Set Your Mind Free

    If the theme this week is all about play, today's yoga class was just right.  We played around with different ways to mobilize the joints, looking for freedom rather than rigid stability.  One key to looser muscles, however, lies right between your ears.  When the mind is free, so is the body.  This is the meditation with affirmations that I used to both begin and finish the class.

The Power of Play

    I love, love, love the Olympics.  How inspiring, how invigorating!  I take this weeks quote from the commentary on the men's volleyball match, USA vs. Serbia.

They just keep playing.

    At the time, they were talking about how to escape defeat.  The persistence that makes someone an Olympian.   If you keep playing with the quote, however, it yields so much more.  The past week I have been realizing (once again) that I take things way too seriously.  Out trot the colorful markers, the striped paperclips, the endless ways to add fun to what you are going to do anyway.  I need to just keep playing.

Dowsing for Dipsticks: or 5 Affirmations for Using Your Pendulum

      Dowsing can be so difficult.  You get the pendulum (or sticks or other implements of destruction).  You buy the book (or check out a million books from interlibrary loan).  Let's just say I was a very slow learner. Should you want to embrace my pain, here is a bit about my journey in a January blog post.  Rereading it, I don't think I expressed how absolutely abysmal I was.
     We had a great reiki share today, and dowsing was one of our focuses.   When we talked for a while about problems and hiccups in learning to dowse, it turns out that most of us had similar problems.  First of all, when we feel uncomfortable with something, we usually find a way to make it go away.  Almost everyone kept losing their pendulum.  Most people also expressed difficulty in setting aside the ego (or desire to have the answer expected be correct).  
     This being said, remember the first questions to ask when you dowse:

•  "Can I?" (is this dowse-able?)
•  "May I?" (do I have permission?)
•  "Should I?" (is this in my and my subject's highest and best good?).  It's 

  So, in true Law of Attraction and Louise Hay fashion, we turned them into affirmations.  Here are 5 affirmations to help you become more confident in your dowsing.

• I can always find my pendulum
• I clearly get the correct answer, easily and quickly.
• I dowse myself truly.
• My ego steps aside when I dowse.
• I am connected to my Higher Power.

   Write them on the bag you keep your pendulum or crystals in.  Put them somewhere you notice daily.  Make dowsing a part of your life.  These affirmations can ease your passage.  I wish I had known everyone else struggled at the beginning.

A Little Time Off

    I woke up this morning, had a great run, then turned into a crazy woman.

The dirty kitchen was unbearable, etc. etc. etc. Sorry, boys, I really took it out on you.  Eventually we worked it out through funny music, the icanhasacheezburger website and a bit of cleaning.  Later I wondered why I turned into such a beast, especially just after a run when I usually feel great.

      All this changing is hard work.  I know a belief is only an idea or thought that I accept to be true.  That last bit is the hard part.  It is hard to change what we accept.  I felt like this picture (really the cheezburger website is great!)

   It is a little strange in this metaphor that I am both the cat and the master, but there is energy work for you. When I am alone (without my teenage sons who always have the next funny website), I'll play happy music or use guided meditation.
    Here is my one of my favorite relaxing guided meditations, from Louise Hay's Love Yourself, Heal Your Life Workbook (Insight Guide)

Here’s an exercise you can do to help you let go and relax:

As you read this exercise, take a deep breath, and as you exhale, allow the tension to leave your body. Let your scalp, forehead, and face relax. Your head need not be tense in order for you to read. Let your tongue, throat, and shoulders relax, Let your back, abdomen, and pelvis relax. Let your breathing be at peace as you relax your legs and feet.

Can you feel a noticeable change in your body since you started reading the previous paragraph? In this relaxed, comfortable position, say to yourself:

“I am willing to let go. I release. I let go. I release all tension. I release all fear. I release all anger. I release all guilt. I release all sadness. I let go of old limitations. I let go, and I am at peace. I am at peace with myself. I am at peace with the process of life. I am safe.”

Go over this exercise two or three times. Repeat it whenever thoughts of difficulty come up. It takes a little practice for the routine to become a part of you. Once you’re familiar with this exercise, you can do it anywhere at any time. You will be able to relax complete in any situation.

This meditation relaxes and makes me feel powerful.  One last powerful cat picture.  I really do look amazing in the mirror.

Time to Take Another Step

(Author's note: Sorry about the gaps, I wrote this yesterday, but the power went out for hours.  Between power outages and router problems, God seems to be giving me a blogging break...)


        Yesterday I introduced the 7 steps to changing a belief.  The steps are on my website and downloadable from Google docs.  After admitting what is getting in the way of change, it is time to focus, step 2.  
       So often when we want to change, if someone asks what we want to change, the answer is "Everything!"  Though it sounds great, I think it is a bit hard on the system.  It is a bit like going from sitting on the couch one day to running a marathon the next.  To make the process effective, we need to focus.

2. Focus- What behavior/belief are really you trying to change?  Write every aspect down, then narrow the focus to the root behavior. Then go back and find your positive words. They are highlighted below.

• I want to use Facebook easily for my business. I have loved receiving the invitations to both business and family get-togethers. I like the connection to everyone.
• I enjoy looking at other's business pages.
• I tend to run in, post something and run out, usually missing both messages and alerts.
• Many days I forget to post to Facebook.
• Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out how to do things.
• I don't understand how to use many of the features.

       When I review the list, I see that most are not really technical problems.  If I can figure out how to blog, Facebook should be no problem.  It really seems to focus on squeamishness and the mind "forgetting" so I don't have to do something. Positive words I associate with this are: enjoy, easy, daily, love, connection.
        Now to put the positive into my life...

Synergy at its best

   Earlier today I talked to a friend who recommended this video to me.  I have always loved the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) because first you honor where you are today.  After watching the video tonight, I realized where my first step in changing a belief came from....
    I hope you enjoy.

7 Steps to Change a Belief

So often when we want to begin something new, or have persistent problems with something that should be easy, there is a belief standing in the way.  For example, to go to the Naval Academy, I had to overcome the societal belief that “girls don’t do that.”  To play the edge in yoga, we have to overcome the twin fears of falling and looking foolish in class when we do fall.

When I am ready to make a change, usually in exasperation, throwing my inner hands up at myself, I have a system.  I look at myself as a client and do the 7 steps to changing a belief.  I began the process last week on a persistent issue.  In this blog, I’ll take you through the steps with myself as an example and I will post my worksheet on nkyreiki.com.  I’m taking a deep breath, crossing my fingers and diving in…

    People who know me well may be a bit surprised, but though I love a good party (and, Lord knows, am always the last one to leave) being social has always been challenging to me.  I have a hard time recognizing faces and tend to worry about saying the wrong thing.  One would think that social media would be my thing.  That one would be wrong.

    I'll never forget signing into Facebook.  I loaded up a bunch of pictures, sent out a few friend requests, then commenced to wait.  After about two weeks, things began to trickle in. One week after that they began to flood!  Turns out there is a lot of data in social media. Like a mouse from a cat I turned tail and ran for the hills.  

     In January I made my first New Year's resolution ever.  2012 is the year I learn how to communicate.  I began a blog, put together a new website (after several abortive attempts), got my web literate friends to help me with Linkedin and Facebook.  

    The only place where I still flounder is social media.  I need a plan.  If many other people can do this, I can learn as well.  When I spent some time turning it over in my mind, I realized I don't believe that I can to this. Time for step one.

1. Embrace beginner's mind- If this is something that is important enough to change you probably have some negative emotions around it.  It is time to let these go.  This could even be the first item on your checklist. List all your negatives, but don’t take them personally. Be gentle!( Most of us begin with “I’ve done this before and failed!”)
• I am afraid to fail, again.
• I am afraid of soooooo much data, what if I miss something important
• I feel the need to “answer the phone,” responding to everything- so end up responding to nothing.
• Negative posts, even about politics, bother me.
• I am afraid of exposure and openness, maybe someone will be mean
• I don’t know how to do lots of this stuff…
• I am afraid of judgement.

     When I reread what I wrote, no wonder I was having such a difficult time with all of this.  What a mess of fear.  Definitely something I want to change, even if I never use social media again.

   Naming my fears makes them smaller (even a bit ridiculous- none of these are a matter of life or death) and lets us enter beginners mind…On to step 2…

See the World a Whole New Way

    This week's quote about serenity really got me thinking.  As will be no surprise,  I had to research the author.  I had never heard of Thomas Szasz before yesterday.
    He is a psychiatrist and academic.  The thing that struck me the most was his questioning of the current order, turning the world upside down to see if it works better that way.  I knew right away the video I wanted to make!  Learning to look at the world upside down by learning handstand in a doorway was made for this week.
    The downside is I don't have a doorway in my house that I could film it in.  Either the sight line was bad or the light insufficient.  Here is an offering from Yoga Vidya.

     I find that the most important thing is to be careful getting your head and upper back into place before walking the feet up the doorway.  Go into it slowly and allow your arm strength to develop before going all the way up.
   As I've mentioned in class, handstand is accessible.  This is the method my mom used to learn handstand the year she turned 70.  Just be patient and persistent.  Look at the world a whole new way.

  This morning, as I was trotting around the neighborhood, I was contemplating my quote for the week.  I knew I wanted something about serenity.  Last year I realized that serenity for me is very different from what most people think.  Though the image is usually meditation in a peaceful garden, mine is quite a bit louder.  There is quite a bit of joy and and a thread of laughter in my personal serenity. 

   The dictionary definition is "The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled: "an oasis of serenity"." (google's definition).   This definition definition definitely has room for joy.  As I crested the first major hill (our neighborhood has only two directions, up or down), I was thinking about the time for serenity.  Tho only answer is now, amidst whatever is going on in life.  

     So often we get caught up in the "I'll be happy when..." syndrome.  Fill in the ellipsis with whatever your current phrase is; when I loose 20 pounds, when the kids are out of the house, whey we have kids, when I have money, whatever.  

    I may never run the 5k of my dreams, but my legs are working a lot better than they were when I began the couch to 5k program on April 30th.  I realized that I had found my serenity in this moment.  It reminded me of this picture I took in 2007.  It's still my neighborhood.  I still got pretty wet that day.  The bush in the foreground still needs to be trimmed.  Wouldn't you rather look at the rainbow?  
    What we look out on determines our outlook.  After I got home from today's run,I found the quote to capture my feeling...

"Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is."

-Thomas Szasz

     (I can't seem to fix the font and size, I think we should call it a feature rather than a flaw) I'm trying something new.  Each week I print my quote and post it on my wall to organize my week.  I've posted it on Google docs.  Click here to open, then Control S to download, or open then click on file and then download in the drop down menu.  Hopefully this will be easier next time... Blessings and have a great week.

I'm Finished!

   Since I have had so many computer problems this week, I decided to go offline for a while.  What a great decision, because I finished the World's Ugliest Quilt today.
    I have been remaking this quilt for a friend since last June.  Turns out the quilt also remade me.  Here it is on day one. (Lesson 1: There is value in everything, not just the pretty things.)

     Note the lovely turquoise with baby clothes across the middle, the orange at the top and the teal on the bottom.  What was not clear from the photo is that every patch was a different size, the yarn that tied the quilt made permanent holes in the fabric and the quilt was so heavy it deformed all of the fabrics.
    My first step was to take it apart.  The seam ripper and I became best friends.  (Lesson 2:  Break it all down into small pieces to see the root of the problem.) Here is the stack of fabric that once was the world's ugliest quilt.

    Hard to believe that a larger than queen sized quilt could be reduced to that small stack.  The next step was sorting and reinforcing.  The fabrics were so old that they needed some help to stand up to being used again and some were beyond hope. (Lesson 3: First reinforce the positive.)  After re-cutting to size, I began to get a feel for what would look good together.  It was not like my normal quilt where I could just discard what would not fit.  These were pieces of my friend's life.

   These are the first eight 9-patch blocks that I made.  Little did I know that this was the easy part, the ones that just looked right.  The second eight had the purple woolen plaid and the green velvet and, did I mention, all the orange t-shirts. I put them away for a whole month before I could figure out what to do.  (Lesson 4:  Space really does give perspective on a problem.)  Turns out those odd ones are some of my favorite blocks.  Here are a few.

     Note, fabrics from every decade, 70's to 2010's.  
     Then we got to the arranging of the blocks.  Yes, we.  I couldn't do it alone.  Almost every member of my family, brother, sister, but most of all husband and sons, have their fingerprints all over the arrangement. It  moved around the house to any area that would accommodate it.  How to get the energy to flow through this very different quilt?  Here it is in final form on the living room floor.

   Isn't it funny how well it goes with our couch?  Once I had it laid out like this I realized that a lot of my problems over the year had been because these are not my colors.  They work well for both my husband and one of our sons.  This was why they could be so helpful.  (Lesson 5: Consult an expert.)
   When I got here, I thought my problems were finished.  I was home free. I have finished many quilts, this should be easy. Not.
   It is the heaviest thing I have ever worked on and the fabrics did not feed through the machine like I expected.  I thought that June 1st would be my finish date, and here it is July. (Lesson 6:  (Seriously, I'm not done yet, lesson 6?) Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.)   The good news is, with perseverance, it is finished.

  Now I just wish I knew how to take a better picture... (see lesson 5)  Here are a few last pictures.  I can't seem to get them in a line (see lesson 5, again).  I leave you with great jubilation, I finished!

A Clown Car Kind of Day

    According to Car and Driver, one of the most requested clown gag ever is the Clown Car.  I think people want it because it reminds them of daily life.  The new VW Beetle can hold 27 clowns!
    This was today.  It started with a simple email. To send it I needed to write supporting documents.  To make the documents I had to translate deep science to an approachable website. To do that I had to... You get the picture.

    What will make you laugh is how I get all the clowns in the car, particularly if you have ever been to my house.  I have never loved a perfectly clean house.  I prefer a bit of disorder and laughter.  However, when I try to structure something new, or move a lot of energy, I clean house.  While preparing for my last Reiki I and II class, I couldn’t stop.  I gave away 7 big bags of fabric to the church (wait, there was enough to fill 7 bags, and have some left over?! Unfortunately, yes…).

    Today it was the kitchen and (who knew) my hair!  The house is self explanatory; a clean space is easier to think in.  I find that working anywhere translates into the whole house.  The hair was something else again.

    For the last few months, I’ve been tossing the idea around.  When I would look in the mirror, it didn’t look like what I felt like inside.  Could I feng shui my head?  Wakenna at Cloud 9 was up to the job.  My hands shook, I practiced deep breathing, she cut most of my hair off.  Here’s hoping it worked.  My favorite part of this hair cut was that it gave me a neck.  Who knew?

   After I arrived home wearing the new look, the  first response was “what happened to your hair?”  quickly followed by “Our internet is out.”  I am writing this offline in hopes to post someday.  The good news is, I finished the email and got the new content on the website.  Both are first ventures, but both are up.  Hope this is posted sometime soon. 

    In the mean time, I am loving the cool temperatures and the well watered ground. Peace to you all as well.

i

       I have been having computer problems, including but not limited to thunderstorms, power outages, problem new computer programs, etc, etc, etc.  Though I am grateful for the rain that came with the storms, but have not yet recovered the lost files.  So rather than some deep thoughts about reiki from the last two days,  I'd love to share our trip to Chicago in pictures.

     Driving to Chicago is all about hope in the future.  Each time I drive up, the wind farm pictured above is bigger.  I love the idea that people are willing to invest (big time) in renewable energy.  We have a long way to go to perfect solar, wind and water power, but it will never happen if people were not willing to build this.
      Just walking around Chicago it is easy to see how important architecture and public art is.  This time was my first visit to Millenium Park and it reinforced that idea.  From blocks away I began to hear a familiar noise.  It did not fit with the city so it was hard to figure out.  As I searched my memory, I got a picture of our youngest son playing soccer by a small wetland.  Ah- that is the mating call of a red winged blackbird.  In the midst of the city, here was a bit of wilderness.

       Since it was in this beautiful city, the wilderness had roots in a great building, the old Stock Exchange.

        Though I chased the bunnies and black birds, alas there are no pictures.  We walked the park and city until our legs were about to fall off.  When we were about to perish (yes, it is a bit dramatic), we came upon Pizzaria Uno.  Wouldn't it be fun to go to the original?  The waiting line was more than an hour and a half.  Here is where we went instead. It is just down the block.

      Seriously, who knew?!?  We cracked jokes about not being good enough and people making money off of others great ideas to no end.  Turns out, the same guy opened Pizzaria Due (Due= 2 in Italian), after he could not seat all of the people who wanted to eat at Uno's.  Same experience, no wait.

   This is the ceiling at the Macy's in downtown Chicago.  The Macy's!  When are they going to do this at the Florence Mall. "The grandiose ceiling, which was installed in 1907, contains over 1.6 million pieces and is the largest unbroken example of Tiffany Favrile glass in the world."  Straight from the Chicago Macy's website.
    One last proof that I am a country bumpkin.  Here is a picture of the very first Lamborghini I have ever seen.

       Do you remember we started this week with a quote? "Gutta cavat lapidem" (Drops of water hollow out a stone).  Having it hanging on the wall as I play computer catch up has been a life saver.  Not only does it remind me that each step is progress, but also the problem  can be beautiful as well.  My first service call began with Julie (the lady at the other end of the line) saying "How can I make this call good for you today?" Of course, I told her to smile at me and it just got better from there.  We laughed, chatted and fixed my problems.  The life is in the journey, not the destination.

Vriksasana: Give Your Tree Solid Ground

     Today's practice focused on relaxing the hips and thighs by finding proper alignment.  Though we tried all types of fun things, here is the one that translated to video best.  And, for all of you afraid of falling,  I fell at least 3 times in the video.  My gift.

From Rain to Miracle

     In January, as my high school son helped me format my blog, he said "Each day should be unique, visitors like to know what to expect."  Like throwing darts at a dartboard and hoping they land well, I chose to make Monday, quote day.  Since I chose the name Peaceful Spirit in 2008, I have been collecting quotes about peace or sayings that make me feel peaceful.
    Though I began on a whim, I have discovered that one idea is a great way to organize a week.  One idea gives both a filter and a reflective surface.  When I get overwhelmed (or honestly, underwhelmed) by life,  an organizing idea can filter out the less important things (hey you, stop obsessing over the spots on the walls when you haven't meditated for the day).
   It also works like a mirror, helping me reflect upon life's happenings (so... why are the spots on the walls so important, are you avoiding something, or do you feel like the house's ageing is reflecting your ageing, or, are they just spots?)
    Here is my organizing idea for the week.  It comes from the book The Wit and Wisdom of Good Pope John by Henri Fesquet.  Sorry there is no link to amazon to purchase the book.  It was published in 1965 and the cheapest price I could find is $24.  Get it by inter-library loan instead. From the chapter "Favorite Maxims"

"Gutta cavat lapidem" (Drops of water hollow out a stone)

       In other words, persistence wins out.  When I wrote my first post about the pace of progress, it was in response to clients and friends who feel that they have done so much energy work and are still incomplete.  At the time I was pretty sure that my first book would be a series of reflections on progress because I actually wrote 8 options using different metaphors describing the pace of progress.  Maybe I need to write another using the drops of water or more scientifically speaking, erosion.
           Nature is full of examples of erosion.  Sky Bridge at Red River Gorge in Kentucky is one of my favorites.

      This bridge is accessible, both physically and fiscally.  The entire loop is about a quarter of a mile, the top of the arch is paved for wheelchairs, and best of all it is completely free! 
      Sky Bridge reminds us that a simple  drop of water, a simple prayer each day, a little bit of reiki focused on one problem, over time creates a miracle.

Kentucky in the Summer

     I had several lofty thoughts prepared, but as usual, am side tracked by my body... I just love to eat.  Here is the reason to live in Kentucky in the summer.

All this bounty from the farmer's market for only $10 (there was more, but I ate some on the way home...).  All locally grown, from people I have known for years (and a few new friends).  I can't think of a better thing to socialize over.  Be Blessed!

Blessed Sleep; or, Sleeping Well, but Not In

    Yesterday's post talked about my new holographic connector device.  This can be used to entrain water or jewelry to affirmations or positive energies, just like the fashionable power/balance wrist bands. As usual, I was the skeptic.  After last night there was no question in my mind.
   I began from the comfort point of view.  If I was going to sleep in this bracelet, it had better be comfortable. Shopping extensively (at Walmart...), I found stretch lace made for wedding headbands. I cut a length that would fit around my wrist and made a bracelet that would be comfortable to sleep in.

    Definitely not a fashion statement, but I don't want to encourage sleepiness in public either.  Last night I went to bed more than an hour earlier than usual and slept deeply.  The unintended consequence was a very early morning.  I trained the bracelet to "I go to bed on time.  I sleep deeply and awake refreshed."
     Though I tried hard to sleep in, I just couldn't. I awoke refreshed.  I tried to sleep in, in bed. I tried to sleep in on the couch. (This almost sounds like Dr. Suess) It just wouldn't take.  Drinking coffee on the porch with Joy as the birds woke up was mighty nice.  The run that followed was pretty good as well.
    Here I am.  It's only 8:30 and I'm ready for bed.  What's a decadent capitalist to do?  Hope this sticks, of course.  I want every day to feel magical and a good night's sleep is a great foundation.
    On the Fourth of July, after the great parade, my sister in law, brother, kids and I walked around Northside.  After several hours at the children's festival and wandering, we ended up in the air conditioning.  I'm not sure of the bar, but it had an attached deli, so we had food, beer and a/c.  The world does not get much better.

     Our table had some residue from former tenants; beer glasses, a plate, and a pile of fabric.  That fabric turned out to be butterfly wings.    
      My nephew, all of three years old, was ecstatic.  I remember the feeling. Out of the dress up box I would make waist length (or longer) hair, cathedral length trains, beautiful ball gowns.  It is a feeling I long to recreate. Maybe with a bit more sleep....

More than I paid for!

    For years I have been taking herbal and homeopathic remedies.  At first I was solidly in the "Yeah, right" category.   Since nothing else helped and they were recommended by a trusted friend, I continued.  I gathered data that pointed to success, moving me to "Yeah, right!"  Since I firmly believe in the power of the mind, this could be the placebo effect.
     When my cat's began experiencing health problems, their results really changed my mind.  It began the summer I bought the pottery fountain. It had a large reservoir in the back with an opening that easily accommodated a cat head.  Joy and Lucy loved to drink from it.

     Both of them began to act strangely.  Not only were their bathroom habits different, but also sleeping and personality.  We tried air diffusers with calming scents and diets recommended by the vet.  Nothing worked. So I took the saliva sample and a picture to my reiki master, JoAnn.  She recommended several courses of homeopathics and vibropathics for heavy metal toxicity.
     Not only did the cats not know what they were being given, they fought receiving it tooth and nail.  Only someone who has given a cat medicine knows what this truly means.

      So I gave the cats the vibropathics that they resisted immensely, but their behavior began to change.  Slowly they returned to the normal, curmudgeonly Lucy and the normal, playful Joy.  The only thing that changed was the remedies.  This was definitely out of the placebo territory.
       A week ago I purchased a Nu|vision computer program to dowse and send remedies to my family.  What I did not realize was that it comes with a silver box called a Holographic Connector device.  This allows me to create homeopathics or imprint water and other substances with homeopathics and affirmations.  Now all of the things I purchased to help the cats, I can make at home.  Not only that, I can create wristbands like the power/balance band.  The first one I made was to help me go to sleep on time and awake refreshed.  Though I hate to admit it, it is 10:05 and I am so ready for bed.  Hope it works this well tomorrow.

Very Genki Indeed or How to Live Your Values

        Very often I get caught up in the drudgery of doing, rather than the joy of being.  I have all these things to accomplish sometimes I forget that there is more than one way to do things.  A few years ago I heard a lecture by Dr John Demartini.  He gave a 10 question values determination that changed my life.  These are not the overarching principles of your life, more the values that set your course each day.

         I have always loved to teach, but used to be a bit more like the strict nun we all loved to hate rather than the fun teacher.  The first time I completed the values determination, having fun was my fourth most important value.  Now my classes are more light-hearted, full of laughter and movement.  This cartoon http://reikimarketing.com/ captures the flavor.  I love the look on the middle woman's face.   Five years ago, that was me....

        Another interesting thing I learned was that any human interaction fills my social needs.  It is great because I can derive great pleasure from just talking to the check out clerk and bagger at the grocery store (you know who you are...).  It is not so great because I tend to neglect my family and friends.  When I figured this out, I could make a few remedies, be more conscious in my interactions.  My calendar is now full of scheduled time with friends and family, because we all know I am the least likely person to pick up the phone just to say hi.  Now I need to figure out how to translate this to social media (sorry Facebook friends...)
       My Japanese tutoring students have tried for years to explain the word, genki.   The English translations range from healthy to energetic to lively.  The best description I ever heard was the feeling a dog expresses as he sticks his head out the window with ears streaming back in the wind.  May living your values make you very genki.

Reiki: From Dull to Dazzling

       You know how there are days you spend waiting?  Sometimes it is for the repairman, the call from the doctor or news about a new job.  Today was one of those days, and unfortunately I'm still waiting.  In this waiting I was given a great opportunity.
      The day felt just like this picture we took on a lovely winters drive to regionals.

It was a grey winter's day, over cast, and a bit snowy.  The road stretches out in front of me, but I can't see the end, though I can see the other drivers trusting the road to still be there.  I felt a little lost, lonely and unsure, but friends came to the rescue.

      I received several emails  from friends asking for reiki. It couldn't have come at a better time.  If someone were to ask me for a one word translation for reiki, for me, it is joy.  Joy feels good. it radiates in spirals and in spikes.  It expands in balloons.  If the above picture is my mind on waiting, this is my mind on reiki.

       This picture was taken at a Chilhuly exhibit in Columbus, Ohio in 2010.   So much of his work is expansive (or explosive).  This is the feeling that reiki gives.  Yesterday I found a website called Vibrant Reiki.  The name of the company, the pictures on the website, all capture the feeling of reiki.  Who couldn't use a bit more of that in their lives.

Beginner's Mind

        Today's yoga class was wonderful!  There were 4 new students, two of them who had never attended a yoga class and one who spoke English as a second language.  As a teacher, a class this diverse absolutely focuses you  (or sends you into a blind panic).  How to engage both the new students and those who have studied for years?  It sounds like time to cultivate beginner's mind.

       Shoshin (初心) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning "beginner's mind". It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would.- Wikipedia

       This attitude of eagerness is everything we work so hard to let go of as children.  We want to be knowledgeable, deft, adept, in command.  Beginners mind requires forgetting what we know, letting go of the past, and being willing to fall down in the attempt to try something new.
        Mountain pose, or tadasana, was where we began.  My challenge was to make just standing up brand new.  The best thing is just living life helps me with that one.  Emotions, both good and bad, leave impressions on the body.  Worrying about a son down in college can make the shoulders and rib cage tight.  This means that each week we bring a different body to class even though the same feet walk us in.  Today my neck hurts from worry, next week my arms ache from gardening.  This makes each mountain pose a revelation.
       We begin to stand before our first birthday.  I learned to stand at attention in 1984, when I joined the Navy.  I learned to stand with attention in 1998 at my first yoga class.  After standing for 44 years, still I learn new things.
        Tonight at dinner I was given another example of beginners mind.  My husband had been working on a project for a while.  Most of the components are in place, but they were in two different computer programs that did not talk to one another.  He had so many "not possibles" in his recent past that he couldn't find a work around.
        A work colleague came over to talk about something completely different, but ended up solving the problem with existing resources.  He was both grateful and irritated (you know how it is).
       I'll leave you with my favorite story of beginner's mind.  When my husband as a very young child, his mother let him out in the back yard to play.  The yard was fenced in with the gate securely latched.  Since he couldn't figure out  the gate, he simply unscrewed the hinges.  His parents found him, hours later, happily playing in the creek.  Now that's beginner's mind.

Start Your Week by Being

           On Sunday, as I was helping my son pack to return to camp, he asked me if I could write up a few things to do with the campers to create a community and (hopefully) use that sense of community to encourage both better behavior and more fun.  Over the years I have done a lot of substitute teaching, working with the children at church and have taught yoga at daycare.  This means I have a lot of resources for community building games that are fun, but don't require any "stuff," just a sense of adventure and a bit of leadership.  One of the things I pulled out was my Yoga Pretzels (Yoga Cards).  This has been a lifesaver on many occasions. The authors and I have very similar styles, mixing education with fun and down right silliness.
           Taking some ideas from the cards and others from experience, I wrote up a one page team building blueprint.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I was both happy and sad that I wouldn't be the one doing these things.  When I returned from dropping him off at camp and began to clean up, this is what I found on the bottom of one of the yoga cards.

"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."

                                        - Joseph Campbell
           I can't imagine a better way to organize my week.  Concentrate a bit more on being and a bit less on doing.
 


     A little addendum....  I wrote this post just before my run, but waited to publish so that I could review it.  While I was running (or to an outside observer, staggering), I had an experience that I have not had since leaving Italy in 1996.
           One thing I loved about living in Europe is that European men have a way of letting you know that you are appreciated as a woman without being threatening or suggestive.  It was a nice feeling.  There was this one Greek waiter in Pippo Pappo's restaurant in Aci Trezza, Sicily who flirted outrageously with me the entire time I was pregnant with my first son.
          Back to today, I ran by some men who were fixing the sidewalk. One of them, without ever taking his eyes off my face, let me know that I was a beautiful woman.  For a short, rounded, 45 year old woman, it was unexpected and oh-so-nice.  It takes so little to make someone's day, I hope to pass the gift on to everyone I meet (the feeling, not the noticing them as a woman, I'll leave that one to the guys...).                          

Back to Reality

      Have you ever caught yourself being a bit pretentious?  Maybe taking yourself a bit too seriously?  I was totally caught this morning at church.
      Our readings today were all about prophets having a hard time, culminating with Jesus saying "A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child." (Mark 6:4, The Message)  Needless to say, I don't consider myself a prophet, but reiki is not quite hit the mainstream here in Kentucky.  I was feeling Jesus' pain and composing this blog post during mass.  
      Fortunately for us all, I have gotten over my delusions of grandeur.  Also good for me since no one has tried to crucify me today.  Instead I offer you a little rake-ey cartoon...

The Power of Music

      I have been asked a lot of questions recently about house clearing.  How to do it, how often it is necessary, and why to do it in the first place.  Today I had an experience that answered all those questions in one fell swoop.
      One son is working as a camp counselor this summer.  This week his cabin was the perfect storm.  The mix of personalities was explosive.  The kids fought with each other and did their best to ignore the counselors all week.  They would rather complain than fix the problems.  We've all been there, sometimes in the leadership role and sometimes (that we'd rather not admit to) in the role of the irritating child.  It was one of those times that a parent says, what a valuable learning experience, so glad I was not there.
      As soon as the car doors closed, full of dirty laundry and enraged counselor, the venting began.  It went on and on and on.  I wanted to let him go on till it was all out.  Each camper and experience was described in exquisite detail.  When he was finished we moved onto our day.  I went upstairs to finish quilting the remake of the World's Ugliest Quilt.  As I sat down, it came to me that my son really enjoys music, choosing tunes to make us feel better.  So I grabbed my iPod and gave it to him.
     Pretty soon great songs were wafting up the stairs.  He played "Bite My Tongue,"  "Tambourine Man," and "Waiting Around to Die" among others.  By the end, he was in a great mood.  It was quite a transformation.
     Later in the day, I thought to check the house.  Did it need to be cleared?  There had been a lot of negativity going on.  The neat thing was, his work to transform his mood had also transformed the energy of the house. It didn't need any work.
     We constantly give off energy.  Any kind of positive energy can clear out negativity.  Sing, ring a bell, clap your hands, dance, move the furniture, or fill the place with reiki.  All of these can transform the energy in the house and how it is expressed in your life.

Beat the Heat

           Here in Kentucky it is so hot our fillings are melting, and that's with A/C.  The NOAA's National Climactic Data Center over 4,000 daily heat records have been broken in the last 30 days.   My first duty station in the Navy was the Philippines, where we would put on long sleeved shirts if the temperature dropped into the 80's.  How to find that place again?
            This morning I took a challenging yoga class, had lunch with my mom, did a little yard work and saw clients in the afternoon.  A really fulfilling day on the surface., but by 5:15 I was strung out, tired and almost weepy.  When I dowsed for the problem, what came up was these feelings were from the heat.  I started right where I always do, finding a few things to be grateful for.  When I had exhausted the list of the people I saw today and their gifts to me, it still felt a bit incomplete.  Then I remembered, on the way into Shine, the Hyde Park yoga studio where I have studied for the last seven or eight years, I found a copy of the most recent issue of Whole Living Journal.
              On the cover, there it was, "Are you a perfectionist? sometimes "good enough" is enough," the lead in to my first ever article! Not am I only grateful for the lessons the world's ugliest quilt taught me, but now I am grateful because it got me published!  Maybe this heat is not so bad...
               I moved on to a bit of energy work.  I really love using reiki for fatigue, just place your hands on your legs and send the power symbol.  After a few minutes, getting up and walking around the room doesn't seem so impossible.  It was time to move up to distance healing.
               When I first learned distance healing in Reiki level II, I used a teddy bear.  The stones and other tools kept sliding off, so I moved onto a pillow.  That still was not great, so I decided to make something beautiful that I would enjoy looking at and using.

          I used the red through purple to symbolize the chakras, making it easier to imagine the person I was working on laying there in front of me.  On it you see several BioGenesis tools and a card to symbolize the Holy Spirit.  This is the layout that I used today to restore freshness to my body and spirit.  It is such a help to be able to "set and forget."  These tools keep working as I make dinner and write up a blog post.
         There are so many tools in the energetic toolbox, we just need to remember them in the heat.

Let Your Freak Flag Fly! or, following divine guidance

        There we were with thousands of our closest friends, sweltering in the heat of July, waiting for the Northside Fourth of July Parade.  It was so worth it!  Anyone who has a cause, a band, or would like to advertise may join the parade.  We saw politicians and those who demonstrate against them.  We saw marching bands and drill teams (even the men's drill team that uses power drills and does routines).  There were the lawnchair ladies, unicyclists and belly dancers.  The thing that really caught my attention, though, was this...

        Fly your own freak flag.  I remember the first time a friend said this to me.  What great permission for an uptight, former naval officer, Catholic girl. I was so tightly wrapped, nothing good could get out.  But I firmly believe that God gave us all gifts, we need to find ways to use them.  Which meant it was time for a change.  After finding reiki, the adventure began.  I found my journey mirrored by some of the pictures I took yesterday.
        As an energy healer in Northern Kentucky, sometimes I feel like this guy...

     He is a fire eater, using his talents, even though it is very, very hot.  Each baton is balanced carefully, he has all the right tools, he is focused.  Everyone who sees him marvels both at his ability and at his craziness.  In those times I just keep waking up, doing what I do and looking for what in me makes life so uncomfortable.  For this fine fellow, I would recommend a change of clothes and a change of venue, like some air conditioning.  For me it is usually something similar.  I feel the emotional heat when I am trying to explain what I do to someone who has asked, but is not really interested in the answer.  They are asking the question to point out how wrong I am.  The best part is, a change of venue (i.e. walking away) can fix this as well.
     Sometimes I feel like this guy...

      Here he is, riding a unicycle and not one person is noticing him!  When I feel like a performer who is ignored, it is time to look inside.  Do I want privacy and rest, so no clients call?  Do I have a belief in failure? Am I resisting people paying me for my services?  That last one is an old foe.  We have jousted many times. He grows weaker while I grow stronger.
      More and more often, fortunately, I feel like these guys...

   ...grooving to the energy that moves through me to my clients, at one with the forces around me, making cool jazz, not noticing the people watching.  Not a bad place to be.  I'll leave you with one last picture to capture the feeling of letting your freak flag fly.  This is my nephew, covered in sweat and dirt, sitting among the family he loves, totally engaged in the spectacle that is life.

Happy 4th of July!

        Happy Fourth! I wish for you much fun, beer and sunburn.  Isn't that what celebrating the fourth feels like?  I'd love to hear about what it feels like to you, just click on the comment below and fill me in.

        The Biogenesis Masters Conference is going on each night from 9-10pm.  Though the hour feels wrong (it is being delivered from Hawaii, here is a picture above), the information and techniques are great.  One of the phrases we were meditating on is "Movement is by means of attraction."  After hanging up from the conference, this just kept resonating in my mind, setting off scores of thoughts.
         The Law of Attraction is a very popular idea, but why is it that so many adherents are so unhappy and unsuccessful?  As Abraham says "Where's my stuff?"  It makes me both laugh and say "Yeah, where is it?" at the same time.  I'm a positive person, right?  Well, maybe not in all areas.  As I talked about last Wednesday, somewhere deep inside I was unwilling to change.
         If you think about it in yoga terms, when most of us forward bend, we actually stick our stomachs out on the way down.  The protruding belly gets in the way of that forward motion.  Coming up halfway, drawing the belly in, then continuing down gives a much fuller expression of the forward bend.
        Better yet, the settlers gave up hearth and home to move to the colonies that became the United States.  The Founding Fathers gave up familiar political institutions to create the Constitution of the United States, a document I swore to support and defend nearly two hundred years later when I joined the Navy.  If movement is by means of attraction, what do you need to give up to attract the desired movement?  The joy is in the discovery.

Celebrate in Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana

     Celebration is not what one normally associates with sitting forward bends.  They are more in line with procrastination and outright avoidance.  I have been part of this movement (or lack of movement) for many years. However, things are beginning to change.
      When I thought about the Fourth of July, the word that comes to mind is celebration.  But how to find celebration in yoga?  Rather than a vigorous, crazy practice, I decided to focus on the feeling that arises after the pose.  After this forward bend, the energy rises through the body, leaving a feeling of effervescence, sometimes even fireworks.  Enjoy. (By the way, Joy the cat joined in again...)

When Good Really is Enough

        This morning I ran week 6, day 3 of the couch to 5K program again.  I love the app because it gives you directions out loud, but so far it has not fixed my confidence problem.  Though I have been working the program for about 9 weeks, but running 20 minutes straight (week 7, day 1) has not happened yet.  I'm pretty sure Wednesday will be my day (today was pretty good), but I was not happy with myself.

        I'm out running and this is what I see...  Wow.  I was beginning to see that the win was just getting out the door. Not 200 yards further, I was treated to a beautiful sycamore and her twin.

I love their beauty and strength.  Like an old married couple they are both shaped and strengthened by their partner.  Just being there was good enough.