Recently I had a remarkable experience in a grove of holly trees on the south end of the blue ridge parkway. Iset out on a hike with my dog Jade on a trail I frequently walked with her. I always felt there was something special and comforting about the trees there that kept drawing me back.
The fresh aroma overwhelmed me as I parked my car and entered the deep woods; the feelings of love and comfort were unmistakable. I felt like a baby being held and rocked. I felt myself smiling bigger and walking with more confidence. As I basked in this envelopment of nature's medicine I could feel energy move through my heart center from front to back. With deeper curiosity, I stopped to touch the tree's shiny inviting leaves, and the feelings intensified. I felt energy move down the inside of my arms: In Chinese Medicine this is considered the heart channel/meridian. Now it was getting very interesting. I had just come off an intense few days of teaching and felt kind of wrung out; that seemed to change quickly on this hike.
There is a startling vividness in the moment when something internal happens that transforms my intellectual understanding into a felt experience. The form and physiology of the holly tree are vastly different from my own, but we share a number of life processes. For instance, the cells of my own body and the cells of the trees both carry out respiration and synthesize proteins. These processes are basically the same in me and in the trees.
How, despite our obvious differences, had the trees and I come to share so much more? At some point my mind stopped talking to itself, and for a few long moments and most of the remaining hike I was left with a wordless understanding that was of a different kind than the understanding born of intellect. Essential truths cannot be grasped with the mind. For me they occur through deep feeling that flows through my spirit, and then I make sense of it through mind and body. I became a child again, full of wonder and excitement, with a sense of lightness and freedom. I felt so loved.
After returning home and doing some research I found out that holly is regarded as the most universally applicable of plant essences to heal the inner being and to stimulate the basic loving nature of the human soul: "Holly holds a central position among the Bach Flower Remedies, because it embodies love - the highest energy quality through which we all live, and which is our greatest healing power."
(http://www.bachflower.org/holly.htm)
There's nothing mystical about it-- yet there is everything mystical about it. Nature heals. It's up to us how close we choose to be with it.
Our human society and busy lives have left many of us alienated from nature, observing “it” from a distance as an amorphous “other,” at best to be analyzed and described rather than embraced, loved, and cherished as an intimate extension of ourselves. Time in nature can be the perfect antidote to complicated and noisy lives. The Earth provides us with an enormously extended family that we can visit any time we wish, an inexhaustible world of friends (of all shapes and sizes) that, in a sense, are wondering where we've been. They are ready and waiting to receive our recognition, love and respect so they can, in turn, offer their deep love. Perhaps now is the time to come into the open and say hello to all your brothers and sisters. Now is the time to invite them into your inner circle and into your heart. You have been gone so long — now is the time to return home.
This month I offer you a free 11 minute gentle yoga and meditation class (click on link below) to help you feel more connected to your spirit. When we feel a deeper connection with ourselves we can more easily and effortlessly feel it with the whole web of life, and through living things with the whole of the cosmos.
Peace,
Anisha
March 2017 | Getting Back to Happy
Its Spring after all right? Well, at least for the Southeastern US. We've had beautiful days in the 60's lately and we should be buzzing like bees and glowing and growing like flowers! It makes me wonder why we can't always be like those bees and flowers, bursting forth with their most radiant selves, reaching for the light and spreading rainbows of colors and happiness to others.
Well, I think it IS possible, when I realize that I am in 100% control of ME. My decisions in each and every moment determine the quality of life that I live, and how I share that with others. My aim is to be optimistic and calm, as often as possible. However, when I can’t control what’s happening, I must challenge myself to GROW, to control the way I respond to what’s happening, to expand my container. That’s where my power is! I take a long deep breath and remind myself of the truth: “I choose my response, and that changes everything.” Then I have to use my most rational thinking and make a firm decision that I'm going to let go and move forward. (Its unlikely I'll be sweatin' any of this in a few weeks anyway). I'm not saying it always happens naturally or automatically. Sometimes I have to exercise a strong will, rise up from the inside and say, “I don’t care how hard this is. I don’t care how disappointed I am. I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I choose to be different and change the patterns within.” And then I watch and observe, noticing cause and effect. The moment of pain or discomfort is worth the long term change and expansion I experience.
Worry is another great opposition to being like the bees. It does nothing but steal our joy and keep us incredibly busy doing absolutely nothing worthwhile at all. That is one of the greatest struggles many of us deal with on a daily basis, myself included. The mind is our greatest battlefield. It’s the place where the strongest conflict resides. It’s where half of the things we thought were going to happen, never did happen. It’s where our expectations always get the best of us. It’s where we fall victim to trying to control the uncontrollable. And if we allow these thoughts and cravings to dwell in our minds, they will succeed in robbing us of peace, happiness, and ultimately our lives. We will think and worry ourselves into deep heartache and even depression.
Truthfully, there’s so much about life that we can’t control, it makes no sense to waste all our energy on these things and then blatantly neglect everything we CAN control.
We can decide how we spend our time right now, whom we socialize with – whom we share our lives with and loving and appreciating them for exactly who they are. And most importantly, we can choose how we’re going to respond to life’s surprises and disappointments when they arise, and whether we will see them as curses or opportunities for personal growth.
As we let go of all our worries about everything we can’t control, it frees us up to merrily take the next best step forward in our lives.
Bee Love,
Anisha
February 2017 | Love Yourself, Be Yourself, Give Yourself
Sometimes the hardest person in the world to love is the person staring back at you in the mirror, and often that's the person who needs your love the most. The part of us that needs to change is the part we keep beating on, but that's the part that needs love IN ORDER to change. Sometimes loving yourself means learning to laugh at your mistakes, rest your body when it's tired, to not lose your temper and end up losing valuable life force, to surround yourself with people and places where joy and peace overcome stress. Life is an adventure; you should be there for you each step of the way! Sometimes love is strict, and sometimes it offers compassion, comfort and strength.
Truth be told, much unhappiness has come into the world because of the lack of self love, a lack of love for others and a general bewilderment towards miscommunication.
We know this. We know misunderstandings can tear us apart. We know healthier communication leads to healthier relationships. However, knowing something doesn't mean we take action. I've been sitting with this and contemplating that mysterious grey area between what we want to do, our intention...and actually DOING it. What happens in the in-between space?
Is it that we forget? Is it that something else becomes more important?
We forget to make time for ourselves and each other.
We forget to be present with ourselves and each other.
We forget to really listen. And we forget to be SINCERE and honest.
Day after day, we collectively misunderstand each other into hundreds of unnecessary headaches and heartbreaking mistakes.
And, like you, I’m only human – I still miscommunicate and misunderstand people, especially when I’m in a hurry. Honestly, a combination of excessive busyness and poor communication leads to unnecessary conflicts.
So what's the solution? Give yourself space and time when possible. Give others space and time when possible. Here is a simple strategy I use to support the practice of paying better attention to the people in my life: In summary, I proactively remind myself of the truths I already know but often forget. Anytime I catch myself avoiding a conversation, feeling misunderstood or conflicted, I pause and read the following mantras to myself (I have them stored in the Notes on my iPhone now). Then I find the time and space to tune in to this person with full presence…
1. One of the biggest problems in communication is the idea or belief that it has already happened.
2. Too often we don’t listen to understand – we listen to reply. Don’t do this. Focus. Be curious. When we listen with genuine curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply – we listen for what’s truly behind the words.
3. When you hear only what you want to hear, you’re not really listening. Listen to what you don’t want to hear too. That’s how we grow stronger, together.
4. You never know what someone has been through today. So don’t be lazy and make empty judgments about them or their situation. Be kind. Be teachable. Be a good friend. Be a good neighbor. Be a good listener.
5. Sometimes all a person needs is an empathetic ear – they just need to know someone else hears them. Simply offering a listening ear and a kind heart for their suffering can be incredibly healing.
6. Do not make assumptions unless you undoubtedly know the whole story. If in doubt, ask the person directly until you have clarity.
7. When you take the time to actually listen, with humility and sincerity, to what people have to say, it’s amazing what you can learn. Especially if the people who are doing the talking also happen to be the people you love
What does it mean to have sincere conversations? To be honest? Sincerity is the basic foundation for having a strong, cultivated heart. But what does it mean? My understanding is that it means we neither underestimate nor overestimate ourselves. We don't shrink or inflate ourselves, but try to communicate exactly between the two sides. This would be the truth. And in order to do that we must know what that middle road, what that truth, actually is. This takes a calm, open, humble, honest, diligent and present mind and spirit.
Your turn - let me know how are things are going! I'd love to know if these tips are helpful and if you see positive changes in your relationship with yourself and others. Hope to see you soon!
With Peace,
Anisha