Sunday sadhana

To me, sadhana is a daily spiritual practice allowing time and space for an individual to turn inward.

As Yogi Bhajan (of the Kundalini yoga tradition) says, "Sadhana is self-enrichment. It is not something which is done to please somebody or to gain something. Sadhana is a personal process in which you bring out your best."

Sadhana could be taking a walk in nature, doing breath work or yoga asanas on a mat, spending time meditating or chanting, reading and reflecting on a poem, or simply watching the sun rise.

Please accept this post as a possible starting point for your own practice today, and as a basis for your new year.

Mantra:

Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu

Translated as:

May all beings, everywhere, be happy and free. And may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute, in some way, to that happiness and to that freedom for all.

Courage: my 2015 word

Happy new year all!

As I mentioned in my last post, a few years back I dropped resolution-making for word-of-the-year-selecting. After working through Susannah Conway's Find Your Word e-course, then sitting with a handful of options for a few weeks, I was pretty sure what my word was going to be.

Then I got up on New Year's Day, headed in to my yoga mat, sat on a cushion, lit a candle, shuffled my oracle cards ... and pulled exactly what I had been toying with: the COURAGE card.

A stunning golden lion peered back at me. "Have courage," he said. (No, really. That's what's written at the bottom of the card.)

I stared at it. Once again completely taken aback at how the oracle cards, more often than not, reflect exactly what I need, at exactly the perfect time.

So courage it is.

But why courage?

I knew I wanted a strong word. Something to push me to take challenges, to have tough conversations, to leap sometimes without looking. I played around with brave, and strength, and fly, and fearless.

Courage, though, to me speaks of approaching challenges with heart. Not ignoring or stuffing any fear involved, but intentionally moving forward through compassion, both for myself and for others involved. Taking the risks necessary to grow and change, and come out the other side a better woman.

Courage (n.) c.1300, from Old French corage (12c., Modern French courage) "heart, innermost feelings; temper," from Vulgar Latin *coraticum (source of Italian coraggio, Spanish coraje), from Latin cor "heart" (see heart) which remains a common metaphor for inner strength. (Source: Online Etymology Dictionary)

In 2015, I will move forward in my work and my personal life with courage. I have no doubt it's going to challenge me. And I'm perfectly OK with that.

How about you? Did you select a word this year? I'd love to hear how you plan to orient your new year.

__________

P.S. Thanks to Jo of The Darling Tree for the courage art above. She does beautiful web design work and art. Check her out!

Questions and words for a new year

This morning one of the first social media bits I came across was Parker Palmer's blog post for On Being.

It was a beautiful take on the New Year's cycle, and the process of setting, or more accurately, not setting resolutions.

Parker says, instead of listing out resolutions, this year he'll take "Rilke's famous advice about 'living the questions,'" and ponder five questions that have arisen in him based off an Anne Hillman poem he includes (see photo at right).

• How can I let go of my need for fixed answers in favor of aliveness?

• What is my next challenge in daring to be human?

• How can I open myself to the beauty of nature and human nature?

• Who or what do I need to learn to love next? And next? And next?

• What is the new creation that wants to be born in and through me?

I love this because a few years back I stopped writing out a bunch of resolutions that I rarely met past a few months, or weeks, into the new year ... and then felt guilty about (oh, what a lovely cycle that is) — and started settling into a word for the year.***

I'm not sure where it originates, but I jumped in after reading a post by Liz Lamoreux (who also does beautiful "word/soul mantra" jewelry, if you're interested). In 2013, I selected "becoming." Last year, "show up."

This year, Susannah Conway (who I'm a big fan of, now having taken two of her online courses — Blogging From the Heart and Unravelling) put together a free Find Your Word e-mail course, which I've been plodding through over the past few weeks.

I'm 96 percent sure of what my 2015 word is, but I'm going to let it percolate for a few more days before sharing. (If you'd like to take Susannah's course and then come back and share your word when I do, I'd love that!)

What I do know is that choosing a word for the year lets me, both on a personal level and a professional level, start from a focus point. It allows a soft guide for the moves I make, and it helps me, when stuck in making a decision, remember what I wanted from my year. It's not a be-all, end-all. As Liz says so eloquently in this post:

Choosing a guiding word or phrase for the year isn't the same thing as choosing a wrist tattoo. It isn't permanent. It is one practice that might or might not work for you.

It's worked for me. Perhaps it will for you as well. I offer it as an option to traditional resolution setting. (Which, if that works for you, keep at it!)

However you approach this particular "crossing of the threshold," may your new year be blessed with health, happiness, and whole-hearted living.

***Please don't get me wrong, I think setting goals for yourself is a worthy process, and it's certainly what makes up my #40before41 project. I think it's more about, as Parker suggests, first asking the right questions in order to get to what your heart truly desires. And finding a way to stick with it, or let it go.)

This is my 40

Thanks to inspiration from Christina Rosalie, and my (at the time) impending 40th birthday, a few weeks ago I decided to put together a "40 Before 41" list of 40 things I want to accomplish before my 41st birthday.

I turned 40 yesterday, so it's time to commit to it.

I've always been a list-maker, and I've tended to keep sporadic lists of things I want to do, which often ended up misplaced in a journal or on a sticky note somewhere. I know the formality here will help me — I'll cross items off as I do them, and you all can follow along (or play along, if you fit in somewhere).

Oh, and one more thing: there's no rhyme or reason to the order. I just added as they popped into my head.

• 40 Before 41 • 

• Learn to bake French macarons
• See my byline in a national magazine
• Have at least one item of clothing tailored to fit
• Build a terrarium
• Blog at least twice a week
• Develop a new website for my blog
• Climb Pikes Peak • Visit Ojo Caliente
• Read at least 52 books
• Send a snail mail letter/card/postcard/gift once a month
• Plant and grow something edible outside
• Yoga and meditation, daily
• Take French language lessons
• Make new connections with at least three bloggers I respect
• Plan my next trip to France
• Attend the Santa Fe Opera
• Take classes on how to use all the buttons on my DSLR
• Figure out my signature style
• Skinny dip
• Learn to make ginger beer
• Find the perfect red lipstick (and wear it)
• Journal at least weekly
• Add a piece of original art to my collection
• Take a trip with a girlfriend
• Invest in a week's worth of matching bras and panties (foundations matter!)
• Intentionally play music in the house every day
• Visit a hot springs in Colorado
• Give generously what I want to receive
• Facilitate and participate in at least one improv writing session a month
• Stay up once all night until sunrise
• Perform at a poetry slam/open mic
• Participate in a stage show (play, musical, etc.) as cast or crew
• Get will and living will in order
• Have a tarot reading done
• Find more opportunities to dance
• Play paintball
• Continue to reduce my wardrobe, a la Project 333
• Get make-up tips from a pro
• Take performance driving lessons
• Show up (my 2014 "one-word" soul mantra)

Bravery

It's been a long week. Yes, I realize it's only Wednesday. Still, it's been a long week.

That said, on Monday, I dropped by one of my favorite stores (EllyBlue) and found this chalkboard sign out front.

She who is brave is free.

When I think about the word "brave" — which interestingly, I almost picked as my Soul Mantra for 2014 — I conjure images of a Joan of Arc-type, sitting tall on a majestic horse, sword drawn, ready for whatever fight she may need to face. Of course, she also doing said action while wearing a gorgeous white flowing dress, with her hair perfectly coifed, and her lipstick a most excellent shade of rose.

(I have an active imagination sometimes.)

But being "brave" is so very rarely quite so exciting, or managed in such a quote-unquote perfect way. It more often takes the form of choosing to get out of bed in the morning in a daily fight against depression. Or in finally scheduling that doctor's appointment to figure out why a literal pain in your neck won't go away.

Or, in trying to figure out how to word a blog post just so — by releasing lifelong perfectionist habits, or I'm-not-good-enough thoughts, or anxiety about what people [shudder] will think.

All tendencies that can be self-destructive and binding.

Or in other words, not freeing.

She who is brave is free.

She who is brave is free. And it's baby steps of bravery, baby steps of "showing up" for your life each and every day, that get you to that free place. (My Soul Mantra this year actually is "show up." More on that in a future blog post.)

It's exhausting, but important, work.

And is why it's been a long week for me, just three days in. I've been tackling projects, testing my limits. Being brave. And I know my work is nowhere near done.

Which is also why I might just crawl under the bedcovers for awhile. Breathe in some good alone-time freedom. And start fresh tomorrow.