Today after writing for 8 hours straight I decided to take a break. I walked over to High Park and came upon a path I’ve walked a hundreds times before. But today was different. From what seemed like out of nowhere, I stepped into a rainfall of dandelion petals. They flew as high as I could see and completely surrounded me – it was like a scene from a movie. It was so beautiful I could barely breathe. People walked in front of me and behind me to cross the path, not even stopping to notice what was happening. And as I stood there, relishing the moment, unable to move, I was brought to tears. They were in part due to being deeply moved by something so rare and beautiful, and in part because it saddened me that no one else noticed; that something so magical to me was so ordinary to most. But above all, the cause for my tears was that it dawned on me how rare it is these days, for me to experience a moment of pure stillness… [Read More...]
Thanks for the Hate Mail
May 11, 2010
Two years ago I created a persona for myself called “Super Spiritual Girl” in which I offer videos I’ve created. In my opinion, it’s a great name; it’s catchy and playful. And “playful” is something I need more of in my life. It’s a great reminder for me, as I tend to take things far too seriously, much of the time. Still, my comfort level with the name wavers. I met a woman recently, who asked me why I’m not stepping into the Super Spiritual Girl persona more. She loves the name and I suggested I could have a lot more fun with it. I agreed, and tried to explain my resistance to it; why I wasn’t playing it up more. It’s a simple reason: Fear… [Read more...]
Yogihead: Yoga Inspired Music that’ll Turn you On.
April 27, 2010
I’ll admit it. Yogihead gets me hot. It’s described as “Innovative Music for Yoga Practice and Meditation” but this CD gets into my mind and body in a way that “yoga music” typically doesn’t.
The truth is, and I’ve got to be honest here, I tend not to listen to music when I meditate and only occasionally do while practicing yoga, but this is a disk I’m gonna do some vinyas to and encourage you do the same… [Read More...]
We Always Have a Choice
April 20, 2010
For the most part, people perceive me as a strong woman. I’m independent. I’m confident. I’m one of the last people anyone would expect to end up in a really messed up relationship, yet somehow, a few years ago, I found myself in one. I couldn’t have predicted it. He adored me. He treated me like a queen. He thought I was perfect. That is, until he inevitably realized that I wasn’t perfect. And once he got comfortable in our relationship he became jealous and controlling. And because he couldn’t control me, he got mean. Later he’d apologize, would promise it would never happen again, but of course it would. I offered him the benefit of the doubt. “Most of the time he was wonderful. He was only that way sometimes,” I’d tell myself. I wanted it to work… [Read More....]
Spiritual Materialism and Where to Point the Finger
April 12, 2010
I’ve kind of had it up to here with spiritual materialism: people spending $200.00 on yoga outfits, the abundance of self-proclaimed gurus taking ancient Eastern spiritual principles and repackaging them into fragmented Cole’s notes versions, and films that suggest if we simply repeat our daily affirmations we’ll attract the perfect partner and a high paying job. And if don’t attract them, we must be doing it wrong. Suddenly, personal growth is all about outcome. Everybody’s jumping on the spiritual bandwagon. But hey, it’s hip. It’s cool. It’s fun. Let’s all chant, “Namaste,” together!
I don’t know . . . Personally, my spiritual path hasn’t always been so hip, cool and fun. It has often felt beautiful, but along that path there has also been pain…. [Read more...]
Getting off Autopilot and into Yum
April 6, 2010
We rarely pay attention to how much of the day we move though on autopilot. We have our schedule and we stick to it. We move from one thing to the next unconsciously as we brush our teeth, make our breakfast, eat our food, and drive to work. Before you know it the day is gone and we have no idea how it’s slipped past us. For years I’ve made a conscious effort to be mindful of this. I’m more successful at being present than ever before, but even still, I catch myself on autopilot more often than I’d like. It’s a hard habit to break… [Read more...]
Finding Resolve Within
March 29, 2010
It’s hard to end friendships but ultimately I believe actions speak louder than words. And it’s become essential to me to only pursue healthy relationships. When unsure I’ve learned to ask myself,
Does this friendship still serve me?
And if the answer is no, the friendship is over. I’m a busy gal and I deserve better. Talk is cheap. Show me the love… [Read more...]
Premature Romanticizing and the Wisdom of Jennifer Love Hewitt
March 23, 2010
So Jennifer Love Hewitt is a smart gal. I read an interview with her recently, and in between discussing her new book and being ‘bedazzled”, she spoke about the concept of romantic love. Ultimately, she suggested that it was fine to romanticize a relationship once in it, but not a wise idea to do so, right at the start.
I couldn’t agree more. [...]
Seeing the Light: Owning our Patterns
March 16, 2010
My girlfriend Sadie has been single as long as I’ve known her. She is beautiful, sweet, intelligent and successful. She actively dates and I hear the same stories over and over from her… He still hasn’t called. He called but he’s too busy to see her right now. He’s busy with work, so had to cancel again. It seems as though she is one of those women who can’t admit when a guy just isn’t that into her.
We all are blind in some way or another. And here’s the key to seeing the light: [...]
Looking for a Safe Place to Stand: Finding Peace in Impermanence
March 4, 2010
Recently I’ve been dealing with change; much of which is significant. The end of an old relationship, the beginning of new ones, my living situation, changing significant aspects of my career, etc… Often in my past, I’ve become overwhelmed with this amount of change. The feeling of wanting “a safe place to stand” would arise. I would feel desperate to find that safe place where I could rest my head in order to calm my fears. [...]