Emily Perry Studios

worthiness, nonviolence & lovingkindness

this week, brené over at ordinary courage is hosting a week of worthiness to celebrate the release of her new DVD.  she really got me thinking about the idea of worth, and how it impacts our lives.  and while there is much to be said about self-worth in terms of self-care [am i worth spending the money on? am i worth the time?], there is also an aspect of worth that ties into our daily internal dialogue.

in buddhism and yoga, non-violence is referred to as ahimsa.  ahimsa refers not only to physical violence, but mental and emotional violence as well. when we doubt ourselves, when our internal tapes repeat messages about our unworthiness, this is a form of violence towards the self.  when we say to ourselves "i will be worth it when..." , this is in fact an act against the self as we are right now.  it is great to have goals and visions of who we want to be and become, but we don't need to pay the price now by beating ourselves up.  because, as we all know, when we do get to the "destination", often that is never enough either, and we are left striving for a state a being that is beyond reach.  we deserve to find happiness now, right in this moment.  we don't need to achieve anything to get there. 

part of our practice, as humans and creatives, is to shut this cycle down.  when you come up against internal resistance and messaging about self-worth, ask yourself, "am i practicing ahimsa?"  am i practicing loving-kindness (metta) towards myself?  a peaceful life and world starts with our internal world.  if we are not at peace, our world cannot be at peace.  if we cannot be kind to ourselves, and love ourselves fully as we are in this moment, then how can we practice authentic kindness and  love with another?

so as you can see, for me, this idea of worth comes back to a sense of loving-kindness (or metta) and non-violence towards the self.  how are you going to celebrate this week of worthiness?

surrender

ah, february.  how you rock my world.  it seems every year, this is the month for me that is the challenge.  it's cold, raining all the time.  there are sicknesses about, and usually some objects in my life need fixing. last year it was both cars; this year, it is the dryer, phone line, and the persistent ant invasions due to all the rain.  you might imagine the extent of my crabbiness: when the kids are sick, and i have all of this going on, at a certain point i just have to give up.

 
so yesterday, that is what i did.  i gave up the mere thought of my to do list.  i dropped my expectation that my daughter could actually clean up after herself.  i waited for my husband to get home, and then ate chocolate & watched project runway.  what has asked you to surrender lately?  leave your comment below- i would love to hear!

"the place inside us that is always steady"

{SX-70 at Bar Jules, San Francisco with Sheri of Today is Pretty, 02.06.10} 

Consciously making our breath steady at such a time isn't about suppressing our feelings, it is about understanding that every high and every low arises out of and returns back to a potent neutral place.  The point is not to control the breath or to control the situation but to use the regular, metronomelike availability of our breath to remind us of the place inside us that is always steady.  The breath then becomes like a companion that is always reminding us of who we are.

-Donna Farhi, Bringing Yoga to Life

30 day sadhana:: day 11

{outside Cafe Gratitude, San Francisco, 2010}

Today is day 11 of the 30 Days of Yoga practice, a yoga sadhana organized by Marianne over at Zen and the Art of Peacekeeping.  There is something about doing yoga everyday that has really changed my approach to yoga.  it was clear right away that what i thought i needed out of this thirty days- and what i truly needed- were two different things.  this yoga practice has taught me to pay attention differently, to listen.

but it has also allowed me to meet my resistance in interesting ways.  

 

by meeting the resistance, i can breath into it, soften it.  i can discover why the resistance is there, dissolve into it, and discover all sorts of joy lurking, just waiting to be uncovered.

join in, or follow us over at twitter (#30dayyoga)

::namaste::

 

the flexibility of wood

{these roots, this tree here in the etsy shop}

there is a storm outside again today, and as i sit here i am watching the large pines sway in the wind and rain. 

i think at times we forget about the gift of the wood element, one of the five elements in classical chinese medicine (the others being fire, earth, metal and water).  wood needs to be strong to withstand the storm, and yet it needs to be soft and flexible to the changing winds so it is not broken by the elements.

today, think of how you might be flexible to the changing world around you, while maintaining your sense of being grounded with strong roots.

{mention the code roots2010 in the checkout at my etsy shop for a 10% discount until midnight 01.19.10 Pacific time}

more on mandala mapping

at the heart of the mandala mapping technique^TM, is nourishing.  nourishing ourselves & our path is an important part of the unfolding of the energetic journey.  but what does it mean to nourish?

i think will mean different things to different people, but i see it as aiding, supporting, and providing for our growth at not only the gross physical level, but also on energetic and spiritual levels.  if we can find a way to deeply nourish ourselves, we will be able to discover and fulfill our biggest dreams, pursue our wildest passions.  we will be able to hear the call to what we need to be doing with our lives.

and yet to get to this point, we need to be able to hear what it is that we are called to do.  we need have access to our internal voices, and have the physical and emotional strength to act on them.

how do you nourish yourself everyday?

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