Monthly Archives: December 2010

Pearl Harbor….

Darlings,

On December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the US Pearl Harbor Naval base. The attack killed more than 2,400 Americans, sank five battleships and drew the United States into World War II.
 It is a memorial to what then-U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt described as "a date which will live in infamy." December 8th we declared war on Japan, December 11th declared war on Germany.

This time of year is called a time of peaceful tidings. Peaceful communication. So, on that note, our collective intention is in remembrance and an irrigation of peace within. Whether you are practicing on the mat or reading this blog, use your breath and the intention to siphon positive energy inwards and radiate peace outwards.

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. - Calvin Coolidge

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. - Mother Teresa

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand. - Mother Teresa

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. - Mohandas Gandhi (he must've practiced Hot Yoga!!)

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. - Dalai Lama

Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. - Ronald Reagan

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. - Benjamin Franklin

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

All we are saying is give peace a chance. - John Lennon

Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. - John F. Kennedy

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. - Jimi Hendrix

A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe. - Wayne Dyer

For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind. - Ralph Waldo Emerson (tell that to the lady that was angry at me today for blocking the intersection by accident - apologies did not subside her rage!!)

We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom. - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Peace comes from being able to contribute the best we have and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best they have and all they are. – Hafsat Abiola

We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate…thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising. – Maya Angelou

If you see good in people, you radiate a harmonious loving energy which uplifts those around you. If you can maintain this habit, this energy will turn into a steady flow of love. - Annamalai Swami

Peace is not the product of a victory or a command. It has no finishing line, no final deadline, no fixed definition of achievement. Peace is a never-ending process, the work of many decisions. –Oscar Arias

In separateness lies the world’s great misery. In compassion lies the world’s true strength. – Buddha

Begin with peace and let it fuel every action, reaction, movement or thought. Make it a practice and turn it into a habit. The habit will become infectious to those around you. Spread that joy and there will be no war, no anger, no hatred.

I like how the day sounds through this new song,

Lady

Sweata weatha….

Darlings,

No, it's not an inside joke, but if you know me, you know I LIVE for Saturday Night Live and the talk show with the two chicks from Brooklyn (Maya and Amy). They tawk about sweata weatha in NY. I love the 'accent' and I love the sketch and them like the sun.

Speaking of love...

You know when you are in it?

For me, I can't remember what it's like, but I have a good feeling I remember.

You see, I've been on the search for the perfect winter sweater.

It's sweata weatha!!!

I'm looking for the one!!

The one that will take me from the yoga studio to the nightlife in yummy sexy cuteness.

It's hard to find, I know, but it's like love...you just know and so, I'll know it when I see it and I have a great idea of the details that make up said perfect sweater.

Just like my search for the perfect man. Ok, I'm not on the search, but I have an idea of who, said man will be. I know he will not be perfect. Like the perfect sweater, it will pill and need special cleaning instructions, so I know it won't be easy.

I can deal with the maintenance and the flaws, but I have an idea of its values that outweigh its maintenance.

The perfect sweater is neutral, a snow white or oatmeal in color. Yummy and oversized but snugging where and when I need it to snug. It will keep me cozy but leave me room to breath.

Actually, that sounds a lot like the perfect man too!

Well, I've been searching for a while now, at least a few seasons. I've bought a few and then regretted it after a day or so, I send it back, return it and forget about it till I'm on the search again.

Hmmm, that too, sounds a lot like my recent experiences with men. hmmm. No refund though. Final sale.... I’m never getting that time OR money back!!

Thank g-d for retail!

I've tried on a lot of em. I really like a few of them. But then.... not so much.

So, I search again.

Then...I'm on a date with one of my best girlfriends.

And I see him. I mean, it.

I remember it like yesterday.

It was just a few days ago.

But really, I'll remember it always, cuz that's how long this sweata's gonna last!

I see it walking out of a store. Hot mama, hot pants, hot boots, hot hair, and HOT sweater!!

Friend and I walk into the store and find the same sweater!

Wow, meant to be.

It's love at first sight, touch, and embrace of wool to skin!

Get a room!!

I did. Clothes were tossed around. I stripped in a passionate fervor that would rival any movie love scene. Buttons popping, breath quickening and it's ON! It's hot. I mean, I'm hot.

It's a freekin' sweater, so, I'm hot.

And I look great. Cute, sexy, sweet and WARM. Yum.

It's also a fortune.

I put my clothes back on and I'm flushed. Hair strewn, breathless.

Friend and I walk around the mall some more and she's talking but I can't hear a word she says. I'm in love.

She looks at me and says, you have your credit card with you right?

I nod.

She says, it's worth going into debt. You'll have it forever.

I tell her, if I don't buy it with you, I'll never have the memory and I want the memory.

We go back to the store, pop music, smell of pine in the air. It’s Christmas and I put the dang sweater on the card.

If I wear it every day for half a year, it will be a dollar a day.

I tell the woman it's a gift and to wrap it up.

She puts it into the prettiest box and ties it up with the most beautiful ribbon.

I take that box home.

I take him home, honey.

I look at it. I light some candles. Run a bath, pour a glass of wine. Sounds romantic, huh.

I take out the Glamour Magazine…where I will be published in 2011. I savor every moment with myself and pamper myself…

I sleep with that sweater, I mean, in that sweater. I wake up with love. I remember the feeling. It feels quite the same. Material, I know, but it feels the same, warm, close, breathable, love. Safe, warm, delicious. Stay for breakfast? Don't mind if I do.

I wear this sweater every day and people turn their heads and stop me on the street.

You look younger!

You look happier!

I'm in love!

I look goooooooood!

I regret most things I buy. I have a guilt complex.

I don't regret this. Not one bit. Not one moment. Not one bill. It’s like a mini vacay. And I haven’t had a vacay in.L&++P{QLHWO*&)#*)*?

Love goes beyond all money if you love something.

When you know, you know.

I love this sweater. I love it in good times and in bad. Till death do us part. I work hard for the money and I don’t use rationalization to justify things. I do when I feel deep down to my bones. I have to. I’ve lost everything so I know what it feels like to be homeless and live out of my car, to rely on meals from expense accounts of employers and even though it’s been a long time since those days, I still revert to that place of scarcity and understand abundance surrounds you when you give. I give all the time, from my work to my time.

I’m so fortunate to have the support I need to make my dreams come true and I get scared when I want something material, so I tend NOT to buy anything. But sometimes, it’s ok to buy for yourself. That gift of goodness can turn into giving back goodness tenfold, even if it is material.

When you know, you know.

And so, I'll take this tip from myself.

Come from a place of abundance and you will be abundant. Come from a place of scarcity and you will be scarce.

I’m not saying one should go into debt…that was a joke in the moment. I have sincere issues about buying things for myself. But, this sweater taught me a good lesson. Being with my dear friend helped too. It made a memory out of buying something good for myself, and created a whole evening of self-love that I wouldn’t have received from anyone else but me…and certainly not any trial man.

When you love something and want it, it’s ok to get it. It doesn’t have to require a lot of effort. And in my case, I had credit to use, not a lot, but enough to make me feel happy and not suffocated.

And, if I go on the search for the perfect man.... it’ll be the same thing. No regrets, happy, but not suffocated, effort and effortless.

Paying the bill,

Lady

Heart…

Darlings...

On December 3rd, 1967 the first successful heart transplant occurred in CapeTown South Africa. The revolutionary medical operation was not without it’s flaws but it started there and the beat goes on.

Today’s intention is to work with heart. When you think you might give up, remember your heart. Remember your passion and remember why you came here. When you want to give up, remember it all and then ask yourself if you want to move forward in the practice.

I know that this is not a struggle when dealing with flow classes, but when teaching in the heat (at Hot 8 Yoga in Santa Monica) there are so many ‘external forces’ telling you to get the heck out, get out of the room quick and get yourself a cocktail. Alas, NO. There are so many internal forces telling you to keep the toxins in. I’m telling you to listen to the true depth of you, beyond your flexibility, beyond your mental edge, beyond the point where you think you can’t stand it in the room any longer and ask yourself, can you do this?

I have been teaching flow for a decade. I’ve been teaching Hot yoga on and off for five years. I love it all but can honestly say that with any structured discipline whether yoga or fitness, it’s the mind that tells you to stop before the body gives in.

Get through the muddle of the mind to get deeper into the heart of why you came to practice to begin with. I know. You purchased a Groupon package and you are wondering when you can hit the mall and grab a Cabernet with your pal. Why did you come here? Why do you practice yoga, go to the gym, hire a trainer? Does it feel like hell? Does it always, ALWAYS feel better once you’ve done it? Um, yea. Does it feel good and do you look better putting yourself in a position to challenge yourself mentally and physically in a safe and nurturing environment so that when you get out there in the ‘real’ world, it all seems better? Hell to the yea. Well then, you have found the right spot. The Y spot. Oh, baby.

Yoga (and I don’t ALWAYS mean on the mat), whatever your yoga is, is YOUR yoga. The place that can challenge your alchemy beyond physical and emotional pierces you on planes so deep that the ‘practice’ of your yoga becomes habit. It transcends the sheaths of the transparent, the immediate, the internal and penetrates you on a cellular level, challenging all your beliefs, visions, passion and fervor for life. It rocks your heart and makes you move from that place.

Blabadi blah. No, seriously. What the frick is keeping you from ANYTHING in life? Is it yoga? Probably not. If I do standing bow pulling pose and hold it for a minute, can I achieve all of my greatness? Probably not.

Listen peeps, showing up is 90%. Just be present for Buddhas sake…in anything you do. You heart is an involuntary muscle that you cannot control. Honey, it’s gonna beat whether you sit on the couch or lay out your yoga mat. But…does it not quicken when a new love enters your life picture? Does it not pound faster with the sound of Rihanna in your ears and Brooks shoes on your feet, running along a smooth running path before you? Does it not skip when you are promoted at your job or cut off in traffic? Alas, it does!

Be proud of that heart beating and support it when you put in positions you aren’t comfortable with.

In Yoga, we are sooooo used to moving. Love it, don’t get me wrong. But, with Hot Yoga, you are forced to look at your darn self in the mirror, in stillness, in heat, and hold, for the love of all things that glitter…and that’s hard.

It’s uncomfy. It’s wool on bare skin. BE with it and GO with it. Make it through and…my darlings…will the rest of your trials, outside of the mat or ‘your’ version of yoga, will you be able to rule the lifewalk.

Go there. Get scared there. Call me if you need me or take sip of water and rest. It will all be ok.

Follow your heart.

Be quiet first.

Ask questions.

Feel the answer.

Then leave the rest to trust. It’s the best investment.

Nothing to lose….

Not certain….

The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.” - Anon

“I would rather have eyes that cannot see; ears that cannot hear; lips that cannot speak, than a heart that cannot love” – Robert Tizon

Have a strong mind and a soft heart. Anthony J. D’Angelo

Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. -Galatians.

When we talk about understanding, surely it takes place only when the mind listens completely-- the mind being your heart, your nerves, your ears- when you give your whole attention to it. -J. Krishnamutri.

The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands. -Robert M. Persig

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

Buddha

He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help. -Abraham Lincoln

If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded. -Maya Angelou

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival. -Winston Churchill

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart. -Mohandas Gandhi

To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer. -Mohandas Gandhi

It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.

Dalai Lama

There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness. -Dalai Lama

I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious. –Vince Lombardi

Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.

Confucius

What is true of the individual will be to-morrow true of the whole nation if individuals will but refuse to lose heart and hope. -Mohandas Gandhi

If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear? -Confucius

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

Nelson Mandela

There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate. -Robert Frost

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. -Oscar Wilde

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. -Helen Keller

It is not the body's posture, but the heart's attitude that counts when we pray. -Billy Graham

I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.

Leonardo da Vinci

Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.

Lao Tzu

The ear is the avenue to the heart.

Voltaire

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. -Marcus Aurelius

Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God. -Martin Luther

Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things. -Joe Paterno

There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart. -Jane Austen

Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation. -Michael Jackson

If you ask people what they've always wanted to do, most people haven't done it. That breaks my heart. -Angelina Jolie

Purity of heart is to will one thing. -Soren Kierkegaard

Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart. -Rumi

It takes more than just a good looking body. You've got to have the heart and soul to go with it.- Epictetus

Throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.

Dale Carnegie

'nuff said,

Lady