Glimmers of Hope.

The following is a selection from an email sent out to those contributing to Project All Love In to help families in need. If you would like to get on that list, please visit my website www.physicalwizdom.com or send me your email. thank you!

We all hear the stories- the disturbing ones about how children are raised, how the world is so cruel, and how difficult it can be to protect our kids; instill values that seem to be fleeting. 

More than one or two people I talk to have shaken their heads in sadness about our present state of affairs. We can turn on our televisions , or listen to radios, or read about bullying and abuse and the lack of compassion. We live in  a society where children are alone, making their own meals, coming home to empty homes because the parent/ parents are at work. This is not our fault, really, I am doing this too, but there is just something about this...

Yet, in the tiny places, the magical moments, and probably happening more than we realize or are led to believe,

there are good old fashioned postcard picture worthy scenes of families caring and loving each other.

As I was driving home the other day, I became aware that I was about to be behind a school bus. Oh No, I thought, I am stuck behind this bus. 

And I was, but I also was about to witness a beautiful scene, and be blessed with a gift.

The bus stopped twice before making its way up a hill and coming to the next stop. I turned to notice at least 10 mothers, some with other children, waiting at the edge of the road. They were laughing and smiling and looking at the bus in happy anticipation.

Wow. Is this a cape cod thing? All these moms able to be here to greet their children off the bus! Perhaps this type of thing is happening in many many places!

The magical scene continued , as the kids got off the bus and ran to their moms. There were hugs and laughter. There were school papers being shown, and smiles of support and compassion between the moms. 

And then, everyone began to disperse, moving toward their cars, or walking down the street, all the while, hugging and waving.

I grabbed my phone for  a picture , being completely immersed in this moment, but the beep of the car behind me brought me back and I realized the bus had moved on, and I was holding up the cars behind me!!!

I took this pic, but it does not come close to capturing the moment.

Hats off to parents who are making the effort, juggling their lives and choosing to make children a priority. 

Even if we do not have children, let us just be grateful for this, as the world's future is riding on those buses.

angel wings

The mystery of life. Powerful, amazing, and oh so tenuous at the same time.  The medical field and science can only go so far in defining, explaining and participating in the birth, and death of physical life, and certainly have a long way to go in exploring the spirituality, meaning, symbolism, and divine reasoning of it.
Through years of research and experiences, I wanted to share some thoughts.  Perhaps they resonate , perhaps not- we all find what best aligns with our beliefs and what we know in our hearts.

It is my understanding that we choose our parents before we are conceived. We make this choice based on lessons we are going to learn, our purpose in this life, and soul contracts we have made. We do not fully " come in " while in the womb- our spirit selves are expansive sparks of divinity and move in and out while preparing for life in a physical body. We are born with such a vast understanding and yet are a bit stunned and confused as our expansive divine selves fully come into physical life and meet the energy of this plane of existence. Many experts believe that our very first reaction of our energy meeting the energy of the world can be an indicator of how we react and process later in life.
We come in with gifts and purpose. The timing of our arrival is perfectly timed, even if it seems that it is not.
Sometimes a soul " decides" that it will not physically come into the world. Perhaps the soul purpose is achieved in the womb. Perhaps the gifts of this beautiful spirit are given while in the womb; perhaps there is a purpose beyond what we can understand. Remembering that these souls are tuned into a vast knowing, we may be able to better grasp the concept that perhaps it just wasn't time yet. Perhaps other things were not in place, or a myriad of other reasons of which we just can not know or comprehend.
But we can know. For as we grapple with the sadness of losing a fetus , a baby, we can find solace in trusting in the journey of our once child to be. We can thank them for coming into our lives and bless them with our love. We can know beyond a doubt, that their arrival into our wombs, and the departure back into spirit before being born,  has brought great gifts and great purpose. We can know that we have been blessed with the presence of an angel, for however short the time.
With clients I have worked with, friends that have had this happen, and my own experience, it seems that often, this angel ,disguised as a brief spark of life inside us, stays with us for a time, or for our lives, or comes to us at a different time.
Everyone's life story and journey is different, and so there is no one right answer, or one right way of how and why and what happens,
but we can find love and forgiveness and hope  in the midst of our despair . We can share our stories and support one another,
and listen to the flutter of angel wings.

Off the mat.

OFF THE MAT

As a founder and owner, and now a co-owner of a wellness/fitness/dance/yoga center, I have had an opportunity to talk with and work with many yoga instructors. I have heard stories, and learned lot , even from the people that come through the door with an off handed interest. I remember one instructor who came in ,when I first opened, looking for  place to teach. I gladly showed her around and welcomed her to share her experience. When she crossed her arms and stated that she required 100 dollars an hour, I gently took her hand, and told her that perhaps this was not a fit for her.

Now years later, I am blessed beyond words to have some of the most beautiful, loving , giving people sharing their time , wisdom, and teachings of yoga at Masjah Center. Their classes are wonderful, and all different, and all nurturing and instructional. They attend workshops, and teacher trainings, and  honor their own practice.

But it is off the mat that I get a sense of their essence - what draws them to teach yoga, how they perceive life, and how yoga has helped them and changed their perspectives. The short conversations, the smiles in the hallway, the love emanating from them, the hugs, the trust. When life is hitting them, I know, because these people are real. Authentic. Human. 

When the stuff hits the fan for yogis,  they will go to their mat. But not always. Sometimes it requires digging in and getting stuff done. Facing the tough stuff that happens off the mat.

The commitment to practice and teach carries them through until the time they are able to peel off the layers and surrender.

And so, the mat becomes a place to go, a place to teach, but really, the teachings and experiences the state of samadhi, the humble allowing and exploration of one's inner landscapes in practice, permeate into everyday living, and everyday living becomes part of one's practice. 

 When I am actually able to take  a class - oh what a treat! My practice right now is in my teaching , and oh boy I am glad to land into the space of Masjah and settle onto the mat to teach a class. Most of  my own personal practice right now is in my yard, on my deck; a spontaneous sequence in the woods while walking my dogs; a few poses before I settle in with a morning coffee, and a lot of " off the mat" Yogi stuff. 

hmm... I will leave you pondering with just what that may be, as I must get ready now to teach. 

            "A mind free from all disturbance is Yoga." - The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Y

Soga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured. 

B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured see

B.K.S. Iyengar

Oh, Mom.

In this time of big shifts and  " Shift Happening", when the earth heaves with storms, and institutions crumble and then re define themselves, and more and more information- truths of our past and present- are being revealed,
I find myself at a crossroads like everyone else. Are we not ALWAYS on some kind of crossroad? Are we not always able to take another path? Does not the path always change? Yes and Yes and Yes!
But the  definition of who we think we are;  certainly who we are and what role we are playing in this lifetime, is partly determined by constants : Jobs, children, family, genetics, belief systems...
And so, a definition I have for myself is Mom. I have been Mom for 28 years, and  me as " Mom" will continue well past my lifetime, as I have four people in the world that define me now, and will carry on that definition. There is a constant for you!
Within the Mom role/ persona/definition ar an infinite , i think, number of supporting characters!!
 There's the Mom at home, the Mom who works, The sports Mom, the nurturing Mom, the tough love Mom, the not- so -great- at the moment mom- the super mom....... and these all go through constant metamorphosis as life changes, as children grow up and move into their own lives.
We teach our children. We give them skills and knowledge and cherish our moments. We create memories. We help prepare them for their lives; we learn from them. Our mission when they are growing up, seems to be, to get them out of the house! Send them on their way! Go, Go! Explore and do! The world is all for you! We say.
And then, when they are all ready and they are waving goodbye, we scream inside " No wait! I didnt mean it! " haha , or sometimes we do that.
Anyway, my last of four is a senior in high school, and my third in line graduates from college this year. Milestones. Passages.  Wow when did I get this old? When did this happen? I have said for many years: " When my last one walks across the stage, I am going to....."
I sit here now, saying,
Ok, what am I going to.....?
Dont get me wrong- I have lots to do! Places to go! Books to write, Teacher trainings to attend, a business to run, a life to lead!
But the " Freedom " I have been gazing at from afar, is not all sparkles and joy. Freedom comes at a cost.
A whole bunch of " mom " personas inside me are waving their protest flags, and yelling to Stop The Progression of Life.
I guess I will gather them together, the sports mom, the helicopter mom, the holding down the fort mom, the mom of babies and teens and birthday parties and school functions... I will gather them and love them, and tell them it is ok.
Times of shifting. Time for new mom personas to enter stage left. Traveling Mom, grandmother mom? oohh ok, not quite yet.... authentic self mom, mom- friend.....
Guess it is time for me to grow up too.. aha, and thats the thing!
Ok I got this!
I think I will now take my laundry to my moms because my washer broke.
Thanks, Mom.