If you had only one hour to live, what would you do? Would you not arrange what is necessary outwardly, your affairs, your will, and so on?

Would you not call your family and friends together and ask their forgiveness for the harm that you might have done to them, and forgive them for whatever harm they might have done to you?

Would you not die completely to the things of the mind, to desires and to the world?

And if it can be done for an hour, then it can also be done for the days and years that may remain. Try it and you will find out.

- J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

Let’s face it.

The holidays either bring us joy and excitement or total anxiety and stress.

Either way, our practice of mindfulness around taking care of  ourselves often moves to the wayside, succumbing to societal influences: What society tells us we should feel ok about buying, what we should feel ok about eating, and who we should should feel happy to be spending our holidays with.

Whether its a love of, or a spite of, the holiday season is one in which many still struggle with choices around finances, food, and sadly, family.  The season that is supposed to be about bringing us together ends up being the season that can bring up our deepest issues of grief around separation and conflict.
Can this be resolved?  Could this year and all those following really be different?

Perhaps this is the dual teaching of the holiday season.  A time when all people in the world, regardless of their community and culture, in some ways, beneath the joy, are asked to face deeper unresolved issues.

J. Krishnamurti’s quote above, challenges us to consider what action we would take and how our perspective would shift if we had just one hour left to live.  And he proposes, if we could do it in one hour, why not do it now, and keep it that way for the rest of our years?  Such a simple concept, yet for most of us it is still a concept.  In reality, we make choices to hold on to anger, sadness…. the past… until the day we die.  This only creates suffering during the days in which we live.

Whether or not you have a yoga or meditation practice, this holiday season, make this your practice of mindfulness: Notice what the season brings to the forefront in your life, whether its around family, finances, food,  or anything that you would like to make different this time around.  Embrace any discomfort that is brought up; discomfort is a good sign that there’s something ‘there’.  Instead of pushing up against it or trying to avoid it, see it as an opportunity to grow and to make a positive shift.

– Paramhansa Yogananda

So often, we hold ourselves back from our own true potential.

When we step into our authentic truth, Life guides us, not the other way around. We get to stop striving, forcing, over-thinking and over-planning. When we make a decision to stop living in fear, only then do we allow a grounded sense of calm carry us forward. This ‘courage’ can only authentically come from that place of ‘calm, inner faith’ that Yogananda refers to.

We cultivate this internal connection in meditation or yoga practice.From that calm, we start to pay attention to the divine orchestration of our lives. In that attention comes the trust, or the inner faith, that both gives us strength and helps us to realize that we are truly guided by a higher consciousness.

***

As you may have noticed, I’ve been ‘away’ for the summer from newsletters, blogging and such as I have been immersed in my own journey of growth and learning. I found this quote from Yogananda above, this August during an Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis retreat in Grass Valley, CA with a dear and masterful teacher, Dr. Mary Jo Cravatta. It was at the end of the program that I realized that I had been wanting to study the pulse and to study with this teacher for 2 years. For the first year, I had scheduling conflicts with all of her offerings and couldn’t attend. I eventually let go completely and suddenly, when the time was right it all came together without effort. It was only after I had experienced the magic of that weekend in its entirety that I realized my intentions (and beyond) had been fulfilled.

2011 has brought me unexpected and welcomed growth and expansion. For those of you that have been following my newsletters, you know that I am now offering Ayurvedic Shirodhara treatments, which have proven to be both powerful and deeply healing. I have completed pulse studies in Portland with Richard Haynes of Ayurveda Plus, and have continued with Dr. Mary Jo Cravatta in CA.

Later this year I will also be helping to pioneer Dr. Cravatta’s new therapeutic Awaken Within Yoga program that incorporates the Ayurvedic wisdom of the subtle body (chakras, nadis/channels, etc.) into each practice.

I’m currently taking my first group through an at-home Ayurvedic oleation and look forward to supporting any of you who are interested in this gentle cleansing program at the transitions of the seasons.

Finally, in March 2012, I’ll be bringing my yoga therapy and Ayurveda teacher’s son, Dr. Ganesh Mohan, from India to offer Module II of his US Yoga Therapy training in Portland. Thank you to all of my wonderful clients and colleagues who continually nudge me forward and encourage and support my growth even when I think I’m not ready:) I’ve experienced over and over that no matter how much the smaller aspects of ourselves try to hold us back, our higher consciousness is really in charge and guiding the way.

From that place I feel a deep sense of trust and gratitude and I wish to support others in connecting to that place within themselves so that we may all live in health, freedom and joy. -gianna

“Conflict of any kind -physically, psychologically, intellectually-is a waste of energy… it is extraordinarily difficult to understand and to be free of this because most of us are brought up to struggle, to make effort. When we are at school, that is the first thing that we are taught, to make an effort. And that struggle, that effort is carried throughout life…”

- J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

Ever wonder why life feels difficult?  Full of anxiety, stress, obstacles?  The teaching of ‘letting go’ and ‘surrender’ to what will be has been a big theme around the past week with clients and friends.  Is it possible that we’re all waking up to the idea that what we’re taught about success as children, the merits of struggle, competition, and aggression, only lead to heart attacks and cancer?  What if the path to success could be without conflict?

How do we define success? When I worked in the business world,  success meant a promotion, a pay raise, or a nicer title on the nameplate.  Now, success for me means living life according to that which is authentic and in alignment with my soul’s truth.  When I’m in that place, everything is in flow.  And when we banish conflict and replace it with ease, health flourishes.

When I reflect on how I got from there to here, from the business world to the wellness world, I realize that the most important things I do today were never what I envisioned or even knew was possible at the time.  The ‘hard work’ that I did (and still do) was clearing and navigating the inner landscape of my mind and my being.  But I never struggled, pushed or forced my way into becoming who I am today, doing what I do.

Instead, I simply learned to start saying ‘no’ to all the things that didn’t serve me in my life.  And as those things fell away, something new would magically present itself.  All of the right teachers, situations and opportunities just fell into my lap.  Why?  Because I finally became open and clear about what ‘felt right’ and what didn’t.

It is only when we are in that place of innocence and openness, that magic can enter, allowing our inner guidance to take us on a unbelievable journey in the direction of our soul’s unique destination.

The Final Cure for Disease

Apart from that inner Self or higher nature all things are a deviation, disturbance, or disease.  Until we learn to rest in our true nature we are prone to all the processes of decay and degeneration inherent in the external world.  Hence the only final cure for disease is Self-knowledge.

– Dr. David Frawley, American Institute of Vedic Studies

Ever notice how when we do something that brings us joy, that is fun or creative, we just feel good – healthy, youthful and free?  This is our true nature.  On the contrary, stress, frustration and worry cause imbalance in our mind and health while promoting the process of dis-ease and aging.

Ayurvedic wisdom honors Self-knowledge as the final cure for all disease.  Notice this is “self” with a capital “S”, the Self that embodies not who we think we are, what we call ourselves, or we do for a living, but instead the highest aspect of our Self, our essence, our purpose for being.

As you read this, you might wonder whether you’re fully certain of how to describe or even understand what your ‘Self’ actually is.  In fact, it may not be something that can be articulated through words.  Perhaps life offers us the journey of simply discovering what it feels like to be who we are when we’re not person ‘x’ that does ‘x’ for a living and has ‘x’ things in our life.

Who we really are, our highest aspect of Being, our highest Self, is actually something far more unique, an essence that can maybe only be expressed in action, through art or music, in a smile or in our laughter.  Tapping back into that feeling of wholeness occurs when we are in a state of ease: playing, relaxing, in stillness, or being in nature.

When we venture far (or even a little ways) away from our connected essence, imbalance and eventually dis-ease come to our being.  When we stay close and connected to our truth, we live in a place of ease, happiness and peace.

At its core, when a client and I work together, this is our aim, to navigate the journey back to the true Self.   As a practitioner, my role is to hold space for this process and to provide my clients with the guidance, support, and specific tools that can assist them on their own unique path to self-healing, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Beyond Thanks…. is the Magic of Manifestation Wishing for something? This time of year often brings up feelings of that which we miss, long for, or desire. It’s a good reminder to check-in and notice whether we’re wanting what we don’t have, or if we’re overwhelmingly thankful for what we do have. From that place of being thankful, we can actually call in the things that we want from a place of wholeness, instead of lack. Streaming from the power of gratitude is the magic of manifestation.  Being truly grateful in a sincere and humble way opens the heart, dissolves fear, and naturally invites in that which we are hopeful for. Try this today (and everyday!), just feeling gratitude for one simple thing. Remember always, that the more we honor and acknowledge that which we are grateful for, the more we cultivate those things in our life. … And I am Grateful for YOU Thank you all, those of you who I know and those I do not, for your support from near and far. The opportunity to work with you and to witness your transformation and growth is a gift that in turn, nurtures my own personal growth and joy.

30mn Intensive Session
A lot can happen in 30mn… An Intensive Session presses the ‘reset’ button of the mind.  It can be used as a phone session or a live session.  We select one thing to focus on with clear intention – the result is a significant opening supported by a breathing or visualization exercise given for home practice. $35

60mn Peace & Wisdom Session
An hour of peace that continues to ripple through your week… This session offers the recipient a choice of a Private Yoga Therapy, an Ayurvedic Diet & Lifestyle consultation or a Vibrational & Energetic Therapy session. $65

This is a very important question to go into because, as you grow older, you will find that your desires are never really fulfilled. In fulfillment there is always the shadow of frustration, and in your heart there is not a song but a cry. The desire to become -to become a great man, a great saint, a great this or that- has no end and therefore no fulfilment; its demand is ever for the “more”, and such desire always breeds agony, misery, wars. But when one is free of all desire to become, there is a state of being whose action is totally different. It is. That which is has no time. It does not think in terms of fulfilment. Its very being is its fulfilment. – Think on These Things

A violet can never become a rose, but the violet in itself can be a perfect flower. Being uncertain, one seeks certainty in the imitation of another. This produces fear, from which arise the delusion of shelter and comfort in another, and the many false ideas of discipline, meditation and the subjugation of oneself to an ideal. All this merely indicates the lack of comprehension of oneself, the perpetuating of ignorance. It is the root of sorrow, and instead of discerning the cause, you think that you can comprehend yourself through another. This looking to the example of another only leads to illusion and suffering.    -Krishnamurti

WHO ARE YOU STEALING FROM?

A couple of years ago, I mentored a young yoga teacher who wanted to take a therapeutic approach in her work; she was eager to learn and I offered heartfelt enthusiasm for her new direction.  When she completed her studies and launched her website, I was surprised to see that she had modeled significant parts of her website very closely after mine, imitating my style in her format and offerings.

My first response was disappointment and irritation, as I remembered all of the effort I had put into creating my original and copyrighted work.  As I sat with my feelings, they were gradually transformed into understanding and compassion, and I remembered the mentors that selflessly assisted me on my journey; I remembered how in the beginning, I relied on others’ expertise to guide me.  Eventually, I found my own way and didn’t have to try to emulate or imitate those that I admired, but it was a journey that took time.

Most importantly, I remembered what it felt like to be in that place of new beginnings, not knowing how to set myself apart, not having grown into or discovered my own gifts, my own style.  Amidst my beginners’ enthusiasm, I was actually feeling a little unclear.  I recognize the experience of beginning a new project; it is often a process of feeling clear, then unclear, and clear again, over and over as we find the way.

Like washing a window, you spray the window, it gets filmy, you wipe and it gets clearer, then there are streaks, and you clean more until finally it sparkles.  The ultimate reward is that clarity that results from the process of introspection; the understanding that only comes from experience; the cleaning and clearing that frees us from ideas and conditioning that were learned, instead of discovered.
In these times that we live in, there is an increasing need in the evolution of humanity to discover and source our own creative gifts of service.  Imagine if every single person in the world, embraced their unique gift and just did that?  How effortlessly and harmoniously our lives would operate.  Finding our own truth is our own greatest reward on our path. In the end, what is authentic for us provides incredible clarity.

Yoga exercises are excellent; the speaker does them every day, for an hour or more; but that is merely physical exercise, to keep the body healthy, and so on. But through them you can never come upon the other – never! Because if you give them all importance, you are not giving importance to the understanding of yourself which is to be watchful, to be aware, to give attention to what you are doing, every day of your life; which is to give attention to how you speak and what you say, to what you think, how you behave, whether you are attached, whether you are frightened, whether you are pursuing pleasure and so on. To be aware of the whole movement of thought; for if you are and you are really serious about it, then you will have established right relationship, obviously.

Relationship becomes extraordinarily important when all things about are chaotic – when the world is going to pieces, as it is. But when there is this establishment of total relationship, whole relationship, not between you and me, but human relationship with the whole of the world, then you have the basis. From there you can go on to behaviour – how you behave. If your behaviour is based on pleasure or on reward, it is not behaviour. It is merely the pursuit of pleasure from which fear arises.

Relationship, behaviour and order, these are absolutely essential if you want to go into the question of meditation. If you have not laid this foundation, then do what you like – stand on your head, breathe in for the next ten thousand years and repeat words, words – there will be no meditation.

- J Krishnamurti, Total Freedom

I like this quote from J. Krishnamurti as it represens a core theme of his teachings -  go inside for the truth!  We often spend our days looking for leaders, gurus, teachers, books…outside help and the truth is only within ourselves.

NO RESOLUTIONS THIS YEAR?

Last year at this time, I was feeling quite pleased with myself for the neatly organized and very comprehensive list of goals I had developed for the New Year.

My goals were specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
Or so I thought.

A week later, my life showed me that it had a different plan for me.  At first I resisted: “All that time I spent goal-planning!”  But eventually, when I ditched my resistance, a whole new world of opportunity opened up for me.  Though I had set some good goals, my attitude was stopping me from being open to paths I hadn’t even thought of.

So this year, what about just setting intentions instead?

A goal can be intention, yes.  But I’m talking about examining attitudes and perspectives that move you forward on your path.

If you look back on your goals for 2009 and you review what you achieved or didn’t; what worked or didn’t; and ESPECIALLY, if you’ve had the same intention a few years in a row… take a moment to reflect on the attitude or perspective that could have helped you to make your resolution a reality.

For example, if your resolution was to lose 30lbs, but because you’re so busy taking care of every body else, you tend to neglect your own body, maybe you scratch the resolution “Lose 30lbs” and replace it with “Recognize that I need nurturing and deserve time for myself”.

Holding this new intention or attitude may get you there this year.

Or if you had a goal of obtaining something tangible, but it didn’t happen, perhaps there was a good reason why.  Look at what happened instead… What did you learn from the unexpected?
Perhaps this year, the intention might be to “Remain Flexible”, “Go With the Flow”, or “Release Attachment”.

Have fun with this exercise.  See the gift in all of the unexpected ways that life takes you on your journey.  Be ready, with a clear mind, peace in your heart, and a clear intention to move forward in positive ways.

Best Wishes in this New Year and May All of Your Intentions be Realized.

-Gianna

You are what your deep, driving desire is.

As is your desire, so is your will.

As is your will, so is your deed.

As is your deed, so is your destiny.

-       Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV