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Aspire to Inspire - Step 11 to Happiness.

5/12/2012

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Yeah!!! I really like this topic... took a few days' breather in order to be able to offer my thoughts. There's some learning in this one, so take a big inhale - take a long exhale.

We're all looking for inspiration - from Rumi quotes, to good deeds witnessed, to the perseverance and triumph of the human spirit, to a simple comforting hand or word. It's important, as we link inspiration to imagination, creativity, manifestation and hope.

All of us have been inspired, some of the best and most humble among us have been inspirations to others. Whether we are close to someone, or simply their unknown admirer, we love to be inspired to reach for new things, grow to new heights, stretch to new limits.

"Let my inspiration flow in token rhyme, suggesting rhythm,
That will not forsake you, till my tale is told and done.
While the firelight's aglow, strange shadows from the flames will grow,
Till things we've never seen will seem familiar.

Grateful Dead

We aspire to be inspired, surely - but, can we aspire to inspire? You know me, it's all contained in the 'bij' - the essence or root, the most reduced and simple meanings of the word.

We're going to start with Spirit or spirit, uppercase or lowercase, whatever makes you comfortable. A side note of interest - most sacred languages have a distinct word for 'life force' that differs from 'spirit'; e.g. animus vs. spiritus and soma vs. pneuma. And, the words in both Greek and Hebrew for spirit are the same for wind, or air in movement.

Let's check the source material, get back to basics, before a lot of mouths go on these words:

Spirit (n.) "animating or vital principle in man and animals," from Old French espirit, derived from the Latin spiritus "soul, courage, vigor, breath." Spiritus is directly related to spirare "to breathe," which stems from Proto Indo-European *(s)peis- "to blow". 


For the most part, we find the majority of the original usage in English mainly coming from passages in the Vulgate, where the Latin word spiritus translates from the Greek pneuma and Hebrew ruah.

The later distinction between "soul" and "spirit" (as the "seat of emotions") became current in much later Christian terminology (for instance, again using the Greek psykhe vs. pneuma, or the Latin anima vs. spiritus). Spiritus, in classical Latin simply meaning "breath," replaces animus in the sense "spirit" and then only later starts to take on the supernatural connotations it may imply today.

Aspire (v.) "to strive for," from Old French aspirer "aspire to; inspire; breathe, breathe on." Again, directly from the Latin aspirare "to breathe upon, to breathe," but also taking on the later meanings "to be favorable to, assist; to climb up to, to endeavor to obtain, to reach to, to seek to reach; infuse." The word is constructed from ad- "to"  + spirare "to breathe". The notion is of "panting with desire," or "giving the climb your all," "rising like smoke or incense vapors" even.

Inspiration (n.)  "immediate influence of God or a god," especially that under which the holy books were written! Hmm, that's a good one. Divine inspiration, being breathed into by the creative force.


Inspiration comes from the Old French inspiracion "inhaling, breathing in; inspiration." We can now recognize this from the Latin and Late Latin form inspirationem (or if you prefer the nominative - inspiratio). This is the noun of action, from the Latin stem inspirare "inspire, inflame, blow into." The word is constructed from in- "in"  + spirare "to breathe".

From inflame, as in to blow on the fire, to create dynamic tapas and alchemical change, to the literal sense of the "act of inhaling," it wasn't until the late 1800s that the  meaning "one who inspires others" was developed.
"Inspiration, move me brightly. light the song with sense and color;
Hold away despair. More than this I will not ask,
Faced with mysteries dark and vast, statements just seem vain at last.
Some rise, some fall, some climb..."

Grateful Dead

It's that simple... we're living, we're breathing.

There is something very simple about it, the inhale as inspiration, the exhale as expiration; there's also something deeper than the simple respiratory exchange. We take in life force, the animating spirit within us, that rider of the horse, the observer of the self, the one who can ask who is asking this question while listening to it being asked - that is spirit.

But, then, there is Spirit: whether that be divinely ordained, as simple as all living beings amounting to godhead, as animating as the forces that bind the atoms or as pervasive and ineffable as the universe, we are moved and can move others.

And, yes, sometimes it is a climb. Sometimes we have to fan the flames. Sometimes we need a kick-start, a community, a place that reminds us to aspire. That inspires us to reach and stretch and grow, and not simply in the Pursuit of Happiness, but rather in the Creation of Happiness.

Remember, in a pursuit, often something eludes the other; in a creation, both forces serve the whole. So, make it your aspiration to find and give inspiration. Sometimes that is as simple as a helping hand, a kind word, an extra good deed to a stranger or a nice moment reflecting on something you've witnessed.

Let me leave you with one more word - one I suggest that we 're-appropriate' and take back, out of the pejorative and into the affirmative and inspiring. I suggest we take back this word:

conspire (v.) comes from the Old French conspirer which comes from the Latin conspirare "to agree, unite," but more literally simply translates as "to breathe together." The word is constructed from com- "together"  + spirare "to breathe".


This very might have been in regards to musical performances, singing or instruments, where perhaps the notion draws from the alternate definition "to blow together," i.e., "to sound in unison." Seems like the notion of "to plot together" comes along much later.

What if we take back conspiracy and elect to be co-conspirators of inspiration! I'm in, sounds like a good time, or a great yoga class!

Give thanks and praise - this series is almost coming to close, I hope you've been at least entertained, maybe a little enlightened, and hopefully taken something or things from what I've written.

Check back for the final installment of the series, Step 12 to Happiness - The Heart Knows Better!

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Serve and Help - Step 9 to Happiness.

27/11/2012

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Seva - that is the word we use from the Sanskrit, for selfless service. Service that is offered in the sense that any improvement that can be made for any one person improves every person's experience.

What makes Seva 'selfless' is that the work is done for the action, for the intention, but not for a specific or even general reward. However, that is true and yet untrue. For if you ask anyone who has spent time in service to others, who has selflessly given in order to assist and elevate others, that even without the desire for it, there is great happiness in giving of ourselves.


I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.
Rabindranath Tagore
That get's kinda out there and noble, but it really hit home for me this past few months. As you might know, I've spent the majority of this year working to raise awareness and funds in a Global Seva Challenge - one that is aimed at assisting those who have been liberated from sexual slavery.

Well, it's been a great ride, and I've learned a lot. I've done personal fundraising, I've solicited friends, former colleagues and co-workers, associates and strangers. I've taught numerous workshops, public classes and private sessions where all the proceeds benefited the challenge. And, I spent months collaborating on and co-creating GaneshFest, a yoga a music community festival.

Then, about 6 weeks ago, I realized that I wasn't going to be able to achieve the goal I had set - in order to be personally involved in my chosen Seva, I needed to have raised $20,000 by my own and collective actions. I'm proud of the funds I've raised, but I had to admit, the goal was not going to be achieved. I was pretty despondent, with weird feelings like I had failed at something I cared about, that I had let folks down, that I wasn't a person who could manifest and create, etc.

Luckily, my community includes a lot of folks who have done this work and are doing it now... a good few of them reached out to me to check in. One of them - thanks and praise - said to me, and I paraphrase: "are you doing this to help get little girls out of sexual slavery, or are you doing this to be able to say you did it, and go on the trip with Seane (our teacher)?"

BAM! - that's a friend, and that was the question I needed to ponder, to take into my practice and to be mindful on. So, I spent some time with it, and now I have to say, while I would love to be joining those lovely folks and passionate leaders in Seva in India next year, I have done my Seva. And, it only, truly becomes my Seva when I release from the goal of 'achieving' it and move into the space of doing it. For them, not for my ego, not for my identity.


"Living creatures are nourished by food, and food is nourished by rain; rain itself is the water of life, which comes from selfless worship and service."
- Bhagavad Gita, 3.14


I'm really happy to be able to serve, and to be in service to that which I see elevates and illuminates. And, as I write this today, I'm in Dallas, serving and assisting my Teacher, Seane Corn as she leads a Teacher Training. I was also privileged to travel to three of the Wanderlust Festivals over this past summer, and also assisted Seane in her classes there.

There is something really powerful about being in the practice --- not taking the practice and not leading the practice --- witnessing both of those elements and the energetic exchange. The assists I like to focus on are to really ground folks into the physical experience, and of course to assist with alignment and to deepen expression where appropriate. Sometimes the assists I give are to just stand by and breathe with them as they hang for those last few cycles in a tough posture, or just an affirming hand in child's pose.

It's been one of the sweetest experiences for me yet, in my teaching. To find the space between teacher and student and to find how to best serve each. It's an honor to witness the teachings and how they can create sacred space, and how that space allows for incredible personal transformation. It's brought me an enormous amount of fulfillment and happiness.

Where are you finding yours? What can you do for others? What are you good at that can benefit someone else? Are you willing to give, without expecting something in return? And, are you willing to give selflessly, when no one is looking and when no one will say 'thank you'?

Look around you, we can all use a helping hand. This is the season where an old coat that you haven't worn would go a long way for someone who is cold. Where those cans of food that make you feel comfortable in your full pantry could translate into a meal for someone who simply wants to feel full. Make a small action, build on it, look for your way to contribute and give.

And, give thanks and praise! Next Step, #10 - Study!! Don't worry, it's not as ominous as it sounds!

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Move - Step 7 to Happiness!

23/11/2012

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Ha, after a day like yesterday, we all need to move a little. Maybe you're a traditionalist and you went outside and threw a pigskin - more likely you sat inside and pigged out as you watched other folks throw that ball...

Or, maybe you took a postprandial ambulation - the proverbial after dinner stroll - in order to not just pass out or make a little more room for pie. Perhaps you got up early and headed to the lake for a Turkey Trot, or a studio and took a yoga class; saw lots of folks taking advantage of that yesterday.

The news in not earth-shattering, it doesn't need to come as a huge revelation, maybe more of a gentle reminder. When we get a little sad, we get a little heavy. Then, we get sedentary and inert. It takes a lot of will to break that inertia, so usually, the inertia builds and it gets harder and harder to get the gumption to do anything. Then, the preponderance of all that 'doing nothing' makes us depressed; we sit in the depression, getting more inert. Without some movement to get our glandular system going and get us really deeply breathing, it's just a vicious cycle of more and more nothingness adding to deeper and deeper despondency.

So, there really is only one choice and that is get moving!! Like, just get off the couch and take a short walk. Get up and stretch, arms overhead, then to one side, then the other. Go up and down some stairs, at home or at work; next time you have an appointment on the 2nd or 3rd floor, walk up. When you feel heavy after a meal, take a short walk or just go outside and breath some fresh air.

We think our lives are so hard, and we work endlessly to be able to buy convenience creating and the pursuit of leisure. For more and more folks that equates to an entitlement of 'not doing anything' or  just 'vegging out' and we all know the variety known as couch potato...


A lot of folks work all day in relatively sedentary conditions - did you know that sitting at work for extended periods of time is actually shortening your life, almost as significantly as smoking!? Then, we sit in our car for a commute, come home and sit down and eat a huge, heavy meal, then plop on the couch to watch some Tube, while perhaps still snacking.

Movement and exercise help regulate the glandular and hormone system in the body, which regulates mental and emotional states. Optimizing our own body's system through regular movement and deep, focused breathing is perhaps the most basic and simple daily maintenance that we can perform. And, it doesn't have to be a huge investment or change. Simple, consistent actions have been shown to make a huge difference. Here's just a little science.

In a study of 65 women with depression and anxiety, the 34 women who took a yoga class twice a week for two months showed a significant decrease in depression and anxiety symptoms, compared to the 31 women who were not in the class.

“Eastern traditions such as yoga have a wonderful antidepressant effect in that they improve flexibility; involve mindfulness, which breaks up repetitive negative thoughts; increase strength; make you aware of your breathing; improve balance; and contain a meditative component,” says Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.

Now, I know I'm a yogi, so of course, you say, the answer is yoga... yes, but there are other choices! Like yoga, the slow, gentle movements of Tai Chi are another Eastern tradition that might help you break free from sadness, the blues, depression or major depressive disorder.


In a study of 14 older Chinese patients with depression, those who took Tai Chi over a three-month period showed a significant improvement in their depression symptoms. The researchers theorized that the social aspects of Tai Chi, which is done in group settings, may have also played a role in its effectiveness.

That's interesting and helpful. The social aspects may or may not contribute to the overall health, as I talked about in the post on Bonding. It's always interesting to see how these various actions, traits, attributes and choices all serve to reinforce each other... being in community, bonding, accountability, empathy, service, etc.


We all know that having a community creates some accountability. I know yoga students, and have been there myself, where we know that on one particular day what draws us to get out of bed and on the mat is the community and our accountability to it - whether that means we show because they show, or that we know they'll tease us about why we didn't, or that there is a simple unspoken recognition of "if they are, I will." Accountability works and community creates accountability. On top of that, it also reinforces feelings of good will.

I'll be completely honest with you, and you may find this amusing or even concerning, coming from a "Yoga Teacher"... there are many times that I need that accountability and approach my practice with lethargy, or dread, or apathy. And, time after time, I experience those heavy feelings just dropping off of me, as I just get present, connect to the intentional yet casual community and link movement, breath, and attention. I'm talking usually before the third Surya Namaskar. It's really that quick, that effective, and I've never regretted getting into my movement and my breath, and working to create a yoga through asana and pranayama.

Move, breathe, take a walk, swing your arms, stand like Wonder Woman, run like you're wearing a cape, take the stairs, park farther away.


Give thanks and praise, tune in tomorrow for Step 8 - Sit!

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Happiness - A Twelve Step Program: The Primer.

13/11/2012

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Happiness - elusive, hard to attain, a lofty goal, worthy of our ardent efforts, here today and fleetingly gone before the dawn... and hey, why is that guy over there just smiling like everything is alright? Hmmm...

I've been reading about, studying on and more actively experiencing and witnessing happiness for a few years now. It's a fascinating concept, and one that is as simple as it is complex. Or, shall I put it this way - it's like trying to hold water or talk about air. It's simply there, we can't really grasp it, but we can experience it.

I posit that we here in the US start out with a detriment, through our childhood education and emphasis on Civics. We learn in our Founding documents that we have 'inalienable rights', and that those include the most excellent LIFE, and the oft-curtailed LIBERTY, but unfortunately, only the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS. Well, that kinda sucks, because in the crime chase scenes, a 'pursuit' is where the one in flight gets away. Otherwise, it's an 'apprehension'!

Have we been conditioned, from young-uns? The same way any of us can Pledge Allegiance in one rambling breath, we got it in there, early and often; did that taint our actions?

I see a lot of people 'pursuing' happiness... like, it's the next lover, the next job, the next car, the next vacation, the next Friday night off. And, that's so situational. And, so deeply disturbing, because it's transient and comparative... "You're better or worse, so you're happy or you're sad. You got the job or not." But, when you got the job, is that enough?? Or, once we've 'apprehended' it, is it as satisfying? Remember the kid who got all the toys and 30 minutes later was bored?

I think this is us, the US, to the letter. But, I also know of, see and understand that many folks understand that true happiness comes from a sense of purpose, engagement, caring, giving, involvement and being able to accept things as they come, with an understanding that all is as it should be.

Perhaps this is aphorism - happiness can no more be created than a flower forced to grow from seed to bloom... but, we can cultivate the right conditions and create the best environment for that offering to grow within.

Therefore, for the next 13 days, I'm starting a 12-Step Program to Cultivate Happiness - check back tomorrow for "Dwell In Wonder".

Give thanks and praise!!


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Can Your Yoga Transcend the Asanas?

5/11/2012

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Really, that's the question. And, it's a timely one.

Every bit of our culture is obsessed at this moment in drawing more separation, more difference, more divisiveness and conflict out of us! Who hasn't lost a Facebook friend or seven in the past few weeks.

How easy it is, too, to drive the spite and the rhetoric. Why is that, why do we so easily succumb to the continued values of "I'm right, you must be wrong", or "You're a bigot, I'm not" or whatever our internal mantra of Political Correctness may be?

You know, if nothing else, it's a really profound and compelling reason to vote early! To just get out and do it, to concretize all of that analysis and opinion and righteousness and to try (and shit, it is hard) to align our values with the options in front of us.

You know, there are so many folks right now, who will choose not to vote, for whatever reason. For each, there were so many more before you who fought, suffered, struggled and finally won that vote. For every one of you, there is someone right now, in a country that wants democracy, that has been or is willing to give their lives in the streets simply to have that right - that franchise, to participate in representative democracy through the vote.

So, yes, please - vote. That much should be clear. But don't get into the mentality of voting against or for, just represent. Don't forget to inform yourself as much as possible; I'm really happy to tell you that my yogi friend, Vik Vad, is a Republican, running for County Tax Assessor. I trust him in that role. I'm happy to vote for his character, not his party.

And, then, after you vote - don't gloat, don't mope. Just take it as it comes. It will come. We can't predict what tomorrow will bring, we can endeavor to get into the moment, to favor connection and community over separation, and I have to believe, we've got to be better as a race than we think - it can't take "Aliens" and "Natural Disasters" to bring us together, irrespective of viewpoint, to help and serve.

Yes, very encouraging the care and service and devotion to each other we've seen after Sandy - I actually never doubted it. That's New York. I lived there for a few years, at 18, and know it. It's like that. But, again, why disaster to make us love each other and reach out?

Can we be the best yogis we can be? Can we reach out on Wednesday, enhance calm, share love, create community? Can we come together in our commonality without making the 'other' the 'problem'?

That's the work, this is the time, we're in the classroom. Shall we learn and grow?

Give thanks and praise!



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Vulnerability, Confessions and Lessons...

15/10/2012

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Had a really nice weekend - my wife came home from her Seva trip to India on Saturday and we have just been catching up, telling and hearing stories, trying on lungis and dhotis and salwar kameez and just being together.

Truth be told, we normally share just about everything - especially travel. While it's not uncommon for us to travel separately or take business trips, we predominantly choose to travel together and to discover new places in each others company.

This wasn't one of those times - Susannah got selected to be on her Seva trip through the Whole Planet Foundation. The timing of the trip wasn't set early on, and there were options for spouses or family members to apply to serve on the trip, as well. So, I did and was accepted.

Then, two heavy revelations followed; the first was that I would have to pay all the expenses to attend (this wasn't made clear up front, and while the folks from WFM who were attending were only required to pay for their airfare, family or guests needed to pay all. The second issue was the timing of the trip was set for the exact same time we had committed to GaneshFest, here in ATX.

Given these two factors, and given that GaneshFest was the fundraiser for my Global Seva Challenge (and if successful, would have me going to do Seva in India in February of 2013), it only seemed prudent at the time to have Susannah do her thing, and me do mine. It was not without some sorrow - neither of us had been to India, and had planned to for quite some time, so to not go together was a little sad and painful.

Then, while GaneshFest was a rocking collaborative and joyful success as an event, as a fundraiser it was not as successful and leaves me and my collaborator quite shy of the goal. As in - potentially not going to happen.

I'm not ashamed to tell you I'm really sad, and I got kinda depressed and shut off. I wasn't with my best friend, I wasn't sharing my experiences and my feelings of shortcoming, and I wasn't getting to share in her experiences and her excitement and new revelations (like hanging with the elephants and those things that only happen in India). I missed her enormously, I wanted to be with her, I wanted to be in India doing Seva, and I was consumed with the thought that I'd made all the wrong choices.

I haven't really felt depressed in decades, and I did my best to stay focused on good things and doing what I needed to do. It didn't help that I felt I'd passed on my chance to go to India - not saying I've given up on my Seva Challenge, but I have been really surprised, and a little disappointed at how difficult it has been to get people's attention for long enough to get them to consider a donation.


And, this is a tough time, with a lot of need, and I get it - it's probably a lot easier to just not think about six-year-old girls getting raped 10-15 times per day but rather just buy some new shoes, go out to a show, drop $50 at Alamo Drafthouse, buy Lotto tickets, or just give another donation to your other causes. I'm not bitter, just really sad that I'm not succeeding at helping.

I'm not used to not succeeding, especially when I put all of my efforts into something. Yet, here I am, 6 months later, teaching classes to 1, 2 or maybe 5 people... having workshops where 1 person shows up, having fundraisers that break even, watching other teachers get classes at studios I've been talking to, and simply wondering when things will break?

They say that the arrow has to feel the backwards draw - the pull back -  before it's released into flight. That would be now, and this bow doesn't stretch much farther. And, it's the harvest season; I know I've planted good seeds and I intend to keep tending them. Just looking for that break-through moment.

And, I'm not giving up on my Seva Challenge - and I'm not giving up on asking! So, here's a plea - hit the link and drop a donation! I'd love to serve for you in India, and improve the situation for a small number of the girls there that are in slavery and despondency. Don't make it about me, make it about serving them!!

Thanks and praise!


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Authenticity - Are You Hiding Your Thorns?

5/10/2012

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Wow, sorry!! I guess I took about a week off there! Thanks for your patience, consider me back at it!

Put a lot of effort into GaneshFest and what an incredible gathering it was!! I still am high from all the love, vibrations, prana and soul-sweetness that I felt there. So eternally grateful for my co-creators and collaborators, and in fact, just spent much of this last week sitting in gratitude. Letting it settle in, make sense, feel good - oh, and yes, some deep long naps, and some crazy number-crunching to bring it all to close!

I wouldn't trade that experience for the world! In fact, I'm super buoyed by the amount of positive feedback and buy-in... so many folks, both those who attended and those who created, are asking 'what's next?'. I am as well! I think this community and the work we can do is clear; now we need to focus on how to continue that service, and how to uplift our entire group! I'm excited for the challenge!

One pleasure of the weekend was watching such a diverse group of folks, who really share so much in common, connect, share, get real, and be authentic. We had Asthangis, Flowers, Kundalinis, and of course, the ever popular 'yoga mutts' - just breathing, hanging, practicing and being together. That resonance, and the conversations I had, lead me to this post - a post on 'authenticity'.

If you read me much, by now you know I love language and linguistics. Not only because I see so much of the PIE (Proto Indo-European) cognates run from Sanskrit to both the Romance and the Teutonic/Norse language groups, but also because words are like asanas. They contain so much
inherent information; if we simply explore the foundations, then the expressions mean so much more.

Authenticity - being yourself, being true to yourself, being authentic... ok, let's go deeper.

authentic (adj.) mid-14th century first usage, meaning "authoritative"

This comes down from the Old French root, autentique - then, down from the 14th century into Modern French authentique.

The word came into Old French via the words "authentic; canonical," which are directly from Middle Latin -  authenticus. This comes to Latin, from the Greek word  authentikos meaning "original, genuine, principal," which itself is a conjugate of authentes, or "one acting on one's own authority,"

This breaks down really directly, from autos "self" + hentes "doer, being,". Like I mentioned before, go back far enough and you get to PIE, where we have the root *sene- "to accomplish, achieve."

Ok, so you're 'self-being' and that makes you some level of acting from one's own authority; let's look at that.


authority (noun) from the Old French auctorité "authority, prestige, right, permission, dignity, gravity". I like that! From the Old French of the 12th century down to Modern French, the word is autorité. This was influenced from the Latin -  auctoritatem (the nominative is auctoritas) and means "invention, advice, opinion, influence, command,". From this same root, we get the Latin auctor  or "master, leader, author".

Authentic  also indicates "accomplishment" and "achievement", so let's dive into those, briefly:

accomplish (verb) from the late 14th century word in Old French -  acompliss-, the stem of acomplir "to fulfill, fill up, complete". This was refined from the 12th century Vulgate Latin word  *accomplere. This is formed via the Latin ad- "to"  + complere "fill up" (think of "complete").

achieve (verb) from the early 12th century word in Old French - achever,  "to finish, accomplish, complete". This comes from the phrase à chef (venir) "at an end, finished". We also see this in the Vulgate Latin -  *accapare, from Late Latin - ad caput (venire); both the French and Late Latin phrases share the literal meaning "to come to a head," from stem of Latin caput "head" (think cap, as in ballcap; think Capitol, as in the head of government; think Kapala Bhati as in "Skull Shining!).

The way I read it, authenticity is taking responsibility for being exactly who we are, and acting from that sense of purpose. It means we should find dignity and gravity in our composure, and that we should become leaders - either to self, or to those who may need guidance.

It also contains the principle of fulfillment; of the joy that is found in truly being the self. In allowing others to love your entirety, rather than deciding what to share with whom, from guilt, shame or concern of judgment. Simply to be, and to be fulfilled - to be complete, to come to a head.

This is a noble goal, and kinda scary. That means maybe you find out your yoga teacher loves a beer now and again... that's ok, if they're authentic - but if there are shame games, or "do as I say, not as I do", or even subterfuge, that is denying our wholeness, our self, our divinity - the nature of our authenticity.

And, as a friend reminded me - being authentic is like being bald and accepting it... which means, you don't worry about which 'hat you are wearing' or when to switch them. You don't have to be this person, then that, and then one in the middle when two worlds collide. You don't have to remember what language and words to use, if you don't edit yourself to the occasion.

It's a tough mission; I've seen some incredible examples in the past two weeks and I'm renewed in my desires and emboldened in my actions to come to a place that is authentic ,caring and sharing. I just gotta be me, wouldn't wish it on anyone else!! And, if I'm gonna be me, I've gotta get better at it, everyday! That's the plan!

How are you feeling about that? Do you notice authentic folks in your life, or on the contrary, have you begun to notice when it doesn't feel solid? When folks don't seem to be who they are?

Do you notice the tendency in your own life to 'become someone else' in an alternate situation? Are you one way with friends, one with family, one with co-workers? Just think on it, notice what it might be about...

Then, give thanks and praise - feel complete and bring it to a head!


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Collaboration - A Form of Yoga... or Linking Two Forces for the Good of All...

25/9/2012

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Sorry, been a little bit - I've been having some busy days getting ready for GaneshFest!! Have you purchased your tickets, yet?? You can do so here - we're looking to have a full house, to raise spirits, funds, consciousness and the roof!!

If you were in the ATX this past week, we've had some good things going on. We were one of the cities globally that hosted an event and held the BeThePeace gathering, hosted by LOVEATX, this past Friday night.


Check that link and go to the photos of the event, some really incredible moments captured in there! Hundreds of like-minded folks came together to do yoga, to celebrate in a moment of planetary community, to chant together, to march together and to meditate together!

I had the pleasure of co-leading the yoga session with my newest collaborator, Joshua Sukhbir. We were those Facebook friends, you know, with many common friends and similar tastes, and I'm sure we liked each others posts! But, until Thursday afternoon of last week, we hadn't met or rapped in person; so we did just that!
 
It was great - I love working with other yogis all the time, but this was particularly sweet! I know his training background and he is in my lineage of teachers and from my 'world.' So, we easily created common space, and just started talking about what we wanted to bring to the yoga, what our message was, and how that related to Peace.

Didn't take long, we just shared some thoughts, some anecdotes, agreed and hit some resonances pretty early on, and then just agreed to play it by ear, and by eye. I'd have to say, that this is my favorite way of collaborating - find and share common ground, then just play with what arises in that laboratory! And, we did!

Our shared message was that 'One cannot fight for Peace' - we can't force it, enforce it, or expect it if we are fighting people; nor could we continue with language that separates, makes other into 'other' and doesn't recognize both the divinity within, and the struggles and traumas imposed from without! Our messages were from our own perspective, but supported and complemented the other. The folks got into the groove and let go - there were times where one of us simply finished a sentence, turned his head, made eye contact and the other just picked right up. Again, feels like true collaboration - no leading, no following, just syncing and sharing.

We were able to bring folks inside themselves, then connect folks to each other - we even did some standing assists as a complete group in our Trees - feeling the support, the community, and how struggle can become play, when shared. We did a lovely heart-to-heart meditation where we tried to imagine ourselves as others  and the other as our self. We did a healing circle, for those who attended and needed, but also for the world. We did a 'metta' - loving compassion - pranayama, and we simpy made linked community.

I feel really fortunate to have the opportunity and the community within which to collaborate. It's very satisfying, is most often done in the spirit of service, and it feels like we are changing a paradigm. From top-down to side-to-side...

That's part of my mission, and part of the entire conversation about Peace. Don't fight, work. Don't struggle, endure. And, make every change you can within yourself, and let that shine. Can you be the calm flame in the roaring fire? Can you be the soothing voice in the screaming tempest? Can you show peace, create it and make it obvious, in that others might find it?

Good work, good news - you can do it!! Give thanks and praise!


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    Chrispy - Bhagat Singh

    Random thoughts I've had, while teaching, about the teachings, about my teaching, and while talking about teaching.

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