Hope everyone out there had a happy and safe Halloween. This is my second newsletter, yay! |
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A casual Sunday gathering developed into a deep conversation with a friend that got me thinking, he mentioned the stars in the sky as a metaphor, there's no dimmer setting, they just shine. He was talking about myself and how he senses I dim my light for the sake of others, and that it is time to stop. There was so much value in these statements, and what he sensed wasn't wrong. In yoga practice we talk about focusing less on doing, and just being, but HOW? With this human monkey mind we all have, thoughts are constantly bouncing around our skulls and a lot of this is patterned, almost hypnotic. How do you master this? I told my friend about Ram Dass having a similar concept of the 'star' illustration by turning people into trees. "When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You appreciate it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree." |
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I cannot help but ask the question, what if the tree is in the way? Don't we cut it down? Perhaps the star metaphor is more accurate, since you cannot physically remove a star, they just eventually burn out. This may just be more like a Zen koan than I initially thought. Do I start making changes? How do I stop dulling my sparkle? Am I over-thinking this? Breaking free of old patterns works with me by starting small, creating a positive ripple effect. |
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*kōan noun :a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment by Merriam-Webster |
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and zen I'll do it later... |
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I used to be messy and unorganized procrastinator in my 20's. Accepting that I felt comfort and familiarity with the chaos as an excuse to check out, to not grow up. I couldn't be held accountable for much, because I could hardly take care of things myself. Making my bed everyday was the first step, next came caring for a low maintenance house plant. |
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After breaking free of a lot of old patterns, one tiny step at a time, I am now a very tidy person. #adulting |
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My pal, author Beth Pickens shared a hot tip she picked up from Call Your Girlfriend podcast on her instagram (@bethpickensconsulting) Beth sets aside a "personal admin day", reserving the birth date of every month to "handle the shit you've been putting off", I will begin implementing this from now on as another tiny step towards completing my lifelong goals. Being a functional member of society, is an act of service, and I believe a step closer towards living your truth as a bright shiny star, which is just as important self care. I am not an artist, though you may argue that once you've caught a glimpse of my stick figure yogis below, I've gained a lot of useful tools from her book. | | |
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Someday soon I will rise and brighten to my full potential, but as I understand it now, you can still get a sunburn on a cloudy day. Shine on, folks. XX, Z |
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As promised, your stick figure sequence for the week: surya namaskar B. ⬆️ = inhale ⬇️ = exhale |
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