Hays
Life is sooo much more peaceful when we stop trying to force life to go 'our way' and instead focus on letting the best in life come to us. Ironically enough, when you stop impatiently searching for what you want is when you often find what you truly need.
Life is sooo much more peaceful when we stop trying to force life to go 'our way' and instead focus on letting the best in life come to us. Ironically enough, when you stop impatiently searching for what you want is when you often find what you truly need.
Monday, June 21, 2010
A personal letter to a friend...reflecting my deeper thoughts on yoga and life
I was thinking about what you said RE: meeting people and the up's and down's of life, about your odvious dissapointment and the shallow thing's people say and do. I just know from my own experience in life, love
and yoga so much pain is caused 'cause we try to make thing's happen instead of letting life unfold to us organically in time.
Im not trying to judge you, or arrogantly assume too much about you. Beside's, I've done the same thing sooo many times's!
The point is: i've been doin' yoga for over two year's and so much i got in own way! HOW? I tried to force my body into different poses and saw it as some kind of competition....but then.. one day i learned to actually let go ,in my mind, in my body and soul.
This led to a personal epiphiny of self realization and self empowerment.Then, my body opened naturally on it's own, in it's own time..when i got my ego out of the way, so many poses became near effortless. I also made huge gains in physical and mental endurance.
Life is like that too, often when we stop trying so hard, let go and let God. Then, good thing's happen. Sometime's the best chance's in life come when were just patiently letting life unfold to us...
Dont know what's gonna happen, and that's ok.When we let go of our desire's they often come to pass.
I just know there's a reason for everything in life. And we cross path's with people for a reason.
think about it....Im just wanted to share what was on my heart, because like my blog, i enjoy sharing what's significant to me..and trust start's somewhere. (I said i was bold. ha ha)
When we try to force the rose to open before it's time we destroy it's beauty and full potential, thus we suffer when we treat our soul's and the soul's of other's the same way...
The mountain alway's bring's a better perspective than the valley, to bring the refereshing of new vision.
Bringing clarity..
Hope this was helpful and encouraging..Brad
and yoga so much pain is caused 'cause we try to make thing's happen instead of letting life unfold to us organically in time.
Im not trying to judge you, or arrogantly assume too much about you. Beside's, I've done the same thing sooo many times's!
The point is: i've been doin' yoga for over two year's and so much i got in own way! HOW? I tried to force my body into different poses and saw it as some kind of competition....but then.. one day i learned to actually let go ,in my mind, in my body and soul.
This led to a personal epiphiny of self realization and self empowerment.Then, my body opened naturally on it's own, in it's own time..when i got my ego out of the way, so many poses became near effortless. I also made huge gains in physical and mental endurance.
Life is like that too, often when we stop trying so hard, let go and let God. Then, good thing's happen. Sometime's the best chance's in life come when were just patiently letting life unfold to us...
Dont know what's gonna happen, and that's ok.When we let go of our desire's they often come to pass.
I just know there's a reason for everything in life. And we cross path's with people for a reason.
think about it....Im just wanted to share what was on my heart, because like my blog, i enjoy sharing what's significant to me..and trust start's somewhere. (I said i was bold. ha ha)
When we try to force the rose to open before it's time we destroy it's beauty and full potential, thus we suffer when we treat our soul's and the soul's of other's the same way...
The mountain alway's bring's a better perspective than the valley, to bring the refereshing of new vision.
Bringing clarity..
Hope this was helpful and encouraging..Brad
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Miracles
We all an ability to find what is truly good for us in life, to truly know what will serve us to improve our quality of lives. To find the path of truth and freedom in our lives. But the path often takes us through the difficult valley of pain and tribulation.
Because the valley is a catalyst for the process of growth and transformation, where the death of self and all its hindering illusions lead us to the revelation of grace and newness of life.
Just as a shell breaks open to allow the seed within to grow up through the hard soil under the life giving sun. This little miracle reminds us that pain seems no less wondrous than joy for they both seem to spring from the same place within the soul as both come from the trials of life. They are opposites yet one cannot exist without the other reminding us to wait through the long winters of pain until the joy of spring comes.
As we learn to accept the passing weather so do we learn that the heart has different seasons of growth and decay. To learn to welcome the miracle of healing when it does come, even in the form of a bitter potion for the soul that cleanses and brings a brighter tomorrow.
To lead us away from choosing hurt and self destruction, to show us that we are all a miracle child of God. To show us that we hope not in vain for a way through our hurt that is so often self-imposed, but that we can have so much more than we dreamed possible.
What do you seek, strive and hope for today? Whatever it may be, it lies within your grasp. Never, ever give up!
As we learn to accept the passing weather so do we learn that the heart has different seasons of growth and decay. To learn to welcome the miracle of healing when it does come, even in the form of a bitter potion for the soul that cleanses and brings a brighter tomorrow.
To lead us away from choosing hurt and self destruction, to show us that we are all a miracle child of God. To show us that we hope not in vain for a way through our hurt that is so often self-imposed, but that we can have so much more than we dreamed possible.
What do you seek, strive and hope for today? Whatever it may be, it lies within your grasp. Never, ever give up!
Lamentation of silent suffering (prose)
See this soft memory of nigh forgotten pain written forever upon the ghost of my childhood, somehow comes so clearly into focus for me now.
From a close circle of family we find common belonging, but why this writhing discontent that seems to carry such dreaded weight?
Remembrance of what we lost in years gone by, simple pleasures we shared together, scattered upon the rocks of bittersweet tension.
Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh. How this nail deepens upon the flesh of my soul to see you in bleeding distress.
Like i can feel you twisting on a tourniquet of regret, feeling too much loss and empty time gone by. Longing to regain all that was stolen from you.
I wish i could eat this black cancer of past that holds you down, like this collective hurt we all share, to heal the wounds of yesterday.
To be the hurt, the pain, the agony for you beloved, to bleed open for you, if only that would set you free.
So i see the burning pages turn to grey ashes as my past dies to me, the dreams that have died so i can birth new ones within my soul.
This cathartic cleansing i want to share with all of you, for us to be whole once again. To find all that we lost, i still hope for that.
To see joy return unto you, to see this thieving misery wither and die.
To see its hold over you decay and turn to dust, to give birth to a new dream within your soul, a dream of love, not of pain.
Dreams that can lead you to the gates of eternity,
Trust in what God wants to give you; dreams of a better place beloved, where every tear will be wiped from our eyes and we will never thirst again.
Where nothing can stifle your voice,where our collective hurt is a distant memory and where families are at last whole again.
From a close circle of family we find common belonging, but why this writhing discontent that seems to carry such dreaded weight?
Remembrance of what we lost in years gone by, simple pleasures we shared together, scattered upon the rocks of bittersweet tension.
Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh. How this nail deepens upon the flesh of my soul to see you in bleeding distress.
Like i can feel you twisting on a tourniquet of regret, feeling too much loss and empty time gone by. Longing to regain all that was stolen from you.
I wish i could eat this black cancer of past that holds you down, like this collective hurt we all share, to heal the wounds of yesterday.
To be the hurt, the pain, the agony for you beloved, to bleed open for you, if only that would set you free.
So i see the burning pages turn to grey ashes as my past dies to me, the dreams that have died so i can birth new ones within my soul.
This cathartic cleansing i want to share with all of you, for us to be whole once again. To find all that we lost, i still hope for that.
To see joy return unto you, to see this thieving misery wither and die.
To see its hold over you decay and turn to dust, to give birth to a new dream within your soul, a dream of love, not of pain.
Dreams that can lead you to the gates of eternity,
Trust in what God wants to give you; dreams of a better place beloved, where every tear will be wiped from our eyes and we will never thirst again.
Where nothing can stifle your voice,where our collective hurt is a distant memory and where families are at last whole again.
Real moments
We all have experiences that serve to define our lives and leave unmistakable impressions with us forever.
These are moments that are aften not loud and shouted from the proverbial rooftops. They are the quiet moments of comfort, compassion and self discovery.
Breathe deeply sitting upon your yoga mat an take it all in. Savor every moment and feel connected to who you truly are. Know the truth and beauty of that moment and know no one can take it from you. To see past the illusions of life that pile upon us stress and pain. Yet also find meaning and comfort in both our bliss and our suffering.
To have harmony in our mind and bodies, these cherished moments upon the mat of connection to our cores, our deepest selves. These are the real moments that make life worth truly living.
Like mana from heaven, they are to be found if we are willing to slow down and look for them.
To know the wonder of the sunrise, to have the love of our families on christmas eve, to hear the birds singing in the depths of the woods, to feel the touch of someone close to you. Moments when we when we connect to others, God and ourselves.
Moments that are true, wonderful and real....these moments are awaiting us every day if we are willing are to look . To look beyond the veil of the mundane and find the extrordinary. So as you go on with life be aware that every moment has the potential to change your life for the better.........
These are moments that are aften not loud and shouted from the proverbial rooftops. They are the quiet moments of comfort, compassion and self discovery.
Breathe deeply sitting upon your yoga mat an take it all in. Savor every moment and feel connected to who you truly are. Know the truth and beauty of that moment and know no one can take it from you. To see past the illusions of life that pile upon us stress and pain. Yet also find meaning and comfort in both our bliss and our suffering.
To have harmony in our mind and bodies, these cherished moments upon the mat of connection to our cores, our deepest selves. These are the real moments that make life worth truly living.
Like mana from heaven, they are to be found if we are willing to slow down and look for them.
To know the wonder of the sunrise, to have the love of our families on christmas eve, to hear the birds singing in the depths of the woods, to feel the touch of someone close to you. Moments when we when we connect to others, God and ourselves.
Moments that are true, wonderful and real....these moments are awaiting us every day if we are willing are to look . To look beyond the veil of the mundane and find the extrordinary. So as you go on with life be aware that every moment has the potential to change your life for the better.........
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Walk the line.......and live abundantly
I recently watched the movie about the life of Johnny Cash, who is truly an icon and legend considering he changed the world of music forever. In Walk the line he is desperately trying to land his first record deal. So he meets with his would-be producer with his band and they start to do a gospel song and for a brief minute, he seems impressed. But then he stops them, telling Johnny that hes heard that exact same song done the exact same way a hundred times before, adding that gospel music not profitable. So he asks to hear another song.
He then goes on to ask Johnny if he was hit by a truck and laying in the ditch dying, what would he be thinking of in his last moments, what song would he TRULY want to sing?
So of course, Johnny picks another song, lands the record deal and history is made.....This got me thinking though about some serious questions myself, about life and whats worth living for, and what i will look back upon at my lifes end. For one thing i hope i will look back in joy and peace, knowing that i lived the best life that i could've lived, not living a lie, or in fear.
I hope i will have poured out my potential into others, blessing them with all i can give. In my mind, potential withheld is potential wasted. I cant take my posessions with when i die, nor do i want my potential buried with me. Potential is merely a key for unlocking ourselves, meaning that we all hold talents and abilities deep within ourselves that need to be awakened, to be brought forth into the light. It is like the dam that harnesses the power of the river, the waters of the heart and soul.
As in yoga, we allow chi to flow through us and it enlivens the body and raises joy within the soul, like the same air we all breathe, so does this energy flow between us all, its like a refreshing river we all drink from in nourishing grace and humility. But were not just there to do yoga, improving ourselves and then leaving behind the transforming experience once we go back into the world.
Hopefully what happens on that mat goes with us, we become people that have used the key of yoga to unlock ourselves, healing in the process and being refined of impurities. So that with time and patience we learn to offer to others the fruits of our practice, using potential as a pathway to do so. For if we are healed of emotional hurts and phsyical pain, we are then positioned to more effectively help those closest to us...and complete strangers.
I just remember that i started yoga as a way as self discovery and therapeutic healing, but its become so much more. Its become a way to learn more compassion and concern for others and many other things that are in short supply in this chaotic world.
Whether its a healing hand, a kind gesture, an email of praise and encouragement. We ALL have things to offer, somebody needs you in their life, they've been put in your path for a reason. What can you offer today?
He then goes on to ask Johnny if he was hit by a truck and laying in the ditch dying, what would he be thinking of in his last moments, what song would he TRULY want to sing?
So of course, Johnny picks another song, lands the record deal and history is made.....This got me thinking though about some serious questions myself, about life and whats worth living for, and what i will look back upon at my lifes end. For one thing i hope i will look back in joy and peace, knowing that i lived the best life that i could've lived, not living a lie, or in fear.
I hope i will have poured out my potential into others, blessing them with all i can give. In my mind, potential withheld is potential wasted. I cant take my posessions with when i die, nor do i want my potential buried with me. Potential is merely a key for unlocking ourselves, meaning that we all hold talents and abilities deep within ourselves that need to be awakened, to be brought forth into the light. It is like the dam that harnesses the power of the river, the waters of the heart and soul.
As in yoga, we allow chi to flow through us and it enlivens the body and raises joy within the soul, like the same air we all breathe, so does this energy flow between us all, its like a refreshing river we all drink from in nourishing grace and humility. But were not just there to do yoga, improving ourselves and then leaving behind the transforming experience once we go back into the world.
Hopefully what happens on that mat goes with us, we become people that have used the key of yoga to unlock ourselves, healing in the process and being refined of impurities. So that with time and patience we learn to offer to others the fruits of our practice, using potential as a pathway to do so. For if we are healed of emotional hurts and phsyical pain, we are then positioned to more effectively help those closest to us...and complete strangers.
I just remember that i started yoga as a way as self discovery and therapeutic healing, but its become so much more. Its become a way to learn more compassion and concern for others and many other things that are in short supply in this chaotic world.
Whether its a healing hand, a kind gesture, an email of praise and encouragement. We ALL have things to offer, somebody needs you in their life, they've been put in your path for a reason. What can you offer today?
Monday, January 18, 2010
A meditation on death
Accepting our own mortality is actually an important part of being alive. I dont see this as morbid or depressing at all. When you live out of an awareness of the temporal nature of life it becomes more precious.
Knowing that im going somewhere better when i die allows me to have a better perspective on life. Knowing that all things pass, no matter how hard they seem, that there is an end to them. That the pain we go through is like the passing winter storm, eventually spring comes and so does growth like the renewal of hope.
I also think grattitude and humility comes out of acknowledging our own mortality, thus life needs to be lived as an expression of those things. Meaning we live out of grattitude for the gift of life and all the blessings it offers, we offer up our lives to serve God and others in humility.
Im grateful i dont have to carry the burden of my fate, just as i dont have to carry the dead weight of knowing all that will happen in my life. Both of these represent something that has caused people everywhere much suffering, the desire to control.
Losing this desire means we lose something that we really dont need anyway, surrendering to divine providence means were free to be ourselves. Control however can be like a snake around your neck, always constricting, never giving.
This in turn causes tension in ourselves and in our relations with others, causing pressure and pain.
To awaken to the possibility that our hearts can be free of this is a wonderful gift, i remember this as i awaken from sleep every morning, that i have a choice. The choice to walk in Gods grace and blessings, in the freedom of dying to myself. Because when i do this, i allow my heart to shine forth.
I shine when i have real moments of awakening through on my yoga mat, when i hurt and surrender myself to divine healing. Those moments of both joy and tragedy that are fully experienced. Experience becomes wisdom, leading to revelation of who i truly am.
These moments are found when i walk my edge, finding just how far my strength truly reaches through times of testing and full awareness of the flow of life in my spirit.
Its also realized when terrible things happen and my reaction to them, such as divorce. After a short but exhausting time of trying to control the situation, i simply let go, of my ex and everything else. I simply determined not to let someone else determine my fate, or my happiness. I have forgiven her while also refusing to carry the weight of her decisions. I let go of the situation and walked away in peace, i did this by dying to my desires, such as the need to control and know everything! This ultimately led to joy because i know im not a failure.
What burdens are you carrying today and what will happen if you let them go?
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Is trauma also our training?
" You can never change the past . But by the grace of God, you can win the future. So remember those things which will help you forward, but forget those things which only hold you back" Richard C. Woodsome
You cant be pitiful and powerful at the same time. This is something that has kept me going when i was tempted to fall into self pity, remembering to not give into despair. I simply let the tears come when they need ed to and wash my soul in them. I once observed that standing in the warm rain was like a baptism in my own pain, the warmth of the spring rain can be refreshing because pain passes as the rain does. Then the sun comes, and with it rejoicing.
The bad things we go through can serve as oppurtunities for growth, they actually help us understand life better. To help us see what happens when we actually welcome what happens as life lessons. Not a pit to lose our faith in, but a way to go to the next level. The wounds we carry that are healed end up as scars upon our souls. Not as reminders of our victimhood, but of Gods faithfullness.
Trauma can become the means by wich we are prepared to do miraculous things, meaning greatness often comes out of tribulation. This is also the power of personal choice, what we do with our past often impacts our future in significant ways.
We should never give up on ourselves, this is a temptation ive faced many times, to surrender to despair. To use pain for a crutch and limp along through life. But thats not the way to live in abundance. Theres so much more in life if we look past our pain and into the future with hope.
You cant be pitiful and powerful at the same time. This is something that has kept me going when i was tempted to fall into self pity, remembering to not give into despair. I simply let the tears come when they need ed to and wash my soul in them. I once observed that standing in the warm rain was like a baptism in my own pain, the warmth of the spring rain can be refreshing because pain passes as the rain does. Then the sun comes, and with it rejoicing.
The bad things we go through can serve as oppurtunities for growth, they actually help us understand life better. To help us see what happens when we actually welcome what happens as life lessons. Not a pit to lose our faith in, but a way to go to the next level. The wounds we carry that are healed end up as scars upon our souls. Not as reminders of our victimhood, but of Gods faithfullness.
Trauma can become the means by wich we are prepared to do miraculous things, meaning greatness often comes out of tribulation. This is also the power of personal choice, what we do with our past often impacts our future in significant ways.
We should never give up on ourselves, this is a temptation ive faced many times, to surrender to despair. To use pain for a crutch and limp along through life. But thats not the way to live in abundance. Theres so much more in life if we look past our pain and into the future with hope.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The true value of risk
Those who are willing to risk find what lies just on the other side of fear.
Those who risk being vulnerable invite love into their lives. Those who risk loving have fuller lives.
Those who speak the truth risk being scorned by those who would rather live in complacency. But they have peace for doing the right thing.
Those who act in courage risk being labeled an outcast, but they find the truth in a world of lies.
Those who refuse believing others lies about them risk whats familiar for a better tomorrow. But they see more clearly outside their comfort zones.
Those who walk away from unhealthy relationships risk losing much, but abundance awaits them on the other side.
Those who try something new risk losing their old identity, but they may find who they truly are.
Those who take risks to succeed find the rewards on the other side of potential failure.
Those who never risk never know failure, pain, heartache, loss, personal tragedy. But they never know the opposite of those things either. Life becomes a prison of comfortable misery for them.
What risks are you willing to take today? And what will happen if you do.....or dont?
Every dies, not everyone truly lives...think about it..
Sunday, January 3, 2010
This aching cold (prose)
The autumn leaves have fallen and faded under withering snow. Just as loves warmth can sometimes
become frigid and my heart hath become scattered as dead leaves upon gusting wind.
'Tis the season of this loves decline, something i have long foreseen, yet not wished for.
So unbearable these empty words have become.
Words of promise, and praise that cannot bear the weight of your contempt. I cannot recall all thats
been lost to the devouring pain as desire is torn asunder from us.
All the cold of your empty words hath bled the the warmth from my heart.
Love has ended in ashes of impermanence.
But there is no sadness left for me, ive run out of tears for you. Finding a renewing freedom in sweet
abandon.
Theres too much hardness in your touch i remember, while tender things lay shriveled. softness for
you has left my gaze and my hands.
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