I can’t change anyone else. I can only change myself. They are such simple words yet so challenging to accomplish at times. What I continue to learn is that what we CAN do is inspire others. We can move them by being an example of what we hope to see in the relationship. Sure, I know you’re probably thinking “why do I always have to go first?" or "Why can't they step up and be responsible?" When I give in to complaint and pessimism I have similar thoughts. However, there are some of us in this world who learn things before others and must be leaders on this evolutionary pilgrimage, the pilgrimage of love. And as we use those efforts to become the person we really want to be and we show up that way, we cultivate a deeper, wider, more open heart that can contain what we never thought we could. And when we use that container, people change. It might not be on the timeline that we would like or expect, but it does happen. Sometimes it takes something abnormal or unusual to to change something that is normal or usual, especially in relationships. We fall into habitual patterns of thinking and behaving and yet we expect to have different results. For instance, my teacher, Master Ou, used this scenario as an example once: Imagine that someone was criticizing you, angry with you, or even berating you. What if, instead of defending yourself, explaining yourself or even thinking about explaining yourself, you dropped into your own heart and said something like “I understand where you might be coming from, and I can take responsibility for my part in this. Can I bring you a cup of tea?” Ideally, this was all said with a genuine smile, a sincere heart and true affection. No, it’s not what we are trained to do in this world. And no, its not easy. In fact, quite the opposite. We are trained to defend against invaders, to speak our “truth” regardless of the consequences and practice self righteousness. Yet how often do these qualities and behaviors give us the results we truly want? Anything is challenging, initially, until we get good at it. We just have to train it like a muscle or anything else we wish to cultivate. The result? More harmony, happiness, lasting contentment, adaptability and the skill set to stay centered and open regardless of the circumstances. Wouldn't that be the greatest gift you could give yourself?
This is the question I’m asking as we embark on this next round of holidays and festivities with family and friends. There are sure to be misunderstandings, and there are sure to be ways we don’t see eye to eye. I say this to myself as much as I write it to you, that I am committed to finding new and creative ways of handling situations that can often seem insurmountable, impossible or just plain hard. It is through these encounters, it is through these seemingly small changes in ourselves that we achieve deep, lasting and fruitful outcomes. If we can let go of what we might gain or lose in a specific moment and broaden our perspective to a greater goal and a greater outcome, it might give us the inspiration we need in that moment to try something new. And, soon enough, perhaps the abnormal starts to become normal, the unusual becomes usual and we create a new pathway in the brain, in the body and deep inside our spirits.
What if you gifted your time, your benevolence, your perseverance and your example of a loving heart? If you could receive only one present this year, what would it be? The answer for me is simple: The best present is presence.
May this holiday season and New Year bring you peace, joy, contentment, abundance of love, ease of mind and comfort of heart.
Namaste,
Anisha
October/November 2017 | 400 Years of Wisdom
Last August I had the privilege of touching the trunk of a 400-year-old tree. Words failed me every time I tried, not to only understand for myself, but then describe what I felt to anyone else. What I CAN say is that tree has seen a lot, and what I didn't expect to feel was the sadness and solemn, yet deep, acceptance. When I really stop to feel and step inside the tree's life even for a moment, wouldn't I also feel sad? Having outlived all my friends and family, and then having to witness humans killing, raping, and abusing other humans? The tree was right near many southern and very historic plantations on Wadmalaw Island outside Charleston. The whole island felt like we stepped back in to time: a time full of heartache and oppression.
My teacher, Master Ou, says that trees and plants have emotions just like animals. They have an essential spirit. I have experienced this with trees on hikes and on my land. I often feel their personalities and sentiments and sometimes a response to my care and love towards them. That 400 year old tree had more emotion and history than I could even contain in my tiny body. It felt beyond me, yet so deep within me, and I couldn't trace an end to it. I can liken it to a feeling of being under water and not seeing the ocean floor but having awareness of its presence.
In Autumn trees let go of their leaves; maybe they are letting go of emotions too? Just like we follow these intrinsic cycles of nature, I wonder what their letting go is like? The advantage trees have is not being able to succumb to their emotions in order to make that decision. They don't possess the reasoning ability we do. Worry, hesitation, anxiety, and memories don't prevent them from moving forward. They don't need to journal about it, check the weather report, read their daily horoscope or make a public announcement. They just let go. They don't analyze whether they should let go and why. They don't call their friends to discuss the matter (though I would gladly be that friend). No one is necessarily around watching it happen. There is no applause or congratulations. There is no effort or struggle. It is not good or bad, it just is.
Sometimes we absorb more than we can handle, and while it's not 400 years, it can feel like it. But what if we could follow the trees' examples in Fall and do the same? We can benefit greatly from a seasonal discharging of what's dead anyway. We know it's time but some part of our mental habitual thought patterns still wants to hold on for dear life. What if we could release the confluence of opinions and judgements about it? If we are able to relinquish the committee of indecision, the calculations and planning within us, then, in the space of letting go, we can let it all be, just as it is, through another cycle, empowered and free. What if, in letting go, and slowly embracing our past, we can embody that same deep acceptance of our 400 yr old example, and fill that space with healthier and happier vibrations?
In Peace,
Anisha
September 2017 | Introducing Pangu Porch Time
Almost one year ago we moved to the mountains, a dream that I've had as long as I can remember. Dreams, even as they are being fulfilled are not always easy. In fact, they require a level of commitment that strips one bare. I let go of a flourishing business, practice and sense of self in order to move forward with a vision and purpose that I believe will bring help and healing in the most effective way to the most people. I went from being someone that people often turned to for advice and healing to being and feeling like a nobody in a sea of skilled healers and teachers. I believe I am finding my home here in these magical and historic mountains and I have so many of you to thank in this beautiful community for that, for opening your hearts and seeing my soul. Walking the line between humility and confidence is a difficult one but an important for me to discover each and every day. I am so thankful for my global life experience that has allowed me to open my heart to all people and see my life's true purpose.
These inner struggles seem minute in comparison to the string of traumatic global events and outrage that seem to be on the rise as of late. As a result, leading up to the Solar Eclipse, I felt an unavoidable pull to look deeply inside myself through a sacred yet challenging soul journey. These past couple weeks, I have faced my own hatred, aggression, fear and sadness. Though I've felt and seen it many times before, never to this degree and with such insistence. Between feeling entitled and feeling like a victim, and ultimately seeing the places inside me where I'm intolerant of someone having a different viewpoint than my own, I think my life and our lives can come down to one fundamental question:
"Which parts of ourselves are we feeding, the fear and hatred or the love and benevolence?"
I'm certainly not saying I've mastered love and forgiveness or conquered my demons, I'm saying that we're in this together. From this place of discovery and inspiration to continue transformation, I offer you the second episode of Pangu porch time, "Forgiveness", and what I hope to be something that adds to the solution. (I would have offered you the first episode but it malfunctioned: another opportunity to be adaptable). Each episode in the Pangu Porch Time series will cover a topic we can all relate to, followed with a practical tool involving Pangu Yoga, Pangu Mystical Qi Gong, and/or The Path of Life. My intention in starting Pangu Porch Time is to offer people thought provoking questions, conversations as well as an application or action step to help implement a new life promoting habit into your life. Let's help each other rise up and thrive together.
Peace,
Anisha