Our intention this month - “I release the mental burden of expectations” has continued to help me through the month.  I am going to be honest, but first a few thoughts on honesty.  On my website there is a quote from Brene Brown “We share with people who earn the right to hear the story.”  This is why I created the Calm Crew! 2 years ago this January, I fearlessly and hesitantly started sharing a dharma email with a wide range of people - students, family and friends.  This was a scary action for me and as life would have it, cancer came along and I shared that with everyone too.  The original reason for the dharma email was for me to see if I could remain accountable as a teacher whether I was in the classroom or not.  In addition,  I felt I had a message to share with more than the students in the classroom.  The email is basically my weekly yoga class, less the poses and meditations.  Well, I proved to myself that I was committed to this weekly teaching and now as the Calm Crew develops it helps me to freely share my message to people I know want to hear it.  So yes I can say “you have earned the right”, but truly I have earned your trust in knowing there are people on the other side of my efforts who are taking it in and trying to apply all of this to their lives, just like me - so thank you, this makes it easier for me to write.   So back to me being honest…..honestly, the last couple of weeks have been really tough for me.  I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but feelings of being overwhelmed with a lot of responsibilities right now while trying to carve out time to be present and enjoy the holidays was a big one.  Also, lots of feelings of this time last year and the gripping fear and lack of faith I was in, lack of sleep due to the medication I need to take daily for the next few years and of course the pandemic and the change in the holiday gatherings.  The good news is when I get to this place, I always get to work to uncover the “yuck”, the mental burdens, or whatever you want to call it - my mind has been out to get me!

 

Last week, I referenced a book I am reading “Think Like a Monk” and in it there is a section entitled “the Monkey Mind”.  It says “we humans have roughly 70,000 thoughts a day (I have heard they are often repetitive and negative).  It continues with Ernst Popppel, a German psychologist and neuroscientist - he has shown through his research that our minds are only in the present time for about 3 seconds!!! - well that is depressing!!! Other than that,  our minds are thinking forward or backward. The Samyutta Nikaya describes each thought as a branch, and our mind as monkeys, swinging from one branch to the next, often aimlessly.”  Well at least its comforting to know the monks have a label for this mind wandering, so I am in good spiritual company!  Remember way back I quoted a Course in Miracles which says, “we are much too tolerant of mind wandering”.  And if you are having trouble sleeping, just remember - absolutely no-one has had a good thought at 3am!!! Lol.  This is all comforting information to learn we are not alone in our struggles with our minds, and to label it but there is no solution here, just information.  So what can we do?

 

In the Dhammapada, the Buddha says, “As irrigators lead water where they want, as archers make their arrows straight, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their minds.”

 

OK, how can we shape our minds?  As always the first step is awareness, but awareness without judgement.  Our intention: “I release the mental burdens of expectations” - what does that bring up for you?  How has it served you this month?  Have you applied it to your holiday plans, non plans?  Have you been aware of when you were living in expectations?  After the awareness we can find the ease in our mind by moving into acceptance - accepting the continuing pivots of life, the non plans, the non gatherings and finally, the action is in finding the joy in these moments as well as creating new moments for yourself that are joyful.  So forge on to ring in the New Year!!!  Have the joyful anticipation, make the plans or don’t - and in it all don’t get attached to it all infolding the way you “expect it to”, because chances are 2020 will go out very unexpectantly!!!

 

One last tip….Another small thing that has helped me this week - I have added a few words onto the intention:

My intention is to release the mental burdens of expectations….when I am ready.  This has felt a little more accessible, more inviting, not so black and white.  I have my intention, I know it and when I am ready I will make the shift.  In the meantime I will keep doing the work!!!

 

 

Please help me get the word out - share my website with anyone you think would like to join us and post about it on your instagram - that can be your holiday gift to me!!!!!  thank you!!!!!!!

 

A few of you have asked if you can purchase a trial membership or a drop in class as a gift for someone - absolutely and there is still time if you have anyone who you think may benefit from this community!!! Remember they don’t need to be yogis!!! Email me and I will share with you how to send them this gift of self care for the New Year, super easy to do on the website! 

 

Also on the website is a link to the New Year Mind, Body and Spirit Cleanse with Organic Krush happening in early February!  Another great gift to give yourself or someone else for a healthy start to 2021!!!!

 

 

Remember who we are……..

Why the “Calm Crew”?  Think of the Scandinavian word - hygge: [ˈh(y)o͞oɡəˈho͝oɡə] NOUN -

a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).

synonym: calm

Together through The Calm Crew we will create a spiritual community of like minded people, conviviality, trying to find the calm and joy in life!

 

 

“I’m Just Saying……”

I am attaching last weeks worksheet in this weeks email in case you didn’t get to it and you want to sit quietly for a few minutes to answer the questions on it as well as the questions above.  Do all you can to set yourself up for joyful, amazing and abundant 2021!!!!

 

Finally, finally…

Tuesday December 29th is the full moon! The following thoughts were sent to me, thank you Sarah!!!!

This is an important moon for honoring change and bringing in a level of inspiration, creativity and excitement. Your needs versus your desires should be examined and your definition of true home explored. There is a sense of adventure and a restlessness in the air. Creative energy needs a focus and freedom needs an expression. Where, how and with whom can you be creative? Where and how can you express your freedom?

This is a good time to create your intentions for 2021 if you have not already done so. And, if there is any lingering debris from 2020 that needs release, this would be a really good time for that completion. Breaking an old habit is greatly supported during this full moon and a commitment for an inner shift of attitude and belief systems can be deeply anchored. You can have a sudden change of heart about an old attachment, making way for the possible healing of an old wound. Use this full moon as an extension of the powerful Solstice to solidify your intentions with that higher vibration of spiritual inspiration and creativity.