One Intention at a Time

My seven days of straight meditation and setting intention is now coming to a close. When I started this I was actually at a loss of power allowing my feelings take control of me. That morning I woke up early enough to see the sunrise changed my entire perspective. It helped me come back to my center and recognize what was important and inspired me to create my perspective each and every day. This past week has been so rich with experiences and my heart has been filled with love and joy that I feel I can spread to others. I feel like a butterfly that has emerged out of her cocoon. 

There was a time I thought that if I could just be and do all of the things I think make me a better person at the same time how perfect life could be. If only I could be Super Woman. What this experience has taught me is that just creating one intention and fulfilling it my life can be richer. Instead of trying to do everything all at once I picked an intention each day due to what came up for me in meditation. My intuition led the way perfectly. Focusing on one intention at a time and immersing myself in it made a world of difference.

Now, just because my week long experiment has concluded doesn't mean I am done.I will take this practice on in my life from now on but as far as this blog goes I am going to document new experiences as I move forward with more soul enriching experiments.

 Hmmmm... what will this look like? I don't know but I'm excited to see and share it with you!

Savoring Each Moment

A much needed sleep in session started my morning off. I slept until the very moment I had to leave the house. It felt good. However I could see that the state I was in yesterday could easily be repeated if I didn't give myself my "OM" time. So I quickly got a few things done and headed home.

Starving I started to make my lunch the moment I walked through the door. Tacos! Heated corn tortillas, black beans, onions, cheddar cheese, hot sauce and cilantro. Yum! I don't know about you, but I have a habit of watching TV when I eat. I also have the habit of eating fast as if it's a chore that I have to get done. As I approached the couch to turn the television on I paused as the imaginary light bulb above my head lit up and I heard my inner voice. "Savor you're meal". That's when I looked outside and ackowledged I have been graced with another beautiful fall day. I picked up my plate of scrumpteous tacos and my tall glass of water and stepped out onto my patio. I sat down and savored my meal.

What was that like you ask? Divine. I ate slowly. I could feel the soft tortilla on my lips as I bit into it. I could fully taste the burst of flavor of delicious beans and cheddar with the combination of the sweet tortilla, the tangy hot sauce and gentle bite of the sweet onion. I was hyper aware of every flavor and every texture my wonderful meal had to offer. As I took a sip of my tall glass of cold water I allowed myself to fully enjoy it's fresh simple flavor and  its cooling liquid substance. It was like my tongue was going for a dip in the pool on a hot summer day.

As I finished my lunch I took the time to reflect how this experience could carry on into the rest of my day. "Of course!" exclaimed my inner voice, "Savor each moment". I shut my eyes and felt the warm sun on my eyelids and listened to the soft chirping of the birds and insects in the trees.

I look forward to taking this intention with me to work as I continue to rehearse this afternoon and perform this evening. Savoring the moments I am learning, conversing with others, putting my makeup on and doing my hair. Savoring each moment I walk onto the stage or change a costume. Savoring my sweet husband's presence and his kiss. Today is going to be delicious.

Lessons

Yesterday as my day came to a close I felt filled with love, joy and appreciation for my daily gifts. When I originally set my intention for yesterday it was to be grateful and at peace but it quickly turned into "how many things can I be grateful for?", which turned into looking at everything that came into my day as a gift. I have to say it was an incredibly fun day to receive so many gifts! I couldn't help but giggle out loud. At one point one of my cast mates said, "What are you laughing at?" It was my special little secret at the time.

Maybe it was because my "being" was someone who is receiving gifts or maybe because people are kind or maybe because it was my pure intention to see the world that way but it seemed like people were more generous than usual. Looking at every moment as a shiny new present is quite an experience.

A few things I recieved:

*lunch prepared by my husband served on our outside patio
*all of the easiest harmonies in the music I have to learn for the show
*a part in a really cool duet in the show
*a courtesy call from my closest cousin sharing that by reading my blog she is inspired to set intentions for her days. 
*an invitation to a cast mate's birthday party
*a night out with my husband and friends

 Today I have to be honest I didn't get up early and give myself time to just be. I woke up starting my "to do" list right away. Cleaning, running errands and going to rehearsal. By the time rehearsal was over it was call time at the theater. I found myself easily frustrated and very challenged to create an intention while on the move. This was a fantastic lesson because I can clearly see how important it truly is to make that time for myself to just breathe and look within and set intention.

Today I felt my time was not honored by myself and by others. It is true of myself and therefore I projected it on to my view of the current events of my day. I allowed it to affect my mood, my words and my over all being. I was able to see this during a vent session to a couple of dear friends. They were a beautiful mirror for me to see my own reflection. I found myself apologizing for my passionate outburst of emotions. Of course, my friends were loving and understanding. That's when I realized I need to be the same with myself. Within seconds I was able to feel light again.

Today's lesson, always honor myself first so I can effectively give to others and if I slip forgive and move on. It makes for such a better day.
 

Daily Gifts

It's 9:30am and time for me to get up and start what looks to be a very long day ahead of me as I will head in to rehearsals for my show at 11am until 6pm then perform a show until 10pm. I know that I need to collect myself and get ready.

First collect myself... I throw on some sweats and grab my yoga mat and head out to my porch. The air is fresh and the birds are chirping. There is a light breeze that makes the leaves on the trees dance. I sit down crossed legged with my hands in my lap and close my eyes. Inhale. Exhale. This is my time and it's the most important part of my day. This is where I relax my body and listen to nature. I am calm. As I sit longer my mind starts to wander recollecting memories of yesterday and judging what it was like. Then I hear this beautiful sound like thousands of soft butterfly wings. It's the leaves dancing in the wind again. What a beautiful sound. It brings me back to the present moment of me sitting in what is. The sun is shining and the energy is calm but there my mind goes once again to everything that I need to do before I go to work and then continues to think about work. Inhale. Exhale. I recognize what I need to do and say thank you. I reassure myself that it will get done but not right now. Sitting still is what needs to be done right now. To help me with this I start imagining every thought (word or image) in a bubble. I recognize it then let it float away. This seems to work very well as if I am de-cluttering my mind one bubble at a time. Eventually there were no more bubbles. Just me on my porch listening to the leaves dance in the wind.

Sitting down to meditate has become the most important part of the day as it gets me to my center. I don't always sit for a long period of time. Sometimes it's five minutes, sometimes it's twenty. No matter how long, it's valuable. It also allows me to be with myself to know exactly what intention to set as well. I found myself peaceful and grateful during meditation and chose to continue this through out my day. Being at work all day can be tiring and sometimes being around the same people day in and day out with long hours can wear on peoples nerves. Of course it's not intentional but being tired and worked a lot can easily contribute to this. So I am going to be intentional.Today I am peaceful and I am grateful. Peaceful with everything as it is and grateful for all the gifts I have. I am blessed with an amazing job singing and dancing every night and I am surrounded with amazing talented people everyday. I have the most incredible husband who loves and supports me and I live on the beach. Most of all, I am grateful to be alive! Thank you life for the opportunity to sit still and listen to the leaves dance in the wind. I know that it truly is a gift.

Now as I continue my day look forward to what many other gifts this day has to offer....

Patience

Each morning I set an intention my day feels rich. Yesterday was day three. I set the intention and meditated that everything is perfect and so am I. How did this go? It started off perfect and comfortable. My husband and I set off for lunch to try something new. I had mentioned that soup in a bread bowl sounded perfect for the gloomy first day of fall. I had the perfect place in mind as I have been wanting to try it for quite sometime. We got there only to find that it was closed. No worries...Everything is perfect. We drove to South Myrtle Beach to explore new restaurants only to find a bunch of chains with fried bar food and over priced  menus because they are on the beach. We chose not to eat at any of them. By this time we were very hungry and slightly frustrated. That's when I reminded myself once again everything is perfect. I have to say,when I did this I couldn't help but laugh at how perfectly I was being challenged since my mind kept wanting to find something wrong.

Finally we gave up the search for something original and headed to a sandwich place near our home. Interesting enough they had soup in a bread bowl. By surrendering I ended up getting exactly what I wanted. It's amazing how many little lessons you can learn on a daily basis through the small things in life just by setting intentions and meditating on them. What a gift to be able to re-create each and every day!

I awoke gently this morning with the sun gleaming through my window. It was another gorgeous day! The air is fresh and crisp. It's as if the season itself knew exactly when it was we call it autumn. My husband plays soccer every Monday so we got dressed and headed out the door. We stopped to get an iced pumpkin spice latte on the way which always makes me feel cozy on a fresh fall day.

Since it was so beautiful out I wanted to sit next to the field and watch him do what he loves so much. I set out my yoga mat under a tree and sipped on my iced coffee. My heart filled with such love as I watched him run across the field handling the soccer ball with his feet effortlessly. To do this with such ease there must be hours upon hours of practice as with anything you want to become good at. This inspired me to study my Italian. I have a goal to be conversational with his family by January and I'm not even close. So, I got out my notebook and flash cards and got to studying. The combination of being outside, watching my love play soccer and studying something I enjoy allowed me to feel such peace and accomplishment. I took my time enjoying each moment.

Eventually I found myself getting frustrated when I would get the same words and phrases continuously wrong. Then I heard a little voice in my head as if talking to a child. "Patience".

I exhaled. Yes, patience that is my intention for the day it is what I will meditate on as well. I forget sometimes that I am learning and to be patient with myself. When I ran my marathon it took me 6 months to train. I didn't just wake up one day run a marathon and I can't just wake up one day and speak a foreign language either. As I sat there reflecting on patience I could see how many things in my life I struggle with due to my lack of patience. I am currently nursing my right foot back to health from an injury that progressively got worse since February. I have been mad at my foot for not healing faster and frustrated with the whole process. How can I expect to heal if I'm not even handling my spirit with care? Patience. I found these quotes that say it perfectly...

So, for now I just breathe and enjoy what is now. By the time Lorenzo was done playing his game I had surpassed my own expectations with little struggle. I memorized over one hundred words! As far as my foot goes I will take it one day at a time and stop focusing on a month from now and trust that by keeping a healthy attitude while I wait for it to heal will greater the result. 

Everything Is Perfect

As I opened my eyes to see the clock I was quite shocked to see it was almost noon.  I don't usually do this but yesterday I had 4 hours of sleep before I started my day at sunrise. I went through my day experiencing life as it came and had an amazing day with my husband. We went for breakfast, a bike ride, swimming, went to a party and finished the evening off with a show. I couldn't have asked for a better day and it was all due to setting my intention early that morning. Be in the moment and love freely and openly. Anytime my mind went in another direction I reminded myself of my intention and took the actions of only that intention. It made for a beautiful full day.

However life always balances itself out. My day yesterday was filled with wonderful activity on a lack of sleep and although I enjoyed each moment by the time I got home I couldn't keep my eyes open. The moment my head hit the pillow I fell into a deep sleep.

Today it's gray and windy outside, the energy is lethargic and my house is a mess. It's the perfect yin to my yang. Normally I would judge myself for sleeping half the day away and try to put everything in order but not today!

Today's meditation:

Everything is perfect just as it is and so am I...

Good Morning Sunshine

I have recently dove into my yoga philosophy studies and have been graced with the perfect teacher for me in this moment. I have been studying the yoga sutras and going deep inside myself with meditation.

At first what happens as I sit still is I struggle to just be. Be in the moment that is. My mind races to and from the past and the future. I create stories based off of my emotions or "what if" possibilities. I found myself to have a lot of stored anger which makes me uncomfortable so I start to judge myself for it. My fight or flight response has been activated and I want to get up and literally run away! Then I hear a bird in the distance... and Whoosh! I'm brought back to the present moment. There is nothing in the present moment that is threatening. I'm in a peaceful room with other yogis doing the same thing. There is no sound but the sounds of cars driving by and birds chirping in the trees. I can now smile in the moment as I realize that is all there is. Right here. Right now.The images of my memories and thoughts are not in reality.

This is a powerful realization I struggle to remember on a day to day basis as I get caught up in my feelings and judgements. I forget I have a choice in how I perceive each moment. I forget to note the blessings in my life. Meditation helps me do that but keeping the commitment to meditate each day seems to still be a struggle. Maybe because I avoid the uncomfortable feelings I have to face...

Last night I didn't sleep much as I tossed and turned feeling anxious about god knows what. At 6am I realized I was not going to fall back asleep. Then like a giddy little girl I realized I can watch the sunrise and I live a mile from the beach! I threw on my yoga pants a sweat shirt and a scarf, knotted my hair on top of my head, grabbed a towel off I went.

As I sat on the beach the tide was high and the energy was serene. The sun slowly peeked it's full round majesty above the water. There is something very magical to experience staring straight at the sun as it greets the day. I allowed myself to bath in its rays, shut my eyes and listen to the waves crash along the shore. The sound of water floating over the seashells was like a soft rain. This made me smile. I set my intention for the day to be present in each moment and love openly and freely.

Each moment I experienced had something rich for me feel, to enjoy and to learn from as long as I was present. Of course my mind wandered now and then but by allowing myself to bask in natures beauty it brought me back each time.

I was inspired today to do this each day. Meaning to find the beauty in each moment. To help me with this I will use my camera as a tool to look for it and capture it to share my daily meditations with you for the next week.

Watching the waves this beautiful morning I noticed I could observe the ones in the distance but it was the water in front of me that gave me such peace and joy as it softly glided onto the sand, across the seashells and onto my feet :)

When the Student is Ready the Teacher Will Come...

When the student is ready the teacher will come... I can't tell you how many times this has rang true for me but I can tell you it's a lot. I find myself a student once again with such gratitude.

Since moving to a new area I have been on the prowl for my new yoga community. However it wasn't until I was truly hungry for it did it show up.  About 2 months ago I chose to practice yoga every day to create intention for not only my health and my body's well being but for pure manifestation. I wanted to find the perfect studio for me with the perfect mentor for me, not knowing exactly what I wanted to learn but knowing I was ready to delve deeper into my practice once again with a guide. I started practicing with this intention in the forefront of my mind, about 4-5 days later I run into a woman wearing yoga clothes and a peace sign on her shirt. She intrigued me being the first of her kind I have seen since being here. I started asking her questions about wear she practiced and told her I had been manifesting my new yoga community. She was so generous with her information and excited for me to visit the studio she practiced at and loved so dearly. I knew with this kind of love this studio had to be right for me. I went a couple weeks later and immediately signed up for a month's package.

When I walked into the studio it immediately felt like home. It was so cozy and peaceful. The first two weeks I went everyday trying each class to see what I connected with. Each class being beautiful and rich with yoga philosophy I couldn't wait to learn more. When I took my yoga teacher training  we touched on this wisdom but my mentor then was a highly physical teacher (which was perfect for me then) so I didn't dive into it as much as I'd have liked. The classes at this new studio were much slower paced than I had been used to in the past so I found my mind racing and my ego wanting to do more. This is when I realized it was is exactly what I needed. I need to learn to slow down and get in touch. The teacher I connected with the most is the owner of the studio, a wife, a mother and a philosophy junkie so to speak :) I knew fairly quickly she was the one I had been manifesting to teach me and it had only been a few weeks from the time I started creating this  powerful intention.

When I approached her about this she was completely receptive, intrigued and excited for the opportunity. As a teacher myself I know the opportunity to teach or mentor another is also an opportunity to learn and grow as a teacher. As she guides me in my yoga philosophy studies and meditations I will be helping her with the studio. What a beautiful exchange!

She currently has me studying the yoga sutras. She has asked me to pick a few to work on directly in my life and report which ones I will be working on and share my challenges and what I have learned from them. We will meet every other week for discussion and lessons. What a gift! Thank you.

When the student is ready the teacher will come....

What knowledge are you hungry for? Remember teachers come in all forms...

Namaste

Stay tuned for my lessons with the yoga sutras...