Hiking Yogini

Lately, the idea of community, what one needs from it, what one contributes to it, and how to create it have been on my mind a lot. There have been such huge shifts in my life in the last few years, with many things still in flux, my sense of community must also shift. More now than ever, I’m conscious of who is in my life and why and I’m purposefully asking, ‘Who are the people that make up my various communities?  Who do I want in my life? With whom do I want to work? Play? Live? Worship?’ I’ve reached the age and stage of my life where I don’t want to rely on the happy accident. Life can be serendipitous, it’s true, but I also think consciously choosing with whom I spend my time and share my experiences is worth a little extra time and effort.

If your community doesn't nurture your heart, isn't it time to consciously look at who and what makes up your community?

Merriam-Webster defines community broadly—it’s both a group of individuals joined by common interest and the society at large … and several definitions in between. Family is often our first community, whether by birth or design and it’s there we start to understand what works or doesn’t for us. We begin to recognize need versus want and find the comfortable place in the middle. Outside our immediate family we often find those who most resonate with us, but this can change as we do. Most of us end up with a small community of intimate friends and a larger community of casual friends. Then there are the acquaintances and colleagues that might make up our professional community and many of us also have a spiritual community to which we belong. Some of these groups and individuals may overlap, but for others there won’t be any mixing at all. And some of these groups seem to naturally evolve in a way that makes it seem as if we have no control over their makeup. But, I think we have choices.

My life has gone through some radical changes in the last few years and as I look at what I’m working toward and what I want to manifest in my life professionally and personally, it has me seriously contemplating on how to consciously cultivate the communities that will support and help sustain those desires.  Motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” That was an eye opener, but it makes sense to me; I realize I need to be pretty picky about with whom I’m spending my time. I think we ALL need to ask ourselves, ‘Are the people with whom I surround myself supporting me? Positively challenging me? Are they ambitious? Are they caring and generous? Will they offer me emotional/mental/physical support as I learn, grow, and develop both personally and professionally? Are they people I can support similarly?’  Asking these questions and honestly looking at the answers will bring a consciousness to how we cultivate community in our lives.

Beware the Energy Vampires

It’s not always easy, of course. Sometimes this consciousness means we need to sever relationships because misery loves miserable company. If there is someone in your life who is a vampire (not the sparkly or Spike-like blood-sucking variety, but rather the one who drains all your energy every time you spend time together) that person needs to go. If you turn to someone for feedback and you’re never given anything but the dark view of things, that person needs to go. Creative, positive challenge is a good thing; it keeps us sharp and learning. But if all you’re met with is competition and one-upmanship, how does that help either of you? If someone turns every discussion into an argument, determined to drill the fact there’s only one way to look at something, then that person needs to go.

All that being said, I am NOT suggesting you ditch the friend who’s going through a rough patch—we all have those times in our lives. But you need to watch for a pattern—is the negativity and energy drain a temporary rough patch or actually that person’s normal? If negativity is a person’s permanent way of being, and if you can’t have a positive effect on that person or that person is unwilling to work on him or herself, ask for help, or change things, does it make sense to allow yourself to be pulled down, too? No, it really doesn’t. So, notice who leaves you feeling drained after interacting. Who’s call are you reluctant to take? With whom do you keep delaying plans? Those are the folks you need to consciously look at; the fact that sometimes these negative folks have faces we’ve known for years and are people who’ve long held a place in one of our communities becomes irrelevant when we look at the bigger picture. Day to day life can be challenging enough without turning your quest to move forward, learn, and grow into a daily battle.

So, with as much love and compassion as I can summon, I intend to continue consciously choosing how I cultivate community. I want to interact with people with are willing to learn from each other, offer support during good and difficult times, share experiences, nurture connections, and in general help all of us keep growing and expanding in our minds and hearts.  How about you? How do you define community and where do you feel a sense of it? Do you consciously make choices about who to let into your life or who must go?

Namaste
Deb

“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

Two weeks ago, my back went out and I found myself in constant pain and discomfort and on the floor alternating between laying on ice or a heating pad. AGAIN. Funny enough, one week after launching my business full time in August 2013 (yes, one year ago almost exactly), my back went out in a severely painful way. I was literally on the floor most of the month of August and struggling to manage the most basic of tasks, so my business was put on hold until Sept. It was the perfect storm made up of my fear of going out on my own meeting the Universe’s desire to see me STOP pushing so hard for a little while after 13+ years of doing nothing but pushing. It wasn’t fun; instead, it was agony, frustration, and feeling utterly betrayed by my body. But in truth, what it really was, was an amazing situation that began to teach me how to ask for help because I simply had no other choice.

Legs up an ottoman aka the respite-providing nest on the floor.

This time around, I’m grateful to say the situation isn’t quite so acute (not quite past it yet.) That being said, it’s not comfy, either. I had to slow down again, re-make friends with my nest on the floor, accept that the progress I’d made rebuilding strength was taking a hit, and acknowledge I had to start looking at what my body was trying to tell me. Instinctively, I knew I couldn’t accept that my back going out (in my sleep, mind you!) was merely a coincidence. First, it was the one year anniversary of launching my business and I had been doing a lot of contemplating about how that was going (and judging myself harshly) and second, I was beginning to reach out and re-seek a spiritual community after having an integral part of my spiritual practice ripped away … I was no longer willing to lie to myself that the disconnection I’d experienced over the last couple years was ok. So, I concluded that although there are physiological issues that need attending to (chiropractic, massage, and PT visits help with that), there’s clearly an energetic/emotional/spiritual element that was trying so very hard to tell me … something.

In the past, I’ve prided myself on the fact that I would often get “intuitive flashes” of what I needed to do, hear, or accept. This time? Yikes. I just couldn’t get it. I felt almost as if my subconscious had willfully put on blinders in order to NOT look at whatever it was that was throwing my first and second chakras into a painful tailspin (literally! My tailbone wouldn’t stay put, LOL!) And because I’d recently been in this position and I’ve learned a little bit about asking for help in this first year of business, I knew that’s exactly what I needed … what I still need.

Muladhara Chakra (Root Chakra) Mantra I need to visit a LOT: I am safe. I trust more; I fear less. I am balanced, connected, and grounded.

My partner was right on the front lines, thankfully. He reminded me to stop and let him help. Seeking some clarity and understanding, I pulled out my much-neglected tarot cards. (Great tool for glimpsing and understanding our subconscious motivations.) BUT, I only understood some of it, so I went with my gut and asked a dear friend within my spiritual circle for help understanding the message. A couple days later, when I found myself losing my shit one late afternoon, unable to stop weeping because of frustration, pain, and complete overwhelm over everything on my plate, another loving friend offered an ear, a shoulder, and some insightful advice—be compassionate with myself and ask for help. On her advice, rather than “toughing it out” as I would have in the past, I let my mentor know the situation and she provided a nurturing way for me to still participate in her two-day business mastermind while providing space and the means to still care for my back. Because I allowed others to help me in large and small ways, and I let go of my self-reliant resisting, I rapidly got the message over, and over, and over again from different sources in slightly different ways.

In hindsight, it seems simplistic. But personal growth and development never feels that way. I had created a maelstrom of unrealistic expectations and married them to my fears and feelings of inadequacy, wrapped it up in a bow of low self-worth, and stuffed it all down deep so I wouldn’t have to look at any of it. The problem with that however, is that stuff never stays buried. And believe me, you launch a business and you will meet your crap … in Technicolor. I was so busy protecting that ridiculous package, I couldn’t hear or see anything good, nor could I hear praise. If I let in any of the compliments commending my work, skills, talent, or know-how—in all arenas, physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual—I shut it down and kept on going. But then I was shut down. In that moment, I knew there was nothing to be done but surrender.

What it all comes down to is that I matter and I have much to offer my business, personal, and spiritual communities. What I think, say, and do matters. WE ALL MATTER. I wrote recently about working with a self-compassion meditation and this latest drama tells me that particular meditation is something I need to hold close and work with for quite some time to come. When I let my defensive stance drop, when I let go of fear of rejection and dismissal and instead remember my own divine roots connecting myself to Spirit, it allows me to start listening to what others are saying to me … and it’s revelatory. Unless I want to start calling everyone I respect and love a liar, I’m going to have to start receiving what they’re offering: love, compassion, respect, empathy, understanding, support, and help. It’s no less than what I try to offer others (as much as this learning spirit in human form can), so why do I question when others want to offer the same? Life is challenging, exciting, and full of painful ups and downs. But it offers us gifts large and small if we are open to receiving them. And when we’re not sure we can do that, we must remember to ask for help because truly we can get by with a little help from our friends.

Somehow it’s August already. (I’m honestly not sure how that happened, but time does seem to turn much more quickly now than it ever did when I was a young child.) The advent of August also brings (to those of us who celebrate and note it) Lughnasadh (or Lammas).  This holiday is a lush one, abundant and full. It has us celebrating with profound gratitude the things we’ve achieved, the gifts we’ve received, the experiences we’ve had, the talents we’ve developed, and the things we’ve learned… It’s time to begin to reap what we’ve literally and figuratively sown.

Historically, Lughnasadh is a Gaelic seasonal festival that marks the first harvest—the sun is high, the gardens are lush and growing well and we begin to harvest what were seeds just a few months ago. Although few of us truly depend on our own agricultural skills beyond perhaps a small vegetable garden plot, the concept of reaping and sowing is one we can apply to all our lives.  We can ask, where in my life do I feel abundant? Where are my efforts yielding fruit?

At this time of the year, it’s great to celebrate accomplishments and honor the efforts that went into the achievements, but it’s also a good time to check in and see what perhaps is being neglected. We all make our resolutions and set goals for ourselves at the beginning of the year, and now’s the time to ask if those goals and resolutions still serve you and if so, where are you in meeting them?

For me, this year has been an exciting year full of ups and downs. I set a number of goals for both my business and my personal life. And when I look at those goals, I realize that some are in very good shape, and others … well, not so much. It’s time for me to really look at what I expected to do this year. Some of it makes a whole lotta sense, some goals were good but perhaps a bit unrealistic, and others were made from an ego place that really isn’t serving me anymore.  So, what to do? Well, I’m not going to beat myself up. With all the meditation and self-compassion work and talk I’ve been doing lately, that doesn’t seem like anything I ought to do. No, instead, I’m going to re-energize myself around the goals that make sense and will help me continue to move forward. I’m going to let go of what isn’t working and see if there are better ways (or goals!) to pursue.

I'm grateful to whomever created this beautiful image. Sadly, I'm unable to find a name and give proper credit.

This year, my harvest doesn’t come without some difficulties (first year in business after all), but I’m so proud of the work I’m doing and the work I’ll continue to do that I’m just allowing myself to tip my face up to the sun and feel the joy of the season. I got my hands in the dirt, I planted the seeds, and now I can see the growth and my future harvest.  I can say that I am utterly grateful for the effort I put in daily to build my business. I’m beyond-words grateful to my partner, Mike, for supporting me in this endeavor. I bow in gratitude to all those who support, guide, teach, remind, prod, and brainstorm with and for me. I’m grateful for my crazy, loving, and fun family. I’m grateful for you who are reading this right now. I could write all night the things for which I’m grateful … but I’ll stop. 🙂

The point is, gratitude makes it so much easier to notice where there’s abundance in our lives. Otherwise, we habitually take note instead of the problems, the discomforts, and the challenges. So, take a few moments right now and be grateful for all the blessings in your life. Take time to relish the places in which abundance shows up. And if you are loved, you are abundant!

What are you working toward? What brings you joy now? Where does abundance show up in your life?

“The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening.  It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.” ~Henry David Thoreau

I’m hitting the end of week 6 of my meditation study and I think I’m finally experiencing a bit of traction in my practice. (I was so excited about the meditation techniques we learned, I haven’t been tempted to skip at all!)  This past week’s class taught us a variety of new meditations, or rather, new anchors on which to focus since the objective is the same with all the meditations—calm the mind and train it to not be so reactive to thoughts, emotions, and situations. We’re being taught so many different paths/techniques because everyone will “click” with something different and the point is to walk away with something we want to continue for the rest of our lives.

This week, among other meditations, we learned a couple heart- and mantra-based meditations (Karuna and Metta). These have proven profound. I’ve worked many times with Metta before and I always love returning to it. It allows such a softening of the heart toward oneself and others. (And worthy of its own blog post so that’s all I say about it for now!) But it was the Karuna practice that surprised me. Karuna is self-compassion, cultivating a tenderness with the intention to heal suffering.  We were given a few suggested phrases with which to work (but you could create your own if you resonate with something else):

I allow myself to be imperfect.
I allow myself to make mistakes.
I allow myself to be a learner in life.
I forgive myself.
May I be free from suffering.

Similar to Metta, the idea is to work with yourself first, cultivating self-compassion because otherwise, we just fall back into the all-too-prevalent pattern of always giving until we’re depleted and there’s nothing left to give. Instead, this works to shore you up, create an inner strength based on compassion before sending compassion out to others. When you’re ready, you turn the phrases toward those who might be challenging to you.

These simple phrases can have profound results. We all joke these days about being our own worst critics, but it’s really not funny because it’s TRUE. So many of us mentally and emotionally beat ourselves up all the time over the smallest things, and in turn, we start to judge others the same way creating tension, stress, disconnection, and suffering—and I’m no exception. (Catch me while driving the car sometimes … I’m not thinking nice thoughts!)

To give oneself permission to be imperfect, to make mistakes, to be human is powerful. Forgiving ourselves can become one of the most important things we ever do. Because if we do, then we give ourselves permission to be authentic, to expressly be who we truly are … the masks come off, and the chains that bind us begin to unwind. We can begin to feel, to be vulnerable, to be present to life and to those in our lives. The reality is life is messy and imperfect and when we try to pretend otherwise, it usually hurts.

When I started the Karuna practice, repeating the self-compassion phrases felt like having my Mother rub my back when I was ill as a child; it was lovely and comforting, and I did so for quite a bit of time. I then decided to try focusing those compassion phrases on a few others in my life and it was like a dam finally being broken—it provided such a release of old hurts that I found myself sobbing while a well of love was opening up in my heart. The combined forces of compassion and forgiveness gave me a gift I couldn’t have anticipated.

I will keep working with both Karuna and Metta because these meditations will help me remember one doesn’t grow and learn when everything is perfect. The lessons and growth come from mistakes, from picking oneself up off the ground, brushing off the muck, bandaging up the wounds, and then figuring out how to keep on going in a way that better serves. If we’re present and willing to show ourselves compassion, then we’re not as likely to make the same mistakes. Instead, we grow and move forward.

How much better would our lives be if we could regularly view ourselves and others through the window of compassion? How much easier to learn those lessons without the internal resistance and berating of ourselves? How much more rich could our lives be? How much more authentic?  How much more loving?

Have you practiced a heart-based meditation? What was your experience?

Namaste,

Deb

“I am larger and better than I thought. I did not know I held so much goodness.” ~Walt Whitman

I had an interaction the other day on Facebook that left me feeling disturbed, a bit angry, disappointed, upset, and frustrated. I often try not to get into the political arena on social media because it’s all so polarized and it’s almost impossible to have any sort of reasoned discourse; there’s always someone who will take offense, misread or misunderstand what you said, or who’s triggered into some impassioned response whether positive or negative. But, I’m human and I react just like everybody else. And a combination of things—NPR and various other news reports on the 50K+ of children stranded at the border and several posts from other friends in reaction—served to compel me to react as well and share someone else’s post about it. I made a statement when I shared, but given the result, I realize that although my intention might have been good (expressing compassion), by sharing someone else’s interpretation of an event rather than simply voicing my own words around the situation, I wasn’t practicing Right Speech—and there were consequences.

“Abhaya Sutta: To Prince Abhaya” (On Right Speech) (MN 58), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013.

Communication has evolved in ways that the Buddha could never have foreseen. Social media, blogging, texting, emailing, and phoning are all ways we talk to, with, and at each other beyond face-to-face conversation.  And my latest social media communication frustration got me thinking about how we communicate in general and online. I do think that many of us are pretty sure that we are communicating well when we do, whether we’re sharing our latest status update, the funny video with a cute baby and a dog, the picture of our gourmet dinner, our take on a particular way of eating that we’re sure will cure all your ills, our joy or sorrow over personal milestones, promoting our business products and services, commenting on books or movies, sharing an incendiary image and article because it supports our personal viewpoint, or sharing the latest inane meme.  In my opinion however, I don’t think we are communicating well at all. I think most of us—myself included—could do with a refresher on the Buddhist concept of Right Speech.

Right Speech (samma vaca in Pali) is part of the moral discipline portion of the Buddhist Eightfold Path along with Right Action and Right Livelihood. Practicing Right Speech at a time when vitriolic prose runs rampant through social media, radio talk shows, and late night comedy can be a pretty tough path to follow. It’s SO EASY to get caught up in our passions around perceived and actual wrong doings, opposing political views, and the over-arching negativity that seems to rule the media; if it’s negative, horrific, and distressing, it clearly must be news. And we must remember that a good part of Right Speech is listening well. And these days, we’re being talked AT more than ever … and we’re doing it, too.

Hateful and violent words can harm just as easily as hateful and violent action. There are children killing themselves because of cyber bullying … they’re not necessarily getting beat up physically, but mentally and emotionally, they’re bruised and bloodied. There are children who suffer from profound hunger, physical abuse, and homelessness who aren’t killing themselves. It would seem as if emotional and mental pain may be harder to endure — but it’s not a contest; it’s all awful. But it has always been the case that words, written or spoken, can bring peace or war, union or division, anger or joy, compassion or hatred, love or indifference. What you say matters.

So, what actually IS Right Speech? The Buddha divides right speech into four components:

1. Abstaining from false speech (don’t tell lies or be deceitful)
2. Abstaining from slanderous speech (don’t speak in a way that causes harm or enmity)
3. Abstaining from harsh speech (don’t be rude or abusive in your language)
4. Abstaining from idle chatter (don’t talk about others; don’t speak without purpose)

The idea is that by practicing Right Speech you can avoid the pitfalls of Wrong Speech which are conflict, division, confusion and suffering … all plentiful in the world.

At face value, it doesn’t seem like it’d be that hard to practice, right? But really, if we truly look at what the Buddha meant behind each of the characteristics of Right Speech, we see how challenging it might be in today’s world. For example, someone may post a negative comment about some entertainer’s performance/album/movie. Can you refrain from commenting? We often find sarcasm funny and witty, and it sometimes is, but it can also be hurtful and mean when directed at an individual’s opinion or personal expression (whether choice in clothing, hair style, makeup, etc.) Can you refrain from sarcastic remarks about people? Chit chat, aka meaningless chatter, is a staple of social interaction. Can you avoid saying, “How are you?” unless you really want the answer? When someone poses an opinion with which you disagree, and you feel you must respond, can you do it with kind and compassionate language rather than rude, dismissive, or argumentative language?

For myself, at this moment, I’m holding the frustrating Facebook exchange in gratitude because it helped me remember that *I* am responsible for what I say, think, and do. How I react, how I interact—verbally or via the written word—is important. It’s truly not about being a Pollyanna and pretending that there aren’t problems in the world, but rather I think we must be compelled to look deeper and figure out how to help, not hinder; figure out how to find some compassion for those embroiled in the many disastrous situations we hear about–whether we find said situations morally wrong or not. And finally, we must find some allowance for others to have different opinions and consider that they’re not necessarily wrong and we’re not necessarily right; the answer is usually somewhere in the middle. And honestly, at the end of the day, Mom had it right. If you can’t say anything nice, it’s much better not to say anything at all.

What do you think? Can you pick one characteristic of Right Speech and practice it for a day or a week? I’d love to hear your experiences with it.

I recently was accepted into a Meditation Study through Brown University in Providence, RI. I saw the notice hanging on the Whole Foods bulletin board and couldn’t stop myself from picking it up. All I could think was, ‘maybe THIS could make meditation stick for me.’

For years I’ve used meditation as a way of judging myself. Sounds odd, right? But as much as I practiced yoga, I have had the most difficult time getting a meditation practice to STICK and a small part of me judged that in a very negative way, like somehow I was failing as a “good” person/yogini if I didn’t sit every day for 30 or 60 minutes. PUH-LEEZE. Seems silly to me now, but that’s what I did.

It’s not that I didn’t have activities in my life that contained meditative qualities, I did. I love chanting in the car, taking yoga classes, and hiking mountains (let’s face it, if you don’t stay aware and in the present moment while hiking injuries can and do happen … meditation is built in by default.) Simply sitting on my deck and listening to the wind in the trees is a favorite, too. But, I didn’t necessarily do those activities every day. And there were plenty of days in which I chose less than meditative activities to de-stress—watching tv or movies, reading novels, having a couple cocktails out with friends. All these activities themselves certainly provide some brief respite from the stresses of the day, and they’re genuinely fun, but none of them offered me true mental space and rarely did they offer the opportunity for personal insight. I’d stop watching tv, or finish my novel, or come home after drinks and dinner out and I’d still have all the stress-causing thoughts running through my head and messing up my sleep.

So, when I saw that notice, I wanted to take advantage. I *know* I don’t want my life as a business owner to run the way my life as a corporate employee ran.  So far, I’m having fun, but it’s not stress-free. I don’t have a steady paycheck; I have to work hard to find, cultivate, and nurture my clients so I can build the business I want and need. I know there are so many proven physical, mental, and emotional benefits to meditating. And because I’m learning an awful lot about asking for help, this study showing up seemed like one more step on that journey.  I contacted the coordinator and after a phone interview and a two-hour in-person assessment which also disclosed the requirements to participate (not small!), I was accepted into the eight-week study.

Four Weeks … The Start of a Lifetime’s Practice?

I’m four weeks in and find myself still challenged to “fit it in.” It’s sooo easy to fall back on the habit of putting myself last and always needing to do one more thing, take care of one more thing, or just fit one more task into the day instead of doing my daily meditation, which thus far, has been everything from learning which “anchor” is the one I most like to use (in our case, hands, feet, and nose, chest, and belly breath), 3-minute breathing practices, cultivating certain mindfulness qualities, and even various moving meditations ranging from 35-45 minutes. Via daily reports, all the participants have to be accountable. We made the commitment to participate, and we have to own it when we don’t … and it just never feels good to admit that I just blew off meditation for a day or two.

I will happily admit that I am beginning to see improvement in my sleep. And I don’t seem to be having quite as many adrenaline rushes as I used to experience (adrenal fatigue being just one of the chronic stress-induced issues with which I’m still dealing.) And I also must admit that if I do blow off a day or two … I MISS it. I feel like my mind is beginning to have a little more space. And honestly, last week was one of the most creative and productive weeks I’ve had in a while and I suspect that’s due to having a little more of that mental space.

Meditation is clearly a life-long endeavor and practice. Eight weeks won’t have me turned into Jack Kornfield by a long shot. BUT, I’m hoping that by the end of the eight weeks I’ll have a hard time seeing my life without meditation. I’m hoping that the benefits will be shiny enough to hold my attention and I’ll continue to practice. I’m glad I pursued the study opportunity because it does help to have a weekly class and required daily practice and reporting, but that being said, I’m not going to project, or judge, or make absolute statements about what my meditation practice will look like in a month, or two, or three. I’m simply going to take it one day at a time … and maybe join a meditation class or gathering so I’m not going it alone. And on that note, it’s time for me to meditate. 🙂

This blog has often been about finding personal freedom physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and that’s not about to change so I guess it’s appropriate that my return to the blog happens on July 4.

I will say it seems cliché to say what I’m about to say (it HAS been almost three years!) but I’m going to anyway: SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED since I last wrote in this blog! It’s rather mind boggling to contemplate and almost impossible to capture swiftly. When I last wrote, I was reaching a crisis of … everything. My health was steadily failing for reasons I didn’t understand, my energy level was precariously low leaving me weeping at the thought of any physical activity (forget hiking any mountains!), my yoga asana practice became practically obsolete and teaching my beloved yoga classes was swiftly becoming more than I could handle. My daily work was overwhelming and had become profoundly unfulfilling leaving me constantly stressed, and my personal life was full of extreme highs and lows so any sense of balance seemed outside my reach. To sum up, I was reaching my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bottom.

I’d been at the bottom before. One doesn’t reach her 40s without having seen the bottom of at least one or two of those personal aspects. But all of it at once? It was a bit much and I knew things had to radically change. And in acknowledging that things had to change, I also realized a hard truth–I was responsible for where I was. We all have choices and we make them consciously and unconsciously. I had to recognize that too many things were wrong because I let them be that way … and I was the ONLY one who could change it. I also knew I couldn’t do it all at once and likely couldn’t do it all by myself (hard admission for this control-oriented gal.)

Small Steps

So, I started with some small steps. When my western doc couldn’t seem to give me any good answers, I followed the lead of a close friend and sought out a naturopath, and I’m ever so grateful I did. I discovered a plethora of reasons for my ill health, low energy, and yearly bouts of knock-me-down-for-a-month flu. I found I was overly sensitive and reacting to a number of foods causing chain reactions throughout my body. Subsequently, my digestive and hormonal systems were all out of sorts, and chronic stress had affected my adrenals til I was always in a constant state of ‘fight or flight’. Determined to create that change, I followed my naturopath’s protocols, then changed my diet to eliminate a lot of what was irritating my digestive system (I now eat Primal/Paleo. And yes, I resisted that at first, too!) and over the course of almost three years have steadily seen improvements. I’m not done healing, but I can see progress. I’m eating whole foods almost exclusively with great benefit to my health. I’m picking up my physical activity again, including my asana practice. I’m re-learning to meditate. I’m learning to care enough about myself and my health that it’s a priority in my life–and in how I build my business.

Giant Leaps!

As my physical health began to improve, my mental health and work situation became more and more of a problem. I’ve never been good with being bored and I was sooo bored at work! That’s not to say I wasn’t overly stressed because there was always too much to accomplish with the resources we had. But the work didn’t challenge me creatively or mentally any more and I no longer worked within my strengths; although I worked with great people, every day had become a stressful challenge. I kept looking for other positions, but nothing seemed to be right. And so I started seeking other help and found Dr. Kate Siner (an entrepreneurial and personal development mentor) who started filling my ear with, “Why don’t you start your own business?” I must say, I resisted at first. I didn’t feel like I could do it. And I was stuck on the idea that any business I started would have to focus on web design and building. Why? I’ve no idea; that’s a very silly idea–my web skills were too old school to be useful. But it’s a good illustration of how we can get in our own way and how our fear and resistance to the very change we claim we want can have us making decisions that make no sense. It wasn’t until Dr. Kate said to me, “Why are you focused on design? Aren’t you good at content? At copywriting?” I’m pretty sure my mouth dropped open in response because I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen that myself. Of course! Writing is the thing that has always come easy … and the talent I’ve most often dismissed.

That was the conversation that started my business. And just starting it felt like a giant leap, but that was nothing compared to handing in my notice after 13+ years and launching my business full-time. THAT was a moment fraught with a lot of trepidation and fear. But by that time, I’d support in place. Dr. Kate had become my mentor and brought with her a group of fellow entrepreneurs who offered valuable windows into the experience of starting a business, I’d reached out to friends six months before handing in my notice and told them they had to hold me to it, and most importantly my very loving and supportive partner said, “Do it! We can make the early years of you building it work and I know you can make it successful.”

So, here I am, just passing the one year anniversary of giving my notice and approaching my one year anniversary of launching Wellness Scribe full-time and I’m finally “taking up my pen” again. The last few years have been a wild ride full of ups and downs. As difficult as they got sometimes, I can’t regret them because I’m here now. I like how things are beginning to develop. I know I’ve got a LOT of hard work and some sacrifice ahead of me, but I have the tools. I have the support. And I have enough faith in myself to continue to take those small steps and giant leaps … even if I sometimes have to reach out to my support system and ask for a gentle push. 😉

I hope you stick with me as I continue to ride the yogini-hiker-wellness addict-entrepreneur wave because the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that we can’t do it alone–support is necessary. And I hope you’ll share some of your stories with me so I can support you, too.

Namaste.

I was honored and quite happy to guest write for this week’s BizeeBee blog. I wrote the post focused on teachers, but I think it can apply to anyone who is over-scheduled and feeling overwhelmed. 

Read the post and remember to leave a comment and tell us what you think!

Shanti, Shanti, Namaste.

Statue of Patanjali, the codifier of Yoga

It’s been such a long time since I’ve devoted time and attention to my blog, and the causes are varied.  We forget that even events that we consider joyous can throw us out of balance and I’ve re-learned that over the the last two to three months; two to three months which have been overwhelming with events wonderful, challenging and even sad.  These events and circumstances simply kept reinforcing the theme with which I always struggle when it comes to applying it to myself — Ahimsa (non-harming/non-violence, the first in the Yamas & Niyamas.) And the last few months have had me revisiting and relearning Ahimsa on a daily basis. Read the rest of this entry »

So, you think you’re the only one who struggles with meditation?  Trust me, you’re not!  And to help reassure you of that fact, I thought I’d share a typical meditation moment. The one that occurs after I’ve dimmed the lights, shut off the computer, turned off the phone ringer (I use the Zen Timer on my phone to time my meditation), arranged my meditation cushions, settled in, closed my eyes and started to focus inward seeking the peace, quiet and serenity, only to find the reality of practice.

Inhale. Exhale. Oh, I must shift, I’m not comfortable, I’ll never be able to sit for 30 minutes.  Ok. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale … Are my sit bones even? Focus! Back to the breath. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Did I remember to put bread on the grocery list? Iggy’s bread would be good, wonder if there’ll be any left? Darn it! Focus! Inhale. Exhale. Read the rest of this entry »